The Shadow of Her Life

by Pegasignia

Rating: teen
Tags: Slice of Life, Dark, Sad
Length: 5597

Pinkie Pie relives the most tramatic part of her life all over again, with an unclear resolution.

Pinkie Pie's childhood is largely unknown to almost everyone in Equestria, and for a good reason, because she doesn't want to recount the events herself. But when the pink pony accidentally stumbles upon some of her old childhood possessions, the memories - and even the actual characters - of her past come in full force to torment her once again. Pinkie needs all the help she can get if she is to avoid falling into her own perpetual darkness - a darkness that may even extinguish her very life.

* This is my first fanfiction, and it's seeming like it will turn out to be quite a lengthy one. Please give me constructive criticism and tell me how I can improve. Every view this story gets means a lot to me, so I'd like to give back my full potential to this awesome community. =)

Cover image by *raikoh14 on deviantART — http://raikoh14.deviantart.com/art/Sad-Pinkie-Pie-270424397

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-03-23 03:27:33 UTC

Dreams of the Past

~ The Shadow of Her Life ~

Written by MxTheSlayer

“Ready or not, here I come!”

Pinkie Pie uncovered her eyes, giddy with excitement as she began to search for the hidden ponies. She had spent the first half of the day helping out in Sugarcube Corner, but had decided to take a break and play a game of hide-and-go-seek with the ragtag band of fillies, the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Even though she was a full-grown pony, she always welcomed the occasional round of a foals’ game. Needless to say, her current session lasted quite longer than a round - precisely, an hour. Pinkie had let the fillies play as the seekers up until this point, and she was ecstatic to finally get her turn to search.

And so the hunt began. Under the table, in the closet, behind the door… nothing. Pinkie had a tougher time finding the girls than she had expected. However, that came to an end when she heard a little giggle from behind one of the cabinets. That giggle turned out to have come from Sweetie Belle.

“Aw, you found me! I should have found a better spot to hide in…”

“That wasn’t a bad spot at all! You’re really good at this, Sweetie Belle!” Pinkie chimed in. Sweetie Belle smiled at the compliment, and opened her mouth to say thanks, but Pinkie was already bounding off to find the other two ponies.

She searched the kitchen next, where she found Applebloom hiding in - repulsively - the trash can. “That sure is a weird place to hide in, but I found you anyway! Now I just need to find Scooaloo.”

Pinkie searched the first floor of the house inside-out, but didn’t find a trace of the remaining filly. She headed to the second floor and searched the bedrooms, but Scootaloo wasn’t there either. The only place left was the attic. Pinkie ascended the creaky stairs, entered the dusty room, and looked around for Scootaloo. Sure enough, a pair of wings stuck out from behind a pile of rusty metal parts.

“Finally! I was starting to think you’d never find me!” exclaimed the young orange pegasus.

“It definitely wasn’t easy, Scoot!”

“Allright, let’s play again! I wanna be the seeker this time.”

“I think we’ve played enough for now. I gotta help Mr. and Mrs. Cake finish their cookies!” Scootaloo protested for a moment, but agreed to stop playing afterwards. She left the attic to tell her friends that it was time to head out. Pinkie followed close behind, taking her time to peek at all of the ancient-looking artifacts in the storage room. There were so many things that Pinkie didn’t even know that the Cakes had owned. There were, above all, a multitude of quirky-looking baking utensils, along with furniture, books, and… boxes. Lots of boxes. Were there more cool items in those? Pinkie marveled what might be stored within. The Cakes could have generations worth of stuff in these! It would certainly be a neat experience to sift though all of the objects in those packages.  However, time was of the essence, as the pink mare did need to help bake those delicious cookies. Pinkie took one last look at the containers, and finally headed to the stairs.

