//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: Pinkie-ness Times Two! // by shysage //------------------------------// Pinkamena Diane Pie grew up in Equestria on a Rock Farm. A Rock Farm was a huge farm with fields full of rocks. No matter how many rocks the family pulled out of these fields, the next day, there seemed to be more rocks. It was a rock farm because rocks mysteriously re-grew in the fields for some reason. It was just impossible to clear the rocks from this land, even after YEARS... These fields were useless for any other purpose as a result. No matter how much work was done here, there were STILL more rocks. It was a job that was never done... As an Earth pony, it was just plain hard to get rocks into a bucket to begin with. And once the bucket was 'full', you had to get the handle of the bucket around your neck. And then you had to carry (or drag) that bucket all the way back. And using a 'saddle-bag' thing, with buckets on both sides, was just harder. Kneel down, crawl out from under the saddle bag harness, kick rocks into the buckets, crawl back under the saddlebag harness, try to stand up with the substantial weight of both full buckets... Especially if you were after big rocks, everything soon hurt. But pain was just a part of life on the Rock Farm. The physical toil was amplified if you actually had to break big rocks into smaller rocks, because that's what your customer wanted. It was painful, back-breaking work... Finding buyers for rocks wasn't too difficult. The main problem was that customers had a hard time justifying paying much for something that could be found along just about any path or road in Equestria. And a customer who came to the Rock Farm and saw ACRES of rocks, didn't think what they were purchasing was rare by any means. The pay was just barely enough to support a meager existance for the family... And did I say that everypony had to help with this? Almost as soon as each Pie could walk, it seemed, they joined the 'fun'. What kind of life was this? Harsh... Scraping out a bare existance through back-breaking work, knowing there was no end in sight... Still, in the midst of this bleak picture, Equestria pony Pinkie Pie had learned both the desire and the ability to bring JOY to those around her. Maybe she just got tired of the rutted frowns she saw, both in the mirror, and on the faces of her family. And, no doubt, Rainbow Dash's well timed Sonic Rainboom played a major part in this. But the transformation that took place in Pinkie's life, outlook, and mission were undeniable... Her friends became her most valuable treasure, and their smiles are what she lives for. Pinkie quickly realized that amazingly fun parties were perfect for that. Maybe that's where the Party Cannon comes in... Some who don't understand this amazing pony would call her a chatterbox. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pinkie grew up in a home where little was said because everything hurt, and there was simply no hope for anything else. Pinkie's new mission gave her "Curly Hair" along with an amazing optimism, and a deep love for her friends, and THAT is what spills out, constantly at times, as Pinkie takes a deep breath, and begins to cheer ponies up. Well, Pinkie lives for her friend's smiles. But when she feels her friends pulling away, Pinkie can become withdrawn, irritable, and nasty. And her hair goes straight too. Nopony likes to see her like that, though. Still, keeping a lot of ponies happy can be a heavy load, and usually her friends do their part to help her carry it. And I have to think that Pinkie watching all of Ponyville SMILE again, and cheer jubilantly, as Pinkie's Cutie Mark got fixed; THAT had to have been one of the most amazing days of Pinkie's life. Not much is known about how her 'Pinkie Sense' came about though. But if there was a diamond somewhere in all those fields (wishful thinking), Pinkie would quickly find it... Or if something was falling out of the sky... Or if there was some dire circumstance about to break loose... Or if someone needed her... Pinkie just knew... 'Pinkie Sense' was amazing... At some point, Pinkie Pie left the Rock Farm, and ended up in Ponyville. She met Princess Twilight and an amazing group of ponies. Pinkie Pie, her new friends, and Equestria would never be the same... For Equestria pony Pinkie Pie's 'Twin', Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie, the story was similar, but the situation was completely different. It wasn't a Rock Farm, it was a dirt 'Circle Track'. Well, the 'Circle Pie' track to be exact. In order for a Circle Track to make money, you need drivers and cars -- enough of both of these to bring in a bunch of spectators. The money came from what the spectators purchased as they watched the 'show'; entrance tickets and refreshments. But there had to be a good 'show' in order to bring spectators in. If this sounds like a vicious circle, it was. Pinkie's parents did this because they loved old cars. Well, they specifically loved 'muscle-cars', those carburated, loud-mouthed demons from the hey-day of pre-smog, pre-safety automobiles. The races were dangerous enough, but when you added adrenaline and 'road rage'... Generally, circle-track drivers bring their own cars, and had crews to maintain them. But not at this Circle Track. The family kept a large stable of late 60's, early 70's 'big iron' running and ready; this was their passion. If they could find drivers, there would be a show. The cars were memorable, and kept as nice-looking as possible. But as you can easily imagine, this fleet of old cars didn't maintain themselves. The Circle Pie track was not a 'main venue', by any means. The track was located in a small community about as far East from the 'big city' as you could go, and still find enough spectators to fill their small stands. And it was usually very hot there, on the edge of the desert. Oh, and one more detail. The family liked to eat, so the Circle Pie ran events year-round. Well, when the rains came, they all got sort of a break, only to have to re-build their track when the rains were gone, and the erosion they brought were done. And the 'earth mover' equipment usually had to be brought back to life each time their use was required. Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie grew up in the middle of this, with a wrench in her hand... ...facing an endless stream of flooding carbs, seized differentials, locked up transmissions, blown motors, froze brakes, dented quarter-panels, etc. And then there were electrical wiring problems, both with the cars, and with the huge, dangerous high wattage lights that made races possible at night... It was usually a mad rush to get EVERYTHING ready by race night. After maybe one and a half hours of show time, the cycle started all over again. It was a job that was never done... The worst task known to man is working on a smoking hot motor when it is still 90 degrees in the shade. This happened a lot... Cuts and busted knuckles from slipped wrenches also happened a lot, too. But pain was just a part of life at the 'Circle Pie'. And generally, everything that could come off these cars, had too, and was usually very heavy. Jacks and power tools only slightly minimized the sheer physical labor required to keep the cars running. And add to that re-arranging the dirt on the track, keeping everything painted, moving crates of food, soda and candies. It was painful, back-breaking work... The cars were nice, and so the show was usually amazing. But the people in the surrounding towns were not so 'well-off' either. And it seemed like as soon as the family would get a little ahead, some big expense (like a new motor for the 'dozer) would eat up any surplus. A long stream of new parts to maintain the cars, was usually met with a dwindling 'net income' from the sales at the track. The pay was just barely enough to support a meager existance for the family... And did I say that everyone had to help with this? Almost as soon as each Pie was old enough to hold a screw-driver, they joined the 'fun'. What kind of life was this? Harsh... Scraping out a bare existance through back-breaking work, knowing there was no end in sight... Still, in the midst of this bleak picture, Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie had learned the ability to bring JOY to those around her. Maybe she just got tired of the rutted frowns she saw, both in the mirror, and on the faces of her family. And noone knows if there was some other 'precipitating factor' like there was for her Twin (Equestria pony Pinkie Pie). But the transformation that took place in Pinkie's life, outlook, and mission were undeniable... Her friends became her most valuable treasure, and their smiles are what she lives for. Pinkie quickly realized that amazingly fun parties were perfect for that. Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie didn't have a Party Cannon, even in Equestria like her Twin, not yet anyway. But in the Equestria Girls world, this funloving girl found a perfect 'party' alternative -- MP3 and a Play List, and this seemed to work almost as well. Some who don't understand this amazing girl would call her a chatterbox. Nothing could be further from the truth. Pinkie grew up in a home where little was said because everything hurt, and there was simply no hope for anything else. Pinkie's new mission gave her "Curly Hair" along with an amazing optimism, and a deep love for her friends, and THAT is what spills out, constantly at times, as Pinkie takes a deep breath, and begins to cheer people up. Well, Pinkie lives for her friend's smiles. But when she feels her friends pulling away, Pinkie can become withdrawn, irritable, and nasty. And her hair goes straight too. Noone likes to see her like that, though. Still, keeping a lot of people happy can be a heavy load, and usually her friends do their part to help her carry it. The Equestria Girls world is usually a harsh, painful and harried place, but Pinkie does what she can. Not much is known about how her 'Pinkie Sense' came about though. But if there was a short somewhere in the main Track Lighting circuit, Pinkie could quickly find it... Or if the CAT wouldn't start... Or if Martha Pie's Camero expectedly quit again on turn 3... Or if the walk-in fridge wasn't cold... Or if Pa Pie's Tablet wasn't finding the Internet... Pinkie just knew... 'Pinkie Sense' was amazing... Equestria Girls Pinkie Pie quickly became the 'go to' person for any problems that were not easily solved. Just a brief description was usually enough for Pinkie to tell what fix was needed. Pinkie grew up around cars, and knew them inside and out, and she had an excellent memory. This may have accounted for some of the solutions she offered... But many of her fixes were just mysterious... Like, one day, her sister brought her a spark plug... Pinkie held it in her hand, stared off into the distance a minute... "Two broken rings on that cylinder, the motor needs to come apart, I'm sorry..." That's just amazing... That's 'Pinkie Sense'... At some point, Pinkie Pie left the 'Circle Pie', headed West, and ended up at Equestria High School. Well, actually, someone died in an accident at the 'Circle Pie' track. The family of the dead driver sued the track, well the Pie family. The driver who died had signed a Release of Liability form (standard practice), but the Judge gave the cars and the track to the family of the dead driver, and it was over. The new 'owners' closed the track and ignored it. The cars rusted away and were soon recycled. The Pie family was scattered to the wind. Still, at Equestria High School, Pinkie met Princess Twilight and an amazing group of friends... Pinkie Pie, her new friends, and Equestria would never be the same...