MLP: The Prank of the Century Part 2

Pinkie Pie sat silently on the floor of her living room, her head lowered sorrowfully. She sniffed distraughtly as tears fell from her eyes behind her lank hair. She felt completely betrayed, her good nature taken advantage of by her own friends; her best friends. They seem to have noted her needs for companionship and snatched it from her for their twisted amusement.

This was the first time she had ever felt truly angry with anypony, and possibly will be from now on. Just the mere thought of her friends left a horrendous pain in her chest, spawned from her overwhelming rage.

"Pinkie Pie?"

Pinkie Pie shut her eyes tightly and yelled "Go away! Leave me alone!" before she paused and open her eyes in realization, "…whoever you are".

Her rage was replaced with curiosity as her gaze shifted throughout the seemingly vacant room. "Who said that?" Pinkie Pie asked nervously, the feminine voice responding plainly "I did".

This voice could be heard, but didn't seem to come from anywhere in the room. ""Who's there?" Pinkie Pie asked again, her whisper echoing faintly within the household. "I'm not anywhere, Pinkie" the voice responded, Pinkie Pie finally realizing that she wasn't actually hearing this voice at all.

She stared upwards, asking "Are you… in my head?" into the cold night air.

"Wait a minute. Don't you… remember me?" the voice asked, a worried tone suddenly seeping into the voice's words. Pinkie Pie's suspicions were confirmed, this voice was indeed inside her own mind, though this new question left evermore confused.

Among the many questions to asked, Pinkie responded "Remember you? Do I even know you?" The voice fell silent, before answering, "Pinkie Pie… I'm your friend. I was the first friend you ever had… ever since you lived on the rock farm".

Pinkie Pie thought back to her fillyhood on her family's farm, in an attempt to understand the voice's claim. What she immediately remembered was her woeful lifestyle, her boring family only helping to cement her feelings of loneliness. Because of this, there was only one pony that was always there to listen to her; herself.

Everything was coming together.

Pinkie Pie remembered how she created an imaginary friend in her own image that she would talk to. She would often roam away from the rock farm to somewhere secluded and spend entire conversations with this imaginary friend, and she would always listen. For the first time today, Pinkie's trademark smile had emerged. "Yes! That's right! I remember that!"

The voice sighed blissfully and stated "Whatever you feel or want to say, I'm here to talk to you. No matter what problems you run into, I'm always here to help you through them".

Such happy memories flooded Pinkie Pie's mind like a tidal wave, and filled her with a newfound happiness as she giddily hugged herself with joy. Through her joy, however, a thought crossed her mind, as she asked her reunited colleague "What happened to you?"

From this question, the mood turned somewhat sour.

The voice fell silent for a moment, before meekly answering "You forgot about me… for a long time". "Wait… I did?" Pinkie asked in surprise, the voice answering "You left me all by myself when you came to this place… and found some new friends".

Pinkie Pie was left speechless after hearing this, since she knew that she had always wanted friends as a filly. But according to this voice, when she finally had one, she abandoned her so she could make more friends.

Pinkie Pie felt a pain in her chest from this discovery, feeling guilty for her selfishness. The voice exclaimed distraughtly "I don't understand… I was there for you for so long, and you just forget about me? DID I REALLY MEAN SO LITTLE YO YOU?!" The voice grew louder and louder until Pinkie held her head in a panic.

"I'M SORRY! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry for abandoning you like that! I…" she rambled hesitantly before she lost her breath. She considered herself a hypocrite, since she had just berated her friends for using her good nature for their selfish amusement, even though she herself was guilty of this atrocity.

She cringed as she muttered "Ugh… I feel like a monster" before tear began falling from her eyes once again. This atmosphere suddenly lifted as the voice told Pinkie Pie "It's alright, Pinkie Pie. We're together again now, and that's what matters".

"After what I did to you, leaving you all alone… it doesn't bother you?" Pinkie Pie questioned as she wiped her tears away. The voice answered "I don't blame you at all, Pinkie Pie. I knew those phonies were never really your friends after what they did to you".

Pinkie tilted her head in confusion from this peculiar change of topic, and she asked with a raised eyebrow "What do you mean?"