But something had caught her eye. She glanced back at the last pile of crates that she was examining, and paused in confusion. A familiar looking, broken down cardboard box laid on top of the pile. For a moment, Pinkie couldn’t remember why the box triggered her memory. She stood staring at it, until suddenly she remembered its significance. At the revelation, her eyes widened and she felt like her heart skipped a beat. It was the box… for a second, she considered opening it to reveal its contents, but quickly dispelled the urge, and promptly left the attic. “There’s nothing in that box. Don‘t even worry about it. It’s nothing…,” Pinkie mumbled to herself. That container was best left alone. But there was no point in looking into an old, empty box anyway, right? Pinkie went back downstairs to the kitchen, quickly getting back into the baking swing, where she helped Mr. and Mrs. Cake create their signature chocolate chip and coconut cookies. Unfortunately, even the handwork involved in baking didn’t distract Pinkie from what she had seen up in the attic. Though she didn’t show it on the outside, that box clouded her thoughts and darkened her mood for the entire day.

Pinkie Pie stifled a yawn as she lay in her pink, fuzzy bed. It was late, and she was tired, but she was having a lot of trouble falling asleep. A single thought was imbedded in her mind, which kept her thinking, half from unease and half from the memories that sprouted from it. Finally, after what seemed like hours, Pinkie relaxed and drifted into a light sleep.

Pinkamena stood in the middle of the field, her eyes transfixed upon a hooded figure in a black cloak that stood by a nearby boulder. She had never seen a pony like this before, so she was nervous and afraid of what the stranger was doing at her farm. The cloaked mare stared at the ground, scratching the dirt with her hoof. When she spoke, it was as if she spoke from the sky; the noise filled the filly’s ears from all directions. “Pinkamena… look at yourself. You’re forced to move rocks around all day, you have no friends, save for your sisters if you count them, and there isn’t a thing in your life that makes you happy. What’s the point? Why live like this? You could very easily move on to a new life, a better life… you just have to end the one that you have now.” When the silhouette-like figure finished talking, it raised its head and looked directly at Pinkamena. A gasp escaped the filly as she saw it’s eyes - piercing blue eyes that looked all too familiar. A second later, the hooded pony opened its mouth in a malicious snarl and charged at Pinkie with the speed of a wildcat. Pinkie tried to run and scream, but she silently remained rooted to the spot, and watched in complete terror as the figure rushed at her…

Pinkie Pie woke with a start, her heartbeat accelerated to twice its normal rate. Her mane was drenched in cold sweat. She lay on her bed, breathing heavily, for nearly five minutes before she calmed down. Opening her curtains, the black sky told her that it was still the dead of night, with no sign of dawn. Even though her usual awakening time was many hours later, Pinkie didn’t even bother trying to fall back asleep. She was too shaken to lull herself into a rest, and she was afraid that her nightmares would come back to haunt her.

The next day, Pinkie decided to take the day off from her work at Sugarcube Corner. She thought that it would be best to simply relax and free her mind of the previous night’s troubles. Even though it was simply a nightmare, Pinkie was deeply disturbed by that hooded pony. She knew that it would bother her for at least the rest of the day, and most likely a lot longer. Examining the possibilities of how to spend her day, Pinkie came to the conclusion that visiting a friend would help uplift her spirits. Twilight Sparkle seemed like the perfect candidate, as she would have the soothing words needed to calm Pinkie. After all, she had extensively studied the field of psychology and its related subjects. Basically, she would know how to make her equine friend feel better. Pinkie trotted out of Sugarcube corner, cantered through Ponyville, and finally ended up at Twilight’s  treehouse library in hopes to rid herself of her troubles.

Pinkie Pie hollered at the front door. “Twilight? You there?”

A muffled response followed. “Hold on, I’ll be down in a minute.”

Quickly after her reply, Twilight came down the stairs of the second floor and greeted Pinkie at the door. “Oh, hey, Pinkie. How’s it going?”

“Actually, not so great, Twilight. See, I had a really, really scary dream last night and I wanted to visit a friend to try to calm down.”

