Pinkie's Game

by AdrianJNovelle

Part 2

The ponies ran at first, determined. After several minutes of trotting at full speed, the earth ponies and unicorns slowed to a gradual walk, the Pegasus ponies either walking at the same speed or hovering overhead.

“I noticed that Princess Celestia was talking to you the whole time Princess Luna was giving her speech,” Twilight remarked to Pinkie. “Mind telling us what that was all about?”

“Not at all,” Pinkie replied. “She actually said to tell you guys before we found the Dark Ponies’ lair. The first thing she said was that the Dark Ponies are very powerful ponies of a massive size and will be undefeatable by standard battle plans, like when Rainbow Dash kicked that dragon in the face. That hurt the dragon more than it would hurt the Dark Ponies.

"Second, she said that the only way to defeat the Dark Ponies is to overpower them. And the only source of magic strong enough to do overpower the Elements of Harmony is the Oracle, an ancient stone of magic and magnificence she mentioned. She said it was several miles off of the city limits of Fillydelphia. So I guess that is where we’re headed first.”

“Alright,” Twilight said, reaching into her backpack with her horn, “luckily, I brought a map.” Twilight read the map in search of Fillydelphia’s location. “Ah-hah! According to this map, we just keep following this trail for the next ten miles. That should take us straight to Fillydelphia.” Twilight put her map away.

“Is there anything else Princess Celestia mentioned?” Fluttershy asked, her head lowered.

“Oh, yeah, there was!” Pinkie exclaimed. “She said that the Dark Ponies are completely opposite of us regular ponies. Rainbow Slash, for example, keeps Rainbow’s mane, but instead of being proud of her flight abilities, Rainbow Slash remains mostly on the ground , and uses her hooves to defend herself instead of her wings.

"Then there’s Twilight Moonlight, who is a total dunce.”

“Why is my Dark Pony a dunce?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Isn’t it obvious, Sugarcube?” Applejack asked, “You’re a braniac. And since the Dark Ponies are opposite of us regular ponies, your Dark Pony must not be very bright.”

“Ironically,” Pinkie began, “she is bright – with her horn. Twilight Moonlight is still a unicorn, and is good with magic, but a buffoon at everything else. Next, there’s Fluttercry. She is Dark Pinkie’s assistant, since she is violent and dangerous; mischievous and cunning.”

“Oh…” Fluttershy began, “that doesn’t sound like me at all.”

“Of course it doesn’t!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, “Rainbow Slash doesn’t sound anything like me, either. Every Dark Pony is the opposite of one of us. Since you’re graceful and delicate, the Dark Fluttershy is….not…very graceful and delicate.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Fluttershy said.

“Moving on,” continued Pinkie Pie, “we come to Applebuck, who hates apples. She bucks apples not to eat and make into apple desserts, but to cause harm to other ponies by bucking them forcefully with her hooves. Other than being her weapons, she wants nothing to do with apples.”

“Boy, howdy,” Applejack began, “Ah’ve never met a pony who doesn’t like mah apples.”

“Finally, we come to Diamond. Since our friend Rarity is passionate about fashion, clothing, design and beauty, you can imagine what Diamond is passionate about.”

“Oh, my, I can’t!” Rarity exclaimed, “I could not begin to imagine how ugly a pony could look if she doesn’t care about fashion!”

“Technology,” Pinkie Pie answered, “she is passionate about covering herself with technology and armor to the point that her actual body is unseen.”

“That’s disgusting!” Rarity cried.

“Disgusting it may be, Rarity, but it is the truth…as far as I know. I mean, we haven’t met any of the Dark Ponies yet, so I can’t quite tell for sure. But that is what Princess Celestia said.”

“Did the Princess say how the Dark Ponies came to be?” Twilight asked. “Ponies who are completely opposite of us don’t just appear out of nowhere.”

“They didn’t appear,” Pinkie replied, “they were born, just like we all were. For example, Twilight Moonlight was born from Dark versions of your parents. For every pony, there is a Dark Pony.”

“Even Dark Granny Smith?” Applejack asked, “And Dark Big Macintosh? And Dark Apple Bloom?”

“All exist somewhere in the underbelly of the Dark Equestria.”

“Dark Apple Bloom?” Rarity asked. “If there’s a Dark Apple Bloom, that means there’s also a Dark Sweetie Belle!”

“That there is,” said Pinkie Pie.

“And a Dark Scootaloo,” Rainbow Dash remarked. She slowed her flight speed. “My own apprentice is going to be turned against me.”

“There is one more thing Princess Celestia mentioned to me,” Pinkie Pie continued, “and that is how we should treat this whole predicament.”

