A Better Ending

by Summer Dancer

Rating: everyone
Tags: Crossover, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, Other, Pinkie Pie
Length: 1553

A Pinkie discovers a harsh reality when she escapes from the Mirror Pond.

On a fine Spring day, Twilight Sparkle sent 49 Pinkie clones into the Mirror Pond instead of 50. But it doesn't have to be this way...

Season 6 Episode 9 spoilers

Published 2016-05-21 22:30:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-05-21 22:30:01 UTC

A Better Ending

Pinkie pressed her hooves against the glass as the tears ran down her cheeks. The party lights from inside the new boutique bathed the small pink pony in soft purple and blue hues. Her watery blue eyes watched as ponies talked, ate, and admired the beautiful clothes on display. But despite of all the glamour and and the flashing lights, only five ponies drew her attention. Under the soft glow of the overhead lights, six mares were crowded together, laughing and shouting to each other over the loud music.

Pinkie could only see the the movement of their lips and the brightness in their eyes. The white unicorn in the middle grinned widely and made a sweeping gesture of the boutique with her hoof before bringing it back to her chest with a look of deep sincerity. Before Pinkie knew it, the six mares latched on to each other in a warm embrace. Every one of them, including a bubbly pink earth pony with a frizzy pink mane.

Pinkie roughly turned her head away, choking back a sob. She couldn’t bear to see anymore. Without a second thought, she backed away from the window and galloped down the street, blinded by her tears. Indignant and angered shouts rang out when she bumped into a few ponies, but she couldn’t even bring herself to slow down and apologize.

Nothing.

It had all been for nothing.

“You gonna order, or what?”

Pinkie lifted her head and shrank slightly under the weight of the waitress's glare. The older mare lifted her eyebrows. “I don’t have all night ya know!” Pinkie leaned her body forward over the table and pulled her hat over her eyes.

“I uh...I’m still deciding,” she mumbled.

The waitress sighed and rolled her eyes. “Whatevah.” Pinkie watched as the waitress turned and trotted over to the other customers. She really wished she could give the mare a tip for putting up with her for so long.

But she didn’t come in here to order anything. She couldn’t. She didn’t have any money...or friends...or a home. She sniffled and rested her head on the table, letting her gaze wander outside the window. The few well trimmed trees on the corner streets blew in the wind, their leaves scattering and dragging along the sidewalks before flying off into the night. It was too cold outside to dwell, and the pink mare had no choice but to take refuge in the warm diner. Despite her hopes, the ponies working there had grown suspicious of her just sitting there for hours. But that was the least of her worries...the diner would eventually close soon.

What would she do then? Where could she go? Where would she sleep? If she dared go to her best friends, Twilight would surely send her back to the mirror pool before she could get a word in. Involuntary shivers traveled up her spine. She could still feel the ice cold water seeping into her coat, the pressure and weight crushing her body, threatening to make her explode at any second…

“Yeah. Making copies of yourself sounds like a good idea--but before you know it, you’re locked in a room with 50 Pinkie Pie’s watching paint dry!”

Pinkie held in a gasp. Heart pounding in her chest, she braved a look over her shoulder. Two ponies were sitting at a booth behind her. Her heart leapt inside her throat when she got an eyeful of pink frizzy hair diving into a stack of pancakes.

Pinkie’s eyes darted around the diner. Suddenly, she saw her five friends sitting together at one table, along with a trio of raccoons. She immediately slid out from her booth and darted outside, but not before hearing the waitresses voice. “I thought you said you were still decidin’!”

She galloped down a few blocks before skidding to a halt under the light of a lone lamp post. She plopped down onto her rump and let out a soft whimper. The harsh wind blew against her wet face, making her shiver all over again. Faint voices from nearby apartments was the only sign of life in the empty streets of Manehattan. Heartbroken and exhausted, Pinkie collapsed onto the cold concrete and buried her face in her hooves. “This can’t be it,” she sobbed quietly. “It can’t be..”

“Who says it has to?”

Pinkie sat straight up, her face soaked with tears. “Wh-Wha...who said that? Who’s there?”