Twilight frowned at the statement. She hadn’t heard of Pinkie having any nightmares before. She was too bubby for anything unpleasant, even in her subconscious. Well, except for that time after Gummy’s birthday. That was the only instance of her being out of her normal happy mood, though. “Was it really that scary?” Twilight asked. “Well, maybe you should tell me about it. I’ve read my fair share of books about dreaming, and I might be able to help you figure out the meaning of your nightmare.”

“Okay.” Pinkie sat down next to Twilight on one of the wooden benches housed inside the tree. “Well, it started with me back when I was a filly, at my old rock farm. I was standing in a field, and there was this weird pony with a black cloak standing by a tree. I couldn’t see its face, ’cause it had a hood on. So, the pony started talking to me. It said… well, to get to the point, it basically said that I should ‘move on to a new life’. You know, ’cause I lived on a really boring rock farm. But see, I’m not sure what a ‘new life’ means. And then, all of a sudden, the pony looked at me, and that’s when I got really scared. All I could see was its eyes, but they looked so familiar, almost like they belonged to a person I knew really well… though I couldn’t tell exactly who. Finally, it started sprinting at me, and that’s when I woke up.”

Twilight looked quizzically at Pinkie. It was an odd dream indeed. “I don’t know, Pinkie. It’s strange, but it just sounds like a regular nightmare. Can you tell me anything more about what the hooded pony said, though?”

Pinkie racked her memory for anything else about the stranger. “Oh yeah; it also said that I had to ‘end the one that I have now’… which I guess it meant my life. Whatever that means.”

Twilight felt a shiver run down her back. She knew exactly what that meant. “Oh, um, maybe it meant that you should have ran away?” Twilight inquired. However, her mental conclusion was quite different. The stranger in Pinkie’s dream almost certainly meant that Pinkie should literally end her life - that is, to move on to an afterlife. Of course, Twilight kept the thought to herself, as that information might seriously strike terror in Pinkie. After all, the fun-loving pony surely didn’t think about death much at all, and any mention of it could send her into a deep trauma, especially if it pertained to herself so closely.

“I guess so,” Pinkie responded. “Oh, I just hope that I don’t dream about it again. It was super scary. I don’t exactly know why, either.”

“Just take it easy, Pinkie. You’ll get over it in no time.”

“Yeah, hopefully. Well, I’m gunna head out and see some of my other friends. See ya later, Twilight! Thanks for the help!”

“Bye, Pinkie! Hope you get better!”

Pinkie Pie exited Twilight’s house, but was feeling just as dreary as she had when entering. Even though she was thankful for the company, she knew that Twilight wouldn’t have been able to help. Pinkie knew exactly what her dream meant the entire time. She didn’t tell Twilight about the whole of her thoughts because she didn’t want to worry the studious mare about her own safety. It wouldn’t do much good, anyhow. Twilight may have been right; Pinkie could get over this within the day. A simple nightmare wasn’t worth getting anyone worried about her.

Pinkie spent the rest of the day visiting her other friends, trying to get her mind off of the nightmare. The diverse personalities of Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash kept her entertained, and in some cases, such as helping Applejack buck apples, it gave her something to keep her mind off of the nightmare. After all of the daily activities, Pinkie was in a much better mood and had mostly returned to her normal, peppy self. When the sun burned a brilliant orange and had halfway vanished under the horizon, Pinkie went back to Sugarcube Corner to rest for the night. This time, she had a much easier time falling asleep than the previous night. Wisps of her previous night’s dream floated about, but they weren’t abundant enough to keep Pinkie awake.

Unfortunately, however, her unconscious thoughts didn’t allow her a reprieve in the slightest.

Pinkamena was exhausted beyond measure, but still she was forced to corral rocks into neat little piles, for seemingly no reason. She wanted to stop right then and there and sit down to a hot meal to fill her rumbling stomach, but she knew that disobedience would surely lead to a painful outcome.

