Perspectives

Light. Something I was only partially surprised to see. The light fades, and with it comes a shadow of confusion.

Another thing I hadn't expected. Change. Initially I was confused, but the events of the previous day come rushing back to me.

I had died. My death was just, and I don't feel bitter about it... it was a little unbelievable to me that I'd so easily lose control, Especially now that the voices are seemingly gone. But if I am that dangerous, I got my just desserts.

Light was not surprising because of my estranged view of the world. Some people might see heaven, or goodness as being light. I am not one such person, or pony. I see light as power, and power as inherently evil if exercised in such a way as light is. It's a tricky, quiet evil that might seem good at times. Darkness isn't like that... it lurks, observes, hides. All seemingly menacing activities, that in actuality aren't evil. Light would sure love it if no one trusted darkness though. But there are varying degrees to everything and seeing all light and all darkness as all good or all evil is a very two dimensional way of seeing the world.

Seeing this light gave me a sense of comfort. Not at what lied ahead, but that I might have been right. I was not deserving of a good end, and if light was my damnation, so be it.

What did surprise me was change. Change was different, impure. It was strangely morally neutral. Not by virtue of being gray, but by being any and every conceivable color. Even some inconceivable ones.

Change is imperfect, impractical, it's mortal.

What really threw me off was feeling. Pain, both emotional and physical. But not a searing torment deep in my soul, a subtle and rising sense of despair. This was all I needed for proof, I would not be spared so easily.

My eyes flutter open as my head pulses in pain. The light is both painful and intoxicating to me as it stabs at my headache and I feed off it's warmth. I push myself away from the light shining through the trees and into the shadows of the dense forest.

I shiver slightly at the loss of warmth and become painstakingly aware of how damp my fur is. I try to rub Away the water and warm me up, but my hoof is just as slick as my coat and isn't much help. I focus my Magic and pick up a nearby pebble, light enough that I don't struggle to control it. The glow of my Magic illuminates the area around me, the parts not lit up by stray beams of light. Light from outside the trees is few and far between, and the details shown by my glowing Magic affirms where I believed I was. This is the Everfree forest.

I whimper once more at this revelation, still shivering from gentle breezes. At least this light proves that it's still day, I wouldn't dare think of what it would be like if it was Night. One things for certain, I need to get out of here.

And go where? The question is cause for pause. I was executed by Celestia herself, surely news will spread quick. Anyone who doesn't know what I did will in a matter of days. I'm definitely not welcome anywhere, but I'd rather live in hiding than in the Everfree. I get to walking, my legs shaky. I try to walk Away from the Canterlot mountain range, barely visible through most patches and completely covered in some.

It takes the better part of a couple hours, I can see the sun starting to set as I notice a break in the trees up ahead. I use my last burst of energy to break free of the forests confines. My once wet fur now dried in clumps and matted in places. I whisper success to myself as I enjoy the last fading moments of light.

"Oh, my..." my ear twitches as I hear a sound that's both beautiful and terrifying. I'm not equipped to deal with anything beautiful, so the sound of another pony puts me in a terror. I jerk my head up and back away quickly, a whimper escaping from my mouth despite my attempts at silence.

I look dead into Fluttershys eyes, attempting to calm my heart but dreading what she might think of me. Her eyes read alarm, but mostly concern. She gulps and I flinch instinctively, slowly opening an eye to peer at her in the ensuing silence. I'm sure that I'm a pitiful sight.

"Oh, I'm Sorry. I... I didn't mean to frighten you." Fluttershy says softly. "Are you Okay?" She asks. I look at her timidly, a little confused.

"You... don't remember me?" I manage to squeak out weakly, my fear giving a little.

"Remember? Do I know you?" She asks.

"I came to Ponyville a few days ago... with a Gryphon." I offer.

"Oh... well, welcome to Ponyville." She offers, smiling weakly in an attempt to console me.

"No, no, no! There was a welcome party and everything!" I say franticly. My gaze turns to her, "you were there!" I exclaim.

"I was?" Fluttershy asks weakly, taking a step back. I notice, through that simple motion what should have been painfully obvious. I'm scaring her.

