Plush Pondering
I stand in the front seat of my best friend's station wagon. I'm buckled in like any other passenger, but only my best friend sees me that way. The top belt passes over my head and flank, while the bottom belt is around my hooves. I stare out the window, as always, watching the scenery go by. With only the view and my best friend beside me, I do the only thing I can: think.
What does it mean to be a plush? To be sentient? Are other inanimate objects sentient, or is it just me? Would they say I am sentient? Does my best friend know I can think? What would they say if they knew I could think? What would I say if I could speak?
These are the kind of questions that come out on long car rides like this one. The kind that keep a plush up at night… Well, if a plush could sleep, they would keep them up at night. As I consider my inability to sleep, another string of questions enters my mind.
Who is Pinkie Pie? I know that's my name, but what about the real Pinkie Pie? Do I have any real connection to her? Do I exemplify any of her qualities? I look like her, but is it just a facade? Have I just assumed her personality?
My best friend calls me Pinkie, and I think I think like I think she thinks, and if I wasn't really like her, it would feel so wrong to live like this. So I must be Pinkie. And I like it! I'm not perfect at it, but I've seen her a few times on my best friend's screens, so I think I'm doing a good job being me.
As a love-themed gas station rolls past the window, another set of questions comes to mind. Why does my best friend love me? Do I love them back? Would I be there for them if I could do other things? Would they be there for me?
It's been over a decade since we met, and we've been best friends from day one. I suspect they feel the same way. I'd be lying to myself if I thought I didn't love them - they are my best friend after all. I would still be there for them, no matter what. Even if I could walk and talk, I'd be talking to my best friend about everything, and walking with them everywhere. I know they'd be there for me. They already are, without even knowing it.
Sometimes I think my best friend knows I can understand them, but other times I'm not so sure. The genuine interest in their voice when they ask me questions makes me want to believe. And their pretend answers for me are almost always what I think of.
But, if they knew I could think, why would they say they wish I was real? Unless they mean they wish I could move and talk. I wish for that too, then, best friend. I wish I could tell you, and show you, how much I care for you.
What about the others? My best friend has five plushies besides me. I think their names are Fluttershy, Twilight Sparkle, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack. Can they also think? Does my best friend wish they were real too?
I know I'm the favorite, but they're all treated just as well as I am. The constant rotation of which plush they hold when they sleep shows they care for all of us. And they speak to the other five the same as they do me. If the others can think, I wish I could talk to them. Especially Fluttershy, the yellow one with pink hair. She's really cute.
Besides me, my best friend spends more time with Fluttershy than the others. She has to be the second favorite. I can't blame them, I want to spend more time with her too. Especially after that time we kissed a few years back… Good thing plushies can't blush. I wonder if Fluttershy feels the same way about me. She might be too shy to say anything.
Twilight Sparkle would be next. She is also really cute. I bet she'd be fun to be friends with. She strikes me as a pony who knows a whole bunch of stuff. She could answer a lot of questions, but she would ask a lot of questions, too.
Rarity is after Twilight. Rarity is really cute, too. She'd be fun to dress up with. She'd make super pretty dresses. She would want to make everypony look as beautiful on the outside as they are on the inside.
Rainbow Dash is next. She is also really cute. She would be fun to hang out with. She would make everything a fun challenge. And she'd come up with a bunch of fun pranks. I bet she'd also be good at kissing.
Applejack would be last, but not least. She is also really cute. She would be a very dependable friend. She would help with anything you needed. She would be real with you and keep your head level.
Wait…
Are these pony plushies my friends, too, and I just never noticed?
As the car comes to a halt, I realize we are home. What was the point of all that pondering? Am I to live in constant existential wonder, or will I find meaning in my life? Do I already have it with the friends who have been right beside me the entire time? Before I can finish my thought process, my door is opened.
Our best friend unbuckles me and says, "I love you," before they pick me up.
I love you too!
Maybe it's not worth worrying about. After all, my life is pretty good for a Pinkie Pie plush.
As I'm carried through the air, held by the person I care most about, only one thought is running through my head.
Wheeeeee!