> Does It Matter?
>  by King of Madness
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Does It Matter?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pinkie Pie opened her eyes to find herself in bed. She looked out the window to see it was still night. Strange. She usually woke up when the sun was up since that was the best time to be awake because that was when everypony else was awake and Pinkie loved being around everypony else. Still, she didn't feel tired at all, so she hopped out of bed. Wait a second...

Pinkie looked around her room. Her party supplies were in the closet. The balloons she had hung up before she went to bed were all there. Her collection of stuffed animals were perfectly aligned. All the pictures on her pink walls were in their rightful place. Gummy was sleeping in his little bed. Everything was in order... But Pinkie could have sworn something was different. Something didn't feel right.

Pinkie kneeled down at Gummy's bed and gently poked the baby alligator. "Hey, Gummy." She whispered.

Gummy opened his eyes and stared blankly at his caretaker.

"Does anything here look out of place to you?"

Gummy flicked his tongue and licked one of his eyes.

Pinkie gave the room another look around. "Huh. I guess I'm just imagining things that aren't really there... again." Regardless, Pinkie still felt like something wasn't right. Deciding to investigate, she quietly exited her room and made her way downstairs.

I wouldn't if I were you.

As Pinkie made her way downstairs, she heard something. She didn't know what it was, but it was something. Perking up her ears, Pinkie roamed around the bakery, listening to the sound. "Hello?"

Pinkie listened harder. "Hold on..." She put her ear to the floor. The noise was coming from her secret basement. It sounded like... crying. Hold on, only Pinkie, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, Maud, Limestone, and Marble knew about her secret basement, and Pinkie was sure that any of them would have came to her first before sneaking in. Pinkie went to one of the paintings on the wall and spun it upside down, causing a secret passage to open up behind it. Pinkie slipped through and made her way down to her basement.

You really haven't learned anything, have you?

Pinkie slid down to her secret headquarters and froze in place at what she found. The entire place was a wreck. Everything was destroyed or toppled over. She looked at the floor to find it completely covered with the file papers of all her friends. Each one had a red X on their respective pictures. "What the..." Pinkie was scared now.

Her head turned to the right when the noise started up again. It was definitely crying. Wait a second... It sounded familiar. Pinkie was certain the had heard that same cry before. She followed the crying through the basement, looking down as she trampled on the files she had put together for her friends. What did the red Xs mean? She continued to follow the crying until she came to a dark hallway. "When did I add this?"

You didn't.

With a gulp, Pinkie walked down the hallway. As she walked, it seemed to dissolve into blackness, with only the door at the end standing out. The crying got louder. There was something about it that sent chills down Pinkie's spine. This wasn't the kind of crying you make when you're sad. This was the crying you make when you're scared or hurt.

She reached for the door, but hesitated. Usually, hearing somepony cry would have launched Pinkie into action within seconds, but something about this just felt... wrong. She looked back. Nothing but blackness.

Now, you're putting the pieces together. But we both know you're going to go in anyway.

Pinkie reached out and opened the door. She felt her heart stop beating.

There was only one light. It hung from the ceiling and illuminated the center of the room. Everything out of the light's touch was pitch black. And right there, directly under the light, was a pony... with cyan-blue fur... and a rainbow-colored mane.

"Rainbow Dash?" Pinkie was close to crying herself.

Her friend was strapped to a metal table, crying her eyes out and looking to be in great pain. She was covered in blood, but Pinkie couldn't tell where it was from. And she didn't want to! The only other thing in sight was a little table. On the table was an assortment of knives, saws, and Pinkie didn't want to know what else.

Pinkie quickly ran towards her injured friend. "Dashie! Are you okay!"

Rainbow's eyes shot opened. "N-No! P-Please! Don't!"

Pinkie halted about three feet away. "Dashie, it's okay. It's me, Pinkie Pie."

"D-Don't come any closer!" Rainbow looked completely terrorfied.

Pinkie was confused, but obeyed. "Dashie, who... Who did this to you?"

"You did!"

"Wha..." Pinkie's eyes widened. Her heart nearly stopped again as tears ran down her cheeks. She recognized this place. She knew what was happening, but that wasn't possible. "No." She shook head. "No no no no no no no no! This-This isn't real! I would never..."

"Hehehehe"

Pinkie heard laughter behind her and turned just in time to see a comically giant mallet approaching her.

It was at this moment, Pinkie Pie knew... she bucked up.

Pinkie crashed through the bakery and was sent flying into the night sky. After a few seconds, she started descending into a cemetery. Pinkie closed her eyes as she landed in an open grave. She laid there for... she didn't even know how long. She slowly opened her eyes and got up, climbing out of the grave before collapsing again.

"OOOOOOH, PINKIE PIIIIIE!"