"Yes!" I exclaim before covering my mouth. "I'm Sorry." I mutter before turning Away from her to think on this.

Did she erase me? Celestia? Did she erase who I was? Am I still me? She could take away every other personality of mine...

"Excuse me..." I look back at Fluttershy and find her right next to me. I fall away from her in fright, my heart racing a little. "I'm sorry I don't remember you... but you look like you could use some help. Or a friend." She offers. I look down at my fur, matted and dirty. I stumble to my hooves, finally feeling the extent of my exhaustion as I stumble forward. Flutters catches me gently, but firmly.

"Uh, Sorry. I'm a little exhausted." I admit.

"That's Okay. Can you walk?" She asks.

"Yeah, just give me a sec." I say, standing still as my head spins lightly. As the spinning stops I nod, "Okay, I'm good."

"Do you have a place you're staying?" I pause to think.

"I don't think so... I can stay at the guest house though..." I tell her.

"The guest house?" Fluttershy thinks for a second. "Let's go to my cottage and get you cleaned up first." She offers. I just nod and she points me in the right direction.

We walk slowly towards her cottage, Fluttershys right wing tip touching me lightly on the back to keep me stable. I stumble a couple of times. Not out of uncoordination, but sheer exhaustion.

Eventually we can see her cottage coming closer. The walk seemed impossibly long, but it couldn't have been more than ten minutes tops. This feeling only perpetuated by Fluttershys silence, which was both a gift and torture. I don't know what we could've talked about, but I feel like anything would have been better than nothing.

The silence felt like judgement, even if it did give me a chance to think. No doubt that's what we're both doing.

"Here we are." Fluttershy says as we near the cottage. I look at it inquisitively. I haven't had a chance to see it up close yet, I only knew it from the show.

Animals peer at me strangely from their perches and burrows, stuck deciding whether I should be sized up or hidden from. They settle on keeping their distance.

I'm sure that my haggard sight must have been intimidating despite my apparent friendliness with their caretaker. I smile at them despite myself, it doesn't change their opinions in the slightest.

"Here we are." Fluttershy says as we walk up to the door. She opens it and I let her walk in first. I slink in timidly behind her, still under scrutiny of the animals. One animal stands out among them though, a white rabbit I can only assume is angel.

"Angel, this is my guest..." Fluttershy trails off as she searches for a name she doesn't know.

"Starlet. Starlet Mint." I offer, Fluttershy nods thankfully.

"And I'm Fluttershy. I'm Sorry we didn't introduce ourselves, it must be strange for a complete stranger to invite you into their home." Fluttershy apologize, her attention drawn from Angel for the moment.

"It's Okay, Flutters. I'm really grateful." I tell her.

"Oh, it's quite alright. You looked like you could use some help." Fluttershy responds. She turns to Angel once more, "Angel, be a dear and draw some hot water while I fetch my shampoo." Fluttershy asks nicely. She waits for some sign that he heard her, eventually Angel grunts and hops Away to go do what was asked of him. Fluttershy smiles, turning to me apologetically before leaving to go accomplish her own task. My ears prick as I hear Fluttershy mutter to herself as she walks away.

"Flutters... that's a nice nickname."

~~~~~~~

Rarity was a mare. It was a fact she was very proud of, but not necessarily one she showed off. Had she been a Stallion, she was sure she would be proud of it and showed it off. But being a mare, Rarity was comfortable with not flaunting it.

That's not to say Rarity was entirely modest, no. She did love to flaunt her stuff and show off her beauty. But that had Nothing to do with her pride as a mare. Rarity loved dresses, but she loved suits equally as much. Fashion was fashion, and clothes were clothes. Rarity loved looking beautiful, and she used clothes as an outlet.

She wasn't against suits, not at all. She had just decided, pardon the pun, that they didn't suit her. Just as she had the capability to decide her own fashion from others, she deigned also not to limit others fashion to her choices.

Many ponies saw it as acceptable, even proper, to limit the fashion choices of others. Many of these ponies are ponies she admired, such as Hoity Toity. As such, Rarity had deemed that she would be the better fashionista, even if this hadn't garnered her as much fame. After all, why should a colt be limited to suits if his fashion sense tells him a dress fits better? Vice versa for mares.

It was this particular thought that Lyra had left Rarity with as she worked on her new commission. The commission being for the seafoam unicorn herself. It was her only order she needed to get done and was sure to keep her busy well into the Night. It was very last second, seeing as Lyra needed it for the next night, but she had accepted it readily. After all, she had nothing better to do. Besides, some of her best work came to pass in short timeframes.

Rarity hummed a tune lightly, remembering the conversation well. She probed the depths of her memory for any clue as to who the lucky pony could be.

