The fear of a ink pony
Celestia hadn't raised the sun yet, but Pinkie Pie was already awake. She always wakes up before the sunrise. She likes to see it, everyday enjoying the warm feeling as the glowing orb starts to fill the world with its light. She also likes to see all the ponies who also start to work before the sun is up in the sky. Sellers preparing their stalls, ponys yawning as they are heading to their work places and somepony trotting early to do some exercise. She smiles as she abandon the window in her room and head into the bathroom to take the morning bath. She let the water warm up a little before stepping inside. After cleaning herself thoroughly, she steps outside of the bath to dry herself. As she dry her pink coat, her darker pink mane and tail goes puffy on their own, giving her her usual look. After brushing her perfectly white teeth, she steps outside of the bathroom and her room and heads downstairs. She expected to find Mr. and Mrs. Cake already working on the delicious traits that they are going to sell today, but the kitchen, as well as all the house, was in silence, only interrupted by her steps and breath. Then she remebered.
"Silly me, the Cakes said they were going on a vacation with the twins for this week!"
She remebered how much she insisted them to take that long-planned vacation, assuring them that she was more than willing to take their bussines on her hooves while they were relaxing. The couple was aware of the opportunity: they can have the family vacation they need and also can show Pinkie that she can be responsible enough, as she showed them when she took care of the twins. So, giving her a huge list of all the things needed to run the bakery, they leaved Ponyville. After all, it was only a week, and sooner or later they should show her that they trust her.
After a long day of selling sweet treats, she closed the shop and started to clean up all the mess she made during the day. She was more than happy to check that everything went right on her first day truly on her own. All except one thing: none of her close friends visited Sugarcube Corner. She expected a little bit of support from them on a day like this, but she didn't worriend in the slighliest about it. In fact, she was going to visit them to tell her how excited was about how exceptionally well her day went. With that idea in mind, she bounced her way way out of the bakery and towards where she knew Applejack's selling cart will be. When she approached there, the farm pony was just waving to another happy costumer.
"Hi Applejack, how is business going today?"
Her friend turned around when she listened her voice. But instead of a friendly smile, she had a scowl on her face.
"Look who's here! I hope you laugh enough yesterday, 'cause I didn't found it funny at all!" Applejack said, snorting a little through her nose
Pinkie was confused. She didn't remembered to do anything that could upset her. "What are you talking about? I made a prank that made you...?"
She wasn't able to finish the sentence, because Applejack approached her until her face was only mere inches to hers, looking fiercly into her eyes. Pinkie Pie recoiled a little.
"A prank? THAT is your idea of a prank?" Applejack was really angry at that point, but she managed to talk in a calm voice that, for some reason, send chills through Pinkie's spine. Applejack was facing the ground before talking again. "Do you know how awfully worried was I? Did you thought for a second about how Rarity or I will feel at any point?" Applejack said while raising her face, to reveal not anger, but tears flowing freely. "I am sorry, but i have business to attend and the last thing I need right now is deal with you." And, with that, she returned to her vending cart, not looking back.
Pinkie was still standing there, she could not believe what just happened. Her friend was angry at her. And not the typical "you are annoying me" kind of angry, no. It was more the "you hurt me, and i don't wanna talk with you" kind of angry. But the worse part was that Pinkie wasn't able to remember what she did to make her so angry. She was still thinking about that when the gears on her mind made her realize something: whatever she did to Applejack, she apparently did the same to Rarity. And, since she won't get any answer from the farm pony, she decided to visit Rarity to get them.
She was about to finish her last masterpiece, a commision from Saphire Shores, when the knocking on the door broke her concentration.
"Sweetie Belle, please, be a darling an open the door for me. I need to finish this as soon as I can." Rarity asked her sister who was watching her working on that beautiful dress.
"Sure, Rarity!" Sweetie Belle answered while walking to the door. She oppened it and, after seeing who was there, she shouted loudly. "Oh, Applebloom, Scootaloo, I just forgot that we were going to do some, er... crusading stuff. Let's go!" She slammed the door after exiting, taking the hoof of a puzzled pink pony away from the entrance of Carrousel Boutique. They stopped shortly afterwards, just far enough to be sure that Rarity was not going to listen to them.
"What was that about?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"Well, yesterday she came home very shaken and when I asked what happened she muttered something about a "sick joke" and she told me to never speak with you again. I wanna ask to you what happened."
Pinkie's confusion went further. For once in her life, she was the one that could not understand what was the other pony talking about.
