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// XIII- Feelings Swell 
// Story: To Find Purpose 
// by The REAL Mister Pkmn 
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Thursday morning came, and I woke up as the rooster crowed. “25 days…” I grumbled lightly as I got the clothes I was going to wear out of my wardrobe. I gave a sigh. How could it be that the day that Celestia had said was the latest one to get us home was the day after my birthday? Sure, if they figured it out sooner than then, I was all for it. But all of this waiting was obnoxious. I shook my head. Griping about it wouldn’t do any good. Before leaving, I decided to cool my head by reading the scriptures. I took them out of my backpack and read a few chapters before I felt my temper abate. I marked my new place in them, closed them, and put them away. I gave a quick prayer again before I got out of the barn. I went over to the farm house and decided to get a bit of breakfast first.

I made some hashbrowns for myself, and sat down at the table to eat. I gave a quick blessing on my food, and proceeded. Just then, Applejack came into the room. She blinked when she saw me in my pajamas at the table. “Ah thought that you usually got somethin’ t’ eat after you got your shower? Wut’s wit’ the change?”

I shrugged. “It’s not like it’s a crime to change my daily routine a bit.”

At my response, Applejack chuckled. “Ah s’pose it ain’t. Ah’ll see ya at the stall today, alright?”

I gave a nod as she walked off. I took my time to finish my breakfast, and I washed the plate and fork once I was done. I then left the dining room and made my way up the stairs to the bathroom. I made sure to lock the door, and I got ready to take my shower. I pushed my troubling thoughts away as the water fell. Once I had done washing, I dried myself off and got myself into my chosen day-wear: the turquoise t-shirt and the black with gray spots shorts. After changing and putting on my shoes, I rolled up my pajamas once more and exited the bathroom. I went back to the barn real quick to put them away.

Once that was accomplished, I grabbed my sack of coins and put them in my pocket with a shrug. Perhaps I’d buy something after work. Maybe some hangers… I made my way over to Applejack’s stall, and saw the massive amount of ponies waiting. I went behind the counter, and chuckled lightly. “Looks like we’ve got our work cut out for us today.” I cleared my throat. “Alright, everyone. One at a time, please. We’ll try and get to as many of you as we can, alright?”

Once that was said, some from yesterday that didn’t get the complimentary samples came up first, which was pretty convenient. Once all of those had managed to get their sample, another pony approached us. She had a certain air about her that rubbed me the wrong way. She had a peachish-pink coat and a dark maroon mane. She spoke to Applejack in a condescending tone. “So, how much for the recipe to the Apple Juice you now sell?”

Applejack shook her head. “Mrs. Rich, Ah can’t sell you that. Granny would have mah hide!” She tried to change the subject. “Since yer interested, why not buy a glass? Only 4 bits.”

This cause Mrs. Rich to huff out of her nostrils. “I don’t want a single drink, girl. I want the recipe. Now, let’s talk.” She leaned in with a glare, causing Applejack to start sweating.

I then cleared my throat, causing Mrs. Rich to look my way. “If I might interject?” She rolled her eyes, but let me continue anyway. “Mrs. Rich, If you’re so interested in a little profit from something of ours, why not make a partnership of it? You could invest a small portion in this stall, and we could send you a cut of our profits each month. I think that it would be worth your while.”

Mrs. Rich shook her head. “As if I would consort with poor people like that.” She turned up her muzzle. “Keep your stupid recipe. I’ve better things to do.”

She walked off, and I gave a shrug. “Her loss. After all…” I pull out the pies. “We’re selling pie! Special first day deal! 2 bits a slice! Get ‘em while they’re warm!” This caused the rest of the crowd to swarm, and I gave a chuckle. “Oh, she’s gonna regret turning down that offer.”

Applejack looked at all the eager ponies, and gave a chuckle of her own. “Ah do believe that yer raght ‘bout that.”

We worked for a while, keeping the line of ponies moving. It wasn’t long before Rainbow showed up to the stall. She looked at Applejack like she had grown a second head. “You’re selling more than just apples now? When did this happen?”

I gave a smug grin. “Today’s the first sale day, but we had complimentary samples given out with each purchase yesterday. She brought it that day, but I came with the sales pitch.”

Painbow looked from Applejack, then to me, then back. “How did he convince you? You are rather stubborn…”

Applejack huffed in a moment of irritation, but it soon passed. “Ah had t’ convince Granny t’ go along with it. Ah only thought t’ try it ‘cause Nathan’s advice has been a wonder fer our sales. Ah’d still be doin’ th’ usual wit’ th’ stall ifn he didn’t insist on helpin’ wit’ it.”

