Pretty in Blue

Alright, so here’s how things stand as of right now.  About a week ago I woke up after a wild party in Equestria, the land of magical ponies.  Turns out, I was a pony now too.  Not only that, but now I’m a mare.  Yeah, I’m a girl pony.  Lastly, turns out I’m a unicorn, too.

Sure, I have magic now.  But I have absolutely no idea how to use it.  And it’s not like I really have the time to learn, either.  After finding out that the local Princess didn’t have any answers for me (though she promised she would find some), I was left a little lost.  I didn’t have anywhere to go, and I didn’t have anything to do.  How could I when I could barely walk in this body?

But, luckily for me, I guess, Pinkie Pie had been following me ever since we, er, bumped into each other that morning.  She had even shown me the way to Twilight’s and introduced us.  So, when she found out that I was all alone and, sad to say, helpless, she offered me a room at her place.  The rather prominently named ‘Sugar Cube Corner.’  Turns out there were living quarters above the bakery.

Not really having any other choices, I decided to take her up on her offer.  But only on the condition that I pay for my food and lodging by working with her at the bakery.  It couldn’t hurt, after all, and it would give me ample opportunities to work on learning how to use this new body.

Not only that, Pinkie had informed me that I didn’t have my...cutie mark...yet, and that working with her might help me discover my talent.  After not really getting any kind of real explanation from her on what exactly a cutie mark is, I went back to Twilight.  She explained to me that, in layman's terms, a cutie mark is a physical representation of one’s inner self.  It could be a talent, a calling card, or have a deeper meaning altogether.  So, after I had a better understanding, I decided that finding this out about myself would be a good way to pass the time until she could figure out a way to get me home.

So when I wasn’t bumbling things up at the bakery (seriously, who can bake with hooves, anyway?), I was out and about the town trying everything I could.  It was a way to help pass the time and keep my mind off everything else.

But, as it turns out, I wasn’t particularly good at anything.  I won’t go into the detailed list here, but after a week of experimenting, let’s just say that I discovered it was best for the town if I kept my head down and stayed out of the way.  I mean, it’s not like I could help build a house, or drive a cart, or even do basic household chores in my condition.  I hadn’t even figured out how to pick things up with these silly hooves yet.  How was I supposed to accomplish anything?

The only upside to this whole thing is that I discovered that I could access a bit of my magic if I concentrated hard enough.  Granted, I couldn’t do anything with it yet, but I could make a couple sparks if I tried.  Twilight even said that for someone who had never even thought about using magic before, I was making decent progress.  I don’t really believe her, but I had no way of judging whether or not she was right.  So the best I could do was to trust her judgement and go about my merry way.

But after failing horribly at finding my cutie mark, and accomplishing nearly nothing with magic, all I really had was the bakery.  I hadn’t ever really baked in my life prior to this, but Pinkie was understanding, and a patient teacher.  And by the end of the first week, I could confidently make a batch of simple cookies.  I know, I know.  Making cookies isn’t that difficult, but when you’re using hooves instead of hands, it’s a lot harder.

Not only that, but I found out that Pinkie wasn’t actually that bad to hang around with.  Sure, she was a bit hyper and a little off the wagon sometimes, but she made me laugh.  And, according to her, a smile could help anyone, especially if they were feeling down about something.  And I had more than enough to be down about.

I don’t know my name.  I can’t remember any of my friends’ or family members’ names, and I could barely remember what they looked like.  My old address is a blank, as was my job and where I graduated college.  It was like every memory of my old life was fading as the days went on.  It was more than a bit frustrating, and really, really depressing.

At least Pinkie had managed to give me a slightly ironic nickname.  She calls me Blue now, because of the color of my coat.  I tried to explain to her that it was ironic because of how often I’m sad, but she just smiled, shook her head, and called me a silly pony.  Eh, I guess it’s better than nothing.  Besides, I kinda like the name anyway.  And more and more ponies are starting to refer to me as that, so I guess I’m stuck with it now.

