Author's Note

Hello! This is the first addition in my Men And Monsters series, a very long, and very passionate project of mine. When I started this, it was when I was quite literally just starting off as a writer, so my writing skills and over all grammar weren't the best, not even to mention that this was before I got an editor.

If you enjoy the story but the writing does bother you, I encourage you push through it for a bit. It's a gradual process, but I promise you my writing does get significantly better as the story goes on.

The Prologue: Silence.

Silence.

Upon entering the main hallway through school, a dreadful silence hung in the air. Every student stopped whatever conversation they had to gaze at her in alarm, some inf fear. Pinkamena kept her head to the ground, walking through the onlookers in a dark hoodie and jeans, a far cry from her usual colorful attire. She had her hands in her hoodie pocket, in an almost casual way. But her sudden appearance was anything but casual.

“T-that’s her, right?”

“Didn’t she die?”

“I thought so? I-I she a ghost?!”

A low growl sounded from her clutched teeth, trying to ignore the remarks from the fools that had already grieved for her ‘passing.’ Reports of her death came from a week ago, so imagine everyone’s shock to find the her alive and well.

Except...different.

No longer was her fashion sense bright and cheerful. No longer was her hair curly and bouncy.

The woman, shoving herself through the crowd, wore dull colors, her hair silky and straight. The gleam of her eyes was icy cold. Yet everyone’s reaction remained the same.

Silence.

No chattering amongst themselves, no burst of tears or joy or anger. Just utter, intense silence.

Sunset Shimmer and the rest weren’t present in the halls. Some didn’t have the will to move on; others couldn’t take the pain and just took a break from school. The rest were just unlucky not to be in the halls at the time. The sound of sneakers rubbed against the floor as the ghost of Pinkie walked into Celestia’s office, the door opening and closing behind her. When the conversations and rumors started, some chatting amongst themselves, others trying to find Sunset or others familiar with Pinkie. Nothing could have prepared them for the truth, the truth they’d most likely never know.

If they had learned what she'd become, they would have preferred it if she really had died.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The sound of furniture smashing resonated in the house of the Pies, only two of the dysfunctional family alive. Maud remained calm while confronting her sister’s rage, or that was at least the impression she gave since her face rarely ever had an expression on it. Next to her was the thrown table, glass and utensils shattered and scattered on the floor. Pinkamena's chest rose and fell with each harsh breath.

“Three… months,Maud,” She seethed. “Three fucking months of being tormented and psychologically fucked! For three months, you knew about it and did jack shit to help me! In fact, you even supported it! Lied to my friends, their families, the police… Hell, I bet you lie to yourself to feel better about it every single day!”

She loomed over the older grey woman, droplets of blood sliding down her fingers. For anyone else, the sight of those blue eyes staring death through the dark veil she cast would be terrifying.

“... what kind of person does that to their own sister? Their own flesh and blood?!”

Maud sat there with her usual stoic face, staring blankly at her sister; she was used to her vibrant sister expressing herself in sometimes obnoxious ways. After Maud got the news that not only did Pinkamena survive the test, but she had become the leader of the family business, she went to school to clear things up and then came home, where Maud was waiting. While she didn’t look it right now, the pink woman was quite good at keeping her composure. Maud was just one of the few people she would show her emotions to.

“Pinkie, as smart--”

“Pinkamena! Don’t ever use that name with me again! I am not that person anymore...”

“Pinkamena,” Maud corrected herself. “As smart as you are, even you should have known this was inevitable. Everyone in this family must go through this test. Dad did, even I did. Even Marble and Limestone had to--”

“No, they didn’t! None of us did! If it weren’t for this ‘family tradition,’ both of them would still be ALIVE right now!!”

The two shared a knowing look in silence. No matter the mask the Pie siblings wore, both could never move on from their sisters’ deaths. They simply weren’t fit for the tests, but that didn't make what happened any less tragic.

“The point I’m trying to make, sister, is that the test was going to happen no matter what. There was nothing you, me, or anyone else could have done to prevent it from happening. If I had tried to stop it, and believe me, I came very close, then not only would they have killed us both, but probably your friends at school to. Try to bury what they'd consider a 'failure' and try to erase us from existence without a trace. So go ahead, hate me, blame me for everything as long as you want. But if given another chance, I would have made the same decision if it meant you and your friends get to live. I’m your sister Pinkamena; I’ll always choose what’s best for you, even if you despise me for it."

The silence hung in the air like fog, though the expression Pinkamena bore wasn’t melancholy or spiteful. It was one of understanding. She walked over to the door pausing before she could pass through. She looked back at Maud’s emotionless face, her blue eyes showing slight signs of forgiveness.