The voice sneered angrily "What kind of friends would do such awful things to somepony like you?! They never realized how horrible that was for you go through, and for all we know, they didn't care at all!"

Pinkie tried to find a rebuttal, but found herself agreeing with this voice, saying "It was horrible! They scared me so bad today!" Pinkie Pie paused as she shivered in the cold air, before she added "But… they weren't trying to be mean to me. They wouldn't… would they?"

"After all of that?!" the voice howled, "Pinkie Pie, they never knew when to stop entertaining themselves off of your misery, or at least even made you feel better from it all".

Pinkie Pie slammed both her front hooves on the carpet floor in a fit of rage, shouting "You're absolutely right! What kind of friends are they?! I can't believe they would do that to me!" before tensing in frustration.

"But I can!" the voice answered in disagreement, "But don't worry, Pinkie Pie. I'm gonna help you get back at them!"

Pinkie Pie waited for the voice to finish; "We've just gotta find them first".

Pinkie felt herself stand up from the carpet floor, even though she never meant to do so, and staggered her way to the front door. "Hey! Are you… controlling my body?" Pinkie Pie asked, though the voice never answered her question. Pinkie opened it and was met with the intense cold, but she persisted in wandering her wat onto the streets of Sugarcube Corner.

She gazed up and down the thankfully vacant streets, before staggering along them. However, Pinkie Pie suddenly realized something; even though she had reunited with her friend, she had no clue what her friend's name was anymore.

"Something on your mind, cherub?" the voice asked. Pinkie Pie smiled at this nickname before she blushed in embarrassment, "Well, I feel kinda dumb for this… but I've forgotten your name". The voice merely laughed and replied "That's fine, Pinkie. You shouldn't worry about things like that".

Pinkie Pie was enjoying this voice, as she found the way it spoke to her to be really comforting. The voice explained "You actually gave me your full name, because you said you preferred Pinkie". Suddenly, Pinkie Pie lost control of her body and stopped in her track, her eyes narrowing and her smile widening.

"Pinkamena".

As this was said, Pinkie Pie spotted an approaching pony emerging from the mist, the pony having an unmistakable orange coat and a cowboy hat. Before she could react, Applejack had already spotted her and began approaching her. Flustered, Pinkamena retreated into the mist and ran to a nearby alleyway, grunting angrily "Great! She's knows we're here now!"

Both personalities could hear the hoofsteps approaching from behind them and turned to face Pinkie Pie's former friend. Applejack entered the alleyway and said "Pinkie Pie, I was just comin' ta see ya-" before falling silent, taken aback by Pinkie Pie's appearance.

Pinkie Pie's hair was hanging downwards over her shoulders, the left of her fringe covering the left half of her face. Her skin was somewhat paler than it's more natural, healthy glow. But her face was the most diverting aspect of her features. Her eyes were wide open and her pupils had shrunken to disturbing measures. Her grin covered a majority of her cheeks, showing a large, white smile.

Pinkamena approached the visibly fearful pony and smiled wickedly, "Well if it isn't our former friend, Applejack" Pinkamena sneered sarcastically, "And what would you be doing out on a night like this?"

Applejack answered "I was gonna ask ya the same thing, but… Pinkie Pie, what happened to yar voice?" as she stepped back cautiously. Pinkie Pie giggled and answered "My voice is just fine" in her typical pitch. "But uh… ya just talked like… What is going on with ya, Pinkie Pie?"

"Well, I guess you could say… I've come to terms with myself recently" before chuckling creepily.

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie turned away against her own will as Pinkamena grunted impatiently. "Pinkie Pie, why are we just standing around talking to this hag?! … Pinkamena calm down. … We're wasting time here, let's just get back to-".

"Uh… Pinkie Pie?" Applejack questioned, disturbed beyond belief by this spectacle before her. "Shut up, you! We're talking here!" Pinkamena retorted with venom in her tone. Applejack tilted her head and narrowed her eyes suspiciously at Pinkie Pie.

