SIX walk IN

by KitsuneRisu

6: Until The Sun's Dawn Cuts Forth Without Sound

6 -Until The Sun's Dawn Cuts Forth Without Sound

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"Oh, er…" Fluttershy stammered. "Um."

She looked around nervously, a little bit confused in her own mind, unsure of how she should be acting right now.

She felt like she was caught in the act of taking a walk in the park. Something somewhere deep down told her that there was nothing wrong about it, but by the look that she was being given, she couldn't help but question that maybe she had done something awful.

Too far gone was she to even be able to tell that the still form of Applejack that lay not a few feet behind her was what might be considered the result of bad behaviour.

It was just something she did now. It was something she had to do.

It was a walk in the park.

She caught the look on Pinkie's face. It wasn't hard to miss. It was a look of reprehension, of disgust and foul demeanour. But beyond that, there were shades that were hard to pick out. Was this all fuelled by a smattering of annoyance? But why would Pinkie be annoyed?

It disappeared in a blink.

"Oh, wow! I guess I was right!" Pinkie chuckled, the bounce returning to her voice and a smile started to spread through her lips. Even her hair seemed to gain buoyancy. "You really are the one, aren't you?"

"What do you… mean?" Fluttershy asked, weakly.

"Hehe!" Pinkie continued giggling. "Well, I mean, I don't know what I mean! I mean, I should start from the start, right? If anywhere was a good place to start, the start would be the best place! That's why they call it the start!"

Fluttershy blinked, confused. She was caught, once again, between logic and instinct. In one direction lay her task, but on the other hoof, it seemed there was no reason, no purpose to commit it. After all, she only had to save the ones that needed saving, and Pinkie seemed… normal. More normal than Applejack, even. Applejack was all paranoid and talking crazy.

Pinkie was just… Pinkie.

But the decision on how to proceed came from an unexpected source – one that took Fluttershy by surprise.

"Hey, so, you gotta save me or something, don'tcha?" Pinkie asked, nodding her bushy head furiously. "I've been hanging around and watching! You've done a great job with the others. Is it my turn yet? Oooh, is it my turn?"

"Y…yes," Fluttershy blurted out. "Yes, I… I think so."

"So come on! Let's go!" Pinkie said, drawing back from the open door. As she did so, her eyes fell upon Applejack's body one last time, and a sort of melancholic regret passed her as she sighed inwardly. But even that faded into the warmth of the light coming from the foyer.

"I lit the way!" Pinkie declared, sweeping toward the other side of the hall. "Light's always a good thing to have in the dark! That way you can see!"

"Of… of course, Pinkie," Fluttershy said, following along, even more confused now.

The leader in pink stopped in the middle of the main room, under the slowly-swinging chandelier of metal, where she stared into the dark hole of the fireplace. Had there been a fire burning, it would have been a more meaningful gesture. But as it was, it seemed as if she were looking at a shadow.

But still, the soft light made the colours mute and the tone a bit more dour. The mood fit the scene, even if the elements did not.

"Fluttershy, I wanna tell you a story before you save me," Pinkie said, the tone of her voice matching the tone of the room.

"I'm not sure that's the–"

"Let me tell you a story."

Pinkie waited, still watching the invisible flames dance in the unlit fireplace. She waited for no reply.

And no reply was given.

And so she continued.

"Once upon a time, in the great land of Equestria, there was a house! A great big house with a great big door and great big dirty windows and great big rooms. It was a wonderiffic house, because of what was inside. Do you know what was inside, Fluttershy?"

"No, I–"

"There were six friends, Fluttershy! Six fantastic, fabulous, pony friends. The best of friends. The most close of friends. Six friends who walked into that house one day, Fluttershy. A wonderiffic house. I think I mentioned this!

"Now, of all these friends, one had a birthday! Well, it wasn't really her birthday, at least not for another week, but there was going to be a big surprise. And the best kind of surprises are the ones you don't see coming! But well, this friend, let's call her Miss Pink, alright? Miss Pink, she knew. She knew all about it! Do you know why?"

"I don't–"

"Because Miss Pink was the best at parties and surprises! She'd done it all, she'd planned it all. There wasn't anything that her friends could say that could trick her! Especially not since the one who was trying to convince her to go was the one who couldn't really lie very well. Let's call her Miss Orange!"

