Author's Note

Sorry this took so long, summer started and I haven't had a lot of free time. Please, if you see any problem such as plot holes, grammar, etc. I'd appreciate it if you told me in the comments, other than that, enjoy! Also, sorry for it being so long, but I think longer chapters make for a better story. Now with some major editing.

Chapter One: Survival of The Insane.

There were many things about Pinkie that made her special: her personality, her innocent appearance, her parties, her optimistic attitude, and the overall wonderful person she was. She had many friends, both close, and people she was friendly with. But, none truly knew anything about her real life. No one knew about her past, what her parents were like, or why her siblings disappeared—no one except for Maud. And, especially, no one knew why she always tried to stay positive; the truth was much more bleak than any of them could have guessed.

Her relationship with her family was superficial at best, knowing next to nothing about anyone that wasn't her siblings or parents. Abruptly, she soon found out that her family would take her away for ‘family business’ when she reached eighteen, not waiting more than a few hours after her birthday party to do so. Her father terrified her, always wearing an emotionless face, no matter what it was he did. At least she knew where Maud got it. His yellow eyes never harbored any emotion; his suit and black pants were always adorned, no matter the occasion. Always having his hat on to cover his spiked, gray hair. He never looked different, despite how little Pinkie actually saw him, other than his clothes, seemingly immune to aging.

Her mother was… distant, to say the least. When she looked at any of them with those cold, blue eyes, it always put a foreboding sense of dread into Pinkie and her siblings. With the exception of Maud, she strangely never gave her such glares. She usually wore something fancy like a dress, or just something that would be more suited for a ball, despite whether or not she planned on leaving the house. She also kept her hair in a bun, even when she slept, resembling a person sized doll rather than a human.

Before they disappeared months ago, she’d always enjoy sleeping alongside her siblings. They would spend all their time together, playing and gossiping like all sisters should. Then, their birthday came. They were fraternal twins, but they were still as close as twins would be.

When their birthday came, and they turned eighteen, Igneous Pie, their dad, came and took them away. He never showed up unless it was something important, or, at least, what he deemed necessary. Cloudy Quarts, their mother, was always around the house but never treated them like she was their mother. She didn’t cook, didn’t clean, didn’t help her daughters with homework or boys. She didn’t do anything a normal mother would.

They never returned. Not once did her sisters come to visit or send letters, they simply vanished. Pinkie tried her hardest to find them, looked everywhere she knew about them. But she never did. Maud said they were just helping dad with something, but Pinkie wasn’t as ignorant as her demeanor would suggest. Everyone at school asked where they’d been and when they’d be back, but Pinkie simply just made excuses, as she didn’t know herself. Then, recently, her eighteenth birthday came up, and she found out the hard way exactly what the family business was.

Like any other day, she went to school, talked to her friends, and made plans for the party. All of her friends came to her birthday party, even Maud tagged along! After the party was over and everyone said their goodbyes, Pinkie began to clean up the aftermath.

But before she could finish, Igneous came to the house and took Pinkie the same way he did her sisters. Neither Maud nor Cloudy tried to stop him, well aware this day would come. He always had two bodyguards near him whenever he went out, wearing the same clothes Igneous did, except with the additional accessory of glasses. She never knew why, as there was almost no reason to have any. There was rarely crime or muggings or anything, and when there was, it usually happened up in the city, not way down in the suburban where they lived. Pinkie didn’t try to resist, as she wanted answers, and resisting would just cause more problems. They took her into a car they had parked in front of the house, a standard, black van with tinted windows. Basically, it was the kind of car either people in business have or criminals.

As they drove to wherever they were taking her, Pinkie tried asking both the guards and her father questions. Where were they going? When would they’d be back? Is she going to see her missing sisters? The guards remained silent, her incessant questiong stopping when Igneous told her to stop in an authoritarian tone. Eventually, after hours of driving and traffic, they got to their location. Though, Pinkie didn’t really know where, as she had fallen asleep long ago, being too bored to stay awake.

What they stopped at was a landing pad with an active helicopter in it, no one else was there except the helicopter’s pilot. As the bodyguards let Pinkie out of the car, she noticed they were wearing body armor and had gun holsters with pistols in them. This was scary for Pinkie as she had never seen a gun outside of movie, so much as heard one go off. She doubted either one of them would use them, hopefully.

Igneous was the first to get into the helicopter, then Pinkie, the bodyguards sitting beside each of them. He said something to the pilot, but Pinkie couldn’t hear it because of the loud whirring. The pilot nodded at Igneous before pressing buttons to get the helicopter off the ground. After talking to the pilot, Igneous reached into his side pocket and pulled something out. Pinkie couldn’t see what it was as he concealed it the second he pulled it out of his pocket, his eyes staring at her like cameras as he watched her suspiciously.

“Daughter, come here for a moment.”

The tone in his voice was hollow, referring to her like she were a complete stranger. The few times he referred to her he’d call her by her name, her real name anyway. She preferred to be called Pinkie. Nervously, she did as he said, walking closer to him.

“What is it, dad? Did you get me something? Oh, is it a present!? I love presents! Don’t you love pr-”

Before Pinkie could continue, Igneous injected a needle into her neck, a sharp pain in her neck followed by a darkness that consumed her vision. He kept that stoic look on his face through the whole thing, his guards not reacting in the slightest.

“I’m thankful you’re gullible, Daughter. Your sisters were much harder to sedate. We can’t have you know where we’re going; it’s far too risky. Hopefully, the dosage is enough to shut you up. Could never stand your annoying antics! It astonishes me that you’re even my daughter. You don’t take after your mother or me!”

Pinkie’s eyes slowly closed, as the last thing she saw was the blank look on her father’s face. He had one hand behind her head and the other behind her back, making sure she didn’t get hurt or anything. Igneous had to make sure she would be at her best. While he cared little about her wellbeing, he’d prefer that she’d survive. Because if she didn’t, he’d have to choose Maud as his protégé. And out of all of his children, she was the one he despised the most. Now, that wasn’t to say he didn't dislike Pinkamena; he found her insufferable. But compared to Maud, Pinkie’s ecstatic personality was at least manageable and far more predictable.

So unlike the other girls was she. He could never get a read on that mare, her mask better crafted than his own due to how terrifyingly real it was. Igneous insisted she was only meant to be an assistant; that’s all she was trained for. She wasn’t prepared to be a leader or go through the same kind of test, the one she had gone through was like comparing a popquiz to the SAT's. And Igneous certainly didn’t want to have more children to wait for another eighteen years, the odds of him living that long weren't very favorable.

Falling asleep wasn't quite the way to describe what happened to her, more like the time that passes simply did not register to her. One moment she was filled with terror and confusion, the next blinding sunlight and a searing headache overcame her senses as the bodyguards from earlier were carrying her off the helicopter.

“Careful! I don’t want a scratch on her! Even the tiniest of cuts could be infectious out here, and I'd rather not lose another daughter. So it’ll be on your heads if this test is jeopardized!”

She woke up to the sound of her father barking orders, only able to make out every other word. It was rare for him to raise his voice so loudly, even when addressing her whenever she got in trouble. Though Pinkie woke up, the effects of the drug still lingered. Her movements felt heavy and sluggish, parts of her were still asleep. She could barely open her eyes, only growing more confused when she did.

