Pinky had to think really, really hard to remember a time when he wasn't Pinky. He didn't like to think that hard, because it hurt, so he usually didn't do it.

What, you really want to know? Okay! Pinky will put up with the pain, just for you!

Let's see... Before he was Pinky, he had another name. 'Pen'. His parents had expected a girl, so when he was a boy, they just took away two letters off of 'Penny' for his name, and it was his. Easy peasy!

To understand how he became Pinky, though, you gotta know about his bestest friend, Brain. Brain wasn't always Brain, and he wasn't always Pinky's bestest friend, either.

In seventh grade, Pen had taken up volunteer work like cleaning beaches and such. It made him feel oh-so warm and tingly to be able to do all that work for the little animals who lived on the beaches! The turtles and the fishies and the birdies all definitely appreciated it!

One day, a new face joined the regulars on the beach. His name, Pen found out, was Ben. Right then he'd decided that they were destined best friends, because their names rhymed! Wasn't that just fun-fun silly-willy?

"We're best friends, now! Poit!" Pen had declared to Ben. Ben had raised an unimpressed eyebrow, and had gone about his work. Pen beamed to himself. He'd made a friend!

Ben didn't talk much, usually just responded in grumpy grunts to Pen's stories. So, he was shocked when Ben finally started talking.

"This is ridiculous. How could people actually throw away this much trash?"

Looking back, maybe Ben had been talking to himself, not to Pen, but Pen had responded and it all fell into place, so it was okay!

"Maybe they missed the trash can?" had been Pen's reply. Ben looked at Pen like he was gross and disgusting. "What? Is something on my clothes? Zort."

"Your incompetence staggers me as much as the amount of this waste does, Pen."

"Egad! That's a lotta big words for someone so tiny!"

Ben lashed out, thonking Pen on the head with his trashy-grabby-thingy. Luckily he bonked him with the handle, not the gross part that touched the icky trash, so Pen wasn't upset.

And after that, Ben talked a little more. Except at some point, Pen became so enthralled by his new friend's big words that he gave him a new name. 'The Brain'. Which just got changed to Brain, because the The wasn't really needed, now, was it?

As for how Pen became Pinky, that came from one day when Pen had been telling Brain about the pretty, pretty pink flowers growing in a garden nearby. "Oh, Brain! I just love the color pink! Troz!"

"Maybe I should call you Pinky," Brain had said.

Pen gasped. "Oh, would you?!"

Brain stared up at Pen with a funny expression, like something was stuck in some part of him. "I was being sarcastic, you numbskull."

"What's sorry-castic?"

Brain sighed, and shook his head. "Never mind... Pinky."

Oh, wasn't that just so nice? Brain had called him that lovely name even though he was being sorry-castic, whatever that meant!

So yeah, that's how Pen became Pinky! It was all because of Brain!

...You want to know more about Brain? Well, okay! Since you're so friendly and curious!

Brain ended up going to Pinky's same middle school when summer ended and volunteering had to end. So he got to keep seeing his bestest best friend even when he thought they would be separated, he just walked into his classroom the very next day and there he was! Oh, he was so excited that he ran over and gave him a great big hug, shouting his name! "BRAIN! I thought I'd never ever see you again!"

"Pinky, if you don't let go of me, I shall have to hurt you..."

And he was still calling him by his new name, he hadn't forgotten!

So now they got to be bestest friends at school, too! Wasn't that just wonderful?! They ate lunch together and Pinky brought Brain over for fun-fun silly-willy sleepovers, but all Brain wanted to do was study and read, so they weren't very fun-fun silly-willy. But he still came over! That part was just wonderful!

Except...

Oh, oh dear. Pinky should stop thinking about this now, stop telling you all this. It's no offense to you, but whenever he thinks too much about how much he likes Brain, his heart goes all fluttery and his tummy goes all floppy. Not good, really not good.

Forgive him, but he'll have to stop.

...Well, if you insist.

Sometimes, on their not-so fun-fun silly-willy sleepovers, Pinky would be too tired to drag out the sleeping bag for Brain. On those nights, Brain would sleep with Pinky in Pinky's bed. And that made the really not good feelings happen.

His mom told him he must be in love.

But that's not good, is it? Brain doesn't love him like that. They're supposed to be bestest best friends, not in love! In love was for... For people who were supposed to be in love!

Oh, dear... Pinky's gone and messed up, now, cause now he's thinking about it and he really wants to tell Brain. But that'd be bad, right? Brain would get so mad! Brain would never ever want to be his friend again and Brain would stop calling him Pinky and- And!

Oh, this was definitely not good...