Pinkie tilted her head to one side in thought. Fluttershy watched her from behind, only the back of her bright pink mane visible.

"No… Miss Apple? Because she doesn't farm… well no! But her coat is orange… Ohhhh! How about, let's just call her Miss Orangapple! Well, Miss Orangapple tried to lie, you see. She tried to lie to Miss Pink to get her to go to the house. But Miss Pink knew what was going on.

"It was good that Miss Orangapple decided to tell her the truth in the end, because nopony likes being lied to. Do you like being lied to?"

Fluttershy shook her head. If she answered verbally, she'd probably be cut off again. Best to just be silent, even though Pinkie couldn't really see her from her angle. She was far too busy with the fireplace.

"So once Miss Pink got there, all her friends turned really nasty! Really terrible and awful. Miss White decided to play a prank by hiding in a disgusting costume! Miss Blue decided to drag Miss Pink down a dark hall and give her the shudder-shudders! And Doctor Purple, the great overseer and planner of it all, she stayed in the shadows, pulling the strings, and made sure everything went according to her plan.

"And somehow, they even managed to convince poor little Miss Yellow to participate. Against everything she wanted, even! And Miss Yellow was so sweet and kind, how could she possibly do something so awful? But Doctor Purple put it in her head that what she was doing was good, and Miss Yellow had no choice but to listen.

"In the middle of it all was poor Miss Pink. She was so sad! Do you know how sad she was? Really, really sad. She was confused and hurt. Why would her friends do such terrible things? Why would her friends fight?

"Well, all the fighting made her really troubled deep inside, but that wasn't the only thing that made her confused. Let me tell you about something else! Did you know, Fluttershy? Did you know that Miss Pink had a… super-secret-special power?"

Fluttershy shook her head again.

"She had a sort of sense. It was a special sense that came up once in a while to warn her of terrrrrible things! It made her tail shake and her nose itch, and she knew, when that happened, bad things were coming!

"But while she was being pranked, that sense never came. Oh, Fluttershy, it never came! While she was being scared and bullied and dragged down a hallway, it never happened! It should have happened, but it never happened.

"But then Miss Pink realised why. It never happened because she wasn't in any danger! It was all a harmless prank. And the only thing that got hurt was her heart, and this special ability doesn't warn about the heart!"

Pinkie Pie turned, finally, creaking like a wooden doll as her neck swivelled to look off to the side. In the pale light, Fluttershy caught a glimpse of half of her face through her swirling pink hair. There was an eye, bright and round, lower eyelid twitching around it. There was that smile, the regular one that Pinkie carried around with her, but so wide and so stretched that it looked like someone had taken to her cheeks with a knife. It looked painful, as she smiled at the story, as if the happiness brought her great torment.

"But, Fluttershy, It did happen, once. The feelings came, Fluttershy. Do you know when?"

Fluttershy's mouth hung open. Pinkie had turned, clearly, because she was looking for something. A reaction, perhaps. Maybe for her to speak. Maybe it was finally her turn to speak. But Fluttershy felt the story was not yet over.

The only thing that came to mind was to clear out the details, to approach the story, perhaps. And there was one question worth asking.

"When… when did you–"

"Miss Pink!"

"–Miss… Miss Pink get that… feeling?"

"A good question! A good question indeed!" Pinkie's head snapped to the front once again. "And one that is part of the story! For you see, the feelings came not during the prank, but before the prank! It happened when Miss Pink first entered the house! Right as she stepped into the front door.

"It happened so suddenly that she didn't know how to react, you see, and it was a combo that she had never, ever, ever felt before! It was a combination of many twitches, and shakes, and bumps, and rumblings, so many, so fast, that she had no idea what it meant!

"Oh, poor Miss Pink! She was really confuzzled at that moment. She didn't know what was going to happen, and she didn't know how to react. Maybe she should have told her friends! Maybe she should have said something!

"But she kept quiet. Do you know why?"

"Wh–" Fluttershy started and stopped.

"Because she trusted her friends! Because… because she loved her friends," Pinkie said with a smattering of bitterness. "Being with her friends made her feel good. That was the only reason. Friends were everything to her. Friends made her happy. Even though she knew something strange was happening, Miss Pink only joined in because she knew it might make her friends delighted! And all Miss Pink wanted was for her friends to feel good, because that made her feel good.

