It seemed like just another average day for the residents of Ponyville.
Applejack had been up since the crack of dawn, working on the days bucking. Twilight was busy with her studies and directing Spike with his chores. Rarity was busy in bed, catching up on lost beauty sleep after a hard night of filling orders. Fluttershy was deep in her daily routine of feeding and checking up on her various animals and Rainbow Dash of coarse was busy either napping or perfecting her latest trick.
But what of Pinkie Pie you may ask. Well, this is how that particular ponies day began....
She awoke as she did to any other day, with an array of various tell-tale signs that came with the mornings in Ponyville.
The birds were the first thing she noticed, as they were perched in a tree just outside her window at Sugarcube corner, singing a soft melody as the other ponies below went about their morning business.
She made an attempt at opening her eyes, but quickly screwed them closed again as the sun pierced them though the very same window. Groaning, she managed to roll out of bed onto all fours and rubbed her stinging eyes until she regained her sight.
Going at a rather slow pace, she trotted her way towards the bathroom where she gazed upon herself in the mirror hanging opposite the door. Not to her surprise, she saw a dull pink mare staring straight back at her. Her mane was straight as it would go and pushed behind one of her ears. Her eyes were half closed, both from being tired and the fact that she wasn't in the best of moods and last but not least, her mouth had taken on a neutral form, with slight down-turns at the corners.
Giving a small sigh, she picked up and ran a nearby comb through her mane and tail to straighten out any hairs that had go astray sometime during the night.
Making her appearance as acceptable as she could, she descended down the stairs to the main floor of Sugarcube corner and made herself breakfast, which consisted of a plain dandelion sandwich and a glass of water.
Upon finishing her rather plain meal, she decided that she may as well wander through town, considering she had the day off.
Pushing the front door open, the bell above gave a small chime as the pink mare made her way out into the now busy streets. Only to be once again blinded by the intensity of the sun.
Groaning once again, she rubbed her eyes a few times before setting off down the street at a slow, deliberate pace.
Keeping her head down the majority of the way, she wished to have as little contact with the other ponies as possible. Continuing with her walk, she noticed Bon Bon browsing the wares of a nearby stall. Although Bon Bon had given her a friendly wave and beckoned her to join her, she darted her gaze back towards her hooves and quickened her pace slightly around the next corner, hoping that the friendly, purple and pink maned mare assumed she hadn't seen her.
Somewhat pleased that Bon Bon hadn't decided to chase after the pink mare, she continued with her slow trot through the town, hoping nopony else would try and talk to her. Alas, this was not to be so. As not a minute later, an unfamiliar voice from above called out in her general direction, "Hey Pinkie Pie !".
Keeping her head down, she acted as though she hadn't heard and hoped the owner of the voice would leave her alone.
Her hopes were soon shattered, as a flash of cyan appeared before her and she came nearly face to face with a rainbow maned pegasus, hovering a few feet off the ground with her head craned so it was level with the pink mare's.
"Hey, are you ignoring me ?" The cyan pegasus asked, continuing to hover just feet from the earth pony.
"Well, I was trying to." Came her reply, a slight, annoyed frown creeping its way across her features.
Taking this as nothing more than a joke, the rainbow pegasus laughed and put hoof on the pink mare's left shoulder.
"You're such a kidder Pinkie ! Now really, have you got the supplies for the pranks you said we were going to do today ?" The mare asked, grinning at the still frowning mare opposite her.
Shaking the hoof of her shoulder and giving the spot it had touched a look that resembled disgust.
"First don't call me that." She replied in a tone devoid of all emotion. "Second, I have no desire to 'prank' with you. I don't even know who you are." She added, receiving a rather confused look from her conversation partner.
"Wait, what ?" The bewildered pegasus asked. A look of disbelief came across her face. "Pinkie... it's me Rainbow. You know, best flyer in Equestria ?" She asked with a worried grin, hoping this was some kind of joke.
"I told you not to call me that." Responded the pink mare through gritted teeth. "My name is Pinkamena." She added, fighting her growing frustration with the conversation at hand.