They were in a forest, a vast one from the looks of it. They were surrounded by tons of trees and bushes; the helicopter was landed on a rather large clearing. Either they cleared this themselves, or mother nature was a very impulsive creator. After setting Pinkie down, the guards rushed back to the helicopter and sat on both sides of their boss. Pinkie had been watching them this entire time, expecting them to say or do something to indicate this was just an elaborate prank. But the only one looking back at her was her father, a grave expression etched on his face that almost seemed like it was stuck like that.

Then, for the first time in her life, she saw a smile graced her father’s uptight lips.

Pinkie had tried multiple times to get him to smile, but it never worked. It wasn’t a smile that showed his teeth, just a simple uplift of his lips. Combined with his narrowed gaze, the smile made him look evil. The few times Pinkie saw that look was when Sunset Shimmer transformed into a demon, Or when The Dazzlings were running the school. She had hoped to never see a smile like that again, to see it on her father’s face deeply unnerved her. More than her mother’s glare, more than any villain she’s previously faced, more than she thought she was capable of feeling.

And just like that, his smile was gone, returning to his default expression. The fear didn’t leave even after the helicopter was long gone. Pinkie just laid there, emotionally distraught, physically fatigued, and afraid. It took her a while until she could get back up, the urge to sleep weighing down her. Her head was killing her, her body felt frail, and she had no idea where was. As Pinkie was able to stand, a note fell out of her pocket. It was a simple white piece of paper that was already open and was written in her father’s handwriting. She reached down to grab it, clutching at her aching head, before reading the paper’s contents out loud.

“Pinkamena,

Today is your eighteenth birthday, and as tradition, it is your turn to partake in our trial. This is what your sisters went through and what Maud will go through if you fail. I’d imagine you’re deeply confused with what’s going on. This is a test. You must fend for yourself in these woods for one month. No help or outside interference. If you do this, I’ll be more than happy to tell you anything you want to know. Who knows, you may even find your sisters. Though given the vastness of this forest, that’s very unlikely. Now, if you’re smart, which is also unlikely, you may be asking, ‘how will I know where to find you?’ The night before your birthday, I had Cloudy put a chip into your body while you were sleeping. This chip allows us to keep track of both your heart rate and your location. If you wander near any kind of civilization, we will send several shocks through your body. If you try to flee the forest or make contact with anyone, we will kill you. I leave you in fate’s hands now, daughter, for better or worse.

Igneous.”

After reading the letter, Pinkie just stood there for a while, slowly lowering herself until she sat on the ground. She wasn’t really sure how to feel; for those few seconds, she sat there numb. Then, it all came at once. Fear, betrayal, anguish, shaking her to the core. The letter slowly floated to the ground when she dropped it, losing any common sense, as she screamed as loud as she could. Not really wanting to get anyone’s attention, just not knowing what else to do, the realization of everything hitting her hard.

That’s when it sank in; this wasn’t a prank, this wasn’t some elaborate joke. This was real. Pinkie was betrayed by her family, kidnapped and drugged, taken to a forest in the middle of nowhere, left to the mercy of nature. She gripped the ground tightly, her breathing erratic and frantic, her heart beating rapidly. Eventually, her breathing slowed down as she looked up at the sky; the scenery calmed her down.

That drug must have lasted a long time, as when she was knocked out, it was late and dark, but now it was early, and the sun was bright. If she had to guess, she’d say it was around eight; her friends were probably wondering where she was right now. She had managed to go all year without any absences; it was so close to the end of school, too, there were only two weeks left. It was still spring; there was only one more day left in school before testing was going to start, seems she would miss it. If she survives by some miracle, she at least could say she had a wild summer.

She wanted to hurt him. But, not before she could figure out precisely what happened to her sisters and why. They couldn’t be dead; he’s not that cruel, right? Pinkie wiped her face, getting rid of any tears that were threatening to fall, and suddenly stood up, regaining her animated personality. If she was going to get her revenge, save her sisters, reunite with her friends, and live her life, then she needed to stay positive and get out of this alive. But, for now, she had to indulge him. She had to survive for one month in this forest.

When she was younger, she went through a Bear Grills phase; she watched all the episodes well more than once. Hopefully, she wouldn’t have to go as far as to drink her own pee, which would become a detriment very quickly. She also talked to Fluttershy about animals; since she had so much experience with them, it would make sense to ask her what to do if she encounters any feral ones. She had everything she needed to survive out here. Pinkie just really hoped she wouldn’t have to kill any animals; Fluttershy would hate that. And neither she nor herself would ever be able to forgive such an act.

“Well, I guess I’ll have to start by finding a shelter before it gets dark! Ooh! Maybe I’ll run into some friendly animals or something, that’d be awesome! Then, I could keep them as pets and have them watch for me when I’m sleeping! And then-”

Suddenly, there was the sound of a twig breaking from a bush not too far away from Pinkie, making her shut up and filling her with fear. The sounds stopped, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t something there. When Pinkie screamed, it could have attracted a nearby predator, and she really didn’t want to deal with that. Her memories of peaceful ways to deal with wild animals were hazy, at best. She slowly began to back away from the bush, intending to get as far away from that clearing as possible; being in plain sight for as long as she has was a bad move.

When Pinkie got away from the clearing, she started to run as fast as she could. She avoided any loose branches or anything, as tripping could get her killed, or something broken, which would eventually end with the same result. If something like her arm or leg became broken, which were essential to anything she would need to do to survive, she wouldn’t last a week, so much as a month.

She took a sudden left and went behind a tree, out of breath from the sudden running. That was stupid of her. If you rush your heart like that without building up to it, you’ll get tired a lot faster. She held her breath and closed her eyes, trying to hear if anything was following her or any other noises that would indicate anything else. If there was, it was hushed; the only sound was the chirping of birds and the wind.
Not many people know this, but, despite almost always talking and being loud, she could be reticent if she wanted; it’s how she could sneak up on her friends or set up pranks in the school after hours. When she was younger, she would play hide and seek with her siblings; she was rarely found. She was just good at hiding and staying quiet when the situation required it. This was a significant advantage in nature because if she could remain hidden whenever a predator was around, then she might just make it out of these woods alive.

Pinkie looked at the tree she was leaning on, noticing how high up it was. She decided that if she wanted to survive. She would need to learn a bit about her surroundings. She began to climb the tree, making sure to only get on branches that were big and could handle her weight. It took a long time, around thirty minutes, but she got to the top. She was tired and covered with leaves and other things; she didn’t really care at the moment; she was too mesmerized by what she saw.

“Where did they take me?”

Pinkie muttered in utter shock and confusion. There were miles upon miles of woods, with the occasional mountain in the distance. Wherever they took her, it was far from the city; she couldn't recall any city nearby this vast. It would take her a month just to get out of this place!. There wasn’t a single human-made thing insight, not any buildings or anything. It would be hard to survive in these woods; it would take more than a month just to navigate them, she wasn’t even going to waste the effort of trying to find civilization. Her only chance was to find an area with water and stay there. Without water, she had no chance.

She began to pay more attention to the view, trying to find any sign of a water source. A river would do, maybe even a cave. Occasionally, there can be water sources in caves. But, she wouldn’t be able to see a cave entrance from here, so she wasn’t going to look for one. Then, she noticed a spot with a lack of trees. This wasn’t the clearing she woke up in; that was in a completely different direction. There didn’t seem to be any reason for this, as, past the spot, miles of woods continued onward. The only reason why this would be is if there was another clearing, or there was a pond!

