My True Purposeby TheMusicalBoy93ChaptersSticks and StonesA Shoulder To Cry OnTroubled DreamsSticks and StonesPinkie Pie was never questioned over her cutie mark. Three party balloons. Bright, bubbly, hyperactive pony who loves to throw parties and make her friends smile. What’s to question? Well, how about questioning the colours of the balloons that adorn her flank? Two blue, one yellow. Pinkie bounced around the bakery, chatting with the guests of her latest party. The music, provided by the ever popular DJ P0n3, thrummed through the air merrily, and the ponies danced along as they made pleasant conversation. The younger party goers had long since left for their snuggly little beds, so Pinkie decided to crack open her special party stash of hard cider from Sweet Apple Acres, which freely flowed from keg to glass to stomach. A couple of ponies were bumping and grinding on the makeshift dance floor, while some others were hooking up in the some of the eating stalls, having tongue wrestling sessions. The party pony clambered up to the stage and took a microphone from the DJ deck to make an announcement. “Attention, everypony!” The party guests turned their attention to the pink mare as the music dimmed in volume to allow Pinkie to speak, smiling in anticipation of what activity Pinkie was going to announce next. “First of all, I’d like to thank you all for coming, as always, and I’m so happy to see you’re all enjoying yourselves. And, as your party host, I hope you enjoy the festivities to your pony hearts’ content. Now, for our next party game-“ “Oh, for Celestia’s sake, will you just shut the BUCK up‽” The room shuddered to a halt with a gasp, as the shocked party guests turned to find a black Earth pony stallion glaring at the party host with hateful eyes. The mark on his flank depicted a broadsword cutting a snake’s tongue in half. “Buck, you’re so annoying,” the stallion sneered, blowing steam from his nostrils as he berated the pink mare. “Just because you’re the so-called “Party Pony of Ponyville” doesn’t mean that everypony likes your parties. Hay, I’m willing to bet good money that over half the ponies in this backwater town only come to your parties just because they pity you. You make them feel like they have no choice but to come to your parties because, otherwise, you’re just a sad little pony with no friends, desperately begging for attention. Well, let me tell you something, Pinkie Cry! Nopony would even notice if you were to disappear.” Pinkie’s eyes bugged at those words, and the room around her began to warp and distort, walls closing in and spacing out around her as the black stallion’s eyes blinked sideways, the round pupils transforming into slits, not unlike those of a snake, or any other reptile. His furry pony body stretched and twisted into a long, slender spiral. Fangs grew in his jaw and his forked tongue lashed out at her with a venomous hiss, making her mane deflate and hang limply over her shoulders. She cowered away from the creature before her, the entire world seeming to close in around her, robbing her of air as she shivered and whimpered. “I-I’m sorry,” she squeaked, feebly. “I’m so-sorry. Please, please don’t lock me in the naughty cage. No, please! Anything but the cage!” The party pony was now experiencing a full blown mental break down that even Twilight Sparkle would be disturbed by. With a shrill scream of terror, Pinkie ran up the stairs in a blazing blur of pink fur and dust, the door to her bedroom slamming shut, almost splintering at the hinges. The ponies downstairs looked toward the stairs in horrified awe. Never before had they seen Pinkie Pie, the most fun loving pony in all of Equestria, experience a moment of pure, unbridled, terror like that at such a display of disapproval. Not even when Gilda snapped at her, accusing her of pranking her all through the party she had prepared for her, and calling her the “Queen Lame-o”. All eyes fell upon the stallion, who seemed to be smirking to himself victoriously. “Good riddance,” he sneered, darkly. __--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--** Pinkie Pie sat alone in her bedroom in her flat above Sugar Cube Corner’s bakery and stroked her faithful companion, Gummy, as she cradled him against her chest. His smooth, sleek scales offered her comfort and security as she cuddled him, his misty eyes staring, unfocused, at the wall behind his owner. But the feeling of a cold, reptilian presence against her fur also awoke dark, unsettling memories for the party pony. Memories she wished she could forget. The day she discovered the real meaning behind her cutie mark. Gummy let her hold him as she pleased, knowing all too well how much she needed this kind of affection. The first time he had experienced this need for affection was the day his owner had found him, cold and hungry under the