The dark room was really cramped. Not that Pinkie wasn't used to being in cramped places but it was dark, and she hated the dark. She moved quickly but carefully from one shelf to another dashing out of the room on occasion to check bottles in the light of the moon. She already had most of the medicine on the list, which made her happy since she could tell Applejack not to worry about the light when she got back since the work was almost done.
Pinkie was starting to hum a little tune to herself as she worked to make it go faster when another sound pulled her mind out of her work. The steady sound of hooves on tile, click clack click clack.
"Applejack?" She asked hesitantly to the door. Carefully and slowly the earth pony walked and pulled the door completely closed, putting the lock in place. Some part of her Pinkie sense told her something was wrong. Applejack would have said something if it was her, right? "Applejack? Say something silly." Her voice was shaking.
The steady tap got louder and she could tell whoever it was closer. Click clack click clack.
"Stop it!" She called.
They sped up suddenly their owner coming into full gallop as they grew louder. Pinkie pressed herself to the door to hold it back and squeezed her eyes shut as the steps grew louder building up to the contact with the door. Clickclackclickclack!
Silence.
The hoofsteps stopped as suddenly as they had begun. Pinkie slowly opened her eyes and looked. Nothing had hit the door, no one spoke. She was safe. The pink pony wiped her brow throwing off some sweat just as a loud bang on the door made her scream and jump.
"Pinkie! It's me open up!" Applejack's voice rang through the door with a loud bang.
"Oh Applejack you scared me silly filly!" pinkie scolded as she pulled open the lock. "You should have said-"
A large white smile against the black coat and shadows blocked the doorframe as it opened. Darkside's smile was ever present. "Oh sorry Pinkie pie," He said, his voice a perfect copy of Applejack's. "But I just can't help but surprise you." His voice gradually warped from Applejack's higher pitch to low hiss with an elegant curve to it.
Pinkie jumped back into the room trying to get away from the Stallion but quickly found herself with her back against the far wall staring at the alicorn as he stepped beyond the threshold. "W-w-w-what do you want meanie? Where's Applejack?" She was trying to sound tough and failing.
The dark stallion chuckled. "Oh now calm down. I didn't hurt her." He sneered. "Yet."
"Don't you hurt Applejack! She's a nice pony unlike you meanie pants!"
"Do you seriously not have anything worse to call me than meanie pants? Seriously I feel like I'm being insulted by a five year old." He shook his head dismissively. His head rose to Pinkie, his dark eyes holding hers. "What's that I see? Are you afraid little one?"
Pinkie back up a bit but never lost his sight. She suddenly turned into a smile and giggled. "No I'm not scared of you." Darkside cocked his head and pulled back. "See, I laugh at what scares me so it doesn't scare me anymore." The little pink mare continued to slowly giggle till she was laughing at the alicorn.
Darkside stared down on the pink fluffball with absolute confusion. What the fuck is wrong this thing? He questioned. As her giggling continued Darkside found himself joining in. Soon the two were laughing like old friends in the dark room.
"See? He he he he. It's fun to laugh." She continued giggling as she tried to speak.
"Oh I love to laugh little one. Ya know what's really funny though?" His words finished and a black tendril flew from the ground under Pinkie pie, the sharp spike piercing through her hoof and slicing through her mane. The pink pony froze in mid laugh as drops of her own blood dotted her face. "Pain."
Pinkie stared at the spike and her hoof, not screaming just looking on in numbness. Suddenly her laughter became whimpered cries as she tried to pull her hoof free. The spike retracted and the pink pony fell back on her haunches holding her bloodied hoof close to her as she shrunk from her attacker tears in her eyes.
"Oh come now, that was barley a scratch, are you already going to cry?" Darkside stepped into the room, his imposing size forcing Pinkie pie back as he closed the distance to within a foot between them.
"I'm . . . I'm not scared. Applejack is gonna get you." The pink pony's voice was filled with spite it hadn't had earlier.
Darkside smiled at her meager threat. "Applejack has her own problems right now little one."
. . .
Applejack beat the tile beneath her as she turned another corner. Did I go the wrong way? She wondered. The image of Nurse Redheart came back but she forced it away shaking her head. "Hold on Pinkie." Applejack passed a room with a cleaning sign on it. She was going the right way. The supply closet was around the next turn. She pushed herself further to the turn ahead but slowed when she saw something blocking her path.
In the darkness of the hall all she could make out was the vague shape of two ponies ahead of her, but something was off with them. Their color seemed dark, unnaturally dark for any pony. "Hello?" She called to the two in front still moving but slower and wary. The two stood and flared out their wings. Pegasus? Applejack stopped when she was closer, now she could fully see her company, and she stepped back away from them.
