“Are you sure this is safe to drink?” Arata asked, staring into a beaker containing a bubbling green liquid. He had been enjoying his first day off. Tonic, Panacea, and Camphor had all gone to work at the pharmacy, leaving him at home alone. Marigold had gone to school, but returned in the late afternoon. She was ecstatic to find that Arata had the day off, and was convinced the pair would get their cutie marks.
“Of course it is. It’s medicine, it will make you feel better!” Marigold had attempted to make a healing potion so she could get her cutie mark.
“But, I’m not sick.” Arata didn’t want to hurt Marigold’s feelings, but the amalgam of ingredients she produced from the kitchen did not seem edible. In fact, he was fairly sure one of the ingredients was metal polish.
“You don’t need to be sick to feel better! It will take however you’re feeling and make it better!” Marigold’s face pleaded with Arata. He wanted to turn the drink down, but he didn’t have enough courage.
He raised the beaker to his mouth and took a sip. The initial taste wasn’t bad; she had put enough sugar into the mix to stop it from being bitter. After a few seconds the drink had become anything but pleasant. His mouth started to burn just as he swallowed it. The feeling went all the way down his throat and into his stomach. He also had the lingering taste of metal in his mouth as the pain dissipated.
“Is it working?” Marigold asked, shaking with anticipation. Just as he was about to answer, Arata’s vision went fuzzy and he collapsed.
…
“Quick get some charcoal and milk! Camphor, hold his mouth open.” Arata was barely conscious when he heard Tonic’s panicked voice barking orders. “Quickly make him swallow it.” Arata felt a liquid pour down his throat; followed by bits of something hard.
“Look daddy, he’s waking up,” Marigold couldn’t be seen, but she sounded as if she were in tears.
“Arata, can you hear me?” Tonic slowly shook Arata as Camphor let go of his mouth.
“uhhhhgghhmmmgghhhuhhgmmmgghhh,” Arata had hoped to say ‘yes I can hear you, what is going on’ but apparently he wasn’t capable of doing so.
“Keep going with the milk, hopefully we can neutralize some of it. I can’t believe one sip did this to him.” Tonic continued to pour milk into his mouth.
“Daddy I’m sorry, will Arata be okay?” Marigold cried. She tried to get in close to Arata, but was pushed back by Camphor.
“He’ll be fine, I need you to go to your room now okay?” Tonic tried to say this calmly, but he didn’t do a very good job at it.
“Tonic, the Doctor is here!” came a shout from down outside. Arata could recognize the voice as Panacea, but he couldn’t see her.
“Ugghhmmmagghuuhhasshhhhgg. Aaammagssmma?” Arata was trying to say ‘What Is going on, what in the name of harmony did she give me to drink. Why can’t I talk’.
A new pony joined the trio. He was wearing a lab coat and a stethoscope. He had a brown coat and grey hair. “Good, you’re giving him milk. Did you already get him to swallow the charcoal?”
“Yes we did, he seems to be getting a little better.” Tonic replied.
“Do you have the poison?” The doctor added.
“Yes, it’s over there in that beaker.” Tonic pointed to the green liquid that sat a few hooves away.
“Give me a moment to run a few tests on this, and we can figure out what exactly he has ingested.” The doctor dipped a few pieces of paper into the liquid, and then added two drops of a liquid into it. “You know, you should really be more careful with what you let your daughter play with.”
“Thank you, Doctor. I would have never figured that out without your help. Now if you don’t mind, QUIT JUDGING MY PARENTING AND TELL ME WHAT HE SWALLOWED!” Tonic shouted.
“No need to be snippy with me, Tonic. It looks like he swallowed some acid, so we can expect chemical burns. Keep the milk going and he should be fine; although he may not be able to talk for a while.”
“Thank you doctor,” Tonic said in what he hoped was a polite tone. “Camphor, help me carry Arata up to his room.” The pair lifted him up stairs to his room; where they continued to give him milk.
…
After a few hours Arata had become completely conscious; to find the whole family waiting around his bed.
“Thank Celestia you’re okay” said Tonic. “Before you do anything drink this. It’s a mild anesthetic. It will stop the pain you will feel very, very shortly.”
“Wasshhhht hassspppennning toohh meehh?” Arata tried to talk, but he couldn’t feel his tongue.
“Ya, swallowed some pretty gnarly acid. We were able to stop most of the burning, but it will take a little while for you to talk normal.” Camphor answered.
“You’ll be on painkillers for a while. It will make talking harder, but at least you don’t have to deal with the burns,” Tonic added. “Oh, and I hate to do this to you, but you’ll be on a liquid diet for quite a while.”
“Doosssnnt beessh toogh massd aaht Mahrigahld,” Arata felt awful, not because of his burned esophagus, but because of how sad Marigold looked. From the beginning his intention was to help her feel like she fit in, and find her talent. Instead he was poisoned.
“We aren’t. We know she meant well, but everypony should remember that the path to the moon is paved with good intentions.” Panacea said, hoping she interpreted Arata’s words correctly. “We’re going to go get dinner ready, try to rest. You need it.” The family all walked out of the room; leaving only Arata and Marigold behind.
