//------------------------------// // Chapter Three: New Friends And Old Hobbies. // Story: A Demon's Second Chance // by Perfectly Insane //------------------------------// I wasn't sure whether it was because I was that hungry, nostalgic or a mixture of both, but I ate at least half of the pie myself. I couldn’t get enough of it. By the time I was done, I think I actually felt my stomach get a little bigger. Fluttershy looked concerned, but she also didn’t stop me, she was probably shocked by how happy I was and didn’t want to risk ruining it.  I honestly didn't even remember closing my eyes either. After eating as much of the pie as I could and cleaning my mouth with a napkin, I laid back down on the couch, a wide, content grin on my face as my chest rose and fell. When I blinked, as if I moved forward in time, or I just didn’t notice time passing, I fell asleep. The only indication that any time had passed at all was that the light shining through the window was brighter than before, my stomach did not feel nearly as full, and I had a near overwhelming urge to use the bathroom.  Angel was sleeping on my chest again, curled up and just small enough to fit in the spot between my breasts. I’m admittedly a bit jealous, animals his size were tiny enough to fit into spots that looked so comfortable. I could feel his warmth and his soft breathing, it almost made me not want to move him at all.  Sadly, the tingling in my heart I got at seeing him sleep so adorably was not nearly as pressing as my desire to relieve myself.  I placed my hand on his head, giving his ear the lightest tug I could manage. He begrudgingly woke up, rubbing his face as he blinked rapidly.  “Sorry, I really gotta go to the bathroom. I don’t know my way around this place yet, do you think you can lead me to it?”  He scowled as he crossed his arms, raising his chin and rapidly tapping his foot against my chest like he was waiting for something. I think I knew what.  “Please?”  He nodded and hopped off me, waiting for me to get up. I sluggishly raised my body, placing my hands on the edges of the couch as I stood. I wasn't sore anymore, but my lips were dry and I had a slight headache. I'm fairly sure I was dehydrated. Now that I thought about it, I didn't think I'd actually drank anything, and all my water was in the backpack. I forgot how mentally exhausting it was to have to manage a body. I had to feed it, make sure it was hydrated, and clean myself regularly or I’ll start feeling gross like I do right now. As much as I want to enjoy a nice, refreshing bath again, that was going to have to wait until I had a change of clothes.  Once again, my annoyingly long hair got in my face, but was being particularly more of a pain to deal with than usual. My face was somewhat sticky, likely from the tears before, causing the hair to get stuck. Luckily, that could be dealt with with just a brief face wash in a sink.  Angel led me up the stairs, the hallway between Fluttershy’s bedroom and the stairs had a door in between where the bathroom was. He waited outside somewhat impatiently as I relieved myself and washed my face, seeing my reflection for the first time since coming here in the sink’s mirror.  My cheeks were as naturally rosy as I remembered them being, making it look like I'm constantly slightly blushing. My skin was deathly pale, which made sense considering how much time I had spent underground. My entire face slimmer and looked much more mature and adult like, but the same otherwise, which was a problem. I couldn’t help but scowl as I peered deep into my own crimson red eyes, a sight some part of me prayed I’d never see again. I had hoped that with this new body I’d have new eyes, blue or green or even yellow, I didn’t care. No, I wasn’t that lucky, I got these same eyes. These eyes, which I had been shunned for by my own kind.  These eyes, which were considered the sign of a demon-spawn where I was from. These eyes, which are a curse.  I ran my finger across my face as I bit the inside of my cheek and shook my head, I didn’t want to think about it anymore than I had to. I made a note to put a towel over the mirror for now on, and left the bathroom.  “Oh, you’re awake! I was just going to come check on you.” Fluttershy greeted suddenly, apparently just having woken up and having the same idea for the bathroom as me. Her clothes were a bit loose and she was still adjusting some of it, her mane mostly the same but some strains of it were sticking out, giving it a more raggedy appearance. I guess even ponies get bed-head.  “Just woke up, actually. I was going to look around and get more familiar with this place since I’ll be staying here for a while, if that’s ok with you.”  “Of course, this place is as much your home as mine now, along with all the other animals that live here. Although…” She peered to the side worriedly as she brought her hand to her mouth. “I’m a tad afraid the other animals won’t get along with you at first. They’re usually very friendly with anyone that comes here, except Dashie for some reason.”  I don’t know who ‘Dashie’ was, but animals were a really good judge of character. If they didn't like someone, it was usually justified.  “Don’t be. I meant it when I said I’m good with animals, they’ll come around to me sooner or later. Besides, I have Angel to-”  I turned to where Angel was and gestured to him, only to find he wasn't there. I glanced back at Fluttershy, seeing the prideful rabbit had hopped up onto her left shoulder, using his paws to fix her mane with a disgruntled expression on his face. I was a little taken aback by this, it wasn’t something I expected him to do. He liked being pampered, sure, but this was different. At the same time, it made sense.  