What's Wrong With Me? [Open]

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It was hardly different from any other day, Blessing had slept in a few hours but she wasn't quite sure why. After a quick glance at the clock, the purple and white pegasus rolled out of bed and hummed a little tune to herself to start the day. When she had approached the mirror, however, something seemed off. She stared at her reflection for a moment, no longer humming her sweet little tune. Physically, there didn't seem to be anything different about her. On the inside though.. Blessing didn't feel like herself. Had she had a nightmare? No... not that she could remember. She didn't have any reason to feel unhappy today, so why did she?

That was nearly an hour ago, and now Blessing sat by herself at a table at Sugarcube Corner. She had decided that perhaps a trip to the cake shop could cheer her up, but at the moment it didn't seem to be working. Blessing sat with her chin resting on the table, a blank expression on her face as she stared at the strawberry smoothie sitting in front of her. She wasn't feeling particularly hungry today, but she had decided that she'd better have something. Skipping breakfast was always a bad idea, even more so today since she had slept in late.

Even though her light blue eyes rested upon her smoothie, Blessing paid little attention to it. Her mind had started to wander, and she wondered to herself what had her down on this nice day. She wasn't grumpy, exactly, just unhappy. But that was not the sort of pony that Blessing normally was. She was supposed to be cheery and optimistic, not.. this. She had had days like this before, but not since she was a small filly. It just didn't make sense for her to feel like this now.

Blessing took in a deep, silent breath, then exhaled. Part of her knew what the problem was, but she didn't want to admit it to herself. On the way to Sugarcube Corner she had seen a pair of pegasi fly overhead, and this strange feeling inside her only seemed to get worse. With another sigh Blessing closed her eyes and banished the thought from her mind. She was not jealous. Blessing didn't care about her wings, she didn't need them. At least, that's what she told herself.

With her eyes still closed, Blessing began to think of Cloudsdale. She had traveled there recently, thankfully being a pegasus she could still walk on clouds even if she couldn't fly. She then thought of the Wonderbolts and how fast and agile they were. Why couldn't Blessing have been so lucky to be blessed with those skills? She then gave a small shake of her head. That's what it was, wasn't it? She just felt so... boring. She had never been to Canterlot, nor Manehattan, nor Las Pagasus... was she doomed to stay in Ponyville for the rest of her life? What kept her from leaving, anyway? After another deep breath, Blessing sighed once again before she spoke ever so softly to herself. "I need.. excitement."

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There’s absolutely nowhere in this forsaken town worth a damn to eat at!, Blueblood thought as he stomped through town.

In terms of weather everything seemed perfectly fine that day. Bright, sunny skies with little clouds, a little chilly for being winter but not bad at all; no slush on the ground at least. But for Blueblood, he might as well have been standing in the middle of a tornado during a hurricane while the blizzard of the century raged if weather was judged by his mood. He hated Ponyville, he hated having to be here, and he hated the lack of any dining establishments that actually had food edible for someone of his palette. About the only things he could tolerate were the apples, but those were swiftly losing their appeal as well.

The fact that they also served as a constant reminder of that Applejack mare didn’t help things either. He had tread his ground very carefully as far as he knew; at least he hadn’t been chased out of Ponyville by an angry mob yet. Still, he knew one wrong move and that farmer was going to buck him right in the face. His perfectly groomed and managed face.

But there was one problem with behaving; it was absolutely booooring. More importantly, it was also exhausting. It utterly baffled him that his face wasn’t frozen with the fake smile he had to put on at all times while walking through town. And being polite to all these peasants were being all…peasanty. Absolutely dreadful. Canterlot’s finest physicians would all probably agree with him that if he didn’t try and engage in at least a little bit of fun and debauchery he would probably be sick, both from exhaustion and from the sheer insanity brought on by boredom.

First, however, he needed food.

Without any actually satisfactory options for dining, Blueblood grudgingly made his way towards the local bakery, Sugarcube Corner. Just looking at that building made his teeth wince in pain as if they had a cavity; only a foolish peasant would design a bakery to look like a giant pile of sweets. He had to research who built it just so he could make sure that, when he got back into Canterlot, he would have their contractor license burnt to crisps so they could never make another building again. Still, at least the food could be eaten, even if the overabundance of sugar in their sweets made it more carnival fare than exquisite dining. Hours from now his stomach would not be thanking him for ingesting these baked “goods”. Though lately, in a frightening turn of events, Blueblood found himself….tolerating it. Just the thought made him shiver as he walked in through the door.

