Pinkie Pie laid on her folding chair, her hooves crossed behind her head as she looked up at the starry night sky. It was a beautiful sight to behold: hundreds of small white sparkles scattered across the dark purple canvas, Pinkie felt all her worries disappear.
"Wow, Pinkie. You were right. This is amazing!" Rainbow Dash excalmed, laying in her own folding chair next to Pinkie's.
"Told you you'd like it." Pinkie smiled to her friend.
"Wow..." Dash sighed, looking back up at the night sky, "You know Pinkie, this makes me so glad to be a flyer. I never actually stopped to look at the sky while flying before, but now... Flying around at night is going to be a lot better."
The Pegasus smiled to herself, thinking about all the nights she could spend flying with the stars. Her happy thoughts came to a stop when she noticed something in the corner of her eye. Pinkie was looking at the sky, her trademark smile was nowhere to be found and a single tear was seen trying to leave her eye.
"Pinkie, are you alright?" Rainbow turned to look at Pinkie, a worried expression on her face.
"Of course I'm alright Dashie, don't be silly!" Pinkie quickly smiled again and raised her voice to make it sound happier.
"Yeah... I'm not buying it. You're hiding something, aren't you?"
"What? No I'm not. And honestly, I am shocked you would accuse me of something like that!" Pinkie said in an exaggerated offended voice, " now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be waiting for your appology in the bakery" She got up and started to walk away.
"Okay, now I know something is up. You're not even acting like yourself, for Celestia's sake!" Dash got off her chair and flew in front of her pink friend, blocking her way. "Now, tell me what's going on."
"No. Nothing is going on, I'm just leaving because... I'm tired and... hungry?"
"Pinkie," Dash said in a soft voice, "you're my best friend, and I can't stand seeing you like this! I thought we shared everything with each other, I've told you things I never told anypony else! Remember my.." she looked around to see if anypony was around "My Spitfire night light?" She whispered.
Pinkie looked down at the ground. She closed her eyes and said nothing for a few minutes.
"Okay." She eventually said. She raised her head and exposed her teary eyes to her flying friend "But you have to promise you won't tell anypony about this! Please!"
"I promise not to tell, Pinkie promise, even."
"Alright." Pinkie said quietly, "I grew up on a rock farm, as you know, and that means my family was very traditional and very proud. They were really serious about the subjects of heritage and the 'Traditional Earth-pony way of life'" She cringed at that last quote, like it was bringing back bad memories. "It wasn't easy growing up there, especially for me."
"Because you were always so cheerful and didn't like farming?" Dash asked.
"Well, yes. But... That wasn't the only reason..."
The Pie family was very well known in their area. Their rock farm was one of the greatest places in Equestria, not just because no plants ever grew there, but also because of the family itself. The father, Igneous Rock, was infamous for his attitude towards everything that wasn't exactly like he was used to, in the traditional earth pony fashion. His wife, Cloudy Quartz, was a short tempered mare, and she never had the patience for anypony, especially non-earth ponies. Their older daughter, Maud Pie, didn't seem like she has inherited their attitude, but her younger twin sisters, Limestone and Marble did, and would often tease Maud for being different. Maud didn't like farming rocks, she prefered to study them, observe them, and for that her sisters made sure she would pay the price. That is why the news of her mother's pregnency came as a huge relief for her. Maybe, this was her chance to get a sister or brother who would understand her for who she was.
But when their new daughter finally arrived, Igneous and Cloudy noticed something strange about her.
"This can't be. No! Not my daughter!" Igneous excalmed when he saw the foal for the first time, "there must be some mistake doctor! This... This can't be my daughter!"
"Sir, I assure you this is your daughter. There was no mistake."
"But we're a family of EARTH ponies for Celestia's sake! How in the name of Nightmare Moon can we have a Pegasus daughter??"
"These things happen all the time. A family of Earth ponies has a Pegauses foal, a family of Unicorns has an Earth pony foal... you must have some Pegasus DNA in your family that you are not aware of."
Igneous cringed at the thought of having anything but Earth pony in him.
"She is your daughter. That is all I know. The rest is up to you to think about." And with these words, the doctor left the room.
Igneous looked at the foal in the nursery. That pink, winged abomination of a daughter. He felt ashamed of having created it, but he still had hope. 'Maybe I could still raise her as an Earth pony...' he thought to himself, 'Maybe my family's name is not in that much trouble...' But he couldn't shake the feeling that this is the worst thing that ever happened to him.
