To Find Purpose

by The REAL Mister Pkmn

XV- An Awkward Agreement

I looked around, unfamiliar surroundings all around me. This was nothing like the nightmares that I’d been having constantly. Not that I minded the change of pace, though. It wasn’t long before I felt a foreign presence approach my mind. I raised my guard. “Who’s there!? Show yourself, coward!”

The presence was gentle though, calming even. “Nathan. I want to help you deal with these nightmares. It’s only through help from my sister Celestia that I’ve even managed contact like this. Please. Let me help.”

I raised an eyebrow. So this was Celestia’s sister? She sure seemed to be very different in many ways. For some reason that I couldn’t quite understand… I felt that I could trust her. Maybe it was my love of the night, or mayhaps something else altogether, but something got me to cave quicker than normal. I gave a sigh as I lowered my guard. “Very well. Just don’t go touching anything.”

After I had said that, The presence seeped in and I saw her for the first time. Dark blue coat with a black splotch. Flowing mane and tail of nebulous stars. Everything about her reflected quite well the feel of the night. She set down, and I found that she was slightly shorter than her sister, so I towered over her a bit. She cleared her throat. “Nathan. I am glad that you’ve let me in.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t get used to it. Come on. Now that I’m lucid, I think I can guide you to where the root of it is.”

As I walked and she followed, walls of a maze sprung up from nothing. I had little concern for these, seeing as it was my mind. Luna kept up as best she could, deigning to ask me something. “Nathan, you said ‘now that you’re lucid’. Have you had experience with this before?”

I gave a shrug as I led her through the twisting walls. “Sort of. I stumbled upon lucid dreaming by chance in a forum somewhere. The key to pulling it off is to find a way to realize that you’re dreaming. Though, it can leave you drained in the morning, so I don’t do it too often.”

It was a little longer through the maze before we felt a rumble. Luna looked a bit concerned. “I thought that we might have a bit more time… It seems that you are waking. I’ll have to go.”

I sighed. “Not the worst thing in the world. Though…” I conjured a card, and handed it to her. “For when you come back. We can pick up right where you left off.”

She turned the card in her magic. “Amazing… so you can do things like this in dreams, too.”

I gave a shrug. “In dreams, anything is possible. Just hold tight to that. You wouldn’t want to lose it.” I paused as the rumble came back. “You’d better be off.”

Luna left just as I woke.

I woke with a start. That was certainly an experience. Just as I was coming to grips with what that had been, I heard Applejack outside the barn. “Nathan! You comin’?”

I stretched and shook myself off. “I overslept… I’ll catch up with you later.” I listened to hear her walk off, and gave a sigh. It had been a while since I’d slept in… it felt nice. I went over to my backpack first, and took out my scriptures. I read a few chapters to help organize my thoughts a bit. After I felt a bit more composed, I marked my new place in them and closed them and put them away. I then went over to my wardrobe to choose my outfit for the day. It wasn’t cold enough for the long-sleeved shirts, so I decided upon the shirt that I wore on my second day here. As for the pants, I chose the green shorts. I picked up my socks (i’d have to get more pairs soon, these were starting to get a bit worn) and my shoes and exited the barn.

I went over to the house and went up the stairs and knocked on the bathroom door before entering. Nobody was in ther, so I went in and locked the door. I readied for my shower and stepped in. I washed as thoroughly as I could, trying to keep my thoughts off of what was troubling me. Once done washing, I got out and dried myself off. Once dry, I changed into my day clothes and picked up my pajamas and rolled them carefully. I exited the bathroom and went downstairs to grab a bite to eat. I noticed something in the pantry that I hadn’t before, a box of sugar cereal. I took a look at the side to ensure nothing inedible was in it, and I then proceeded to grab everything necessary for a bowl of it. I sat at the table with a bowl of cereal and poured in the milk. I gave a sigh. When was the last time that I’d had sugar cereal? It seemed like forever. I took my time with it, and placed the box back in their pantry when done. After putting away the milk and washing my dishes and leaving them to dry, I left the house.

I walked onwards, and I stopped for nothing. Well, not entirely. I did pause for a bit when I saw Rarity’s place. I almost went over and knocked, in hopes of talking to Ophi, but… I still felt a bit awkward about what had happened yesterday. Maybe when things cooled down. Then again… there was the plan of going off to find the humans that might be near Appaloosa, so… I gave a sigh. Maybe we could put that off for a bit? It wasn’t the worst thing in the world, right? Or maybe… I shook my head. No. Going with anyone else and leaving Ophi behind felt wrong.

