Cute and Innocent

Roger widens his eyes, which I think are green, in the darkness? “Why, shoot Ophelia! I’d love to have a new friend! Y’know, I don’t have many!”

My eyes widen, “I guess that makes two of us! Hey, you know, you really shouldn’t be wandering through the forest in the dark like this!”

I notice his muzzle shadows change as he grins, “Are you kiddin’? I do just fine, here in the Everfree! Well,“ his eyes go to the clouds, “ mostly? You don’t wanna head east right now, trust me!” before he furrows his brows at me, “Besides, yer just a filly! If anypony around here needs to be safer, it’s you!”

My eyes widen, “Okay, you got me there!”

“So uh, when did you make it to these here woods?”

“Uh, a couple of days ago! You’ve lived here by yourself, your whole life?”

Roger sighs, “Well, more or less? Until about twenty years ago, I also had my mother… “

I frown, “What happened to her?”

He adjusts his view to me, “She died! Now, I am alone!” before bringing his eyes up again, “Well, mostly?” and then back at me, “You’re here now!”

“Golly, so you’re just by yourself, the whole time?”

He nods, “Yup! I’ve learned to rely on myself, by this point! I mean, it’s really all I got!”

My eyes widen when I have a sudden realization, “Roger, do you know where Zecora lives?”

He gazes at me, “Uh, as a matter of fact, I do know Zecora! I don’t see her much, though!”

“I live with Zecora… If you need somepony for ANYTHING, you go to Zecora’s house, and ask for Ophelia, okay?”

His eyes widen, “Aw, shucks! You don’t need to…”

I cut him off! “Yes, I do Roger! Nopony deserves to be all alone!” before wondering about the words I’m saying?

He stares at me intently, “Uh, alright Ophelia! Next time somethin’ comes up, I’ll be sure ta give ya a holler! But uh, “his eyes dart behind me, towards the rising sun, “I REALLY need to git to the fishin’ hole, filly! I’ll see you around!” before nodding at me, and trotting around me, to trot the opposite direction I was heading…

I breathe again, in and out…

Golly! Being all alone must be hard!

Another bizarre thought strikes my mind, and I continue trotting south…

There’s something I want to see…

<*****>

I walk through the dirt roads leading south into Ponyville…

It’s really early in the morning, and the sun is not out…

I gaze at all the darkened alleyways, and pathways that lead around the various buildings…

I just keep wondering about other ponies?

Could they ever accept me?

I trot further towards the center of town, and I see the School of Friendship on the left as I pass, heading south…

I see the large wall-like structure, knowing that various classrooms are behind those windows, where ponies and various other creatures learn about togetherness and bonding…

Why do I know that?

I blink and wonder for a second.

Rowan? Are you asleep? I think to myself…

I only hear silence in my mind…

Suddenly, I see the sun just now beginning to peak out to my left, past the school, as I trot further down the wide dirt paths into town…

That’s when I first saw it in the distance…

I saw the bright yellow star shaped sign for Sugarcube Corner!

It was more of an oval than a typical star, and had three points on the top and bottom, and two points on either side… It had the words SUGARCUBE CORNER stenciled on the front in bright purple lettering…

I don’t know why, but I stopped trotting and stared at that happy sign for a moment…

And at that point, my mind began to race…

I wondered what it must be like to be with other ponies?

I wondered what friendship really had to offer me?

I then felt water beginning to well in my eyes when I think about how that must not be for me?

I’m in a villain’s body! I could never be around other ponies!

I wonder what ice cream tastes like?

I begin to see more light peaking out from over the rooftops on my left, as I just kept staring at that happy sign…

Suddenly, I hear a voice behind me!

I don’t even wait to discern what it said! My heart is racing now, and I turn around, and squat to take flight!

I think I hear somepony shouting below me, now?

I fly over the buildings again, towards the forest!

I look down and I see many wooden and stone roofs pass by below, most of them in neat square and rectangular formats…

I stare forward again, and widen my eyes, as I begin to flap harder and faster!

Is there somepony there? Do they know who I am? What if they know this body? I can’t risk it!

I stare down and I see grasslands in the early morning darkness now, before raising my gaze to see the treeline fast approaching!

Soon, I’ll be safe again!

<*****>

I open my wood pannel window from the outside, and climb in, before I hear my hind hooves connect with the floor…

TAP!

And then, my front hooves!

TAP!

I turn around and breathe for a moment, as I try to think…

The sun is just now rising up, and surely they didn’t see me?

What if they travel back here?

I decide to smoke the second half of my king joint, just then!