Pinkie’s face suddenly changed into a smile as she began to climb down the tree. She got a bit excited and rushed down, which caused her to scrape her foot against the tree. She gasped out at the sudden pain in her foot, biting her lip to avoid making a sound, afraid she might alert any nearby animals.

After waiting a few seconds to see if she was noticed, she continued to climb down the tree in a more cautious manner. Almost immediately after she got to the bottom, she began to sprint towards the direction of the clearing she saw. She knew that she would get tired sooner, but the dismissal wasn't that far away. She kept a concentrated look on her face, remaining quiet while maintaining focus on her surroundings. Pinkie had to make sure that she didn’t make too much noise or run into anything.

When Pinkie was younger, she went through an athletic stage. It was either to compete with Rainbow Dash or to try to get her father’s attention; she wasn’t really sure. She practically signed up for everything: track, basketball, soccer, football, baseball, everything the school had to offer. She kept in sports until middle school when she and her friends had a falling out. But, muscles don’t just disappear, especially not with a metabolism like hers.

She was nothing compared to what she used to be, but she was still in reasonably good shape. She couldn’t run as far or as long as she used to or hit a home run so far they had to get a new ball, but she could win an endurance fight or outrun her opponent if push came to shove. Animals might be a different story. If she ran into a pack of wolves, for example, there was no way she could fight them or outrun them. Hiding was the only option in that scenario.

After what felt like an hour of running through bushes, jumping over loose tree roots, hiding behind trees at sudden sounds, and eating berries that Pinkie was ninety percent sure weren't poisonous, she could finally see the clearing. It wasn't far; it only took so long because she kept getting tired, or it was more distant than it looked. It was a huge waterfall that fed a small pond. She couldn't see where the water was coming from, as it was too high, probably from a river or a stream.

It was barely big enough to fish out of, but, hopefully, it had fish in it. She couldn’t tell; the water was too dense to see through. Around the pond were rocks and mud and such, surrounded by cattails and other plants. This was good; she could set up a shelter around here. The shelter would be more for storing food and waiting out the weather, no other real purpose. Sleeping in such an open area would be a bad idea.

She walked forward and smiled out of satisfaction; this was perfect, this would work. This was a great, practically endless water source, and the surrounding area is pulsing with edible plants and berries. This made her smile stretch even further. Having both water and a food source was crucial for survival, and she had both of these things in one, somewhat safe area.

All she needed now was a shelter of some sort to protect her from the weather, and she could sleep in if she needed to, something that could be easily made and efficient. Not a wooden cover, she needs a shelter that doesn’t take too much time to complete. Not a cave; she really didn’t like enclosed areas. What she needed was a moss shelter. They keep heat stored in a small space, they’re easy to make, can protect from rain and snow, and provide a fair amount of cover. It was the perfect shelter for her!

At that, she began to gather up moss in the surrounding area and pile it all up to use for the shelter. When she thought she had a sufficient amount of moss for her makeshift home, she began gathering branches. Some she could find on the ground, others she had to tear off trees. This is a similar process to what she would need to do for a wooden shelter, except this takes a lot less wood. Wooden shelters can’t contain heat as well as moss shelters do and can’t protect from weather like rain or snow. While there are environments where wooden shelters would be the better choice, this wasn’t it.

Pinkie would need about twenty decent sized branches and one log to hold them all together. It was hard to carry all these branches back and forth into one pile; it was even harder to find a log big enough to hold all the branches in one place, but, luckily, she did. She had seen it lying between a few trees, probably the remains of one that fell over. She couldn’t carry something that heavy, so she rolled it over to the pile.

By the time she was done getting everything she had needed, Pinkie had two piles. The pile of moss to her left, which was almost as big as she was, and the pile of branches, plus the log to the right of her, she still felt like she forgot something, something important.

"Let’s see; I’ve got the wood, the moss, the log, what am I missing? Oh, yeah! Rocks, lots of them!”

To keep the branches standing up without falling over, she needed to surround the branches’ base with rocks, which there were plenty of. She would also need to save some stones to make a campfire, but she won’t be making that until she was done with this. Pinkie began to gather rocks in the area near the pond and the ones beside the trees. When she thought she had enough, she put them in a similar pile beside the moss one. Then, when she was positive she had what she needed to make a shelter, she began to build it.

First, She got the log and lifted it up. It was cumbersome, and she was barely able to get it off the ground. A look of strain was on her red face, but she did her best to angle it to where one part was leaning against a tree, and the other was pushing into the ground. Next, Pinkie rushed some rocks into a pile around the base to prevent it from collapsing. She got the branches and did the same thing with them that she did with the log, except the branches were leaning on the log, and the piles of rocks around their base was smaller.

There were ten branches on each side of the branch, making it both even and able to support their own weight. Finally, Pinkie got the moss and put some on top of the log until it covered it from top to bottom. She did a similar thing with the branches, except she had to do it vertically from head to toe, or it wouldn’t have stayed in any other way. She did this with all twenty branches until they were all covered.

Pinkie stepped back covered in dirt, moss, and sweat, but still had a proud smile on her face. It was decent sized, had rocks at the base of all the branches, enough moss covering it to make it seem like the wood was green, and was obviously hastily made. But it would have to do for a home. As Pinkie was bathing in pride at her creation, she noticed something dangling from one of the branches of the tree the log was leaning on, something familiar.

It was a necklace, a silver necklace. Pinkie’s face went from joyful to worry at this; she didn’t come here wearing a necklace. She walked over and slowly grabbed it, not wanting to break it. Pinkie had no idea how long it had been there, it was covered in dirt and other things showing it's had to deal with the elements for a bit. She took the necklace over to the pond and dipped it in, using her hands to clean it.

It took a few minutes to get all the muck and such off, but, eventually, it was clean. It was a silver necklace with a matching silver chain. The chain wasn’t entirely silver, as evident by the small coats of rust. Which didn’t necessarily mean it was old, just that it had been out in the open. It was still in a reasonably good state.

At the bottom, there was a gold pendant with a little red jewel at its top. It was also hollow, most likely one of the necklaces that opened and had a picture in it. This was good! This meant there were other people in the woods with her, maybe even someone she knows! Technically, she wouldn’t be breaking the rules if she talked to someone already in the woods. There might have been hikers or campers who may have gotten lost in the woods as big as this. In the excitement that she might meet other people, she quickly opened the pendant to look at the picture inside, but it wasn’t what she was expecting.

What was inside the pendant made Pinkie gasp, a sense of dread filling her. It was a picture of her, Limestone, and Marble. Though she always referred to them as Inkie and Blinkie since she had trouble pronouncing their actually names when she was younger and did called them that instead, which is where her nicknaming habit came from. The photo was taken two or three months before Marble's eighteenth birthday, right before they disappeared. This was the necklace Limestone always wore. Because if she was ever sad or scared, she could look down and see her sisters’ smiling faces. It’s been so long since she’s seen them, she forgot all about it, which made her stomach drop in guilt. The picture was taken during her eighteenth birthday. The necklace was a present from Blinkie, who swore she’d never take it off. If something this important to her was here, that meant she either lost it, some bird picked it up, or...

“No! I can’t think like that! I have to stay positive! Thinking like that isn’t going to get me anywhere.”