The voice said nothing at first. Then, a green vine curled out from the darkness and into the light shining down from the lamp post. Pinkie’s mouth fell open in shock. She attempted to get up and run away, but two more vines shot out and wrapped around Pinkie’s hind legs, pulling her back. Pinkie flipped herself onto her stomach and frantically pawed at the sidewalk with her hooves. “Help! Leave me alone!” she cried.

“Shh! I know what it looks like,” the voice said, sounding apprehensive. “But I’m not here to hurt you, I promise! I just..wanted to see what you were doing here.” Pinkie stopped struggling and turned around on her back with a frown.

“You’re always trying to hurt me,” she said with a scowl. “Why should I trust you?”

A little flower came forward into the light with a confused, yet regretful expression. “Because...because I still can’t understand why you let me live...I just...can’t understand!”

After a few moments, Pinkie sighed and began to sit up. “I’m the confused one,” she said, her voice full of hurt. The vines slowly began to retract.

“What are you doing out here?” the flower asked. “This is the world you wanted to escape to?”

Pinkie squeezed her eyes shut. “I...I came to Ponyville as soon as I got out...but I couldn’t find my friends...just one big castle. A pony I’ve never seen before asked me what I was doing back there so soon...that I was at Manehattan with my friends…” She looked confused. “The weirdest part was that she kept calling Twilight a Princess! I had to know what was going on, so...I-I came here.”

She lowered her head and drew in a shaky breath. “So much has changed. Rarity opened a new shop...Twilight has wings...Dashie’s a Wonderbolt…”

“And none of them know you’re the real...” the flower trailed off.

Pinkie held in a sob and managed a small smile. “I’m..so proud of my friends...I couldn’t show myself now. They’ve spent so much time with her and...she’s so happy being with them...I don’t think even she knows what she is. I couldn’t bear to…”

A small noise of sorrow escaped her throat, and she wiped her eyes. “This is my own fault. I s-shouldn’t have looked away…but..but I just wish...I had to see them. Just once.”

The flower crept closer. “Do you feel happy now? Going through all that...meeting all those people down there, only to leave them...and now there's another one in your place. How is this worth it?”

Pinkie hiccuped. “I don’t understand! I did everything right! I made friends with everypony! I didn’t fight or hurt, or steal…”

The flower paused. “Maybe there was something you missed.” Pinkie lifted her head. “Something you didn’t notice before.”

“Are...are you saying I forgot something?”

“I’m saying that maybe..just maybe...there was something you could do to get you a better, happier ending. You...the monsters...your friends...everyone.” He smiled a little. “Maybe Alphys has something for you back at her lab.”

Pinkie looked a little uncertain. “Does that mean I have to do this all over again?”

“No, not necessarily. All you have to do is go back and look for what you’ve missed.”

“And...and then I can get my friends back again? What about the other Pinkie?”

“If you do it the right way, you’ll end up back in front of the big wall of paint. Only this time, the other Pinkie will look away, and no one would be the wiser. This other Pinkie doesn’t exist. She’s just particles of magic. But you...you’re flesh and blood. With all the good you’ve done, you deserve better than this.”

“...Why are you being so nice to me?”

The flower rolled his eyes. “I’m asking myself the same question. Let’s just say I don’t like owing people favors. But the choice is yours. You could either sit here and let that clone take over your life while you wander the earth without friends or a job...or...you could make this all go away...Have your life back. Give freedom to the monsters.” He smiled his cheesy smile. “Just a suggestion.”

Pinkie looked back at the direction of the boutique. With a hard gaze, she got to her hooves.

She wasn’t going to let anypony down. Not this time.

The pink mare stepped forward and looked over her shoulder, cracking a genuine smile. “Thank you…” Without another word, she galloped off toward the train station.

The flower stared after her, slowly shaking his head. “Oh, Pinkie,” he whispered, a cruel grin crawling across his face.

“...You really are an idiot.”

Author's Note

I'm Undertale trash.

I'm so freaking sorry.

I had this idea in my head for a while, but now that Saddle Row and Rec aired...I just couldn't help it. :rainbowwild: Just a quick write, 'cause I'm bored :twilightsmile:

Also...NYEH HEH HEH!!!