“And how’s that?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

Pinkie stopped walking for a moment.

“Like a game,” was all she said.

---

A huge pony, her fur of blue; resembling Rainbow Dash, her mane of black, and her Cutie Mark of bullets paced anxiously down the long hallway.

“Status, Fluttercry,” she commanded, her eyes sharp and vigilant.

A Pegasus flew forwards down the hall, landing brutally on the steel flooring below her hooves, her fur and her mane of the same color scheme as the pony in front of her; only her Cutie Mark was of knives.

“Operation: Darkness Eternal is ready to proceed,” Fluttercry said, following right behind her leader.

“Excellent,” began the first Dark Pony, “it’s only a matter of time before the whole country is at my hooves.” She paused. “How are the others? Are they ready to engage in the heist? Everypony and every detail must be carried through to the letter if this plan is going to work.”

“Before I answer,” Fluttercry began, “might I make a suggestion based on some evidence we have revealed?”

“Proceed.”

“According to our surveillance, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna of Canterlot sent our six opposites after us. They are on their way as we speak.”

“And? Your suggestion?”

“It appears that before they reach our stronghold, they will seek out the Oracle, an ancient, mysteriously powerful crescent-shaped stone of wonder which could, in theory, overwhelm our defenses. It is in our best interest to prioritize the task of obtaining the Oracle for ourselves. Without access to such power, our opposites will be defenseless.”

“Marvelous strategy,” the Dark Pony replied devilishly, “but too risky. What if they get there first? We cannot risk dropping everything for one little stone.”

“We can send only one Dark Pony after it,” Fluttercry suggested, “that way we still have most of the fleet at the helm.”

The Dark Pony stopped walking and turned around to face Fluttercry. “Hmm. Who do you have in mind?”

“Rainbow Slash.”

“Rainbow Slash? That worthless gumball!? I suppose we could send her if the ponies are slower than snails.”

“What’s wrong with Rainbow Slash?”

“She hates flying,” the Dark Pony answered sternly, staring daggers at Fluttercry, “and she’s too slow on hoof to make it before the others do to that stone.”

“That may be,” Fluttercry began, “but, she’s also going on a special mission, to obtain a powerful emblem of desecration. She may consider it a high honor, and put her passion for destruction over her hatred to fly.”

“Rainbow Slash!” roared the Dark Pony.

“You called?” asked a large, dark-furred Pegasus with wings of steel, zooming in from somewhere else in the clearing the Dark Pony and Fluttercry had stopped at within the stronghold, the two Dark Ponies standing on a balcony; Rainbow Slash hovering just overhead.

“I need you to do us all a special favor.”

“What do you need?”

“The Oracle!” exclaimed the Dark Pony angrily, “Fetch me the Oracle! There is no telling what our opposites could do to us if they gain access to that much magic. That is why we need you and your wings to fly over there and nab it before they do.”

“Very well,” Rainbow Slash began, saluting, “I shall return.”

Rainbow Slash flew off, disappearing as she soared into the darkness of the Dark Ponies’ stronghold.

“Now,” the Dark Pony began, turning again to face Fluttercry, “the status of our fleet? Is everypony ready?”

“I shall see to it that they are,” Fluttercry answered, lifting her wings and soaring into the darkness.

---

“We’re here!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, bouncing gleefully at the sign she was standing in front of, “Fillydelphia!”

Twilight Sparkle withdrew her map. “Hmm…there are a lot of obstacles we would have to overcome to get to the Oracle and the Dark Ponies’ hideout. I suggest we stop here for a break and ask for directions.”

“Wait! Are you telling me that we’ve only arrived at Fillydelphia, and now we’re going to take a break!?” Rainbow Dash asked anxiously. “At this rate, we’ll never get there!”

“Anxious, are we?” Rarity asked her flying friend.

“Yes, we are,” Rainbow Dash replied, “all of Equestria resides in our hooves, and we’ve elected the slowest leader of all time to lead us to the Oracle!”

“Actually, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight began, “Pinkie Pie’s leading this journey.”

“Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle – like there’s a difference! If the Dark Ponies go after the Oracle, we’ll never catch up!”

“If you’re so anxious, Rainbow,” Applejack began, “then why don’t you just fly there yourself at your own pace and we’ll catch up with you later?”

“You know what, Applejack, that’s a great idea!”

“No it’s not,” Twilight interjected before Rainbow Dash flew off, “it’s best if we stay together; power in numbers.”

Applejack turned to Twilight. “Twi, I think it’s best for all of us if Rainbow goes her own pace. She gets to fly, and we still get to save Equestria.”

