13. My Heart Felt Like—
“You did what?” Rainbow Dash tried to say it calmly, but her restraint snapped on the last word.
“I just couldn’t take it anymore,” Twilight said. Her voice was muffled by her fetal position. “Pinkie Pie is dead. She’s dead and I tried to pretend that thing was her.”
“It’ll be okay, Twilight,” Fluttershy said. She put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, but Twilight didn’t move.
“Well, she may not be the real Pinkie Pie, but she doesn’t deserve being thrown out!” Rainbow’s voice had gotten louder. Self-control had never been one of her strengths. “I’m gonna go find her, who’s coming?”
“Er, uhm, Rainbow…” Fluttershy’s voice was still the same soft tone she had been using with Twilight. “Maybe…maybe we shouldn’t.”
“Are you serious?”
“No. But, well…” Fluttershy tilted her head towards Twilight.
“Yeah, I know it’s her fault! That’s why I have to go look for Pinkie.”
Fluttershy’s mouth dropped open in surprise. “Rainbow Dash! This isn’t anypony’s fault! How could you even say that?”
“This definitely looks like someone’s fault to me.” Rainbow Dash jerked her head to the side. Rarity and Applejack were still muttering between themselves. They were at the edge of the room, just far enough away not to be heard. “And why aren’t you two saying anything?”
The two of them looked up at the same time. Their gazes followed the exact same path. First they looked at Rainbow Dash. Then they turned their heads to Twilight, still curled up on the floor. Finally, they looked at each other.
“We were just discussing the best way to react to all of this,” Rarity finally said.
“Yeah? And what’d you come up with?” Rainbow Dash asked. There was more than a hint of mockery in the question.
“We think everypony needs ta calm down,” Applejack said.
“Calm down? I’m as calm as cloudbank.” Rainbow jerked a hoof at the kitchen’s sink. The broken pan was still jutting out of it. “What do you call that?”
“Well…”
“So are you two coming or not?”
Another glance.
“We’re not sure that’s a good idea,” Rarity said. She didn’t look at Rainbow Dash.
“Fine, stay here then. All four of you.” Rainbow Dash flared her wings at the first word, and by the time her sentence ended she was already out the door.
“Fluttershy?” Twilight’s voice was still quiet, a whisper muffled by her own body.
“Yes?”
“Does that lie ever work?”
“What do you mean?”
“The one about everything being okay.”
Fluttershy bit her lip, just for a moment. She knew the delay would make her answer less convincing, but she hadn’t been able to help it. Animals never asked her things like that. “It will be okay, Twilight. I promise.”
Twilight didn’t say anything.
Rarity turned back to Applejack, lowered her voice, covered her mouth with a hoof. “Well, you were right about contacting Celestia, I suppose.”
“So, do ya know a messaging spell or somethin’ like that or not? Can’t use Spike, since Twilight has him stayin’ with Cheerilee or whatever. Better not ta drag him into this.”
“I’d need a book or something to refresh my memory, but I suppose it would be easy enough.” Rarity let a deep, long breath. “I suppose I should not be surprised. When you put off calling someone long enough, then the circumstances you do call them under are never pleasant.”
“Maybe I should go back?” Pinkie paused and looked back at the town. Her foreleg rose a little bit, but fell back down. “No, Twilight might still be mad.” She continued walking along the path. “She just needs time to calm down. I didn’t do anything wrong. I won the test, she’ll be fine.
“But, then why did she get mad in the first place? I mean, I won the test, I threw a party, I made cookies. Nothing should be wrong! So why did she get mad?”
The road forked. One path wandered towards the forest, straightening out near the edge. The other path veered a little to the left, farther away from the town. Pinkie barely even paused to consider before continuing down the left path. It was a little better kempt; the walk would probably be smoother.
“I’m not shallow. That’s just silly. I won the test, right? So I can’t be shallow. I’m not an actor. Maybe it was something I said. Maybe I shouldn’t have told Twilight about my dream. I thought it was silly, but maybe she didn’t like it? Maybe it reminded her of something. I hope I didn’t hurt her feelings. I’m sure she’ll be fine. I’ll just finish my walk and then go back and talk to her. I’m not shallow, I won the test, Twilight must just be sad about something else.”
Pinkie paused. “Oh no! If she’s sad, and I made it worse instead of helping her… What if they don’t let me back? Am I a bad friend? That must be it. Twilight wanted my help and I did it wrong. Should I go back?”
She turned to the town again. She had walked a little way out of it, but it was still fairly close. She sat down. She had run out of town sort of fast, so she was a little tired.
“What if she was right?” The words were quieter than the rest of her speech. “I’m supposed to be a good friend but I couldn’t help her. I made cookies and I threw a party for Fluttershy but Twilight was still upset and I didn’t even notice!”