Fluttershy was undeniably the type who would think of everyone but herself, her kindness selfless in an almost self-neglectful way. If I understood Angel, he was the type who hated feeling like he owed someone. Fluttershy provides him with a place to live and food, he probably constantly feels like he owes her, and him taking care of her like this is his way of giving back. With how unfazed she remained as he did so, I’m guessing he had been doing this for a while.  “Help me.” I finished my sentence, though it was kind of pointless now.  “Well....I was actually hoping you could feed them while I’m gone? Today is my weekly spa trip with Rarity, and I’d really appreciate it if you could do that for me since I won’t be here when they’re usually fed. Rainbow Dash always comes by to do it for me, but since she doesn’t get along well with the animals, it might be better if you could instead. Plus, it’d be a great way for you to meet them all! I won’t be gone long, I should be there and straight bac-” She was interrupted by a certain snow white bunny lightly tapping his foot against her shoulder, her mane straight as a curtain like usual. The pegasus jumped a bit as she turned to look at him, her face scrunching up as he made light chirping noises, which I think was how he talks. “I know your birthdays in a few days. I asked Pinkie to make you a carrot cake, and she-”  He let out a particularly loud chirp, placing his paws on his hips and raising his right eyebrow. “Yes, I asked for her to put in extra carrots. She said it was going to take another day or two. I promise I won’t forget.”  Angel gave an approving nod, then glanced over at me. He pointed towards me even though he was still talking to Fluttershy, who was listening to him intensely.  “Of course I would, but I don’t even know what she likes. It’s not really much of a surprise if I have to ask her, right?”  He brought his right paw to his chin as he pondered her response, extending it as he offered an answer. I couldn’t understand a word of it since it was all just high pitched chittering to me, but judging from the way her eyes lit up and she excitedly smiled to whatever he just said, it was probably a good idea.  “That’s a great idea! I’m sure Bon Bon has some, and I have a few extra bits. Do you promise to help her with the animals if I do?”  He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. I didn’t need Fluttershy’s special talent to tell that he just said ‘obviously’ with strong sarcasm. I could tell they were talking about me, and I think Angel suggested for Fluttershy to get me something from someone named Bon Bon. I wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to get me anything, I hated feeling like I owed others too, but my gut told me she would get them anyway.  I also wasn’t sure what ‘bits’ were either. The context made me think it was this world’s currency, but I’m fairly certain that a bit is the part of the horse riding equipment that went into their mouth. I doubted that was the case here since ponies were the superior race so nothing would ride them, but that does suggest there were some very interesting parallels from the world I’m from.  “Angel would be happy to help you with the animals, he can show you where the food is kept. Everything should be fine, and-oh! Before I forget.”  She stopped abruptly in the middle of what she was talking about, opening her bedroom door and walking back in, Angel hopping off her shoulder onto the ground beside me. I raised my eyebrow curiously as I asked him with my face what she was getting, he shrugged his shoulders, apparently just as ignorant as I am.  “I found this in the same clearing you were in, and it didn’t belong to any of The Crusaders. This is yours, right?”  My mouth dropped and my eyes widened in disbelief, I rubbed my eyes and blinked rapidly to make sure I'm seeing things right. It was the backpack, but completely whole, exactly how it looked when I first woke up and saw it. I gently took it out of her hands, just as weightless as before.  There was no gaping hole in the front of it where the woo….timberwolf dug its teeth into the front, and I know there was one because I threw it to the ground when I couldn’t use it as a shield anymore.  “Did you...sew this back up?” I asked hesitantly. There were no marks or anything, so I kind of already knew the answer.  “Why would I need to do that? Is there a hole in it or something?” Fluttershy asked innocently with a tilt of her head.  Her response put a lump in my throat, one that was hard to swallow. I know for a fact that this backpack was ruined, yet here it was in my hands good as new. I was already aware it wasn’t an ordinary backpack, since it apparently also functioned as a pocket dimension to items that were a part of my inventory, but being able to regenerate itself? That was as amazing as it was terrifying. Did that mean it was indestructible? What would happen if it was destroyed to nothing but shreds?  All these questions just increased and led back to the first and biggest mystery since I’ve come here: How did I get here?  “No...I just thought they would have tried to tear it apart or something.” I muttered as I slipped the backpack on, barely even noticing it against my back. I made a mental note to make sure the inventory worked later. “I think I can handle it as long as Angel’s here.”  “I’m sure you will. Do you need anything before I leave?”  Her tone reminded me so much of Toriel’s it hurt. I tried to think of anything I might need, my irritating hair falling into my face again, which actually gave me an idea.  “Do you have any…” I hesitated as I was about to ask for hair ties, realizing that they probably called them mane ties here. “Mane ties? Or anything to keep my hair out of my face while I’m feeding the animals?”  “I think...I might have some bands in the living room? We can check on my way out if you’d like.”  “Yeah, I would.”  She gave me a warm smile as she walked past me and down the stairs, waiting for me to follow her. Angel hopped on my shoulder this time, impressing me a bit with his leg strength, he was clearly a very abnormal rabbit. Or maybe he was considered normal in this world? I honestly didn’t know.  There were hair...mane bands in the living room. On the fireplace, oddly enough. After giving them to me, she asked if I was sure I wanted to feed the animals and that it was ok if I didn’t want to. Then she told me that I was free to anything in the kitchen if I was hungry, and reminded me she’d be back as soon as she could. To most her incessant questioning and worry might be annoying, but to me it was more than welcome. I couldn’t stop my mouth from stretching into a grin as she asked, a warmth arising in my chest I hadn’t felt in a long time.  After she was gone, I looked down at the mane bands in my hands, Angel staring up at me curiously. I decided I was going to tie my hair back and keep it that way until I got it cut, I just was not sure how. It had been a while since I had hair to tie, but I distinctly remembered two simple ways to do so, which were into a bun or a ponytail. I didn’t really care for my appearance, but I couldn’t recall which was more comfortable.  I chose a ponytail because it was less of a hassle, and while I was doing so, I asked myself what they called a ponytail in this world. They obviously tied their manes up if they had these, but were the names the same? There are so many things I wanted to know, my curious nature seeming to be one of the things that carried over from my past life.  “Well, what do you think?” I asked Angel after I was done, my hands hovering just a few inches away in case I messed up and it fell apart.  He responded with a thumbs up and a smirk, which meant he either liked it or just didn’t want to hurt my feelings. As much as he put up a prideful front, Angel was the most sensitive animal I’ve met so far, though that didn’t mean much.  I spent about an hour memorizing the layout of Fluttershy’s house. It was bigger than I thought, and I skimmed through some of the books on the shelves to try to get a better understanding of everything. Predictably, most of them were about animals. Some of them about their anatomy and biology, others about how to take care of them, and some just had random facts about the animals, which hit me with a wave of nostalgia. There was only one or two about anything else, none of which really told me anything other than I didn't want to ever go back into those woods again if most of what these books were talking about actually lived out there.  I wasn’t sure why, but I felt extremely apprehensive about going outside. My hand tensed up as soon as I touched the doorknob. I was outside when I came here, so why hesitate now? I shook my head as I opened the door, Angel following me into the outside world.  I covered my eyes from the sudden sunlight shining on my face, stronger than I was expecting it to be. Once I could see semi-decently, I found it hard to breathe out of pure amazement of the beautiful sight in front of me. There are luscious grass and flowers, trees with birdhouses of all shapes and sizes, even a river with a small bridge! Birds chirping and some other rabbits frolicking around, Fluttershy’s house itself was a large cottage covered in moss and bushes.  I didn’t know what I was expecting, but jaw dropping utopia for animals wasn’t it. Seeing all these animals so happy filled me with a sense of peace, especially with how much even the animals themselves enjoyed the place. There were fences, but they might as well have been there for decoration, yet the animals didn’t leave at all despite the fact that they could whenever they wanted to.  The last time I was this awestruck was when I first saw the field of flowers that Toriel had been taking care of. The more I learned of Fluttershy, the more similarities I saw between them.  I felt a slight tug on my pants, seeing Angel trying to get my attention and pointing towards something. A small, wooden shed that looked like it was just cobbled together and barely standing, nails sticking out and some of the planks weren’t entirely straight. I’m not sure who put it together, but it was both impressive and sad that it hadn’t just completely fallen apart by now.  “That’s where the food is, right?” He gave me an affirmative nod. “I can get it myself then. Can you round up the animals in one place for me? I think it’d be easier that way.”  He gave me a salute and went off to a nearby group of birds, pointing back at me and chittering something, then the birds flew over to the fence and perched themselves on it. I found myself appreciating that some of the first creatures I came across were so nice and willing to help me. Without them, I would be completely lost.  My suspicion that the shed was on the edge of collapsing was confirmed when, just by opening and closing the door, the entire shed violently shook. I made a mental note to be as gentle as possible when opening the door.  The only thing inside were bags, lots and lots of large bags like for dog food. They all had words on the front of them, some of them had herbivore, carnivore, or omnivore. I had just assumed she only kept herbivore’s here since having carnivore’s would risk them getting eaten, but these bags make me think they've never had that problem. Fluttershy must really trust them.  