Let me first venture into the sea

To be just washed ashore later

And I will feel you breathing life unto me

After you have come in search for me.

~Let me venture into the sea - M.D Dinesh Nair~

Rainbow Dash

Ah, the fresh air. The wind blowing on your face, making your mane flick around as if you were flying. There was nothing quite like it... Sadly, this forest had none of that. I was so BORED!!! Time got away from me, but somehow we'd wound up traveling after Zecora packed some things (probably anti-demon stuff for Jaeger, lol). Now we were on the road, so to speak. I just looked down, figuring that a little more boredom couldn't do much worse. I was on the dirt path, then a vine, then the path again, then another vine, then a twig.

"You okay, Dash?" I heard a voice. Twilight's voice. Bitch stole my boy-toy.

"Fine! I'm fine... REALLY bored, but fine! Hey, sexy!" I said, turning to Jaeger who just chuckled.

"Apparently, she's fine." Twilight said to Jaeger.

"I do not remember Rainbow Dash being this strange. What is that's caused her to change?" Zecora asked. I decided to answer for myself... starting with a manic giggle, because they were always fun.

"You'd be a little CRAZY!! Too if you listened to the sounds of SHADES and ZOMBIES outside Rarity's BOUTIQUE every night for a MONTH." I said, foaming at the mouth.

I watched Zecora's reaction... it was, simply put; BOOOORING!!! "This does not seem right. She seemed perfectly normal last night."

Last night? "Dear Celestia! Tell me we did nothing last night! TELL ME YOU DIDN'T TOUCH ME" I said, putting on a show of horror.

"She has episodes. Nothing like that happened last night, Rainbow!" Twilight replied.

"Aww." I said, suddenly deciding that was a bad thing. As we walked on, Zecora came up beside me and whispered into my ear.

"For the record, you could do a lot worse than me. If given the chance, I could drive you a different kind of crazy." she said.

I shuddered at the prospect, a pleased grin on my face. "How 'bout tonight when we reach Appleloosa? We'll find a room and go at it like Fluttershy's bunnies." I offered.

Jaeger

Despite the fact that Zecora was whispering to Dash, our beloved crazy did not think to whisper herself. It didn't take a genius to put what Zecora had said into context. "Chrome and monochrome. Wonder how the kid would turn out?" I said to Twilight, who just giggled.

"I don't get it, what are they talking about?" Scootaloo asked.

"Before the Shades emerged, did your teacher explain to you the method of how foals are made?" I asked her.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well they're going to perform the same act together, while expecting different results." I replied, earning bemused giggles from Twilight and Trixie both.

"I still don't get it."

"Well I'm not gonna tell you."

Scootaloo whined. "Why not?"

"Because even though we're amidst an apocalypse, there are still some things a foal your age shouldn't know just yet." I replied.

Scootaloo pouted as we walked on in silence for a further ten seconds. "Tell you what, Scoots. What are bunnies best known for?" Twilight challenged.

"Being cute?" Scootaloo tried.

I tried to imagine Zecora as cute, but found myself laughing instead. "HAH! Try again." I wound up saying, earning a growl from said zebra. I daren not look as I pursed my lips together to try and stop myself from laughing further at her. But I could feel my back burning as she glared at me. I looked to Twilight. "Is she giving me the death stare?" I asked. Twilight turned back to look at Zecora before answering.

"That's the understatement of the year." she replied. I laughed again, looking ahead.

"Is it the ears?" Scootaloo asked. I smiled down at her.

"I think somepony should have 'the talk' with you when we reach Appleloosa." I said, patting her head. Scootaloo sighed as she still didn't understand what was going on.

"Only if you have 'the talk' with Spike. Guys should talk with guys, and girls should talk with girls." Twilight offered.

"Fair enough." I replied, winking at Spike who seemed just as confused. "Spike, we're going to have a little talk later about the benefits of special someponies."

Twilight

Appleloosa... it's seen better days. Our little party had stopped at the edge of the forest which happened to be a cliff face. We'd decided to settle there for the time being. Despite the open space, what I remembered about the town suggested that there were a few hiding places for ambushes. Luckily, I'd had the foresight to pack some binoculars. I looked towards the town to find absolutely nothing out of the ordinary short of some burned down buildings. The lack of ponies was expected, but something seemed off. I gave the binoculars to Jaeger to see if he could figure it out.

"No zombies. That's a first." he said, confirming my suspicions.

"Maybe they melted in the heat?" Rainbow suggested, her episode over with.

