A Sweet Conflict

by CaptainSteve

Rating: teen
Tags: Pinkie Pie, Sad, Gore, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 6787

Pinkie has ongoing trouble with her psychotic half, and Twilight tries to step in and help.

Published 2011-10-31 20:46:24 UTC
Last updated 2011-11-01 00:59:49 UTC

A Sweet Conflict Chapter 1 - Face to Face

Darkness.

Pinkie opened her eyes. All she could see was darkness, no light, no fun. The air was cold, and not a single noise could be heard. Suddenly, lights flickered into life, and the room became visible. On the walls were party decorations in typical Pinkie Pie style, chairs adorned with balloons, tables with cakes and punch, neatly laid out. Party music began playing, which made Pinkie want to get up and dance, but couldn't. It was strange, she felt perfectly fine. It was like her muscles had frozen in the sitting position. The lack of control over her body began to make her nervous.

"Hello? Anypony there?" Pinkie called out nervously. No response. She tried again, but no one responded. She tried standing again. This time her body gingerly obeyed, but she didn't like what was happening one bit. Fear began to fill her body, hoof to ear, but she tried shrugging it off. Maybe she just forgot to tidy up from one her earlier parties, and the lights weren't quite working. Pinkie trotted forwards towards the table, but before she could reach it she hit something hard and fell on her flank.

"Ow!" She cried out. Her nose was sore from hitting the invisible barrier. There wasn't anything there, so why couldn't she reach the table? She tried again, slower this time, and bumped into the invisible object again. The lights flickered again. Each time they did, the room seemed to get bigger and bigger, and soon there was just a vast expanse of black into which the decorations had vanished. All of a sudden, a rainbow-coloured liquid seemed to start trickling down the invisible object, which now appeared to be some kind of wall. Pinkie, during the series of events, failed to notice how it seemed to continue falling forever, and didn't have a visible source.

"Oooh, rainbows!" Exclaimed Pinkie. She touched the multi-coloured fluid, which was now a cascade. Some came off onto her hoof and she licked it, completely forgetting the last time she did so in Cloudsdale. It burned her tongue, and she recoiled. Pinkie sat on her flank, wiping her tongue with her clean hoof, as not to cause her more pain. It hurt more than she remembered it did.

"Hey, where did the punch go, my mouth is burning!" No reply. Pinkie sat in front of the waterfall of colour, pondering. She stared at the colours until her eyes went sore, when suddenly a hole began to open. She stared into the growing hole, which seemed impossible, but real nonetheless. Pinkie couldn't draw her eyes away, even though her growing fear urged her to do otherwise. A figure appeared on the other side of the hole which was at least twice the size of Pinkie by now. The figure simply stood there, its features thrown in shadow, despite the light given off by the rainbow.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Me?" the figure chuckled, "Well, I am you, Pinkie."

"No you're not. I'm Pinkie, and there's only one Pinkie, because no one throws parties like me!"

"If I am not you, then who am I... Pinkemena Diane Pie?" The figure stepped through the hole, and the rainbow lit up its face. Pinkie's face contorted with confusion and curiosity.

"Wait, you are me! But what happened to you hair? It's all straight and boring! And your coat is really dull too!" Pinkie took a second to think, "This is funny! Me talking to myself! Oh Pinkie you silly filly!"

"You aren't quite so silly, Pinkie. I am you, only… only the side of you who realises." The alternate Pinkie grinned sinisterly.

"Realises what?"

"That your friends don't like you!" She began laughing manically, her straightened hair being thrown back, her eyes almost bloodshot.

"But they do, and they do like my parties. I remember what happened last time! They threw me a surprise birthday party!"

"Ah, yes, the party. Fun, wasn't it? But what you don't realise is that they only enjoy it because they don't want get hurt."

Pinkie froze. Get hurt? Would somebody else hurt them if they didn't enjoy her parties? Would somepony tell them off? She couldn't imagine any pony she knew doing that.

"Who'd hurt them?" Pinkie asked, shaking now. She had never felt this scared before.

The other Pinkie simply grinned.

"You would."

Pinkie was scared now. The other Pinkie stood over her, intimidating and cruel. She had an evil look in her eyes, and couldn't stop herself from laughing.

"W-w-why are you l-laughing?" stuttered Pinkie, "Hurting people isn't very nice!"

