Pinkamena Diane Pie
United States
State of Lincoln
Pony Reservation 011 (Green Zone)
4:24 AM
Pinkie shot up in bed, crutching her chest, feeling her heart pounding against her ribs, her blue and milky white eyes darting around the small room for signs of fire. Closing her eyes, she steadied her breath before slowly rolling herself off the foam mattress. Pinkie slowly stumbled to a nearby cheap vanity, sitting on the small bench. For a moment, she stared at herself, like she did every day, her mind still not immediately recognizing the reflection. Sighing, she reached up and began to unwrap the bandages on her head, feeding the gauze into a large jar filled with rubbing alcohol. Slowly, she pulled off the rest of the dressings covering her body, keeping her eyes on the mirror before her.
"Pinkie?" The monotone voice of her sister nearly caught her off guard.
"Morning, Maud..." She responded with the same enthusiasm, glancing over at the greyish mare.
"You weren't going to try and do that yourself, were you? You know you need help to do it properly..." Maud said, trotting behind her younger sister.
"Maybe..." Pinkie mumbled as she began to open a separate jar of gauze soaked in an herbal tincture, passing it to her sister.
Maud started at her sister's back hooves, covering her sister's burns and working her way up. "We're working Holders Refuge today..."
"Mmmm?" Pinkie suppressed a groan as her sister tightened the bandages around her chest.
"We haven't been there since we were fillies..." Maud said while she continued to wrap her sister's burned body.
"Ya..." Pinkie just stared at her reflection blankly.
Maud would then carefully wrap her sister's neck, steadily making her way up to her head. She thought about continuing to talk but saw her sister's reluctance; instead, she focused on wrapping her head. " Can you still see? Do you need me to adjust them?"
"Mhm..." Pinked nodded her head as she shifted herself back onto her hooves. "I'm gonna go check on Pound before I go..." she said as Maud watched her sister walk out of the small room after grabbing another jar of soaking gauze, a faint frown on her face.
Pinkie would make her way out to the slightly bigger central room, seeing Maud had cooled some eggs and cheese toast for them on the small wood stove. Ignoring her growling stomach, she slowly trotted to another door, opening it carefully before peaking in. The burned mare could see the young foal just starting to wake up, letting out a faint whine as he tossed and turned. As he did so, she saw his barrel was wrapped as well. Her lip quivered momentarily before steadying again; taking a shallow breath, Pinkie approached his bed.
"Pound? Breakfast..." She mumbled, nudging his cheek with her wrapped muzzle.
"Mmmf? Morning momma..." Pound yawned slowly, sitting up in his bed and pushing the covers off. Once settled, he raised his forehooves for her so she could replace his wrappings.
"I'm not momma..." Pinkie mumbled as she peeled off the wrappings and tightened the new ones onto him, making him gasp from the faint burning sensation.
Pound just lowered his head sadly but held his tongue.
"There... now Maud has made eggs and toast... eat your fill and get ready for the bus... your jacket is by the door..." Pinkie slid off his bed and trotted out with him, eventually following her out.
The three of them soon sat quietly at the small circular table; Pinkie clasped her hooves together, followed by Maud and eventually Pound. "We thank the earth for this bountiful harvest, the father who taught us to harvest its fruits, and the mother who shaped us in thine image, amen..." The faint crunching of pan-fried toast soon followed after Pinkie's prayer. The humble meal was finished quickly, with only some water to help wash it down.
Maud looked at the clock resting under her cot near the woodstove after wiping her muzzle clean with her foreleg. "Our bus will be here in 20 minutes..."
"Which means your bus will be here in 30..." Pinkie said, looking at Pound, her faint frown hidden under her bandaged muzzle. "Keep your bandages clean... and avoid scratching your scars... You don't want to get another infection on your back..."
"Yes, Mo-.. ma'am..." He nodded his head before licking his plate clean.
Maud's mouth twitched, watching the two as she took the plates and set them into a washbasin resting on a splintered shelf. Giving them a quick scrub with a sponge before setting them up on a wire rack to dry. "Ready to go, Pinkie?"
