//------------------------------//
// A New Life 
// Story: Caged Inside 
// by ShadowKirby 
//------------------------------//

	I trotted back into town, my negative mood lifting a bit. The thought of actually having freedom finally made me happy, but the worries of what those ponies were planning was bugging me.
If they thought I was that easily fooled, they'd be pretty dumb.

'My friends aren't dumb!' I heard Pinkie say to me.

My reaction was to simply sigh and roll my eyes. I could practically hear the pout in her voice.
I got some weird looks from the townsponies, which made me nervous. I didn't like being in the spotlight. The weird looks made sense, though. To them I was Pinkie Pie, supposedly always incredibly happy and putting others first, right?
Well, I'd just have to fix that faulty reputation I was starting with.

'What!? Why wouldn't you want to make ponies smile?' She seemed more concerned with the fact I didn't want to help others than the fact I wanted to change her reputation. Strangely, I wasn't surprised.
'Well, of course! If I put myself first, then how would I get anypony else to smile?' She responded to my thoughts.

I growled audibly.
"Stop reading my mind!" It felt like the biggest invasion of privacy I could possibly have.

'But it's booooring in here!' She whined.

'Oh Celestia, SHUT HER UP......'

'Princess Celestia wouldn't do that, she's too nice!'

I facehoofed at that, and started walking again, quickening my pace.

'So....where are you going?'

I stopped. 
That was a good question. Where was I going? 
I was so wrapped up in my own ability to control my own actions that I wasn't sure what to do!

'We could always go to Sugarcube Corner! There's no better place in the WORLD than Sugarcube Corner!'

'I am NOT going anywhere that would make YOU happy!'

'Aww.....'

She went silent for a bit after that, sparing my sanity. If only I could be as ignorant of her as she had been of me.
Looking up into the sky, I noticed that the sun would start to set soon. Most of the day had been spent stalking and harassing Pinkie's friends about what they were hiding.

I sighed and closed my eyes as I walked, feeling a nice breeze flow through my mane. 
I had missed that. It was one of the few enjoyable things I had while on the rock farm. Sitting up on a cliff, listening to the wonderful silence, and feeling the wind on my face.
I never understood how that insane party animal could possibly enjoy being so active all the time, and even more so not let her mane down.
Seriously, what was with that poofy hair? Having it straight was always so much nicer.

'Poofy hair is silly, and silly makes others smile! Oh, and it looks like cotton candy. Hey! Let's go to Sugarcube Corner and eat some cotton candy!'

'I already told you, I'm not going anywhere that YOU want to go!'

That was when my stomach decided to rumble.
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I sighed in annoyance after I scared another pony away from me by giving them a death glare. It seemed everyone wanted to ask me what was going on, and more precisely, why my mane was straight.
Seriously, does nopony else understand why it's so much better to let your hair flow naturally?
At least glaring was a good way of getting my frustration, and anxieties at talking to strangers out.

I idly munched on a plain donut in-between every glare I gave out. Despite Pinkie's protests, I took the least sugary thing I could find.
I was accustomed to bland, and all that sugar she consumed daily was just sickening to me. How she was still in shape at all boggled my mind.
Luckily for me during all that time I was partially disconnected from touch and taste.

'Wait a minute.....'
I smirked as I got an idea.
'Hey Pinkie, where would you happen to have that cotton candy?'
Having heard my plan in my thoughts right away, I could sense a bit of worry from her.

'There's.....some I bought a couple weeks ago in a bag in my bedroom.....'

Swallowing the last of the donut I was eating and feeling much better, I trotted upstairs after giving one last glare over my shoulder at anyone still in the shop.

Entering Pinkie's room, it didn't take me long to find the revolting sugary treat known as cotton candy.
Not wanting to torture myself as much as I was doing to her, I reached into the bag and scooped a bit on my hoof before tasting it myself, a bit hesitantly, then swallowing the unhealthy junk.

My eyes widened at the taste. No wonder she ate sweets so often! I didn't know anything could actually taste this good.
I scooped a bit more, and ate that too, and my self-control flew out the window for a moment as I quickly ate the rest of the sugary delight, licking my lips after I was done.

"That...was....DELICIOUS!"