bridge that stretched over the river through Ponyville market square. Gummy had been orphaned not long after hatching; his mother having been captured by poachers, and sold on the black market as sickening knick-knacks. Pinkie Pie felt like it was her responsibility to be a mother figure to the baby alligator, and often showered him in hugs and kisses, none of which he ever refused. But she also enjoyed the feel of his scales against her fur. The smooth, sleek feel of reptilian scales provided the pink party pony with a sense of comfort, albeit fitfully peppered with traumatising memories. “Gummy? Would you notice if I were to disappear?” Pinkie lifted the alligator to look him in the eyes, as unfocused as his were. The derpy-looking reptile replied in the only way he could. He opened his jaw as wide as he could and gently snapped at his master’s muzzle, gumming her nose affectionately. The flat maned pony giggled a little, the sound seeming distinctly hollow to her own ears. “Thanks, Gummy.” Pinkie nuzzled her faithful pet gratefully, before holding up a gingerbread pony to his snout, allowing him to eat it from her hoof. As the alligator ate, Pinkie’s mind wondered to the stallion from downstairs, and the way he had spoken to her. Was he right? Did everypony only pretend to enjoy her parties because they felt like they were forced into attending them? Was she really a sad, lonely pony who wouldn’t have friends if she didn’t throw parties? The party pony looked down at her flank, inspecting the three balloons that adorned it. In particular, she scrutinised the yellow one the most. The day she earned her cutie mark… and the day, years later, that she realised its true meaning. Would nopony notice if she just up and vanished? Pinkie place her precious pet on her bed, tucking him up in his favourite blanket before making her way out of her room. There was only one pony she could turn to at a time like this. Twilight Sparkle. Author's Note This fiction is for the Offcial KIRA: LIVING IN A KNIGHTMARE 2014 Contest A Shoulder To Cry OnTwilight lifted her head from her pillow as the sound of somepony knocking at her door rang through the castle halls. The purple Alicorn took a moment to stretch her muscles, pop her joints and shake the sleep from her eyes before making the long trek down the stairwell into the main hall. Extending her magic out toward the door, she gently eased it open as she came within view of the entranceway, revealing a most peculiar spectacle. There, in the doorway, was a flat maned Pinkie Pie, wearing the most sombre expression Twilight had ever seen on the party pony’s face. “Pinkie?” Twilight blinked, rubbing her eyes in the hope that the moonlight was playing tricks on her. The purple pony princess had only seen Pinkie’s mane flat once and, from what she heard from Rainbow Dash, that never meant anything good. The pink party pony gave a half-hearted smile, despite her tear stained cheeks, as Twilight reached palace doorway. Twilight looked her usually hyperactive friend up and down one more time before slowly wrapping a hoof around her neck and pulling her close for a caring nuzzle. Pinkie snivelled into the Alicorn’s mane, fighting a losing battle to keep the dam from breaking. The longer Twilight maintained contact, however, the harder the task became, and it wasn’t long before pinkie was openly sobbing into her friend’s shoulder. But, unlike many other times where the pink pony had wailed, and her tears came spouting from her eyes like waterfalls, she wept silently, and her tears fell like rain over her cheeks, soaking both her own, and Twilight’s fur. Twilight ushered her friend inside and escorted her up to her bedroom, collecting her tea set from the living room on the way. The two mares sat in silence while Twilight brewed a pot of tea for them both, the scent of the Alicorn’s favourite Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearl brew wafting through the room. Once the brew was complete, Twilight poured two cups of tea and levitated one toward the bed where Pinkie sat. The party pony took the cup in her hooves with silent thanks, a weak smile gracing her lips as she sipped at the piping hot liquid. She cooed happily at the warming sensation that tickled her throat as the tea worked its magic inside of her. The silence continued a few minutes longer, which worried Twilight greatly. Never before had she ever known Pinkie to sit so still, or so silently, in all her life. Whatever happened to her to make her behave this way, it must have shaken her really badly. Twilight took a breath and was just about to break the drowning silence when Pinkie suddenly seemed to come to life with the most unexpected question she could ever ask. “Twilight? Would you notice if I were to suddenly disappear?” Whatever Twilight was going to say died on her lips, and she closed