Glancing around, he spotted a pegasus mare in front of him. He could tell by experience that she was down; the way she carried herself told him everything. Hmm, well, maybe this would actually be a good chance for him to have some fun. Slicking back his mane, he swaggered his way up beside her, head turning with a smile and a bit of a raised eyebrow.

”Why hello there. And here I thought the muffins would be the only thing here that looked…appetizing.”

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Blessing remained lost in her thoughts, by this point she had almost completely shut out the world. It was as if she had forgotten where she was, what she was doing... but she was suddenly brought back to reality by a voice. Blessing opened her eyes and looked up at the stallion gazing at her, wondering how in Equestria she had not noticed him before. How long had he been standing there?

Blessing found herself at a loss for words. She usually was a shy pony, but she had never seen someone quite like this stallion before.. at least, probably not in a long time. She had to admit that he was handsome, but he looked like he belonged in Canterlot or one of those fancier cities, not the small town of Ponyville. After she recalled what the stranger had said to her, Blessing had to stop and think again. Was he actually... flirting with her? She was hallucinating, right? She had to be. Nopony would actually walk right up to Blessing and greet her with a line as cheesy as that.

Realizing that her chin had still been resting on the table, Blessing quickly sat up straight. She glanced to her smoothie, which she had never even taken a sip of, and then looked back to the stallion. 'He's waiting for you to say something..' Blessing told herself, 'So say something!' After taking a deep, silent breath, Blessing calmed herself down and gathered up her courage. There was nothing different about this stallion from every other one she met, so she had no reason to be so nervous.

"Um, hi.." Blessing replied, but she silently scolded herself immediately after. That was all she could say? She probably sounded like a fool now. Why did she have to leave home today? She could have stayed in bed and slept this bad day away. But instead here she was, sitting in front of this stranger while her mind was just as cloudy as it was this morning. At least this stallion was a unicorn instead of a pegasus; seeing another pony with wings was likely to just make her feel even worse, if that was even possible.

Normally Blessing would have greeted new ponies with a smile, but there was no such smile today. She leaned to the side ever so slightly, to see if she could get a glimpse of the stallion's cutie mark. 'A compass? Is he some sort of adventurer?' Blessing thought to herself, then looked back to her abandoned smoothie while hoping he hadn't caught her staring at his flank. She had a feeling that this conversation was going to be an awkward one. After shifting her weight rather nervously, Blessing eventually looked up at the stranger once again.

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Blueblood gave himself a slight ego-boosting smile. Banished or not, he still had what it took to get the mares’ attention. Just one line and she was already enraptured by his appearance, unable to say anything but a little, meek “Hi”. It could be forgiven though; he was considered one of the most eligible bachelor’s in all of Equestria…the Gala aside. Yes, it should be a crime to look as good as him. But enough of that; he had a mare to enjoy.

”I hope I didn’t startle you madame,” he said as he made himself comfortable at her table. As he sat down, he noticed her shifting a little bit to take a look at his flank. While he knew it was probably just to look at his cutie mark, he figured he’d save that piece of information for later in case she turned out to be one of those stubborn types who tried so very hard to deny their attraction to him.

Still, for now he made an attempt to return the favor. Normally he was pretty good at looking at flanks discretely, but in this case he made it a little more clear. Satisfied with what he saw, he also caught a glimpse of her cutie mark; it was a treble clef. So she was a musician of some sort? Well, at least someone in this town was capable of having culture of some sort. At least that meant there was the option for something else entertaining than just some flirting. Which, of course, he was getting back to right away.

”As I walked in I couldn’t help but wonder how a beauty such as yourself was looking so upset.”

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"Startle me? Oh no, I just.. um, wasn't expecting company.." Once again, Blessing became frustrated at her poor choice of words. She told herself not to sound annoyed with the stranger, he probably meant well by approaching her, after all. Or, he was just looking for someone to flirt with. Blessing really wasn't sure which since either sounded equally likely. She eventually decided a bit of company didn't sound so bad, but she didn't really have a choice because the stranger had already sat down at her table.

