MLP: A Blessing in Disguise. Part 2
"What!? So she's Pinkamena!?"
Applebloom stared towards the ceiling, towards Pinkie Pie's current location, before muttering "I've seen Pinkamena before, but I had no idea".
Maud sighed and continued her explanation, "Yeah. But that's what's going on with Pinkie Pie. Sometimes she'll be herself, bot other times she'll be Pinkamena. My sister has been put through a lot of problems because of Pinkamena, and I wish I could hate Pinkamena for it, but I can't. Pinkamena hates us all and she wants to-".
"Alright! We get the picture! Sometimes she's good, sometimes she's bad!" Scootaloo exclaimed abruptly. Maud fixed her gaze on Scootaloo in disapproval and lectured "No, she's not just bad. If you ever see her as Pinkamena, you stay away! Understand?"
The three frightened fillies nodded in agreement, before Maud nodded in approval in return. "Good. Now, you can all sleep in the lounge room. As soon as I go, I want you to all be asleep. Got It?" Maud commanded, the which the fillies nodded in unison. Satisfied by this, Maud turned to leave.
However, as soon as she had resigned herself to her bedroom and left the fillies to their own devices, they gathered together to contemplate their newly gathered knowledge. "She has two minds in one body? That sounds so cool!" Scootaloo exclaimed in excitement. Sweetie Belle then objected "Are you joking, Scoot?! After what her sister just said, you think it's funny!?"
Applebloom then through her two cents into the conversation and admitted "When I saw Pinkamena, it was pretty scary. I had no idea what she was gonna do". Scootaloo then rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on! Just cuz she's got two minds doesn't mean one of them is gonna be bad". Despite this speculation, Sweetie Belle still heeded Maud's advice and wanted no part in where this would lead.
"Well, there's only one way to find out. Let's go meet her!"
"Have you gone loony, Scoot!? She might hurt us!" Sweetie Belle objected once again, still remaining open-minded of whether Maud's explanation of this phenomenon was indeed accurate. From this plea for logical thinking, Scootaloo and Applebloom glared mischievously at eachother, before returning their focus to the worried Sweetie Belle. "Well, I'm not worried. Cuz you're gonna wake her up!"
"What!? No way; I don't want to! She'll get mad!" Sweetie screamed without consideration, before covering her mouth in fear of having already accomplished her involuntarily assigned objective. The trio looked up towards the ceiling and concentrated on hearing for any noise; though such was thankfully not the case.
"Ugh! You two are such wusses. Well if you're so scared, I'll wake her up". Unfortunately, despite her reluctance to place herself in such a lethal position, Sweetie Belle's dignity had suddenly found itself in peril at the risk of disrespect.
"Hey! I'm not a wuss, you meanie!" she snarled ungraciously. Scootaloo smirked triumphantly before replying "Then I dare you to wake her up". From this malevolent statement, Sweetie was in a dilemma of her own; and within her mind, she pondered "Their testing me! If I don't do it, they'll think I'm a coward. So I have to do it!"
Due to her rather upper-class upbringing alongside her sister, Sweetie Belle had adopted a fear of disrespect from others, and was therefore equally reluctant to disappoint them, even if for the right reasons.
Sweetie Belle slowly crept her way up the stairs and eventually stopped behind the door to Pinkie Pie's bedroom. As she leaned her ear against the wooden frame, she could hear the unintelligible grunts and screeches of a disturbed sleeper, which had reanimated the fear within Sweetie Belle's soul. Nevertheless, she still had her reputation to uphold to her friends, as well as a promise to keep.
She silently pushed the door open and peeked her head out from behind her predictably unreliable excuse for a shield, finding a frantically tossing and turning Pinkie Pie within her view, twitching as she slumbered and occasionally giggling fitfully. Sweetie Belle, with the courage of more than most ponies twice her age, stepped beside Pinkie's bed and leaned upon it.