The bags were a lot lighter than they appeared, I could hold one in each arm. I wasn’t sure how Fluttershy did it, so I just got one of each and laid them in front of the shed. I was greeted by dozens of pairs of eyes large and small, more animals and a larger variety of them than I think I’ve ever seen in one place. Birds, rabbits, squirrel’s, raccoon’s, mostly small ones with Angel at the front saying something to them.  An almost nauseating wave of nervousness overcame me, suddenly facing the fear that they won’t like me head first. I brought the herbivore and omnivore bags, lying them on the ground in front of them. I turned to get the carnivore one, bumping head first into something with very soft fur but a very hard body.   My jaw dropped as I looked up, seeing a giant bear standing in front of me, holding the carnivore bag in his hands. I was completely petrified, unable to stop shaking or make anything more than a croaking sound with my throat. It felt just like encountering The Hydra again. It wasn’t nearly as large, but with its teeth and claws, it could tear me apart just as brutally.  I got snapped out of my terror induced trance when it extended its arms, offering me the bag. Then his mouth curled up, showing me every single one of his sharp teeth, in what I think was an attempt at a smile. When my eyes rested on the bag, realization hit me.  “Are you...one of Fluttershy’s animals?” I struggled to stop my voice from trembling as I spoke, I failed.  He responded with a feverous nod, which was only slightly reassuring since his teeth were sharp and clean enough that I could almost see my reflection in them. I grabbed the bag in his hands, gripping it a lot more tightly than I intended to in an attempt to calm myself down. “T-thanks.” I stuttered out. I could tell he was trying his hardest not to scare me, but I was unable to stop myself from sweating as my instincts told me to get as far away as possible. My mind knew that the animals here were very different and wouldn’t hurt me, but they were identical to the animals from my world who were dangerous; it was a hard adjustment.  As I turned back to the animals behind me waiting for the food, Angel hopped into my hands as I laid down the bag. His little eyebrows were scrunched up into a concerned expression, I think he was trying to ask me if I was ok.  “I’m…” His eyes made it impossible for me to be afraid, his tiny, soft body in my hands made the urge to pet him nearly impossible to resist. I patted his head as I took a deep breath, my heartbeat getting back to normal as I tried to remind myself the bear towering over me was not going to eat me instead of whatever is in the bag. “Fine. Thank you, Angel.”  I placed him back on the ground and gave the most convincing smile I could to the other animals, but I don’t think I did a very good job of that judging from some of their faces. “Greetings, I’m Chara Dreemurr, and I’ll be living here for a while and feeding you from now on.” I crouched down and extended my hand, it’d been a long time since I tried being welcoming rather than intimidating, and I’m sure it showed. “I know I might seem scary, but I promise I just want to get along with all of you. Can you at least give me a chance?”  The raccoon who I offered my hand to was staring down at it skeptically, then glanced at the other animals as if asking what they thought. Some of them shrugged, some of them nodded, and others made noises I didn’t understand. Angel made a chattering noise that brought all their attention to him, whatever he was saying was surprising some of them as their eyes widened.  The raccoon’s sight was on my hand again, then he put his paws on it and shook it, making a chittering noise that was noticeably deeper than Angel’s. Most of the others made some similar kind of noise, even the bear behind me made something that sounded like it was supposed to be an approving grunt, but came out as more of a growl.  “Thank god…” I said as I let out a relieved sigh, I'm going to give Angel extra-good petting later for whatever he said, and do my best to make sure I didn’t mess up this chance he gave me. “Now for the food.”  The bags were easy to open, and had about what I expected. The Herbivore bag had herbs and berries, Carnivore had chunks of meat that I didn’t want to ask where they were from and assumed they were being preserved through magical means, and the Omnivore bag had a mixture of both.  The problem is how do I dispense it? There aren't any scoops or anything, so did I just pour it out? Or- My answer came in the form of Angel, who kicked the bags over, causing their contents to spew onto the ground. I expected that they’d all just swarm it, but they were actually really organized. Other than the bear, there were very few carnivores, while there were plenty of herbivores and omnivores. The animals actually got into lines for each pile, and had an animal at each one. The bear at the carnivore, Angel at the herbivore, and the raccoon from earlier at the omnivore.  All the animals got a portion of the food from the pile, being watched over to make sure they didn’t take too much. The carnivores got to take larger portions, likely due to their smaller numbers, but overall there were no issues or anything. A lot of the animals even went to eat their food by the river, drinking from it.  These adorable creatures just continued to surprise me. I’m not sure whether Fluttershy taught them to do this, or they started on their own, but the fact that they were doing this out of respect for her showed how much even her animals cared about her. What was I even worried about?  I leaned against the fence, the last bits of tension leaving my body.  “You don’t look that awesome.” I jumped off the ground by a few inches, the sudden voice almost causing me to have a heart attack. I did a one-eighty as I tried to see who it was that spoke, seeing another pony person. It was a pegasus, made obvious by her massive wings, outstretched to her sides and fluttering as she floated off the ground. Her coat was a pale blue, matching her wings, with her mane and tail a literal rainbow of all things. She wore a dark blue t-shirt and shorts that went down to about her knees, and there wasn't an ounce of fat on her body. Her arms are crossed but I could see her muscles, and her thighs looked big enough to squish my head like a grape.  When she saw my reaction, her serious demeanor dropped as she began laughing and holding her stomach. “Oh man, you actually jumped! You’re just like Fluttershy!” She said in between laughs.  As she chortled like I’d told the best joke she’d ever heard, her wings retracted as she landed on the ground, quickly gaining her balance since she was only a foot or two off. I waited with a scowl on my face, I hated being startled like that.  “I take it you’re ‘Dashie’?”  Her loud chuckling stopped abruptly as she glared at me, placing her left hand on her hip and right hand sternly pointing a finger at me. “Hey, only my friends get to call me that! My name is Rainbow Dash, but you can call me Rainbow.” she offered as she puffed out her chest proudly.  This was only the third pony person I’ve met so far that I knew the name of, but I did notice there was somewhat of a pattern with how their names worked. Fluttershy’s made sense, she was shy and she didn’t really ‘fly’ when she used her wings so much that she fluttered. Twilight Sparkle’s was much more roundabout, her color pattern somewhat resembled ‘Twilight’ which was what it looked like when the sun set, it was the ‘sparkle’ part I’m more confused on. Maybe the sparkle in her eyes when she gets interested in something? That was a bit out there though.  For ‘Dashie’, the Rainbow part of her name was obvious. The Dash part was something I’d have to see, but I’m sure it had something to do with flying since she’s a pegasus. “Alright Rainbow. Fluttershy said that she wanted me to feed the animals while she’s at the spa today so I can also meet them.” I extended my hand to her like I had before, it was honestly more of a reflex when introducing myself than anything. “Greetings, my name is Chara Dreemurr. I…” I sharply inhaled before I spoke, reminding myself that I don’t have to say a certain line anymore. “I’ll be living here for a little while, I hope we can get to be friends.” I gave her a smirk that felt a lot more convincing than the ones I gave the animals earlier. The multi-colored mare looked at my hand, her eyes widening a bit when I mentioned I’d be living here, I guess she wasn’t expecting that. Nor was I expecting the mischievous grin that came across her face, I could almost see the lightbulb appear above her head as some idea came across her mind.  When she gripped my hand, I could feel the calluses and how rough the skin was, further telling me that she probably worked out a lot. Her grip was already very firm, but she tightened it to the point where it was painful. I pulled my hand out of her iron clutch, letting loose maybe the girliest gasp I’d ever let out in my life. I held my hand to my chest as I rubbed it, a bit embarrassed at the noise I just made.  “Oh shit, are you okay?” She sounded genuinely concerned, her forehead scrunching up and eyes widening as she pulled her hand back. The pain in my hand was dull and already fading, I think she just squeezed it really hard.  “Yeah...I ju-”  I was interrupted by some very angry chittering from Angel, which was a lot more aggressive and rapid than anything I’d heard before. I peered down at him, noticing he was scowling as he pointed one of his paws at Rainbow. Clearly very upset, it was the angriest I'd seen him so far. She recoiled in response, just as startled by the outburst as I was. Her ears, which were a bit bigger and more horselike than mine, lowered like a dog being scolded by their owner.  “I can’t tell what you’re saying, but I'm pretty sure you’re telling me off. I wasn’t trying to-”  she extended her arms outward, her retort being interrupted when Angel stomped his foot.  I couldn’t help but chuckle at the display, my heart warming at how protective he was being. I’m not sure what I did to deserve it, but I had a feeling it had something to do with him seeing my breakdown yesterday. I hated that he saw me like that, but at least it was just him and Fluttershy.  “It’s alright Angel, I’m ok.” I said as I lowered my hand, scratching his head right behind his ear. “She didn’t mean to hurt me, but thanks for trying to help.” I could feel he was still tense. He looked up at me with furrowed eyebrows, a single chirp coming out of his mouth as he tilted his head. I'm pretty certain if he was asking if I was sure.  I responded with a nod. He turned around, leering over his shoulder at Rainbow and pointing his fingers at his eyes and then at her in a ‘I’m watching you’ gesture.  “I swear, I just find it funny to hear what kind of noises people make when I do that, I didn’t mean to actually hurt you. Your bones are way less dense and I-”  “My bones are less dense? What do you mean?” I asked curiously as I crossed my arms and raised one of my eyebrows.  Rainbow had been trying to apologize, but stopped at my question. “Well...I could tell you weren’t a pony from looking at you and your weird ears.” She said blatantly as she pointed at one of my ears, making me feel self conscious as I ignored the urge to cover them. Are they really that conspicuous? “When I squeezed your hand, it felt like I could break it like it was nothing. I know I’m awesome, but it shouldn’t feel that easy, y’know?”  “No, I don’t know. You’re the third pony I’ve actually talked to.” I responded curtly, clutching and unclutching my hand.  