“Let’s go, Pinkamena!” her father shouted angrily. “We’re already behind schedule, and it isn’t helping that you’re working at a snail’s pace!” Pinkamena groaned to herself but pushed on. There really weren’t that many rocks left, after all. Just a few more piles to tidy up…

On the contrary, it was another hour and a half before her father was satisfied with Pinkamena’s and her sisters’ work, and even then her father was still in a bad mood. Pinkamena heaved herself inside the old farmhouse and went up to her room to rest…

Suddenly, the world warped and became a undecipherable mixture of colors and images for a few seconds, before Pinkamena was in a different time and place. This time, her father was clearly enraged, and she cowered in a corner, terrified at her father’s wrath.

“You worthless mule!” He shouted at the top of his lungs. “You have absolutely NO respect for anypony in this household! Your sisters don’t complain whatsoever, but here you are, begging for rest after only an hour of work! And you think that you can just stop and try to run away after I blatantly told you to continue working? I’m tired of this, Pinkamena; you better be prepared for one hell of a beating!”

The last thing that Pinkie dreamt of was her father’s hoof accelerating towards her head…

A scream of pain shattered the night silence. Pinkie bolted upright in her bed, wailing, before she realized that the pain was only imaginary. Imaginary, but yet so real. Her scream gradually subsided into a soft whimper, as glass pearls rolled down her cheeks. Yes, the physical pain was imaginary. But the mental pain that had just been unearthed after all these years was more than a flesh wound. It was a blow to her sanity; she knew that the blow wouldn’t be healing over anytime soon.

A Terrible Reality

Pinkie Pie woke the next day in a bleak mood. She wasn’t in the condition for any sort of activities. Even though it was her day off at Sugarcube Corner, she simply didn’t have enough energy to go out. The memories of her old days overwhelmed all of her other feelings, replacing them with a deep feeling of sorrow. What Pinkie needed was some alone time, some time to think.

As the day grew older, Pinkie decided that there was something she simply had to do. It wasn‘t the most appealing of prospects, but she felt that it was a necessary action to take. If she didn’t face the source of her anxiety, it would only continue to grow, and would eventually consume her. Pinkie took a deep breath, got out of bed and headed towards the dusty staircase leading to the attic.

Once there, she had no trouble locating the battered crate that contained the things that had left a permanent scar in her happiness. They weren’t the sort of grotesque things like monsters or disturbing pictures, though. Pinkie brought the box down to her room and, ignoring her apprehension, opened up the cardboard flaps that hid the inner contents. The only objects inside the box were a battered diary, a cube-shaped item covered by a cloth, and a long, thin object that was likewise covered. Pinkie flinched at the sight of these, not because of their outward appearance, but because she knew what each of the items really were beneath their disguises. However, Pinkie was only interested in the diary at the moment. She removed the book and resealed the box, storing the container in her dresser. Hopefully, though, she wouldn’t have to visit the box again and reveal what really lied within.

Sitting back down on her bed, Pinkie opened up the diary to the first page…

March 14, year 1204

Worked in the rock farm like usual. It’s boring but it needs to be done. I did see a pretty bird fly by, though. It had bright blue feathers and a shiny yellow beak…

No, this wasn’t what Pinkie was looking for. She was looking for a specific section. After flipping through a bunch of pages, the pink pony found what she was searching for. She began reading, biting her lip as the memories came back to her…

April 7, year 1204

I can’t take it anymore. Every time I see a rock I want to scream. Every time I see my father I want to lock myself in my room. I just can’t take it. I need to find a way to escape  all of this. I need a new life, one without all this work and pain. I barely even know what being happy feels like. But… how? I can’t run away, since the first time I tried that, it led to the most painful event of my life, and there aren’t any other ponies aside from my family for miles around. Oh, this is terrible. I hate my life and I can’t do anything about it. What am I going to do…?

Pinkie felt a wave of sadness wash over her. This was where it all began. This entry marked the start of her childhood depression. Her childhood had taken a vicious turn for the worst at this point.