Both ponies were identical, black coats that seemed too smooth to be hair, large black wings and short black manes and tails. Their entire bodies seemed to melt with the shadows that surrounded them, their eyes; glowing yellow was the only thing that made them stand out.
As soon as Applejack started stepping back, wide grins spread over their faces, sharp teeth shining in the moonlight. In a flash they lunged at her wings spread.
Applejack ducked as the Pegasus flew over her, their hooves grazed her hat leaving a small cut along the edge. "Hay!" She yelled as they landed behind her and started stalking towards her menacingly, their evil smiles never relenting. "Now back off, I don't wanna hurt yall!" Applejack backed away but tried to seem threatening to scare them off. The two seemed to not even hear her as they leaped at her again. Applejack had her share of tussles, and her friend was on the line, this was no time to be gentle.
She leaped at them slamming into the first and crashing him to the ground. Before the other could move she braced herself on his partner and bucked hard to his gut. The shadow colt slammed into the far wall a sick crack sounding as he fell. Applejack raised her hooves and slammed the one beneath her in the face breaking something as she shoved him away. The colt had cut her somehow on her leg when she had landed on him but only a small trail of blood marked her orange coat.
She gave a quick look at the other one, his neck was broken, his wing looked worse for wear too but this was Pinkie's life on the line! She turned away from the grizzly sigh and started running down the hall when another sick crack made her freeze in place. Afraid to look back but knowing she had too Applejack turned around and almost lost her dinner.
The colt against the wall looked at her, his smile still in place as his neck slowly righted itself with a series of sickening cracks and snaps. His wing snapped back in place and he stood up giving one last shake as he stood in perfect shape. The other colt stood up, his face dented from Applejack's blow but it flared out like a balloon and righted itself his own menacing grin returning.
"What in tarnat- that is just wrong!" She yelled, backing away from the abominations before her. The two dark ponies saw her move and like wild animals lunged at the air again.
. . .
"You are such a sad thing Pinkie pie." Darkside said shaking his head. The pink pony glared back a fierce look in her eyes. "That's just a scratch, are you going to cry over that?"
"No! I'm tough! You're just a big mean stupid pie face!" Pinkie retorted, a smile tugging at her lips.
The alicorn seemed amused by her response. "You are such a sad little thing, you know that." Without a sign his horn glowed and Pinkie grabbed at the band of energy around her neck as it hoisted her from the floor, eye level with the alicorn. Her legs kicked desperately as he suspended her in the air. "Are you going to laugh now? Hmm? Going to laugh at me some more so you can try and hide behind that smile?"
Pinkie tried to speak but her voice was choked and filled with gasps as she struggled for air. With a small flash she was thrown back, harshly hitting the wall leaving a dent before she slid the ground coughing. Glass bottles fell from the shelves shattering around her and coating the floor in sharp glass that cut into her legs and flank. She took a deep breath and looked back at her attacker just to have a black tendril lash her face leaving a bloody gash. The pink mare grabbed her face with a yelp and fell back blood staining her hooves.
"A little yelp? That's all? For someone who talks so much you don't scream much." Darkside mused as another tendril lashed her leg protecting her face. Pinkie still didn't scream, she simply held her hoof and whimpered. "C'mon you little fluffball, let me hear that loud mouth scream." Darkside hissed as another tendril lashed her leg. Another spike formed and slashed her back and another twisted to a blade and lashed her flank. Each mark drew a new crimson line marking the earth pony with more of her own blood. Still she refused to scream, only yelps and whimpers of pain escaped her mouth.
One of the tendrils finally snatched her hoof away allowing another to lash across her unprotected muzzle. She gave another yelp as her eyes were grazed and blood splattered the wall. Another lash and the pink pony could taste blood in her teeth. He released the hoof and continued to lash her face, and slice her body anywhere he could reach adding to the pool of blood under her. Each strike made the glass under her shift cutting more, But Pinkie never screamed, each movement elected a weak whimper, whine or yelp but never a scream.
Darkside retracted the tendrils still smiling down on the pink and now dark red pony. "Well, I'm still laughing Pinkie, why aren't you?" He punctured the word with another lash, this one grabbing her hoof and forcing it from her face. Darkside sneered when he saw the tears in her eyes, traces of blood dripping across her snout from the wounds she was now marked with. "Now there's a pretty face!" Another tendril whipped across her eye knocking her head aside and splattering her face with blood. Pinkie was crying now but bit on her lip refusing to scream.