Shivers went down Pinkie's spine when she heard her own voice calling to her. She quickly hid behind a tombstone and let herself catch her breath before peeking over it.

Standing in the middle of graveyard was a pony that looked like Pinkie Pie. Her mane was straightened out, but was tangled and poofy. Her eyes were wide and dilated to an uncanny degree. Her smile was even wider. She wore a dress that looked like it was made from stitched together cutie marks, with several pegasus wings on the back of it. It was complemented by a necklace on unicorn horns. Pinkie felt sick just looking at it. She was standing on her hind legs and dragging around a giant mallet.

"COME OUT! COME OUT! WHEREVER YOU ARRRRE! Hahahahahaha!" It spoke with Pinkie's voice, or it would have if Pinkie was a raving lunatic. It's insane laughter made Pinkie feel violated. Laughter should never sound so cruel. So sadistic.

Pinkie ducked behind the tombstone and held her chest as she struggled to control her breathing. "This-This isn't happening! This isn't real. It-It can't be! It... It..."

"PEEKABOOOO!"

Pinkie froze.

"I FOUND YOOOOU!"

Pinkie leaped away just before her cover was destroyed. In a panic, she ran away and hid amongst a forest of tombstones.

Looks like nothing is going to change...

It followed her, heaving it's mallet onto it's shoulder, ready to swing. "Ahhhhh, come on out Pinkie!" It called out. "You're gonna help me turn Dashie-Washie into yummy little cupcakes! Again! Doesn't that sound like fun!"

"NO, IT DOESN'T!" Pinkie blurted out before she could cover her mouth. Wait. Again? Has this happened before? She leaped away as it smashed through several tombstones with it's mallet. Pinkie tried to hide, but it kept finding her.

"All around the cemetery,
the Cupcake chased the Pinkie,
the Cupcake thought it was all in fun,
POP goes the Pinkie!" It sang with glee before bursting into laughter.

Pinkie eventually got out of the maze and ran behind a tomb, covering her mouth to make sure she didn't give herself away.

"Where'ja go!" 'Cupcake' called out.

Hearing it approaching from the left, Pinkie scooted along the little stone house before coming to it's door. Thinking fast, she pushed on the door, hoping it would open. It did.

"All I really need is a smile, smile, smile!
Fill up my heart with sunshine, sunshine!
All I really need is a smile, smile, smile!
So, let me cut one onto your Faaaace!" Cupcake burst into another fit of laughter.

Pinkie slid into the tomb and closed the door.

Huh... I guess it did end up being different after all. Oh, well. It doesn't matter.

Pinkie sighed with relief before looking behind her.

It looked like Pinkie's bed room, but much more empty. There were no balloons. No pictures. No stuffed animals. No closets. No stairs. No windows. All that was there was a table. A table with a chair on each end. In the chair on the end of the table opposite of Pinkie sat a pony that looked like Pinkie. Her mane was completely straight with not a hair out of place. Her expression was that of boredom and depression. She took a sip from a cup of tea.

Pinkie slowly approached the party for two. "P-Pinkamena?"

"Uh-huh." Pinkamena answered with zero interest.

Pinkie looked around and it finally hit her. "This is a dream!"

"Took you long enough to figure it out."

"B-But it... It seemed so real."

"There you go with that excuse again."

"Again?"

Pinkamena rolled her eyes and took another sip.

Pinkie sat in the empty chair. She decided to pass on the tea. After what she just went through, she felt like anything that went into her mouth would come right back out. "That thing...It told me that I was going to help her kill Rainbow Dash."

"Again." Pinkamena completed.

"Yeah! Again!" Pinkie dropped her head onto the table. "I don't understand."

"Can't say a blame you. At least, not any more than the other times. Especially since this is the first time you've gotten away from her."

Pinkie lifted her head and gave Pinkamena a confused look.

Pinkamena sighed. "Alright, I'll explain. That creature in your head, Cupcake, she's not just some nightmare. She's the newest resident of your sick little mind."

"What?!"

"Remember when Discord turned you into Angry Pie?"

Pinkie nodded. "Yeah."

"When Angry Pie died, a space was left open in your head. All it took was a recurring nightmare that affected you enough to create it."

"...Huh?"

Pinkamena sucked in a deep breath and took another sip. She picked up the pitcher and poured more tea for herself. "Ever since you read that stupid story, you've had nightmares about it. Every once in a while, you would have that same nightmare. It started growing in Angry Pie's forsakin place like a child in a womb. Every nightmare you had made it grow more and more. And about a month ago, she took control of your dreams. She's been torturing you with hellish nightmares ever since."

"But I don't remember having any recent nightmares."

"Yeah... That was your fault."

"What?"