"Mhm..." Pinkie worked herself up from her seat, absentmindedly slipping on homemade faux leather boots over her wrapped hooves when she got near the door.
The two mares exited their home and began their slow trot to the bus stop. The dreary identical shacks lining the dirt road do little to cheer them up, their neighbors just barely following after them. More than a few strumbled a bit as they suffered hangovers from the night before, a lesson they seemed to refuse to learn from. It wasn't long until the sorry lot stood by the bus stop, though they appeared to give Pinkie and Maud a wide birth.
Pinkie wasn't bothered by this. Instead, she kept her eyes looking down the dusty road, waiting for the bus to appear through the heat haze. Her attentiveness was rewarded as the ugly brown bus rumbled over the badlands, kicking up a variable duststorm; eventually, it would stop before the depressed-looking herd of ponies and open its doors. Ponies began to step aboard, milling about to their seats; there was no preference beyond taking the first bench that was available to them.
Maud and Pinkie were the exceptions to this, making their way to the back of the bus, where it tended to be quieter. Neither talked; instead, they were content to look out the windows to watch the badlands roll past them. In the distance, they could see the ugly glare of the sun reflecting off the monstrosity known as Dilong. The imposing bucket-wheel excavator seemed to grow in size as they approached the mines, the machine looming over the quarries and shafts like a hungry beast... a constant reminder to the ponies that for many, their continued employment was held on a thread that would be cut as soon as the infernal machine was awoken. The bus came to a stop outside a large corrugated metal building; as soon as the doors opened, the herd of ponies began a solemn march in to get their gear and assignments for the day.
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Pinkie and Maud sat down in the transport cars, holding their pickaxes on their laps, the two of them passing glances at Fido's hulking form. The brutish Diamond Dog brought a whistle to his lips and blew an obnoxious tweet, signaling they were about to depart. The rest of the miners hurriedly scurred onboard. Seeing the cars were packed, Fido slowly made his way to the small engine and squeezed inside the cabin.
With a jerk causing a few ponies to bump their helmets against each other, the train began to rumble over the tracks, entering the mine slowly. The harsh sun was soon replaced with deficient electric lights that lined the dark tunnel. Already, a few of the miners switched on their headlamps in an attempt to chase away the darkness that was consuming them. But those were little better than the lights lining the tunnel, no doubt another import from China, just like the eternally under-repair Dilong. The darkness didn't seem to bother Pinkie or Maud; it was only when the train finally came to a stop at the lowest levels of Holders Refuge that they bothered to turn on their lamps.
Fido squeezed back out of the electric locomotive with his little clipboard, taking a moment to clear his throat. His gravelly voice began to assign the various ponies into groups before pointing to what veins of the mine they would be working. Pinkie looked impassively as she watched the multiple ponies around her and her sister slowly form work-herds. Slowly, they began to disperse, making their way down the dark mine shafts, their lights quickly vanishing in the gloom.
"Alright, you ponies, with me," Fido said, pointing at Maud and Pinkie. "You know tunnels well; boss wants us to scout for more mineral deposits." He grumbled out.
Maud blinked her stoic face, hiding her surprise. "Understood..."
"Mhm..." Pinkie just mumbled, nodding her head.
Fido didn't bother to explain further, instead heading to one of the sections that was currently fenced off. Taking a moment to dig through his coveralls, he pulled out a key and began to fiddle with the large padlock. A loud clunk was heard as the lock was opened and cast aside, allowing Fido to open the gate. "Ponys stay close, tunnels unstable since convergence, needs more buttresses...." He mumbled before making his way in.
Maud glanced at her sister, only to see she was already following after Fido. Not wanting to be left behind, Maud trotted after them, a faint sigh escaping under her breath.
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Pinkie listened to Fido mumble to himself as he wrote down their findings, her eyes focused on a Stalactite that loomed above. The sheer size of the formation was difficult to gauge even with her lamp, as the cavern's ceiling was beyond the meager lights reach. Closing her eyes, she listened to the sounds of the cave itself, tuning out Fidos mumbling. Her ears twitched, hearing the flow of air through the tunnels, the roar of the underground rivers, and drops of mineral-rich water trickling down to form new formations.