***
Four years. It had been four years since Igneous and Cloudy came home with a winged daughter in their hooves. It was a very difficult secret to keep, especially once she learned how to fly. Flying at the age of 4 was a very rare talent, most parents would have been proud. Most parents would have ran out to the streets to tell everypony about their amazing daughter. But Igneous and Cloudy weren't like most parents.
"What?!" Igneous shouted when his twin daughters told him about what Pinkie was doing in the yard, "How can she be flying? She had no one to teach her! And isn't she too young for that?" He jummped off his chair and ran out to the yard.
When he got there he found his wife looking up at the sky in utter shock.
"Pinkamina Diane Pie, get down here this instant!" He yelled at the flying pink filly.
"But dad!" Pinkie stopped, floating right above her mother's head, and looked straghit into her father's eyes.
"What did I tell you about that word?!" Igneous sounded like he was about to burst into flames, "NEVER call me that again! It's Igneous!"
"But Limestone, Marble and Maud call you that all the time!" Pinkie insisted.
"Don't change the subject! Now get down here before I get my throwing rocks!"
Pinkie shivered at the thought of being at the wrong side of her father's rock throwing, he was a great aim. She flapped her small pink wings and landed next to her mother, who was still frozen in shock. Igneous quickly grabbed her and dragged her into the house. She tried to struggle free out of his grip, but he was a lot stronger than her and she could not escape her father's wrath once they were inside.
"No! Ouch! Stop! Da-Igneous, please! It hurts!" Pinkie cried as her father repeatedly hit her on the wings with a stick.
"My. Daughter. Will. Not. Be. An abomination!" Igneous yelled, taking a small break between every word to hit Pinkie's wings as hard as he could.
Pinkie felt the stick repeatedly slam against her young wings, she screamed in pain at every hit. Her wings were sensitive, and once he discovered that, her father's beatings were aimed primarily at them. Every time she was bad, every time she said she didn't feel like pushing rocks, everytime she went to bed after 8 P.M because she 'wanted to look at the stars first', he would go straight for her wings. Not that it helped, Pinkie was still a rebellious little filly, and his punishments didn't seem to be breaking her free spirit. This time, he hit her hard, harder than he ever have, harder than he ever dared. He was scared of himself at that moment, but he wouldn't stand to see his own daughter fly around the yard. She had gone too far.
After he was done, and his foreleg felt too tired to continue, he pushed the pink filly away from himself.
"Now, go to your room..." he managed to say through his panting and attempts to catch his breath.
Pinkie ran as fast as she could. She didn't want to be anywhere near her dad, she didn't even want to see Maud, she just wanted to be alone. Her room was the smallest one in the house, it had only a bed, and a small window in it. She jumped on her bed and buried her head in her pillow. Her wings hurt, her head hurt from the crying, and her leg hurt from her father grabbing her. She promised herself she'd never fly again, that she'll never upset Igneous again. But after sobbing with herself for about an hour, she caught her breath and sat down on the bed. She flinched a bit when her wings brushed against the bed.
"I won't stop flying..." she quietly said to herself, "I like flying..." She wiped the tears out of her eyes and looked up at the sky through her little window. Those few moments when she was up there, flying, laughing, enjoying her life for the very first time, were the best few moments of her life. The feeling of the wind blowing her mane back, seeing the farm so far below her, it was like she wasn't a part of that farm, like she wasn't a part of that family. When she was flying above all of it, her troubles seemed so far away, like they didn't exist.
She liked flying. And she didn't plan to stop any time soon. The thought of her next flying session brought a small smile to her face.
***
It was Pinkie's 7th birthday. There was no party, there were no friends or relatives who came over to wish her a happy birthday. It was just like every year.
Pinkie has been practicing her flying in secret for the past three years. Once a week, she'd sneak out of the house late at night and fly around the yard. She made sure her parents would never catch her doing it, because she knew how they'd react.
Seeing as it was her birthday, she decided to give herself a little present. The night before, she snuck out of the house, and went all the way to the other side of the farm. Once there, she took off to the sky, once again feeling the wonderful wind in her mane, once again feeling free of her problems and far away from her home that did not accept her. This time, she allowed herself to fly higher than she has ever went before. High into the sky, she never felt more alive than at that moment. Breaking through the clouds, flying as close as she could to the big beautiful moon. She didn't want to get too close to Nightmare Moon, so she stopped herself from going too high.