I pushed the thought aside as I finally made my way to Applejack’s stall. I could worry about my troubles later. I went behind the counter and my shift began. I let it all drift into white noise as I went through the motions. Even so, when the crowd died down it gave opportunity for Applejack to try and confront my attitude. “Nathan, yer not actin’ lahk yerself today. Ya sure that there’s nothin’ wrong?”

I brushed aside the question entirely. “I’m fine. It’s just a bit of a rough patch, is all. Nothing that you would need to concern yourself with.”

Applejack stared at me for a moment, as if trying to coax something out of me. Didn’t work, though seeing as she gave up after a while. She shook her head. “If ya insist, Ah won’t bother ya ‘bout it none. Jus’ lemme know ifn ya need t’ talk.”

I rolled my eyes. “Please. As if I’d ever need that. Let’s just focus on the task at hand.” It wasn’t long after that the customers came in droves again, providing me a bit of respite. But despite my outward thoughts, I couldn’t truly put my all into it. I was still a bit confused about what had happened with Ophi. I was having slight difficulty believing that I had seen what I thought I had that day. Yet how was I to deny it? It was all so real… I pushed the thoughts aside once more to try and focus. I couldn’t concern myself with whether or not it was a delusion at the moment. After a few more customers came by, things cooled down again.

I stood as I saw most ponies just walk on by. Applejack raised an eyebrow. “Off for a break again, Nathan?”

I sighed with a small nod. “Yeah. I’ll be off for a while. There’s… something I need to do.”

Applejack was a bit confused at my statement, but she let me leave nonetheless. I wandered off, trying to make sense of it all. For the longest time, I had dealt with my feelings for Ophi by shaking them away, brushing aside the thought that she would ever like me back like that. But now, they crept into most of my thoughts. After years of pushing the thoughts back, now was the time they fought back the hardest. It had been somewhat difficult when we first became friends, true. But now… Ever since I saw her blush I just couldn’t get it out of my head. I shook myself off. I needed a distraction. I was running a bit low on funds, after the saxophone lesson I paid for. I grimaced when I recalled that my next pay wasn’t for a while. I took a deep breath as I headed off to the forest. I grabbed a sharp stick and decided to do a bit of fishing in the river. I took off my shoes and socks, and waded in so that the river was up to my knees. I cautiously waited until I stabbed a particularly juicy one. It wasn’t as hard as I’d thought it would be without a fishing rod.

I stepped out of the river and gathered a few stones and sticks to make a fire. I recalled my Boy Scout camping trip that taught us how to prepare a fish, and followed the list meticulously in my head. I soon had it cooking as my feet dried. After the fish had cooked for a bit, I cooled it off for a little while before taking a bite. Salmon. I sighed as I tasted meat for the first time in days. This is why I could never go vegan. I finished off the fish with ease, and made sure to clean off my materials. I put on my socks and shoes again, and put out the fire. I grabbed my new fish-hunting stick and took it back with me. I walked through the forest until I reached the edge and saw the farm again. I put away my newly acquired fishing spear in the barn real quick and left promptly.

Though, after I exited the barn I ran into an unexpected visitor. “Twilight? If you’re looking for Applejack, she’s back at the stall. Speaking of, I best be getting back.”

She shook her head. She looked up at me with a curious look. “Nathan, you seem tense. Is something wrong?”

I shook my head. “Nothing you need to concern yourself with. I don’t see why you keep trying to be my friend. Isn’t it clear by now that I’m not going to change my mind? As the brainy one of the bunch, I thought at least you might understand my logic.”

Twilight gave a small sigh. “So you really won’t change your mind. I can understand where you’re coming from, I suppose. You feel it unnecessary because once you get back… we won’t matter.” I was about to respond, when Twilight brought up the unthinkable. “But what if you can’t get back? What if something about that spell locks you here?”

I scoffed and brushed the idea aside. “Preposterous. Celestia has made progress with understanding the phenomenon that brought us here, so your little ‘what if’ goes straight out the window. Indubitably, you should think out what you say a bit better.”

I made to leave, but Twilight blocked my way. She posed another question. “What if you found some reason to stay? Would you still leave?”

I pushed her away. “Silly pony. There’s no force or reason in the universe that could keep all of us from going home. I know that Ophi feels the same, as do the others. You won’t convince any of us. Now, if that’s all… I’ll be going back to work.” I left the farm, leaving Twilight to stew upon what I had said. I made my way back to Applejack’s stall and gave a sigh as I got back behind the counter. “Alright. Who’s next?”