her mouth with a clack of her teeth. Silence regained its choking hold over the room, as the two ponies looked at each other, one in earnest anticipation, the other in stunned confusion. Twilight blinked, uncomprehending as to where this question came from all of a sudden. “Pinkie, you’re the most active, friendly and sociable pony in all of Equestria. If I went a single day without seeing you, even in passing, I’d notice it immediately.” The pink party pony let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding after hearing those words. “But, what in the world would make you think such a thing, Pinkie?” If Pinkie’s mane hadn’t deflated to its fullest before, it had now. Her entire complexion seemed to darken several hues, and the glimmer in her eyes fizzled out completely, leaving dull, lifeless pools of solid blue in her gaze. She turned her face away from Twilight’s, her mane flopping over her left eye as she stared at the floor, as if willing it to suddenly grow a mouth with which to swallow her whole. “I was throwing a party over a Sugar Cube Corner,” she started, running a hoof in circles in the bed covers. “But when I started announcing the next party game, somepony just stood up and shouted at me.” Twilight’s wings snapped open in alarm that somepony would have the nerve to raise their voice at Pinkie Pie. The idea that somepony had hurt the child-minded party pony made her blood boil, and she could feel her mane turning into fire. “He said that I was annoying. That just because I’m the resident party pony of Ponyville, it doesn’t mean everypony actually likes my parties.” Twilight barely suppressed a snort of irritation at this accusation. Of course everypony enjoyed her parties. Pinkie Pie was an amazing friend, and was an expert at bringing out the inner foal in everypony at her parties. It was her childish demeanour that made her so approachable, and her highly contagious energy that made everypony she met smile. “He told me that most ponies probably only come to my parties because they feel like they have to come. He claimed I made them feel like they had no choice in the matter. And that, without my parties, I’m just a sad, lonely, pathetic pony with no friends,” Pinkie Pie cupped her face in her hooves as her tears burst through the dam anew, “and I can’t help but wonder. What if he’s right?” Twilight’s heart exploded. “What if I am a pathetic, lonely, pony who has no friends, without my parties?” Twice. “Oh, Pinkie,” Twilight took a seat beside the sobbing party pony and pulled her in for a much needed hug. Pinkie’s arms clamped around the Alicorn’s barrel like a steel vice as the Earth pony cried on her friend’s shoulder. Twilight, for her part, was still reeling from the fact that somepony had even raised a harsh word at Pinkie. Only two ponies – well, technically, one griffon and a donkey – had raised a stern word at her before, but she’d never let that affect her before. But this seemed different. Something in the back of Twilight’s mind was yelling at her to find out what it was with what this pony said that was different, and why. Before she could raise the question, however, Twilight realised that Pinkie’s breaths had suddenly become much smoother. Much calmer. She looked down and confirmed her suspicion that Pinkie Pie had fallen asleep. The Alicorn smiled as she laid the exhausted Earth pony down beside her and tucked them both into the bedclothes, making a mental checklist of questions to ask Pinkie when the morning came. All through the night, the pink party pony slept fitfully, whimpering and begging with an unseen evil that wormed its way through her thoughts and tortured her sleep. Troubled DreamsPinkamena ran as fast as she could. Her flat mane whipped about her head like a curtain caught in a hurricane’s gale. The dark pink locks swatted at her eyes, making it hard for her to tell if she was still running straight or not. The little filly’s lungs were burning, her heart wheezing with the strain of her escape. Her legs begged her to stop and rest, but she knew that even if she slowed down for just a moment, it would spell instant death for her. Her eyes scrunched as she pushed forward, tears streaming behind her and wetting the rock fields she left behind. The torturous sound of a rattle filled her ears, as if her chaser was following just beside her. But when she turned to check, she was running alone. But still, she could feel those slitted yellow eyes boring into her very soul as she fled for her life. A long scaly tail extended from under a giant granite boulder her father had been nursing for the past few months, lying in wait for its prey. Pinkamena’s hair once again shrouded her vision, obscuring her view of the danger that lay ahead of her. As she attempted to push herself to run faster, hoping her speed would flick her treacherous mane away from