Twilight looked over the interior of Applejack's barn, nodding as she mentally assessed their decoration progress. Pinkie Pie was going to be thrilled when she saw what they had planned for her surprise party. Hopefully she wasn't too disappointed that all her friends skipped out on Gummy's after-birthday party. This would definitely be worth it.
A crash from behind drew Twilight's attention. She turned just in time to hear Rarity scream. Fluttershy lay fallen on the ground next to an overturned punch table, the contents of which had splashed onto Rarity's coat and her exquisitely styled mane.
"Ruined! Hours of styling, ruined!" she wailed, summoning her favorite fainting couch.
"Aw come on Rare," said Rainbow Dash, landing near Fluttershy "Its just hair, it'll dry!"
"This is not water, Rainbow, this is punch, and it has completely ruined my mane! Of all the worst things that could happen, this is-"
"Yeah, yeah, worst possible thing."
And as if to add emphasis, Rarity put a hoof on her forehead and sighed loudly.
Fluttershy got to her hooves slowly, her downcast eyes filled with shame. "I-I'm so sorry, Rarity. I feel just awful about it, t-that I ruined your mane and..." Her words dwindled to incoherent mumblings.
Rarity looked at her and smiled sadly, wiping away some unsightly mascara streaks."Darling, you have nothing to apologize for. It was clearly an accident that you fell from hanging that birthday banner; anypony could see that."
"B-but your hair, it looks...well..."
"Awful?" Rarity sighed again. "No doubt it does, but that can easily be remedied with a quick bath."
Twilight shook her head. "I'm afraid we don't have time for that. The party is supposed to start soon. Rainbow Dash was supposed to fly over and get Pinkie after the banner was hung."
"Fat chance," Dash said, walking over to the banner. "Its got punch spilled all over it!"
Fluttershy let out a small squeal and cowered behind her mane.
"Well," said Twilight, "For now we'll just have to make do with a temporary fix. Rainbow, can you-"
A knock at the door cut off her words. "Everyone, hide!" Twilight hissed, then walked up to the closed barn door and made a small mooing sound. She couldn't help but feel a bit silly, even though they all agreed on having a secret code for entering the barn. Pinkie showing up earlier that day had been too close. The things you do for your friends.
An answering moo on the other side of the door confirmed who it was. Twilight opened the door quickly as Applejack ran inside.
"Did she follow you?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Nope" AJ said between gasps of air. Twilight had quickly closed the door after letting her friend in before she came to stand beside her. "Are you sure?"Rarity questioned. "You know how uncanny her stealthy abilities are."
"Ms. Cake *gasp* said Pinkie was *gasp* busy with Gummy's *gasp* party. Is everything *gasp* ready?"
Twilight told Applejack what had happened with the punch and the banner, trying to spare poor Fluttershy from more humiliation.
AJ listened thoughtfully, having regained her breath. "I reckon that we'll have to put off the party until we get this mess sorted out."
"Then I guess you'll have time for your bath after all, Rarity." Twilight said, turning to her friend.
Rarity's face brightened."Yes, Twilight, indeed I shall. I hope you don't mind if I borrow Fluttershy as well. She can help with my styling. You don't mind, do you, darling?"
"Of course not. It's the least I could do," Fluttershy said happily. As they left, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "I just don't get it. She's always talking about how her hair looks and how she styled it, but it always looks the same to me!"
Aj chuckled. "Well sugarcube, I reckon Rarity loves being fru-fru an' lookin' pretty about as much as you love winning."
Rainbow couldn't really argue with that, so she flew over to start working on the birthday banner.
Twilight gazed out the barn window toward Ponyville. She hoped Pinkie Pie wasn't too lonely at her party. A persistent feeling nagged at her, like something bad was going to happen, but she brushed those thoughts aside. She worried too much. Pinkie was a grown mare, certainly she could function a few hours without spending time with her best friends.
Another knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
"That has to be a world record for Rarity," she thought to herself.
But after completing the code, Twilight opened the door to find a very out-of-breath Spike.
"Twilight! I need to tell you something! I-"
She yanked the baby dragon inside and slammed the door. "Spike, be careful! Pinkie could be hiding outside! You know we can't risk making her any more suspicious than she already is!"
"But Twilight, she's not out there! I saw her in Sugarcube Corner acting all crazy with these imaginary friends, and she interrogated me trying to figure out what you guys were up to, and-"
Twilight out a hoof on the baby dragon's mouth. "That sounds like normal Pinkie behavior to me. Well, almost normal."
