Wherever a pony went in the great bustling metropolis of Manehattan, they were sure to be busy and crowded. And so it was here too, as a diner on a frantic corner street was experiencing its usual fare, with mares and stallions alike packing the booths and bar. Orders were up, and many a drink and lunch was enjoyed there. But, in one booth in particular, there seemed to be a pony with an almost bored look upon her face. Her bright pink fur and darker-pink mane made her stand out like a sore thumb here, but, aside from that, there didn't seem to be anything really that noteworthy of her. One of the waitresses, as per usual, trotted up to her, raising an eyebrow at the mare before finally speaking up.
"Okay, hun, what can I get ya?"
While at first deep in thought, the pink mare soon realised she was being spoken to. Immediately, her expression became wide-eyed, and she scooted back into her chair as if terrified by the new arrival.
"I'M NOT RUNNING FROM ANYPONY!!!"
Naturally, such remarks earned her the concerned looks of everypony there, none more so than the waitress herself. As the pink mare realised how this must have looked, she let out a nervous chuckle, swallowing briefly before finally speaking up.
"Oh...um...right...I'll just have a milkshake, please."
The waitress remained still for a few seconds, giving her an odd look, before, at last, making her way back over to the bar. As for the other mare, she let out a sigh of relief, wiping some sweat off her brow.
"Phew! Almost lost my cool there!"
An almost uncomfortable silence passed over the place for a few minutes afterwards, during which time, the pink mare seemed to be rather impatient about something. But, in the end, the waitress returned, and the mare smiled as she looked upon her milkshake.
"Ah! Thank you!"
After nodding to that. The waitress glanced at her in the same manner one would an angry dog, rather warily.
"So...ya got a name, hun?"
The other mare opened her mouth, only to shut it tightly as she started looking nervous.
"Oh! Um...my name? Right, my name! It's...er...Pinky?"
The waitress raised an eyebrow.
"Pinky, eh?"
"Pinky" then started nodding frantically, bearing a massive, not to mention forced, grin. It didn't take long for the waitress to get the message, and she shrugged her shoulders before finally moving off. Sighing yet again, Pinky stared at her milkshake.
"Pinky?! Seriously?! I couldn't think of anything better than that?!"
After a while, she let out a calming exhale.
"Okay, it's alright. Nothing to worry about. Remember, nopony knows you here. You've run far enough. They may have gotten the others, but not you."
Briefly, she let out a giggle.
"I mean, what are the chances that you'll meet the other one in a place like this?"
The universe, apparently having heard her, decided then and there to answer. For the doors of the diner swung open, and through it, Pinky heard a fast-talking stallion enter.
"Thanks for taking part in this interview, Miss Pinkie."
Unfortunately, Pinky was slurping her milkshake at the time and, as was standard in a moment like this, spurted it out. She spun around, and saw, just as she'd expected, that Pinkie Pie herself was indeed here. Before she was spotted, she ducked down into her chair, wrapping her hooves over the top of her head.
"Argh! She's here! I knew it was only a matter of time! She's come to finish the job!"
Slowly, she peeked over her shoulder, trying to see where her doppelganger was. But, to her surprise, she found that she had come not to find HER, but rather to sit next to the stallion she'd heard before. Naturally, Pinky chose to stay quiet, and as she did so, she looked around, hoping to find some kind of disguise for herself. Sadly, the best she could do was an old fedora hat that had been left here by a previous customer. But, it would do for now, and Pinky grabbed it, placing it squarely on her head and praying that nopony noticed her.
"Okay, Pinky, calm down. Just play it cool."
Apparently, according to Pinky, "playing it cool" consisted mostly of her looking shifty-eyed as ponies of all walks of life passed her by, earning their attention immediately. Thankfully, Pinkie herself hadn't noticed, and was instead focused on this interview of hers. There was stuff about some clothes store, this unicorn friend of hers, Rarity apparently. Pinky remembered the name, but, like everything else from that day, she tried not to think about it. Instead, she just tried to stay as quiet as possible, through all the talk, through all the eating of impossibly-large piles of pancakes, until, at long last, she groaned with annoyance.
"Ugh! I can't take it anymore! Curse my short attention span!"
Looking over her shoulder again, she waited to see when Pinkie was getting deep into her interview just enough so as to not notice stuff around her. Thankfully, that moment came faster than anticipated, and as the original kept her focus on the stallion, Pinky slowly started slipping out of her booth. She tried moving as gradually as possible, which, naturally, made her look even more suspicious as she attempted to head straight for the door. But, nothing is ever that simple, and it was here that Pinkie chose to get up, causing her to, what else, collide with Pinky. When the dust settled from this, Pinky realised what had happened and, in a panicked manner, tried forcing her hat down, hoping to keep her face hidden. As for Pinkie, as soon as she saw who it was she'd bumped into, she narrowed her eyes.
"Hey...wait a minute."
Pinky clenched her teeth with nervousness, remaining silent as Pinkie continued.
"There's...there's something about you."
Sweat was rolling off Pinky now, but, she kept her mouth shut, just in time to hear Pinkie continue yet again.
"That...is one great hat!"
A pause.
"Um...what?" Pinky asked.
Pinkie smiled.
"Yeah! I've been looking for a good hat like that for ages! Where'd you get it?"
Wracking her brain as best she could, Pinky simply blurted out the first answer she came up with.
"Um...it's from...er...Stinky Bottom's Discount Hat Emporium?"
Hearing that, Pinkie let out a loud gasp.
"Wow! My friend, Applejack, she's been looking for that place all day! Could you tell me where it is?"
While at first cursing her predicament, Pinky then smirked under her hat as she had yet another idea.
"Yep! It's right across the water! Right at the base of that big Manehattan statue!"
Pinkie squealed with delight, rushing right for the door, stopping just long enough to smile to her new "friend" before she left.
"Thank you, whoever you are!"
And with that, she was off, darting down the streets as fast as her hooves could carry her. Letting out a sigh, Pinky finally took off her hat, turning to see the waitress from earlier. As the clone opened her mouth, the other mare stopped her.
"Yeah yeah, I get it. I didn't see nothin, right?"
Pinky considered that, before nodding grimly, narrowing her eyes slightly as she backed up out of the diner.
"And don't you forget it!"