her eyes, she tripped and tumbled hoof over wither, landing uncomfortably in a patch of marble pebbles her sister Limestone had planted. The little filly whimpered as pain tore through her tiny body from her tumble. Her breaths came deep and wet, her saliva dribbled down her chin in thick trails, and her ears rang as she nursed her sore cranium. As the ringing died down, she became acutely aware of a new, but sadly not alien, sound swamping her ears. Slowly cracking open a quivering eyelid confirmed her greatest fear, as a forked tongue lashed at her cheek, ripping the skin, and a pair of sharp shiny fangs dove for her throat. She grabbed a pebble and threw… __--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--** …a punch right into the side of Twilight’s face. The Alicorn yelped as she was rudely thrown out of her own bed by a screaming pink ball of panicking pony. Pinkie, though still sleeping, was waving her hooves around frantically, swinging punches and kicks in every direction with spastic, desperate movements. Twilight rubbed her sore cheek as she stumbled to her hooves. She turned to the bed once her jaw was snapped back into place, ready to scold Pinkie for her rude awakening, until she realised that the pink pony was thrashing around like a terrified filly, screaming and wailing in tortured terror. “Pinkie? Pinkie‽” The purple pony princess planted her hooves on Pinkie’s shoulders, rocking her roughly in an attempt to rouse her from her plagued slumber. “Pinkie Pie, wake up! You’re having a nightmare, you need to wake up. I’ll be here for you. Pinkie Pie, can you hear me?” Twilight cried, but none of her words seemed to reach the party pony, who continued to shriek and scream, flailing around like a filly. Twilight took a calming breath, raising her hoof to her chest and arching it away from her body as she exhaled deeply. With her nerves steadied, Twilight ignited her horn, a soft magenta aura surrounding the appendage as she focused her magic into a soothing energy with which to calm Pinkie down. Gingerly, she lowered her head and touched the tip of her horn to Pinkie’s forehead, the soft purple glow slowly sinking into the pink pony’s brow. Pinkie’s movements started to slow, her breathing stabilised and her wails and shrieks faded away into a series of soft moans and mumbles. The party pony’s eyelids fluttered, and her face scrunched a little as she opened her eyes and blinked away her drowsy haze. She looked a little baffled by the unfamiliar surroundings she found herself in. Perhaps she hadn’t realised she’d fallen asleep at Twilight’s palace. As she turned her face upward to look at the purple pony looking over her, she gasped at the sight of a large red mark shining on the princess’ face. Her hoof jumped to her lips before slowly pulling back for her to inspect. A look of realisation flashed upon Pinkie’s face and she stuttered out an apology. “Oh, Twilight, I-I’m so sorry. I… I didn’t mean to- oh gosh, what have I done? I-I would never…” Twilight silenced the worried mare with a hoof, before carefully embracing her friend and pulling her into her breast with a soothing shush. “It’s OK, Pinkie,” she assured, as the pink pony began crying all over again, burying her muzzle deep into the princess’ shoulder. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose. I realised you were having a nightmare. It seemed like a bad one.” She was met with a few sharp nods and a hoofful of snivels. “I know I might not be the first to say this, but I never expected you to even have nightmares, Pinkie.” The purple Alicorn pulled away from the hug and looked her friend in the eyes, wiping away the last of her tears before giving her a reassuring nuzzle, nose tip to nose tip. Pinkie giggled, a little half-heartedly, before turning her gaze to the crystal floor, twirling a hoof in circles on the bedclothes. “I haven’t had a nightmare for, at least, two years now.” Twilight’s gasp. Pinkie’s ears drooped at the sound. “I know. I know. “Pinkie Pie, Ponyville’s Permanent Party Pony having nightmares in her twenties, what a shocker (!)” Pinkie winced at the bitterness in her own words, turning an apologetic expression toward Twilight, who simply rubbed the pink pony’s withers comfortingly. “Do you want to talk about it?” Pinkie flinched at Twilight’s question. A question she’d feared would be asked if she came to Twilight for help. But, nevertheless, it was a question that needed answering. Pinkie drew in a deep breath, her hooves shaking a little as she willed her nerves to steady. Exhaling as slowly as she dared, Pinkie turned her face away from Twilight’s quizzical gaze, tears pooling in her eyes as she cast her mind back to her foalhood. To a time she would much rather forget. “It all started when I was a filly,” she started, Twilight slowly sliding onto the bed beside her, “back when I lived on my family’s rock farm.”
