Pinkamina or is it 'Pinkie' nowadays?
Come now silly filly rest your head,
there live no monsters under your bed.
The words granny pie coed to the frightened filly rolled off the tongue with well practiced precision. The small pink filly curling back under the covers as her grandmother left the room,closing the door behind her.
It started again, the gnawing sound just under her bed. The odd lapping noises and those of sharp teeth snapping solid bone echoed around her room. Nopony believed her, not her mother, her sisters, or granny. She had always been to afraid to tell her father, he always looked upon her with such discontent. It was more than obvious she did not fit into this family and her father knew it all too well.
Every month it was an endless cycle, the noises came then father would start drinking again. Inkie and Blinkie did well to hide in their closets whenever father was home, never take a chance, never get caught.
There were times when she was younger where he would arrive after being gone all day looking for work to no avail but using the last if their bits to become intoxicated.
He would often stagger up the path and into the dilapidated home, No longer being the bearer of bread he was now the one of dread. Mother often tried to console him but her cries fell on deaf ears, soon the pleas became violence. And that is when it all started to happen.
The nights of her family were no longer ended with pleasant Lullaby sung, just the sounds of an argument down stairs and the mother with new bruises come morning. As this went on she made a mistake, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The pink filly was in the kitchen drinking a glass of water as the summer night air filled the room causing goosebumps to raise along her back as the wind whistled by. She knew proper conduct meant refraining from snacking during the dry season, proper meals were difficult to come by the ground was cold like stone during these hard times and looked as if the season was a perpetual dryness that robbed more than the trees of their fruit.
Alas the wind carried the delightful scent of the sweet red apples that now rested neatly upon the counter and her stomach growled in response as if calling to the delectable offering before her, the light pink tongue darting across her pale cracked lips in anticipation.
She had given most of her allotted meal to the younger Inky and beloved Blinkie. With the way their home seemed to collapse around them in more than one way, the very fabric of their family ripping at the seams, Pinkamina had somehow become the one source of stability for her endearing younger sisters.
In essence she was more of a mother than the one of flesh and blood could ever be now.
Pinkamina stared at the bowl, her hooves moving upon their own accord, no longer obeying her brain but a slave to the will of her empty belly as she shakily traversed the kitchen, her face scant inches away from the rim of the bowl. Her blue eyes shimmered in desire as she leaned forward ever so slightly, the straight main flowing from the nape of her neck like a curtain as she managed to snatch a small apple from the bowl.
Her teeth gave little time before going to work, a trail of amber liquid trailing down her delicate face as the fruits sweet and fresh flavors danced upon her tongue. Suddenly in the shadows her worst fears came to light, The vision of her father moving into view was enough to put all of her hairs on end.
The look in the stallions eyes was glazed over by the influence of inebriation and narrowed in utter disgust.
He staggered towards her but what he lacked in coordination he made up for in horrific and malevolent intent.
Perhaps it was this that frightened her more than any monster that lurked beneath her bed, at least that one could have a chance of being simply a figment of her imagination, unfortunately the one before her was proven to be real.
"What do you think you are doing in my house!?"His voice boomed like thunder causing her to cower in fear and awakening everyopony in the house, none however daring enough to venture downstairs for fear of becoming his new target.
There is an old saying usually said to deter bullying among children.
'Sticks and stones may break my bones but words may never hurt me.'
Alas it is to the contrary.
A blade may leave a wound but the scar will form as it heals but more than not...
It is words that are able to cut deeper than any weapon and leave a gaping wound of the heart and soul that will never heal.
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The things that took place in the kitchen as the family heard but pretended it had never occurred would be forgiven as if what had transpired was alright and that her pain never mattered to begin with,that it was not worthy of attention nor acknowledgement.
She would be broken from within and never given chance to call out for help, no pony to confide in and only her gagged screams and cries from that night as her solemn lullaby in the dark.
Pinkamina knew she had to get away, she had to leave this place of nightmares behind her.
'Inky and Blinkie....' Her mind recalled her silent vow to protect them from this broken home that robbed the inhabitants of their fondest dreams and now the only thing she had worth anything that was meant to be reserved for ones special somepony.
Her dreams of being a spring bride one day in Canterlot were faded and gone like the ashes of the long forgotten on the wind, all she could hope for now was a life surrounded with joy that could drown out her despair.
The pink filly sat outside,peering into the water trough as the thoughts swirled in her head of her only way out.