I knew I would be weak compared to horse people, where I’m from an adult horse could kill a human with one kick if you weren’t careful, but hearing that even my bones were easy to crush was a grim reminder of how helpless I was in this new world.  “Huh. So you haven’t talked to any ponies before? Weird, then how do you know how to speak our language?”  “I don’t know. I just...kind of do.”  “Then why did you bother to save Scoots and the rest? I mean, I could have done the same thing if I was there in a way that would have been twenty percent cooler. From what she told me you were really awesome, they think you’re their hero. But honestly? I don’t see it.”  I reflexively bit the corner of my lip at the word ‘hero’, uncovering the unbearable guilt and regret I associate with it. I averted my gaze. “You’re right, I’m not a hero. I saved them so they’d lead me somewhere safe, and I would have died if it wasn’t for Fluttershy. There’s nothing ‘awesome’ about me.”  I couldn’t keep the sardonic tone out of my voice, my not-so-fond memories of the last time I tried to be someone’s ‘savior’ all too easily available. I didn’t see what expression she made, but judging from how silent she was after I said that, I just made things awkward and probably another person concerned about me. Great job Chara, your social skills were as good as always.  “Well, good.” She said abruptly with a dismissive scoff. “Ponyville’s already brimming with awesomeness, we don’t need a seventh big shot.”  I’m guessing Ponyville was the name of the town near here that she lived in. I actually almost laughed at the name and had to stifle a chuckle, that was as ridiculous as Asgore naming his new place ‘New Home’, I could only hope the rest of this world has such silly pony names. I would have asked about that, but I was a bit more interested in what she said at the end.  “Seventh? What do you mean?” I asked as I turned back to her.  “Wait, you...you don’t know who I am? Did Flutters or that egghead not tell you?” I paused as I tried to think of anything that Twilight, who I assume was who she was talking about if the term ‘egghead’ meant the same thing here, might have said that would explain what Rainbow was talking about. I shook my head when I came up short.  “Really? She didn’t tell you about how we’re The Elements of Harmony?” She asked in an exasperated tone, pointing one finger to her face like I’m supposed to suddenly recognize who she is.  “The Elements of Harmony? That sounds like the name of a music group.”  “I mean...we do sing a lot and pretty well, but that doesn’t have to do with us being The Elements of Harmony! Come on! We kicked Nightmare Moon’s butt, turned Discord back into a statue, and beat the crap out of the changelings so bad they got launched out of Canterlot! Is any of this ringing a bell?”  Well, the changeling part was, yet another mythological thing from my world that was real in this one. What’s next, Dragons? “Can’t say they are, no.”  “Have you been living under a mountain or something? How can you not know who we are? We’ve saved Equestria at least three times.”  I decided not to comment on the validity of that question. “I have amnesia. The last thing I remember is waking up in those woods and then I came across those three, then I woke up in Fluttershy’s home.”  “Amnesia? Doesn’t that usually happen when you hit your head?” She asked curiously, her eyes glancing past me to the animals. I looked behind me and saw that all the food had been taken out and shared with the animals, and that the bear was picking up the empty bags and taking them back to the shed.  He tried once again to give me a reassuring smile, which turned into a halfway scowl when he noticed Rainbow. Her attention switched immediately to the bear. She nervously chuckled as she defensively raised her hands, visibly sweating.  “H-hey there Harry. I’m just here to meet Chara and I won’t be here long. No hard feelings because I messed up last time, right?”  He gave her a glare that would have made me collapse to my knees, and then deeply snorted from the back of his throat as he continued to the shed. She let out a relieved sigh, her confident aura quickly returning.  “Fluttershy was right, the animals really don’t like you.”  “It’s just cause they’re jealous of how awesome I am.” She said half-heartedly, not anymore convinced of it than I was.  For whatever reason, the animals didn’t like her. I couldn’t entirely blame them, she came off as a bit arrogant and overconfident. However, if she’s anything like a certain fish person I knew with a strikingly similar personality, she's genuinely a good person who cared about others. This might even be her way of trying to thank me for saving one of those three girls who Rainbow referred to by name, which reminds me that I didn't even know their names at all. “Wait, which one was Scoots? I never got their names.”  “Scootaloo was the orange one, she’s like a kid sister to me. So…” She coughed as she awkwardly rubbed the back of her head. “Thanks for saving her, even if you didn’t mean to.” I was taken back, I didn’t think she’d say that so directly. If I spoke my mind, which was something I’m quickly realizing isn’t a good idea, I’d tell her she shouldn’t be thanking me because I did it for myself. I need to stop, I hate making others worried about me and feel like they need to be careful around me. It’s infuriating. Pity was the last thing I wanted.  “I...feel like we got off on the wrong…”I paused as I realized I’d have to rephrase that saying to make it more appropriate, or I’d come off as stupid. I’ll just blame it on the amnesia. “Hoof. How about we start over? Minus the ‘squeezing my hand’ part would be nice.”  