A smile.
No matter how sad the pony, there was always a way to get them to smile. A way to get them to forget their troubles, even if only for a moment.
But the world was far from a nice place, and not everypony deserved to smile. For the sake of Equestria, perhaps it was best for some ponies to be left to drown in their misery.
……………………..
“Time to make everypony smile!”
These were the words Pinkie told herself each morning, a reminder of what was most important in life. Today was no different, except this time she had somepony to help her realize her daily mission. For the past week, she and Applejack had traveled from town to town, fixing friendship problems wherever they found them. Not only did this allow Pinkie to spread her cheery brand of happiness throughout Equestria, it also gave Applejack and her the chance to spend some much needed time together. Today brought them to the destination Pinkie had been looking forward to all week long--Empty Soul. Rumor had it that this town in the Frozen North was the saddest in all of Equestria. Most would find this a reason to stay clear of such a dreary place, but this warning was exactly why Pinkie had to go there and make everypony smile.
When she and Applejack reached Empty Soul, the sun was setting, cooling the thin, frigid wind. The town was the size of Ponyville and stood on a field near the top of the highest mountain in the Frozen North, so far north that the Crystal Empire stood far to the south as nothing more than a faint dot. Countless mountain tops and valleys dotted the barren world below, complementing the bleak, grey sky. A knee-deep layer of crunchy snow covered the field, growing thicker with each passing minute due to an ongoing blizzard. Rarity had equipped her friends with the highest quality gear for their adventure, including layered jackets, scarves, gloves, hats, and cold-weather goggles. While the clothes did their part to battle the cold, it was Pinkie’s yearning for spreading laughter that truly kept her warm.
Perhaps yearning wasn’t the proper word to describe Pinkie’s desire to make everypony smile. Compulsion was more fitting, or even obsession. Spreading happiness was her reason for living, and her role as the Element of Laughter only intensified this drive. Even if she was naked and one minute away from freezing to death, she would have been just as excited to fill this town with smiles.
Energized by her mission, Pinkie led the way into Empty Soul, bouncing with each step she took into the capital of sadness. Despite the town’s proximity to the Crystal Empire, it was not made of the same crystalline material as the bustling kingdom. Instead, the sparsely populated town was made of faded grey stone cut from the bleak mountain it stood on. Dozens of crystal ponies shopped in the town center’s many markets, yet a heavy silence hung over the area. Not a single pony spoke to one another, at least not with their voice. If they did speak, it was through the frown they all shared. But this wasn’t a frown fueled by mere sadness, but one powered by years of isolation. Hundreds of ponies filled Empty Soul, each one of them alone.
Invigorated by the challenge, Pinkie glanced at Applejack and the two exchanged a nod. It was time to make everypony smile.
For the next few hours, Pinkie and Applejack solved countless friendship problems. Backstabbing, relationship drama, not being invited to birthday parties--they went through them all, rebuilding the shattered bonds of friendship between the townsponies. By midnight, the town was bustling with noise, and on top of that, Pinkie had decided to throw a party to celebrate the start of a new Empty Soul, only adding to the noise. Balloons and party lights filled the town center as everypony laughed and joked with one another as friends. Their job done, Pinkie and Applejack exchanged another nod in celebration. Another day, another smile, or in this case, hundreds. Ever since Pinkie had gotten her cutie mark, she had yet to face a challenge she couldn’t overcome. She had yet to meet a pony she couldn’t get to smile. Just as Rainbow Dash was the fastest flyer, and Twilight was the strongest magician, laughter was Pinkie’s forte. Not even the so-called saddest town in Equestria could compare to her ability to bring out the good in any situation.
Pinkie continued partying alongside the townsponies until she noticed a mare sitting alone in a shadowy alleyway a few blocks away, beyond the celebrations. Had Pinkie forgotten to cheer up a pony? Adding to the mystery, every one of the town’s inhabitants glared at the mare with pure malice whenever they happened to so much as glance in her direction.
Needing to investigate, Pinkie walked away from the party and entered the darkness that engulfed the empty blocks beyond the town center. She peered into the distance and saw that an earth-pony mare was indeed sitting by herself. But this mare… she was not like the others in this town, or anypony Pinkie had ever seen before. She looked to be the same age as the Element bearers, but her color was a desolate grey. Not the grey of the town’s stone buildings or of the Element bearers after Discord had corrupted them. Instead, it was a blurry grey that made her look like she was made of nothing more than mist. Her wild mane and tail were that of a pony who had given up on themselves, both emotionally and physically. But it was her frown that stuck out the most. It was empty, like that of a pony who had spent so long drowning in sadness that they could no longer feel anything at all. Deep scars covered the mare’s cutie mark, leaving its true appearance a mystery.