Sticks and StonesPinkie Pie was never questioned over her cutie mark. Three party balloons. Bright, bubbly, hyperactive pony who loves to throw parties and make her friends smile. What’s to question? Well, how about questioning the colours of the balloons that adorn her flank? Two blue, one yellow. Pinkie bounced around the bakery, chatting with the guests of her latest party. The music, provided by the ever popular DJ P0n3, thrummed through the air merrily, and the ponies danced along as they made pleasant conversation. The younger party goers had long since left for their snuggly little beds, so Pinkie decided to crack open her special party stash of hard cider from Sweet Apple Acres, which freely flowed from keg to glass to stomach. A couple of ponies were bumping and grinding on the makeshift dance floor, while some others were hooking up in the some of the eating stalls, having tongue wrestling sessions. The party pony clambered up to the stage and took a microphone from the DJ deck to make an announcement. “Attention, everypony!” The party guests turned their attention to the pink mare as the music dimmed in volume to allow Pinkie to speak, smiling in anticipation of what activity Pinkie was going to announce next. “First of all, I’d like to thank you all for coming, as always, and I’m so happy to see you’re all enjoying yourselves. And, as your party host, I hope you enjoy the festivities to your pony hearts’ content. Now, for our next party game-“ “Oh, for Celestia’s sake, will you just shut the BUCK up‽” The room shuddered to a halt with a gasp, as the shocked party guests turned to find a black Earth pony stallion glaring at the party host with hateful eyes. The mark on his flank depicted a broadsword cutting a snake’s tongue in half. “Buck, you’re so annoying,” the stallion sneered, blowing steam from his nostrils as he berated the pink mare. “Just because you’re the so-called “Party Pony of Ponyville” doesn’t mean that everypony likes your parties. Hay, I’m willing to bet good money that over half the ponies in this backwater town only come to your parties just because they pity you. You make them feel like they have no choice but to come to your parties because, otherwise, you’re just a sad little pony with no friends, desperately begging for attention. Well, let me tell you something, Pinkie Cry! Nopony would even notice if you were to disappear.” Pinkie’s eyes bugged at those words, and the room around her began to warp and distort, walls closing in and spacing out around her as the black stallion’s eyes blinked sideways, the round pupils transforming into slits, not unlike those of a snake, or any other reptile. His furry pony body stretched and twisted into a long, slender spiral. Fangs grew in his jaw and his forked tongue lashed out at her with a venomous hiss, making her mane deflate and hang limply over her shoulders. She cowered away from the creature before her, the entire world seeming to close in around her, robbing her of air as she shivered and whimpered. “I-I’m sorry,” she squeaked, feebly. “I’m so-sorry. Please, please don’t lock me in the naughty cage. No, please! Anything but the cage!” The party pony was now experiencing a full blown mental break down that even Twilight Sparkle would be disturbed by. With a shrill scream of terror, Pinkie ran up the stairs in a blazing blur of pink fur and dust, the door to her bedroom slamming shut, almost splintering at the hinges. The ponies downstairs looked toward the stairs in horrified awe. Never before had they seen Pinkie Pie, the most fun loving pony in all of Equestria, experience a moment of pure, unbridled, terror like that at such a display of disapproval. Not even when Gilda snapped at her, accusing her of pranking her all through the party she had prepared for her, and calling her the “Queen Lame-o”. All eyes fell upon the stallion, who seemed to be smirking to himself victoriously. “Good riddance,” he sneered, darkly. __--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--** Pinkie Pie sat alone in her bedroom in her flat above Sugar Cube Corner’s bakery and stroked her faithful companion, Gummy, as she cradled him against her chest. His smooth, sleek scales offered her comfort and security as she cuddled him, his misty eyes staring, unfocused, at the wall behind his owner. But the feeling of a cold, reptilian presence against her fur also awoke dark, unsettling memories for the party pony. Memories she wished she could forget. The day she discovered the real meaning behind her cutie mark. Gummy let her hold him as she pleased, knowing all too well how much she needed this kind of affection. The first time he had experienced this need for affection was the day his owner had found him, cold and hungry under the bridge that stretched over the river through Ponyville market