Flipping to the next page, Pinkie began reading the next passage…

April 10, year 1204

It’s been three days since my last entry. The reason for that is really strange and unexpected. That’s ‘cause I broke my leg three days ago. It happened when I tried to move a rock that was too heavy for me. While I was pushing it, my strength faltered and it fell back onto me, hitting me in my left foreleg. I heard a nasty crack and knew that the bone was broken. No one in my family had suffered an injury like this before, so the only thing that my parents could do was to take me to the hospital. So, we spent the next few hours carting me to Manehatten on an old dusty wagon. Once we got there, the town hospital quickly accepted me and the doctors got me well on my way to recovery.

But that’s not the important part of this. When I was in the hospital, I was kept next to an old, black-colored stallion with a cutie mark of a knife piercing a skull. Like that wasn’t disturbing or anything. It got creepier, though. The pony talked to me sometimes. At first, he talked about random morbid things like death, war, and starvation… things that I didn’t even know existed outside of my little rock farm. He rambled on throughout my stay, but on my last day in the hospital he told me something different. Somehow, the stallion knew about my depression that I’ve been having and he told me so. Then, to my immediate interest, he said that he had a way to help me out of it. I remember his exact words:

“I know of your sadness, little filly. I’ve seen it before in many other ponies, and I’ve helped them get rid of it. I can help you, too.”

I asked how. He answered by giving me a sinister-looking book. “This book has a number of ways to end your depression. Pick one that suits your tastes. They all work equally well.”

I opened the book, and immediately something fell out of it. I picked the object up from my bed, which turned out to be a knife. I was shocked and asked why it was in the book. “Ah, that’s part of the procedure. You’ll need it.” I nodded, uncomfortable and a little scared, and slipped the blade back into the book. I began to read it, but the stranger told me to stop right away. “Hey. Don’t read that here. The doctor’s don’t like that kind of stuff. They’ll take it away from you for sure. Read it when you get back home. Do it alone, too. This book is meant for you and you only.” I obediently put the book away, wondering what kind of stuff could possibly be written in it.

A few hours later, I was released and my family and I headed home. I was able to limp on my bad leg and could support myself with the other thee.

Now that I’m home, I’m writing these events down before anything else, in case I forget them later. I guess that since I’m done recording, I can start reading that book. I’m kinda curious about it.

Pinkie blinked a tear out of her eye. This entry, while revealing little about the development of her sadness, told of one of the key elements of her childhood anguish. Though the memories were painful for her, Pinkie needed to continue reading. If she finished the diary, it would hopefully relieve her of her stress, and she could put out those memories once and for all. Flipping the page to the next entry…

“Oh Pinkie!” a sing-song voice suddenly called from the lower level of the house. That voice belonged to Mrs. Cake. “Are you awake, dear?”

Pinkie lowered her diary and looked in the direction of the voice. “I’m awake, Mrs. Cake! Do you need anything?”

“Actually, I do. I have a rather large order of cupcakes to bake, and I could really use a helping hand. Would you be willing to help me?”

Pinkie responded to confirm that she would help, and put down her diary to go downstairs. The mare was fine with helping with the baking. If all went well, she would have plenty of time to read the rest of her diary later.

Well, as it turned out, the work lasted much longer than expected. The first batch of cupcakes didn’t have enough sugar in them, which rendered the finished treats rather bland. That wasn’t really a problem, though. There was still plenty of time to finish the order by dusk. The pony duo got to work on the second batch. But, by a twist of fate, as this batch was being removed from the oven, a whimsical Pound Cake soared past his mother, startling her and causing her to drop the baked goods. “Ach! That little rascal! He couldn‘t have escaped from his crib at a worse time, either!” Mrs. Cake retrieved her baby and placed him back into the enclosed bed. Scowling, she returned to attempt a third batch… though she was hardly in the mindset to try again.

Fortunately, the third batch went without any mishaps, and the cupcakes were frosted and decorated, fulfilling the requested order. As it turned out, the mare that had placed the order - the schoolteacher Cheerilee - arrived at the shop minutes after the treats were finished. “We’re taking a field trip in class tomorrow, and these cupcakes would make the perfect picnic snack,” she explained. After paying and leaving, the two bakers finally got their well-deserved reprieve from the culinary mayhem. They wouldn’t have been able to continue, anyhow, since nighttime was already encroaching.