Eager to end this pointless expression, Pinkamena continued speaking before the still confused looking pegasus before her could respond. "Now if you'll excuse me." Was all she said as she trotted straight ahead, pushing the cyan pegasus out of the way as she went, a frown now firmly etched into her features.
All that was left was a dumbfounded Rainbow in the pink mare's wake. "Wh...What ?" Was all the mare could blurt out as she watched the pink mare disappear down the street towards the food stalls.
More than certain that something was up she took off in the direction of Twilight's library, hoping that the lavender unicorn would have an explanation.
As she continued her journey through the bustling markets of Ponyville, the pink mare rifled through her memory banks, attempting to decipher who the rainbow maned pegasus was. She did claim to know her, however she had no recollection whatsoever.
"Strange" she thought to herself, the firm frown never leaving her face.
She continued her seemingly endless wander, deep in though, but was rudely interrupted by a loud gurgle from her stomach.
Realising that she had gone without food for several hours. She decided it would be best to get something to eat and settle her furious stomach. Noticing a nearby apple stand, the pink pony made her way towards it, catching the occasional glimpse of the stands owner through the crowd, An orange coated earth pony such as herself, sporting a stenson hat.
As she approached the stand, the orange pony gave her a welcome that made her reconsider her choice of food stall.
"Well, howdy there Pinkie !" She greeted, giving the pink mare a warm smile and a wave. "Didn't expect ta see you round here at this hour. What can ah do for ya ?" She asked, pleased to see that her friend had chosen to come an visit.
Giving the orange pony a very confused stare, Pinkamena tried to remember if she knew this pony. "Another one claiming to know who I am ?" She thought. "And why do they keep calling me Pinkie ?" She asked herself, completely ignoring the still smiling earth pony in-front of her.
"Ya'll alright sugercube ?" Asked the stall vendor with a confused look, after not receiving so much as a peep since the pink mare had arrived.
Breaking herself from her trance, Pinkamena came back to reality and simply answered, "I'm fine." Before looking over the stalls wares.
"Can I have those two please." She asked, pointing out two ripe looking apples, refusing to make eye contact with stranger.
"Well sure Pinkie." Came the response as the earth pony grabbed the apples and put them in a small bag with a red apple on the front.
"You feelin' ok." She asked, noticing that Pinkie was acting rather strange.
The pink mare just gritted her teeth, " I hate that name. Why do they keep calling me that ?" She asked herself.
"I said I'm fine." She replied sternly, an annoyed expression returning to her face.
Putting several bits on the counter and taking her bag, she began to trot away, but was soon stopped once again as she spotted the same cyan pegasus from before trotting towards her rather quickly with a lavender unicorn in tow. Both wore expressions of plain concern.
"There she is Twi." Rainbow pointed out as she spied the pink mare in-front of Applejack's stand.
Pinkamena watched with a mix of both confusion and annoyance as the unicorn trotted up to her and greeted her.
"Hey Pinkie. Rainbow said there was something wrong with you and she wanted me to..." Twilight tried to continue her sentence but was cut off by Pinkamena, who had finally had enough.
"One !" She said loudly. "Do. Not. call me that !" She stared down the three ponies who now stood before her with an expression of utmost frustration. "Two ! Just who in Equestria are you ponies ?" She asks, essentially radiating annoyance, eyeing each of them in turn with a gaze of suspicion.
"Answer me, now." She demanded, stomping her fore-hoof against the dirt path, after several moments of silence and worried glances among the ponies assembled before her.
"Told you something was up." Rainbow murmured out of the corner of her mouth at Twilight, who wore the same dumbfounded expression as the rest of them.
This is just the start. I have a fairly good idea on where to take this. It just depends on what kind of reaction it receives as to whether I continue writing it or not.
What do you ponies want ?!
"Well ?" A now infuriated Pinkamena asked the confused ponies before her.
"Just who are you ponies ?" She asked.
"Pinkie, we're your friends, remember ?" A completely dumbfounded Twilight asked, suspicious as to why one of her best friends was acting so strange.
