Floor's First Step


                                            Floor's First Step, or how Floor Bored met Paradise Skies and took her first step towards recovery.


                                            >You are Paradise Skies and welcome to Jac- w-welcome to Ponyville.

                                            >Right, Ponyville. You haven't been here for quite a while, it all feels different somehow.

                                            >It's not just the place itself, even ponies feel different, something about them that now seems so distant.

                                            >Or is it you? Have /you/ changed so much in your time on Earth?

                                            >…

                                            >Bleugh! You shake yourself out of those thoughts with an actual little shake. That… that probably looked silly from the outside.

                                            >You quickly get going before you do something even worse.

                                            >Wait, going where? Oh right, the supermarket! There's only one in Ponyville… you checked.

                                            >As for your reason to go there, why you need food! Well, your mom said you do, she gave you a grocery list and all, it's not much, just enough for the weekend.

                                            >She also took Anon with her to that crafts fair she loves to much and totally not to check him out or anything.

                                            >You sigh. It's not like she does it to mess with you, she cares about you and doesn't want anyone to hurt you.

                                            >A little smile graces your lips… and promptly vanishes when you remember Anon's reaction to your mom dragging him along.


                                            >Fear, or terror, or maybe concern, or… No, he's just worried if your mom would like him.

                                            >Silly human, she already likes him, she just wants to know him better, maybe drop an embarrassing question or two and have a little fun messing with him.

                                            >…except he'll think that she's serious and doesn't approve of him being with you, that can happen too.

                                            >Oh no, what have you done? Should you have stopped them? Should you have gone with them? Oh ponyfeathers, what should you do?!

                                            >You take a moment to slow down your breathing before you hyperventilate and start to feel woozy.

                                            >…

                                            >It's not working! You quietly whine in frustration, trying to push down the mounting anxiety. You can't break down like that in the middle of the street!

                                            >You focus on that last part. It's okay Paradise, you're okay, Anon's going to be okay, maybe nervous a little… or maybe more than a lit-

                                            >NO, BAD BRAIN! No bad thoughts!

                                            >Gradually, you manage to calm yourself down and hurry to the supermarket before you have another episode.


                                            "Aw buck." you mutter, looking at the annoyingly-empty pantry.

                                            >You are none other than Floor Bored, and you are STARVING!

                                            >Your vidiya binge was cut short by the rumbling of your stomach, and while it wasn't the first time it did so, this time it was really insistent.

                                            >While you were deciding what to do next, you made the mistake of paying attention to your body's needs.

                                            >As soon as you did, the hunger came down at you with full force. You suddenly became aware how much time have passed, trying to remember when was the last time you had a bite to eat.

                                            >It turned out to be a mistake as well, because the rumbling returned with a vengeance.

                                            >Driven out of your chair by the prospect of starvation, after a detour to the little fillies' room, you arrived at your kitchen, ready to make a quick noodly dinner and leave the much-overhyped reality behind once again.

                                            >Which brings you back to the empty pantry.


                                            >…

                                            >It's still empty.

                                            >wat do

                                            >The demanding rumbling seemingly answers the question. You can almost make out the "Food! We need food!"

                                            >…

                                            >…there's no way around it, is there?

                                            >"Nooooo." answers your stomach, making you a little nervous.

                                            >Deciding against the death by starvation, you walk around the house gathering your things.

                                            >Saddlebag? Check. Your bag of bits? A bit light, but should be enough, check. Your Hoodie of Safety? Donned.

                                            >Taking one last look at your messy living quarters, you resign yourself to your fate and step out.

                                            >…come on Floor, you can do it.

                                            >With a deep breath you finally put your hoof down and cross the door's threshold. You're officially doing it.

                                            >The not-so-great outside world, here you come!


                                            >Couple minutes later you already want back to your little hidey hole.

                                            >There's too many ponies, the sun is too bright, everypony's chatting and it feels like they're whispering about you behind your back, the saddlebags' straps are digging into your back, your hooves hurt…

                                            >You can't believe you forgot how much you hate the outside world.

