Author's Note

From this point on i'll be abandoning marking out how long it's been since rescue, as it serves no purpose going forward.

-V

Meetings and Mishaps (Chapter 4)

As you begin the trek to Princess Twilights castle, one thing strikes you almost immediately. The citizens here are not nearly as skittish as their towns design would lead you to believe. They walk along the street, some paying you no mind, others giving a smile or small wave with a hoof. You in turn give a nod in response, which seems to satisfy them enough. They dont outwardly bother you, thus giving you a chance to take in the different... Tattoos? On their flanks. The book called them "Cutie Marks", and said they signified what that specific ponies main talent is. Seems useful to you. If only Earth had soemthing like that, seeing as how lost a lot of people were without any kind of direction. Having something like that would make life so much more straightforward, having a tattoo that tells you exactly what job you would have for your whole life. Might even make everyone happier. That, or itd make the class disparity even worse. Probably best not to think of that, and treat whats happening as more of an unscheduled vacation.

Lost in thought, you end up bumping into another pony, and being out of whack, you stumble back and fall onto your ass. The pony, meanwhile, places down the rolls of fabric it was carrying in its telekinetic grasp, then steps over to you. It has a stark, almost pristine white coat, with a rich purple mane, and an image of 3 gems on its rump.

"Oh my, darling are you alright? I must admit i was not paying attention. Im terribly sorry for running into you." The pony, a mare, judging by the general body shape and voice, apologizes profusely, taking your arm in her magic and helping you up. Her proximity to you brings another revelation to mind. Compared to the ponies here, youre tall. Not counting her horn, she only comes up to your stomach, and youre 5 foot 9. Dusting off your pants with a magically conjured brush, she puts her hoof to her chest. "My name is Rarity, and you must be the creature they rescued just a few days ago, is that correct?" She introduces herself, and you nod, dropping to a knee and holding your hand out.

"Yea, i am. My names Camden. Its nice to meet you Rarity." She takes your offered hand, shaking it daintily. You stand back up and she picks up her fabric rolls. " You uh... Need some help with that stuff? Seems like a lot." As you offer, the mare looks to the items in question and thinks for a moment, before levitating them over to you, and you take them. They're much lighter than you were expecting to be honest, and she nods once you have a sure grip on them.

"Well darling, ill never turn down an offer of help. Camden is a lovely name by the way. Though one im not antirely familiar with, Youre not from around here, obviously." She says as she continues her walk, thankfully in the same direction as you were originally going. "How did you end up in that terrible wreckage, if you dont mind my asking? I wasnt there to see it myself, but i was informed of the event after the fact. Details were admittedly sparse, and i myself am interested."
She turns to look at you as the two of you walk, a genuine curiosity in her gaze. You think back as far as ayou can, but for the most part nothing xomes to mind.

"As far as i can remember, i just kinda... Woke up in the hospital. So your best guess is as good as mine. Other than a broken leg i got out of it unscathed surprisingly. Before i woke up though, i was leaving work and this... Storm rolled in. Usually i dont have problems with thunderstorms, but this one was different. It appeared way quicker than it shoudlve, and was throwing around a lot more lightning than the average storm. A tree fell, i hit a pothole, rolled my car and now im here." You explain what you can remember, from before the accident, and after. The during, however, is still a blank spot, which is very frustrating. As you're walking and talking, the both of you come to stop outside a building that looks nothing like any of the other homes you've seen so far. It seems to be modeled after an old school carousel, ponies with poles through them circle the top section, the bottom still having the poles, but no animals. The building is tall, though you still come to eye level with the top of the door. "Wow. This uh... Sure is something. You live here?" You turn to Rarity, pointing a thumb towards the strange building.