I have to say, when it’s all said and done, this really wasn’t a bad place to live.  The town’s population was all around happy and carefree, I had made a few friends, and even work was kinda fun most of the time.  I was finding it easier and easier to not let things bother me as much.

Though, the no longer being a guy thing still weirds me out sometimes.  Especially when I’m bathing.  That’s just...a shock every time.

All in all, things aren’t so bad.  And I think that if Twilight can’t figure out a way to send me home, I might be able to at least be moderately happy here.  But then again, I haven’t really gotten over the shock of it all yet.

“Still haven’t heard anything from Twilight, huh?”

I looked up from the tray of cupcakes I was currently in the process of decorating and looked over to Pinkie.  She was looking down, focusing rather intently on her own tray of cupcakes, and it seemed like she didn’t want to meet my eyes.  She was being kinda quiet, and this had been the most serious I had seen her since I had arrived.  It was a little unsettling.  “Uh...no, not yet.”

I was still getting used to the personalities of all those that lived in town.  There were a lot of similarities to humans, but for the most part the ponies here lived out their lives in blissful honesty.  They didn’t really lie or cheat, and pretty much every petty disagreement was resolved in a really friendly way.

And all of these traits were most prominent in Pinkie and her friends.  And, from what I had seen, Pinkie was the embodiment of laughter.  She loved to do things for other ponies.  And she would go to just about any lengths to help someone if they were sad or put out in any way.  It was sweet, because if she could make another pony smile, then any discomfort she put herself through was totally worth it.

“I mean, I haven’t gone by the castle in a few days to check, either.  I know she’s busy enough with her other duties, and what I’m going through doesn’t really seem like it should be at the top of her list, y’know?”  I looked back down at my cupcakes, frowned, and then sighed.  Dumb hooves made everything so difficult.  And after seeing Pinkie’s cupcakes, mine looked like a toddler’s in comparison.

Pinkie didn’t say anything, so I went back to work, trying to remedy my foul ups the best I could.  I figured she was just making idle conversation, but it was still strange.  Because even when she did just chit-chat, she was always so much more jovial than this.  And after a few minutes, I decided to inquire a bit further.  But when I looked up, she had already gone.  I could never figure out how she managed to vanish like that.

Ah well, she probably just went back out front to help more customers.  The afternoon rush was pretty much over, but there were still a few stragglers here and there wanting to satisfy their sweet tooths.  And we at Sugar Cube Corner were happy to oblige them any manner of tasty confectionary!

Still...something about what Pinkie said, and the way she said it was a bit off-putting.  So, once the shop was closed (still with no sign of the floofy maned mare), I decided to head out and do a bit of investigating.  Because while I had only been a part of this world for a little while, I still considered Pinkie a friend.  And I figured if anyone had to know what was going on with her, it would be one of her friends.

The problem was, I wasn’t really sure how to get in touch with any of them.  Twilight and Rarity were easy enough.  They both lived in town.  But, from what I understood, Rainbow Dash lived on a cloud somewhere, and Fluttershy and Applejack lived outside of town.  I didn’t know how to get to Fluttershy’s, and Applejack’s farm was too far off to go to this time of day.  So, I decided to visit Rarity.  I was still a little hesitant about bothering Twilight, since she’s a princess and all, and I figured Rarity closed up shop about the same time of day that we did.  And, lucky for me, she was just right around the corner.

So I said goodbye to Mr. and Mrs. Cake, told them I’d be back soon, and headed out.  It hadn’t quite gotten dark yet, so there was still enough light to see by without the aid of the streetlights, so finding my way was simple enough.  Which was good, because while I had done a fair bit of exploring, I still had a hard time finding my way around.  Having such an awful sense of direction, along with being thrust in a whole new place, kinda did that to you.

I made it to Rarity’s after only about ten minutes, and noticed that she had closed up for the day.  I stood in front of the door for a few minutes waffling back and forth about what I wanted to do.  I don’t really know why, but out of all of Pinkie’s friends, Rarity bothered me the most.  She was so far out of the ordinary to me, with her fancy talk and all, that it just felt...wrong.  But every time I saw her she made me feel welcome, so I knew that it was on my end only.  Maybe I should try a little harder?  No better time than the present, I guess.