"Um… hello? Uh… Pinkie Pie…?" She began with a whisper, only for a strained grunt to be Pinkie's response. She gently shoved Pinkie's arm and repeated herself, "Hey… Pinkie Pie… or Pinkamena… wake up".
Sweetie Belle's heart was racing beyond its natural, or healthy, rate by this time, as if she had been caught committing theft for the first time. She built up her voice for her third attempt and exclaimed "Hey, wake up!" more loudly than she had intended.
From this, Pinkie Pie stirred into consciousness as she leaned herself upright from her pillow and turned her head downwards towards her awakener, opening her eyes and fixing a cold stare upon her.
Success, but at what cost.
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.
Sweetie Belle was utterly petrified by this time. She couldn't move a single muscle, even though her life possibly depended on it, and was frozen to the core with overwhelming terror. She trembled before her accomplishments and was in dire peril of what consequences lay in store.
Pinkamena slowly stepped towards the terrified minor as she had begun shedding tears, before stopping in front of her and glaring down into her tear-stained eyes.
"I'll take it that you were the one that woke me up?" Pinkamena sternly snarled, to which Sweetie Belle could barely answer. All that she could achieve as a response was a simple, fearful nod, before she lowered her head and sulked to herself, preparing herself for the punishments of her actions. Pinkamena then smiled mischievously and replied "I thought so".
"Please… don't hurt me…"
This pitiful plea for mercy towards such a villainous being brought a smile to Pinkamena's face; but surprisingly, without any malicious intent, she lifted the filly's head and both were fixed upon eachother's gaze. "I'm not gonna hurt you. Whoever told you that?" Pinkamena asked in a hushed, almost motherly tone. Sweetie Belle then shrank into herself and stuttered "M-Maud said that your b-bad".
Pinkamena furrowed her brow and sternly muttered to herself "I hate you, Maud… still giving me a bad reputation!" before kneeling down to equal herself to the filly's current height. "Listen to me" she explained in a soothing whisper, "I won't hurt you, or your friends". She lay her hoof upon Sweetie Belle's shoulder for reassurance of her intentions, "I don't know what Maud said about me, but it's not true".
Pinkamena then proceeded to explain herself to the young filly, though whether her description of herself was accurate or merely a guise remained a mystery to the minor. Pinkamena advertised herself rather than being a violent, manipulative opportunist; but instead, as a considerate, compassionate bystander.
However, while her silver tongue was swift and cunning, the words that she spoke and the way she spoke it were so convincing, that even Pinkamena herself almost believed them to be the truth. Pinkamena was rarely considerate of her actions or the motives behind them, which would often blur the line between her honest intentions and mere irrational impulses.
Eventually, their discussion was interrupted by an echo that emitted through the room; distinguishable as a low, gurgling sound. Sweetie Belle held her stomach in pain and winced "Oh! I haven't eaten anything yet!"
Pinkamena pulled her head back and stared downward at this act, before concocting a plan and smiling deviously. "Are you hungry?" Pinkamena asked with seemingly genuine interest, before helping the filly to her hooves, "Come downstairs, I'll get you something".
Once in the kitchen, Pinkamena began shifting through the fridge for the appropriate snack for this houseguest, before poking her head from behind the fridge door and waving Sweetie Belle over to her side. Sweetie belle, for her part, peered into the fridge to find an unbelievable sight; an over-abundance of pastries and candy, each as irresistibly delectable as the rest.
"What would you like?" Pinkamena asked, soon realizing that Sweetie Belle was unable to reply, as she was hypnotized by the overwhelmingly sweet scent. Pinkamena smiled in amusement and decided to aid Sweetie Belle in deciding, simply by taking a cupcake from the fridge and placing it inside the filly's open mouth.
The taste. Absolutely sublime.
Any ample suspicion of Pinkamena's true intentions had begun to disappear; until eventually, the only reasonable thought in Sweetie Belle's mind was on what to eat next. She swallowed her mesmerizing mouthful in satisfaction and muttered "Ahhh… so good". Pinkamena smirked cheekily before offering a second cupcake to her famished guest, "Thank you so much. It's good to hear my work is appreciated".
