"Mother! Pinkamena is keeping me awake again!" Isadora Pie shouted to the hallway.
"I'm sorry Inkie," a young Pinkie Pie whimpered. It was night time and Pinkie could not sleep. The shadows on the walls of her room disturbed her, especially the one the barren tree outside her window cast. It looked like the claws of some lurking beast that wasn't at all equine.
The Pie mother entered. "Pinkamena, how many times must I tell you not to keep your sisters awake? It's late!"
"But mommy, I'm scared! Can't we find a lantern?"
"No, and no more of this. It is time for sleep."
"What's going on?" came the voice of Carolina Pie, Pinkie's grandmother. She was a washed out shade of pink herself, with a white, frazzled mane.
"It is nothing mother," the gray mare sighed. She then pulled up Pinkie's covers with her teeth, and left her children in the dark bedroom.
"Just go to sleep, P," Beatrice muttered to her sister.
Pinkie shut her eyes tight and buried her head beneath her pillow. She felt like crying, and nearly screamed when she felt a hoof on her back. She whipped off her covers and stared into the face of her grandmother. "Come with me," she commanded. Pinkie obeyed.
The small pink filly and her grandma exited the cottage. It was dark and rather cold out, and Pinkie visibly shivered. Her granny moved closer to her and they huddled together on the porch.
"Now Pinkie my dear, what's troubling you?"
Pinkie smiled. Only her granny called her Pinkie. Carolina even referred to Pinkie's sisters Isadora and Beatrice as Inkie and Blinkie respectively, as Pinkie had nicknamed them, though she was always corrected for doing so. "I'm scared of the dark, Granny Cherry," Pinkie quietly explained, using her favored nickname for Carolina. "I can't sleep, and mommy and daddy are getting un- in- im- uh..."
"Impatient?"
"Uh-huh impatient. All I can think of is to hide and pretend i'm not scared, but that doesn't always work."
Granny Pie shifted her position and looked Pinkie right in the eye. "You're hiding, Pinkie?" Pinkie nodded ashamed. "My dear. that's not the way to deal with your fears, not at all!"
"But what do I do, Granny?"
Granny Pie got a sly grin on her face, "Come," again Pinkie obeyed. They headed deeper into the fields of the rock farm. Pinkie felt dread welling up inside her. "Look there!" Granny pointed to spooky looking shadow.
Pinkie squeaked. "What is it?" She burrowed her face into Granny's shoulder. She was shocked when Granny Pie burst out laughing.
"Take a look, I said!" she cheered.
Pinkie looked and frowned. "It's scary."
"You're right, Pinkie, it is! It's a big, dumb, scary face!" she chuckled. Granny's laugh was rather infectious, and despite her fear, Pinkie giggled a little. "There ya go, keep laughing!" Granny Pie said, tickling Pinkie.
Pinkie squealed and fell to the ground, wriggling and laughing. "I- I don't understand," she said between gasps, "Why are we laughing?"
"Are you still scared?"
Pinkie considered this, and proudly declared, "I'm not! But what happened?"
A huge grin spread across Granny Pie's face, "You laughed your fears away, my dear!"
"It's as easy as that?"
"It's as easy as that," Granny winked. "Now look at that shadow." Pinkie looked. "And tell it to take a hike!"
"Take a hike!" Pinkie cried.
"Leave me alone!"
"Leave me alone!" Pinkie hollered. "if you think you can scare me, you've got another thing coming!"
"You've got it! See that, Pinkie? you've got to stand up tall. Learn to face your fears! You'll see that they can't hurt you. Just laugh, and make 'em disappear!"
"Granny, you rhymed!" Pinkie beamed.
"So I did." The old mare smiled. She nuzzled her grandfilly, and yawned, "Oh my, I think it really is time for bed now, don't you think?" Pinkie nodded, and the two pink ponies headed back to the cottage, fearless, and ready to dream.