Pinkie shook her head and quickly stood up, not wanting to feel the worry and dread creeping up. She hated emotions that took away people’s smiles, which was ironic considering hatred was one of them.

“Just because this is here doesn’t mean she’s dead! She just can’t be! I-if anything, this means she’s somewhere in this forest!”

Pinkie said to herself, not really having anyone to talk to like usual. She had no other choice, she never was an inside thinker, she preferred to voice her thoughts. She closed the pendant and put the necklace around her neck. After all, someone has to give it back to her. Pinkie looked down at the heart-shaped pendant, the water glistening as it slowly rolled off of it.

She was filled with determination.

Pinkie had to see them; she just had to. It’s been almost a year since she’s ever even had contact with her sisters. She nearly jumped in joy at a chance to see them. She couldn’t wait to catch up with them, tell her about new and old friends, about the Elements of Harmony and magic, all the drama in her life, all sorts of things.

Pinkie smiled, guessing at what her sister's reaction would be if she told her sisters she and her friends had sprouted ears, ponytails, horns, and wings, and used magic to defeat a demon who was now their friend. It would take a lot of convincing, but she was more than happy to try, and had plenty of time to.

Then, suddenly, her stomach loudly rumbled, reminding Pinkie she’s had nothing to eat, save for a few berries. She blushed in embarrassment at that, glad no one was around to hear that. Then, she looked over to how many rocks were left, and there were just enough to make a campfire. She gathered some nearby wood and the stones she left in a pile and started to put the rocks in a small circle. It was just small enough to cook something decently sized but not big enough to make a lot of smoke, as that would attract unwanted attention from nearby animals, be predator or prey.

After she was done making the circle of rocks, she put many twigs and such into the middle, making enough fuel to last a fire a couple of hours. Now all she needed was food. Not necessarily a big animal; it could be a frog or a snake or something. As much as she hated having to kill something, she understood nature’s laws for predators to eat prey, which didn’t make it any less tragic. She hated to admit it, but she needed to kill and eat an animal. It was starting to get too late to go out for berries. Plus, she was too tired from making her shelter to go too far. She had no choice.

Pinkie began looking near the pond, hoping she might see something she could catch with her hands. Like a frog or a fish, just something she didn’t necessarily have to kill to catch. Usually, if you didn’t have a makeshift fishing rod, you’d use a spear—a long piece of wood with a sharpened rock taped with lots of grass to keep it there. But, considering how much she had already gotten done today before sunset, Pinkie was too tired and afraid to do anything else.

After a few minutes of looking, she saw a fish near the edge of the pond; it seemed to be just staying there, no indication it was even alive except for its tail moving back and forth. From what Pinkie knew about fish, which was only from the occasional conversation about them with Fluttershy, it was most likely a Bluegill, considering the size and environment. Bluegills were relatively small and not very nutritious, but it’s still better than having nothing to eat.

She started to walk over to the area in front of the Bluegill, remaining quiet to make sure the fish wouldn’t get scared and swim away. She most likely wouldn’t have gotten another chance like this. The closest she could get was just on the edge of falling over, making it very hard to keep balance, but not impossible. She slowly leaned down towards the Bluegill, making sure not to make any sudden movements or sounds. It could cause her to go to sleep hungry tonight.

The Bluegill remained in the same place as before, either not noticing or not caring that something was leaning closer and closer to it, until Pinkie suddenly grasped it, successfully capturing her target. The Bluegill, being suddenly attacked in its environment, squirmed violently, trying to escape its hunter’s grasp.

Pinkie had kept a good grip on it, despite how wet and slippery it was, because if it got back into the pond, there was no chance of her getting it back. She threw it as far in the opposite direction as she could, making it land a few feet behind her, flopping in every which direction, trying to get back to a water source. Pinkie didn’t want to kill the fish, at least, not directly. She was going to let it suffocate. It may not have been the most pleasant death, but it was better than her having to kill it with her hands, she was pretty sure fish couldn't feel pain anyway.

After she was done making sure every last drop of slime and water was off her hands and on her clothes, she walked over to the no longer flopping fish. Which, while Pinkie was cleaning off her hands, had stopped flopping about, gills flexing slowly. She noticed this and just stood there with a sad look on her face, knowing she still killed it.

It sat vertically on the ground in front of Pinkie, opening and closing its mouth, in a last, desperate attempt to live. Pinkie felt terrible for it; the fish had done nothing wrong. It was simply born, lived in the pond, probably had fish friends, and was suddenly taken from it’s home to silence her growling gut.

"I’m sorry little guy; I don’t WANT to do this! It’s just berries won’t keep me full and healthy, and it’s going to be getting dark soon. I don’t want to risk going in the woods; you were just the closest thing I could find. I Pinkie Promise, I will make sure to eat every last bite of you, so your death doesn’t go to waste! Cross my heart and hope to die, stick a cupcake in my eye!”

Her face changed from a sad one to a joyful one as she made the gestures of her signature promise, the fish still opening its mouth, not responding to Pinkie’s declaration in any way. Then the fish stopped, its body no longer showing signs of life. Pinkie, realizing the fish was now dead, lowered her hand from her eye, her face going back to her depressed.

“Goodbye, Mr. Fish.”

She then walked over to the campfire and started the fire, using the simple stick method. As she put the slightly on fire twig under the woodpile, she went over to the fish as the fire slowly spread to the rest of the wood, still in the same place as she left it.

Pinkie picked it up, ignoring the remaining slime and other disgusting stuff on it. She put a stick through the fish, making a disgusting squishing sound that grossed her out more than the slime did. Then, she planted the stick into the ground at an angle where the fish was right over the woodpile so that the fish wouldn’t get over or undercooked.

As she waited for her dinner to be cooked, she walked over to the pond and began to wash her hands, not wanting to get any more gross stuff on the clothes she’s going to be wearing for the rest of the month. As she was washing her hands, she had a blank look on her face. Then a sob suddenly came out of her, it was short and the only one she did, but it was full of emotion.

Pinkie had never taken a life before, human or otherwise. Not even as a kid did she ever kill a fly or anything, despite how they might bother her. She always believed, no matter how different two things were, they’re both alive. Whether it was a fly, a fish, or a person. No matter how advanced humans may be, they’re no different than animals. Everything deserves just as much reason to live as anything else. She understood that animals and insects were killed by people daily around the world, but that didn’t mean she had to be the same.

She also understood that it was necessary to kill that fish, or she may not have had the energy to get food, but she still hated it. She broke the rule she made to herself so long ago, which both made her disappointed in herself, and hate towards her father, who put her in this situation. True, she didn’t have much choice in killing the fish. But, if he hadn’t put her in these woods, then she never would have had to kill it.

"Why? What's the point of all this?"

Pinkie suddenly slammed her fists into the water, making some of it splash onto her face. But her face was already wet with tears before that. It wasn’t just the fish that made her cry, nor was it the anger. It was the combination of knowing she’s most likely going to have to take the lives of many animals, knowing her sisters most likely had to do the same thing despite them making a similar promise, that her own father did this to her, that her friends will be worried sick about her and there’s nothing she can do about it, and that her mother and sister simply didn’t care. Many feelings ran through her core. Dread, rage, spite, depression, and betrayal. Most of these emotions are ones she’s never felt before and had no idea how to deal with them; no one could deal with all these emotions simultaneously, especially not one so positive.