"Okay… Somethin' is definitely wrong here, Pinkie Pie" Applejack stated, "Are ya feelin' alright, Pinkie Pie? Cuz ya're really beginning ta worry me". "Absolutely not" Pinkie Pie answered with an unnerving smile, "I've never felt better in my life". "Well, you talking in two different voices is not convincing me. What's going on?" Applejack questioned.

Pinkie Pie rolled her eyes and answered "If you must know, I've made a new friend recently". "What… ya don't mean…" Applejack began before Pinkie Pie interrupted her. "She's really nice to me, and she understands me perfectly. She was there for me after you all scared me to death!" Pinkie Pie growled. Pinkamena then added "I am everything to my cherub that you all could never hope to be."

"Pinkie Pie… ya're telling me that ya felt so lonely… that ya befriended yaself?" Applejack asked, before lowering her head and shaking it in disbelief. "Pinkie Pie, I know ya like ta do really goofy things, but that's just stupid".

Pinkie was in awe of this comment, before she clenched her teeth angrily and sarcastically replied, "Well, how nice of you to call me stupid, Applejack. That you so much!"

However, Pinkamena was utterly outraged by this pony's arrogance, and had had enough of it. In the end, she took it upon herself to settle this matter her own way.

With a slug between the eyes.

Meanwhile, within the Town Hall, the annual April Fools competition awards were being readied for announcement. All of the guests who attended had spent most of the party gorging themselves on party snacks and drowning their thirsts in any liquid substance.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, was still stricken with guilt for what she did to Pinkie Pie, and had been throughout the entire party. Across from her table, Twilight and the others were still annoyed with her for it too, but they came to understand that Rainbow Dash was only trying to help, even if it hadn't work out the way she expected.

As Twilight was downing her… whatever it was, she looked beside her, where Rainbow Dash was sitting. She downed whatever was left in her pint and placed it on the table, before turning to face the pegasus.

"Hey Rainbow… sorry for getting angry at you earlier" she said, grabbing Rainbow's attention. "I thought you were just trying to irritate her more for just some more laughs" Twilight explained, though Rainbow Dash simply sighed and hung her head in shame.

"I've messed up so badly… The retribution for this is gonna be insane" she predicted before grabbing a new pint.

Soon enough, a pony entered the stage and approached to podium, announcing "And the winner of the umpteenth April Fools anniversary and competition goes to…". She retrieved a slip of paper from the central podium and read it aloud, "Rainbow Dash!"

The blue pegasus slammed her head on the table, grumbling under her breath "Hooray for me". As Rainbow left her seat and flew to the stage to accept her prize, Twilight turned to face the main entrance.

"Hey, where is Applejack? She should have been here by now".

"Gergh…".

Applejack finally emerged from her unconscious state, shifting slowly and wearily opening her eyes. She looked around the room and recognised it as Pinkie Pie's living room, and she was currently sitting on a couch. As she attempted to move, however, she found herself immobile, courtesy of the duct tape binding her legs together.

Pinkie Pie, in the meantime, was in the kitchen, conversing with Pinkamena. "This is what you've been waiting for, Pinkie. Are you excited?" Pinkamena asked enthusiastically, awaiting Pinkie Pie's ever-so positive attitude.

Pinkie, for her part, was not excited in the least. Instead, Pinkamena's violent actions had made Pinkie Pie uncomfortable.

"What's wrong, cherub?" Pinkamena asked, "I don't feel good about this anymore. … What? Didn't you wanna get back at them? … I did, but I didn't think we were gonna hurt them!"

As they bickered, they entered the living room and spotted their conscious captive, who gasped and unfocusedly asked "Pinkie Pie… why am I… tied up?" Pinkamena chuckled fiendishly and answered "You just be quiet, that knockout punch was only the beginning of what coming up next".

From these words, Pinkie Pie cried "Pinkamena, this isn't what I wanted at all! … What do you mean? … I wanted to get back at them, but not like this. … Don't worry, it'll feel satisfying once we start". Pinkie Pie fell silent for a moment before responding, "Pinkamena… you're really starting to scare me".

Meanwhile, Applejack's absence from the town hall had prompted Rainbow Dash and the others to search for her. They had traveled from the town hall to Sugarcube Corner, knowing Applejack had probably attempted to make amends with Pinkie Pie.