She started rubbing her hooves together. “I didn’t know she was upset. A good friend should know that, shouldn’t I? Maybe I should go back. But she told me to leave, and she said I was bad at throwing parties and…”
Pinkie grabbed her head. “I don’t know what to do. I passed the test, I’m supposed to know what to do and how to be a good friend but I just don’t!”
It was just like the time that Fluttershy had asked her to that tea party. She hadn’t known what to do then either. The thought had scared her so much; the idea that she couldn’t pick something and would have to settle for nothing.
The test was supposed to solve everything. She won, that meant something. She was supposed to better at this, it was supposed to fix everything. That’s what they had made it sound like.
Except it hadn’t worked. Pinkie took her hooves away from her face, and she could feel her fur sticking together. She hadn’t even noticed the tears. Just like she hadn’t noticed Twilight being sad.
“Maybe…maybe Twilight was right…” The words were just loud enough to hear, and the sound of them turned Pinkie’s stomach. She clamped her hooves over her head and scrunched her eyes shut. She didn’t want to hear it. “Maybe…maybe I’m a terrible friend…” The sentence was inaudible. Pinkie didn’t hear it, but she knew she had said it. The admission almost felt worse because of it. She couldn’t even bring herself to say it out loud, to listen to the truth.
“Are you okay?”
“No!” Pinkie didn’t recognize the voice, but it didn’t matter. The innocuous question was like an accusation, an interrogation, and she couldn’t just ignore it. “I’m a terrible friend and I’m terrible at parties and Twilight hates me and I don’t know what to do!” Her voice cracked. “The test didn’t help at all! I’m supposed to be Pinkie Pie and be everyone’s friend and be good at parties and it didn’t work!” She could definitely feel tears on her face now. Even with her eyes closed, the salt leaked into her mouth.
Suddenly, she felt hooves wrap around her. She didn’t pause to question the hug, or the way the other pony gently lifted her into position. She just threw her forelegs towards the pony, her eyes still closed in a futile attempt to make herself feel better. She felt rough fabric press into her forelegs, the pony’s mane stick to her face.
“It’ll be okay,” the pony said.
“But…but if I didn’t do anything wrong why is she mad at me?” Pinkie pushed her face deeper into the pony’s body. She felt some of her tears and mucous smear onto the other pony, and briefly wondered if that was another fox pass.
“Twilight didn’t mean it.” The pony’s voice was so calm, so gentle.
The memory of that broken pan and Twilight crying flashed into Pinkie’s mind. She definitely had not been joking. “How can you tell?” Pinkie’s question was barely a whisper. She wanted to believe it so badly.
“Nopony wants to hurt anypony else, not on purpose. Sometimes ponies get confused, or sad, or angry. They don’t want to hurt anyone else, but they can’t help it. Their emotions get the best of them. But, no matter what, we can always be happy again. All you have to do is remind them what happiness is, and that brings everything back to normal.”
Pinkie’s slowly opened her eyes. The other pony smelled nice, like grass and moss, though the smell didn’t match the pink of her coat. “Except I tried that already, and…and I just made it worse.”
“Well, I guess we’ll just have to go try together.”
Pinkie finally pulled her head up, peeling it off the other pony’s coat. Even through the layer of drying tears, the pony’s hair was still vibrant. It finally struck Pinkie how familiar the shade of pink was.
Pinkie looked up at the pony’s face. “Pinkie Pie?”
Pinkie Pie smiled. “None oth—” Her smiled dimmed a little. “Well…I mean, yep. That’s my name. Don’t wear it out. Or, something like that.”
Pinkie Pie stood up and pulled Pinkie up after her. Her beat up cloak had a noticeable stain near the top. Her shoulder had a similar one. She didn’t bother with them.
“Come on, let’s go back to Ponyville.”
The two of them trotted back down the road. Neither of them said anything. Pinkie tried to, more than once. Every time her mouth would open and the words would just fade away and die out.
It was just like the tea party. She hadn’t been able to figure out what to do, and so she had gone crying to Pinkie Pie. She wanted to think about something else, ask questions, but that was the only thought she could muster. She still couldn’t decide for herself, which meant that Twilight was still right. Even with Pinkie Pie walking next to her, humming something or other, it was not a comforting thought.
....dafuq? Did Pinkie escape the Mirror Pool?
Thats one heck of a makeover, Dash.
SO the real pinkie is still around....Hmm this changes things.
It's her imagination isn't it?
4633458
Never underestimate Pinkie's ability to get into or out of places she has no right being in. She's a bit like Mihoshi in that regard.
Be interesting to see whether this is the real deal or simply her imagination.
You mean faux pas?
4633567
I think that was intentional. Just showing that Clonie Pie's internal dialogue is as flawed and inexperienced as the outside.