square. Gummy had been orphaned not long after hatching; his mother having been captured by poachers, and sold on the black market as sickening knick-knacks. Pinkie Pie felt like it was her responsibility to be a mother figure to the baby alligator, and often showered him in hugs and kisses, none of which he ever refused. But she also enjoyed the feel of his scales against her fur. The smooth, sleek feel of reptilian scales provided the pink party pony with a sense of comfort, albeit fitfully peppered with traumatising memories. “Gummy? Would you notice if I were to disappear?” Pinkie lifted the alligator to look him in the eyes, as unfocused as his were. The derpy-looking reptile replied in the only way he could. He opened his jaw as wide as he could and gently snapped at his master’s muzzle, gumming her nose affectionately. The flat maned pony giggled a little, the sound seeming distinctly hollow to her own ears. “Thanks, Gummy.” Pinkie nuzzled her faithful pet gratefully, before holding up a gingerbread pony to his snout, allowing him to eat it from her hoof. As the alligator ate, Pinkie’s mind wondered to the stallion from downstairs, and the way he had spoken to her. Was he right? Did everypony only pretend to enjoy her parties because they felt like they were forced into attending them? Was she really a sad, lonely pony who wouldn’t have friends if she didn’t throw parties? The party pony looked down at her flank, inspecting the three balloons that adorned it. In particular, she scrutinised the yellow one the most. The day she earned her cutie mark… and the day, years later, that she realised its true meaning. Would nopony notice if she just up and vanished? Pinkie place her precious pet on her bed, tucking him up in his favourite blanket before making her way out of her room. There was only one pony she could turn to at a time like this. Twilight Sparkle. Author's Note This fiction is for the Offcial KIRA: LIVING IN A KNIGHTMARE 2014 Contest
A Shoulder To Cry OnTwilight lifted her head from her pillow as the sound of somepony knocking at her door rang through the castle halls. The purple Alicorn took a moment to stretch her muscles, pop her joints and shake the sleep from her eyes before making the long trek down the stairwell into the main hall. Extending her magic out toward the door, she gently eased it open as she came within view of the entranceway, revealing a most peculiar spectacle. There, in the doorway, was a flat maned Pinkie Pie, wearing the most sombre expression Twilight had ever seen on the party pony’s face. “Pinkie?” Twilight blinked, rubbing her eyes in the hope that the moonlight was playing tricks on her. The purple pony princess had only seen Pinkie’s mane flat once and, from what she heard from Rainbow Dash, that never meant anything good. The pink party pony gave a half-hearted smile, despite her tear stained cheeks, as Twilight reached palace doorway. Twilight looked her usually hyperactive friend up and down one more time before slowly wrapping a hoof around her neck and pulling her close for a caring nuzzle. Pinkie snivelled into the Alicorn’s mane, fighting a losing battle to keep the dam from breaking. The longer Twilight maintained contact, however, the harder the task became, and it wasn’t long before pinkie was openly sobbing into her friend’s shoulder. But, unlike many other times where the pink pony had wailed, and her tears came spouting from her eyes like waterfalls, she wept silently, and her tears fell like rain over her cheeks, soaking both her own, and Twilight’s fur. Twilight ushered her friend inside and escorted her up to her bedroom, collecting her tea set from the living room on the way. The two mares sat in silence while Twilight brewed a pot of tea for them both, the scent of the Alicorn’s favourite Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearl brew wafting through the room. Once the brew was complete, Twilight poured two cups of tea and levitated one toward the bed where Pinkie sat. The party pony took the cup in her hooves with silent thanks, a weak smile gracing her lips as she sipped at the piping hot liquid. She cooed happily at the warming sensation that tickled her throat as the tea worked its magic inside of her. The silence continued a few minutes longer, which worried Twilight greatly. Never before had she ever known Pinkie to sit so still, or so silently, in all her life. Whatever happened to her to make her behave this way, it must have shaken her really badly. Twilight took a breath and was just about to break the drowning silence when Pinkie suddenly seemed to come to life with the most unexpected question she could ever ask. “Twilight? Would you notice if I were to suddenly disappear?” Whatever Twilight was going to say died on her lips, and she closed her mouth with a clack of her teeth. Silence regained its