Yes, smoking devil weed will help calm my nerves! I think to myself as I begin trotting towards the stationary, where I left the joint…

I pick it up from the holder in the glass ashtray, and bring to my snout, before clamping my lips on it, and reaching towards my trusty red hoof lighter!

My eyes begin to adjust to the moonlight, illuminating the room, and I can now make out my desk, and my bed in the corner there, with the blankets thrown over to one side…

Here comes relief! I think to myself, as I strike the lighter before me, and lean forward slowly, as I was trained…

I soon inhale to bring the flame to the end, where it ignites the exposed weed there, along with the surrounding paper to form a burning cherry…

I disengage the lighter as a couple of embers fly off the front of the joint to go out in the air in front of me, and I set the lighter back down, before removing the joint from my mouth and exhaling an almost invisible stream of smoke, into the darkened room…

Suddenly, I hear a voice coming from the outside of my room…

It sounds feminine, although I’m not sure I know who it is?

“You say, she’s back here, Zecora? The strange new voice says…

“That is correct, she is there! Although I doubt that she’s awake and aware!”

My eyes widen, when I begin to become curious as to what they’re talking about?

“And you’re SURE she isn’t really Cozy Glow, just trying to trick you?”

“Yes, I know it sounds strange! But I assure you, she doesn’t have Cozy’s range! She isn’t a bad filly, and I’ve been teaching her meditation, so she can gain control, and not be silly!”

Suddenly, my door opens up and I see a tall purple alicorn standing there!

I notice the pull-chain of the overhead lamp glow, and the light turns on, to reveal me, a pink pegasus filly, with a burning roach in my right forehoof!

I widen my eyes to her and say the obvious! “Oh, golly! A purple alicorn! Hi, mysterious purple alicorn!”

She widens her own violet gaze, underneath her long blue mane, sporting two highlight streaks, before stuttering, “Uh, y-you’re smoking a joint!”

I exhale smoke between us, and nod, “Yes! Yes I am indeed, smoking a joint!” before bring it to my mouth for another pull…

I’m gonna get all I can out of this!

“Why are you smoking a joint?”

I take the mostly smoked roach out of my lips and exhale smoke again, “World’s just full of mysteries, huh?”

Suddenly, I hear a familiar chanting voice behind her say, “I know it appears to be Cozy Glow without her curls! But this is no ordinary filly, as any conversation will unfurl!”

Twilight gazes at me carefully, while I take another drag… “Is that so? Well, I know I legalized devil weed earlier, but Cozy er, Ophelia here is not of age!”

I widen my eyes while holding the roach to my mouth and inhale as much as I can, before the flame peters out at the end of the cardboard joint tip…

I stare at the frowning alicorn with my lungs now full of smoke…

I gently move my forehoof to the glass ashtray to release the paper wrapped cardboard tip there, as I exhale a big cloud of smoke, towards Twilight Sparkle who now squints at me…

She shakes her head, “Okay uh, dope smoking aside, you realize that your presence raises a lot of questions, right Ophelia?”

I stare at Twilight in a sort of daze right now… “Golly, you don’t say?”

She nods, “Zecora was telling me that you’re not Cozy Glow? Do you have any idea what happened to her?”

I grin stupidly, “Funny true story Twilight, since I’m guessing that’s who you are, ” and widen my eyes. “I actually have no idea!”

She frowns hard at this point, “Well, you’re right about me being Twilight, although I’m still not sure I should trust you?”

My eyes widen, “Oh, Twilight, I really think you should!”

Her eyebrow raises, “What?”

I smile and nod, “Yes, Twilight, you should trust me, and I’ll tell you why! You see, I didn’t HAVE to write to you! I didn’t NEED to contact anypony, about me living up here, safely in the Everfree Forest!”

Her brow normalizes, and muzzle frowns again, “So why did you contact me, Cozy er, Ophelia?”

“Would you believe, I’m lonely?”

Her violet eyes widen, when I think the Princess of Friendship smells an opportunity? “Wait! You’re lonely? Well, “her eyes dart to the side, “there is ONE solution I know of, to loneliness?” before back to me, and I notice the enormous GRIN forming on her face…

“Are we gonna be friends now?”

Her eyes widen to me, “What? Uh, “before going to the ceiling, “I don’t know? Maybe?” before back to me, “You seem like a pretty clever filly?”

I stare carefully at this large purple pony and as the drugs begin to take hold of my system, I realize that I could probably turn this conversation around to my advantage? I then begin to think that I may have made more than one friend today?

(To be continued… )