'It didn't taste all that great to me.....' Pinkie said sadly as she realized the reality of the situation.
I grinned in a slightly sadistic way. "Well I for one could go for more of that!" I headed to the kitchen of the shop despite her protests.
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Pinkie sounded like she was near tears when I trudged upstairs.
'I.....guess I overdid it.....' I groaned. How did Pinkie stomach so much of the stuff? I mean, sure, I may have gone a BIT overboard with the amount of cookies....and donuts....and cakes.....and plain icing that I ate, but Pinkie normally ate all that and was fine!

'Sugar....frosting......cupcakes.....they all taste like plain old bread!' Her despair-filled voice echoed through my mind.

"Looks like we're both miserable then....." I mumbled as I re-entered 'my' bedroom, walking over to the bed and flopping down onto it, stomach pains abundant.

'Chocolate....cookies.....cotton candy.....' She whimpered.

'Ugh.....I'm just gonna sleep this off.....'

Despite the sun barely beginning to set and the shop downstairs still noisily busy, it didn't take me long to drift off to sleep.
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Pinkie Pie's POV

I was in quiet darkness again after she.....I......we fell asleep.
I hated this whole situation.
Yeah, hate. That's not a word I like to use often. It's so mean, and is such the opposite of smiling, but I can't deny it.
Sure, things seemed fine at first, but.....after being unable to even taste the sugary sweet delights of Sugarcube Corner, and Pinkamena being so mean to me about it, I came to hate it here.

I opened my eyes and sighed.

Wait, opened my eyes?

I looked around in confusion, eventually noticing I was sitting down in the nothing. Looking down, I saw my own hooves.
Telling my right hoof to lift up, it did, and I smiled. 
I couldn't say I really 'felt' it, but it was nice to be in control of myself again, even if it was in this boring nothingness.

I'd had a lot of time to think to myself for the last few hours, what with being unable to do anything. I didn't usually like slowing down and getting deep in thought, but now that I kinda had no choice, I realized that it actually could be nice!
Letting your mind drift away, thinking about sugary foods, parties to plan, my friends.....
After those last few words I felt moisture in my eyes. 

I wasn't going to have any of that ever again, was I?

Food would never be delicious, parties wouldn't be thrown, and worst of all, I'd never get to talk to my friends again!

"Oh. You're here."

Hearing the voice that sounded so much like my own, I sniffed and wiped the tears out of my eyes, before turning and putting on my best grin for her.

"Hi!"

Her eyes half closed and she stared at me. I got the feeling she wasn't happy.

"So, you were crying?"

I took a step back but then shook my head, continuing to grin.

"No, of course not! Why would I cry? I'd have to be upset to cry!"

She rolled her eyes at me.

"I saw you rubbing your eyes. Honestly, I'm surprised it took you this long to do it. But I'm glad you are; it means you feel how I did."
I winced in response to that, but she didn't acknowledge anything, and just continued.

"It stings, doesn't it?"

I stared with my hurt expression.

"It stings to be in control of yourself during the sleeping hours, but not really have control of yourself. Being in control here, but only here, in the dreamscape our mind creates?"

I covered my ears. I didn't wanna listen to her anymore! Her words were hurting me, no matter how much I told myself they were just words and I should just stay happy and get through this like I do with everything else.

"Cut off from the world, wishing you could do things yourself outside of this black void...." she continued. "That's how you feel, don't you?" She stared at me, waiting for a response.

"N-no....." I whispered. The truth in her words hurt me. I didn't want to admit it to myself, it only hurt more! This just wasn't fair!

"I know you feel that way. Because that's how I felt EVERY DAY OF MY LIFE ever since you showed up. Times of control for me were just the times I used to cry away the frustration and sadness I felt."

The moisture was starting again.

"But don't worry; you'll get used to it eventually. You'll eventually accept there's no way out and just try to shut yourself off from awareness as best you can, despite being forced into it."

"STOP TALKING!!!" I screamed as the tears fell, not touching any sort of floor and simply falling forever.

"You'll stay here forever, or at least until I expire. After all, we're kind of stuck together, aren't we?"

"STOOOOOP!" I lunged towards her in a blind fury and barely noticed her shocked expression before I slammed into her, a crack sound ringing through my ears. 
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