choking hold over the room, as the two ponies looked at each other, one in earnest anticipation, the other in stunned confusion. Twilight blinked, uncomprehending as to where this question came from all of a sudden. “Pinkie, you’re the most active, friendly and sociable pony in all of Equestria. If I went a single day without seeing you, even in passing, I’d notice it immediately.” The pink party pony let out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding after hearing those words. “But, what in the world would make you think such a thing, Pinkie?” If Pinkie’s mane hadn’t deflated to its fullest before, it had now. Her entire complexion seemed to darken several hues, and the glimmer in her eyes fizzled out completely, leaving dull, lifeless pools of solid blue in her gaze. She turned her face away from Twilight’s, her mane flopping over her left eye as she stared at the floor, as if willing it to suddenly grow a mouth with which to swallow her whole. “I was throwing a party over a Sugar Cube Corner,” she started, running a hoof in circles in the bed covers. “But when I started announcing the next party game, somepony just stood up and shouted at me.” Twilight’s wings snapped open in alarm that somepony would have the nerve to raise their voice at Pinkie Pie. The idea that somepony had hurt the child-minded party pony made her blood boil, and she could feel her mane turning into fire. “He said that I was annoying. That just because I’m the resident party pony of Ponyville, it doesn’t mean everypony actually likes my parties.” Twilight barely suppressed a snort of irritation at this accusation. Of course everypony enjoyed her parties. Pinkie Pie was an amazing friend, and was an expert at bringing out the inner foal in everypony at her parties. It was her childish demeanour that made her so approachable, and her highly contagious energy that made everypony she met smile. “He told me that most ponies probably only come to my parties because they feel like they have to come. He claimed I made them feel like they had no choice in the matter. And that, without my parties, I’m just a sad, lonely, pathetic pony with no friends,” Pinkie Pie cupped her face in her hooves as her tears burst through the dam anew, “and I can’t help but wonder. What if he’s right?” Twilight’s heart exploded. “What if I am a pathetic, lonely, pony who has no friends, without my parties?” Twice. “Oh, Pinkie,” Twilight took a seat beside the sobbing party pony and pulled her in for a much needed hug. Pinkie’s arms clamped around the Alicorn’s barrel like a steel vice as the Earth pony cried on her friend’s shoulder. Twilight, for her part, was still reeling from the fact that somepony had even raised a harsh word at Pinkie. Only two ponies – well, technically, one griffon and a donkey – had raised a stern word at her before, but she’d never let that affect her before. But this seemed different. Something in the back of Twilight’s mind was yelling at her to find out what it was with what this pony said that was different, and why. Before she could raise the question, however, Twilight realised that Pinkie’s breaths had suddenly become much smoother. Much calmer. She looked down and confirmed her suspicion that Pinkie Pie had fallen asleep. The Alicorn smiled as she laid the exhausted Earth pony down beside her and tucked them both into the bedclothes, making a mental checklist of questions to ask Pinkie when the morning came. All through the night, the pink party pony slept fitfully, whimpering and begging with an unseen evil that wormed its way through her thoughts and tortured her sleep.
Troubled DreamsPinkamena ran as fast as she could. Her flat mane whipped about her head like a curtain caught in a hurricane’s gale. The dark pink locks swatted at her eyes, making it hard for her to tell if she was still running straight or not. The little filly’s lungs were burning, her heart wheezing with the strain of her escape. Her legs begged her to stop and rest, but she knew that even if she slowed down for just a moment, it would spell instant death for her. Her eyes scrunched as she pushed forward, tears streaming behind her and wetting the rock fields she left behind. The torturous sound of a rattle filled her ears, as if her chaser was following just beside her. But when she turned to check, she was running alone. But still, she could feel those slitted yellow eyes boring into her very soul as she fled for her life. A long scaly tail extended from under a giant granite boulder her father had been nursing for the past few months, lying in wait for its prey. Pinkamena’s hair once again shrouded her vision, obscuring her view of the danger that lay ahead of her. As she attempted to push herself to run faster, hoping her speed would flick her treacherous mane away from her eyes, she tripped and tumbled hoof over wither, landing