~~~~~~~

The door at the front of the store opened, setting off the light tinkling of a bell above it. I turn and look out the door over my workroom to what little part of the sales floor I can see. I set down my boring paperwork, eager at the thought of a distraction from the tedium that is paperwork.

"Welcome to Carousel Boutique! Where everything is sleek, chic, and unique." I call out as I pass through the door to my sales floor. My eyes scan the floor for motion and I eventually come across the pony who must have set off the bell.

"Lyra, so nice to see you. What can I do for you, Darling?" I ask, walking over to her with a delicate smile.

"Hey, Rarity. I've got kind of a big favor to ask. And I can Understand if you can't do it." Lyra says nervously.

"Nonsense, darling. I'm sure it's nothing I can't handle. What is it?" I ask patiently, more than eager to help with whatever it is. As long as I don't have to do that dreaded paperwork.

"W-well... I have a date planned for tomorrow, but I don't have anything to wear." Lyra says, rubbing her foreleg nervously. I can feel myself dragging her towards my workroom before I knew what I was doing.

"Then we haven't got time to waste! Let's get you measured first, then we can discuss styling." I tell her. She doesn't argue as I set her in the center of the room and float a measuring tape over to her. "So, tell me about the lucky pony!" I ask happily as I jot down notes of the current measurements.

"Uh... well, They're really nice... and they used to live in Canterlot just like me." Lyra starts, she sounds a bit hesitant and nervous. "In fact, I knew them from my school days in Canterlot!" Lyra adds, the entire sentence had a strange sort of emphasis in it. Like this fact was very important in comparison to everything else.

"Them, Darling?" I ask casually. Seeking more for a name than anything. "We are speaking about one pony, aren't we?" I ask, just making sure. Lyras reaction speaks less of a mild embarrassment and more of shame. Despite her smile and blush, I can tell by the drop of her eyelids that she feels some sort of judgement. I instantly feel bad for the small joke, I hadn't meant to hit a sensitive area.

"Y-yeah. They just..." Lyra trails off, straining to find some sort of explanation. I stop writing and set my hoof on her side. She looks at the hoof and then traces it back to me. I smile gently back to her in an apologetic way.

"I didn't mean to offend you, Darling. I was only curious." I tell her, she nods. Her eyes betray her unease despite her awkward smile.

"I know, Rarity. I'm just having a difficult time getting over myself." Lyra says. "I haven't exactly gone on a date before." I balk at this.

"Never?" I question, astonished.

"Never. I was always busy with my studies and music. Or, at least that's the excuse I tell myself. It's probably something more to do with how socially inept I was before I came here." Lyra says, her eyes dropping as she drew small circles on the floor with her hoof. I still her hoof by wrapping it in the measuring tape.

"Hold still, Darling." I command gently, scribbling measurements down as I make my way to the other side. "And I don't blame you for feeling that way. Canterlot is a much harder place to exercise your social skills. Much less gain any where you may have been lacking." I tell her.

"The Canterlot social structure is flimsy at best, rickety and broken at worst. It's based on the popular getting the spotlight and getting more popular, whereas the spotlight is popularity. Spontaneity in the system is all that allows others to ever rise, even if briefly." My thoughts flick to my moments in the spotlight. When I was one of Canterlots elite.

"Of course, it's all based in superficiality, no substance to it. And don't get me started about the fashion!" I realize I've been ranting and clear my throat. I turn to Lyra sheepishly and she just smiles at me, joy once more gracing her eyes.

"Something tells me you're very familiar with it." Lyra says, laughing lightly.