"Ponies know how to listen to Earth?" Pinkie was shaken from her thoughts by Fido's question.
"...Yes, our parents taught us how..." Pinkie Mumbled through her bandages.
Fido blinked, looking surprised. "Thought ponies don't like underground..."
Maud shook her head. "Some don't; others found safety in it."
Fido leaned against a nearby stone outcrop. "How so?"
Pinkie exhaled sadly. "When the Windigos came, not all of us fled with our leaders... some of us sheltered below... The earth provided us warmth while the fools squabbled."
"What about food?" Fido tilted his head, looking more thoughtful.
"It's said the Father taught our ponies how to harvest the cave fungus and moss." Pinkie hummed, remembering her father's teachings.
"No think ponies even knew they were edible..." Fido chuckled sadly. "Brothers and I seem like only dogs who still eat them now, though..."
"We only eat them on holidays as a way to give thanks..." Maud had a faint smirk on her face, remembering the Apple Family's reaction to the Rock Soup.
"Diamond Dogs found safety underground once..." Fido frowned and looked a little depressed. "Momma spoke of cities hidden deep in earth... far from the dangers long ago..."
"What happened?" Pinkie seemed to be curious.
"Sickness came... dogs fled... after long time, sickness passed... but dogs no remember how to get back... cities lost..."
"You... lost your cities?" Maud seemed incredulous.
"Yes... cities protected by mazes of tunnels... no dog thought to write down the way... they just meant to know..."
"What happened after that?" Pinkie tilted her head.
"Dogs wondered for long time... eventually settled into the mercies of ponies..." He said the last part bitterly, though neither of the Pie sisters made excuses. "If ponies found safety in earth... why you in Equestria... come for Cultural Festival?"
"We eventually lost our home too..." Pinkie closed her eyes. "Not all ponies who stayed behind found safety in the earth... some survived in the tundras... becoming something... less... something dark... they found us..."
"You no fight?" Fido asked.
"Yes, our ancestors did... but the Foals of the Windigos... were strong... each attack left fewer of our ponies... eventually the Mother led us on a great pilgrimage..." Maud decided to speak.
"It's said the Father stayed behind to stop them from following... giving his life so that the Mother and his Ponies may live on..." Pinkie sighed.
"Pony's in Equestria just accept you?..." Fido asked
"Not... entirely... we often kept to ourselves in Holders Valley..." Maud mumbled, shuffling her hooves.
"Equestrians not known for their mercies to outsiders..." Fido nodded in understanding before turning his attention back to his notebook. "Findings good..."
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United States
State of Lincoln
Jacksons Hole (40 miles from the Reservation)
Edison Elementary
Gymnasium
11:32 AM
Pound fidgeted as he waited in line for his lunch; various warming tray carts had been wheeled out onto the wood floor. His sensitive nose picked up the unappetizing smells of overcooked vegetables, burned cheese, and stale pastry. Grabbing a lunch tray in his mouth, he slowly shuffled along with the other students, occasionally putting it down on the serving carts to load up on over-salted beans, mushy fruit compote, a slice of "fresh" Banana bread, and some slightly burned deep fried tofu cutlets smothered in a slimy mushroom gravy. He wisely got some ketchup packets after seeing his entree before heading to the kiosk and setting it down for inspection.
The apathetic-looking lunch lady stared at his tray, making sure he had the basic food groups, before setting a milk carton on his tray from a nearby fridge. She then scanned his student ID, which was pinned on his jacket. "Enjoy your lunch..." She said with a tired voice with a hint of annoyance.
Pound just nodded his head politely. "Thank you, Miss Delores," He said before taking his trat back in his mouth and quickly trotting away, knowing better than to try and make conversation with her.
Slipping back out of the gymnasium, he made his way through the open-air hallways of the school, eventually making his way into the 1st-grade classroom. Slipping through the open door, he slinked his way to the far corner where most of his fellow pony students' desks rested. He set his meal on the table before sitting down, twitching under his dark blue jacket, attempting to ignore the itch on his back. Looking down at his meal, he began to awkwardly try to eat with his hooves, trying to ignore the foals nearby whispering and staring at his back.
