//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Meditation // Story: Meditation // by Dragon-In-Black //------------------------------// When Pinkie Pie woke up early in the morning, she heard intrusive thoughts that told her she wasn't good enough. Getting out of bed was becoming increasingly difficult. Just the thought of getting out of bed and working was making her feel tired. She had managed to continue with the fake smile that was fooling every pony. She'd been worried that at least one would notice it was fake which had worried her. However, to her relief no pony noticed. Pinkie didn't want her friends or fellow ponies to see her in the sorry state she was in. She didn't know when it first started, she only recently realised that the… emptiness she felt was there. Pinkie had gone above and beyond, drowning in her work. However, it only seemed to make things worse, because she started to feel tired despite resting a full night's sleep which she usually had trouble doing. The sleeping potion she had gotten when she was a filly did wonders. She did realise, though, that she couldn't continue walking the path she had been walking. Something wasn't right with the road. It wasn't the profession that was wrong, she loved her job and would rather lick a toilet seat before she changed jobs. Nothing was wrong with her lifestyle either. She hung out with her friends regularly and she partied with them and the rest of her friends. She went on adventures to help other creatures. Nothing was wrong. And yet, something was wrong. Pinkie couldn't put her hoof on it, but there was something that was missing. Something she needed. Well, she had found it. One of her friends named Lyra had talked to her about a species called 'humans' that had allegedly existed long before the ponies came. Pinkie realised that she had contradicted herself when she thought about it. Lyra had told her of something called meditation. Pinkie had at first been confused since she had seen a few creatures do it but never put any mind to it. She had told Lyra she had seen other creatures do it as well. The mint-coated pony had smiled a wide smile and told her that meditation came from humans as they were to first creatures on the entire planet to ever use it to its true potential. Now when Pinkie thought about it, Lyra was gentle in her explanation, as if she felt Pinkie's emptiness or sorrow. Lyra had even been so kind as to show her a statue of what looked to be ape-like in appearance. "He" was clad in robes and had hanging ears and was sitting crossed-legged. He had a small smile on his face which made Pinkie feel peaceful. Lyra then guided her through her first session of meditation. Her mind was to be completely blank as she sat crossed hoofed and started her meditation. Lyra had told her she could repeat chanting if she wanted to. Pinkie had heard the mint-coated pony do a chant. "Om Mani Padme Hum," She hadn't asked Lyra what it meant, but something told her that the unicorn wouldn't have told anything. Pinkie got out of bed and saw that the morning sun was barely over the horizon which made her have a neutral look. She grabbed her keys and left the building and made her way to the Everfree Forest. That was the thing that surprised Pinkie the most. The statue had been located inside one of the most dangerous forests in Equestria. The thing that mystified her, was that every predator didn't attack one another near the statue. They relaxed into the statue. The forest was quiet and the wind whistled and the leaves on the grass gently flipped over and flew a tiny distance. Walking through the forest wasn't scary. When you have walked through a couple of times, you lose fear. The predators of the forest were either awake and hunting for breakfast or still sleeping. Either way, they weren't looking for her, and even if they usually would hunt her down, as soon as she enters a certain part where the statue resides, the predators lose their feral instincts. However, Pinkie did appreciate the calm weather and the calm forest with nothing to worry about. After walking for a good ten minutes she reached a clearing with the large stone statue. The sky was shining bright and Pinkie knew her friend Applejack was out working. The other ponies were sleeping soundly in their beds. Well, she supposed she was one of the rare ponies who got up early. When she got close enough, she sat down crossed hoofed and closed her eyes. She tried thinking happy thoughts about what she had accomplished with her friends. The happy thoughts were making her allow a small smile. She couldn't lie and say that she wasn't happy in her memories. The shared memories always brought a small smile to her face. How could it not? Before she met Twilight, she mostly hung around with herself. Sure, she would throw parties but she never hung out with just one pony. When Twilight came along and changed that, Pinkie had been ecstatic. She had best friends she could rely on and worked her best to make them smile. However, somewhere along the way, Pinkie felt that her smile had become forced, like putting needles to make sure the smile was there. She hated doing it. She hated lying to her friends that she was good. Pinkie had hoped that Applejack would be able to tell that she was lying. But, the apple farmer didn't notice. It hurt her in more ways than one. But she didn't blame any pony. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. Pinkie didn't turn to look who it was, instead, she continued her meditation. Whoever was behind her decided to sit beside her. It was quiet and neither creature spoke a word. It was a comfortable silence that encased them, giving neither party a reason to break it. The air around them was fresh and made their lungs feel healthy. "Happy Vesak," came a voice that made Pinkie smile. For the first time in months maybe years, she had a genuine smile.