She looked down at the farm. She's never been this far away from home as this, not even on land. It was amazing, knowing that her parents can't get her, that they don't even know this was happening. Pinkie smiled, and that smile did not fade, until the next morning.
She came out of her room, bouncing happily, still overjoyed at the events of last night, and the fact that it was her birthday. She suddenly noticed her mother, sitting on her chair and glaring at her. It looked like she'd been waiting for Pinkie to arrive.
"Sit down." Cloudy said quietly and pointed at a small chair in front of her.
Pinkie gulped, what's happening, did she see me last night? Oh no, I'm in so much trouble... I don't want to get hurt again! She sat infront of her mother, a scared look on her face.
"Pinkamena," her mother started, "It's your 7th birthday, and I would like to tell you something." She got off her chair and made her way towards Pinkie. Pinkie tried to move back on her chair, trying desperately to get away from her mother.
Cloudy reached down to to her, and gave her a hug.
Pinkie was shocked, she has never been hugged by her mother before, only Maud. It was strange, but she actually kind of liked it. Her mother was showing her affection for the first time in her life.
"I am so proud of you!" Cloudy said, "When your father told you to stop flying, I was sure it wouldn't work. But it's been three years, and your hooves never once left the ground." She smiled and wiped away a tear, "Because this is your 7th birthday, I have a present for you. Here you go." She gave Pinkie a book. Pinkie looked at it with wide eyes. It was the first present her mother ever gave her. The book was titled "The Traditional Earth-Pony Way of Life" and on the front cover was a picture of a brown Earth-pony and nothing else.
"It's your father's favourite book. He wanted to give it to you himself but he's busy with the farm right now."
Pinkie couldn't believe her ears. Her father wanted to give her a birthday present! This was the best day of her life, even better than the day she learned how to fly. She smiled, tears running down the sides of her face.
"Oh, well, look who's finally up." She turned her head to the door, there she saw the one thing she'd never thought she'd see: her father,
smiling at her.
"Igneous..." She gasped in surprise. Her father shook his head.
"No, sweetie. Call me dad."
At that moment, there was no other pony happier than Pinkie. She cried, she cried like she has never cried before, this time out of joy. She ran to her dad and gave him a big hug.
"Thank you, dad!" Was all she managed to say.
The rest of the day felt like heaven. Pinkie's family celebrated her birthday, sang songs, gave her gifts and told her how proud they were of her. It was the happiest day of Pinkie's life. That is, until Limestone came back from doing her chores.
"Hey, Limestone! Come over and celebrate your younger sister's birthday with us!" Igneous said, smiling.
Limestone gave Pinkie a stare, a stare that made Pinkie's blood freeze. She knew something...
"Celebrate?" She said, "Why should we celebrate the birthday of an abomination?"
"Limestone, sweetheart." Igneous got up and gave his grey daughter a warm smile, "She isn't an abomination anymore. Look at her, she has never been in the air any time in the past three years! She's helping on the farm, she's practically an Earth-pony."
Limestone gave Pinkie an angry look.
"Oh, really?" She snarled, "Because I could have sworn I saw her flying in the yard last night!"
Pinkie froze in place. A look of sheer terror in her eyes.
"Pinkie, is this true?" Igneous turned to look at his pink filly.
Pinkie didn't know what to say, she didn't want to say anything, but she knew she'd have to, and she knew lying won't help seeing as her sister knows everything.
"Yes." she whispered, her head tilted downwards.
Her father walked to her slowly, a blank expression on his face. Every step he took echoed throughout the quiet house.
He stopped in front of Pinkie, looked at her, and slapped her as hard as he could. Pinkie fell off her chair, and onto a pile of presents. She whimpered as Igneous started kicking the presents out of his way trying to get to her. She started backing away, eventually turning and starting to run, but her father caught her before she could escape.
Pinkie stopped talking. She stared down at the ground, tears forming in her eyes. Dash gave her a comforting hug.
"There, let it all out..." she said. She wasn't used to all this emotional conversation thing. She didn't really know how to comfort anyone in this situation, so she just huged Pinkie until her crying died out.
"S-sor-ry abo-ut that, Dashie." Pinkie said.
"It's okay. You don't have to finish your story if you don't want to."
"No, I want to. I never told anypony this, and it's been killing me. I have to let it out."
Dash nodded slowly. "If that's what you want, than I'd listen."
Pinkie went back to her story.