I extended my hand out to her the same why I had before, plastering on that complacent smile. “Greetings. I’m Chara Dreemurr, the human from The Everfree Forest who has no memory and no idea where I am, please to meet you!”  I put as much enthusiasm in my voice as I could, but no amount of practice could stop it from sounding forced to me. She hesitantly stared at my hand, her eyes darting to the left of me, which I assumed was at Angel who was glaring at her.  “No hard feelings?” She asked, in a much more questioning tone than the same way she asked Harry earlier.  “No hard feelings.”  She shot me a smirk. “Alright, then I’m Rainbow Dash.” She shook my hand with a noticeable amount of care. “Element of Loyalty, and soon-to-be Wonderbolt.”  I made a mental note to talk to Twilight about these ‘Elements of Harmony’, something about them bugged me. I’ve also realized that I’ve been making a lot of mental notes recently, I might have to start jotting these down in a book or something.  “I don’t mean to be insensitive, but what exactly is a ‘Human?’ You’re the first thing that’s come out of that crazy place that can actually talk. Other than Steven Magnet, but he never really leaves.”  I had to think about my answer in a way that fit with my amnesia story, which wasn’t as easy as I thought it’d be. I know I’m bad at lying, but I didn’t think it’d be this hard. “I...don’t know, amnesia. From what I can tell, I’m a lot like you just...no fur or tail, and different ears.” I mumbled the last part. “...Huh.” She said somewhat delayed, raising her head and her eyebrow at something behind me. “What’s with the backpack?”  I was confused for a moment before I followed her gaze, the backpack still on me. I had honestly completely forgot it was even there, it didn’t get in the way or weighed me down. Cons of having a completely weightless backpack I suppose, hopefully the only ones.  “I…” Well, I couldn’t exactly tell her that it was actually a pocket dimension that, as far as I know, had infinite storing capacity. Also apparently the ability to restore itself from any damage, maybe I should experiment with that later. “Just kind of forgot it was there.”  “Huh.” She said again. I couldn’t tell whether she had something to say and was trying to figure out how to say it, or she was just bad at conversing. Not that I’m any better. “Listen, Scoots really wants to thank you for saving her personally. I...sort of grounded her for going that deep into the Everfree, but she’s promised she won’t do it again if you talk to her. So…” she fidgeted a bit. “Can you come see her? Twi told me that you’re going to be coming to Ponyville soon to get some new clothes, so It’d be cool if you could just stop by for half an hour or something.”  Rainbow clearly isn’t used to asking people to do stuff like this, nor did I think she really liked it that Scootaloo thought someone other than her was awesome. I don’t remember Twilight mentioning that I’d have to come to Ponyville, but it made sense that since I’m a different species that a tailor or something would have to measure me for clothes. “I mean, I don’t know my way around the place, but I don’t really mind.”  “Psh, don’t worry about that! Just ask Pinkie, she’ll show you around. I’m sure she’d be happy to-” Rainbow stopped, her eyes widening in horror as if she’d just realized something terrible. “Oh crap! I forgot that I left Pinkie to watch Tank while I’m gone. She’s probably going to try to teach him tricks and tire him out.”  Her wings suddenly sprung out full mast, a fairly strong wind coming from them as they flapped and she lifted herself off the ground. “I gotta go, bye!”  She shot off like a rocket, leaving a rainbow trail behind her as she went off. I shouldn’t have been fazed by how fast she was with a name like ‘Rainbow Dash’, at least I understood what the Dash part was for. Were all Pegasi that fast or just her? I hadn’t seen Fluttershy actually fly, but I had a gut feeling I shouldn’t use her as my point of reference.  Angel tugged on my jeans, making some painfully cute noise that I was somewhat glad I couldn’t understand. I turned around to see that all the bags had been taken to the shed and there wasn’t even a single scrap of food left, most of the animals had finished eating and were playing or had gone off somewhere else. I got a sharp tap on my shoulder that was a tad painful, I had a pretty good idea of who it was.  Harry was standing behind me, awkwardly tapping his claws together. It would have been cute if he wasn’t a bear that could turn me into trail mix on a whim. I gulped as I tried to keep calm, reminding myself that these were Fluttershy’s animals, and they’d never hurt me.  “Thanks for helping Harry. I, uh, hope we get along?” I said with a nervous chuckle as I extended my hand.  Harry let out something resembling an excited gasp as he picked me up like a...well like a stuffed bear and hugged me. I was terrified for a moment, he was more than strong enough to snap my spine in two, but he didn’t. He was actually really gentle, his fur softer than I thought and warm enough to make me relax in an instant. I let my head rest against him as I hugged him back, or as much as I could since my arms couldn’t reach around him.  This bear was extremely good at giving hugs, I’m so calm I actually forgot where I was until he put me back on the ground, a strange chill came over me as the rest of the world seemed cold in comparison. I didn’t tense up at all when he held me, which made sense when I kept thinking of them as animals. That irrational fear of mine never triggered with dogs or such, it only seemed to apply to those I could talk to.  “Wow...I needed that, thanks again Harry.” I said as I patted him. I was definitely going to be coming to him for hugs now if I really needed one.  