Unable to leave anypony in such sadness, Pinkie sprinted to the mare. Time to make everypony smile! Showing off her most cheeky smile, Pinkie gave this pony the most joyful greeting she could manage. “Hi, I’m Pinkie Pie.”
The mare turned to Pinkie, her stare devoid of any emotion. “You make ponies smile, right?” Her voice was that of a ghostly wail, so haunting that it sent a chill up Pinkie’s spine. Despite this, Pinkie stepped closer to the mare, warming her with a radiant smile.
“No matter what, I won’t rest until you’re smiling like I am.”
It didn’t take long for the mare to spit out what her friendship problem was. Apparently, she and a shop owner were in a bitter dispute over items getting stolen. The feud had gotten so heated that the owner had permanently banned the mare from the shop. It took Pinkie only fifteen minutes to discover that the true culprit was the owner’s dog, who was chewing up shop items and hiding the remains beneath the ground.
When the issue was settled, Pinkie returned to the party with the mare, expecting her frown to be replaced by a bright smile. To her horror, the mare’s frown remained, still bleeding with emptiness.
Pinkie knew she wouldn’t be able to live with herself if she left Empty Soul without bringing happiness to this pony. "No matter what," she had told the mare, and she intended to keep her word.
She had to figure out the true root cause of this pony’s sadness, the trauma hiding beneath the surface.
“Let’s hang out.” Pinkie’s voice erupted with enthusiasm. “We can walk around, get to know each other. What do you say?”
The mare quickly nodded.
“Yipeee!” Pinkie practically burst at the seams trying to contain her glee.
Meanwhile, Applejack, who was standing a block away teaching the townsponies her family’s traditional dances, couldn’t help but stare at the strange mare with suspicion.
Before Pinkie could walk away with the mare, Applejack pulled her friend aside. “Granny Smith always told me to trust my gut, and my gut’s tellin’ me to stay clear of that mare there,” she whispered into Pinkie’s ear. “I know you, so I know you’re gonna try to cheer her up anyway, but I thought I’d warn you.”
Considering Applejack was probably right, Pinkie didn’t argue. That being said, she didn’t care. The Element bearers had managed to befriend villainous beings such as Discord, so even if this mare was a threat, that was only further reason for Pinkie to make her smile. Everypony deserved to feel happiness, even the cruelest of villains.
Besides, her own grandma had taught her something different. Pinkie, you gotta stand up tall. Learn to face your fears. You'll see that they can't hurt you. Just laugh to make them disappear.
“I’ll do my best to be careful,” Pinkie whispered. No matter what danger lay ahead, she was ready for the worst.
…………………………………
“Lost Cause, eh? A name like that is just unfair,” Pinkie said. Walking alongside the perpetually frowning mare, she made her way through the deserted streets of Empty Soul. A few hours had passed since the start of their trek, enough for the top of the sun to begin peeking over the eastern horizon. Pinkie’s party continued a few miles away in the town center, but it was making only a fraction of the noise that it did during its peak. Most of Empty Soul’s inhabitants were fast asleep in their stone huts, ready to begin a new day and a new life full of friendship and happiness.
“But not inaccurate,” Lost Cause said. Even now, Pinkie shivered from the chilling sound of Lost Cause’s ghostly cry, and she fought hard against the voice in her head telling her to run away while she still had the chance. She was determined not to give into her fear and her primitive biases. “Let’s just say that I haven’t been the kindest pony throughout my life, and I’ve been kicked out of every home I had because of it. I moved to Empty Soul a few weeks ago because I heard how sad it was, so I thought I’d fit in.” Lost Cause hung her head as years of regret consumed her. “But it seems that even this place doesn’t want anything to do with me.”
Pinkie thought back to the way the townsponies glared at Lost Cause during the party. Her voice softened out of empathy for the poor mare. “I couldn’t imagine what I’d do to myself if ponies treated me like that.” Her remark brought up a haunting question. What would Pinkie do to herself? The last time she had felt the cold embrace of isolation was when she thought her friends were ignoring her. In response, she had decided that it was better to wallow in her own misery and throw a party with inanimate objects rather than talk to anypony ever again. If Pinkie ever experienced even a fraction of what Lost Cause was dealing with, she… She didn’t want to think about the answer.
“I’ve imagined the answer. Several times, in fact.” As the weight of Lost Cause’s isolation sank in, her misty hue began blurring further, to the point that it looked like her physical form was fading away into actual mist. Pinkie needed to do a double take to make sure she wasn’t going crazy again. Lost Cause’s body was indeed transforming into a ghostly vapor, but only for a half-second at a time. It was as if she was glitching in and out of reality.