Mrs. Cake stifled a yawn. “Well, Pinkie, I think I’ll hit the sack. Thank you so much for helping me. Even without those… setbacks,” - the baker’s eye twitched slightly at that point - “I doubt that I’d have been able to finish those cupcakes without you. You know what? Since today was supposed to be your day off, you can have the next two days  to yourself. You deserve a reward for your generosity.”

“Hey, thanks, Mrs. Cake! It wasn’t a problem at all. I’m always willing to help. That’s what friends are for, right?”

“Indeed it is. Anyway, it’s time to get some sleep. All of this work and stress has taken a toll on me. You should get some sleep too, Pinkie. If your hair is any way to gauge your energy, then you’re getting pretty fatigued too. Good night!”

“Night Mrs. Cake!” Pinkie replied as she moved her eyes upward to check her hair. It was, indeed, only half as frizzy as it normally was. She sighed, finding another sign of her dwindling happiness. Mrs. Cake might not have known about Pinkie’s hair phenomenon, but the pink mare surely did, and it wasn’t anything that a good night’s sleep would readily fix.

Ascending to her bedroom, Pinkie crashed on her bed, ready for a rest. It wasn’t long after that she had fallen asleep. The setting sun was just visible in Pinkie’s window, illuminating an open and unread diary on the pony’s desk.

Pinkie woke up to a loud knocking on her window. She looked outside to see Rainbow Dash rapping on the glass. “Pinkie! What are you doing in bed at two in the afternoon?” The pink pony stirred and looked at her clock. It was indeed the middle of the afternoon. Had she really slept for that long? She was usually awake in the early morning, before anyone else save for the few other early birds. It was impossible for her to sleep for more than a couple of hours with her overflow of energy. But, with the goings-on of the past few days, her energy clearly wasn’t at its peak.

“Uhmm… yeah, I guess I slept in a bit.”

“A bit! Like that’s not an understatement at all. What’s been up with you? You never even came out of the house yesterday! And trust me when I say that you always leave the house for some crazy party or event!”

“Uh, don‘t worry about me, Dashie. I, uh, just didn’t feel like partying yesterday. You know, ‘cause I guess with all my crazy partying I got a little worn out.”

Rainbow Dash let out a disbelieving laugh. “YOU getting worn out? Gimme a break! Soon we’re gunna have Twilight becoming a rock star and Fluttershy joining the Wonderbolts!”

“Um, I’m not that slow of a flyer, you know.” As if on cue, the aforementioned pegasus appeared next to Dash in the window.

“What? Oh, I didn’t mean it that way, Fluttershy. You’re a good flyer and all, but you’re not getting anywhere near the speeds of those great ponies.” Rainbow Dash got a little dreamy-eyed at the mention of her favorite flying team.

“It’s okay. I’m not offended. Hello, Pinkie, by the way. We were getting worried about you, not showing up in town yesterday. Did you have a bad day?”

Pinkie got out of bed and yawned while she stretched her legs. “No, I’m fine. I was just tired.”

“Tired? But you’re never tired! If anypony has the energy for a party, it’s you…”

“Hey, we just discussed this!” Rainbow Dash said with an agitated voice, cutting Fluttershy off. “Look, Pinkie, how ‘bout you just do your morning chores and come outside? We’ll go do something together. You really need some time outside.”

Pinkie Pie was initially opposed to the idea, but after a bit of contemplation, she changed her mind. One day inside was typically a long time for her to stay away from her friends, and she also didn’t have any nightmares last night, so her mood was a little better.

“You’re right; I’ve been inside for too long. Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be right out.”

“Great! See you in a jiffy!”

Pinkie went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth. Once she had finished a number of her other morning duties, she walked downstairs, greeted Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and left the house. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were waiting by the door.