She would feel pity for Inky and Blinkie but after all that had happened, after knowing what he had done. Could they blame her for the idea coming into mind?
It would be so easy, painful perhaps, but easy nonetheless...
All she needed to do was simply lean into her own reflection in the water and soon she would be one with sweet oblivion that promised the key to her freedom.
Giggle at the ghastly, snicker at sinister hee hee haa haaa HOO HOOO HO.
She looked frantically for the source of the ominous words, they rang out in an eerily merry voice that was laced with dark desire.It was enough to catch her attention, you could say the odd tone drew her in like a moth to the flame. Somewhere deep inside she felt as the moth does, she was drawn right into danger knowing she may never return.
Like how the moth flies to the fire, she wanted to be one with true beauty.
As if she had been possessed, her hooves moved steadily towards the source. The sound of her small hooves hitting the creaking wooden floorboards resonated as a gentle yet steady tapping noise as she ascended the stairs.
Poor little pony don't shed your tears, your pain never happens to those who hears.Its high time you conquered your fears.
She followed the voice as it called to her from her own room, her eyes glazing over as the melody began to to lull her.
Hush now, quiet now, Its time to lay your sleepyhead..It's time to go to bed..
Her body moved to the sound, making her way over to her bed. In the back of her mind she knew she was possibly never going to be seen or heard from again and she welcomed this.
She moved down to crawl under her bed, the light fading at glowing red eyes appearing before her as its fanged smile creepily swept underneath those eyes. She gazed upon this site as she fell out of its trans but the feelings within her remained the same. She was filled not with fear or terror, she only felt relief looking into that smile.
It was finally over...she could be free.
She closed her eyes preparing for the end.
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After several moments of waiting, the finishing blow never came. Her sky blue eyes slowly opened to find the world around her was no longer that of the one under her bed. She was now in a world of deep black skies and red terrain.
Jagged mountains lined the horizon around her as a red moon hung above in the sky.
Pinkamina looked around for any sign of life, her eyes meeting those of several ponies with eyes of sunken black. There was a slim chance that she had somehow entered the fabled pony Hell but then again what had she done to deserve such a fate? If her questionable excuse of parental figures were not here there could be no chance of this being Hell.
'You are quite brave even as you approach your grave.'
She snorted in response to these words.
"It is not death anypony should fear nor the things that go bump in the night....Its living with real life monsters in a real living Hell."
'Pinkamina so brave and true, I do have a proposal for you. If you give me thine given name you shall receive a new life to claim.'
The words were tempting and all she had to do was throw away her name, the memories of darker days for a bright future.
What would you have done? Would you have refused?
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Pinkie sighed looking out the window of her new home, every so often those memories of the past came to claim her thoughts from time to time. She would always just smile as she put them back into the dark corner of her mind.
She gave her name and a debt to be paid.
There are times when she felt it would come to collect when she was at her happiest.
As she was breaking from her thoughts Applebloom rushed upstairs to Pinkie with a smile of utter delight.
"Guess what Pinkie? There are new ponies in town!"
Pinkie put on her best smile, it was time to bring out the welcoming wagon, her favorite past time.
With a skip in her step and a song in her voice she ran downstairs to greet the newcomers. Her eyes rested to look down the main road onto the new ponies of which she would be fast friends with.
The curly mane deflated as the contraption fell from her shoulders. Her blue eyes widened in pure fear as the figures became more visible.
It was Inky and Blinkie.
They were the same as she had left them, they were young fillies without their cutie marks. Their eyes narrowed as they looked upon her.The black filling their eyes as twisted smiles crawled up their faces.
She took two steps back in fear before she found herself unable to move. Pinkine began to struggle and then paled out as the image of herself from those days appeared between them.
'You can't run from who you are Pinkamina..or is it 'Pinkie' Nowadays?'
She shook her head in horror, the sweat creeping down her face."G..Go away. This can't be happening..."
'You abandoned us....you abandoned yourself. Come, let us be one again......'
The specters surrounded her in a flash, their disturbing smiles and echoing laughter engulfing her.
Pinkie Pie remember who you are
all of us must bear a scar.
If we ignore and run too far
you shall fade like a dying star.
Pinkamina do not cry, you shall be born again
my eternal lullaby.
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Somewhere in Equestria a pink pony falls to darkness
and at the same time another is born with the chance to try again, for her life to make amend.