"Just a skosh. I had my time in the limelight, but I wouldn't say I'm ready to have another try at it so soon." I tell her, rolling my eyes at the thought. Maybe one of these days I'll try and make a name for myself there again, but no time soon.

"Well, lucky you. I was never very popular in my old school." Lyra admits, the harsh tone to her voice betraying bitter memories.

"Something tells me this is more than a lack of social skills." I comment gently. Lyra sighs and just shakes her head.

"It's... it's Nothing." She says, I sigh and nod. Not that she can see my nod, but some stones are better left unturned.

"Well, darling, I'm done with your measurements. If you'll follow me." I tell her, setting the measuring tape down on my workbench and placing the measurement notes beside it. I pull a binder off my bookcase and turn to Lyra. "Now, how would you like your dress to look? A white might be nice to accentuate that beautiful streak in your mane, but the color might not mean what you want. Now a gold might be better, a bit more brash. The color would certainly match your eyes well, and if it was a shorter dress it would certainly show off yo-" I look up from my notes to show Lyra an example of the color gold I was thinking but I halt myself. Lyras biting her lip as her cheeks glow red, her eyes once more showing shame. I close the book and take a step towards Lyra reassuringly. "I'm Sorry, Darling, but are you Okay? Do you not like the color?" I ask, searching for some sign as to what I did wrong.

"N-no... I... this was a stupid idea. I'm Sorry for wasting your time." Lyra says, turning Away. I float a ponnequin in front of her, blocking her escape and lay a hoof on her back.

"Lyra, you've been on edge the whole time. Something is obviously not okay. I want to help you, but I can't do that if you won't help me. At least give me something to work with." I ask her reassuringly. Her eyes dart back and forth before landing on my own. She looks Away a couple of times before finally stuttering out an answer.

"I-I, Uh, didn't come here for a dress... I was hoping you could make me a suit." She squeaks out meekly. It can't be the only thing she's on edge about, what with all this Canterlot business, but it's a start.

"Oh. Is that all, Darling? Here, hold on a sec..." I float the first binder away and trade it for my other one. "I'm Sorry, I shouldn't have assumed. but, now that we're on the right track, how did you want the suit?" I ask her, keeping my face neutral.

"You're... you're not weirded out? You're not interested in my choice?" Lyra asks cautiously, I have to fight the urge to roll my eyes. I swear, and ponies call me dramatic.

"Well, Darling, I'm going to assume you're talking about why you want a suit. In which case my answer would be, not particularly. I am, however, very interested in what you want your suit to look like." I tell her, trying not to sound snarky. Lyra blushes, the relief in her eyes showing that She's thoroughly embarrassed instead of ashamed. "Now then, I'm thinking a traditional black and white, reminiscent of sheet music. Maybe a bit of gold trim?" I say, showing her a picture of a traditional suit.

"I suppose? I don't know, I don't know anything about fashion." Lyra admits.

"Okay then, let me see..." I set the book down and grab a third binder and flip through it wordlessly. Eventually I find the page I'm looking for and show it to her. "Which color do you like more? Out of the four there, just tell me which corner you like best?" I ask. On the page are four samples of fabric. Lyra looks at them for a second before turning to me in confusion.

"They're all black." She deadpans. I fight the urge to drag a hoof down my face in aggravation.

"Well, YES. But only in the loosest of terms. They're different types of black, and fabric for that matter. Feel them, maybe that'll help." I tell her, she feels all four strips carefully, judging them individually. "What do you think?"

She takes some time to consider it, even feeling every single one a second time. Then a third, surely she has to know which one truly feels the best. After all, she'd have to wear it. I watch her hopefully, and eventually she raises her eyes to meet mine. As she does I can see the look of pure confusion on her face and abandon all hopes of an answer.

"You know what, don't answer that." I tell her as she opens her mouth. I don't know exactly what she would've said, but I bet it would have been something along the lines of They're all fabric. I flip a couple pages and find the whites. Surely she'll notice the difference in these. One has a bit of a more yellow to it, while one's a bit more tan colored. They all very much look white enough to be considered a form of white.