Rainbow looked back to me, an incredulous look on her face. “You sure that you don’t have some kind of magic? Almost feels like mind control…”

I rolled my eyes. “Please. I told you already. Magic doesn’t exist back home. Besides, mind control is a plot device in bad movies, plays, games, and books. It’s not real.”

Rainbow backed up. “Woah, okay then. If you’re sure.” She then gave a bit of a shrug. “I mean, it’s kinda hard to trust you, seeing as you’re being so standoffish…”

I raised an eyebrow. “Hey. That’s my business. Sorry if I’m being too practical for you, but we can’t afford connections with ponies. It’ll only end in tears when we leave, anyway.”

Before the conversation could escalate much further, Applejack interjected. “Rainbow, don’t go eggin’ Nathan on. He’s ‘bout twice as stubborn as Ah can be. If you’re her to buy somethin’, why not just do that?”

Rainbow’s rebuttal died on her lips as she turned her attention to the snacks that she saw behind the counter. “So, how much for an apple strudel?”

I gave a sigh of relief, and focused on the task at hand. “For a full one, it’s 6 bits. Half of one for three. So which’ll it be?”

Rainbow fished out 6 bits and placed them on the counter. I proceeded to carefully wrap the struedel as Applejack placed the bits into the register. I handed the strudel to Rainbow, and she waved as she walked away. “See ya, AJ!”

Applejack waved back, but I did not. I stood, and massaged my back a bit. “Oof. I’m getting a bit stiff. D’ya mind if I take a small break?”

A shake of the head came from Applejack. “Ah don’ mind. It’s rather quiet raght now, so do as ya lahk. Be back though, alright? Can’t handle the rush wit’out ya.”

I gave a dismissive wave as I walked off to clear my head. Did none of these ponies get it? Wouldn’t they be as eager as I to get home if they wound up in a strange place? Or was it that they were too dense to realize that I was being practical? I’d tried to explain it, but they just didn’t seem to get it. I sighed, and made my way to Rarity’s. This was the only place that I knew of that might have hangers, so I decided to try it first.

I entered, and I saw Ophi. She was wearing a hot pink blouse and a pair of sky blue shorts. It was the first time that I’d seen her wear any form of pants, and I must admit it was a bit surprising. I kept a straight face as she addressed me. “Nate!” She came up to me, and seemed about to hug me- but she stopped short. This time, I saw a very clear blush as her arms lowered. It abated before long, but it had been there. She continued after a bit of deliberation. “So, what are you doing here? Getting a new wardrobe?”

I shook my head. “No, I’m here to buy some hangers. That is, if Rarity sells those.”

Ophi had a knowing smile. “Ah, gotcha. Right this way.” She started walking, and I followed. I thought about what had recently transpired. Ophi had almost hugged me. She actually blushed, and I saw it. Did that mean that she actually was starting to like me as more than just a friend? It was a bit much to hope for, but… now with the thought there… it wouldn’t leave. I did manage to suppress it by the time she turned around when we reached the selection of hangers. “So, any in particular, or...?”

I grabbed enough to hang all the clothes I had, and spoke. “These ones will do. How much?”

Ophi and I went back to the check-out counter and she did a few calculations in her head. Man she looked cute when she was using hand motions to help her figure it out. I pushed the thought away as she reached the total. “With tax, it’ll be 20 bits and 21 jangles.”

I took out my coin pouch, and carefully counted out the coinage. I placed it on the counter, and pushed it towards her. “There you go.”

Her hand brushed mine as she went to grab the bits, and the electricity we felt when we first met surged through me again. It had always subtly been there whenever we touched, but now it was stronger than ever before. Outr hands didn’t move as we looked into one another’s eyes. Was this really happening right now? Was it too much to hope for to think that it meant what I thought it did? I saw her blush, and felt my face do the same. I gulped, and the moment felt like it could go on forever… What was I supposed to do? I felt so strange. One one hand, I wanted to just take a risk and go with this. On the other hand, I wanted to shrink away and hide. I didn’t have to decided, though. Ophi looked away from me, and our hands pulled apart. She chuckled nervously as she put the money into the register, her blush abating. “Y-you have a good day, Nate.”

I gave a nod as I started to back away, hangers in tow. I tried to gain as much composure as I could to abate my blush and paused to wave at the door. “Y-you too, Ophi. See you later!” And once that was said, I left the store. Just outside the door, my heart was beating at what felt like a million miles per hour. Had that really just happened? Had I felt her heartbeat going as fast as mine just then? Or was this just a mad delusion out of desperation? I wasn’t certain of it anymore. I took a breath, and shook my head to calm myself down. Even if that was really what happened, it wasn’t quite the right time for me to even consider dating her. I was still too young for that. I looked back to the store for a bit. “What am I supposed to do now? It was easier before…” I sighed deeply and shook my head, and walked off.