---

Ophi gave a sigh. “Alright. Let me see if I have this right. You want an extravagant as possible dress, with base of red. Gems, laces, and sequins to help it stand out. Not too short, but not long enough as to go past the end of your back hooves. Do I have that right, miss?”

The pony that had ordered gave a nod, but Ophi was a bit too preoccupied with her mounting headache to care what the mare looked like at the moment. “Yes, that is right. Do you think that you can handle remembering all of that?”

Ophi clenched a fist as her blood pressure rose. She so very badly wanted to deck this mare in the face for her condescending tone. She took a calming breath as she gave a chuckle. “I will let Rarity know your specifications. Now, will you be paying for it all up front, or will you put a small down payment and pay the rest later?”

The mare seemed a bit wounded at the proposition of paying later. “I can afford it, whatever the price.” She got out her purse. “How much is it?”

Celebrating a small victory in her head, Ophi spoke as sweetly as she could. “40 bits. Plus tax… that comes to 44 bits and 16 jangles.”
The mare fumbled through her purse for a while until she pulled out three 20-bit coins. She placed them on the counter and had a bit of a smug look. Ophi checked each one, just to be sure before opening up the register. She counted out the change (5 bits and 84 jangles) and dropped it in the mare’s purse. The mare huffed. “I will be back to check to see if it is done in a few days. Good day.”

The mare walked out, and Ophi let out a breath that she did not know that she had been holding and dusted off her soft yellow blouse. So there were more ponies that she could not stand… who would have thought. She got up so she could go into the back. She placed the mare’s order on top of the pile of Rarity’s orders. Ophi felt sort of bad that she could not help her out with that. She had not learned how to sew like Miara had. Once Rarity had found that out, Miara was on duty helping Rarity manage the orders while Ophi was stuck out here taking them. It was not the worst thing in the world, but…

She gave a sigh as she ensured that her purple skirt was on straight. Even now, she could not get him out of her head. She had tried, but nothing had worked. Even the books she had read yesterday had only made things worse. It was just her luck that the majority of the fiction she picked up had been romance. At a time such as this, things like that should be the furthest thing from her mind. She shook the thought aside as she heard the door open. She greeted the visitor as Rarity had instructed her. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where everything is chic, unique, and magnifique! How can I help you today?”

The pony that entered was one that she hadn’t seen before. It was an ice-blue Earth Pony mare with white mane and tail. She was wearing a pair of black-rimmed purple shades, though they were more circular than the ones that she had seen Vinyl wear. She also had on a black dress with white pinstripes that went about half-way when they touched a maroon stripe that matched her kerchief. The skirt portion had pink rhombi spread evenly, under which was another maroon stripe then a white stripe. The mare seemed to be of some importance, judging by the way she addressed Ophi. “Hm. So you are quite a specimen…”

Ophi raised an eyebrow. “Uh, miss? Are you here to order a dress, or…?”

The mare shook her head. “No. I, Photo Finish, haf heard much about Equestria’s newest celebrities. Would you mind terribly doing a cover piece for a magazine?”

Ophi took that in for a moment. A magazine cover piece? It was a bit exciting, but… she had to know. “Um, what kind of magazines are we talking about here?”

After a shrug, Photo shook her head. “Eh. Mostly just ze tabloids. Nothing too dangerous, if zat is what you are afraid of.”

Ophi rubbed her left hand along her right arm. “Ah. Well, I would, but… I do not want to leave Rarity short-handed. She needs me to run the register while she tries to keep up with all of her orders.”

It was then that Photo took a look around. Her eyes lit up. “Mine word! Zeese are really good!” She gave a nod, and smiled. “Yes, I sink zat I could do a piece on zeese. Tell zis Rarity zat I, Photo Finish, vould like to promote her work.”

Ophi shot up in surprise. “Whoa! Really? Rarity is gonna be pretty happy about that when I tell her for sure! I do hope you have good travels, Miss Finish!”

She went towards the door, and gave one last look back. “It is a darn shame zat you von’t model for me. Such an offer is quite a rare opportunity indeed…” She shook her head, and gave a sigh. “Meby some other time, zen. I go!”