Chewing open a few packets of ketchup, he grasped them in his hooves, messily dumping them onto the fried tofu before leaning his muzzle down to eat. He attempted to do it as fast as possible, his lack of experience doing things the Earth Pony way a constant source of embarrassment. He swallowed the overcooked bean curd down before quickly wiping his messy muzzle with his foreleg. The snickers from the foals watching him made him lower his ears; staring at the lunch tray, his eyes wandered to the wrapped piece of banana bread.
Vague memories wafted up from the recess of his mind; images of a pudgy blue mare and lanky orange stallion surfaced, their faces obscured in a blurred haze. Snorting, he shook his head and pushed the tray away; his appetite soured. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he watched the second hand slowly tick away. He counted along as the minute hand slowly moved, tuning out the sounds around him.
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Lunch came and went without much fuss, leading on to recess. Pound slowly trotted out to the playground along with the other foals, keeping close to the herd to avoid trouble from the other kids. The young colt was on autopilot before Ginger Tea nudged him out of his stupor. He suppressed a yelp as the filly's hoof brushed a bit too close to his bandaged back.
"H-Huh? Oh, hey Ginger... what's up?" He asked, forcing an awkward smile while biting his tongue.
"I brought something cool from home. Wanna see it?" She looked rather giddy, as if she had some kind of treasure in her pocket.
"S-sure?...." Pound raised an eyebrow, curious about what she could have.
"Follow me to the spot behind the swing set, near the Salmonberry bushes... I'm not supposed to have it, and I don't want the teachers to see..." Her eyes shifted from side to side before running off the secluded area of the playground.
Pound innocently followed after her, quickly getting himself into a brisk gallop; he chased after her. He made his way around the playground to the Salmonberry bushes, momentarily looking around, confused for his friend, before he felt something bite his tail and drag him into the foliage. Sputtering as he spat out a few leaves, he found Ginger smiling cheekily behind him. He only gave her an annoyed look in response; still, despite the rough handling, he was still interested in seeing what she brought.
"Promise you won't tell?" Ginger leaned forward.
"Ummm, I promise?"
"Nuh-huh, make it a Pinkie Promise!" She smiled.
Pound sighed but began the motions. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye..." He mumbled.
"Eh... good enough... not exactly like the Friendship Journal said, though..." Ginger pouted before smiling wide again. "Oh well! So you ready to see?!"
"I-I mean, I'm here, aren't I?" Pound tilted his ears back from her excited shout.
Ginger just giggled, digging around into her jacket pocket before pulling out... a large bullet casing? "Well... I see what you didn't want the teacher to see... but it doesn't seem that special...."
"Nuh uh, look closer..." Ginger held it up, revealing it was tampered with, a small flint wheel attached to the side. "Watch!" She flicked the lighter, which caused the bullet to swing off the top of the casing on a hinge. "My momma got it as payment when one of her clients tried to shortchange her... It's called a Trench Lighter!" She began to try and spark the flint with her other hoof.
"Ginger, I-I dunno if-" Pound's eyes focused on the sparks as they flew off the flint wheel. "G-Ginger p-please s-stop..."
"Hold on, almost got it..." Ginger stuck out her tongue, focusing on the old improvised lighter.
Pound began to hyperventilate, seeing another spray of sparks from the flint, his legs locking up. "G-Ginger...." He barely managed to squeak out.
"Almost got it..." Ginger spun the wheel one more time... and finally, the wick caught, a long bright orange flame growing from the brass shell; she slowly held it up to her face. "Ther-"
Ginger didn't even get to finish before Pound began to scream.
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United States
State of Lincoln
Hornwright Badlands Mine
Cafeteria
12:11 PM
Maud and Pinkie slowly pushed their lunch trays in as they waited what was not so jokingly called the feed line. Bored-looking caterers stood behind sneezeguards as they dug their ladles into warming trays before dumping the contents onto their plates. It was far from fancy, mostly consisting of fried rice, a questionably gelatinous egg soup, broccoli stems, and some kind of small fried fish... hopefully sprats or sardines... It was a filling meal, but the lack of seasoning beyond the handfuls of salt was always felt on the tongue.
