When the door to Doctor Pinkie's laboratory is opened, Twilight Sparkle isn't expecting total silence. In fact, he strains to hear labored breathing, whimpers & cries, anything of the sort. The eeriness of the situation as a whole is enough to send a chill down the stallion's back. Quietly making his way down the steps, his eyes finally focus in the dim lighting to see the doctor himself sprawled amongst shattered beakers & test tubes, various chemicals pooling around him as well as a note clutched in his hoof. A shocked gasp leaves Twilight's mouth. This cannot be....
‘Is the doctor alright?’ Starlight Glimmer's voice breaks the tense silence as he peers into the darkness below. Whatever Twilight saw can't be good. ‘Twilight?’
‘Doctor Pinkie is dead,’ Twilight says, his voice cracking on the final word. He looks up at Starlight but can barely make out his silhouette, vision blurred with unshed tears. He glances back to the body of his dear friend & gingerly picks up the letter as if it were the most important thing in the world. The stallion clears his throat & reads aloud, voice rather shaky.
‘‘To whomever it may concern; I trust you find this upon my assumption that this nightmare has come to a close. It has been the most difficult & darkest journey of my life, but at last it is finally over. I entrust you with this information; I was indeed Mr. Pie as he was me. We were both a part of each other, yet different in many ways. He was my darkest desires personified, & I regret to say that I somewhat enjoyed the freedom he gave me. But, at last, it has come to pass. I hope you can find solace in the fact that Mr. Pie will not cause pain anymore. Yours, Doctor Pinkie.’’
Twilight folds the letter neatly & places it in his coat pocket, hoof trembling. How could he have been so blind? To not know how much his best friend was suffering? He could have helped in some way, could have stuck by his side through all of this. He practically scolded Pinkie for focusing on his work too much when it reality it was to save his very soul from corruption. If only it hadn't come to this. A sigh coming from his lips, Twilight goes up the steps back to Starlight, the other stallion looking at him with concern & pity.
‘Come, Twilight. Let us get you something to drink & we can talk about how this all began.’ He gently lays a hoof on his shoulder & guides him into an armchair next to the fireplace. He produces a mug of hot chocolate & gives it to Twilight. ‘This all feels like some horrible nightmare... I cannot believe we never saw his suffering sooner...’
Twilight says nothing, only sips on his drink numbly. He doesn't even hear Starlight, his mind focused on the day this all began; the day of the meeting with the Board of Governors that set this whole wheel into motion.
Author's Note
so, as you might know, i wrote a story just like this about four years ago but never bothered to finish it due to writer's block. i have decided to rewrite it completely from the ground up & am already happy with how it's turning out! i hope you like it as much as i do!
Pinkie paces the floor in front of the board room, nerves shot with worry. What if this doesn't go as planned? What if his proposition is rejected? Numerous ways of how this could fail swirl through his mind until a hoof gently touches his shoulder. He looks up to see Twilight & gives a tiny smile. ‘I know it pains you to see me such a mess, but it is for good reason. I have a feeling the Board won't be as forgiving as you are.’
The stallion in question chuckles softly. ‘Nonsense, my good friend. I'm sure this will all go smoothly. You just need to have optimism. I know this will pass. It has good reason to.’
Now hopeful, Pinkie smiles at Twilight. His head turns as the doors to the board room opens, & with newfound courage, walks in to face the jury made up of Princess Celestia & Luna, Shining Armour & his wife Cadence, as well as Starlight & his friend Sunburst. They regard Pinkie with mild interest as he takes his place behind the podium.
Celestia stands & clears her throat. ‘The Board of Governors of Equestria is now in session, lead by myself. Starlight Glimmer will be recording this order of business.’
Starlight stands. ‘Proposition eight thirteen, as presented by none other than Doctor Pinkamena Diane Pie.’
‘You are all talk, good Doctor, forever asking us to endorse ridiculous ideas which ultimately end up as nothing more than empty promises! But, if you can, please explain to us the curious request you sent in writing,’ says Celestia.
‘Certainly. My dear Governors, you know there are two sides to most; good & evil. We go about our days only seeming to expose the good side while our deepest desires beg to be released in the world. I have come up with something that has never been done before, something that is sure to make everypony good of heart & not indulge those dark fantasies. The formula I have created will separate both aspects of a pony. Granted, I have only tested it on animals, but there will come a day where it will truly work. But, I need a test subject.’
‘If you were to accomplish this impossible feat,’ says Cadence, an eyebrow raised as she stares at the doctor, ‘what would happen to the evil? Would it simply vanish?’
‘You do not understand. This is a medical breakthrough, something that has never been accomplished before. One pony is all I need. Please give me this chance.’ Pinkie looks into the eyes of all the board members, silently pleading & hoping that they'll accept.
‘You are treading on thin ice, Doctor. This is something we cannot simply bend nor break the rules for! We have boundaries for a reason!’ Shining Armor looks upon Pinkie with distaste. ‘You are playing a very dangerous game, one we refuse to take part in.’
‘I assure you, this is not intended to be a foolish game! I am on the brink of a great success, one of which you will not see through to the end if I am to be rejected!’
The whole room erupts into chaos.
‘This is completely out of the question, Doctor!’ Luna hisses.
‘We cannot allow you to poke around somepony's brain!’ Sunburst is appalled at the prospect.
‘You have gone too far! This is madness!’ Cadence shouts.
‘Fools, you fools! Damn your rules! Why can't you see this opportunity is a once in a lifetime chance?!’ Pinkie is furious at them; how can they be so blind to the miracle he has formulated? They only think of legality & civility, not of the future of ponykind.
‘Watch your tone!’
‘Open up your eyes & see that this is none other than a fool's errand!’
‘Madness!’