uncomfortably in a patch of marble pebbles her sister Limestone had planted. The little filly whimpered as pain tore through her tiny body from her tumble. Her breaths came deep and wet, her saliva dribbled down her chin in thick trails, and her ears rang as she nursed her sore cranium. As the ringing died down, she became acutely aware of a new, but sadly not alien, sound swamping her ears. Slowly cracking open a quivering eyelid confirmed her greatest fear, as a forked tongue lashed at her cheek, ripping the skin, and a pair of sharp shiny fangs dove for her throat. She grabbed a pebble and threw… __--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--**__--** …a punch right into the side of Twilight’s face. The Alicorn yelped as she was rudely thrown out of her own bed by a screaming pink ball of panicking pony. Pinkie, though still sleeping, was waving her hooves around frantically, swinging punches and kicks in every direction with spastic, desperate movements. Twilight rubbed her sore cheek as she stumbled to her hooves. She turned to the bed once her jaw was snapped back into place, ready to scold Pinkie for her rude awakening, until she realised that the pink pony was thrashing around like a terrified filly, screaming and wailing in tortured terror. “Pinkie? Pinkie‽” The purple pony princess planted her hooves on Pinkie’s shoulders, rocking her roughly in an attempt to rouse her from her plagued slumber. “Pinkie Pie, wake up! You’re having a nightmare, you need to wake up. I’ll be here for you. Pinkie Pie, can you hear me?” Twilight cried, but none of her words seemed to reach the party pony, who continued to shriek and scream, flailing around like a filly. Twilight took a calming breath, raising her hoof to her chest and arching it away from her body as she exhaled deeply. With her nerves steadied, Twilight ignited her horn, a soft magenta aura surrounding the appendage as she focused her magic into a soothing energy with which to calm Pinkie down. Gingerly, she lowered her head and touched the tip of her horn to Pinkie’s forehead, the soft purple glow slowly sinking into the pink pony’s brow. Pinkie’s movements started to slow, her breathing stabilised and her wails and shrieks faded away into a series of soft moans and mumbles. The party pony’s eyelids fluttered, and her face scrunched a little as she opened her eyes and blinked away her drowsy haze. She looked a little baffled by the unfamiliar surroundings she found herself in. Perhaps she hadn’t realised she’d fallen asleep at Twilight’s palace. As she turned her face upward to look at the purple pony looking over her, she gasped at the sight of a large red mark shining on the princess’ face. Her hoof jumped to her lips before slowly pulling back for her to inspect. A look of realisation flashed upon Pinkie’s face and she stuttered out an apology. “Oh, Twilight, I-I’m so sorry. I… I didn’t mean to- oh gosh, what have I done? I-I would never…” Twilight silenced the worried mare with a hoof, before carefully embracing her friend and pulling her into her breast with a soothing shush. “It’s OK, Pinkie,” she assured, as the pink pony began crying all over again, burying her muzzle deep into the princess’ shoulder. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me on purpose. I realised you were having a nightmare. It seemed like a bad one.” She was met with a few sharp nods and a hoofful of snivels. “I know I might not be the first to say this, but I never expected you to even have nightmares, Pinkie.” The purple Alicorn pulled away from the hug and looked her friend in the eyes, wiping away the last of her tears before giving her a reassuring nuzzle, nose tip to nose tip. Pinkie giggled, a little half-heartedly, before turning her gaze to the crystal floor, twirling a hoof in circles on the bedclothes. “I haven’t had a nightmare for, at least, two years now.” Twilight’s gasp. Pinkie’s ears drooped at the sound. “I know. I know. “Pinkie Pie, Ponyville’s Permanent Party Pony having nightmares in her twenties, what a shocker (!)” Pinkie winced at the bitterness in her own words, turning an apologetic expression toward Twilight, who simply rubbed the pink pony’s withers comfortingly. “Do you want to talk about it?” Pinkie flinched at Twilight’s question. A question she’d feared would be asked if she came to Twilight for help. But, nevertheless, it was a question that needed answering. Pinkie drew in a deep breath, her hooves shaking a little as she willed her nerves to steady. Exhaling as slowly as she dared, Pinkie turned her face away from Twilight’s quizzical gaze, tears pooling in her eyes as she cast her mind back to her foalhood. To a time she would much rather forget. “It all started when I was a filly,” she started, Twilight slowly sliding onto the bed beside her, “back when I lived on my family’s rock farm.”