"Isn't it? Oh, I'm terribly sorry. Take a look, Pinkie, and realise that I'm right!" She waved her hoof in the air, and her five best friends' faces appeared in a cloud of dark mist.

"Boo!" shouted Rainbow Dash, "Your parties are so lame, and so are you! How could anyone like you?"

"I agree," echoed Fluttershy, "You're too over the top and obnoxious."

The faces began circling around, laughing evilly, getting closer each time. Pinkie cowered in the centre of the circle, almost in tears. She had been thrown in absolute shock. Being told she wasn't liked was unbelievable to Pinkie. Being laughed at felt like knife had been plunged into her heart.

"It's not true! It simply isn't! Please, oh please, stop saying these things girls!"

"Alright," said the alternate Pinkie, "I'll make it stop, but I'll be back, and next time, you'll agree with me" She looked deranged, and ran around Pinkie laughing. She jumped up, began floating and flew off cackling. The flow of water that had once been a glorious rainbow began to turn crimson, and before she knew it Pinkie was staring at a waterfall of blood. She stumbled backwards and screamed, falling off the edge of nothingness. She continued to scream, and when she saw a set of razor sharp spikes, each with her friends' bodies attached to them, she began trying to claw her way back up, but it was no use, no matter how she tried she simply couldn't get a hoofhold. She had to resign herself to death, and plummeted down, and down, and down. She was almost at the spikes now. She braced herself. The spikes loomed. The other Pinkie could be heard chuckling quietly as Pinkie hit the spikes.

She sat up in her bed screaming. Mr and Mrs Cake stumbled into the room, and grasped hold of Pinkie's hooves, both tried to get the frightened filly's attention.

"Pinkie, it's OK, it's only a dream!" Called Mr Cake.

"Please, nothing to be afraid of dear!" Added Mrs Cake, who promptly hugged Pinkie until she stopped screaming. Pinkie sat there, staring at the wall. She breathed heavily and refused to blink. Pinkie didn't even acknowledge the presence of Mrs Cake, who still tried to comfort her. Mr Cake brought her some sweets, but she didn't react to the plate being placed next to her.

Eventually, she calmed down, and managed to utter a few words.

"Thank you. That… was really scary. I'm sorry for waking you so early," She looked at them with guilt in her eyes.

"It's quite alright, dear," replied a tired Mrs Cake, who didn't quite appreciate being woken up at five in the morning, but made the exception again for Pinkie, "Well, I suppose we ought to be getting some breakfast, since I don't see why we should be going to sleep again," she smiled kindly.

"I agree. I suppose we had a lot of work today anyway," Beamed Mr Cake, who was now fully awake from making many trips to and fro the kitchen. He had a bad case of bed-mane, and bags under his eyes, so did Mrs Cake.

"Alright. Well, thank you," Mr and Mrs Cake left the room with the door open, leaving a shocked Pinkie laying in her bed. She could vaguely hear the two old ponies talking.

"That's been her worse nightmare yet," sighed Mr Cake, "That's, what, her fourth now this month?"

"Yes, I think it's time we got some proper treatment. We must call Twilight Sparkle. She'll know what to do."

"Agreed." Responded Mr Cake.

Pinkie lay in her bed and wondered.

What's wrong with me?

End of Part 1

A Sweet Conflict Chapter 2 - Reality

Pinkie trotted along the old beaten path that led towards Fluttershy's Cottage. It had been a week since the start of her treatment by Twilight, who had been called in to help due to her malicious nightmares. Ever since, the nightmares had gotten worse. Pinkie had found it more difficult to feel happy. It wasn't that she didn't want to be happy, it was only that she kept asking herself:

Are they really my friends?

Her friends had decided to throw her a party to help with the treatment, which consisted of talking about the problems, and having some fun. All Pinkie wanted was to feel happy again. So she'd happily agreed to do anything Twilight said.

"Hey sugarcube, how ya doin'?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind her. She spun around to see Applejack galloping at full speed, wearing a grin that Pinkie could only recognize as her own gleeful smile. However, Applejack didn't look like she was going to stop.

"Watch out!"

Too late. Applejack had already collided with Pinkie, but this didn't matter in the least to the two ponies, who now lay laughing uncontrollably in the middle of the path. After a minute or two, Applejack managed to regain her composure, and began helping Pinkie get to her hooves.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, sugarcube, I just couldn't stop," began Applejack, "It's just felt like so long since I've seen ya, I mean you've been cooped in that house of yours for far too long."

