Mad Mad Polterpone

Morning came without much more fuss. 8 hours passed, and nothing dared attack the farm. Once it was clear nothing would strike, I allowed myself to stop patrolling and meditate. This let me calm down and assess a few things. Firstly, I reflected on my mental state. Before my change, I would have reacted very differently to a number of things. I'm not a fighter. I hate confrontation. And yet… I stood up for Rarity. I fought off those Timberwolves. And I enjoyed it. A part of me blamed the transformation. But… I doubted that was entirely at fault. After all, I used to do this type of thing in video games all the time. So maybe the transformation simply… loosened me up? In a way, I suppose being sent off to a new world with new laws and social rules allowed me to "take off my mask" so to speak.

The sun rose eventually, and with it I heard the Apples getting up. I went and gathered the Timber wolf bodies to lay them out in a line. It was just the three of them from last night. Applejack came out to see me, glancing at the three I left in a neat pile.

"Nothin else hit last night?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No. But it was nice. It gave me time to sit And think." I responded. She took her purse off her tail, and started counting out 15 bits.

"Well, here ya go Felyne. 15 for the 3 ya got. I'll send the rest to ya when I'm done selling the wood." Applejack informed me. I smiled as I took it, shaking her hoof. Similar to when I cut a deal with Rarity, I could feel a bond grow between us. I could actually sense her honest gratitude. It was a warm feeling, and I welcomed it.

"Pleasure doing business with you." I respond. She turns and heads back inside, and I leave to get off her property. I decide to explore Ponyville a bit more today. It takes a bit before I walk out the gate. I head in the direction of Carrousel Boutique, feeling the need to check on my mannequin. More than that, I probably should ask Rarity about landmarks in town.

It was easy enough to find it again, following the same streets I walked on my way to the farm. Not to mention it was far more decorated than most houses in Ponyville. It was hard to miss all the intricately woven fabric or the castle-like design of the place. Now that I thought about it, the design style was rather chaotic, yet somehow it all came together in a harmonious fashion statement. I shrugged it off, figuring that was part of Rarity's charm. She's pretty eccentric, and I've seen how she works. She knows how to put together a good design.

Once I arrived at Carrousel Boutique, I spotted Rarity chatting with Pinkie. I couldn't hear them from too far away, but pinkie started bouncing excitedly. Once I got close, Pinkie looked at me with her big ol eyes and giggled up a storm as she held out an envelope.

"Felyne! Here's your invitation!" She said as she handed it to me. I looked it over as I took it. It was magically conjured paper, which impressed me. It would explain why the Everfree wasn't cut down by now if ponies didn't need to cut down trees to make paper. The invitation was to a party being hosted at Sugarcube corner. I smiled.

"Thanks Pinkie. Do you think the party could include a tour of Ponyville's main landmarks? I may have explored last night, but I want to see more of the town." I asked. She gave me a salute.

"Can do, Felyne!" She promptly took off, hurrying to whatever else she was going to do. Rarity chuckled.

"I had been wondering where you had disappeared off to. You aren't too tired, are you?" She asked in clear concern.

"Not at all. It turns out a ghost doesn't really need sleep." I answered honestly. "So I ended up finding Sweet Apple Acres, and Applejack ended up hiring me as a night guard for the farm since I singlehandedly took out three Timberwolves."

"Oh my! You really did that?" Rarity asked, surprised to hear that. I nodded with a grim frown.

"Yeah. I have no idea how, but I kinda got swept up in some kind of madness when I fought. It was like I had a split personality that enjoys fighting…" I said with concern.

"Madness?" Rarity took on a concerned look. I sigh.

"Yeah. I'm kinda worried I inherited the same madness this Mad Dummy character had. Don't let me forget who I am, okay?" I requested. Rarity nods firmly, pulling me into a hug. It was a warm feeling I welcomed.

"I won't. You're wonderful as who you are. I'd hate to see you turn evil from this." She assured me. I smiled as I felt our bond grow. It wasn't quite on the next level yet, but I still welcomed the feeling.

"Thanks… me too." I broke the hug after a minute, before looking in the direction Pinkie took off. "So uh… where's Sugarcube Corner?" Rarity chuckled a bit, before trotting in another direction.

"This way, Felyne. Sugarcube Corner looks like a gingerbread house. It's hard to miss." She explained as she lead the way. I followed, but I had to question something.

"Didn't you have a project?" I asked. She nods.

"It's not urgent. I've already called ahead and let the client know I'll be starting the project in a couple hours, so they understand. Besides, I always have time for friends." She answers. I could understand that, honestly. Since this world seems to run magic tied deeply into emotions, it isn't very healthy to stress yourself on work and neglect friendships.

"I see. Heh… back home that'd be called an irresponsible decision. I'm glad that toxic work environment doesn't seem to exist here, so far as I've seen." I point out.

"Thankfully that mindset is rare in Equestria if it exists at all, but I wouldn't be surprised to find it. After all, some of the nobles in Canterlot can be rather selfish." She said with disdain. "Is it really so common in your world?"

"All too so. Some humans forget that social life exists, or that people have social needs. It's a shame, really. At least I know the newest generation of humans are learning to stand up for themselves." I said solmnly.

"Well good. Maybe the young ones can save your world." Rarity proposed. The idea did help me feel better about my world. I just went quiet for the next few blocks as I followed.

"There it is, Felyne. Sugarcube Corner." Rarity announced as she lead the way. Looking up, I saw that the building matched Rarity's description. It really did look like a gingerbread house, decorations and all. I couldn't tell if the white stuff on top was actual frosting or foam. And the look of the upper floors made it look like cupcakes! You could easily tell that this place was a bakery.

I followed Rarity inside, and in there was a decent sized group of ponies. Thankfully it wasn't the entire town, but I could count roughly 18 ponies here, counting the six I first met outside Rarity's boutique. Once I spotted them, Pinkie lead the shout that followed.

"WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!" And on the banner hanging from the roof, that's what the party was for. I just smiled as I waved at everyone.

"Thanks, everyone." I responded once the shouts calmed down. Pinkie trotted right up to me, giving me a friendly smile.

"I hope it's not too big. I know you said you like smaller crowds, but I'm not used to doing little parties for welcome parties." She said. I just pet her on the head to praise her.

"It's alright. It's better than getting caught up in what feels like a stampede." I reassured her. She smiled happily.

"That's great. I've also scheduled similar small parties at other areas in town so you can meet everyone in small parts." She told me. I was a bit surprised.

"That's pretty clever, Pinkie. It even goes with how I asked for a tour of town." I admitted.

"Yay! I'm glad you like it! It was a lot of work to figure out who to ask where, but I think I got it!" She cheered happily.

"Just don't overwork yourself for my sake, okay?" I requested with clear concern in my tone. She nods assuringly.

"I won't. I already learned my lesson after I tried so hard to be everywhere at once… that was a disaster and a half." She proceeded to laugh. It was more of a gigglesnort, but it was cute. "Anyway, go ahead and get to know the ponies here. I've got a couple hours to set up the next spot." She said, before taking off out the door. With that, I was left to the other ponies here. Today was going to be a long day… but I was pretty sure I was gonna enjoy it.