Frustration was at the surface of these emotions, she didn't understand the point of all this! Why did she have to be put in these woods? She didn't understand.

Pinkie bawled her eyes into her hands, no longer caring how loud she was being or if she attracted any attention from predators. She just couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears of anguish fell down her face, landing into the pond in front of her.

After a few minutes of letting out some of her emotions, she began to wipe her face of both water and tears. She then got up, turned around, and began to walk over to the fish she nearly forgot about. By now, it was cooked enough to eat, despite her obvious disgust. She sat down in front of the campfire and began to eat her meal. Pinkie gagged at almost every attempt to swallow it, not because it tasted terrible, but because of how horrible she felt eating it.

By the time she was finished eating the fish, she had felt like she was going to puke. Sometime during her meal, it had turned dark. The campfire was now the only light source in the night. Pinkie threw the bones of the fish into a nearby bush. She then started to walk over to her moss shelter, both too physically and emotionally exhausted to do anything more for the day.

As Pinkie began to walk-crawl in her shelter, with a sad look on her face, a sudden sound rang through the forest that filled her with fear: howling. Now, she understood that this was normal, as wolves would howl for many reasons. The problem was this was how close it was. This wasn’t the kind of howling you would hear in the far distance and shrug off, thinking it was an echo. They were close.

Panic settled in. A wolf had an acute sense of smell, meaning it probably already had her scent. Or worse, a whole pack of them.

Pinkie slowly crawled out of her moss home, looking in the direction where the howl had come from. She could feel the adrenaline from the fear starting to rise up. If they were visible from where she was, that meant she was in danger and had to hide. If they weren’t, that meant she still had time to run, maybe lose them or climb up a tree; she was pretty sure wolves couldn’t climb trees.

Pinkie squinted her eyes in the direction of the howl, it was dark, and there were lots of bushes and such blocking a clear sight, which meant if whatever amount of wolves hunting her had a dark enough coat that they blended into their surroundings, she had no chance of surviving. Then, suddenly Pinkie saw it, a wolf.

It had a dark gray coat that made it very hard to see it. If it hadn’t been so large, Pinkie probably wouldn’t have. It had golden like eyes, which were looking around for tonight’s prey. Pinkie’s eyes widened as two smaller wolves came behind it, one with its nose to the ground as if it was tracking a specific scent, which it probably was. The other remained beside the first one, appearing to be searching for any other predators in the area.

This was bad! Really bad! They must have smelled the cooking of meat when she put the fish over the campfire and followed it here. The wolf tracks must have been trying to pinpoint its exact location, which would lead them to the campfire if they’re as good as trackers as Pinkie had seen and heard of in the documentaries.

Pinkie slowly crawled back into her home as she weighed her options. She had three choices; the first was the stupid choice, fight them. Which shouldn’t even be considered; these are predators. Creatures who spend every day hunting their food and killing other predators, Pinkie hasn’t even been in a real fight; that wasn’t an option. The second option was to make a run for it, where the wolves will most definitely notice her. She might outrun them. She wasn’t as fast as she once was, but she was still quick. Besides, humans can run longer than any animal, so she didn’t have to outrun them, just outlast them.

But, considering it was this late at night, she would probably run into objects and fall, which would slow her down. Even if one wolf fell, the others would keep going, and with their vision more adjusted to the night than hers, they wouldn't fall. Which left only one option, hide. While it was true they could track her down, it didn’t matter if she hid to the point where they couldn’t find her. Considering this one was most likely to work, and her only real option left, this was the one she was going to choose.

She began to look around for a hiding spot, dense bush, a tall tree, anything will do. As Pinkie looked the wolves slowly got closer and closer to her spot. She couldn’t see this, of course, but she assumed they were. She seriously doubted they were just standing there. Her eyes eventually fell onto the pond; she was seriously considering just going under and holding her breath. Then she noticed something she hadn’t seen before.

At the back of the pond, where the waterfall was, the walls seemed to get smaller the closer they were to the waterfall. There was something back there. Pinkie looked as closely as she could at a waterfall at night, trying to notice any details. And then, she saw it; there was a cave behind the waterfall! This was perfect! Not only would the water mask her scent so the wolves couldn’t smell her, but the wolves wouldn’t go so far for their prey as to swim through a pond, into a cave, and adventure through it just to find her, probably.

Pinkie then slowly began to crawl toward the pond, hoping she’d get there before the wolves found her. The wolves had been continuing their hunt, remaining slow. They still weren't if any other predators were around. Pinkie was also going slow, but she was closer to the pond then the wolves were to her. By the time she was at the edge of the pool, the wolves were mere feet from her shelter, and they were still getting closer.

Pinkie felt hesitant. If the wolves did notice her in the pool and jumped in themselves, she would have nowhere to go. But, if they didn’t, she would still have to swim through water filled with fish. Then, the wolves noticed the campfire and the shelter and began to speed up, getting closer to seeing her every second. If she didn’t jump in soon, they would most definitely see her, and then option one will be her only remaining choice. Pinkie then slowly got into the water, trying her hardest not to make any noise.

The first thing she saw when she was underwater was fish; lots of fish. Some on the pond floor eating plants and algae and such, others hiding in holes in the pond’s wall and sleeping, or, at least, the fish version of sleeping. She then began to swim towards the waterfall, noticing the cave entrance from where she was. It was hard to keep her eyes open as the water started to burn her eyes. But she had to, so she could make sure where she was going. What bothered her most, though, wasn’t her eyes or having to hold her breath, it was more the fact she was basically swimming in a fish sewer, and they lived there.

‘Fish both defecate and urinate in their home, as they don’t have the brain capacity to do it in a specific place or time, so, they just do it when and wherever they are.’ Pinkie had learned this from a documentary on the ocean she had seen a few years ago. This fact disgusted her then, and it still disgusted her now.

Eventually, after what felt like hours of stinging eyes, burning lungs, and putrid feelings, Pinkie made it to the waterfall. After climbing into the cave, which was hard with the waterfall’s pressure weighing her down, she found rest.

The second she got into the cave, Pinkie took sharp breathes coughing her lungs out. She really hoped the waterfall’s roaring was louder than her coughing because if it wasn’t, then the wolves most definitely heard her. She drank some of the water from the waterfall, the fish from earlier making her thirsty.

Pinkie noticed the wolves arriving at the campfire, trying to sniff out her scent. She wasn’t worried, positive the water had washed her smell. Even if one did find her, there was no way they could follow her up here.

The wolf tracking her sniffed around the campfire while the alpha male was investigating the moss shelter. The third one was watching for other predators. Pinkie sat and watched as the wolves tried to find her, smiling triumphantly. Her smile faded, however, when something unexpected happened.

The wolves began to gather at the moss shelter, and they all went inside. They cuddled together and began to sleep, with the alpha male on top. This filled her with distraught. They weren’t just looking for food, they were looking for a place to sleep, and Pinkie provided them with one. Not only did this mean she had to stay in the waterfall all night, but that the wolves would now know of her shelter and might come back to sleep there while she’s asleep. This certainly wasn’t good news, but still, it was better than being eaten alive.

Pinkie decided she might as well explore the cave; she had nothing else to do since the wolves were now residing in her shelter for the night. The first thing she saw when she had turned around was darkness, lots of it. Which made sense, considering it was a cave; they tended to be dark. Though, since Pinkie had been out in the night, and she was pretty good at adjusting to things. She could see, not as well as in the daytime, but enough to make out large objects or anything she could get close to.