"Why yes, in fact i do darling. Live and work. This fine establishment is Carousel Boutique. The premier location for any and all fashion here in Ponyville." She exclaims dramatically, waving a hoof in the air, standing on her back legs as her other hoof is pressed to her chest. You humor her, looking towards the boutique as as she talks. "I'm quite certain you'll hear much more about myself and my talents after some time here in Equestria. Now, come bring those spools inside would you darling?" Rarity doesn't wait for your response, opening the door and walking inside. With no real other option, you follow her in, the door closing behind you. The inside looks nicer than the outside, a small stage meant for checking the fit of something, with two small curtained off dressing rooms to the left. Another door leads into the back, and several mannequins litter the room, some with half finished dresses or suits on them, and some with the finished product, seemingly for displaying a purchasable garment. Your look around is interrupted by the white mare, who clears her throat. "If you could, place those over with the other fabrics on the wall to your right please."

Looking to where she had mentioned, you walk over and match the spools to the other ones in the cubbies, then turn and walk back over to her. She nods, seemingly okaying your decisions and walking deeper into the boutique, gesturing for you to follow. Doing so, she leads you through the door you saw earlier, which leads into a small kitchen, though its probably normal sized for a pony. Awkwardly standing next to the island in the middle, you watch her pull a pitcher from the fridge, and two glasses from a cupboard, setting them down and filling them with what looks to be lemonade.

"Now, darling, while i appreciate you helping me, i don't believe a glass of quite refreshing lemonade is a worthwhile payment. So, in exchange, I'll make you something a bit better to wear. Deal?" She says this as she finishes pouring, setting the pitcher down and sitting down on a stool at the island. You pick up the glass, thinking it over. Considering you didn't bring a second set of clothes with you, letting her do this sounds like a smart idea. Sipping some of the lemonade, Rarity wasn't lying. This stuff is pretty good.

"Ya know, i think I'll take you up on that offer. Its gonna have to wait till later though, I've gotta go meet with Princess Twilight." After finishing the lemonade, you accept her proposal, and she nods. Taking your empty glass and setting it in the sink, you head back out of the kitchen, Rarity following behind. Reaching the door outside, Rarity stays behind. "It was nice meeting you Miss Rarity. Ill stop by again some time." You wave to her as you start the trek once more to the castle.

Continuing down the dirt road, you get the strange feeling that you're being watched. The hairs on the back of your neck stand on end, and its almost like a pair of eyes is burning into your skull. Stopping in place, you turn in a circle slowly, looking around for your hidden watcher. With nothing seeming out of the ordinary, you move to start walking again, when you see a peculiar shadow. When you first left the hospital, the sky was entirely clear, not a cloud in the sky. Now however, a single, small cloud hangs in the sky. Though it only seems to move when you're not looking at it directly, and when you start walking, it also drifts in the same direction. Scratching your head, you look down and grab a small stone. Tossing it for a second, you pull back and throw it. Although only intending to give it a light pitch, the stone fires from your hand at a blistering pace, punching through the cotton ball looking cloud like a bullet, leaving a hole clean through it. Wincing, you watch as a set of magenta eyes peer through the hole down at you, their brow furrowed. The owner of said eyes hops off the cloud, flying down in your direction at a... Slightly alarming pace. Oh yea they're definitely picking up some speed... Before they collide with your chest, you manage to dive to the side, feeling the air slice past your head like a blade. Clambering to your feet, you watch the creature, a Pegasus if the book was correct, turn and come around for a second pass. Watching it dive again, you start running forward. Expecting this, the cyan coated pegasus flies closer to the ground. What it clearly wasn't expecting, however, was you to vault over it, and as it watches you leap over it, the pegasus doesn't notice the cart currently crossing through its flight path, and it slams into the cart with a crunch and a boom of flying wood and feathers. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, you take off, sprinting towards the castle. One more thing you notice, you're not at all winded. Normally any kind of running would leave you pretty tired, but all these acrobatics you pull off feel... Natural. Good. The ponies who saw what happened don't seem too concerned, mostly sighing or chuckling at the incident. Instead of stopping to ask what's up, you just keep running, the crystal castle looming ever closer.