"There'd still be skeletons or some sign that they were there. No, somepony is down there, and they've been cleaning house." he replied, handing the binoculars back to me.

"Could it be one of the girls?" I asked him.

"Anything's possible." he said.

Trixie came up beside me and looked between Jaeger and me. "What are our options?" she ashed. I considered them myself, but Jaeger had the answers, it seemed.

"My red magic will return within a matter of hours. We could wait until then but we'd be cutting it close to sundown. Alternatively we could go now, but I won't be able to protect you from Shades, while it's unlikely we'll come across one at this time of day, experience has taught me not to take chances. I'll let our resident Princess decide what to do though." he said, once again leaving the decisions up to me. Easily my least favourite thing about him.

I thought about the options at hand and considered a third one that made more sense. "Trixie and I will go while the rest of you wait here until Jaeger's magic is charged. When it is, he'll join us and get us out of any trouble me wight have found ourselves in while looking for Applejack or her note. Jaeger, if we're not back by the time you're restored, seek us out. You can't leave the others here without a magic user to protect them, so they'll come with you, but find a hiding place in town. Got it?" she said.

"Wait until I'm charged, come looking for you if you haven't returned, and stuff the others in a good hiding spot. Got it." he replied, making me smile.

"Good. Wish us luck?" I asked. To my surprise, Jaeger leaned in and kissed my cheek.

"The words are bad luck. The gestures, not so much." he said. I blushed, but ultimately left for town feeling happy and hopeful.

Trixie was mostly silent during the trip into town. I wanted to ask her what was wrong, but now was hardly the time. "Where should we start looking?" she asked.

"Applejack would have gone to her cousin Braeburn's farm, which is at the end of town, beside the Sheriff's station." I replied.

"And it's a note that we're looking for if not Applejack herself?" she asked.

I nodded an affirmative and pointed out the farm to her. Together we went, into the household. As like most places, it was quickly stripped of all but a few amenities. But unlike other places, it was tidy, functional. "Somepony still lives here." I whispered aloud. Trixie had gone to the kitchen, no doubt hungry. I could have gone for something to eat myself.

"Found the note!" I heard her say. I abandoned my search and caught up with her. She handed me the note and I read it.

Dear Twilight, Rainbow and Pinkie,

If you're reading this then you've found my other notes, which makes me so happy. I have some bad news regarding Braeburn. He was turned into one of these zombie things. I found him trying to eat Little Strongheart, who I later found out was dating him. So I managed to save a member of the family yet, if not an official member.

Some good news is that we haven't lost anypony. Rarity, Fluttershy, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle are still with me. The girls miss Scootaloo and I can only give them hope that she's with you.

We're headed to Trottingham to get Rarity's parents as I mentioned in the plan, then to Manehattan to see if we can bunk with some of my relatives, the Oranges. I just hope everypony's okay. I'll give you the addresses for Trottingham and Manehattan, so you'll know where to find my other notes to let you know we made it that far. I hope to see you there.

Love,

Applejack.

I sighed as I flipped the note around, reading the addresses of Rarity's parents' home and the Oranges'. With relief coating my heart, I turned to Trixie.

"Well at least we know they're alive. But Pinkie's name has been crossed out again like last time." I said.

"Do you think that means she's... you know." Trixie asked. I could tell she didn't want to offend or upset me, and I was secretly thankful for her tact in the matter.

"No, I don't think so. If Applejack crossed her name out last time, she wouldn't have bothered putting it in this note, and she would have mentioned Pinkie's death in this note if she knew."

"Do you think Pinkie's crossing her own name out to let you know she was here before and is following the trail too?" she asked.

"That's my hope," I replied, sighing again. "Come on, let's get back to the oth-." I was cut off by a large wave of dark pink hair flooding my vision. I felt something bit me square below the base of my horn and I knew darkness almost immediately.

Jaeger

I could feel my magic coming back to me. I was so close. Just a few more minutes and I would be good to go. But it was a small consolation. Twilight and Trixie were nowhere to be seen and I couldn't see them returning from below the cliff.

"Something's wrong. They should have been back by now." Spike said, beginning to pace worriedly. I wanted to join him, but I knew he needed a strong voice to keep him grounded.

"Twilight cares a great deal about the girls. I'm sure she's just rising us worrying so she can continue to look for Applejack and the others, or the note they left behind." I tried to assure him. I looked to the others and each had a knowing look on their faces.

"Of your red magic, I am no fan. But I urge you to return to full power as fast as you can." Zecora said. I simply nodded to her in agreement. I looked down to the town and an idea came to mind.