"But what her friends had planned for her didn't feel so good, did it? No. It didn't. In fact, it felt awful! Like a cold shower on a cold day, or a cold sandwich, or a cold breeze. I dunno, something cold! It felt pretty cold, Fluttershy! It felt cold.

"And then after the prank, the friends argued. Miss Pink was angry that her friends had hurt her feelings, and Doctor Purple was being a meanie mean-face. So, Miss Pink decided to go away and be by herself. It was so unlike Miss Pink! Even Miss Pink had no idea what caused her to suddenly leave, but it was like…

"It was like something in her head was whispering to her, Fluttershy. It was really strange and creepy. It's hard to describe! It was like her thoughts were trying to guide her, but it wasn't really her thoughts, but they were her thoughts, but they weren't, and… and…

Pinkie tilted her head off to the side, trying to find the right way to phrase this. Fluttershy felt that she knew exactly what she was talking about.

"But, Pinkie… you–"

"Miss Pink was left alone in the room, Fluttershy," Pinkie continued, "and in that room she cried, Fluttershy. She cried that everything was going sour like bad grapes. She was so sad that she was losing her friendship that she would do anything to regain that feeling again. The feeling of closeness and love! She wanted it soooo much, Fluttershy.

"And then she was given a gift. Her sense started to work again! It just turned on, without warning! But it felt different this time. It didn't cause her body to shake or move or wiggle. It caused her heart to glow. It now gave her those feelings that she had so desperately wanted.

"And these new feelings felt… good! You know how it feels to take a big gulp of Mrs. Cake's choco-delicious hot cocoa drink? Or to win at a board game? Or to just have friends over for a party? It's like that! It's happiness and love and joy all wrapped up in one, and Miss Pink felt it. Riiiiight here."

Pinkie prodded herself in the chest.

"So, Miss Pink decided to watch the others through a hole in the door. I think they call it a keyhole! It's for keys! And she listened closely. She heard what happened and what words were said, and those feelings were telling her to get closer. They were leading her to something, but Miss Pink didn't know what! So she had to try to find out!

"So, Miss Pink decided to leave and try to find out what was causing the feelings! But do you know what happened? She ran into Miss Orangapple! Well, actually, Miss Orangapple ran into her. She entered Miss Pink's room, and didn't see Miss Pink hiding behind the door. Miss Pink didn't feel anything coming from Miss Orangapple, so she knew that Miss Orangapple wasn't the one that caused the feelings."

Pinkie held a hoof to her chin and nodded, sagely, wisely – the sign of someone thinking deep and coming to conclusions.

"But something told Miss Pink that Miss Orangapple would only interrupt her! So this is what Miss Pink did!" Pinkie continued.

"While Miss Orangapple was fooling with her bags, Miss Pink snuck out and shut the door. Just to be safe, she stuck a broomstick that she found in the room through the handle so that Miss Orangapple couldn't get out. It was for the best."

Pinkie nodded.

Fluttershy just kept listening. Was there anything else to do at this point? Clearly, Pinkie Pie wanted to tell this story to her, and although Fluttershy didn't understand most of it, she politely paid attention. There was always time to save her later.

"So, Miss Pink took the lantern from the main room, a room that looked strangely a lot like this room we're standing in now, and followed Miss Yellow, who had gone to Doctor Purple's room to check on her. And the closer she got, the better the feelings got, too!

"The feelings, Fluttershy. It felt so good. It felt like her brain was being jumped on by a thousand parasprites! It felt like her body was being tickled by a huge fluffy bear. It felt so good. Her friends were making her feel good again. And that was exactly what she wanted!

"And the feelings got better and better. It just grew and grew until… well, something happened! But just as it was getting superiffic, it stopped! Miss Pink was angry. She had to look in to see, but then she saw Miss Yellow staring back at her, so she decided to leave. She left the lantern there because she was so annoyed, but then a new tickle started and she decided to follow it."

Fluttershy's memory went back, back to the room. She had seen a figure in the doorway, and then there was the lantern that was left there...

"And at that moment, Miss Pink knew. She knew exactly what the source of these new feelings was. Can you guess, Fluttershy? Can you? Guess!"

Fluttershy remained silent, which in itself was an answer.