"How about these." Just the Same as the others she looks at them, she even feels them too. I look at the prying hoof hopefully, surely her hoof will know the difference?

"They're all-"

"On second thought, how about I work on the design. I'm sure you're very busy preparing for tomorrow." I cut her off before she can finish and Lyra nods in relief.

"Thanks, Rarity. I'm sure whatever you make will look great." Lyra assures me, causing a faint surge of pride as my posture straightens a bit.

"Well, be sure to tell your date who made you look so good." I joke, Lyra laughs along.

"I'll tell her." Lyra says as she finishes laughing. I blink once just to make sure I heard her right and turn to Lyra.

"Her?" I ask politely. Nevertheless I can see her mood drop as panic draws across her face. "I'm Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude, I was just making sure I'd heard clearly." I apologize immediately, not wanting to upset Lyra. The damage was done though.

"Yeah, HER... I'm a filly fooler." She responds, absolutely downtrodden. She sits down with a thump, looking close to tears. I sit myself down beside her and lean against her coat reassuringly.

"There's Nothing wrong with it, Darling. We all like who we like." I reassure her.

"But there is something wrong with it! Why do you think no one liked me in Canterlot?" I make an Oh with my mouth, but I don't say anything. "I didn't feel Okay with myself Until I came to Ponyville and met BonBon." Lyra continues.

"Is she your..." I can't bring myself to say date in case I upset her, but she gets the gist.

"My date? No. I did have a crush on her for a while, but she's painfully straight. Besides, she's got a coltfriend. Candy Cream. Lucky bastard." Lyra mutters before shaking her head. "No, I'm happy for her, but it took a while to get past that." Lyra corrects herself joylessly.

"Lyra. It's Okay if you like mares. The ponies in Canterlot are unbelievably judgemental, not to mention rude and uncouth. They don't really know what they're saying, they're just agreeing with the money. The money just happens to be highly prejudiced." I tell her hotly, growing a little aggravated at them myself just by saying it. Lyra looks at me and I smile at her. Her face is surprisingly neutral, her eyes scanning my own. I maintain that same smile until she speaks again.

"Why are you okay with this? With me?" Lyra asks. "You're the straightest pony I know." was that meant to be a compliment? I'm going to assume so, for her sake.

"Why should I disapprove of who you love just because I don't feel the same way? And what does it matter if I'm straight, or for that matter what does it matter if you're not? You're looking for love, why should I wish you anything but good luck?" I ask her, rhetorically of course. She understands and nods as she takes in this information.

"Th-thanks, Rarity. You've helped a lot. And you're helping me with this suit too. I don't know how I'll ever repay you" Lyra says gratefully.

"Bits, preferably." Lyra turns to look at me and I just laugh gently. "I'm kidding of course. The only payment I need is the cost of the suit." I tell her. I float the measurements over and do an estimate in my head. For some reason my estimate yields an uneven number, seventy-three, so I round down a bit for convenience.

"Does sixty bits sound fair?" I ask.

"Sixty? Are you sure that's right? That seems a bit... cheap." Lyra asks uneasily. I wave my hoof in dismissal.

"Of course I'm sure, Darling. Are you doubting my math?" I ask in a serious tone. It's an underhoofed method I find myself using too often, sometimes ponies just don't want to take the deals I give them.

"N-no. Sixty bits it is, then." Lyra says, fishing out her bits. She counts out some bits and I take them graciously. "Is that the correct amount?" Lyra asks. I start to count them off in my head.

54,55,56,57...  I smile a little to myself as I notice there are no more bits.

"Sixty! Perfect, Darling." I tell her, smiling widely. I must admit to feeling a sinfully wonderful tingling deep in my chest at doing something so deceitful. But, then again, I'm not the Element of Honesty. "Come back around noon tomorrow. I should be almost done by that point, then I can fit it more accurately. Then you can go on your date looking as dashing as ever." I tell her, she looks much happier now than when she came in.

"Thanks, Rarity. You're the best." She tells me as she heads towards the front door.