"I could probably go now. The magic should be restored by the time I reach the town." I said, standing up. The others sighed with relief as they realised it was time to go looking for their friends. "Rainbow, you'll have to carry each of us down the cliff." I said, and she nodded.

Twilight

My head swam in pain as I found myself returning to consciousness. My eyes felt heavy. Despite the pain, that had been the most well rested sleep I'd had since the Shades emerged. I groaned, trying to rub the sleep from my eyes when I realised something was stopping my hands. I opened my eyes and looked around. Darkness surrounded me, save for the spotlight overhead that illuminated the cause of my restrained hands. I was laying flat on some sort of metal table, my body strapped down. Thankfully, I still had my clothes, but that was of little comfort.

"Ah, you're awake. Good. I hate it when you fakes sleep through the process. It takes the fun out of it." said an oddly familiar voice. I couldn't place who it belonged to but it was very, very familiar. I looked around, hoping to discern something through the darkness. What I saw made me wish I was blissfully ignorant. A pair of glowing red dots met my gaze, followed by a sly grin.

"Who's there?!" I asked, trying to use magic to illuminate the room around me. I soon found out that a magic suppression ring had been placed around my horn, preventing me from using any kind of magic.

"Don't bother playing these games with me. I've figured out every tactic, every move you fakes make. You can't trick me. I'm not as gullible as ponies think I am." the voice replied. It was so familiar, it was on the tip of my tongue.

"Can I at least see your face?" I asked, hoping to shed some light on this mysterious pony.

"Alright, I guess I'll humor you." the voice replied as its owner stepped forward. I gasped in shock as I recognised the voice, and the pony it belonged to.

"P-pinkie Pie..." I said. The mare before me was Pinkie Pie, this much I knew, but she didn't look like Pinkie Pie. Her eyes were bloodshot, turning them red, with a darkness underneath them and a grin that could scare Nightmare Moon made her look like some manic serial killer.

Pinkie's face dropped the smile and she grew angry. "DON'T CALL ME THAT!!! I'M SICK OF TELLING YOU FAKES NOT TO CALL ME BY THAT NAME!" she screamed. I was stunned by her sudden outburst. She didn't look like Pinkie, she didn't act like Pinkie, but it still was her. Her mane hung straight downward, much lie Maud's, but unlike what had happened when the girls and I had tried to surprise her with a birthday party, her features had taken on a reddish hue. And her mane seemed to have split ends.

"I don't know what else to call you. And what do you mean by fakes?" I asked, using my words carefully.

"Dont give me that! I've had this conversation with all of you at one time or another. You can't trick me. You're no more the real Twilight than the other thirty that tried to convince me... just so they could cut me down and turn me into one of them. One of you." she replied. A terrible feeling hit me.

"You think we're zombies... and that you're hallucinating Twilight and Trixie?" I asked. Pinkie laughed and clapped her hands.

"Very good. None of the others have actually managed to spell it out for themselves, they just ask the same dull questions over and over AGAIN! Though I'll admit, this is the first time Trixie's ever been here." she said, turning her gaze upon my unconscious friend.

"Why do you think this is a hallucination?" I asked. Pinkie sighed, as if having heard it before. She even recited the answer as if she'd said it dozens of times before.

"Ugh! Because this is just like the fifty other times I've come across zombies inside Applejack's cousin's house." she replied.

"Then why are you still here?" I asked, hoping she hadn't heard that one.

She seemed to pause for a second. "I'm waiting for the real Twilight to come. The real Rainbow Dash too. I know they're still alive out there. And I know they're coming for me. They'll come for me, and Twilight will fix everything and make it right, because that's what she does." she replied, curling in on herself as she backed into the shadows.

"But if you can't tell that I'm the real Twilight, how are you going to know it's me?"

"Because I know her. I know my friends. They won't leave me behind." she said.

I sighed as I looked around for her in the darkness. "But this apocalypse has changed you, Pinkie. What makes you think it won't change us too? Rainbow Dash has psychotic episodes, Scootaloo tried to commit suicide... And when this all started, I grabbed Spike and hid in the Library's basement. I've only been out here for a little over a week. Pinkie, I'm finally here! But I can't fix anything without my friends there by my side."

"How would you know if they've changed?" she asked, emerging once again right next to me, looking me in the eye.

"Because I'm the real Twilight. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo are waiting outside the town for me. For us! Zecora too, and Spike. Even little Winona's waiting. What if I'm telling the truth? How would you know? Or did you not think it through?" Pinkie drew back into the darkness, seeming confused as she did so.