Pinkie’s heart sank deep into her chest as she contemplated what this could mean. She had fought masters of chaos, corrupted alicorns, changelings, and demons from Tartarus, but none had ever left her with such a chilling abyss of confusion. She needed to think back to Granny Pie’s words to give herself the courage to stand tall and continue facing Lost Cause.
“I’m sure you can guess what it is,” Lost Cause said, replacing Pinkie’s fear with a far more sinister horror. It took Pinkie only a moment to figure it out, but when she did, she almost recoiled. Just the thought of the act was enough to fill her with fury, enough to make her want to yell at the pony pondering the idiotic idea. Enough to make her want to kick that pony in the face and break their snout.
The whole reason for Pinkie’s obsession with making ponies smile--the driving force behind it--was to prove that the power of laughter could overcome anything. Not some things or most things. Anything. No matter how sad the pony, there was always a way to get them to smile. Always. No exceptions. But suicide… it was the one obstacle Pinkie’s skill could never overcome. The one problem she could never fix. If a pony killed themselves, then all chance of making them smile and resolving their issues was gone. This was why suicide was the gravest of all crimes. Pinkie would rather kill herself than allow a pony to end their life.
“It’s h-hard…” Lost Cause needed a moment to pause as her voice cracked. “It’s hard being in the kingdom of friendship and not having any friends.”
As far as Pinkie was concerned, she was done with this conversation. Talking was not going to help a case like this. What she needed to do was go the extra step and fix the root cause of her new friend’s misery. She felt compelled to replace Lost Cause’s empty frown with a smile so bright that it shone like a second sun. But to do that she had to figure out what Lost Cause had done to garner this much hatred, and to do that she needed time. It had taken Lost Cause hours to reveal her name, so Pinkie could only imagine the lengths she had to go to in order to achieve her goal. That said, the challenge caused her to shake with excitement. Did that make her a bad pony, thinking of Lost Cause as a challenge?
She didn’t know the answer to that, but what she did know was that she had to give this mission her heart and soul. "No matter what," she had told Lost Cause.
Using her hoof to lift Lost Cause’s head, Pinkie gazed into the mare’s eyes to let her know that she wasn’t alone in this world. “I’ll be your friend. I Pinkie Promise.”
Lost Cause’s frown remained as empty as ever, but the hope radiating from her eyes was unmistakable.
From dawn to dusk, Pinkie made sure to give Lost Cause the best day ever. Sledding, ice climbing, skiing, snowboarding, avalanche surfing--if it could be done in Empty Soul, then Pinkie and Lost Cause did it. Throughout the day, the townsponies shot Lost Cause glares dripping with disgust, but Pinkie shrugged off the ignorant ponies and made sure her friend didn’t see the hateful looks. Focused on her goal, Pinkie made sure to pepper Lost Cause with personal questions throughout the day, though the results weren’t exactly the best. Pinkie began by asking her new friend where she lived, only to receive a sudden change in topic. When she asked again, the only response she got was, “I’d rather not say.”
The only questions Lost Cause seemed to want anything to do with were the ones she asked. They started innocently at first as she and Pinkie walked toward the town center, the sun setting behind them. “So, how many friends do you have?” When Pinkie said that she had plenty, Lost Cause responded with, “Who is your favorite?” The question irked Pinkie, but not enough to make her voice a complaint. She made it clear that she loved her friends equally, no differently than how she cared for the happiness of everypony in Equestria with equal regard. Pinkie’s bond with her fellow Element bearers may have run deeper than blood, but her primary duty would always be to spread laughter throughout the earth. The world was like her family, and that was how she intended to keep it.
The next question was even more bizarre. “Do you have a special somepony?”
Pinkie was taken aback by the question’s personal nature. She would have gone so far as to say that she was weirded out by it, which was a strange feeling for her considering that she was usually the one labeled a weirdo. Her initial instinct was to change the topic, but she went against it because if this was the subject that would get Lost Cause comfortable enough to open up, then so be it. “No, actually. I don’t blame you thinking that I do, considering I’m always meeting new ponies.” Pinkie gave Lost Cause a playful bump on the shoulder. The slight touch made Lost Cause’s cheeks tint a rosy pink, a reaction that left Pinkie paralyzed from confusion.