Pinkie was tired, but not tired enough to immediately go to sleep, not with all the fear adrenaline running through her veins, which would probably leave her exhausted when it’s gone. She decided, since this cave was such a great hiding place, had a clean water source, and she was able to see incoming predators without them seeing her, this would be her new, better shelter. While she did say she didn't like enclosed areas, this cave wasn't as surrounded as most. But, it would be stupid to make this cave her home when she hasn’t even explored it, even for her. She waited a few minutes for her eyes to adjust to the darkness better and began to explore.

As Pinkie was exploring the cave, making sure to watch out for bats or anything of the like, her thoughts began to put more fear into her than the wolves did. Not too long ago, she and her friends decided to watch a movie, then they all started voting in the genre. Fluttershy voted on an animal documentary; Rarity wanted to watch "The Notebook," which Pinkie had already seen tons of times. Twilight and Sunset wanted to watch one of the Star Trek movies. The genre that got the most votes, though, was horror. Rainbow, Applejack, and Pinkie voted on a scary movie.

After some bickering between the six of them, with Fluttershy just trying to hide behind her hair, not wanting to get into an argument, they finally got them to at least watch it. The horror movie they had agreed on was the one that was making Pinkie scared now, "The Descent." To sum it up, the film was about a group of girls who get lost and find an unmarked cave, and due to human curiosity, they explore it. What they did find in there were humans who had devolved into something primal and nocturnal. The creatures were cannibalistic, having eaten or killed all of the girls except for one. This would set up a sequel, but they didn’t watch that one, as the first one was horrifying enough.

But now that she was alone in a cave, the thoughts of those creatures emerging from the darkness frightened Pinkie. She was a Christian; that’s how she was raised. Though truthfully, her siblings helped raise her more than her mother did. She didn’t believe in evolution or any of that stuff, so she just assumed that whatever those creatures were, they couldn’t be human. She thought they were all blind, albino, hairless monkeys who bred together and made a whole bunch of their kind, and, for some reason, decided to live in the cave. Fluttershy said it was improbable but possible.

The idea of one of those things popping out of a nearby rock and attacking her in the dark made Pinkie much more terrified than a whole pack of wolves did. But, this was a cave behind a waterfall, not some unmarked cave in the woods. So, she laughed away her fear, thinking how funny it would be if her friends were here.

Rainbow Dash would have acted all confident and nonchalant, while Applejack would be trying to calm her down instead of waking any possible bats. Fluttershy would probably be hiding behind someone, afraid of the cave. Twilight and Sunset would probably be trying to find the solution to all of this, and Rarity would be throwing a fit because the waterfall messed up her makeup.

The thought of being with her friends again put away her fear, replacing it with confidence. She had to get through this so that she could make her fantasy a reality. She put the idea of cave creatures in the back of her mind and replaced it with the smiles of her friends. If she let the fear keep her from doing the things she needs to, then Pinkie would never get out alive.

She needed to see her friends, to let them know she was okay. She needed answers, why her father did this, and what happened to her sisters. But, most of all, she needed to live. Pinkie was too young; there were too many things she needed to do. With that notion in mind, she continued through the cave.

It wasn’t as deep as it looked, not even close. It was actually relatively small and wasn’t very cave-like. There was barely any water, other than the occasional dripping from the ceiling. And, as far as Pinkie could tell, there weren’t any bats or anything. Her eyes had further adjusted to the dark about as well as they were going to, but only to the point where she could see distant large objects and shapes more clearly.

She had seen many rocks and such on the ground, so Pinkie could vaguely tell when one was in the distance. This is why when she saw two objects on the floor at the end of the cave, she could tell by their size and placement that they weren’t rocks. Not just that, but there was a...stench, a rancid one that got stronger the closer she got to them. It wasn't one she recognized, so putrid her eyes watered and the feeling of near puking was returning.

She wasn’t sure what they are. They looked like sleeping bags hikers left behind. Whatever they were, they were either inanimate or dead, as they hadn’t seemed to move an inch.

“Hello? Anyone alive over there?”

Pinkie called out, trying to see if it might have been people who lived here and were sleeping. She hadn't seen any signs of that around the pond, but maybe that was on purpose? Pinkie hoped they weren’t corpses. Other than funerals, she never wanted to come anywhere near a dead body, let alone two. With a nervous gulp, Pinkie approached the motionless shapes.

Pinkie couldn’t make out a lot of details about either one of them. Both were turned away from her. She could make out long hair, possibly concluding them as female, though she couldn’t make out their colors. The hair looked dry and rigid too, easily the unhealthiest hair she'd ever seen. Both bodies were covered in dirt, muck, and other gross things, making it hard to tell their original hair color.

Dark as it was, Pinkie could vaguely tell what kind of clothes they were wearing. The one in front of her had a dark gray shirt. Pinkie wasn’t sure if that was its original color or if it had faded with time. It was also wearing long, dark blue jeans, which were covered in dirt and mud. The thing that stood out about it the most, though, was it was wearing a rainbow-colored bracelet on the arm that was resting on its right leg. Her sister, Inkie, was wearing a similar bracelet when she disappeared.

Pinkie shook her head, thinking it was just a coincidence. Inkie wasn’t the only one to have a bracelet like that; it was possible this person just happened to have a similar bracelet. She diverted her attention from the body/person in front of her to the one lying to the left.

It laid similarly to the one opposite from its position. Its hair was longer, definitely making this one a girl. It was wearing a dark blue shirt, though, it might have been bright blue before, with a matching skirt.

After examining what they looked like, Pinkie needs to find out if they were alive. She slowly placed her fingers onto the neck of the body closest to her. No pulse. Frantically, she turned over the other body, placing her fingers on its neck. No pulse. She pulled away, unable to deny the fact facing her as her eyes watered.

Both of these people were dead.

This wasn’t like the fish Pinkie had to kill for survival. These were people who had friends and family wondering where they were. Who were probably still in high school and had much of their life ahead of them. And, despite how much Pinkie wanted to avoid thinking about them, she probably knew them. Even if she didn't, they still reminded her what could happen to her.

Pinkie knew everyone in high school and a lot of people in and around the city. She seriously doubted her father took her that far away from the city. From what she knows about him, he doesn’t have that much patience. This could have been someone from her school who went camping or something and ended up getting lost in the woods. Though Pinkie didn’t like it, she knew it was possible. There was only one way to check.

She had to flip them over; it was the only way. The bodies were at the end of the cave, parts of the bodies were touching the wall. There was no other way. There were lots of reasons to find out who they were and see if she knew them. To find out who they were, so when she got out, she could tell the families and many other reasons. But, none of them could justify what she was about to do, no matter how good the reasons may have seemed.

She had to fully touch them. She hated the idea, but there were families out there who had missing children and needed closure. This could provide it for them. Pinkie put away the hesitation in her heart, thinking whoever the families of these two are, need closure more than her.

She slowly put her right hand on the body’s shoulder in front of her, doing the same with the other body with her left hand. The feeling of their cold, dead bodies sent shivers down her neck, but she ignored it. She was already traumatized by this harrowing experience. Pinkie might as well go further to help someone identify their missing daughter or son.

She closed her eyes and began to count, intent on flipping both the bodies simultaneously.

“One.”