"Sweetie Belle, I don't remember doing any joke about being sick..." Pinkie Pie stopped her phrase when she suddenly realized something: is not that she was not able to remember any prank done yesterday; she couldn't remember ANYTHING about yesterday! Her pupils shrinked at this revelation. She always had an excellent memory: everything she see, even once, she could remember perfectly, even years later. So, why she couldn't remember anything about yesterday?
Stress reflected upon her face: she knew something was wrong, and not only her hurting two of her closer friends. This was bigger than that.
"Pinkie, ¿are you OK?" Sweetie Belle asked, concerned about the visibily shaken pony in front of her.
"Yes... no... I don't know... sorry, but... I must... bye." Pinkie Pie said while leaving, clearly affected, lost in her own thoughts, not even paying more attention to the confused filly.
C'mon Pinkie, focus for a second, ¿ok? Try to remember something about yesterday, anything. It's not possible that you simply forget to live a day. Well, maybe Twilight have a spell to do something like that, but that's not the point here..." Pinkie Pie was thinking without actually looking at the street and she didn't saw a yellow pegasus waiting in a line for her turn to buy some celery and bumped into her. "Sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going." Pinkie said in a neutral tone without looking up.
The pegasus gasped at her voice. Pinkie looked up and saw her friend Fluttershy looking at her with a mix of fear and anger. In one swift move, she took Angel in one hoof, jumped back and used her wings to face her from a distance. Her gaze turned icy cold, and when she landed, her back was arched, like if she was going to leap to her any second now. "How dare you!" Fluttershy said in a menacing tone. "Hurting Angel was not enough, right? You got to come here, like nothing happened and act like if you don't give a flying feather about it, don't you?"
Pinkie was shocked once again. It seems that she managed to hurt another friend. She was starting to feel like tears were begining to flow. How is that even possible? Why she started to hurt her friends? She couldn't understand it. "I'm sorry Fluttershy, but... I just can't remember..." Pinkie started to say almost whimpering, but she was interrupted by the angry pegasus.
"Ha, likely story! You were laughing so hard..." Fluttershy trailed off when she started to remember the events of yesterday. Her voice losed all the anger and only some sobs could be heard. "That cruel laugh..."
And with that, Fluttershy started to run away from Pinkie Pie. The party pony didn't tried to catch her. She knew it only could make things worse. Feeling defeated, she started to think once again, this time, paying attention to the streets, but aimlessly. What can I do? I just can't go to everypony and start apologizing without even knowing what I did. I must find a way to remember. I am sure I am missing something about this. Like a clue... somewhere. Just like in the train when Twilight... Twilight! The memory spell she used to help us to defeat Discord! She surely can help me with this!" She darted towards Ponyville Library to regain her lost memories as soon as possible.
She knocked the door, and a little purple dragon with green scales on his head and back opened the door. Right after seeing who was standing there, his eyes went wide.
"Hi Spi...!" She was interrupted as the door slammed shut. "Oh, Spike! Don't tell me I hurt you too!" Pinkie said, almost pleading
"Yeah, that whole "kicking and slamming into the wall" thing hurts a little, you know?" Spike replied bitterly from behind the door. "Specially if the kick lands straight into the eye."
She started to feel her legs tremble a little. She wanted to ask something, but she was terrified of the possible answer, But she needed to know.
"Is... Is Twilight OK?" Pinkie asked, fear filling her voice
"Well, after crying all night long, she is still sleeping, so you can say now she is better now."
"Cry?" Pinkie asked, almost crying.
"Yes, she was crying after you left. I don't know what you destroyed, all that i could understand was something like <>. Pinkie, why you did it? I never seen Twilight so depressed about losing some work. Pinkie?" Spike asked, but, no he heard no response. He opened the door and no one was standing there. All he could see was a pink dot in the distance.
That was too much for her. For some unknown reason, she made something to her friends to make them suffer. A "sick joke" to Applejack and Rarity. Hurting Fluttershy's pet, Angel. Kicking Spike. And making Twilight cry for toring some important pieces of work. She was not like this. But, for some reason, she did. She, the most friendly pony in Ponyville, and possibily in all of Equestria, hurting her friends for no reason at all. And the worst of all is that she couldn't remember it. Like if she didn't care about her friends and her feelings. She could feel her mane and tail deflate, and this time she was sure her friends hated her. This time, it was not her imagination. She saw the anger and the pain she caused. This time, it was real. And the weight of that reality made her cry as she was walking aimlessly once again. And then she remembered. Who was the one that "rescued" her from the shadows of depression the last time? Rainbow Dash. Maybe this time she can help her too.
