Introspection

by -Hidden Identity-

What is known

“Tell me about the world.”

“Hmm?” Pinkie snapped back to attention. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Tell me about the world. The actual world.” Anger repeated softly.

Pinkie smiled and nodded. “You know, you’ve been a whole lot nicer now that we found the first color.”

Anger snorted. “Don’t look too far into it. I’m just happy we’re closer to removing you from this plane of thought.”

“Whatever it is, I’m happy that you’re happy.”

“Sure. Thanks. Now how about the actual world?”

“It’s great!” Pinkie rejoiced.

Anger waited. Pinkie smiled back.

“Anything else?” prompted the grey counterpart.

“Else?”

“Well, what else can you tell me besides ‘it’s great’? I want specifics,” Anger rubbed her head with a hoof. “What do you do? How is each day different from the last? With whom do you spend the hours meant for work, and with whom do you spend carefree hours at play?”

Pinkie’s wide, bright, eyes glistened to outshine the aura Anger produced. Seeing far beyond the confines of the cave, Pinkie laughed. The cave retracted its continuous hostility to succumb to the warmth that the stones now radiated. Anger moved away from the walls of her stone palace.

“Everyday I wake up to the sun smiling down upon me. Unless it’s raining. In that case I say hello to the rain. The Cake family allows me to help out making cake and other delicious items, and of course I get to lick the bowl. Unless I have something special to do that day I go and try to find my…friends.” Pinkie breathed out a ghost of a laugh. “I learn something from Twilight. She’s always studying and reading. I’ll never know as much as she does. Then there’s Fluttershy. Timid as the mice she looks after, and kinder than anypony I’ve ever known. She always tries to make things right and that everypony is safe and sound. Rainbow Dash has always been fun. She likes to play pranks, perform dazzling tricks up in the sky, and is super dedicated to making sure her friends are taken care of. Applejack is the hardest working pony you would ever meet. She takes any job she can and won’t rest until it’s done. Rarity is always making fancy dresses and stuff for ponies up in Canterlot, but that doesn’t stop her from making time for her friends.”

Anger mused for a moment, rolling a pebble around in her hooves. “They sound nice.”

“Yeah, they are really nice. I can’t wait to see them again.”

“So is that how you rank them?”

Pinkie cocked her head slightly, puzzled at the question.

Anger dropped her pebble without consent, yet did not bother to pick it up and instead rolled it around with one of her hind legs. “Whether you know it or not, everything is ranked. Every piece of food you devour become rated and listed amongst its kind as according to your tastes and preferences. The days of the week or the months of the year are given a score to decide how they will be met. Friends are no exception to this, and I would argue that they are labeled with far more eagerness, whether you notice it or not.”

“I don’t understand.” Pinkie frowned, furrowing her forehead.

“I mean that the five friends you have just listed are given a rating by you, the mindset of Joy, and that there are those you would rather be with day in and day out. You may not think so, but there is no question that some of your friends you are just slightly happier to see than others.”

Droplets of water fell from their crystalline perches to create a ceaseless orchestra. The shadows beyond Anger’s aura performed a slow ballet for a stone audience. The air hung heavy and silent to suppress any that might desire to move or speak underneath. Pinkie’s laugher cracked and sparked, escorting the natural performance of the cave away from attention.

“Rank my friends? Anger, you’ve been alone far too long. Nopony ranks their friends like that.”

Anger kicked the pebble away until it came to rest on Pinkie’s leg. The grey pony rose to circle her joyous brethren. “Is that truly what you believe? Well then, answer my questions and if you are certain you do not rank your friends I will accept it and, “she took a breath and the liberty of a smile, “apologize to you.”

“No need to apologize, Anger. Everypony makes mistakes. I enjoy each of my friends equally and would much rather be with all of them than just one. Just like they say, six is a party.” Pinkie smiled, picked up the discarded pebble and extended her hoof. Anger glanced at the offering with disinterest. “So tell me about this place.”