Spike batted away Twilight's hoof. "She thinks you guys don't care about her, that you don't want to be her friends anymore!"
Uneasiness rose in the unicorn's chest. Rainbow Dash and AJ had stopped working and came over to listen. "Shucks, Twi," Applejack spoke up. "Maybe we made a mistake. It don't seem like such a good idea to avoid her anymore."
Something inside her screamed for her to go find Pinkie right away and explain. Had they truly taken it too far? She was supposed to be learning about friendship, and right now she didn't feel like a very good friend.
But if there was one thing she was good at, it was sticking to a schedule. "No," she said finally. "If we tell her now, it'll ruin everything we've planned. Believe me, she'll thank us later."
No one really believed it, but Twilight usually made the decisions, and she was usually right. Grudgingly, they went back to work.
Twilight told herself as soon as everything was ready, she would go herself to fetch Pinkie and explain everything. No worries, right?
Two nagging emotions. Worry.
And regret. Deep, deep regret.
"That's right!"
"Yeah, you show them!"
Pinkie sat at the party table, looking around at her guests. It really was quite fun, having good friends over for a good ol after-birthday party. But they weren't being very nice to her other friends, and that made her feel sad.
Sad? No, she couldn't feel that way. They had betrayed her. Always treating her like she was beneath them. They didn't care. Why, they didn't even qualify as friends anymore! She didn't need them. They could easily be replaced.
She shuddered, her eyes became unfocused. Perhaps...
"Pinkie, you're awfully quiet all of a sudden," said Sir Lints-a-lot.
Madame le flour nodded as she spoke. "Yes, dear. Are you thinking about those ponies again?"
Did she really think about them so much? How could she possibly still let herself dwell on those mean ponies? It would just be better to forget them entirely.
Her face twitched. A glaze settled over her eyes.
They deserved...something. Pinkie wasn't quite sure what, but it was surely something bad.
No, no, no. Don't think like that. They had been such good friends. So many good memories. Rainbow Dash wouldn't abandon her. Applejack would never lie. And the thought of Fluttershy turning cruel? Well that's just silly.
No doubt they're on their way to explain. Why, if she opened the door and looked outside, they would certainly be out there.
Confidently, she walked to the front door and opened it, assured that her fears would be out to rest.
Nopony was there.
They hadn't come.
They didn't care.
The world became hazy. She twitched uncontrollably, feeling her mind cloud over. Anger boiled inside her, growing hotter and hotter.
And then, something snapped.
Twilight's hooves pounded on the dusty streets, kicking up clouds of dust as she raced to Sugarcube Corner. A pony stepped out from an alleyway and they collided. Twilight yelled back an apology as she ran on. No time to stop.
She told herself that she was just overreacting, being in such a hurry. But she didn't slow down.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, she rounded a corner and reached the entrance of Sugarcube Corner. She tried not to sound urgent when she knocked on the door. No use giving Pinkie something else to worry about.
The door slowly swung open at her touch. Inside, the room was dark. "Hello? Twilight called out. There was no answer. She walked inside, softly closing the door behind her. It was dead silent, giving the large room an eerie feel. Where were the Cakes? Or Pinkie for that matter?
Slowly the unicorn made her way to the middle of the room, illuminating it with her horn. The light cast long dark shadows on the countertops and tables. It was a completely different place in the daylight. Now it seemed haunting.
As she stood there trying to decide what to do, the floor beneath her suddenly gave way and she felt herself falling into darkness. With a thud, she hit ground, looking up just in time to see the trap door close above her.
Everything was pitch black.
Then, from behind her, Twilight heard a low chuckle.
It was lower than she was used to, but she still recognized the voice.
Pinkie.
One Week Later
In the large throne room, Flash Sentry stood to attention. Aside from the Princesses and him, it was empty. Sunlight shining through pristine windows reflected off the marble tile. The room was deadly silent, with the exception of Celestia and Luna whispering in deep discussion. They had been arguing for over an hour.
Flash shifted his weight slightly, trying to ease his tension. The effects of their decision would be profound, affecting all of Equestria.
Finally, Celestia and Luna turned to face him, their faces serious. The elder sister spoke.
"Flash Sentry, Captain of the Royal Guard, as the Reigning Princesses acting on behalf of the Kingdom of Equestrian, we issue a Royal Decree: That..." Celestia faltered slightly, but quickly regained her composure. "That Pinkamena Diane Pie, former bearer of the Element of Laughter, is to be hunted down and executed for her crimes against the Kingdom. She has been found guilty...of murder."