“I’m sorry I poisoned you, Arata,” Marigold was in tears again.
“Issh ohkaahhyy. Isst wasshhnntt yahour fahhwllt,” Arata mumbled.
“Thank you for telling Mom and Dad it wasn’t my fault.” She was still crying, “Mom seemed mad at me, but Dad seems madder at the doctor. He doesn’t like him very much.”
“Dosshnt wahhrryy yaawwuuu diidhhannt dhoo antithang wharang.” Arata was trying to be comforting, but given his inability to speak this proved to be difficult. He did feel that each sentence improved his expression.
“I guess I’ll never get my cutie mark now. If I can’t even do what my family is good at, what am I good for,” No matter how much it pained Arata to watch she just wouldn’t stop crying.
“Nhhoo Ahhyye fphelt thhaa shammee whayysss. Ishht nahwt yau. Yau whil pfind ahh cchtie mhark ahventuahly. Yahr thallent ish jhust sho sphecial yah havhant faund isht yeht.” Arata got out of bed, and gave Marigold a hug. He couldn’t tell if she understood anything he had tried to say, but she seemed to be settling down.
“I’m gonna let you get some rest.” Marigold darted out of the room without another word.
Arata returned to his bed. He knew exactly how Marigold felt right now; except for the poisoning somepony part. He spent most of his life having the same fears that still hadn’t gone away. He wanted to help Marigold so badly, but he just didn’t know how.
‘Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Hanged Man Arcana.’
‘I really need to get these voices checked out…’ Arata thought to himself as he drifted to sleep.
…
Arata spent most of the next two days in bed. Tonic had brought up a few books for him to read. One was an introduction to modern medicine, and while it was a bit dry and hard to understand, it increased his knowledge. The second was a book on public speaking. This increased his expression. Besides the liquid diet he was on, the past few days had been surprisingly pleasant.
Towards the evening of his third day off Camphor decided to pay him a visit.
“Hey there duuude,” Camphor called in a slightly gruff voice as he entered the room. “How ya feelin’?”
“A lot better. I can talk normally for the mosht phart.” Arata replied with a smile.
“Radical,” Camphor walked close to Arata, and placed a beaker in his hoof. “I made this for you, it should help with the healing process.”
“What ish it?” Arata asked with hesitation. Although he was significantly older, and hopefully better trained that Marigold, Arata didn’t completely trust Camphor’s medical abilities.
“It’s just some aloe with ginger for pain relief, and a hoofful of medicinal herbs.”
“No ashid?” Arata further inquired.
“Not a drop, dude.” Camphor assured.
Arata drank the mixture. To his surprise, and relief, it seemed to be soothing the pain in his throat and mouth. Its consistency was a bit strange, it was more of a gel than a liquid, but it wasn’t unpleasant. After he finished, Arata turned to Camphor.
“Thanksh, that ashtually helped the pain a lot.” Arata smiled, and placed the beaker on the table next to his bed.
“Radical, I told Dad that it would work, but he didn’t believe me,” Camphor looked a bit less mellow than he usually did.
“Whaat do you mhean?” Arata felt silly trying to maintain a conversation while he still couldn’t talk.
“He thinks herbal medicine is ‘antiquated’ and ‘useless’” Camphor scoffed. “But whatever man, I shouldn’t let him harsh my vibes like this.”
“Hassh your vhibes?” Arata cocked his head.
“You know, bum you out, get ya down.” Camphor drawled on.
“Ah thsat mashkes shenshe” Arata had no idea why Camphor spoke so differently from everypony else in Foalsdale, but it didn’t seem important. He felt that he was starting to understand Camphor. Another voice rang out in his mind.
‘Thou shalt have our blessing when thou choosest to create a Persona of the Lovers Arcana.’
“Camphor, did you hear that?” Arata asked, hoping that he wasn’t the only pony who was hearing voices.
“Hear what braah?” Camphor didn’t have any idea what Arata was talking about. The two talked for a while before Camphor left.
The past few days had been strange for Arata, he felt like he was making friends. This was something which he had not been able to do in Nippony. He felt like he needed guidance. This was all so new to him, so foreign. Maybe Igor and Caroline could help him. They had given him guidance this far. Whatever the case he decided to worry about it the next day, and went to sleep.
…
Arata felt refreshed the next morning. He wasted no time in starting his last day off. After spending three days in bed, he decided that taking a stroll around town would be fun and relaxing. This was the kind of activity he didn’t get a chance to do back in Nippony. Normally a carefree stroll was brought to an abrupt halt by somepony telling him he wasn’t good enough.
Mane Street was vibrant and full of excitement this morning. Everypony was dashing about, either working or running errands. Each building was a different color from the next, and covered by either a thatched roof or tiles. Arata wasn’t walking anywhere in particular. He wandered about trying to form a mental map of the town. As he followed the yellow bricks that lined Mane Street, Arata passed several locations of interest. The school, city hall, and the library were all located in the center of town. The pharmacy, market, and hospital were toward the south. The diner, logging camp, and other services were all on the northern side.