Pinkie was sitting in her room. The best day of her life had become the worst day of her life. Her father's beating was so powerful, she could not feel her left wing anyore, and moving it would cause sharp pain in her side.
She didn't dare to leave her room or even look outside the window at the night sky. All she could do was sit on her bed and cry.
***
It had been three years since Pinkie flew. Every time she even thought about flying, she remembered her father's reaction the last time he found out. Her wing still ached at the thought.
Pinkie was sitting in the living room, reading through "The Traditional Earth-Pony Way of Life",which her father forced her to do. She found the book horrifying, it described a life of solitude, with no friends, working the fields and doing chores. She hated it. All she could think about while reading the book was 'You could easily do everyone of these things and still fly around. Flying would even make some of these activities a lot easier!'
She could never understand why her father was against flying so much, but she knew there was no point in talking to him about it.
While she was lost in thought, Igneous walked into the room, holding a pickaxe.
"It's your turn, Pinkamena." He said coldly and handed her the pickaxe.
Pinkie knew better than to disobey her father and quickly ran outside to do her chores.
It was a cold night outside, and the stars were twinkeling in the sky. Pinkie looked up in envy. The stars all got to be up there in the sky, but she wasn't allowed to. The stars had everything she wanted but could never get.
"Stop looking at the sky like an idiot and get to work!" She heared her mother yell from inside the house.
She jumped and quickly started working, but every few minutes she couldn't stop herself from looking up, imagining what it would be like to fly again, to be up there with the stars...
After two hours of hard work, breaking rocks so they would be easier to move, Pinkie sat down. She looked up at the stars again, and smiled.
Her father, who just happened to look out the window at the moment, saw her sitting there, smiling at the sky.
"What do you think you're doing out there?" He yelled, "Get back to work!"
"Just give me a few minutes!" Pinkie yelled back without taking her eyes off the night sky. When she realized what she just said, she turned her head to the side quickly. Igneous was walking towards her, stomping the ground with every step.
"What did you say to me???" He yelled as he staeted running towards her.
Without thinking, Pinkie jumped up and started to flap her wings. Soon, she was flying away from her angry father, trying desperately to get away. As she flew, for the first time in three years she felt alive. The wind was blowing through her mane and against her face, her wings flapping in the night sky. Pinkie felt happiness take over her body for the first time in three years. However, that happiness was short lived, as she suddenly felt something hard hitting the side of her face. Her father was throwing rocks at her.
She couldn't think properly, she was completely confused. She couldn't tell right from left, up from down, as she came crashing onto the ground. Everything hurt as she lay there, waiting for her father to reach her and punish her.
His beatings weren't enough for him, though. Igneous knew that if he wanted to get rid of his problem, there was only one thing to do. He grabbed a saw from his shed.
During the next few hours, Pinkie felt pain she never imagined she would feel in her life, both physically, and emotionally. She would never fly again. She would never feel this feeling of freedom. She was now earthbound.
All she had to hope for was death, and it felt pretty close, as she was losing a lot of blood fast. But that was denied of her as well, when her parents rushed her to the hospital. The doctors couldn't put her wings back, because Igneous 'forgot' them back in the farm.
Pinkie never flew again, and she was forced to go through the rest of her childhood living the traditional Earth-pony way of life.
Both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were silent for a long time. Neither of them knew what to say.
Eventually, Rainbow spoke.
"Pinkie... I..." She looked at Pinkie with a sad expression, and Pinkie did the same to her, "I had no idea..."
"It's alright, Dashie." Pinkie said quietly, "It's all in the past. I ran away years ago, and haven't heard from my parents since."
"I can't belive this." Dash said, still in shock. "So, you're actually a Pegasus?" She said, still finding it hard to believe.
Pinkie nodded sadly. "A flightless, wingless Pegasus, but yes. I've tried to recapture that feeling of flying through the air by bouncing everywhere I go, or buying a pedal-copter, but nothing worked..."
The two mares fell silent once again. Rainbow thought for a few moments, then smiled at Pinkie.
"I know what'll work." She said.
Before Pinkie had a chance to react, Rainbow grabbed her and put the pink mare on her back. And with that she flew up into the sky, not too fast so that Pinkie wouldn't fall down.
Flying up in the night sky, Pinkie raised her head. She looked at the beautiful stars, she felt the wind in her mane. She smiled. She looked down at the ground, it was far below them, there was nothing stopping them from flying wherever they wished. No troubles, no pains.
For the first time in 12 years, Pinkie Pie felt truly alive.
THE END