Anger was taken aback, yet refused to show it. She snorted. “This place? You mean the cave? What could I possibly tell you about this place that you don’t already know? What else is there to tell? The stone is cold. The rooms are dark. The water is patient, the maze always finds me, and I am never allowed to leave. Is that the answer you sought?”

“What scares you?”

“Scares me? Nothing scares me anymore.”

“What about what we hid from?”

Anger found a genuine concern in Pinkie’s wide eyes. What was it with Joy? Why care about something that bears such contrast? Anger had anticipated the happier state of mind would eventually ask her about such things. She had just rather anticipated her to inveigle her into telling instead of asking about any weakness such as fear.

“That is an angry thought. Surely you are not the only being within your state of mind. You must have happy thoughts running about across… I just realized I have never visited your state of mind.” Anger narrowed her eyes. “I have no idea what it looks like.”

“I didn’t see any thoughts running about. Just my family.”

“Ah. That makes sense. Memories that collide directly with your mindset chase away thoughts.”

“But if those things are angry thoughts, then why hide from them? Don’t you control them?”

The grey pony sat down and glared at the stone floor. “Grump. The mere fact that she exists here with me causes the thoughts to become rather confused as to whom they owe their allegiance to so they are hostile towards everything instead. Blasted things. I truly do despise them. When I enter the world I can harvest them from events around me and summon them to interact as well. You may say they served me. Now they roam underground in readiness to lash out. Because Grump was created by that arrogant freak Discord, she contains more power over this mindset than I. It’s also the reason she is allowed to relax above us instead of rotting down in this cave.”

Pinkie took a breath and rolled the pebble between her hooves. The soft stone cracked.

“What can thought do? I mean really do to us here in the mind. I would think being mindsets we wouldn’t be bothered.”

“Yeah, it should be that way. Yet…you know how the old saying goes? Alone with your thoughts? Thoughts are really the most reliable company any of us can depend on. You and me? We aren’t thought. We produce and keep thought. Yet we can be changed by thought. If you were to witness a great amount of new ideas that could be considered joy, then your state of mind would change from whatever it is now to something that embodies the new thought better.”

“So why is this a cave? Caves aren’t angry.” Pinkie glanced about, as if to personify her point.

“When our body gets angry, it seeks to be alone.” Anger sneered at nothing in particular. “As much as I hate it, our body and mind are known for you. Being very happy, and social. What would you define as the opposite of happiness? Anger, right? So if you, the happy-go-lucky one is near everypony and can’t be found without a friend, then what should be the opposite of that?”

Instead of formulating the obvious reply, Pinkie smiled slightly and tapped the wall with a hoof, dropping the pebble. Anger merely nodded.

“I’m going to search around just a bit and see if the cave wants to change on me. How about you stay here for half a moment.” Declared Anger, who left without waiting for an answer.

Pinkie, now immersed in the expected darkness, reclaimed the pebble and continued her previous activity. The constant pressure caused the stone to develop another crack.

“Do you remember when I was obsessed with finding out what your Pinkie sense was?”

Pinkie stopped, listening. She pressed down harder on the stone.

“I was sure there had to an explanation.”

Twilight. Twilight must be visiting. Visiting where? Crackle.

“I don’t think there could ever be an explanation. You’re you, and that’s enough for me.”

Squeeze. Crack.

“It’s always fun seeing your smiling face each day. I know you’ve improved one or two of my rainy days.

A piece of the stone broke off.

“But it’s pretty dark right now. I’m wishing I had your Pinkie sense to tell me that it’s going to be all right.”

The stone became smaller.

“Rainbow’s had everypony bring something in. I can’t wait to see your smile when you see all of these gifts.”

There wasn’t much left.

“I hope somehow you hear me. We’ve decorated so the first thing you will see is a party. Rarity even made a banner.”

One more bit.

“But please be here for it, Pinkie. Don’t make us change the colors. I know you don’t like black.”

Dust fell from her hoof.

Comments

[That_G3_Obsessive]

This is the best story ever! Keep it up!