Ophi caught her breath as she calmed herself down. Why was this happening, and now of all times? She lifted her hand for a moment and stared. That electricity again… Why had it come back so strongly? Moreover… she had blushed in front of Nate, and he had done so in front of her. What was this to mean? That their bond was meant to evolve like that? She tried to push the thought away. It was a heady thing to consider, though. In that singular moment, she noticed him in away that she had been trying to suppress for days. And judging by his blush at that moment, his experience was similar.

A shake came from her head. No, it wasn’t good to think on it like that. Nathan was her friend. Her best friend that she had gotten to know over the course of a few days. She pushed away the thoughts that tried to pollute that. These were just minor fluctuations. They would pass when she found interest in another guy, certainly. After all, there was one that she had her eye on back home… What was his name again? At that self-asked question, Ophi wracked her brain. She eventually did remember, but when she recalled what he looked like… it wasn’t as captivating as she had once recalled. There was something missing from the picture in her head… She shook her head once more. No, these… feelings for Nate beyond friendship… they wouldn’t last. It’d be over in a week or so, and she’d be crushing on some other guy. She gave a small nod as she readied to help the next customer that strolled through the door.

It was scarcely a few minutes after Nate left that another individual came into the shop. It was a pony, which caused Ophi’s countenance to fall for a split second. She shook it off as soon as she realized who exactly it was that she had been hoping for. She greeted the mare with courtesy. “Hello there, miss. Welcome to Carousel Boutique! What can I help you with today?”

It was one of the ponies that they had seen at the party; that being a cream Earth Pony mare. Her two-toned pink and dark blue mane bobbed lightly as she looked around. She then looked at Ophi, and blinked. She then shook her head. “Right. I was here to pick up an order I placed a while back. The order should be under the name ‘Bon Bon’.”

Ophi gave a nod, and pulled out the order dossier. She found the aforementioned name, and jerked a thumb towards the back room. “I’ll go and get that for you, then. Please wait here for a moment.” Bon Bon gave a shrug as Ophi went into the back room. She filtered through the dresses for a few seconds until she found the dress in question. It was a light maroon dress with little circular “diamonds” studded sparsely across the whole thing. She lifted it off the rack carefully, and proceeded to bring it out into the main room.

When Bon Bon saw it, she gave a light gasp. “Oh this’ll be perfect for going to my cousin’s wedding reception!” She looked to Ophi and tilted her head. “You don’t mind if I try it on, do you?”

Blinking at that, Ophi shook her head. She led Bon Bon to the changing room, and handed her the dress. She pulled the curtain so that Bon Bon could change in peace- That was, until Bon Bon poked her head out. “Could you help me with the zipper on the back? I can’t reach it.”

Ophi gave a small chuckle as she stepped behind the curtain. She found the zipper easy enough, and carefully ensured it didn’t snag on any hair. “You know, my little sisters asked me to help them with this sort of thing all the time. It’s a bit… nostalgic.”

Bon Bon looked back as Ophi was about half-way up. “You miss them. Who wouldn’t in your situation? How much crying do you think will happen when you reunite with them?”

Ophi gave a shrug as she continued. “Probably until we can’t anymore, knowing Diara. My big sis will probably be a bit more reserved about it. As for my many brothers… well, boys will be boys. They might cry, but they will deny. My parents, though… it’s hard to say.”

Bon Bpn then broached a sensitive subject. “What about Nathan? Do you think his family will react the same when he comes back to them?”

A small blush was on Ophi’s face for a split second at the mere mention of Nate, but it abated as soon as the topic was directed to his family. She scratched her head after closing the zipper. “I’m not too sure about that. Nate’s told me in no uncertain terms that he and his family aren’t exactly in the best relations right now. His mother seems to be the only one that he gets along with. His three older brothers might not even notice that he’s been gone- at least, that’s what Nate believes. His older sister is a bit harder to pin down, though. As for his dad… apparently, Mr. Ethrol works a bit too much to be involved in Nate’s daily life.”

Bon Bon winced visibly at that last part. “That’s rough. No wonder he always seems to have a bit of a chip on his shoulder.” She changed the subject after looking herself over in the mirror. “Well? Do you think that this might land me a handsome guy?”

Ophi quenched the arising blush before it could manifest. She gave her best smile. “Sure! It suits you really well! Who knows? You might even meet ‘the One’.”

After that final remark (and having Ophi help her take off the dress), Bon Bon raised an eyebrow. “‘The One’? What is that, some sort of human myth?”