"Too Many Pinkie Pies" has always been one of the most disturbing episodes in the series for me. While the "test" was being conducted we see that the clones, despite their brief existence, were already developing unique personalities and skills. Homicide aside, It has always bothered me that one of them might have been especially good at starring contest.
*Clicks Read Later*
4633458 Maybe she was physically sent to the mirror pool and not disintegrated, and has been hiding out in the Everfree Forest because she failed the test and thought she was a clone?
4633458 Or Maybe She never got sent to the Mirror pool...
4633602 ....wait...you may be right. didn't they block the Pool with a big rock?
4633592
I agree. They were all showing signs of sentience, which is good enough for me to consider Twilight a mass murderer. Even if they were made of energy and water.. Well, we're made of energy and water, with a handful of other things thrown in.
In a way, they were all Pinkie's children.
4633651 It sounds like that was Twilight's theory when she decided to start teaching her, but by this point she's come to the conclusion that the clone is not Pinkie Pie minus memories, but something shallower and more annoying.
4633652 Yeah. Pinkie would have had to have already left the cave before that.
4633744 Don't forget she was a Rock Farmer. I wouldn't surprised if she knew some tricks to break rocks.
hi hi
I don't know what's happening with Pinkie Pie's twin, double, figment of her imagination, or whatever it is. (At first, I thought perhaps Celestia got the message and found her.) But there is one thing I do know: I'm desperate to know what happens next! ((If it is the original Pinkie Pie, then Twilight got off the hook through pure luck, which is better than a lot of people get.))
I admit I am a little bit disappointed in Applejack, as she's usually one of the first to jump into action when there's a problem, be it a stampede or a loud mouth braggart. But at the same time, I can't fault her for what she did say. Calming down is still good advice, but there's still two hurt ponies out there, and one of them is alone. Is Applejack the kind of pony to turn her back on a stranger, or does she still not think of Pinkie Pie's clone as a person?
((Also, this sentence confused me: "Pinkie Pie stood up and pulled PInkie up..." Is the capitalized PI in PInkie suppose to be indicative of something?))
4633666
The fact that this act was written, approved, animated, and presented to children is most troubling.
4633837
Have you seen the Powerpuff Girls episode that was basically 15 minutes of thinly veiled homoeroticism?
"Fools! I feed off your expulsions of manliness! The more manhood you bring against me, the harder I become!" An actual quote from the actual episode. Theres worse.
"Pinkie Pie stood up and pulled PInkie up after her."
This mistake doesn't look intentional.
4633592
4633666
I've always gone with the belief that there really was a place beyond the pond that they went back to, and the clones just basically considered Equestria a vacation spot to have fun in for as long as they could. (And I think of it that way in order NOT to think of our friendly purple pony as a mass murderer. For obvious reasons.)
4633753
But they blocked the cave in the episode after banishing all the clones, however with the way the episode went in this it seems they wouldn't have done that what with thinking they killed Pinkie. Plus Pinkie was the only one who knew where the Mirror Pond was.
4633567
4633586 is correct -- Pinkie makes the same mistake in chapter 8 and nopony corrects her.
4633816 4634275 Yea, that's just me type bad. Fixed it.
4634275
I sometimes wonder if there is a wonderous afterlife awaiting people after they depart from this world, but even if there is such a place, is it ok to send people there against their will? Its something that really could have used some explanation in the episode... maybe they'll come back to it in a later episode. (One can only hope.)
4634004
After a couple of seasons watching a show that proposed it was a good thing to be yourself, it was rather shocking to me that they would suggest you might need to be someone else or face serious consequences.
4634275
The fate of the clones/Pinkie is irreverent. It does not negate the fact Twilight chose to erase them from existence. Your statement is equivalent to saying that murder is okay because it might send people to haven. I suggest you reevaluate your position.
4634341
That seemed to be the case, though with only one test run it's not like Twilight has enough data to tell for sure.
So did I, actually, though mine is more about what happens when the loops don't stay stable.
I was thinking more along the lines of Twi putting her own memories of who Pinkie Pie is supposed to be into Pinkie Clone. Kinda like, "Here's you baking a delicious cake, and here's you throwing a party, and here's you helping us save the world four times in a row", etc.
It's not like memories are very exact to begin with. Lots of people have memories of stuff they never even experienced.
4634454
4634410
I wasn't talking about an afterlife. I was talking basically teleporting ponies to a different place. A place that it was hinted in the show (and this fic) really exists.
I suggest inversionzone reevaluate his position on my position.
4634485
How is that different from an afterlife? Why would the existence of such a place justify Twilight's actions if she was not aware of it?
4633753
Well in Bats Pinkie has already shown that she can travel underground just using her mane so yes I do think she has a trick to drill out if needed.
4634462 Considering how inexact and questionably effective Twilight's current behavior already is, I'm not sure mind rape would have a terribly different outcome (aside from raising even more moral/ethics questions).