At first, Blessing thought she was mistaken when she thought that the stallion glanced to her flank. Yes... he did. It was only for a short moment, but he was no doubt only looking at her cutie mark, like she had looked at his earlier. At least, that's what Blessing believed. Her cutie mark was a bit hidden by her wings, but most ponies were usually able to figure out what it was. As long as they didn't ask to see it, which would require her to lift her wing, Blessing was fine.

Was it so obvious that she was upset? Of course it was... Ponyville was typically a happy place, and here she was in Sugarcube Corner being mopey all by herself. That was bound to attract some attention sooner or later, and once again Blessing told herself that she just should have stayed home. She just wasn't herself today.. How was she supposed to explain her troubles to somepony she just met, while she couldn't even form a proper sentence? It didn't help at all that the stranger continued to flirt. Despite her best efforts to avoid it, a small blush appeared on Blessing's cheeks after being called a "beauty".

"Oh, I was just.. thinking. I don't really feel like myself today, to be honest."

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”Well, seems we both found something we weren’t expecting,” Blueblood said, continuing on with the playful flirting. Granted, the comment sounded a little serious by the tone in her voice, but he would have to play by ear and see how things went from this point on. He could adjust his strategy based on her reactions and thoughts. After all, she was depressed about something; it was just a matter of what. And solving that question could solve a lot of things for him.

Staring at flanks and cutie marks finished, he had to keep his eyes a little higher. Being a gentlecolt was still a part of some of his reputation after all. With no excuse, he had to keep his eyes steady on her own, which wasn’t too much of an issue. She had a rather beautiful set of bright blue eyes that were worth just as much attention as her flank. Plus, she had a rather interesting mane cut; he wasn’t used to a very messy and uncombed mane on mares…or stallions if they were from Canterlot. While yes he still preferred the more classy look, he could go for the occasional wild thing.

Good thing he was looking up there too; he might have missed that slight blush that was forming on her face. Excellent, he was starting tantalize her. Now he could start working on drawing her in.

”Now how could that be? Why would anyone want to feel like somepony other than you?”

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"Yes, I suppose we did.." Blessing replied, growing a bit tired of the continuous flirting, but she hardly let it show. She glanced away from the stranger and down at the table again, a frown still present on her face. The company was nice, but in her current state there was such a thing as too much flirting. Then again, she didn't really want to talk about what was wrong, either.

Blessing realized that sooner or later the stallion was going to ask what was wrong, so she tried to put together a story in her mind. She wasn't going to lie, but she wasn't eager to tell the whole truth. What was he going to think when she mentions that she's depressed about her wings? That wasn't the only reason she was down, but it was the biggest. Even to Blessing, a pegasus that couldn't fly just sounded ridiculous. But.. being a unicorn, maybe he would be a little more understanding.

After letting out a quiet sigh, Blessing continued to gaze at the table. Perhaps it was a little rude not to look at the stallion, but today she wasn't thinking about that. 'Tell him what's wrong.' Blessing argued with herself, 'Just tell him.' After a moment of silence, she finally spoke again.

"I wasn't sure at first, but... I think I'm just a little tired of Ponyville. I need a change of scenery, at least for a little while. And.. I suppose that's not the only thing."

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If there was one thing that he was good at, even if it occasionally failed him, it was having a good sense of direction. Sure, it meant he was a pretty good navigator, but years of practice with social graces meant that, when he was actually paying attention, he could have a good sense of the direction a conversation had as well. Yes, it failed him spectacularly at the Gala, but now would be as good a time as any to begin refining it. He chalked up his Gala failure as simply not being as well adjusted to the thoughts of peasants than nobleponies. And with his new life circumstances, well, he was going to have to learn mighty quick how to read a peasant.

While the mare in front of him had already started depressed, the downward glance could have been seen as a sign he was getting a little too heavy on the flirting. Simple enough to adjust, but there was a problem still. The sigh she gave was setting off alarms in his head; whatever was making this girl sad, it was a serious problem. He. Didn’t. Do. Serious. Bored or not, he was going to need to start figuring out a way out of this conversation, and fast. He was wanting fun and harmless flirting, not becoming some stranger’s therapist. Not like he would be any good at that job anyway.

Still, it wasn’t like he couldn’t sympathize with the feeling of being tired of Ponyville. He had been tired of it since day one. Heck, he was tired of it the moment he was being told he was going to Ponyville.