The pink mare just scoffed. "Unlikely, I think I'd know what my friends looked like when I saw them." She replied in a rather sarcastic manner. "Well, the ones you have anyway." A little voice in the back of her head pointed out.
"Wait. So you're saying you have no idea who we are whatsoever ?" Twilight continued to ask, beginning to wonder whether Pinkie was suffering so some sort of mental sickness.
Scanning the crowd, Twilight spotted an aquamarine coloured mare, sitting in a rather unusual fashion on a nearby bench.
"Well, do you know who that is ?" She asked, raising a foreleg in the mare's direction.
Rolling her eyes, Pinkamena decided to play the unicorn's game and glance in the direction the lavender mare had indicated.
"Of coarse I do." She began. "That's Lyra Heartstrings. What other pony do you know who sits like that ?" She pointed out. At this point the former party pony may even have cracked a small gin at the sight of the unicorn on the bench, but given the current circumstances she was in absolutely no mood for such a thing.
Surprised that Pinkie was so quick to recognise Lyra caused Twilight to reconsider her theory. "Well, it's probably not total amnesia. Better make sure though." She thought to herself, mentally jotting down the observation.
Continuing to observe the market, Twilight spotted the next pony she would have Pinkie attempt to remember.
Spotting a grey coated, cross-eyed pegasus flying past, she quickly held up a hoof in the mare's direction and asked.
"And who's that ?" She asked the frowning pony before her.
A hint of frustration creeping back into her tone, Pinkamena did her best to keep it to a minimum and looked upwards in the direction the unicorn had pointed, rolling her eyes once again at what she found the mare to be pointing towards.
"Who else flies that clumsily ?" She asked herself rhetorically as she watch the grey mare bump into a street sign which was blatantly obvious and then fly through several clouds as though that was the normal thing to do. That particular mare always found a way to get on her nerves somehow.
"Ditzy." Was the only response she gave, eager to be rid of these bothersome ponies and to be on her way.
"Can I go now ?" She asked impatiently.
"Well, it's definitely not total amnesia." Twilight thought.
"Hold on, one more question." Twilight replied, trying not to let the pink pony wander away.
"Can you tell me who that is ?" She asked with a worried expression, dreading what Pinkie's response would be as she spotted and pointed towards a rather tired looking Rarity emerge from the Carousel Boutique, apparently having just woken up.
Giving an exhausted sounding sigh, Pinkamena turned once again in the direction the unicorn pointed, silently deciding that this was the last round of their little 'guessing game' she would play.
Spotting the pony in question, Pinkamena frowned, not in frustration or annoyance, but out of confusion. Cocking her head slightly, she looked the snow white mare over for several moments before giving her answer.
"I haven't the slightest." She said flatly, her facial expression returning to neutral.
And with that final sentence she turned away from the three shocked looking mares and began to trot away at her usual pace.
Although they called out to her and told her to wait up, she made no attempt to heed their calls and continued on her way as though she hadn't heard. Sighing with relief that she was finally free of those three.
"Told you something was up." Rainbow said, pointing out the obvious as they watched the pink pony trot away from them.
"Well, you're the egghead Twi. Surely you've got some idea why she's acting like that." The rainbow pegasus asked with a hopeful expression.
"Honestly.. I have no idea." Twilight responded honestly. "I haven't read anything like this in any of my books." She added. "Then again, I haven't read that many books on pony psychology and mental illnesses." She pointed out.
"Come to think of it, I may go do that right now." She said after a moments pause. "Surely there has to be some explanation." She half muttered to herself.
Realising that Pinkie hadn't seen Fluttershy gave Twilight a small flicker of hope. "Rainbow. Can you go find Fluttershy for me and bring her to my library." She asked the cyan pegasus, hopeful that Pinkie would at least remember her. "And Applejack. Can you do the same with Rarity. I think having all of us around her might jog her memory, she explained to her still confused looking friends.
"Well, uh, sure Twi. If you think it'll help." Rainbow replied, taking off in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage, leaving a rainbow coloured trail behind her as she always did.