“Soo… whaddya wanna do?” Raindow Dash inquired.

Pinkie thought about it for a minute. She wasn’t in high enough spirits for a party, so something quiet and relaxing seemed to suit her well. “How about a stroll in town square? I just wanna relax today, and nothing crazy goes on there.”

“Sure,” both pegasi responded simultaneously.

After about ten minutes, the three ponies arrived at the center of Ponyville and were greeted by many a passerby. After exchanging a few “hello”s and “good afternoon”s, the trio settled down on a vacant bench. Pinkie sat down in the middle and put her hooves in her lap, with a solemn look on her face. A minute passed by before someone spoke up - it was Fluttershy, in this case.

“Um, so, what are we going to do? Sitting on a bench isn’t very fun… at least for me, that is. We can stay here if you two prefer.”

Rainbow spoke next. “Y’know, this isn’t my cup of tea, either. I mean, I could be pulling off fantastic filly flashes right now! I only sat down because Pinkie sat down first…” The pony’s expression suddenly changed from boredom to perplexity. “Wait, why are you even sitting, Pinkie? You should be bouncing around like wild and singing one of your super happy songs!” Rainbow suddenly took on a very serious face. “Okay, you need to tell us what’s really been going on with you. We all know that something’s up.”

“Huh? Nothings wrong! I already told you, I was just tired from…” Pinkie began. However, excuses wouldn’t cut it this time.

“Um, Pinkie,” Fluttershy interjected, “we know that that’s not really the problem. I know you may be stressed with whatever’s happened to you, but the best way to deal with it is to talk to other ponies about it… and I’m truly concerned for you. You’ve never acted like this before, in all the time that I’ve known you.”

And all of this was true. Pinkie knew that, and what Fluttershy had just said really hit home to her. While she was reluctant to completely open up, she mentally agreed that it would do her well to get some of the stress out of her system.

“You’re right… well, I never told you this, but my childhood wasn’t full of sugar and rainbows as you might have though. Truth is… well, my father abused me.”

Rainbow and Fluttershy both assumed looks of shock. The yellow Pegasus even let out a small gasp.

“Wait, that’s not the worst of it. See, I lived through this for a really long time, and…”

Pinkie didn’t have time to finish her sentence, for at that moment a piercing scream came from a distant house. All the ponies jumped at the noise, ears perked, and sat alert for a few seconds before they came to their senses. Rainbow Dash, for one, wasn’t about to let anypony get hurt. “Stay here, I’ll be right back!” she yelled as she launched into the air towards the source of the scream. Fluttershy pursued. “I need to help, too. Sorry, but we’ll have to leave you behind, Pinkie!” Fluttershy said as loud as her little voice would reach, as she was already a fair distance from the the pink pony.

Pinkie blinked, just realizing that she was alone. Her instinct was to follow her friends, but realistically, hooves wouldn’t be able to keep up with wings. By now Rainbow Dash would be at the disturbance already, so there was no use in Pinkie trying to catch up and help. She sat back down on the bench and sighed. It might be a while before her friends came back. It was unlikely that the scream was little more than an overly careful pony being startled by a rat or some other small creature, but in the case of a serious incident, she knew that her friends would stay to help in every possible way.

Unfortunately, Pinkie hadn’t even been able to tell the pegasi about her nightmares; specifically, the one about the black-hooded pony. That dream still stuck in her head like glue. And it was always bothering her. There was a meaning to that pony; it wasn’t just a stray dream about a one-shot character. This pony would come back to her, and she feared that it wouldn’t only be in her subconscious during their next encounter.

Thinking deeply about the dreams, Pinkie noticed that she had closed her eyes. She lifted her eyelids at a relaxed rate, not wanting to rush back into reality.

But what she saw outside of her mind made her blood run cold. Aside from a fountain and some town buildings, something new was centered in Pinkie’s vision. Something that hadn’t been there before.

A mare adorned with a black shawl and hood stood looking at Pinkie from the opposite side of the square.