The topic of romance on Pinkie’s mind, she pondered for a moment to give a more thoughtful answer. “I’ve actually never kissed anypony, and to be honest, I don’t think I ever will.” Lost in thought, she found herself staring at the last rays of sunlight as they died beneath the horizon. The sky here had a certain emptiness to it that made one think more deeply than they ever would under the bright, colorful blue of a place like Ponyville. It was grey like the mountain but had a reflective quality to it, not for the physical, but for the soul. The blankness above was like a mirror, casting a never ending reflection of one’s true self. Convictions Pinkie never knew she had came to the surface, mixing with thoughts Pinkie had fought to keep repressed since she could remember. “I get all the excitement I need from making friends and helping ponies out. I feel like I’m different, like I don’t need a special somepony like other ponies do. It’s like I already have a special connection with everypony, like they’re all my family, so that’s how I want to treat them. If I had a special somepony, or if somepony ever touched me in the wrong way, it’d ruin that connection forever. And if that connection is gone, I… I don’t know what I’d do, or what would happen to me. That connection, it’s what makes me... me.”
She didn’t know if this answer was more for Lost Cause or for herself.
Pinkie’s contemplation continued for a few minutes until the sun fully set, after which Lost Cause asked, “Do you believe in ghosts?”
The question knocked the wind out of Pinkie, not only due to its substance, but because it was asked after a question about her love life of all things. “M-M-Maybe.” The voice in Pinkie’s mind telling her to flee returned, making it all the more difficult for her to resist the urge to tremble. She thought back to Granny Pie’s words for strength. You'll see that they can't hurt you. Just laugh to make them disappear. Pinkie let out a nervous laugh, but the voice in her head didn’t go away. “Why do you ask?”
Lost Cause glanced at the scars covering her cutie mark. Layers of mutilated skin hung off, blowing backward from the breeze. “The legends of this town don’t only talk about the sadness. They also talk about the ghosts.”
“L-Like, dead ponies?”
Lost Cause shook her head, her sickly hue making her seem one with the dead stone she walked on. “Just because a pony’s body is alive doesn’t mean that they can’t be a ghost. The legends say that these ghosts are grey like the mountain. They’re made of a thin vapor, like they’re still part of our world, but only barely. They say that these ghosts don’t have a face.”
Was that what Lost Cause was, a ghost? But she still had a face, so that couldn’t be the answer. The confusion was too much for Pinkie to bear and she gave into the urge to tremble. “B-Because they don’t want anypony knowing who they are?”
“Because when you feel nothing on the inside, why ever smile? Why ever speak? Why ever see, hear, or smell? The only thing your senses do are remind you of the isolation. If you’re going to be alone, why be a part of this world at all?”
Pinkie froze, letting the chilling words sink in. Despite her optimistic nature, she understood Lost Cause’s statement. Not only that, she agreed with it. If the day ever came when she lost her friends and ability to make others smile, she would no doubt lose the will to speak. She too would become a ghost. There would be no reason for her to exist. No reason for her to show anypony her face ever again.
If Pinkie ever suffered Lost Cause’s isolation, she would end up no differently than her. An empty husk of a mare.
“What did you do?” Pinkie said, her voice as cold as the snow beneath her.
Lost Cause turned to her mutilated cutie mark, her gaze blank like that of a spellbound pony. “I did what I was meant to do. I hurt every friend I ever had. Some I hurt emotionally, like leaving them when they needed me the most. Others I hurt physically, like breaking their bodies so they could never walk again. It all depended on what was the best way to hurt them, the best way to take their happiness away. At first, I thought there was something wrong with me. I thought I was evil, but then I realized there is no such thing as evil in our world. It is my special talent to hurt, confirmed by my cutie mark.”
She turned to Pinkie, her gaze piercing like that of a predator's. “I know what I do is wrong, but it fulfills me, the same way you’re fulfilled by what you do. That’s why I’m a lost cause.”
Paralyzed by a chill colder than any blizzard, Pinkie stared at the disfigured cutie mark. It was made of three individual symbols, but the scarring made it impossible to recognize anything more clearly than that. “Your cutie mark… What… What is it?”
“Three teardrops.” Lost Cause shifted her gaze to Pinkie’s cutie mark. “Who did you make smile to get your mark? Your friends?”
Her heart racing, Pinkie shook her head. “My family.”
“I made my family kill themselves to get mine.”
Pinkie’s heart skipped a beat, causing her to freeze in her tracks.
As Lost Cause continued walking ahead, the sound of her hoofsteps decreased in volume with each passing moment, until they were fainter than the pounding of Pinkie’s heart. “You can break your promise, you know. Leave this town or I’ll just end up hurting you too. Consider this a warning, from a friend.”
With that, Lost Cause disappeared into the distance. Pinkie had lost. For the first time, she had given up on a pony.