"But it's only been a day, AJ! But it's so great to have parties with all my friends, which makes me feel so happy!" Pinkie beamed. That however, wasn't how she really felt at the moment. She felt something she had only ever once felt before, and it was a cold, dark feeling that ate at her heart. She tried ignoring it, but it kept coming back. Maybe she wasn't meant to have friends.

"Uh, sweety-pie, you alright?"

Pinkie suddenly realised she had just phased out, and responded with a quick nod. The two ponies began walking towards Fluttershy's cottage. She began wondering what this feeling was, because she couldn't express how it felt to her, and as much as she detested the feeling, she couldn't help but to be curious.

"So, Twilight's doin' a good job then?"

Pinkie had to be quick not be caught off guard by the sudden question.

"Of course she is, silly!"

"Well, I'd expect nothin' less from our Twilight." Applejack trotted on. Pinkie noticed the troubled expression on her face. She knew everyone was worried sick about her, but what could she do? Twilight had simply said:

"Come on Pinkie, we'll get through it together."

However, she somehow knew this wouldn't be nearly enough to help her. Despite her growing worries, she set aside this idea and smiled. What wasn't there to smile about? The whole town cared for her very much, the sun was shining, and she was going to a party organised just for her. Instantly her day got better.

They don't like you, Pinkie.

She stopped. She was sure she had heard a voice, but the only other pony here was Applejack with her funny accent. The voice was most certainly not Applejack. She recognized the voice. It was cold, sinister, yet surprisingly friendly.

She could only recognize it as herself.

"Pinkie? Hey Pinkie, you alright?"

The words didn't register. Pinkie was glued to the spot, staring at a non-existent object in front of her. Every muscle in Pinkie's body had tensed, leaving her nothing more than a statue in the middle of the dusty path. This feeling she felt was indescribable, incomprehensible to the party pony, but Pinkie instantly recognized it.

It was sadness.

Were Pinkie able to process anything happening outside herself, she would have seen her four other friends galloping at full pace towards her and Applejack calling out her name. The other ponies were crowded around her, shaking her with their hooves, calling out her name. Nothing could reach her. She was in a separate world, where only she existed. She had a growing sadness inside of her, and something else. Something more painful. Something malicious. It was so familiar to her, and she suddenly realized what it was.

A dark figure began materializing in front of her. It gave off an evil aura, so distinguishable to her, so familiar, that she could only shudder in fear.

She was staring at herself.

Only, this was her alternate self from her dreams. The one who tormented her in her nightmares. The one who jeered her. The one her made her nights unbearable. Her.

"Hello, Pinkie," Said the other Pinkie, "Miss me?"

"W-what are you doing here?" stuttered the shaken Pinkie.

"I simply wanted to pay you a little visit, that's all," An evil smile began forming at the sides of her mouth, "And oh yes, before I forget, I'd like to be called Pinkamena, since I haven't actually been named yet. Funny that, considering I'm, well, you."

"But why? Why are you doing this?"

"Because," she paused, taking the moment to revel in her own menace, "Because it's fun!"

"No it's not! It's not fun at all to make people sad!" Pinkie had collapsed to the floor, but her gaze had been trapped onto Pinkamena.

"Oh but how much joy it brings to me!" The evil Pinkie suddenly began approaching the broken Pinkie, who sat on her flanks cowering. A sinister look was etched across her face. "Pinkie."

"Y-y-yes?"

"Take a look around you."

Her body did as was commanded, not as Pinkie willed though as she anticipated a gruesome scene to materialize behind her. Much to her surprise, her friends had suddenly appeared around her. They were shaking her, calling her name, asking how she was and what was going on. All of a sudden, Pinkie stood up, filled with a new confidence.

"Hey! You were lying about no one liking me, because look! All my friends are trying to help me and make me feel better!" Pinkie began taking small steps in the direction of her internal menace.

"Or… " grinned the dull version of herself, "Or are they?"

Pinkie was confused. What was she talking about? All her friends were helping her, trying to comfort her, trying to help her in her darkest of times.

But they weren't.

The five ponies stood around Pinkie, staring at her. Suddenly, they started laughing at her, smiling sadistically, stepping forward. Every one of them looked different. Their manes and coats were a duller shade of what they used to be, and their intimidating, lifeless eyes didn't carry the sparkle they normally did. Something was terribly wrong. The ponies began assaulting Pinkie with taunts.

