When The Past Is A Present (You'd Like To Return)

The nurses had been keeping Avalon informed of everything that was happening to her mother. It had been another day since Avalon had gone to see her. There had been no change, but there had been a small influx of mental energy. They had hoped that was a sign of her waking up, but…

Avalon sighed, putting down the rag she was using to clean the dishes and closing her eyes. She had already been through a coma with her mother. Pinkie had been knocked out by a demon that was trying to control her, and had been in a coma like state. At the time, Avalon had been pregnant with her first child, and had been married to her first husband, Flare. She shuddered even thinking about him. He had been a horrible husband, but he had been all she had.

The fact that she had known at the time that Flare was the best she could do tore at her heart.

Avalon felt warm tears fall from her eyes. What could she do? Her mother was in a coma, and the nurses didn’t know how long it would last. It could be a week, or it could be the rest of her life. Her father was still locked away in his room, even though Avalon desperately needed anypony, SOMEPONY to help her through this.

As though on cue, vines took a hold of her from behind, massaging her back lightly. She gasped and smiled. “Bristle…”

Behind her was the figure she knew well now, a pony by the name of Bristle. Through a horrible incident with a timberwolf, he had become a pony after… well, after being a tree. He was very calm, and he had been one of the first to come to her after she had broken up with Flare. He had comforted her and calm her, and genuinely helped her. Now they were married, and even had a kid.

He smiled at her, looking over the sunglasses he wore. “Avi, what’s wrong?”

She smiled slightly at his soothing voice and his massaging vines. It was nice to have a husband who could massage you at any given moment. “Other than mum being in another coma an’ dad locked up in his room, everything’s fine.”

Bristle walked closer and kissed her lightly. “Everything gets better with time, Avi.”

She nodded as he wiped away her tears. “I just wonder what’s going on in her mind…”

Bristle nodded and picked her up with his vines. “None the less, now is not the time for these thoughts. Come, we should go to bed.”

Avalon nodded, smiling at her husband. “I’m lucky to have you, Brissy.” He smiled at the nickname and carried her upstairs.

~*~*~*~*~

They were shouting again. The walls of the house were so thin, and every scream and every shattering of a plate or dish echoed through Pinkie’s head. She was 6 years old today. It was her birthday. Not that anypony remembered, of course. Her mother had been so busy working in the kitchen, she hadn’t seen Pinkie all day. Her sisters were old enough to work in the fields now, and they had gone out early this morning. As for her father…

“DIANE!!”

She winced, hearing him shout for her. He always was angry with her about something. This argument was between her father and mother. She didn’t want to interfere.  Sadly, simple non - action was not an option. She heard a loud banging on her door. “PINKAMENA DIANE PIE, GET OUT HERE!”

Softly Pinkie stood and walked to the door. She opened it, only to receive a slap from the man standing there. She stumbled back slightly, but only from surprise and not from pain. Her face had grown used to the slapping from her father. Her hoof went to her cheek as she glared at her father. “Yes, dad?”

He held up a small grey doll, in the shape of her sister, Inkie. “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!”

Pinkie frowned slightly, brushing her flat mane out of her face. “I-I thought I had put that awa-“ She was cut off as her father smacked her again, causing her to fall to the floor.

“HELL WITH THAT! ‘YOU THOUGHT’?! YOU DON’T HAVE THE RIGHT TO THINK! YOU’RE NOTHING BUT THE BASTARD DAUGHTER OF MY WIFE!” Pinkie flinched at his words, able to smell the alcohol on his breath. He had been drinking again. “I’VE TOLD YOU NOT TO LET YOUR FUCKING TOYS OUT!”

“D-daddy, I’m sorry, I-I just-“

“DON’T SPEAK! YOU HAVEN’T EARNED THE RIGHT TO SPEAK!” He held the doll in his two hooves and began to tug on the hooves. “THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS TO PONIES WHO DON’T LISTEN!” With that, he pulled apart the doll at the seams, splitting it in half.

Pinkie gasped as the two halves of Inkie fell to the floor, stuffing spilling out like blood. “NOW, YOU STAY IN THIS ROOM TONIGHT,” he father screamed at her. Pinkie adverted her gaze, knowing better than to look him in his eyes. “IF I SEE YOU AT ALL TONIGHT, YOU’LL WISH YOU WEREN’T BORN!” With that, he huffed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Pinkie sighed, tears in her eyes. She stood and looked in the mirror in front of her, dusty and old. She looked at her reflection, he eyes scanning her entire face and body. Her eyes already looked older and more mature than 2 years ago. Her mane was frayed in places from the small amount of rock harvesting she did nowadays. She saw flecks of rock dust in her mane and tail and sighed. She had tried to get rid of it often, but nothing got it out.

She brushed her flat mane out of her face, staring at her bruised cheek. The words her father had said echoed in her mind. “I’ll make you wish you weren’t born,” she whispered to herself, watching her tears roll down her face. “Bit late for that, Dad…”

Behind Pinkie stood the cloaked pony, unnoticed by the small filly. She was invisible in this place, she knew. She walked up to Pinkie and threw back her hood, revealing herself to be none other than the filly herself, though a filly who had lived through it all. The mare Diane hugged the little girl as best she could, her hooves going through the girl. “Don’t give up, Pinks. I know you can get through this… You have to get through this, because there’s worse to come.”

The filly only felt a slight breeze by her and looked behind herself. Nothing there. She shrugged, sighed, and went to bed without supper. Again. After all, that’s all bad girls got to eat, was nothing. She fell asleep quickly to fitful dreams of darkness and flames. That was all she dreamed of now.