"Ah sure can sugercube." Applejack said, still looking worried as she trotted off towards the Boutique, as Rarity had gone back inside, presumably because she though it was 'Simply far too early to be up' as she would put it.
Nodding with satisfaction, Twilight turned and began her journey back towards her library, her mind racing with possible explanations for Pinkie's behaviour.
Her thoughts simply too scrambled to do anything other than think, Twilight found her legs on auto-pilot throughout her journey to her library. A confused expression plastered on her features the entire way, Twilight had only made it roughly half-way to her home before her gaze caught something rather strange trotting not too far ahead of her.
Before her trotted a familiar pink pony surrounded by several blurs bouncing around her form.
Twilight instantly recognised them as Applebloom, Sweetiebell and Scootaloo, better know around Ponyville as the cutie-mark crusaders, with each filly adorned with their trademark red cape.
Approaching the four ponies at a quickened pace in order to catch up, Twilight began to catch onto some of their conversation.
"Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie !" All three of the fillies were shouting at the pink mare as they followed her.
Fed up with asking ponies to stop calling her that, Pinkamena just kept her gaze forwards and replied, "What ?" Through firmly gritted teeth. She was in no mood for further questioning after her encounter with those other three ponies, but she was being questioned by fillies now, and not even she would openly tell a filly to 'Get lost.'
"Where'd your cutie-mark go ?" Scootaloo piped up before the rest could question the mare.
"Wait. Where'd your cutie-mark go ?" Twilight asked herself, puzzled at the fillie's question.
It was then she noticed that Pinkie's flank was indeed blank. The usual cluster of blue and yellow balloons was replaced by plain pink fur. "How did I not notice that ?" Twilight scorned herself, adding the unusual observation to her mental list, remembering that there had only been several cases of cutie-mark loss in all of Equestria's recorded history.
"I haven't gotten mine yet." Came Pinkamena's blunt reply, obviously not wanting to talk to anypony at this particular point.
"Sure ya got it." Applebloom piped up. "Ya even told us the story on how ya got it." She added, remembering Pinkie's tale on how Rainbow's sonic-rainboom had given Pinkie her first smile.
"Do you see a cutie-mark ?" Pinkamena asked rhetorically, a slight hint of annoyance in her tone.
"Well, no." Sweetiebell answered as the fillies eyed Pinkie's bare flank.
"But you did have one, remember ? It was three balloons cause' you like parties so much." She added, grinning at the frowning mare, who still refused to look anywhere but where she was going.
"Parties ?" The pink mare muttered quizzingly.
"I haven't been to a party in my life." She replied. "How could my cutie-mark possibly be for 'parties' ?" She asked, still puzzled that the fillies would suggest such a thing.
Shocked to hear her say this, the crusaders grins quickly disappeared as they took in what Pinkie had said.
"Uh. Well yeah, Pinkie. It's been great talking to you, but we have alot of crusading to do." Scootaloo said as she began to forcefully push the others back the way they had come.
"Really ? Ah thought we were done crusadin'......" Applebloom began before being cut off by Scootaloo's hoof over her mouth.
"Don't say anything, just go." Scootaloo instructed as she continued to push them back down the path right past Twilight, with Applebloom and Sweetiebell giving her looks of concern and Scootaloo pointing to Pinkie and then making several gestures implying that she was crazy.
Twilight just shook her head as the crusaders continued on their way.
"Alright. Time to find out what the hay is going on." Twilight thought to herself as she increased her pace and came up beside the now relieved looking Pinkie Pie.
Glancing beside her, Pinkamena realised she was now walking with the same lavender unicorn as before.
Letting out a long, drawn out sigh, she stopped and turned to face the mare with an annoyed frown firmly etched into her features.
"Alright. I've had enough of this." She announced. "What exactly do you ponies want from me ?" She asked, expecting a very good reason as to why the unicorn had followed her.
This chapter is fairly short because I've come to a point where I can make the story go in several directions and I'm yet to decide which one is best. One of the options being where Pinkamena finally snaps and goes all sadistic killer again. But that's been done, so I think I'm going to try and do something different.