"Pinkie, you're such a crybaby!" shouted Dash at the top of her voice.

"Ugh, you are such a hassle, always 'parties' this or 'cupcakes' that, it's sooo irritating!" Jeered Rarity, who looked unlike herself. Applejack took off her hat.

"Hey, Pinkie, ya see this?" she reached into the hat and pulled out a necklace from inside the compartment in the hat, "This is our friendship necklace. Or was!" She ripped it in two and threw the pieces to Fluttershy who then stomped on them and threw them in the bushes. Both ponies laughed hysterically, causing the distraught Pinkie to back away, holding back the tears. She couldn't comprehend what was going on. Her friends, her true and closest friends, had turned on her and were causing her to feel this immense sadness. Maybe, just maybe, she thought, the other Pinkie, or Pinkemena if she was willing to give in to her demands, was right. Finally Twilight stepped forward and leaned in close enough to touch her forehead. Her eyes were full of loneliness and sadness, but also madness, reflecting what Pinkie secretly felt at times like this. A smile crept onto Twilight's face.

"Oh, Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie. So useless, all those pointless parties were nothing. Who needs friends anyway? Oh yeah, you!" she threw her head back in crazed laughter, "No one cares, and best of all, no one likes yo-"

"Pinkie! Hey, Pinkie!"

Pinkie looked around. Twilight's voiced echoed in the air, disrupting her sadistic counterpart, the very sound of her comforting voice turned her internal foe's smile into a scowl.

"Hey, sugarcube, come on, you gotta snap out of this!"

Applejack's voice now resounded through the air, and the five dark ponies' expressions had become angered and frustrated, and their features began to darken until they were nothing more than black shadows that dissolved into the air in a dark and murky haze.

"Pinkie!"

The collective voices of all her friends and many of the residents of Ponyville had made Pinkie strong, and strong enough so to finally get back to her hooves and confront herself.

"See! My friends are trying to help me! Ha!"

She looked at her darker self, with her flattened mane, and her dull fuchsia coat, and her slightly bloodshot eyes. Pinkie had become defiant of the trickery, and stood snout to snout with herself. Pinkemena simply chuckled, then turned away.

"Well, it seems you broke through this time. What a shame." She paused.

"But you do realize that I'll be back one last time, and when I do," her voice became crazed and ecstatic, "I'll defeat you and claim my rightful place as the real Pinkie!" And with that, she began laughing manically. So much that she began losing the ability to stand correctly, and instead of falling over she jumped up into the air and began floating. She decided it'd be best to leave, as not to damage Pinkie's conscious too much. However, she decided to play one last card from up her sleeve, just for the hell of it.

"Goodbye, Pinkie, sleep well."

"What? I'm not sleepy at al-"

The air had suddenly become heavy, and continued to get heavier with every passing second as Pinkemena continued to laugh. Pinkie soon found it hard to breathe properly, and began struggling to stay conscious. She collapsed on the floor, and suddenly the hooves of her many friends became visible, standing around her. Her vision began to fade, and the last thing she saw, and heard before falling unconscious was the face of Twilight Sparkle bending down in front of her.

"I think she's gone unconscious. We need to get her to my place, quickly."

Pinkie managed to utter one last word before she blacked out:

"Girls……"

And with that, she drifted into a long and empty sleep.

Help me, please.

End of Part 2

A Sweet Conflict Chapter 3 - Spellbound

Darkness.

Pinkie sat up and opened her eyes. She had expected to see a black room filled with tables that would soon disappear and be replaced with a rainbow waterfall. Instead, she saw her own room. Pinkie stared at the wall in front of her, mind blank and eyes unblinking. It took her a few seconds to register the knocking at her door.

"Come in." Pinkie had had better mornings. The door opened and Twilight Sparkle walked in. She didn't look much better than Pinkie would have done though. She had bags under her eyes, and her usually pristine mane was a mess that only a good half hour's worth of combing could cure. It was evident she had been working hard throughout the night.

"Sleep well?"

"I think so." Lied Pinkie. Never before had she had to endure an entire night with an empty dream. It wasn't bad, but it was most certainly boring.

"So, what was your dream like last night?" Asked a shattered Twilight.

"Empty. And oh, very black! Yeah, nothing happened."

Twilight sighed in relief, "That's always a positive. We can't have you having any more nightmares." At this, Twilight paused and stared down. She didn't like what she was going to have to say to one of her closest friends. She sat herself on Pinkie's bed.