‘Blasphemy!’
‘Heresy!’
‘I will have order!’ Celestia booms; her wings spread & she's up near the ceiling, a bright light filling the room for mere seconds, it emanating from her horn, when she softly lands. The light goes out.
‘You have all just proved my point! This hatred & anger & darkness must be controlled! I will show you all that this can indeed be done!’ Pinkie slams his hoof down upon the podium, the jug of water that rests upon it crashing to the floor.
The room is silent. After a moment of tension, Celestia clears her throat. ‘All those in favor; ‘aye’.’
Nothing.
‘All those opposed; ‘nay’.’
A chorus of ‘nay’ echoes through the room. Pinkie bows his head in anger & shame, lip curled in a sneer. They are all fools.
‘Twilight?’
‘I abstain.’
‘With six votes to none with one abstention, Doctor PInkie's proposal is hereby rejected. Thank you for your time, Doctor.’ That being said, the Board of Governors leaves, Pinkie & Twilight the only two left in the room.
‘All those years I have spent chasing this dream, all this time spent formulating & mixing chemicals.... It was all for nothing. They do not understand the endless possibilities I seek!’
‘I am profoundly sorry, Pinkie.’ Twilight places a hoof on his shoulder.
‘You didn't even vote! You have no right to be sorry!’
‘If you think that strongly of this, see it through. You are very capable & determined. Now, we must be off. You are late for your engagement party.’
The party in question is graciously held at Twilight's castle. With the groom to be missing in action, the guests have already begun to mingle with one another. The Board is also there, in the middle of a particularly evil conversation about Pinkie.
Cadence lets out a sigh. ‘Who does that Doctor think he is, anyway? It was such a waste of time.’
‘He is in need of a good scolding,’ says Sunburst.
‘I have to say,’ says Twilight, drink in hoof, ‘that is a perfectly nasty way to stamp out one's progress.’
‘He is keen on tinkering with a pony's very soul. I do not find it likable.’ Cadence huffs.
‘I think he's quite mad, if you must know. Sir Magnum, we are talking about your future son in law. You are mad if you allow him to marry your daughter.’ Luna goes up to a white pony who was just talking to other guests.
‘It is not Father's decision, Luna.’ Rarity appears at her father's side, unfazed. ‘It is mine. If you have something to say about our dear Doctor, please. Say it when I am present.’
‘Well for a start, it is quite impeccable to be late for one's own engagement party. Shows a considerable lack of commitment & style.’
‘Comments on style should never be made by those who have done, Your Highness.’ Rarity gives her a quick smile & goes with her father to meet Pinkie.
‘Ah, the late Doctor PInkie. How nice of you to finally grace us with your presence.’ Magnum flashes him a tight smile.
‘My apologies, sir. I had some business to attend to before my arrival.’
‘Indeed. I am learning to anticipate your late arrivals.’ He pauses long enough to let out a light laugh, ignoring the lack of amusement from his conversation partner. ‘We thought we might invite your wedding guests to the day after the ceremony, seeing as how you're always tardy.’
Pinkie forces a smile on his face, though the slight sparkle of mischief in his eyes is hard to miss. ‘I will certainly not be late to my own wedding, Magnum. The coming weeks leading up to the ceremony will be the longest of my life.’
Magnum's smile drips off of his face, clearly brought down a peg by the comment. He clears his throat. ‘I hear that meeting was the longest of the Princess's lives as well.’
‘I have to take every opportunity to get my formula passed, sir,’ Pinkie replies, upset that he had brought the meeting up when he was nearly forgetting.
‘Even though you antagonize the established authority in the process?’
‘I'm not saying that. The Princesses are the highest authority, but what I am saying is that they are hypocrites.’
‘My friend Doctor Pinkie,’ says Twilight, startling both Magnum & Pinkie from their small battle of wits, ‘is an honorable stallion.’ Twilight flashes a fast, meaningful glance towards Pinkie. ‘He isn't, however, a stallion of diplomacy.’
‘I was not aware the two were incompatible,’ Magnum says with thinly veiled distaste. A pleasant enough smile comes to his face as he turns to Twilight. ‘Oh, Mr. Sparkle, do you like fireworks by chance?’
His nose scrunches up softly. ‘Yes, when they are unavoidable.’
‘Yes, they are. Come along, everypony!’ Magnum leads the guests out onto the balcony.
‘Miss Rarity.’
‘Doctor Pinkie...’
‘Are you angry with me for being late?’
‘No.’
‘You should be.’
‘I'm just happy you're here. You were late, but you're here now, & that's all that matters.’
‘I never try to miss any social occasion, including our engagement party.’
Rarity smiles & goes over to Pinkie, taking his hooves.
‘Dearest Rarity, you realize you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of aggravations such as these.’
‘Yes, I do realize that.’
‘I must go on with the work I am committed too. How can I not when my theories are true?’
Rarity places a hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. ‘Pinkie, I adore you. Always have done, always will do. You dreams are mine. Understand that.’
‘But who knows where my work will lead me?’
‘Nowhere where you will not leave me, I assure you.’
‘Rarity, please. I beg of you to heed me. The only thing I fear is the unknown.’
Magnum came back in along with Twilight. ‘Rarity, you are being asked for. So are you, Pinkie.’
‘I fancy ponies would be curious to know why the two main reasons for this profound party are resolutely hiding from it,’ says Magnum, looking at Pinkie & Rarity, brows raised.
‘Come along, Pinkie. Let us test your theories against lesser fireworks.’ They leave.
‘I do hope you have given him the scolding he deserves.’ Magnum says to his daughter.
‘The only one needing a scolding is you, father. I am the one marrying Pinkie, not you.’ Rarity goes to the balcony & leaves her father alone & thinking.
