Curious

by I_Post_Ponies

Chapter 1

I fancy myself a sort of ‘social scientist’. In simpler terms, I try to find out why ponies act as they do.

Today, I was sitting on a bench in the center of town, near the farmer’s market. Typically, I don’t choose such crowded places, as it’s harder to keep track of an individual, but I was feeling ambitious today. I was looking for my first subject when Pinkie Pie popped up with, wouldn’t you know, another party invitation.

“Hey, ****, I’m having a first-blue-moon-of-the-year party tonight! We’re gonna watch the moon rise in the park! There will be tons and tons of treats and cakes and donuts, and everyone’s invited!” She leaned toward me, an invitation in her mouth.
“Not tonight, Pinkie. I’m… busy. Sorry.”

“Oh-kay! But if you change you mind, have an invitation anyways. Just as a reminder.” She left it on the bench next to me, then took off.

I’ll find a trash bin for it later.

I’m not adverse to interruptions, so I paid Pinkie’s greeting no mind and turned my attention back to the crowd. I searched for a subject, but nopony seemed to stick out to me. It is no desire of mine to waste time while pony-watching, so I always look for subtle indications of interesting qualities before picking somepony. The overly-loud and charismatic ponies are boring; their actions I’ve seen many time before, repeated by others of the same disposition. The shy ones are similar as well. Oddly enough, what I usually seek out are average ponies… but with one stipulation. They must be curious.

I was still searching when another pony approached me, this time a teal-coated mare bearing a lyre. An image of the same instrument adorned her flank. I was not acquainted with this pony, so I merely gave her a polite nod in greeting.

“Do you mind if I sit here? I’m exhausted and I really prefer benches to the ground.”

I nodded again, giving a modest smile as well. Perhaps this was an opportunity to take a more involved approach to my ‘pony-watching’.

“Thank you.” She took a seat next to me, giving a sigh of relief as she settled in.

“What brings you out here this afternoon?” I asked. Had to start somewhere.

“Just finished playing a private concert in the park. Was heading back home. You?”

“Been sitting here a while, relaxing.”

She raised an eyebrow at me. “Typically ponies don’t find crowds relaxing.”

Ah, there it is. Curiosity. “How do you feel about crowds?”

She gave a smirk. “Depends. What has stood out most to me about crowds is the diversity of them. I’ve played for many different types of ponies in varying numbers, and the experience is never the same. Sometimes I find the crowds relaxing, too. Sometimes they make me nervous. Other times, I’m invisible in front of them.”

“How about this one?”

“This one?” She scanned the area briefly. “This one makes me want to move. It also makes me wonder why a pony is sitting on the bench, as if only here to defy the crowd.”

I chuckled. I always liked seeing curiosity in other ponies. I feel it reflects myself in them, and vice versa. It’s a great way to relate to one another. “This pony is trying to figure out why the crowd wants him to move in the first place.”

She nodded. “Perhaps.” She hopped off of the bench and stretched, letting out a yawn as well. “Or maybe, that pony wants to figure out why he’s defying the crowd.” With that, she headed out. Off to home, if things went as she expected. Something told me they wouldn’t.

The mare did make me wonder, though. Maybe I am here to learn more about myself. For some reason, that idea made me smile. I looked at the disregarded invitation next to me.

I think I will go to that party.