"Such determination, haven't seen that since Rainbow dash." Pinkie's eyes opened ignoring the blood that marked her face she looked up at Darkside lording over her, eyes wide in absolute terror. "There!" He exclaimed showing his teeth. "I love those eyes!" A sharp spike drove itself down and pierced through Pinkie's leg just above the joint. The pink Pony screeched in pain as her bone was clipped and her muscle severed. Blood spilled from her leg darkening her coat as Darkside cackled above her.
"Yes! Scream you little bitch!" Darkside twisted the spike growing barbs along the length as he pulled it out. The skin tearing made Pinkie scream again, her voice cracking as she thrashed trying to pull from his grip but Darkside held her still enough with his magic as the barbed spike tore her flesh. When the barbed spike left her leg, Pinkie pressed herself to the wall coddling her wounded leg to her chest, ignoring the other cuts and points of blood on her coat as she sobbed over her wound. Darkside snickered over the broken pony. There was nothing like that look of fear he got in her eyes, nothing like the screams of the defiant ones. It was so much more fun to break the strong willed ones.
His celebration was cut short when he saw the bubble gum mane shift and a set of determined eyes look up at him. Her lips twisted to a small smile, barley there but he saw it. "You annoying little bitch." He hissed. Tendrils grabbed the pony by her wounded limbs while a magical collar suspended her in the air again. "Still smiling?"
She nodded. "I'm still not scared of you, I can always laugh and smile and be safe." She giggled. His eyes shot wide, all this pain and she could still smile and laugh? What the hell is she?
Enough! He slammed the pony against the wall and glared into her eyes. Then he saw it. His lips twisted to a sick grin.
"You are such a strong one Pinkie Pie." He said a certain charming edge coming to his voice. "You can laugh and smile at all the bad things in the world and be happy. But come on now, who are you really fooling?"
Pinkies confident smile faltered for a moment. "What do you mean?"
"Come now Pinkie, all this smiling, all the throwing parties and making everyone else happy. It's a great way to keep your mind off your past isn't it?" Darkside's eyes glowed ever so slightly, consuming the pink pony's as she gazed at him. "Making people smile, always laughing at everything does it really help though?
"Stop it." The little mare whispered, quieter than even Fluttershy would speak.
"I guess it can't. No matter how much you laugh, it's never enough. You can never cover up all that sadness you have. All the people who have hurt you, all the people who spat one you, who used you, violated you and threw you away."
"Stop." She said again, her voice shaking.
"How could you ever really forget it all? All those people who beat you, treated you like dirt because you were an earth pony, because you were such a freak! So much pain in your life, I can see why you try to forget it, to hide with your friends and parties. To hide behind a smile so you don't have to face all that sorrow."
"Please, stop." Pinkie cried as tears fell from her eyes, squeezing them shut but she couldn't shut out the stallion's words.
"All that time they beat you, looked down on you, hated you. All that time, all the things they did to you. If you were to lose your friends and your parties you would have to remember, remember what the girls said about you."
"Stop it, please." She pressed her hoofs to her ears.
"What the boys did to you."
"No! I don't wanna remember!"
"What the adults did to poor little Pinkiemina Diane Pie. You might as well have not existed to them."
"No! No! No! Make it stop, I don't wanna remember!"
"All the smiles and parties and friends in the world can't save you Pinkie." Darkside used his magic to force her eyes open and the tendrils forced her hoofs away so she was staring into his empty dark eyes. "You're just a little broken, tainted filly filled with so much Sadness you would be dead if you ever faced all of it. But you can never forget what they did to you. That is who you are Pinkie! You're a broken little Bitch everyone hates! Even your friends can barely stand you, how long till they hurt you like the others did?"
Pinkie couldn't look away, she couldn't hide, and she couldn't smile. Her eyes clouded with water and leaked across her bloody and bleeding face. Her eyes squeezed shut as she wailed and sobbed. Darkside dropped her and watched the little pink mare curl into a ball on the floor, soaking in her own blood and tears and glass. What a wonderful sight.
Pinkie remembered it all. All the hate, all the pain, all the things those people did to her before she found Ponyville. She couldn't forget it all. The pink mare wailed as the pain came back, burning pain all over from sticks and stones. The feeling of being dirty and violated when the colts left her. All of it came back and she couldn't do anything anymore. It was all there and there was no hiding from it. She smashed her hooves to her own legs and body, the pain gave her some control, some way to control what was happening to her and she sobbed as much in fear as sadness and pain.
Darkside admired his handiwork for a few moments longer before he turned and left the room, closing the door and sliding the lock in place, leaving the screaming mare in absolute Darkness with her own demons to keep her company.
I'm out