After Poto made her was out of the door, Ophi took a deep breath. That was… certainly something. She almost regretted not taking that offer from Photo Finish. After all, if she was to achieve her dream of being a famous actress, she would inevitably wind up on the covers of magazines back home. So would Nate if he became a famous artist, that was for sure. She sighed deeply as she chastised herself. It always managed to somehow came back to him, didn’t it? She knew that it was a fleeting thing, though. It had to be. If she put any faith in it not being so and it snapped back to them being just friends… She shook the idea away. She needed for this to not get like that. There had to be somebody back home that would dispel this silly little crush.

She was knocked out of her thoughts when Rarity and Miara came back. Rarity looked at Ophi sympathetically. “You have been behind there all day… I am terribly sorry about that. I will be closing up so I can catch up with all of these orders. With Miara to help me, maybe I can make a decent dent in the workload.”

Ophi got up from behind the counter and stretched. Now she could do something with the rest of her day. But before that, she called out to Rarity. “Oh, before you go into the back.” Rarity turned to regard Ophi. “A mare named Photo Finish came by. She said that she would like to promote your work.”

Rarity stuttered for a moment, then calmed herself. “The one and only Photo Finish… to promote my work!” She turned towards Miara. “Come! We have got a lot of work to do if we are to get them all ready for her!”

Ophi gave a sigh as she saw the two of them go to the back room. The problem now was, what would she do? It was then that she recalled that she and Nate had silently agreed to space out checking up on where the humans were by a day, unless something came up. Today was the original planned day, but… she was not sure if she could handle being alone with Nate on the train. She might wind up doing something that she would end up regretting. Still, she did not have enough bits to spend on another piano lesson just yet, so there really was no excuse. She went to the door and turned to see that Rarity and Miara were already hard at work in the back room. Not wanting to disturb them, Ophi went out the door.

She took a look around, trying to find something to do so she could sit out. She had quite the strange mixed feeling about it, though. She really did want to go, and yet at the same time she was afraid of what might happen if she did end up going. She tried to push the thoughts away, and she did succeed for a while. She walked on for a while as she let the thoughts dim. But they came back with a vengeance when she saw Nate waiting at the train station in the distance. There was no getting around it now. He had likely seen her already. She took a breath to steady herself as she went over to the station. When she reached the station, she noticed that Applejack was there, too. She sighed in relief as she tried to play cool. “Hey Nate! Hey Applejack. Sorry that I am late…” She forced her blush not to rise, and she continued. “So, is she coming along, then?”

Nate gave a nod, much to the relief of Ophi. “She insisted on it. Since we are going over to Appaloosa, she wanted to tag along to see her cousin. I do not really mind if you do not mind.”

A light smile graced Ophi’s face. “Oh it is no problem! The more the merrier, as they say!”

Nate seemed to loosen up a bit, and smiled. “Right then. I will be right back with the tickets.” He then went over to the ticket booth to pay.

This gave Applejack opportunity to ask a question of Ophi. “Wut’s up between you two? Have you had a bit of a disagreement lately?”

Caught off guard, Ophi scrambled to get her thoughts together. She did manage it before Nate was finished buying the tickets. “Oh, it is not anything that will not pass with time. I assure you that this little… inconvenience… will not hurt our friendship. I promise.”

It was not long after Ophi had finished her thoughts that Nate beckoned. “Come on, you two. We have got a train to catch.”

Ophi followed, and Applejack came not long after. The conductor punched a hole in their round-trip tickets, and they soon found a place to sit down. The train started as Ophi and Applejack made a bit of idle chatter. “So, Applejack. Do you visit your cousin in Appaloosa often?”

She shook her head. “Not really. The town’s pretty new, so Ah haven’t had the opportunity to visit as often as Ah’d lahk. That’s why I’m goin’ now, with you two.”

Giving a bit of a sigh, Nate chipped in. “As long as we can check where the human was supposedly sighted without interference, all should go well.” He turned to look oat Ophi. “Any hopes for who we might find?”

Caught a bit off guard, it took Ophi a moment to compose herself. She thought about it for a while before shaking her head. “Not really. I want this one to be a surprise.”

Nate gave a bit of a chuckle. “I suppose that’s one thing to hope for. We have both come across old friends so far, plus the strangers that found their way here with them. It would be quite intriguing if neither of us recognized one of the humans that we find, I suppose.”

Then an awkward silence fell between the three of them. Ophi was unsure what else to say, constantly looking as if she would before thinking twice of it. Nate seemed content to just look out the window. Applejack looked between the two of them, a bit concerned. Something had definitely happened, but neither seemed to want to talk about it. She shook her head with a sigh. She could only hope that they could sort all of it out before their friendship wound up going south permanently…

To Be Continued...

Author's Note:

This could prove interesting...