Ophi chuckled and shook her head. “Sort of, but not quite. It’s a common enough belief back home that if you are meant to spend the rest of your life with somebody of the opposite gender, something in your heart will just…” she snaps her fingers, startling Bon Bon a bit. “...Click with the other person.” She looked at Bon Bon in confusion as she looked around the room. “Um, why are you doing that?”

Bon Bon looks back to Ophi after seeing that nothing had changed. “Oh, sorry. It’s just that sound that your hand made… it’s pretty well associated with Discord, the Lord of Chaos. It’s a bit chilling how you have such a similar motion to him snapping his paw or talon.”

Ophi walked with her back to the check-out counter. “Oh, I see… well, you can see that mine is just sound. I don’t know exactly what you expected…” She shook her head, and looked to the dossier. “It says here that you still owe 20 bits on this dress. Do you have it with you now?”

Bon Bon gave a nod and pulled out her purse from her mane. She rummaged through it for a while before laying a twenty-bit coin on the counter. “There you are.”

Ophi picked it up, and inspected it like Rarity had taught her. She looked for the stip of platinum on the ridge, and found it. She held it close to her ear and ran a fingernail on the face of the coin. She heard the sound that she was looking to hear, and gave a nod as she set it into the register. “Alright then. You’re good to go then. Have a nice day, Bon Bon.” She waved absently as she turned her attention to updating the dossier. She heard Bon Bon exit, and put down the dosier once she had written that Bon Bon’s order was paid in full. She gave a sigh, but she wasn’t bored long.

Another pony came in, and Ophi’s feelings were mixed. It was a stallion, which wasn’t the problem. It was which stallion it was that concerned her. He was the self-same one that had bothered her so much at the party. She didn’t think that Nate had noticed when this guy had first approached her. Now here he was again, same red coat and purple mane, same aggravating cocky grin. This was one pony that Ophi had no qualms trying to distance herself from. “What do you want, Brick? I doubt that you’re here to get clothes…”

The aforementioned stallion gasped, his golden eyes widening. “Why, Ophi! I-”

She glared at him. “DON’T.” He backpedaled. “Only Nate gets to call me that. Now what do you want?”

He cleared his throat, squirming a bit. “Ah, well. Ophelia. I was wondering…”

She cut him off again. “How many times do I have to say it before it gets through that thick skull of yours?” She huffed irritably. “I’m not interested. I only have an interest in human males.” She calmed herself and addressed him with as much restrain on her anger as she could muster. “Now. if you’re not here to buy anything… then please leave. Before I hurt you.”

Brick noticed that she said the last part through clenched teeth. He sighed and shook his head. “I know when I’m not wanted. I guess I’ll depart…” He looked at Ophi with a care-free smile. “Be seeing you~!” He waved, and left the shop.

Once he was gone, Ophi let out an exhausted sigh. This is when Rarity popped in from the back. “Brick Stacker again?”

Ophi massaged her head. “I swear. That pony is the only one in this town that I can’t stand. Why can’t he just go for a normal pony? It’s not even like I’m going to stay. I have much bigger problems to concern myself with than some dense stallion with delusions of grandeur.”

A nod came from Rarity. “I can certainly understand where you’re coming from, dear. Attention’s nice and all, but only when it’s wanted.” She took a deep look at Ophi, and saw the deep concern on her face. She decided to approach cautiously. “If you don’t mind… would you like to talk about what’s troubling you?”

Ophi lightly bit her lower lip. Could she talk about something like this with ponies? Should she? She wasn’t sure what to do anymore. She stood, and shook her head. “I… can’t. Not now.” She went towards the stairs, and called back. “I’ll send down Miara. I need some time to clear my head.”

She went upstairs, and knocked on the other guest room door. She heard Miara from the other side of the door as she got up. “What’s up, Ophelia?”

Ophi sighed. “Could you help Rarity for the rest of the day? I can’t keep myself focused right now. I need to get some fresh air.”

She could almost hear her friend nod. “I’ll be out in a bit. Enjoy your walk.”

Ophi nodded, went downstairs, and out the door. She looked around, a bit relieved that Nate wasn’t still outside, and a bit disappointed too. She shook away the complex thoughts as she walked on. Maybe she could grab a snack. She had a bit of pocket money from helping out Rarity, after all. What to get, though? Apples? She shook her head. Nate might be there, and she didn’t know what she would do if she saw him right now. She saw a stall of oranges, and popped on over. She paid for an orange with two bits, and sat down. She peeled it open with her fingers and was about to take a bite. She was startled when she was approached by Ferris. “Hey. Do you mind if we talk?”

Relieved that it wasn’t Nate, she shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

Ferris paused before continuing. “You see… it’s about Miara. I think… that I like her as more than a friend.”

Ophi was stunned into silence.