"Hey, Pinkie, I need to talk to you about something."

Pinkie became attentive. "What is it?"

"It's about what's going on in your head. We need to stop it, but everything we've tried has had no effect, and it's getting worse."

"Isn't there anything else we can try?"

"There is one option," Twilight took in a deep breath. "I want to use an ancient spell. It will seal away the bad side of you, but... " Twilight's breathing hastened, "It doesn't always work, and according to Princess Celestia, who I talked to extensively last night, if it fails you could replaced by the bad half of you or worse... " Twilight was shaking and had to take a second to steady herself. She looked Pinkie dead in the eye.

"You could die if it goes wrong."

"But I know it won't go wrong!" Twilight looked up to see Pinkie beaming, "I know it won't go wrong, because you'll be doing it!"

Twilight chuckled lightly, "I suppose so, Pinkie." Her optimism gave Twilight some confidence. She got off the bed and turned to face the wall for a second. Now that she had Pinkie's support, they could start preparing for the sealing spell.

"Pinkie."

"Yes, Twi?"

"This is where it gets a little tricky. First though, you'll need to take whatever possessions you need to the library. That's where I'll cast the spell. But before we can even think about beginning, I need your full support and consent, because if this goes wrong... if by any chance this goes wrong, I could get into a lot of trouble for hurting you." Twilight shuddered.

"Of course!" chirped the enthusiastic pink pony, "I support you all the way!"

"Great. Let's get moving."

The ensuing hours were spent getting Pinkie and the library ready. Pinkie felt a little sad when she couldn't go up to any of her friends, and was forced to sit within a chalk pentagram in the middle of the library floor with her Necklace of Laughter at her hooves. At the points of the pentagram were the Necklaces of Harmony, which Twilight had recovered from Celestia's sealed vault with her permission. Except there wasn't purple. She was all alone in the room all of a sudden, which gave her time to think clearly. A lot was on her mind, and she wouldn't get much more before she had to fight for her body.

Will my friends forgive me if it doesn't work and I hurt them?

It was an idea she didn't want to think, but Pinkie couldn't ignore it. She knew that it may not work, but what happens afterwards... Pinkie didn't want to even imagine.

"Alright girls, let's do this!"

Pinkie spun her head towards the kitchen, and there stood her five best friends, all of whom had given up whatever they had planned for the day to support Twilight when she performed the spell. They stepped into the main library area and lined the walls as not to get in the way. Twilight trotted up towards the empty spot carrying a tiara. Her Element of Harmony, Magic.

"Pinkie. Are you ready for this?"

"As always." Pinkie smiled. She was hiding her true feelings. She was scared. She was afraid of herself, and prayed for her friends should it go wrong.

'Pinkie, you've got to stand up tall. You've got to face your fears.'

Yes, I will. I'll stand up taller than I've even done before. I will not let my friends down.

"OK, Pinkie, hardest part. I need you to put on your Element of Harmony necklace and listen very carefully." Twilight put extra emphasis on the very, "When I stand on this point of the pentagram and place my tiara on, it all begins. You cannot talk during the procedure. You cannot move from where you are sitting. You must only think thoughts of you, of your friends, of happiness. And you must cling to that feeling."

"Alright. Let's start then, Twilight."

Twilight breathed deeply. She dreaded what she would have to do if it went wrong. She stepped onto the empty corner of the pentagram and slowly placed her tiara on. The moment it connected with her forehead the white chalk began glowing a pale cyan. Lines of light began drawing in from each of the necklaces and formed an intricate pattern around the pink pony.

Come on, Pinkie. Let me play a little.

Pinkie's eyes widened and she sat dead still. The voice of Pinkemena shook her to the very bone, and as the lines worked their way up her body, the voice became louder and louder.

Aw, why are you so serious? You should let me have some fun with all your friends.

"Pinkie! Snap out of it! Who will I prank with if you aren't you?"

"Come on, darling, you simply cannot give up!"

All of her friends were encouraging her to keep faith, but her fear continued to grow. Sadness began to overcome her, and only sad thoughts plagued her mind. Without realising, her tail began to deflate, bit by bit.

Pinkemena was winning.

"Pinkie! Please, don't give up!"

Give up, Pinkie. You know the spell won't work. You know they don't want you. Who will you trust, a bunch of ponies or yourself?