With the animals fed, I went back inside, having little to do until Fluttershy came back. Looking at the clock, I could see that it was a little past noon, but that didn’t mean much since I didn’t know what time she’d be back. I tried to read a calendar too. I could recognize the numbers, but not the names of the months.  I searched the books once more, this time actually looking for something. There were a couple of notebooks, I flipped through the pages and tried not to read anything that might be in there on the off chance it was something private. I found one that had nothing in it, and a few pencils on the table. I’m not entirely sure why Fluttershy had blank notebooks and pencils here, did she write down notes on the animals or something? I didn’t intend to ask her about it. I’m curious, yes, but not nosy. Usually. I sat down on the couch and opened it to the first page, writing down all the mental notes that came to mind. There wasn’t as much as it felt like, there’d probably be more soon enough. I closed it with the pencil inside, taking my backpack off and placing it on the ground. I was about to open it, but then I saw Angel watching me, I had kind of forgotten he was there. He could be terrifyingly quiet if he wanted to be. “Hey Angel, how good are you at keeping secrets?” I asked in the most innocent voice possible, something I’ve always been terrible at.  He responded by making a motion like he was zipping his mouth shut. Angel wasn't the type to tell a secret, that much I could see. This wasn't a bad secret either, it was more that I’d rather not have to explain it to anyone since I barely understood it myself.  I extended my hand, summoning the menu in front of me. A quick glance confirmed that Angel had no reaction whatsoever. “Can you see this?” I asked as I pointed at it with my other hand.  He shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows in something similar to irritation. Alright, so the menu wasn't visible to others. Good, that made it much easier to hide it. I crouched down and opened the backpack, dropping the book in it and closing it. It appeared in my items, labeled ‘My Journal’. I opened the backpack and wasn’t surprised to find the book not there, the inside void of anything at all. When I clicked on it in my menu, it appeared out of thin air at the bottom.  I double checked that it was the same, the pencil was where I left it and my writing remained untouched. I could only guess that the backpack worked identically like the chest in The Underground, being an access point to a pocket dimension where I could store things. The only differences now were that there didn't seem to be a limit, and I could keep it on my person at all times.  “Chara? Are you in there? I’m home.”  I tensed up at Fluttershy’s voice, immediately putting my journal back in my backpack and withdrawing my hand, the screen vanishing before my eyes. I managed to slip it back on before she opened the door, Angel just watching from the sidelines and not entirely understanding what I’m trying to hide.  After hearing that she was going to a spa, I expected her to come back wearing makeup and in a different hairstyle or something. But no, her appearance barely changed, other than her face being a bit cleaner and a content smile.  “How was feeding the animals? I hope they weren't too much trouble, they can get really upset when they’re hungry for too long.”  She was asking me, but Angel jumped up in her hands and said something. I waited till he was done to respond. “Not at all, they were angels, him included. How was your trip to the spa?”  Fluttershy chuckled at my bad joke, walking up to me as she talked. “It was great! Rarity’s always so nice to talk to. Oh! Before I forget!” She held up a finger signaling me to wait as she reached into a satchel on her side, the same one she left with earlier.  She pulled a handful of small yellow things out, gesturing for me to hold out my arms. I did as she dropped them into my hands. They were hard and in transparent plastic wrappers, resembling candy but not any kind I knew of. “What…” I paused as I picked one out and began to unwrap it. “Are these?”  “They’re butterscotch drops! Angel thought since you liked that pie so much, you might like these.”  I popped one into my mouth, able to tell immediately it was a hard candy and you were supposed to suck on them rather than chew them outright. The sweet flavor of butterscotch filled my mouth as it landed on my tongue. It wasn’t nearly as good as when combined with cinnamon and in pie form, but it was enough to spark a tingle of joy in my heart and make even the biggest of my worries seem insignificant.  The amount of petting I owed Angel just kept getting larger, not that I minded.  “They're amazing, thank you.” I said gleefully as I smirked at her, putting the rest in my backpack. “Did you ask Rarity about getting me new clothes?”  “I did! She’d be happy to make clothes for the person who saved her sister, she just needs to take your measurements and she can make whatever you need. She’s the best seamstress I know.”  My guess that Rarity is a tailor of some kind turned out to be right. “What time are we going? Tomorrow?” I didn’t want to seem too eager, but a change of clothing was definitely in order.  “Tomorrow? What do you mean? We’re leaving now, no reason to wait.” She asked as she tilted her head curiously. “...Oh.”  That was not an answer I was expecting. Dealing with a handful of ponies and some animals were one thing I could handle, even if just barely, but an entire town full of ponies? Who I might have to meet, and would be staring at me because I was different?  It would be far too similar to how I grew up, and I don’t think I’m mentally prepared for that.