Pinkamena rolled her eyes. "The first nightmare Cupcake gave you shook you up so bad that you wanted to block it out. Cupcake helped you do that. Every nightmare has been stored inside your head, building up."

"But why?"

"Once she has enough power, she'll unleash it on you all at once to break you. Then she'll take control."

Pinkie's eyes widened. "N-No. I... I can't let that happen! I can't!"

"Too late. Memory block is in motion. Once you wake up, you'll forget all about this. There's nothing you can do." There was no emotion in Pinkamena's voice.

Pinkie started hyperventilating and put her hoofs on her head. Pinkamena was wrong. She had to be!

"I'm not wrong." Pinkamena stated.

Pinkie's thoughts went back and forth. There had to be a way to save herself. She couldn't let that thing take control! She couldn't let that thig hurt her friends! "...Can you do anything?"

Pinkamena stayed silent for a few second before taking another sip. "...Yes."

Pinkie jolted up in surprise by Pinkamena's answer. "You can?!"

"Yeah... But that doesn't mean I will."

Pinkie's face dropped.

"I'm still your mental guard, remember? I could have stopped this before it even happened. I just chose not to."

"But why not?" Pinkie asked.

"Pinkie, we've been over this a thousand times. I don't care about you... or your friends... or anyone else. I can't." Pinkamena didn't seem spiteful, she just look depressed.

Pinkie thought for a moment before getting up and walking to Pinkamena's side. Her eyes wandered to the angry pony's flank. No cutie mark. She tried to look Pinkamena in the eye, but she didn't seem to want to even face Pinkie. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I did this to you. If you want to hate me and let me keep hurting, that's okey-doki-loki. But my friends didn't do anything to you."

"So?" Pinkamena's expression didn't change. "I still hate them regardless. That's how you made me." A hint of sadness was in her voice.

Pinkie's ears drooped and she looked to the floor. "I didn't mean to..."

"I know."

Pinkie didn't know what else to say.

"There's nothing left to say, Pinkie." Pinkamena finally turned to face Pinkie. "I've heard it all before. You're sorry. You love me. You wish you could change things. But nothing is going to change!" Pinkamena stood up from her seat and got right in Pinkie's face, looking genuinely angry. "Even if I stop that demon in your head, it won't change anything! Nothing changes! Whatever I do won't make any kind of difference! It's all a big-"

Pinkie put her forelegs around Pinkamena.

...

It felt as though time had stopped. Pinkie held Pinkamena close, pressing her head against hers. Pinkamena stood there like a statue. She wondered if she should accept it or push away. Not that either decision would matter. Nothing she did would matter. With a sigh, she relaxed into Pinkie's hug.

"I know you think this is all pointless, but it's not." Pinkie whispered into her ear. "Everything someone does has an effect on the world. Sometimes it's big. Sometimes it's itsy bitsy. But it's there! If you help me, you'll be saving ponies and that means a lot."

Pinkamena shook her head. "Would it really?" She asked without faith.

"Yes. It would. I Pinkie promise! Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Pinkie nuzzled against her split personality. "You can be the hero of this story. Don't you think that matters."

Pinkamena hesitated. "I don't know. I don't know anyth-"

"Shhh." Pinkie soothed, rubbing Pinkamena's back. "Don't say that. You're one of the smartest ponies I know."

Pinkamena opened her mouth to deny being a pony.

"And you are a pony, Pinkamena. A very special one."

Pinkamena closed her mouth. Could Pinkie have been right? Could she make a difference? Any kind of difference? "How do I make it matter?" She didn't realize she had said that out loud.

Pinkie put her hoofs on Pinkamena's shoulders and placed her forehead against hers. She gave her split personality a smile. "That's for you to decide."





Pinkie blinked open her eyes and stretched. She jumped out of bed and greeted her baby alligator. "Good morning, Gummy!"

Gummy jumped up and clamped onto Pinkie's mane.

Pinkie giggled and made her way downstairs. "Hey, Gummy! You won't believe what happened to me last night!"





"LEMME OUT OF HERE! LEMME OUT OF HERE!" Cupcake slammed against the bars of her cage and snarled like an animal. "IT"S NOT FUN IN HERE!"

Pinkamena stomped her hooves and Cupcake's cage lowered into the floor, returning her little room to it's peaceful silence. She thought about what Pinkie had told her. Now that she thought about it, she was still technically the guardian of Pinkie's mind. There was no reason for her to not take it seriously. It would at least give her something to do. She shrugged. "Why not? I got nothing better to do."

Suddenly, Pinkamena got a weird feeling in her flank and turned to see a white light on it. When the light vanished, there was a picture of two spears crossed with each other with Pinkie's face in the upper middle. Her cutie mark.

For the first time since she was born, a little smile appeared on Pinkamena's face. "Maybe that goofball is right."