"I do try, Darling. Have a Wonderful evening." I tell her. There's a small chime of a bell above the front door to my shop and all is quiet again. I stand for a while just to watch the door idly before I turn to my design table to get started on the suit. It has been a while since I designed a nice suit, I hope I'm not rusty.

~~~~~~~

Despite the second or third runthrough of the conversation, it allowed her no more insight than the original conversation. She'd just have to wait until tomorrow to see who the mare is.

"A first date. Such a precious experience. I hope it goes well, I don't want to have to use the basement again so soon." Rarity tells herself, "it would only be the right thing to do though." Rarity continued to herself, not worried about anyone hearing her. Sweetie was at their parents and her shop was closed. It was officially a safe place to think these things, as well as do any planning she needed.

A stray fly dances through the air, annoying the fashionista. She pauses her work and waits for it to land. It lands next to the design of the suit she is making, she moves her hoof above into and attempts to squash the pest. She succeeds, but takes note of a small indentation left by her hoof.

"Tch," Rarity clicks her tongue and inspects her hoof before continuing. "You have to be more careful, Rarity. You don't want to chip a hoof." She chides herself.

Rarity looks at her finished design of the suit and how much She's already gotten done. "I suppose I can allow myself a little time for preparation. Just in case the date doesn't go well." Rarity tells herself, moving Away from her work room and towards the sales floor. The sales floor was Also her living room when not during work hours, justifying the couch and chairs towards the center that surrounded a coffee table. She walked right past the entire setup and towards the closet.

In the back of the closet was a tiny piano. Rarity looked at it fondly, playing a small tune on it. As the tune finished the sound of a soft click could be heard as the wall behind the piano gave way and slowly swung inwards. Rarity entered the secret door and shut it behind herself.

~~~~~~~

"Huh?!" I jolt from bed in a cold sweat, rubbing my temple a little. "Ow..." I say, looking around a bit. "Where am I?" I ask myself, disoriented. I look at a birdcage illuminated by the light shining through the window and a memory comes back.

"That's right... I'm at Fluttershy's," I say, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes gently with the side of my hoof. She had insisted upon my staying at her house after helping me bathe. Something about how exhausted I was and that I wasn't in a state to walk into town.

I was too exhausted to remember much after that. I was nearly falling asleep on my hooves. I must have fallen asleep and Fluttershy put me in her bed.

Then there's that dream... it felt... important. I remember a lake, and a... pony? No, six ponies. And me, then... gah, it's already fading. It was just a dream, what could have been so important about it?

I lift my head at the smell of... eggs? Is Fluttershy cooking breakfast? My heart rises at the thought, she's been so nice. I have to repay her somehow. First I'll have to find a job or something.

Baby steps Starlet, baby steps.

I push the soft blankets I'm lying in off of me and hop out of the bed. I look around the room and spy a mirror. I look in it quickly and decide I looked nice enough. I don't want to intrude and just start using her brush or anything. I pull the sheets up neatly and make the bed nice before turning to the door. I grip the door knob shakily with my magic and open it, smiling lightly at the act.

I make my way gently down the stairs and into the room, taking care not to disturb Fluttershy. I look at the two plates, one already filled with scrambled eggs.

"Uhm..." I start, unsure of what to say. Fluttershy glances back at me and smiles brightly.

"Oh, good morning. Did you sleep well?" She asks politely.

"Great... you didn't have to let me sleep in your bed." I tell her, she raises an eyebrow curiously.

"How did you know it was mine?"

"The room felt lived in, but what really sold it was the brush by the mirror. It... had your hair on it." I say hesitantly, just noticing how her mane looked just barely unkempt. It still looked the same as always, just a little more frazzled.

"Oh, of course." She says, laughing softly. "I hope you don't mind, but I made us breakfast." She says, keeping an eye on the pan lying on the stove.

"Thank you very much." I say, trotting over to the plate next to her. It held scrambled eggs, I admittedly prefer sunny side up. "Is this mine?" I ask.

"Huh? Oh, no. This ones yours, um... could you please move?" She asks, I back up hastily as she moves the pan over the plates and slides my egg onto the plate. I glance past her shoulder and look at the egg. It's sunny side up. "And here's some toast." Fluttershy says, dropping two pieces of toast on both of our plates.