"Guess, Fluttershy!" Pinkie repeated, with her sing-song tone.

Fluttershy didn't speak.

"I said guess!" Pinkie squealed. But she squealed with a tinge of hate. A tinge of anger. There was something incredibly nefarious about that squeal.

And Fluttershy, shocked, jolted, quickly opened her mouth to respond.

"Wrong!" Pinkie interrupted. "Stop talking and let me finish the story!"

"Miss Pink saw that Doctor Purple had been punished. Sad Doctor Purple. Naughty Doctor Purple. But Miss Yellow called it saving, and that was weird! But it was okay in the end, because Miss Pink was still kinda upset with Doctor Purple and her silly idea, and she ended up looking like a bunch of candy in the end, with all the colours and twinkling lights! Boy, she sure sparkled brightly! You'd get that joke if you knew her real name, Fluttershy."

Pinkie broke out into chortling fits of laughter, stopping the story for a while.

"And then, and then, Miss Pink just had to follow Miss Yellow after that! And she followed and followed and followed! Miss Pink wasn't really too good at sneaking, and sometimes some of the others saw her, but it was all alright in the end! Because Miss Yellow did a great job and saved everypony! And Miss Pink was filled with the love of all her friends.

"First it was Miss White with her silly costume. Boy, she sure looked pretty in the end! And then it was Miss Blue, who, well, Miss Pink had no idea what happened to her, but it sure looked funny with all the foam coming out of her mouth! It was like she was trying to blow bubbles without a bubble wand!

"And then finally Miss Yellow went to visit Miss Orangapple. But Miss Pink knew, she knew that Miss Orangapple was a pretty strong pony. She was a toughie! Like a nut! A pecan nut or a brazil nut or a walnut or a coconut! Really tough! So just in case, when Miss Yellow went in, Miss Pink put the broom back in the door, just to keep them busy!

"She had to do it. You… you forgive Miss Pink, don't you?"

Pinkie Pie turned yet again, casually regarding Fluttershy with the question. It was asked as one but it sounded more like a command. Still, hiding behind Pinkie's naturally bouncy voice and cheerful pulse, it was hard to tell.

"After all." Pinkie turned her head again. "We're all doing things we have to do, aren't we?"

"We…" Fluttershy muttered.

"Well, that's where Miss Pink's story leads to. Right here." Pinkie motioned to the fireplace. It was the kind of gesture that said, 'come closer. Have a look'.

"While Miss Yellow and Miss Orangapple were doing their thing, Miss Pink had to do one final thing of her own! Because Miss Pink figured out the truth.

Fluttershy stepped forward, lost in the whole tale. Lost in what happened. Lost in everything. She walked in a daze, not thinking clearly about her actions, not thinking smartly about what she should be doing.

"And here's the catch!" Pinkie said, jovially. "Miss Pink knows about pranks! Well, I haven't told you yet, Fluttershy, but do you know what the source of the feelings was?"

Pinkie looked at Fluttershy, who stared back, entranced by the tale. Fluttershy managed a small shake of the head.

"It was you, Fluttershy! It was you! The feelings, Fluttershy, they got stronger when you did something! Whenever you saved one of our friends! And that's just wrong, Fluttershy. That was a nasty, nasty trick. Using feelings to make me get closer to you?

"But that's what you wanted, wasn't it? You wanted me to follow. You wanted me to ignore what you were doing to everypony else. And in the end, you wanted me to walk right up to you.

"You wanted me to beg. You wanted me to get down on my four little knees and beg for you to save me. Just so that I could get those feelings one… last… time.

"But you know what? I know surprises, Fluttershy. And after the prank all of you pulled on me, I wasn't going to be fooled again. It was a silly, naughty trick, and while you and Applejack were busy, I made sure that I wouldn't have to be saved!"

There is a feeling that ponies get sometimes. That sort of feeling when you know that somepony else is watching you from a corner, or when you feel that you've just made a terrible mistake. Fluttershy was feeling it right now.

"Do you know how the story ends?" Pinkie asked, as Fluttershy stood wearily next to her. Clearer now, was the sight of something inside the fireplace. Something metal and cylindrical. Something with a gaping maw and a large silent hole. A silent hole from which a roar was about to take place, with the strength and viciousness of a lion.