"If you were in my position, how would you know?" she asked me. I smiled gently at her.

"Because hallucinations wouldn't be able to make me doubt like I seem to be doing to you. I'd be looking for the slightest differences too. Take Trixie for instance. You said yourself that this was the first time you'd seen her. You and her aren't friends, so why would you hallucinate her?"

"I... I-I can't... If you're the real Twilight... would you understand what I've done? I've been over this dozens of times. Dozens of zombies. I've killed them over and over again because I was convinced that they were a figment of my imagination, because they would take on your form, or Rainbow's, or AJ's. Would you understand?" I could hear her beginning to cry. Hearing this made me begin to tear up as well.

"Pinkie... why did you cross your name out on the notes Applejack left?" I asked, my voice breaking. I heard a sniffle and heavy breathing.

"I can't smile anymore... not like I used to. You're right, this whole apocalypse has changed me. I'm not...I-I don't." I heard her break down in sobs. In a panic to get to her, I threw my head around, hoping to shake the magic suppressor off of my horn. It took a while, but I managed. In a rush, I teleported out of my restraints and made my way to where I heard Pinkie.

"I'm here, Pinkie. I'm here, and so is Rainbow, and Spike, and Zecora. Scootaloo and Winona too. They're all waiting for you, waiting for us." I said, finding Pinkie knelt down. I joined her and pulled her in for a hug. She tensed up, but didn't fight it. "You know, there's an easier way to tell if I'm real or not. Zombies can't use magic." I said, causing her to stop crying for a moment.

"SERIOUSLY?!!!" she cried in disbelief. I couldn't help but smile at her incredulity and chuckle. This was more like the Pinkie I knew.

"I'm so sorry it took so long for me to find you, Pinkie Pie. But I'm here, really. I Pinkie Promise." I said. Finally, I felt a head rest itself on my bosom, and I knew I'd gotten to her. She believed me. I held her tighter and rested my head on hers. I began to gently rock her from side to side as she began to cry again. It was a painful sound that broke my heart to hear, but I owed it to her to take all her sorrow.

Jaeger

I'd left my party in the Sheriff's station, so that should any zombies turn up, they could hide themselves in one of the jail cells safe from harm. Or better yet, trap the zombies in there. I'd gone next door into the house Twilight had said was Braeburn's.

I'd seen the entire debacle played out before me in the basement of Braeburn's farm. The one known as Pinkie Pie had strapped Twilight and Trixie down and had gone on a rant over all the fakes. Thanks to the red magic, Pinkie couldn't tell I was there with her, hiding among the shadows, but I could see everything, the blood and corpses that lined the back of the room. Piles of them.

I didn't wait for them to have their moment afterward. I just stepped into the light and unfastened Trixie's straps. "Jaeger?" I heard Twilight call out.

"While you two were busy arguing amongst yourselves, you lost track of time. It's nearly sundown. Get Pinkie, and let's head next door to board up the station." I said.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

"Since you woke up. I wanted to give you the chance to convince Pinkie you were you. If you failed, I'd have stepped in." I replied, taking Trixie and lifting her over my shoulder.

"Twilight, who's that?" Pinkie asked.

"That's Jaeger. He's a friend. He helped us get this far to find you." I walked past them and carried Trixie up the stairs.

"Come on, they'll emerge again soon." I urged, leaving them behind.

Pinkie?

"He's not very nice." I said, earning a bemused chuckle from Twilight.

"He's just stressing because the Shades are coming." she said.

"Shades?" I asked, unfamiliar with the word.

"What we call those things that caused all this." she replied.

It made sense. I'd just called them 'big black things'. But 'shades' worked. I let Twilight help me up and we went together up the stairs. Jaeger was waiting at the front door for us, looking out towards the setting sun.

"I didn't realise it was so late." I said, looking outside for the first time in over a month.

"You said something about the station?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, I left them in the Sheriff's station so they could lock either themselves up or zombies." the one called Jaeger replied. He was clever.

"Let's go then." I said, and the three of us, plus the unconscious Trixie made our way next door to the Sheriff's station.

Author's Note

Here's another chapter. I'd had the Pinkie one rolling around in my mind or a while, but I wasn't sure how Twilight or anypony would actually convince her that they were the real deal. The scenario also leaves the possibility that zombies weren't the only ones Pinkie had captured. Basically, she was acting as a trapdoor spider.

For all we know, she could have taken live prey. I also noticed we hadn't had much of Rainbow's perspective so I wanted to do a little of that too, since some of you mentioned you liked the whole craziness I'd written into it.

Happy Easter everypony!