”I know the feeling,” he started off,”Maybe what you need is a vacation, getting out of town for a bit to clear your head.”

He ignored the “not only thing” part of her sentence. As he was just wanting to get out of there now, he really didn’t want to hear about it. But his senses? They were telling him there was a good chance he was going to anyway….

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What the stallion said next caused Blessing to pause. A vacation... couldn't she have figured that out herself? She had to come in to Sugarcube Corner and think about how depressed she was to be stuck in one place for so long before a stranger suggested she go out and explore? Her mind really was a mess this morning. Nevertheless, his suggestion seemed to help at least a little, because Blessing's sad frown faded away and left a neutral expression on her face as she pondered his words.

"A vacation.. that's a really good idea.. I think. I don't know why I haven't thought of that." Blessing said, for once her tone did not seem as sad or frustrated as it did moments before. The thought of going on a vacation to get out of Ponyville and clear her head, even if only for a short time, made her feel at least a little better. Not only that, but the stallion didn't ask her about what else was causing her to feel depressed. Perhaps it would have been better to talk about her wings, but Blessing was hoping she didn't have to. In fact, she would be fine if the stallion forgot that she had even mentioned something else was bothering her.

Blessing finally managed to once again lift her gaze from the table and look up at the stallion. A faint frown was still on her face, but now her expression was more thoughtful. If she were to leave Ponyville, she wasn't quite sure where she would go. Equestria was such a big place, and she also had to consider how much money she had and where that could take her.

"I really think it would help if I could leave Ponyville for a while. But.." Blessing trailed off, wondering how to ask what was on her mind. "Where would I go? I've never left Ponyville before.."

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Well, he had at least succeeded in getting her to go from depressing to blank faced. It was if the idea of a vacation had never even once passed through her mind before….this mare was really messed up. At least it seemed that she wasn’t going to bother him with whatever was on her mind. That meant he could easily try and slip his way out of this and try and get back to some semblance of his normal, care-free-ish life. But as she started talking, his own face started to droop down in a bit of an awkward mix between still trying to smile and a frown as he realized she was now wanting some details.

”Oh, well, uhm…”

Think Blueblood think. How can you get her to get out of here immediately and out on this vacation thing…

”I got it,” he replied, his face lighting up with a slight smile as he figured out a possible solution to his conundrum.

”Just take a map, throw a dart and go wherever it lands! Overthinking seems to be causing you problems, just do something without thinking.”

Yeah, that would probably work well enough. Thinking tended to be the thing that stopped oh so many fun sounding things in the past. How much would it cost? Who would take care of the garden? Is it legal? Being royalty had meant he could ignore so many of those questions, and he had such a fun time doing it. If it worked for him, well, why wouldn’t it work for her? Besides, there were probably plenty of peasant-y ways to save cash. Like hitch-hiking or something. She’d figure it out eventually.

”In fact, why don’t you go ahead and pack your things right now before you start doubting yourself again. Go on and have yourself an adventure” he said, stepping a bit to the side and motioning towards the door, head slightly tilting towards it with that smile of his plastered on again.

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The stallion did have a point, Blessing seemed to be overthinking things too much. But still, she didn't want to dive into something she wasn't ready for. And she definitely did not want to go somewhere without considering all other options first...

Blessing gave a subtle shake of her head. 'This is exactly what you should be avoiding. Stop thinking so much and go have a little fun for once.' If she thought about it too much, like the stallion had said, she would likely just end up backing out of the entire thing. She wouldn't allow herself to do that. Blessing had gone through with things she set her mind on in the past, and she was going to go through with this one.

"Well... I'm not sure that tossing a dart would be a good method for choosing, but I think you're right, I'm not going to overthink it. I'm just going to go out there and explore." A small smile finally managed to appear on Blessing's face. It was still not the same smile she usually wore, but it was something, at least. Blessing wasn't going to allow herself to feel doubtful about this, and that made her feel better.

When the stallion motioned toward the door, Blessing gave a nod. She finally stood, and before heading toward the door she gave another small smile and said, "Thanks a lot for talking to me.. I guess I needed it." At this point Blessing still wasn't sure whether he had approached her to actually help or just to flirt, but it didn't matter to her. Either way, he still helped.