From this, two unpredicted figures peeked from behind the counter and exclaimed "Hey! Can we have some too?!" in unison. Pinkamena gazed behind her with a mischievous grin, whilst holding a pair of cupcakes as an offering, "You'd better hurry, before Sweetie Belle eats them all".
All three of them fixed upon the lone filly, who was currently gorging upon a slice of sponge cake, before both Scootaloo and Applebloom joined her in her feast. As each filly individually stuffed themselves with sweets, Pinkamena simply stood on the sidelines and watched; but at some point, Scootaloo turned to Pinkamena and asked "Hey, Pinkamena. You want some?"
Pinkamena waved this question away and shook her head.
"Nah… I'm saving my appetite for later".
Ten minutes passed ever since they began their legionary raid throughout the fridge, and such acts of gluttony had returned to greet the fillies with a vengeance.
As they stumbled dizzily away from there midnight meal, each clutching their overfed stomachs in discomfort, Scootaloo muttered under her breath "I'm… ugh… gonna… explode". Applebloom leaned against the wall ungraciously and groaned queasily to herself, "Ohhh… we ate too much… for sure" before an unexpected belch escaped her lips.
Pinkamena leaned against the nearby wall, smiling malevolently as she watched the fillies' futile attempts to quell the pain in their guts. "You poor things" she giggled cheekily, "Well, that was a lot to eat".
In reality, the entire fridge had been pillaged of the entirety of its contents. Pinkamena's eyes glowed with delight as she concocted a new plot, "I'll tell you what. You three can sleep in my bed if you want" she offered generously.
The three looked at eachother, their long-expended energy beginning to take its toll upon them, and nodded in agreement. The trio of gluttons carried themselves up the stairs and eventually settled in their hostess's boudoir, snuggling comfortably under the covers of her bed. Within moments, they surrendered to fatigue as Pinkamena smiled wickedly.
She crept out of the room and slowly shut the door, before her eyes widened with satisfaction. She leaned her shoulder against the door with a loud 'Thud!', rubbing her hooves together and snickering to herself before she made her way back downstairs.
However, unbeknownst to her, Scootaloo reopened her strained eyelids and lightly tapped Applebloom's shoulder, resulting in the latter stirring into consciousness. "Huh… what?" she muttered sleepily. Scootaloo furrowed her eyebrows nervously and asked "What do you think she meant when she said that she was 'saving her appetite'?"
Applebloom answered half-minded "I dunno… she was probably gonna eat the rest when we were done" before tossing away from her colleague and returning to her brief slumber. Scootaloo pondered each of Pinkamena's actions throughout the night and objected "But she didn't eat anything".
As they continued to question their situation, Pinkamena slowly staggered from the kitchen and back up the stairs. She continued through the hallway of the second floor and stopped behind the bedroom door, leaning her ear against the wooden frame and grinning. She reached for the handle and proceeded to open it, only to be distracted by an unknown liquid running down her neck.
She held her neck in confusion before a strange feeling of nausea caught her attention. She held her temple in pain as her head began throbbing relentlessly, as more sweat began flowing through her hair and across her cheeks. "But if she wasn't gonna eat the food, then what else could she have been talking about" Applebloom asked curiously.
By this time, Sweetie Belle had awoken and joined the conversation, having mentioned the fact that Pinkamena was reluctant to eat until they had finished.
Scootaloo pondered this strange situation, attempting to fit Pinkamena's intentions into a logical structure. However, after finally finding the most plausible solution, Scootaloo began shivering in shock as her jaw hung open. She turned stiffly to face Applebloom's concerned expression, beads of sweat streaming from her temple as her heart increased in pace. "You… you don't think she meant-".
'THUMP!'
Suddenly, a loud noise beckoned from behind the door, instantly snatching the trio's attention from Scootaloo's deduction. Sweetie Belle stepped out of bed and crept cautiously towards the door, despite the protests from her colleagues to do so. As she reached for the door knob, she quickly decided to listen through the door for any possible danger lurking behind it.