As he wandered past the library, Arata noticed a dim light coming out of an alley. He approached it hesitantly at first, but as he neared it he was greeted by the Velvet Room’s door. This was his chance to ask Igor and Caroline for help in, well, having friends. He used the key he wore around his neck to open the door.
“Hello Arata,” Caroline spoke. She was sitting alone in her usual seat holding The Compendium. “Is there anything I can help you with?”
Arata noted that Igor was not present, neither were the cards which usually adorned the table. “I had a question about social links,” His voice had completely healed overnight. Whatever Camphor gave him seemed to work. “Also where’s Igor?”
“Master has other things to attend to, but I should be able to assist you with social links. What exactly did you need to ask?” This was the first time Arata had fully taken in Caroline’s appearance. In the past he had been too busy trying to figure out what exactly Igor was to worry about her. Her coat was a very light tan color that bordered on peach. Her eyes were a bright yellow that shone against the dark blue background.
“I wanted to know if you had any advice on how I should keep close to social links?” Arata earnestly asked.
“You mean you want to learn how to be friends with other ponies?” She dully responded.
“I guess… It sounds worse when you phrase it that way.” Arata was embarrassed, not only because he had to ask this question, but because he didn’t have anypony else to ask it to.
“I will need to learn more of your world. Is there a place that would hold information on your realm?” Caroline seemed a bit annoyed, but Arata didn’t want to turn down the help.
“There is a library, it should have books on that.” He hadn’t actually seen what the Foalsdale library contained, but it would be a start.
“Very well… before we depart I have a question for you.” She stood and walked toward Arata. “Does this form please you? Or would you have me take another?”
“Uhhh… what do you mean?” Arata shielded his eyes as a flash of light shot out from Caroline. Where she been moments ago there was now stood a slender stallion with the same coat, and mane.
“Is this more suitable?” The stallion asked in a deep, velvety voice. “You may call me Charles while I am in this form.”
“I think I prefer Caroline…” Arata muttered trying not to make eye contact.
“Very well,” With another flash Charles was replaced by Caroline. “I shall use my female form from this point on.” Caroline exited the Velvet Room, and Arata found himself standing in an alley. “Lead on Arata.”
Arata took his new companion to the public library. He didn’t really understand why this was an important part of helping him make friends, but he didn’t have enough courage to ask. Arata was tense the entire walk to the library. This was the type of town where everypony knew everypony else. He stood out enough as it was, he didn’t need any more attention brought to him.
When they reached the library, Caroline wasted no time. She left Arata standing in the door while she darted from corner to corner flipping through books. The library was small, but well kept. Shelves lined the walls with a few rows in the center of the building. The room itself was much like the pharmacy, except there was a staircase which Arata assumed led to a loft.
“Oh, hello, can I help you find anything?” A soft voice called out from behind a shelf. It was directed at Caroline, which worried Arata given her pony-skills.
“I require texts on history. Also friendship,” Caroline bluntly responded. She was paying more attention to the books then the pony talking to her.
“History texts are over here,” the slightly confused mare answered. “I don’t think we have anything exclusively on friendship though.” She led Caroline across the library to a dusty shelf. “Not many people come here for the history. These books don’t get as much love as they deserve.” The mare’s azure coat glistened under the soft light in the room, and her blonde mane was tied into a neat bun. She reached down to a lower shelf, and pulled out a dusty leather bound book. “I hope this book is helpful. Um, I’ll be over there if you need me.” The librarian moved off to a corner she seemed shy and withdrawn the entire interaction.
Arata made his way over to Caroline who had become completely engrossed in the book she was handed. Abruptly she turned to him, “What are these ‘cutie marks’?”
“Oh I thought you knew,” Arata looked down at her flank, and realized that Caroline lacked a cutie mark. “It’s something ponies get when they discover what their special talent is.”
“I see,” as she spoke a cutie mark appeared on her flank, “I believe The Compendium will serve as a fitting cutie mark. So tell me does your lack of a cutie mark signify you have no special talent?”
Arata froze and his mouth tightened into a false smile, “Uh, um, no. It just means I haven’t found it yet.”
“Very well. I shall continue my research. I will alert you when I am finished.” Caroline turned her gaze back to the book, tuning out all of the surroundings.
Arata wandered around the library for a while before Caroline called him back. There had been no sign of the librarian since she disappeared.
“If you will follow me back to the Velvet Room I will give you a full briefing on what the text refers to as ‘the magic of friendship’. It is an odd subject, but it appears to have great power in this world.” Without another word Caroline exited the library, Arata followed hoping that she actually had something of use to tell him. There were a fair amount of ponies walking around Foalsdale, a few threw glances at Arata and Caroline but no one seemed too interested in them.
Back in the Velvet Room Caroline began to describe her findings to Arata. “To simplify this for you, there appear to be five traits in you that will help you start and maintain your friendships. These are: charm, expression, knowledge, diligence, and understanding. As you improve in each of these attributes you will be able to develop more bonds, and make your current ones stronger.”