Phase Two

The enigma that had befallen Pinkie that fateful night was a puzzle beyond anyone's comprehension. All the other ponies were left with was a perplexing image of Pinkie, her usual vibrant pink hue mysteriously subdued, a mystery that beckoned to be unravelled.

Her coat was the darkest shade of grey any pony had seen. Not even her sister saw a shade that grey. This drastic change in her appearance, from her usual vibrant pink to this unsettling grey, only deepened the mystery and stirred a deep concern among the other ponies, which hung heavy in the air.

The only animal that knew what happened to Pinkie was Gummy, but what can the crocodile say except stare into space and lick its eyes? His unusual behaviour only added to the unease that had gripped the ponies.

The only clues the other ponies had were the cryptic words “cupcakes”, “glitter”, and “cake knives”. While Pinkie's usual chatter about cupcakes and glitter was harmless, mentioning cake knives in her delirium was deeply unsettling. The concern among the ponies was palpable as they tried to decipher the hidden meaning behind these seemingly innocent words.

Pinkie, known for her lively and energetic nature, would now sit in the corner of the shop, staring at the corner, almost like something would come out of it and engulf her in Celestia knows what. This stark contrast in her behaviour, from her usual bubbly self to this eerie stillness, was a cause for great concern among the other ponies, intensifying the mystery of her condition.

To say it was strange and unorthodox was a stupid remark to make. It WAS weird and unorthodox. From jumping off the walls, even buildings, to not moving a muscle? How was one pony not meant to be concerned for her health and wellbeing? Especially her mental health.

If only one could peer into her troubled mind and witness the turmoil within, that pony would offer a comforting presence, encouraging Pinkie to share her burden and stare at the corner with a sense of solidarity, hoping to dispel whatever dark thoughts haunted her.

Not even Twilight, the book nerd of the friend group and the pony who knew nearly everything had answers to the questions that arose from Pinkie’s behaviour. Not even the questions to these questions would have answers, and if there were answers, only more questions would arise, leading to a labyrinth of confusion and more questions.

“Gummy, do you ever wonder what the world would be like if we didn’t have any cakes, cupcakes, or cake knives? Just imagine the chaos it would bring, the wonderful chaos of panic and discord. Ohhh! It makes my bones tingle with excitement just thinking about it.”

Gummy licked his eye. Pinkie giggled. But not her usual innocent and cutesy giggle, oh no. Instead, a dark, sadistic giggle with such a dark tone made Gummy’s blood run cold. Or even stop completely as his eyes widened a bit more, if possible.

Gummy wasn’t the only one who was concerned for Pinkie. Luna was standing outside the cake shop when she heard Pinkie speak, and to say that it didn’t affect her as well would be a rather stupid remark.

Pinkie wasn’t bothered by the fact that she had lost the plot because of THEM on THAT night. Why would she care when her literal soul was sucked out and replaced by Celestia knows what? From such innocence to such psychopathic traits, only one could be left to wonder what in the world happened to their poor little Pinkie.

Much to the surprise of Gummy, after a month of sitting in a corner and not moving at all or even remarking, Pinkie finally moved from her corner, almost like the creature or whatever she needed to emerge from the corner of the room already did. As if it had already engulfed her with whatever it needed to engulf her in. It had already completed its mission of engulfing her and telling her what it needed her to do.

Sickeningly, her coat returned to its usual pink colour, but now with a tint of… red in her mane and coat. How? What? Why? So many questions can arise from this circumstance, and those questions rose in Gummy’s mind. How could his innocent and childlike owner suddenly just become so… sadistic that it caused his skin to crawl?

Pinkie looked at Gummy and giggled again. She tilted her head sideways and looked at him.

“It’s time for phase two, Gummy. And I’m starting with you,” Pinkie said in a simple yet dangerous voice. Gummy looked at her and licked his eye before moving backwards, slowly and calculated—one wrong move, and who knows what Pinkie would do to him. Maybe cook him alive? Or worse. Who knew?

Pinkie left the candy store and walked past a shocked Luna. Phase two of what? In Celestia’s name, this was much worse than she had thought. Luna panicked and quickly used her magic to pull Pinkie back, but it was like a force field around Pinkie that caused Luna’s magic to bounce back from her and unable to reach her. Luna began panicking. This was not good.

Twilight was in her treehouse, reading through a book about psychological behaviour and the brain. Spike stayed with Rarity that night, helping her the whole day with some things around her boutique. There was a knock on Twilight’s door. She looked up from the book, levitating it with her magic back to her reading stand before walking to the front door.

There was no one outside. Twilight frowned, hoping not to be a victim of a bunch of filly’s stupid little prank. She closed the door before she heard another knock. She quickly opened the door and came face to face with…

“Pinkie! Such a pleasant surprise to see you!” Twilight started before Pinkie walked into the treehouse, not taking her gaze away from Twilight with her sadistic smile still plastered on her face. She kept walking, pushing Twilight against a bookcase before looking down at her as if a sharp object were seen in her hair. There was a scream before silence.

“Welcome to Phase Two”