Before she could have reacted, the door creaked open and Pinkamena fell against the floor before her, leaving the trio of witnesses speechless with fear. Pinkamena twitched and fidgeted against the floor as if she was electrocuted, before she eventually lost consciousness altogether and lay lifelessly upon the carpet.
As this happened, a door was heard creaking open from down the hallway, followed by the sound of hoofsteps staggering towards the bedroom, before a pair of curious eyes peered from the side of the door frame. Maud asked sleepily "Hey… What are you three doing in here" before staring downwards at her incapacitated sibling.
"AHHH! PINKIE PIE!" Maud screamed as she kneeled down and held Pinkie Pie's head in her arms, the latter showing neither sign of consciousness nor function. Maud then angrily stared towards the fillies and cried out in despair "I TOLD YOU NOT TO BOTHER HER!" before shutting her eyes tightly in despair and shedding tears for her sister's misfortune.
The next morning, Rarity had finally returned from her errand and travelled to Pinkie Pie's doorstep, though she was in for a dark surprise when she was greeted. Maud stood in the doorway, Sweetie Belle standing beside her with her head turned away from her sister. "What happened?" Rarity asked curiously, aware of a problem based on Maud's outraged expression.
"Sweetie Belle's friends came and stirred up Pinkamena" Maud sternly informed, forcing Rarity to catch her breath and shout "You what!?" Sweetie Belle cowered in fright and blurted out "I'm so sorry! The others dared me to!"
Sweetie Belle them stepped down to the street and stood beside her sister, while Maud stepped aside and faced towards the inside of the main room. Soon enough, Scootaloo and the others crept through the doorway in a single file. "C'mon, sis" Rarity instructed firmly, "We're heading home, so you can't cause any more hassle for today".
Sweetie Belle sighed in shame as she accompanied her sister, and the pair soon began their travel back to their home. Maud looked on before turning to Scootaloo, who had found herself abandoned by her colleagues as they ran in different directions. "And as for you…" Maud snapped to the fearful filly before finishing "You can stay away from here for good!"
Maud slammed the door after having expended most of her welling fury, and sighed calmly as she trotted across the main room. Suddenly, the sound of uneven hoofsteps emitted from the staircase and caught Maud's attention, and she was surprised to find her sister descending in an irregular and even exhausted manner.
"Pinkie Pie! You shouldn't be out of bed! You're still-" she began before she was interrupted by Pinkie Pie hushing her, "I'm alright, Maud. I just…". Pinkie Pie suddenly stumbled forward before she quickly steadied herself, though her awkward swooning hadn't ceased. "Come and sit down" Maud instructed as she led her sibling to the living room, and the pair sat side by side on the sofa.
The pair were silent for several moments, though Pinkie Pie soon scooted across the couch and laid her head against her sister's shoulder. Pinkie Pie lifted her head and smiled warmly, "Thanks, Maud… for helping me" she . Maud sporadically shook her head and objected "No! Don't thank me. I was lazy, and irresponsible. I-".
Suddenly, Pinkie wrapped her arms around her sibling and embraced her warmly, sighing "I don't care! You're the best sister ever! No other sister would ever put up with this mess for this long. I love you so much!" The moment she said this, a single tear fell from Pinkie Pie's eye, a tear of joy.
Maud rubbed the back of her neck, blushing from this compliment, until Pinkie Pie pulled away and sighed with relief. She held her hoof to her chest and raised an eyebrow in confusion, taken aback by a strange feeling that welled within her heart. "I feel… funny" she stated plainly, Maud tilting her head in confusion as Pinkie then said "I've never felt like this before".
"What do you mean?" Maud asked, though Pinkie could only answer "It's like… I'm happy… but different". The extrovert the sat up and concluded "I've been feeling it since you came here", but was then surprised as Maud embraced her lovingly and the pair remained beside eachother on the sofa.
"You feel complete".
The End?