“I’m going out to clear my head for a bit, get the spare table in the garage. When I get back, we need to talk.”

Maud tilted her head, no noticeable changes on her face except a tint of confusion behind her eyes. There hadn’t been anything business-related planned for a month. One of the rules was to give the new leader a month to get used to their new life and set everything straight. Then again, her case was a bizarre one, not even mentioning how chaotic things were compared to normal.

“What sort of business, if I may ask?”

Pinkamena turned away, already taking a step through the door, gripping the handle tightly.

“With The Apples, I'm gonna go have a little chat...”
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“‘Personal business?!’ Are you KIDDING ME, PINKIE?! You’ve been gone so long; you were declared dead!! You can’t seriously expect things to work like this on short notice!”

It had been about an hour since Pinkamena had made her appearance; pretty much the entire group had shown up except for Rainbow Dash. She had been absent about a week after Pinkie’s disappearance. No one knew where she’s been; she just up and left without a word, something incredibly uncharacteristic of her. Pinkamena had been outside in the courtyard when they showed up. It was lunch break, though she wasn’t particularly famished. So, she went out and put her hood on and sat against a wall behind her. Anyone who tried to talk with her and figure out what happened was immediately scared off by a single glare, she was not in the mood for socializing.

That all changed when Fluttershy tackled her to the floor, crying and mumbling incoherently while sobbing into her shoulder. Unlike before, Pinkamena didn’t want anyone hugging her. But someone like Fluttershy was an…exception. Despite her messing up her hoodie, she let her cry into hers; she had others. Then, after Sunset saw her, she screamed at her with a face almost as red as the streaks in her hair.

Everything stayed the same after Sunset’s little outburst. Fluttershy was still crying into her shoulder; Rarity was trying to pull her off, saying she was making a scene and that she was messing up her makeup, selectively not paying attention to Pinkamena. It was like she didn’t want to admit she was angry, which was arguably worse. Applejack remained quiet, having walked over to her instead of rushing. She was eerily calm about the situation; it was nearly impossible to tell what she was thinking. Pinkamena had a good idea of why.

Other World Twilight wasn’t here, having decided to return to Equestria and figure out a spell that would work in the human world. She hadn't come back yet, and if she gave any updates to Sunset through the book then Pinkamena didn't know about it. Meanwhile, the human world Twilight has been spending countless nights of isolation, trying to find out where Pinkie was and how to find her. She probably hadn’t gotten the news. Everyone else had decided it would have been better to leave and let them talk it out. Not a single student or teacher was present in the courtyard, given how serious this was, which says a lot considering how much high schoolers couldn't get enough drama.

“You’re right; I don’t. So here’s what’s going to happen.”

Pinkamena shoved Fluttershy off of her, sending her tumbling into Rarity. She then fixed her clothes, putting the hood back over her head and her hands in her hoodie pockets.

“As of now, We’re not friends, not anymore. You’re going to leave me alone and stay out of my business. If you call me, text me, or anything, I’m not going to respond. If anything, I’ll just block you. I appreciate that you guys were worried about me, but I’m alive and well, as you can see. I’m fine. So, find someone else to be your comic relief; I heard Trixie’s trying out as a circus performer. But if anyone of you tries to reach out to me, I won’t hesitate to hurt you more than I need to. So for your sakes, please. Go away.”

With her warning stated, Pinkamena turned her back to her former friends and walked towards the exit, shoulder checking Sunset her way out. The only one who didn't react was AJ, the two glaring at each other as she passed. Everyone remained silent; even Fluttershy stopped crying out of shock, struggling to comprehend what just happened.

The only one who showed any emotion was Rarity, her face burning brighter than it ever had before. She was about to shout at her the same way Sunset did, but AJ stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. She whispered to Rarity that there wasn't a point. However, that didn’t stop Sunset from marching after her.

“No, This isn’t right!” Sunset barked. “What the fuck happened to you!? Who took you, who made you this way? What happened to Pinkie?”

She managed to grab at Pinkamena’s arm, pulling her around to face her. Sunset’s eyes widened, tears streaming down her cheeks. The party planners called a friend only gave a snarl before headbutting her, knocking the human unicorn down to the floor.

The others called out to Sunset in alarm, rushing to her side to help her up. Everyone looked up to the hooded women, a menacing face leering down at them. A face no one would expect to see on Pinkie Pie. All they could do was stare in distraught as Pinkamena left them with a final statement.

“I lost my Laughter.”