Her grip on the bodies tightened as she filled up with confidence. Thinking of her friends, their encouraging smiles.

“T-two.”

Pinkie’s voice got shaky, a sudden thought crossing her mind. Sure, a family member going missing was terrible, but being told they’re dead was worse. If you know they're dead, then you know they're never coming back. You’re never going to hear their voice, see them smile, get to tell them how much you loved them, or any of that. But, if they're just missing, in her opinion, that was better.

If they were missing, then there was still hope. They could have amnesia and be living somewhere as someone else, they could just be lost somewhere, they could be held hostage, and the kidnappers were holding them for ransom somewhere. If they're just missing, then there’s always the chance they're going to show up one day on your doorstep. But, if instead, someone came to your doorstep telling you they were dead, that hope is gone.

“Three!”

Pinkie acted before thinking, despite the internal battle she was having with herself. Some part of her wanted answers wanted to know who these people were. Perhaps it was human nature to be curious in these kinds of situations.

After hearing the sounds of the bodies being turned over and quickly pulling back her hands, she slowly opened her eyes. The second her eyes had readjusted to the dark, and she saw who they were, pain shot through her chest.

A loud gasp escaped her throat, pushing herself away from the truth. Pinkie clasped her mouth, trying to hold back the sobs.

She found her missing sisters.

The clothes and some of their facials features made it obvious, though it was almost hard to tell. They had clearly been dead for a long time, decomposition having long set in. There was very little of them left, only patches of skin left showing the skeleton beneath, the teeth had already fallen out and the eyes gone, leaving holes where they used to be.

Her sisters were both dead by her feet. Both victims to her father’s cruel test, dead for a reason she still didn't understand.

Pinkie felt numb, her body still pushed against the rock behind her. The cave’s warmth was lost to her, the water freezing to her touch. And yet, she couldn’t tear her eyes away from her sister’s lifeless bodies. Thrown into the forest, abandoned by their father, all for a reason they would never know. They didn’t deserve this; there was no reason they had to die.

They were just as innocent as Pinkie was. Limestone was much like Rainbow Dash. She was athletic, outgoing, confident. They probably would have been competitive rivals, but good friends. Marble was twice the violet shrink Fluttershy was! Anti-social, kind, and extremely shy, but a good person.

Both her sister did not deserve such a merciless fate! They had friends, hopes, dreams! And because of Igneous, none of that would ever come true.

Before Pinkie’s thoughts could fill her heart with rage, one of the bodies moved, or more specifically, Blinkie’s mouth. It had shifted a little, just barely.

Pinkie was about to go forward until she saw why her jaws moved, all hope dying. A black rat came out of Blinkie’s mouth, slowly crawling out, and began to climb on other parts of her body. Pinkie was about to scream until she saw what exactly the rodent was doing.

The slight movement of the rat moving under Blinkie’s shirt caused it to fall to the cave floor, and what was under it made her eyes dilate to unimaginable levels. The rat wasn’t alone; it had a family, lots of them. Pinkie hadn’t seen any rats in the cave because they were living in their home. Or, more accurately, their food source. If Pinkie had to guess, something caused Inkie and Blinkie to try to use the cave as a shelter as Pinkie had, but they weren’t as lucky.

The rats had attacked them, and being the disease carriers, they were probably infected with something that they didn’t have the medicine to protect themselves from and killed them. Rats were extremely adaptable scavengers who use whatever they need to survive, whether horrible or the unimaginable. Since rats don’t particularly like water, they would choose any other option than to deal with it. And that’s precisely what they did.

They used Blinkie’s body for food and shelter. Inkie’s too. Rats were crawling out of her shirt, making it slip off and reveal a similar view as Blinkie’s, but not as bad. The rats had decided to eat through Blinkie and Inkie’s skin, leading to their organs and other internal body parts. They had been eating away at her, eating her organs, skin, muscle, anything they could find in there that was edible. Anything that was left wouldn’t go to waste. However, it seemed they liked their new homes, even if their was no food anymore.

This was more gore than Pinkie has ever seen in any movie, more than she’d ever want to see. Her mind shattered. Not only had she found out her sisters were killed by her father, but she had seen the exact gruesome way they had died.

Pinkie began to chuckle, while slight tears started to fall down her face. Then, it escalated into full-blown laughter; tears rained down her cheeks like a waterfall. Her mind and sanity were shattered, going from an innocent person into a fractured mind, similar to that of a war veteran who’s seen things no one should have to. Except, her mind was much weaker and more innocent than any average person. fragmenting into shards like a broken window.

Her father sent her to the forest for reasons that couldn't be justified, leaving her to the cruelness of mother nature, having her take life to survive, and knowing she most likely will have to do it more. Seeing her siblings dead, and seeing the horrible way they died, and many other things that put pressure on her piled up in the back of her mind, waiting for the perfect moment to push, and it did.

Pinkie didn’t care if the rats noticed her. She didn’t care about anything at that moment. She was overcome with all the emotions she had pushed away, the same feelings that broke her. The immense grief for her siblings, the dread of all the things she’ll have to do to survive, the pure rage she felt for her father. But most of all, the depression Pinkie felt, knowing for the rest of her life, she’ll never be the same after this.

For a few minutes, she just sat there, laughing insanely as tears rained down her cheeks. Slowly, her laughter died down, as did her crying, until she sat there, blankly staring with lifeless eyes similar to her dead siblings.

They moved around inside the bodies, settled in for rest. For an unknown amount of time, Pinkie sat with her back against a rock, staring with lifeless eyes at her siblings. There wasn’t a single noise in the cave, from the rats or Pinkie. After hours of sitting there, she got up and walked out of the cave, not caring about anything anymore.

She ignored everything, her feeling of grief, her anguish, everything. She focused on one thing, one emotion that kept her moving forward, the one feeling that gave her reason to live: rage. Rage for her father, rage against the world for letting such innocent people die in such a painful way. A fury that no one, not even her friends, could hold back. She was going to kill him. No, she was going to murder him.

From the day she was born, she was taught that killing was wrong, that no one but God should decide when someone should die. But this, this wasn’t right! He killed her sisters, probably tons of others, and tried to do the same to her! At that moment, Pinkie remembered a saying; she couldn’t remember where she heard it but recognized how much it fits this situation.

No one deserves to die, but some people don’t deserve to live.

Pinkie made a promise to herself, a promise made on the spilled blood of her sisters. She was going to kill him; she didn’t care if God put her in hell for all of eternity, if there was a God. What kind of benevolent, all-powerful, all-knowing deity would let something so horrible happen to people who didn’t deserve it? Even after Pinkie had left the cave, the water making her hair straight, her hair never went curly again, neither did she want it to.

Pinkie noticed when she walked on the land, she had been in there longer than she thought. It had been morning, sometime around six. She looked forward, looking for the wolves, which she found sleeping in the different place she had left them. Apparently, they left the moss shelter and slept in the open, in a similar dog pile that they were in before. She slowly walked toward the wolves, being quieter than when she was trying to catch the fish.

When she got right beside them, looking at their faces as they slept, she felt rage. Not as potent as the rage for her father, and not nearly to the same extent, but rage. THEY had made her find them! THEY had forced her to leave her home, causing her to stumble upon the horrible sight of her siblings. She picked up a large rock to her left and raised it over her head, hatred blinding her every thought.