"H-how did you know I preferred sunny side up?" I asked cautiously, Fluttershy blushes a deep red.

"Oh... erm... it's my talent. Knowing the unspoken wishes of animals, it's part of the reason I'm so good with animals." She admits, I nod and take a bite of toast. I look at the bread in surprise. It tastes normal, but better than any toast I've ever had for some reason. I look at the fork and try to control both it and the knife with magic. I raise both, but only the fork comes down. I look at the knife in confusion, but it doesn't budge. It remains stuck... pointed at Fluttershy. I look into my reflection in the knife and yelp, jumping away from the utensil.

"Starlet?!" Fluttershy exclaims in concern. That wasn't my reflection I'd seen. I had seen a light lavender mane with light blue eyes. That was the visage of Scarlet.

"Th-that's... impossible. Celestia got rid of them." I say, shaking slightly.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asks in concern.

"I think so..." I answer shakily, placing myself back in front of my plate. I avoid the knife and just pick up the fork, continuing the lovely breakfast Fluttershy has cooked. Fluttershy just looks at me in concern for a while before finally accepting my answer and continuing her breakfast. She still seems to have a look of worry over what happened, but she doesn't seem ready to assault me in questions any time soon.

Breakfast was heavenly. I tried looking into my reflection on the knife once more, but I just find myself looking into my own scared eyes. Fluttershy seems very mindful of how I'm acting, skirting around the subject.

"So... what brings you to ponyville?" She asks.

"I didn't really have any intentions other than escape the Everfree."

"Oh, right..." she says, with the decency to look a little embarrassed. "What were you doing in there anyways?"

"I... nothing. I just... woke up there." It was true, I had woken up there. I'm still a bit clueless.

"You don't remember? Oh my, what do you remember? From before, that is."

"It's... kinda personal." I tell her, rubbing my left leg with my right hoof uneasily. Is one morally obliged to tell another pony of their psychopathic tendencies? Maybe morally... but I think I've shown my morals to be lacking recently...

"Oh... sorry. I didn't mean to dig, I was just thinking I could help..." Fluttershy apologizes.

"It's fine. You're fine. I'm just being sensitive." I tell her, getting up from my seat and floating my plate to her sink. I leave it, as are her instructions. It doesn't make me feel any less guilty about it.

"Thank you Fluttershy, for everything. I have to go, though." I tell her, bowing slightly.

"You're leaving?" She asks in surprise. Was she... expecting me to stay here? As enticing as that sounds, I have some questions that need answering. Something feels off about this place. I'm not an expert on magic, but I've been around it long enough to get a feel for it. Ever since I've woken up the magic has felt... strange. surprisingly fluid and stable, things I pick up don't wobble as much. At first I assumed it was just my enhanced learning capabilities, but those seem to have stunted when it comes to more advanced magic and only apply physically. I'd imagine it was natural talent increasing, if not for the feel of the spell.

"Uh, yeah. I appreciate what you've done, but I don't want to intrude at all" I tell her politely, she nods hesitantly.

"Of course, my pleasure." She says.

"I'll see you around," I tell her. We shoot each other a small smile before I leave. I look up at the sun and see it's a good deal into the morning. If the sun's position is to be trusted...

Time to head into town. I start off at a slow pace, giving me time to contemplate what has happened. Fluttershy was plenty nice, but... she didn't remember me? I made sure to invite myself to as many ponies as possible at that party. This has to be something to do with Celestia.

But, she killed me. Didn't she?

Maybe not... but why wouldn't she? I committed crimes against equinity, she had every right.

“Well, howdy!” I stumble as I hear the shout from just ahead of me. I focus my vision forward and make out an orange figure not that far ahead. It’s Applejack.

“Uh, hi,” I reply awkwardly as Applejack comes closer.

“Don’t think I’ve seen y’all around here. Ya new to town?” She asks sociably.

“Yeah. Got here not too long ago." I reply.

"Fancy that. Well, welcome to Ponyville. Hope y'all enjoy your stay." She says with a tip of her hat.

"Yeah... I hope I do too."