//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Flames // Story: From The Ashes // by Horizon Sunrise //------------------------------// It was bad. Real bad. We flew to a secluded part of the base camp. This part of the camp has only one building made out of cement. The trees have all been scortched down, making a baren wasteland. “I’m warning you Twilight, but there is a reason why Pinkie has her own area in base camp.” Rainbow said, with Fluttershy nodding in agreement. “She is our friend, I don’t think she will hurt us.” I said confidently. “Ok then…” As we walked closer to the building, we could hear the conversation in the building. “What is Starlight planning with the new weapon?” Her voice was muffed by her mask. “I will not tell you! You monster!” “Welp… tried the easy way, time to pump it up a notch.” “Ah!” Looking through a small peephole I saw a stallion lying on a table, strapped onto it. There was this tube that was spewing out fire at the stallion as he screamed. I would have also screamed too, if Fluttershy didn’t cover my mouth. The pony in the dark suit didn’t stop. The flames kept on burning him. The smell of the burning flesh made me want to puke. Finally the flames stopped coming out of the tube. What remained of the stallion were his upper body and head. All his lower hooves were blackened so much that it was barely recognisable. “You gonna budge now?” The pony in the black looked at him menacingly. “Never…” “Guards, send him back! I’ll deal with him tomorrow.” Instantly two royal guards dragged the table away, further into the house. That was the most I could see from the peephole. Then the pony looked at the peephole. I hid as quickly as possible, scared of the pony. I looked at Rainbiw Dash and Fluttershy, surprised that they are unfazed by the incident. I must say, in this universe, Fluttershy is more bold. The door opened. The dark suit pony came out of the house with an axe. She raised it, aiming at me! I closed my eyes and hold out my hooves. “Pinkie stop!” Rainbow shouted. “She is no rogue Changling! She is from another timeline here to fix things. Honest.” She hesitated for a bit, then put down the axe and took out her mask. The mare under the mask does not look like Pinkie at all! Her face was covered with cuts and burn marks. Her mane was straight, replacing the fluffy mane I’m used to. Her coat was also a darker pink. There was one feature that was missing in this Pinkie that makes me shiver. She isn’t smiling. “Hello, Twilight.” Pinkie looked down. “I’m guessing you are terrified of me. Your eyes tell a lot.” “What… what happened to you Pinkie!” I raised my voice. “You just burnt a Stallion! Without even any care for him! That was-” “Twilight,” Fluttershy cut me. “This is war. All’s fair in love and war. You have no right to question Pinkie!” “It’s ok Fluttershy.” A tear dripped from her face. “I have to tell someone else other than just you and RD.” Fluttershy backed off, letting Pinkie talked. “Twilight… have you ever seen your whole family being slaughtered by the enemy with nothing you can do?” - After Starlight Glimmer declared war on basically everypony in the region, I had to flee Ponyville as it was too dangerous, or at least that’s what they said. I was sad for Twilight but I knew I had to move on. Back then I was childish and naive. I wanted smiles from all ponies. But I have never thought that sometimes, some ponies will never smile. Before I left, I tried to unify the two fighting armies together once for a ‘Let’s stop fighting and have a party’ party. But I was immediately shot at by a sniper. I must say, their snipers are not the best, missing a stationary target. I kept trying and trying, but they forced me to stop. I moved back to the rock farm with my family. I was so happy that they were in one piece. Life in the rock farm was the same as I remembered it. It was so peaceful and cheerful. Until she has to ruin everything! Just two days after my arrival, Starlight and five of her elite ‘Stormtroopers’ (Armed with a standard issue rifle with a bayonet and some explosives) ransacked the whole farm and captured all of us. There was nowhere to hide, they searched everywhere and violently pulled us out of the house. They lined up everyone just in front of the house, but Starlight pulled me out of it. She made me look at my battered family. “Well, Well, Well. If it isn’t the element of laughter herself.” Starlight smirked. “ You were always smiling, let’s see whether you can laugh your way out of this!” She turned to her stormtroopers. “Kill them.” All of the troopers raised their rifles. One by one, my family fell, and I could feel my heart breaking in two. First Dad, then Mom. Marble… Limestone… All that was left was Maud. She looked at me and did the one thing I thought she’ll never do. She cried. “NO! STO-” Bang! The last shot. The ground stained with her tears. Her soul was sent to the afterlife with the rest of my family. I was the last pie now. No family to love anymore. And to add insult to injury, Starlight lit up their bodies with magic. Starlight laughed. After all that she did, she laughed. Her evil and snarky laugh made my blood boil and that made me finally grow up. My soul died with my family, and there can no longer be remorse for the enemy. I felt my mane flattening and my colour fading away from me as I lose my control. “So Pinkie! Now you will-” My hoof connected to her face. The sound of her jaw breaking pleased me as I saw her stumble with the bottom jaw hanging from her face. “Gesh hhar!” She commanded. Immediately the five aimed down their sights at me. I ran up to one of them and snapped their neck before they reacted. I picked up the rifle and charged at the next pony. He instinctively raised his flamethrower but I came at him at such speeds that he has no time to pull the trigger. The bayonet pierced through his heart. As I pull out the bayonet, the sweet warm blood poured onto me. I turned around, seeing the three stormtroopers shooting at me, and… somehow missing me. (I swear. Sometimes these ponies are actually the stormtroopers from Star Wars. Or maybe it’s just Horizon’s idea.) I raised the rifle fired three consecutive shots. Three bodies fell on the rocky floor. I looked around for Starlight Glimmer, but was nowhere to be found. A true coward, she is. I moved over to the ashes of my family and dropped my rifle. Five dark spots on the floor, five lives I hold dear lost. I laid on the ground and screamed! The release of the anger and frustration of their deaths have given way to my tears. I laid there for hours, not moving an inch. - “From that day forward, I lost my powers and my cheerful spirit. I joined the Equestrian Army as an infantry unit. But after a few years into the war, the higher-ups saw my bloodlust and gave me the flamethrower you just saw. I was given this land here to torture the Prisoners of War, that is the soldiers we captured while fighting, to extract information about her new plans.” By that time, I was stunned by her backstory. Starlight has specifically targeted Pinkie Pie to make her life miserable. I’m starting to think that maybe I shouldn’t have tried to reform her in the first place. “But that’s all in the past Twilight,” Pinkie tried to say cheerfully. “Since you’re here to help, I guess you can just sign up at the boot camp and get your gun!” “Remember Twilight,” Rainbow warned. “This war means real business, that means ponies are going to die in front of you everyday. You can back out at any moment, just tell AJ or me.” “Thanks Pinkie and Rainbow, but I have to stop this war. I’m sent here for a reason, so I will fulfill my mission to… hopefully get back.” I’m now more comfortable about fighting now, thanks to Pinkie’s backstory. “Nice!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Let’s get you signed up!”