Pinkie wordlessly took her tray into her mouth, carrying it to a deserted table in the corner of the lunch barracks. Setting it down, she clasped her hooves together, waiting for Maud to join her in the silent prayer. After a few moments, Pinkie broke her hooves apart and began to eat, careful not to dirty the bandages around her face. Glancing over at her older sister, she sighed. "You have something to say, Maud?"
Maud's stoic expression formed into a slight frown. "You could be more open to Pound..."
"There isn't anything to be open about... he should know by now how things are." Pinkie slowly chews her overcooked broccoli stems. "I'm not his mother, and never will be..."
"And why's that?" Maud snorted, her frown deepening.
"You know why." Pinkie looked up from her meal, annoyed.
"Cause his birth mother is ashes? That doesn't make sense, and you know it; you never complain when he calls Cheese dad."
"That's different," Pinkie grumbled as she sipped her egg soup.
"How?" Maud ground her teeth, her usually emotionless eyes forming into a glare.
"Cheese isn't responsible for what happened to that colts family..." Pinke met her glare with an empty stare.
"You're not responsible for what those Royal Gaurd stallions did." Maud leaned forward.
"No, I'm not... do you know what I'm responsible for?" Pinkie exhaled through her nose and returned a glare.
Maud matched her glare. "There's nothing that could have been done... You can't keep holding that on your haunches..."
"But there was something that could've been done... but I was too busy sleeping off a sugar crash..." Pinkie stared at her sister. "While I was out of my mind nursing a hangover, that colts family died screaming for me...."
"Pinkie...."
"I remember it... hearing them... but my brain was too addled to make sense of it..." Pinkie ran her hoof over her back legs. "It wasn't until the fires spread to the bed sheets and started to roast me that I finally woke up..."
Maud swallowed as her eyes widened.
"The nursery was up in flames by the time I got to him..." She seemed to stare into the distance. "I don't know how he got out of the crib... but that colt had to listen to his parent's.... a-and watch his s-sister... e-even his w-wings…" Pinkie stuttered before taking a deep breath, her eyes losing emotion. "Dad was right... my hedonistic life had consequences... but others ended up paying what was due... and you think I deserve to be called his mother?"
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Yeowch, I was expecting fire damage but it sounds like Pinkie got a large chunk of her body burned and Pound got damage to his back. Can only imagine the horrified soldier that found them during the disaster.
Damn, no wonder Pinkie's so depressed, I thought it was only because she was unable to save them all.
Loved the lore with the Earth Ponies and Diamond Dogs.
did glim-glam survived? is sunset shimmer canon on your story if so what happened to her?
Glad to see you continuing this story. I am interested in the fact that Pinkie's family were considered outsiders despite being ponies themselves. I hope you are doing ok.
So the royal guard burned down the cakes house?
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They did burn down and salted Sweet Apple Acres, so I'm not surprised.
.......goddamn dude.
11679163
Scorched earth policy, ordered by Celestia. She would rather have it all burnt to the ground then letting humanity take it..
It's been a while since last chapter.
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Also, just double checking, they said what happened to Celestia, right?
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Yes, they clarified Celestia's state and madness as well as her end. Not sure which chapter it is in though, but this story is good to reread.
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It was Twilight Sparkle part 1, she admitted, in hindsight, that Celestia had all the symptoms of Mana-Induced Dementia.
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Thank you.
11680835
Been a while since I read this.
Did Celestia explicitly tell the royale guard keep the ponies in their homes when they started the fire? Or did she just not care enough to order them to evacuate first
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She didn't care enough to evacuate any ponies first. She was just focused on destroying the farms and resources so humanity couldn't use them.
Muchas gracias por actualizar.
Poor Pinkie. I think she would be a good mother.
The lore for her family is interesting but weirdly grandiose for some random rock farming family.
How many many of these underground ponies are there? Is there a community or is it just the Pie family.