Besides, in chapter 7, Twilight alludes to being afraid to use magic, since using unfamiliar spells is what caused the problem to begin with.
4634536
Well, for one, because she is not, in fact, "erasing them from existence."
Also, if we're getting into crazy analogies, you basically just asked how being sent to another country is different from murder.
So really, in how I see show canon, the worst thing Twilight did was effectively shut down that immigration border.
Grass and earth.. Hmm. Zombie Pinkie!
Gosh. I hope the tunneling/hiding out in the forest thing is right instead. A Pinkie corpse would be scary.
4634679
Are you saying that Twilight knew she was sending the clones to another country? It would reduce the severity of Twilight's actions if she knew in advance that she was sending the clones home and could recover the real Pinkie if she banished her by mistake. However, I doubt that this is what Polsky had in mind.
4633458
Or Pinkie is delusional and Celverpun is messing with you.
An interesting development. Whether this other Pinkie is in Clone Pinkie's mind or not, it seems to indicate that Pinkie is 'pulling herself back together'.
Well. That is an interesting turn of events. Seems like 2Pinkie is getting more like 1Pinkie.
Whaaaaaaaaaat?!? My interest is so renewed. Nice fakeout with Dash there ;D
Hmm, this is interesting... I cant help but wonder whether this Pinkie is real or not... Also, while Clone Pinkie clearly isn't Pinkie, I was detecting elements of her here, although I can't remember if that was already present in her behaviour or not... Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing more of this!
Well... Seems that Twilight is in for a surprise later.
4634783
4634485
It is the irreversibility of the act, and the lack of prior knowledge about what exists on the other side that likens the banishment to an execution. However, even if it is known that there is something on the other side, it is still clearly wrong according to the standards of our own world.
- Article 4 of the 4th Geneva Convention
- Article 49 of the 4th Geneva Convention
- United Nations Sub-Commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities
"Deportation or forcible transfer of population" is listed as a crime against humanity under Article 7, 1d of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court
- Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
4636857
Well said.
fc04.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/363/f/6/clapping_pony_icon___pinkie_pie_by_taritoons-d5pkuzy.gif
4633652 Well, they did in the episode because they actually got the real Pinkie. I'd imagine that here, due to getting the clone, they'd have... other pressing issues to contend with.
4636857
While Twilight's and everyone's actions may still be morally debated or objectionable, I think you may be over-applying those articles there.
In that very first one you quoted, for example, says, "in case of a conflict or occupation." There is no war of Equestria vs. Mirror pond, and Equestria certainly isn't forcibly occupying the Mirror Pond's land (which is the kind of "occupation" referred to in the Geneva Convention and other times of war). Which would mean the clones wouldn't be "Persons protected by the Convention."
After all, forcible deportation happens from many different countries from many different reasons. I have personally known people who have been deported. Using the U.S. as an example, and let me be clear here - you may still disagree with the deportation of illegals, and that's perfectly valid - but there is no international court coming to judge the U.S. on whether or not they have the right to deport people.
P.S. - In the end, I'm definitely not trying to dispute your right to morally object to Twilight's actions. Everyone should have that right. I hope I'm clear on that.
4633592 Agreed. That episode's about fifty kinds of skevey for my and that ending was not a good way to solve that dilemma. Twilight proved beyond a shadow of a doubt how effin' dumb she really could be.
4637280
The example of U.S. is flawed for a couple of different reasons. The people who are deported to other countries are done so because their nationality is in those other countries, and the U.S. and the country they are being deported to have agreements between each other. There are other cases in the U.S. where it is a different story, especially concerning people who have no nationality, or there is no agreement between the two governments. The situation between the U.S. and Cuba would be slightly more relevant, where anyone who makes it ashore is given a chance at residency and eventually citizenship. (And that's to say nothing of the people in legal limbo in the United States' military base in the same area as Cuba.) Obviously the 4th Geneva Convention doesn't legally apply to Equestria, since Geneva isn't a part of Equestria, but the legal concept is still valid.
Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, on the other hand, is still completely valid.
4637409
A better ending would have been for the clones to vanish naturally as part of the mirror pool's magic. It would eliminate the moral issue and make the pool a more useful teaching tool.
So my guess is, in this world when Pinkie got depressed during the episode, she ran away. It would explain how the clone won, if Pinkie wasn't at the test/mass execution, some clone would have to win.
4637526
The Geneva convention's whole legal concept was about war, war crimes, and times of war, so no, the legal concept wouldn't be valid in this case.
Cuba wouldn't really be more relevant, because we don't know that "people" on the other side of the mirror pool are suffering under poor dictatorial rule any more than anything else about it.
And one of the things that the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has certainly NOT declared, is the ability to walk across borders wherever and whenever we please.
4637800
The clones were brought there.
I don't even ...
what just happened
another Pinkie ... The real Pinkie?