Mistakes Were Made / Lost Elements

I breathed a sigh of relief. The blonde one, Applejack, was entirely unable to move the massive weight in the center of the floor. As strange as it is to say, I could take the magic, the floating and the rest, but one of these women actually being able to move that thing? I likely would have passed out on the spot. The other things could be explained away by illusions and tricks. To perform a trick like that though on that weight, would take more planning than they had had the time to pull off.

No sooner had the tiny smirk hit my lips than a loud snap echoed throughout the room. Crap. I thought to myself. Looks like the old man was right. We *do** in fact have mice.* It sounded like it had come from behind the tool chest near the door. I’d have to give it a once over later. The sound had clearly startled my unanticipated guests though.

“No worries ladies. It’s just a mousetrap. I’ll clear it out once we’re done here.”

Guests… There was a funny thought. Something about all of this didn’t seem right. Yea, I’m a generally nice guy and all, but escorting a party of random, nude and exceedingly attractive women into my place of business without a single thought outside or helping them out…? That was a bit overly altruistic even for me, and I knew it. I could feel it in my bones. For some reason though, I simply didn’t care.

I knew I wasn’t acting like myself. Maybe I’d let them in and toss them a few jackets or something to cover up, but food, coffee and the rest? Okay, maybe I would do that too. Somehow though, I highly doubt that I would ever leave them completely unattended in the brand new break room. I also doubt that I would ever not have a few questions about the suddenly perfectly tailored clothing when I next laid eyes on them.

That, in fact, is another thing that should have bothered me. The instance in which I got to see the newly tailored uniforms... What I do in the privacy of my shop, my dancing and other nonsense, is seen by no one. That is my me time. Not a single soul on this watery rock gets to see that. In the event I’m ever caught, I’d immediately get either embarrassed or beyond irritated. This time around? Nope. I danced with her. I like to think I can dance with a partner on occasion, but I can’t. I’m terrible at Salsa and Swing. I can’t even do a box step without injuring somebody. Lord only knows how I manged to do a full waltz around the shop without killing us both....

Whatever the case may be, all of that mess is what I should have been thinking and feeling. At that point though, there was only one thing I could focus on. Fluttershy was giving me a look of the utmost horror as I explained the nature of the noise. That look on her face was enough to make me want to beg forgiveness for what I had done.

Except, I hadn’t actually done anything. I never put the traps out. That was my boss’s vendetta. I kind of liked the little critters. Apparently she did too. After a brief moment of dead silence, her face filled with a mixture of disgust and abject sorrow, two words managed to escape her quivering lips.

“Yo- you… monster.”

I couldn’t have felt more rotten if I had run over a puppy in the process of cutting off an ambulance on the way to a casino. I have felt that way once and only once in my life up until that moment. In that one instance, I simultaneously crushed my niece’s childhood and alienated myself from most of her family for several years. I had accidentally let slip that Santa wasn’t real with a four year old little girl in the room. In that exact moment, I was the worst person in existence.

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I watched as his tiny smirk was replaced by the deepest self loathing I had ever seen. As soon as she had spoken, Fluttershy ran over to the red, box… thing I had nearly run into when I had gone out to see what all the noise was about earlier. She tried to move it, but she simply wasn’t strong enough. I stood there and watched as one of my best friends sank to her knees sobbing over the loss of the poor little creature we hadn’t even known was here.

I wanted to do something for the poor thing, I really did. I was quite honestly too overwhelmed by everything though. This entire day had been utter madness.

One minute I’m in my boutique finishing up my latest design and the next I know, I’m being hustled into the library by Spike only to be told we’re all taking an unscheduled trip to Canterlot. At first I was irritated, but then Twilight explained the new spell she had been working on. I agreed to go along and instead ended up here. In… this.

I was expecting to see the palace steps while residing in my own body. Instead, I suddenly find myself here in this place inside this thing. I was cold. I had no fur to speak of and I was unceremoniously deposited in front of this sad, dilapidated little building. My hooves were gone and replaced by these uncomfortable sort of grabby paws. I was suddenly walking on only two of my legs which, instead, had some kind of mutilated version of the things that now graced my forelegs.

I wanted to cry so badly. I didn’t though. I held myself together and did my best to make something out of these rags he had been able to provide for us. I even took the initiative to make sure he was alright when even Applejack was too afraid to go near this mess he calls a workspace. How can he get anything done in here?

Then I saw what he was doing. I sing while I work too… Occasionally I’ll dance a bit, but what he was doing was, for lack of better words, adorable and utterly insane. That’s when he ran into me.  It isn’t particularly lady like to stare, but I had never seen anything like it. I got caught up in the moment. It happens to the best of us. Instead of getting embarrassed as I likely would, being caught in such a private moment, he danced with me.

All of that strange and awkward joy he had possessed was gone now as Fluttershy sobbed next to the container.  None of us seemed to know what to say. Trust Applejack though, instead of talking she simply walked over to our beloved friend and began to comfort her. In the same motion she heaved what was evidently a tool chest out of the way to reveal a perfectly healthy, albeit trapped, little mouse. I hate mice.

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I didn’t know what to say. How could anypony do something like that to such a defenseless little creature? Why would they? It was just wrong…

Then I saw that the little guy was okay. I was so relieved I couldn’t help but cry a little more. I did my best to help him out of the trap and made sure he was okay. Then I saw the look in his eyes. Both of their eyes actually.  Mike was, sad. He didn’t know what to do. The mouse was just scared and stuck. He squeaked up at me and looked over towards Mike.

“He didn’t know?”

My new friend gave an affirmative squeak.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

He was. I told him to stay safe and let him go.

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Mike’s jaw dropped.

“What the fu-?“

Oh horseapples. How was I going to explain this? Fluttershy’s talent was something almost nopony in equestrian understood. Celestia only knows what the… people? That seemed like the right word. Celestia only knew what the people here might think. What the heck did I do wrong? How did I mess up that badly? Where even were we? What the heck did I turn us into? Why was my magic so weak here?

Just as I was about to say something to try to diffuse the situation, Pinkie cut him off and made an exclamation and pointing at the ceiling above Mike’s head. There was an odd sort of black reel hanging from the spot directly over him. When applejack moved the case, it had apparently gotten knocked loose. It chose that exact moment, to come crashing down on his head knocking him unconscious.

We were doomed. By the time he wakes up, it’ll have worn off.  Buck my life.