Pinkie didn't know how to react any more. She didn't want to let Pinkemena take control, but at the same time she couldn't bear to be such a burden to everyone.

"Pinkie!"

She had made up her mind. Even if it killed her, she would not let Pinkemena win. Her friends, her best friends who stood by her no matter what happened depended on her to break through. She couldn't let them down. Suddenly, Twilight began chanting something in a different language. Pinkie knew it was the crucial moment in the spell and she would have to focus now more than ever before if there was any chance of winning.

"Is qui cum luce glorificat, cum uinculis caeleste inimicum domesticum ligat!"

The pentagram glowed even brighter now as the spell took effect. The bright cyan lines crept ever closer to the amulet around Pinkie's neck. Pinkie felt confident. Happy thoughts of her days with her friends flooded her mind. Nothing could have gone wrong.

Except something did.

Pinkemena refused to be sealed away in the dark prison inside Pinkie's head that she had be placed in for so long, and with all her might began to force her way out of the glowing chains that were binding her and began surfacing within Pinkie. She writhed in pain as Pinkemena slowly took over her body and forced her mind out of her body into a black void. The spell was failing. Somehow, against the power of the ancient spell, Pinkemena was breaking her way through the chains that were supposed to be binding her within the psychosis of the pink pony. Pinkie began to panic.

"What's going on, Twi?" Called Rainbow Dash, who stood paralysed at the side of the room. Every pony in the room was powerless to help Pinkie, and Twilight had begun to lose every shred of confidence.

"I-I can't believe it," stammered Twilight, who by now was shaking, "Her bad personality is breaking through the spell!"

"What?!" Cried out Fluttershy who was panicking at the thought of losing Pinkie, and lost her usual composure.

"I know, but there is nothing I can do!" Twilight wished instantly she hadn't said that. Pinkie heard it and lost all hope of succeeding. She resigned herself to being taken over. The whole room was filled with a harsh white light and an explosion. Dust filled the room and began to settle a little while afterwards. Twilight staggered to her hooves coughing and groaning. She had been thrown quite hard into the wall, and began to feel the after-effects of it.

"Is everypony alright?" Called Twilight. Her question was answered by a series of groans and sighs as the other four ponies hauled themselves up onto their hooves. The explosion had taken out a chunk of the library wall, and books were scattered everywhere. Spike emerged from the cellar in a state of pure shock. It took a second to process what had happened. Then it struck Twilight.

"Pinkie!" she rushed over to Pinkie who sat on her haunches head hanging low. Something didn't seem right, "Are you alright?"

"Oh yes, Twilight, I'm just fine." She turned her head around slowly in stages. Twilight suddenly began dreading the moment she had read the book on the spell. Pinkie's mane was flat. Pinkie's tail was straight. Her coat was a dull fuchsia.

"Let's play." Mused the darkened Pinkie with a menacing grin. She stood up and tilted her head ever so slightly. Her eyes were not her eyes. Her smile was unlike what it had ever been before, deranged.

Pinkie was no longer Pinkie. Twilight knew she had lost. All of her friends stood frozen in shock, paralysed by realisation.

Please help me.

Pinkemena had won.

End of Chapter 3

N.B. The incantation Twilight uses when she initiates the sealing spell translates from Latin into English as:

He who glorifies with light, with heavenly chains bind the internal enemy.

A Sweet Conflict Chapter 4 - Alone

"So, who wants to play first?"

Pinkie's friends stood paralysed with horror. They had just witnessed their friend being forced out of her own body. The pink pony who stood before them in the centre of the damaged library wasn't the happy and joyful pony who threw parties every other hour, who made everyone laugh with her random outbursts. Something more sinister stood in her place.

It was Pinkemena.

"Come on, surely somepony must want to have some fun," Mused Pinkemena, who wore a grin so sinister it churned the stomachs of Pinkie's closest friends. Pinkie was no longer there.

"Twilight!" Applejack was shaking on the spot, "Twilight, what's happened to Pinkie?"

Twilight couldn't turn to face her friends, "Pinkie i-isn't there any more. Pinkemena, h-her bad half whose been sitting inside of Pinkie, has taken over her body... " Twilight collapsed onto her flanks. She had failed her closest friend, the first pony she had met in Ponyville, and there was nothing she could do. Tears began pattering on the hard wooden floor.

"Hey, Twilight, wanna play?"