“Uh!” Twilight exclaimed in exasperation. She looked over to her leader.

“What do you think, Pinkie? After all, you’re the leader. You can decide what we do.”

“Hmm…” Pinkie Pie began, pondering, “I guess Rainbow Dash could fly ahead. That way if there’s any danger, she can alert us.”

Twilight turned back to Rainbow Dash.

“You heard her.”

Rainbow Dash did a somersault in midair.

“Woo!” she exclaimed happily, followed by dashing through the skies at lightning-fast speeds, a spectrum of color riding right behind her.

“Uh-oh,” Twilight began, analyzing the map.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked.

“I think she just went the wrong direction.”

---

The ponies remained at Fillydelphia for only a spell. They had a quick snack to recover after all that walking, bought some food, and Twilight asked around for the route to the dungeon which beholds the great Oracle.

“Ugh!” she pouted, “Nopony knows about the Oracle! How can we be expected to find something nopony knows anything about?”

“Remember, Twilight,” Pinkie Pie began, “it’s all about how we look at this world: treat this experience like a game. Who do you ask when you don’t know where to go? Random townsponies, of course!”

“You have got to be-” Twilight began.

“Excuse me,” Pinkie Pie said, approaching a random pony, “do you know about the Oracle?”

“Why, yes,” replied the pony, “the Oracle is hidden deep within a chasm inside a dungeon, just west from here.”

“Thank you,” Pinkie Pie said with a smile, hopping back to her friends.

Twilight was dumbfounded.

“Westward!” Pinkie exclaimed, hopping to lead her friends in the direction they intended to go.

I wonder if Rainbow Dash realizes where she is Twilight thought to herself. I hope she wasn’t captured by the Dark Ponies.

Rainbow Dash had gone the wrong direction when Twilight believed she did. For about five minutes of continuous flight, Rainbow Dash noticed that she was backtracking every step her friends had taken before. The Pegasus flipped right around and had been soaring west ever since. By the time her friends were on the road again, she was already ahead.

It took Rainbow Dash countless minutes to reach a destination of any kind, having wandered aimlessly across the plain, all the while in the air, flapping her tireless wings. Where she ended up: Appeloosa.

“Appeloosa,” she whispered to herself as she landed on the ground, “what the hay am I doing here?”

Somewhere behind her, Rainbow Dash left a trail of confusion and perplextion. There was almost a guarantee she would not make it back to either Fillydelphia or the cave without a map. Rainbow Dash was officially lost. Fortunately for the pony, she was in a town of young and helpful ponies…and buffalo.

“Sheriff!” she shouted, approaching the pony with a mustache wearing a blue jacket, silver badge, and red bandana.

“Rainbow Dash,” said the Sheriff, shocked, “what are you doing here in this corner of Equestria?”

“I’m a bit lost,” she said earnestly.

“Oh. Do you need some directions back to Ponyville? I’m sure I could wrangle up some-”

“That won’t be necessary,” Rainbow Dash began, “all I need is…”

Rainbow Dash noticed the widespread field of apple trees just over the hill, a large herd of buffalo charging through the paths, then feasting on the apple pies they were promised.

“Yes?” the Sheriff asked.

“Pardon me,” Rainbow Dash said, walking away from the Sheriff and continuing to the buffalo herd. The runner inside her awakened, and she ran fast enough alongside the herd to catch up to Little Strongheart.

“Little Strongheart!” she cried.

The small buffalo turned her head, seeing the Pegasus.

“Rainbow Dash? Is that you?” asked Little Strongheart.

“Yup, it’s me! Can we talk?”

“Sure!”

Little Strongheart jumped out of the herd and stood stationary nearby, Rainbow Dash catching up.

“What do you need?” the buffalo asked.

“Do you buffalo know about the Oracle?”

Little Strongheart did not reply right away, but Rainbow Dash could get the insinuation from the way Little Strongheart’s pupils shrunk in astonishment.

“I’m gonna take that as a ‘yes’.”

Little Strongheart sighed. “Yes, we know about the Oracle. What-what business do you have with such an object?”

“Well, if you guys know where it is, you can help me break into the walls with an army of buffalos. I doubt it’s left-”

“Wait, you don’t know where it is?”

“Well…I had a map. And then I took off without my friends and forgot to grab my own map,” the Pegasus began to perspire with embarrassment.

“Wondering off on your own was a stupid thing to do,” Little Strongheart began, “however, the buffalo and I are in your debt for standing up for us to the ponyfolk when our lands were of a conflicting principle. I shall gather an army of buffalo. We ride out this evening.”