They arrived at the front door, and as Rainbow Dash was about to open the door, the group heard a series of noises from inside. "We have to do this now, Pinkie Pie! … No! Pinkamena, this is wrong! … I'm your friend, Pinkie Pie! You have to trust me with this! They don't care about you! They all hate you!" Pinkamena argued.

Rainbow Dash was awed by this, and wondered who it was conversing with their comical friend. She carefully twisted the doorknob to find it locked, though Twilight compensated this by unlocking the door with her magic.

The door creaked open, and Rainbow Dash proceeded carefully inside. She peaked around the corner and was horrified by what she saw. "Pinkamena, this has to stop! … No! Cherub, they need to pay for what they did to you!" Pinkamena argued.

Rainbow Dash couldn't fathom why Pinkie was talking to herself in two voices, but it was clear what caused it. The pegasus knew that Pinkie Pie's grief had driven her to the brink of insanity, as she had seen before, but never to this extent. Listening to Pinkie plunge into insanity was beyond what her heart could bear, and she knew exact what she had to do to stop it.

Suddenly, Pinkamena turned to Applejack and shouted "Too much wasted time! We're doing this now! … Pinkamena, stop doing this! This is twisted and evil! … This is justice! I'm gonna give her what's coming, even if you won't! … Pinkamena, don't make me a monster! … Cherub, be quiet! … Be quiet yourself!"

"I'M SORRY!"

Pinkie Pie turned to find Rainbow Dash standing in the open, having jumped from cover in a fit of impulse. "I'm sorry for everything!" the pegasus continued, "I'm sorry for the prank! I'm so sorry for what I did to you!"

She lowered her head distraughtly, then quickly added "I was really stupid for doing that! I didn't think it would be so bad! I never considered it! I'm so stupid! I'm such a terrible friend, Pinkie Pie! I'M A DISGRACE!"

While Pinkie Pie was distracted by Rainbow Dash's rant, Twilight and Fluttershy took the opportunity to free Applejack from her bonds, and they all watched as Rainbow Dash continued.

"You're way too nice to have these things happen to you. You had every right to be angry with me!" Rainbow Dash concluded. Pinkie Pie thought back to earlier this evening and realized that Rainbow Dash never apologized for the prank. And from this outburst, it was clearly genuine.

Pinkie stepped towards Rainbow Dash and sat in front of her, "I'm the one who should be sorry" she stated. "I really overreacted over all of this, but I… completely lost it… and I wanted to hurt you for it". Pinkie Pie cringed as her eyes welled with tears, "I really am a monster".

"No!" Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted, "You deserved to be angry, Pinkie Pie… I just wish it was me that you…"

"Stop it! Don't say that! You're my best friend! I can't bear to think of doing that to you!" Pinkie screamed in despair. Rainbow stepped away from her friend and cleared her throat, "I should at least make it up to you for all of this".

From these words, Pinkie Pie jumped up from the floor and gleefully shouted "Why didn't you say so!" Pinkie Pie stepped towards the door, "Let's go somewhere fun! Maybe get something to eat!" Applejack's head perked as she offered "We'll, the April Fools party is still going on right now".

For the remainder of the night, the six friends returned to the Town Hall to enjoy what remained of the meals and festivities. Throughout the course of the night, Pinkie Pie had wanted that any notion of Pinkamena or Applejack's kidnapping be kept secret by her friends.

All the while, Pinkie had wondered whatever happened to Pinkamena, since the latter had fallen silent ever since Rainbow's apology. Perhaps Pinkamena was just a figment of her grief, and she had just created her to overcome her loneliness. Whatever the case, Pinkamena was no longer any sort of threat as of now.

After the night was done, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash decided to leave together, giving her the chance to describe all the things that Pinkamena had told her. Behind her awe, Rainbow Dash was truly fascinated by what Pinkie Pie was telling her.

As they continued down the street, Pinkie Pie's attention was drawn to a nearby shop window. She could see her reflection, but she was not met with a friendly face. Her reflection returned a soulless stare as her mouth twisted into a fiendish grin. From somewhere in her mind, she heard a feminine voice speak.

"Don't forget about me, Pinkie Pie… Because I'm not going to forget about you!"