Twilight looked up teary-eyed to see Pinkemena standing over her. Her eye were cruel, heartless, empty, but also sad. Pinkemena leaned in so close to the petrified pony Twilight could feel her warm breath rolling down her face. Pinkemena smiled.

"Let's play."

Before any of her friends could react Pinkemena struck Twilight's face with her forehoof, drawing blood and knocking Twilight onto her back cowering. No one knew what to do. They couldn't attack their friend. Nopony knew what to do. But Rainbow Dash wasn't about to let Pinkemena do what she liked though.

"Hey! What's the big idea, huh?" Rainbow Dash had picked up the courage to spring up and land between Pinkemena and her wounded friend, "Nopony attacks my friend and gets away with-"

"Heya, Dashie, wanna go prank someone?"

Pinkie's joyful voice rose out of Pinkemena's throat, causing Rainbow Dash to freeze on the spot. What was going on? She realised only too late that she had been tricked, as Pinkemena's hoof dug into her chest hard. Rainbow Dash recoiled away in pain. She lay on the dusty floor, clutching her chest, holding back tears of pain and sadness. She knew it wasn't Pinkie, but she couldn't possibly do anything to hurt her. Maybe Pinkie's still in there. I heard her voice just then. It was an idea, but Rainbow Dash couldn't think clearly, the bruise on her chest burned worse than she had imagined. She had fractured a rib. Pinkemena began stepping towards her other friends who stood helpless by the wall. Fluttershy began cowering at the approaching fuchsia demon, fearing her own friend. Applejack slid in front of Fluttershy, eyes defiant. She had to protect Fluttershy, no matter what. But she was scared. More scraed than she had ever been before. All she could do was stand between her most fragile friend and the possessed body of Pinkie. She just hoped she could stand up to Pinkemena, who had just attacked two of her friends without remorse.

"Pink...ie, s-stop."

Pinkemena stopped in her tracks and turned slowly around to see Twilight Sparkle lying wounded on the floor. Head titled, she paced closer until she stood next to Twilight's head. A chuckle escaped her lips and grew into manic laughter that horrified every pony in the room. Pinkemena threw her head back, her straight deep fuchsia hair tossed around like a rag doll. Her head jerked down into Twilight's face. Twilight noticed tears beginning to form in the deranged pink pony's eyes. She didn't know what to do.

"Twilight, you're no fun, you don't want to play with me," Pinkemena leaned even closer, "What a shame, but at least you now know how I felt!" A surprisingly sharp hoof connected with Twilgiht's stomach and left a small cut, making Twilight double over in discomfort. Pinkemena's voice become violent and angered. "How do you think I felt when Pinkie had so much fun with all her friends whilst I sat locked in her head, having to endure the torment of not having anypony to talk to? Well! How do you like it? Being hurt by your friend? All I wanted was somepony to talk to, to play with like Pinkie has done for so many years! Is that so much to ask?!" Another blow to the stomach sent Twilight reeling. She wasn't able to do anything any more. She was paralysed to do anything against her friend. Or at least what was left of her. Pinkemena's tears pattered on Twilight's forehead. Her eyes only held sadness now. Nopony could save Twilight now.

"Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle," She raised a hoof into the air, almostl directly above where Twilight's head was, "I guess play time's over." The hoof was thrown down at Twilight's head. She closed her eyes tight, waiting for the inevitable pain. A sickening splattering noise could be heard. The other ponies could only gasp.

Twilight opened her eyes. Am I dead? She looked up very slowly to see a figure standing in front of her face, arms outstretched, covered in blood. The body was quivering. Teardrops hit the ground in front of the purple statue. Pinkemena's hoof never reached its intended target.

It had hit Spike.

Twilight could only stare wide-eyed at the purple and green baby dragon, who had a hoof embedded in his chest. He turned his head as far as he could to face Twilight. Tears rolled down his cheeks.

"I-I-I'm sorry, Twili-"

Pinkemena withdrew her hoof from Spike, who collapsed to the side of Twilight's body, tears and blood splattered over his normally clean scales. His chest was unmoving. Twilight didn't know how to react. Tears began welling in her eyes, and could only stare at the limp body of her personal assistant, who had helped her through her entire life under Princess Celestia. The first of many tears rolled down Twilight's face.