"Miss Pi–nk pulled this stri–ing," Pinkie sang, holding up a length of rope.

Fluttershy traced the rope back from Pinkie's hoof to the floor, where it winded its way across the marble into the fireplace, to the back of the cannon.

"O..oh," Fluttershy muttered.

The lion roared.

A blistering, blustering shower of light and shards of things grazed the air, a scattering of bits and bobs and anything that Pinkie could find in the kitchen. She never went anywhere without her party cannon, and this time it held much more than the innocent pie or the wayward streamer.

It contained the pantry, the drawers, the counter-top items, and the things sticking out of the cutlery holder. It contained pepper-shakers and salt-mills and rolling pins and cookie cutters. It contained spatulas and glass mixing bowls and egg timers and milk pots.

It contained whatever she decided would do the job.

Just to be safe, Pinkie put in everything.

From then on, it was hard to tell which parts of the pile belonged to the kitchen and which belonged to Fluttershy.

Pinkie didn't look.

And in her mind she felt the sensations she was having slowly ebb out. It was a necessary action. And now, once again, she was left with nothingness.

And in that nothingness the mist came.

Rushing in like a flood, a red cloud swept through the entire house, covering Pinkie and swallowing her up. It blocked her sight, and filled her nose and mouth, causing her to choke and cough and sputter.

It came in the second that the fifth had fallen.

In a few moments it was gone, fading out as suddenly as it had arrived.

And when it left, it had taken all of itself with it.

Every final piece.

It was almost like turning a light on in Pinkie's mind. It was so sudden, so jarring, that Pinkie felt her entire world fall sideways, gravity dragging her to the left and right in a tug of war between her emotions and thoughts.

Her jaw hung open, her knees felt like they would give way, and the beating of her heart was so loud in her ears that she wanted to scream for it to stop.

The places in her mind that the mist plugged up like putty over a crack were open once again, and there was nothing left but the truth, the truth and reality to come pouring in. With clarity returning and control regained, Pinkie struggled to comprehend the day's events, her brain failing to be able to come up with a satisfactory answer.

For the realisation of what had happened, for the knowledge of what had been done weighed so heavily in Pinkie's hooves that she stood there, on the floor, for a great number of minutes, unable to move a single inch.

And when she finally did, all that was left for her was a birthday cake on the floor.

'Happy Birthday Pinkie Pie', it read.

She read it. Then again. And a few hundred times more. All of it a big joke. All of this the real prank.

She burst out laughing.

This was the best prank ever!

She laughed.

And laughed.

And there she stood.

Laughing.

Laughing until her stomach ached and the tears poured down in one continuous line.

Laughing until her fits were indistinguishable from blood-stained coughs.

Laughing until her heart shrivelled upon itself, unable to handle all the happiness she had.

Laughing.

Until the house was filled will the sounds of joy.

And in Pinkie's mind, she heard them all join in.

Twilight Sparkle.

Rarity.

Rainbow Dash.

Applejack.

Fluttershy.

All chorused in with their laughter, the hearty congratulations of having seen this joke through, and now, now they could all gather 'round and have some cake.

Happy Birthday Pinkie Pie.

And Pinkie Pie knew that everything was going to be just fine.

6 -End

Comments

[Dihinner]

wait...

are they all dead or where they just fakeing it?

[Daemic9]

1729615they're dead

[Borg]

I see I lied, though I spoke nothing but the truth.
Oh well. That works too. Miss Pink can be so very difficult to plan for.

[ThatClosetBrony]

I read this listening to Mmm Chicken! and Possessed Gramophone.
Not a good idea.

A blistering, blustering shower of light and shards of things grazed the air, a scattering of bits and bobs and anything that Pinkie could find in the kitchen. She never went anywhere without her party cannon, and this time it held much more than the innocent pie or the wayward streamer.
It contained the pantry, the drawers, the counter-top items, and the things sticking out of the cutlery holder. It contained pepper-shakers and salt-mills and rolling pins and cookie cutters. It contained spatulas and glass mixing bowls and egg timers and milk pots.
It contained whatever she decided would do the job.
Just to be safe, Pinkie put in everything.

That there is a real historical pirate.

So does Pinkie just slowly turn into the darkness of the house? Is that why only 5 are ever said to go in? Time for the end, where answers never come...