Shortly after that, she was under Rainbow's cloud house. The setting sun made it even more beautiful, but she was not in the mood to appreciate it. She needed more than ever the support of her friend. Unless... unless she hurt her too. No, not Dashie...
"Rainbow Dash! Are you there? I really really need to talk with you! Can you come here, please?"
After some moments of silence, she spotted a cyan spot at the border of the cloud, that gestured her from up above to wait for her. Pinkie felt her heart beating faster: finally, a friend that didn't want to hide at her. She closed her eyes to try to stop the tears, but her cheeck get wet once again. She didn't opened the eyes when she heard the hooves of her friend landing next to her. She just throw herself to the hoves of her friend and started to cry.
"Oh Dashie, today has been the worst day ever! I went to see Applejack, but she was mad at me, and then I went to see Rarity, but she was busy and her sister went to open the door and she said Rarity was mad at me too. Later I bumped into Fluttershy and she was mad at me too for hurting Angel and later I went to see Twilight but I hurt Spike and made her cry and..." Pinkie was talking at mad speeds and the pegasus can not follow her.
"Slow down, Pinks, you lost me." Rainbow Dash said, her voice slightly cracked. "Tell me what happened, from the start."
Pinkie nodded and sniffed, her cry reduced to a sob. She still had her eyes closed. She started to talk more slowly. "It seems like yesterday i did some horrible things, Dashie. It seems that I did some kind of "sick joke" to Applejack and Rarity. Applejack went angry with me when I found her today in the market. And I could not talk with Rarity, but I talked with her sister, and she said that she was not allowed to talk to me, so I am sure arity is mad with me too. Later. I found Fluttershy and she almost used "The Stare" with me because I hurt Angel. I was really worried because I couldn't remember doing any of these things. So I went to Twilight house, to ask her if she could perform that memory spell she used when we were "discorded", remember? Well, Spike opened the door and closed almost inmediately. It seems that I kicked him and slammed him in the wall while doing it. I also made Twilight cry because I shred to pieces some important books or something like that, I don't know." She stopped talking, sobbing while Rainbow was still at her side.
"So, you don't remember anything about yesterday?"
"Nothing at all... What can I do, Dashie?" Pinkie asked pleading, opening her eyes to look to Rainbow Dash's ones. But she didn't expected to see her magenta eyes puffed and moisty, looking at her with sadness. She recoiled and saw her rainbow mane was more messed than ever, her blue fur was all scrambled. "No Dashie... not you too..." Pinkie didn't know what she did, but she knew at this moment that she made Rainbow Dash cry too. She felt needles in her heart as she run away.
Rainbow Dash just sit there, watching her friend running away from her. She didn't did anything to stop her. Mostly because she felt like her strength was fading out, just as Pinkie was dissapearing of her sight.
Pinkie reached her bed and just let her fall over it. She didn't stop crying during all the way back. She felt a terrible pony. She did terrible things to her friends and she just forgot what she did, just like that. She stopped wondering about the memorie issue a long time before: after all, it was not what matters. The important thing is that she made her friends mad at her. She couln't stop the guilt to rush on her mind, like a sea of sorrow with it's waves crashing into her heart, shatering her heart at the sight of the faces of her friends: Applejack's face, first twisted with anger, and then that anger replaced with tears. Fluttershy's fear, then replaced by anger. Spike's surprise, replaced by fear. And the faces she didn't saw... she could only imagine them. She imagined Rarity scowling at her, telling how "uncouth" of her to do something like what she did. Ando Twilight crying dismally over her important work ruined. But the face that really broke her heart was the face of Rainbow Dash, her Dashie... even when she didn't said anything, her face spoke volumes of what she may did.
"Enjoying the day?"
Pinkie stopped crying at the sudden voice in her room. She wasn't expecting any visit today. And much less she was expecting someone that sounded exactly like her. She turned around and looked at the pony with the familiar voice. The other pony was a mare. Her mane was pink and her mane and tail are puffed, like if they were made of cotton candy; both of them are also pink, but in a darker shade. She also was wearing a big, warm smile in her face.
"You... you are..." Pinkie's jaw dropped hard when she saw herself, but happier and bouncey all-around.
"Turn that sad frown upside down!" Said the other Pinkie Pie. "I just know what will cheer you up!"
And after saying that, Pinkie was blinded by a flash of light. The last thing she saw was the other Pinkie, grining with malice at her.