"SPIIIIIIIKE!" Cried out the devastated Twilight. Applejack was the first pony to reach Twilight. She wrapped her legs around the purple mare's chest and held tight. Fluttershy rushed over to Spike, who now lay in a pool of his own blood which was seeping out of his chest.. She held him close to her chest and began weeping. She knew what had happened. She rested her head on Spike's lifeless body, openly crying, her forehead getting stained by his vibrant blue dragon blood. Rarity began trying a healing spell from a distance as she galloped towards her friends. She had reached Spike when the realisation hit her hard.

"He's.... he's gone." Rarity's own tears began creeping down her white coat. An incredible sadness began filling her body, coursing through her vein s like poison. Pinkemena had just killed Twilight's assistant, and a good friend, right in front of her eyes. She began approaching Pinkemena, who stood giggling and crying simultaneously in a fit of hysterical joy.

"Pinkie! Why? Why did you have to kill him? Tell me!" Rarity had become so enraged her horn began sparking. Her eyes were hellbent. "Tell me now! How could you?!" Pinkemena simply chuckled.

"Because it was fun."

Rarity's horn glowed bright blue and unleashed a glowing block of magical energy which plowed into Pinkemena, sending her skidding along the wooden floor. Rarity began bearing down on Pinkemena who sat giggling on the floor.

"Oh, Rarity, you really should calm down, you'll mess up your ma-"

Another block hit her even harder this time, throwing her into the wall. Rarity had lost her composure. At this time, though, it wasn't possible to maintain it. Rarity approached Pinkemena, who lay on floor at the bottom of the wall, and slapped her across the face. Magical energy began swirling in the air above Pinkemena, forming a much larger weapon at Rarity's disposal.

"Let Pinkie out! How dare you take two of my friends from me?! First Pinke and then Spike! How dare you?!" A third and final block fell on Pinkemena, creating a cloud of dust in the process. Rarity stood panting in the middle of the room, next to a settling dust cloud which surrounded the body of her once lively friend, now a shell possessed by Pinkie's demon. Sinister chuckling emanated from the centre of the dust cloud.

"Oh, Rarity, Rarity, Rarity. You should know better than to hit your friends."

Before Rarity could react, a bloodied hoof lashed out and struck her jaw, causing a painful crack to sound from Rarity. She screamed in pain, clutching her broken jaw with both hooves as Pinkemena swayed to a standing position. Deranged laughter filled the room whilst tears streamed down Pinkemena's blood splattered face.

"Pin...kie... if you can... hear me I'm so... so sorry," Pinkemena twirled around to see Twilight hanging her head low, weeping in Applejack's hooves. Applejack could barely contain her sadness, but she had to do so to support Twilight. "Please, Pinkie, stand up tall for us. For you. I'm so sorry."

Pinkemena froze. Inside of her was a growing sadness. Not because of her lonely past. Not because she endured years of sitting inside Pinkie's head suffering.

Because she was hurting her friends.

That couldn't be, she didn't have friends. But then why was she sad after hurting Twilight? She cried out and clutched her head in agony.

"Get out of my head, Pinkie! I don't want you!" She threw her head around and cried out in pain. She hit her head repeatedly against the floor, but the sadness wouldn't go away. Pinkie's voice echoed in her head with so much happiness that Pinkemena couldn't ever have. Pinkemena couldn't stand the pain of the joy she was never allowed to have. She envied Pinkie and it hurt so much. Happy laughter filled her head as she jolted around on the spot in agony.

Twilight, in her sadness and mourning, noticed the self conflict raging within Pinkemena. Maybe we can stop Pinkemena after all. Between sobs, she released herself from Applejack's grasp and stood forward. The tears began slowing to a near standstill. Rainbow Dash had seen the whole incident and managed to stagger to her hooves. She stumbled over to Twilight and nudged her. She knew what Twilight was thinking. Fluttershy couldn't leave Spike's side due to his grievous wounds, but she looked on weeping. Rarity had cast a spell on her jaw to repair some of the damage. It wasn't a total fix, nor did it kill the incessant pain, but it would certainly do. Twilight saw her friends, and how much they cared for Pinkie, despite what Pinkemena had done. She stepped forward with courage in her heart.

"Pinkie, we're coming for you!"

Somewhere in Pinkemena's mind, Pinkie sat in a dark brick cell, bound by metal chains attached to the floor. Through a gap in the wall, she could see Twilight and all her friends through Pinkemena's eyes. She heard Twilight's strong words resound through Pinkemena's unstable psyche. Tears began to patter against the hard floor. Not sad tears.

Tears of happiness.

You haven't abandoned me after all.

End of Part 4