I gently rapped on the door a couple times and was immediately answered with a voice from within, “Coming!”  With a sigh, I steeled myself.  She was nice enough, after all, and this was something I really wanted to know, so it was better to just get on with it.

The door opened a moment later, and before me stood the exact unicorn I was hoping to see.  All pristine and shiny and well groomed.  She looked like she had just gotten out of the fur dryer, but I had a feeling she had looked like this all day.  She was the only one I knew, person or pony, that could manage to look so immaculate after a day of work.  “Oh!  Blue, darling, I wasn’t expecting a visit.  Please, come in, come in.”

She stood aside and I stepped in, making sure to knock the dust off my hooves before I did.  I learned my lesson about that the hard way.  She gingerly closed the door behind me with a bit of magic, and I sighed inwardly.  I still couldn’t even move a quill a few inches, much less shut a door with my magic.  But, that frustration was for another time.

“Please, dear, come to the kitchen.  I just finished making tea, and I would love the company.”  She started walking and I followed dutifully, looking around a bit as I did.  She really did a nice job keeping the place clean.  It looked as well put together as she did!  “So!  To what do I owe the pleasure of your company tonight?  It’s not often I get a knock at the door from such a mysterious pony this time of day, you know.”

I cleared my throat and sat down at the table, pushing the small tea cup around with a hoof in an effort to avoid eye contact.  “Well...It’s about Pinkie.”

Rarity immediately stopped preparing the tea and looked at me with wide eyes, “Oh dear, something hasn’t happened, has it?”

I shook my head and finally met her gaze, “No, nothing like that.  She was just acting a bit strange today.  Like, she didn’t have her usual bluster, you know?  And we only talked a little, and then she ran off about an hour before we closed and I haven’t seen her since.  I was just wondering if...if you knew what was going on?”

The look on Rarity’s face made me more than a little uncomfortable.  It was like she knew something I didn’t, but didn’t want to tell me either.  She cleared her throat and poured me my cup of tea, “Darling, I wouldn’t think too much of it.  She’s probably just worried that her new friend, you, of course, is going to leave soon.  I know you’ve been seeking help from Twilight for whatever reason, and Pinkie probably doesn’t want to lose you.”

I blinked.  Oh, right.  Pinkie, Twilight, and I had decided that we should keep where I came from between the three of us and the royalty at Canterlot.  Though I hadn’t met Princess Celestia and Princess Luna yet, Twilight did say she would be making a full report to them both.  Just in case either of them knew something she didn’t.

I cleared my throat and blew softly on the tea, “Oh, right.”  I looked back up to Rarity and sighed, “I guess I can understand that.  I’ve gotten closer to Pinkie than I have anyone else...no offence.”

Rarity smiled, “None taken, dear.”

I returned the smile and continued, “Well, since I got here.  She’s been great.  I don’t know what I would have done if she hadn’t shown up when she had.  So it makes sense.  And I don’t want to hurt her, but we’ve talked about me going home before, and she’s never really said anything about it one way or another.  I just figured she understood…”

Rarity shrugged and took a sip of her tea, “Celestia only knows, dear.  I’ve been acquainted with Pinkie for a long time, and I still don’t understand her.  She’s an odd one, but she’s a dear friend.  I’m sure she’ll come clean with what’s bothering her soon enough, darling.  So I wouldn’t worry too much.”

I left shortly after that.  Turns out, Rarity and I had little to talk about after all.  I didn’t know anything about fashion, and that was pretty much her whole world.  Well, aside from the odd romance novel, but that really wasn’t my thing either.  So I thanked her for the tea and advice, and headed back home, letting myself slip into thought as I did.

It wasn’t like Pinkie to hide anything from me.  Even though we’d only known each other for a short time, she still told me pretty much everything.  At least, from what I could tell.  But from Rarity’s initial reaction, I was starting to think that something else was going on.  Well, really only time would tell.  If Pinkie wasn’t ready to talk about whatever it was that was bothering her, then I wouldn’t pressure her.  That’s just not what friends do, right?