She slammed the rock onto the head of the closest wolf, smashing its skull and brains, killing it nearly instantly, bringing a smile of satisfaction to her face. Then, the other two wolves began to wake up, noticing their dead packmate. Pinkie didn’t want to give them the chance to attack her, so she tried to slam the boulder on the other wolf’s head, but it quickly moved away. Luckily, it wasn’t fast enough. The rock hit against its paw, making it impossible to proceed with most of its right leg trapped under the rock. Then, suddenly, the Alpha wolf, noticing what's happening, pounced on their attacker.

Pinkie, still crouched over from her recent attack, wasn't expecting the attack and was on the ground in seconds. The Alpha wasn’t just more prominent than her. It was strong. Pinkie was trying her hardest just not to get hurt; the Alpha was clawing back and forth. The only thing keeping the wolf at bay was her hands, pushing against it as best she could.

With its paws being pushed back, it tried to bite her, snapping its jaws down at her, while Pinkie was trying to avoid her face getting bitten off. Saliva is going everywhere with every snap, mostly on her face. Slowly, her strength was leaving her, making her regret no longer working out. She knew, eventually, she was going to die.

This wasn’t some fight in school that the teachers would break up. This was a life or death battle against an experienced killer. Whereas Pinkie, other than the fish, has never taken a life. This was bad; she was outmatched, her opponent had the advantage of strength and experience.

She was going to die here, is what the old her would have said. But the new Pinkie, the less innocent, more rage-filled Pinkie, wouldn’t accept that. After everything, the things she had to do, the things she saw changed her. She had to live, not for her friends or her human needs for self-preservation, but for her revenge. That’s what made her different than the rest of its prey, they tried to survive to live, but she’s trying to survive for death.

Pinkie put all of her strength into her right hand, flipping the wolf over with her on top. Before the wolf had the chance to counter, she began to beat it hard. Punch after punch on the wolf’s face, slowly turning its growls into whimpers. All the while, Pinkie imagined her father in the wolf’s place. The thought of him broken, battered, bleeding, and screaming brought an insanely wide smile to her face. She keeps going, even after it was dead, not wanting to lose the feeling she was getting from this new experience, a sense of… bliss.

But, like all good things, it had to end. Though, Pinkie didn’t stop herself. While she was beating the long-dead dog, she was bounced from the back. It was the dog Pinkie had trapped, which confused her. She looked over to the boulder, thinking it had somehow pushed the boulder or pulled it’s paw out or something, but neither of these was the case.

That saying, ‘A wolf will bite off its own paw if it means survival.’ Was much more true than she had thought. The wolf had bitten of its crushed paw to survive or save its alpha; there was no real way to tell. Pinkie knew this because she could still see the wolf’s paw, a pool of blood coming from under the boulder—a trail leading straight to her, with blood on the wolf's teeth. The wolf was at a disadvantage.

Snarling, the wolf strikes back. Pinkie used her left hand to keep its left paw away from her, and her right hand was trying to push the wolf off. The howling beast snapped its jaws from its right, nearly catching Pinkie off guard. Her head flung away from its snout, grazing her neck to draw blood.

This enraged her; she didn’t want a pathetic creature like this harming her or anyone. Pinkie always had high confidence and self-esteem, even after her mental transformation. This encounter with death changed her in a lot of ways, physically was just one of them. Now, if she survived everything and killed her father, she was going to change the way she lived.

She was going to take more chances, live life more dangerously. But first, she had to get through this before she got the opportunity to do anything else.

Pinkie’s smile slowly contorted to an angrier looking grin. She rammed both of her knees up as fast as she could, slamming the wolf’s stomach, throwing it over. The beaten canine landed on its back, panting, wheezing in exhaustion, struggling to stand. This was Pinkie’s chance.

“Not so tough now, are you!?”

Pinkie spat with a mixture of sarcasm and disappointment in her voice, basking in her temporary triumph to forget the despair that would plaque her for the rest of her life. If she was going to take on her father, she needed to be prepared. She wanted whatever challenge nature sent to her, no matter the risk. If she couldn’t handle a couple of mutts, she couldn’t dream of killing him.

“Such experienced hunters, nearly killed by a teenage girl! You’ve gotta be kidding me. If dad thinks this will do me in, he’s got another thing coming! I’ll show him! I’ll kill him!”

Rage and bloodlust consumed her old personality. That night, Pinkie was no longer the joyful, outgoing, caring person people came to love. Instead, in her place was a violent, sadistic, bloodthirsty soul, ready to share her scorn with the world—a shattered youth, in her deranged state, settled on her birthname: Pinkamena.

“Come on, you filthy dog! Attack me! Only one of us is making it home alive!”

The wolf stood on whatever paws it still had. It started to growl at her, trying to be as intimidating as it could. It made its move, rushing at her, ignoring the pain in its chest and paw. Though, it was pathetic compared to what it was before, making it extremely easy to avoid. Pinkamena simply sidestepped quickly, making the wolf smash into the ground. She kicked it in the chest, really breaking a few ribs this time.

She played with it for a little while, putting pressure on the place where its paw should be, kicking her a few more times in the chest until the wolf didn’t have anything left to give. Pinkamena decided this was no longer fun, figuring she’d just kill the thing, eat its flesh, and sleep.

Eventually, she found the branch she had thrown when she was gathering her moss home. Before, this branch was quite sharp and wasn’t big enough to be used in the campfire, tossing it aside. But now, it had a reason to be used.

Pinkamena glared back at the wolf, the whimpering creature trying to crawl away. It was just a few inches from where she left it, unable to get very far. Pinkamena put her foot on her neck, not enough to stop it’s breathing, but enough to prevent it from moving. Pinkamena raised the branch over its head, as whatever scrap of her consciousness begged her to stop. Then, like an executioner’s guillotine, Pinkamena slammed the branch down into the wolf’s head, instantly killing it.

And, along with the animal, the last of her innocence died with it.

Pinkamena slumped to her knees, her smile spreading as far as it could, and she let out a deranged cackle. No tears were pouring down her cheeks this time. Just pure, unhinged laughter. The sunlight had wholly faded, leaving only cold bitterness. The only thing that mattered to her now was getting through this, finding her father and taking his head. Focusing on the rage for as long as she could, it was the only thing that distracted her from the emptiness carved into her.

For one month, she lived in those woods. Killing predators and prey alike, out of either necessity or just wanting to. She ate everything she killed; whether Pinkamena was hungry or not, she hated being wasteful. Whatever time she wasn’t spending killing animals, she would exercise. She needed to be stronger. She had to be to survive in the woods.

And strong she was, pushing herself as much as she could before being exhausted daily. She had abs, a superficial six-pack, and muscles. Pinkamena felt she was ready by the time the month ended for whatever her father threw at her. Just like Igneous said, a helicopter dropped down after a month at the clearing where he had left her. To her disappointment, there was no sign of her father on board.

Then, without warning, tall men in suits, similar to the ones she saw with her dad, came out of the helicopter. Pinkamena tried to fight back, but they had tasers and numbers. While it’s true, she was strong; she’s only ever fought animals. When they finally got her down, one of them injected her with a syringe, similar to the one her father gave her.

She felt the effects immediately. Passing out into the arms of the bodyguard in front of her. They took her back to the helicopter and flew off. While unconscious, the poor girl had no idea that her test was far from over. And no amount of survival and killer instinct could prepare her for what happens next.