                                            >But at long last your suffering comes to an end, however temporary. Before you stands the Ponyville's one and only supermarket. Frankly it's not that big of an improvement — there are still ponies milling about inside, but at least there's AC and all the instant noodles your meager funds can buy.

                                            >You grab a cart and start trudging towards the shelf with instant noodles.


                                            >You are a little less sure of yourself Paradise.

                                            >All you had to do was go through the list and get the stuff on it. Simple, right? Even a foal can do it.

                                            >WRONG! So very, very wrong.

                                            >Granted, it's not your first time in this supermarket, but this… THIS you did not foresee — they changed the layout, and not just one or two shelves moved around, it was everything. EVERYTHING! Even the self check-out isn't where it used to be! What is this crock of horseapples? WHY??!

                                            >And it's not like it changed for the better either! You don't know who had the bright idea to do it but you would like to give them a p- a p-piece of your mind! You punctuate your inner rant with a little "harrumph".

                                            >Well, the groceries aren't just going to just waltz over to you, you have to take a look around.

                                            >Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and spot everything you need quickly! Yeah, optimism, let's go with that.


                                            >You are still Paradise and you're starting to get a little miffed.

                                            >You got most of the stuff on the list. Things like bread were easy — can't move the whole bakery, after all.

                                            >Other things you got only because you managed to spot them while walking around like a lost little filly for almost an hour.

                                            >There is, however, something that continues to elude you. Noodles.

                                            >Looks like mom may be poking fun at you, since it was your preferred sustenance during your programming binges, since it needs so little effort to make and you could keep writing code while waiting for it.

                                            >Guess that must be her way of showing how far you've come since then.

                                            >Awww…

                                            >Focus Paradise! Noodles!

                                            >Right… where are they again?..

                                            >Let's see, where did they put the instant noodles? Pasta? Nope. Dry preserves? No?? uh… Uh? UH?¿!

                                            >You nervously trot in place, looking around for the elusive noodles.

                                            >Darn it, where are the stupid things?

                                            >Finally resigning to just ask somepony you approach the pony stocking the shelves.


                                            "E-excu-excuse me…"

                                            >…

                                            >W-what? She didn't react at all!

                                            >Wait, she's got those little headphones clipped to her ears.

                                            >You slowly reach out and gently poke the mare.

                                            >"Wah!" yelps the startled young mare, fumbling with a can of strawberry jam in a rather spectacular manner, juggling it for good few seconds before finally grasping it firmly with her hooves.

                                            >Way to go Paradise, you nearly scared a pony out of her mind, and possibly out of job as well.

                                            >She slowly turned to you with a nervous smile, like a foal caught sneaking cookies from the jar.

                                            "S-s-so-sorry. I-I didn't mean to s-startle you."

                                            >Seeing your equally nervous expression she relaxes and her smile becomes a warm genuine one.

                                            >"It's okay, see?" she shows you the perfectly-intact can of sweet preserved strawberry goodness "It didn't break or anything." she puts it in it's place on the shelf, patting it lightly.

                                            >You still feel bad for giving her a start. Apparently she sees it too.

                                            >"Hey…" she leans to you a bit "…it's okay, I mean it. I got four rear hooves anyway." she said with a small laugh "Just good at catching things, I guess."

                                            >"Can I help you with something?"

                                            "Uh…" come on Paradise, she even asked you first "…where can I find the instant noodles?"


                                            >The shelf-stocking pony gives you a set of directions. Honestly, this layout…

                                            >You thank her and she resumes putting cans of sweets on the shelves, her ponytail bobbing gently as she once again shut out the world around her.

                                            >You diligently follow her directions as if the shelf you're looking for would run away if you as much as took a step in the wrong direction.

                                            >Sure enough, i̶t̶ ̶r̶a̶n̶ ̶a̶w̶a̶y there it was, empty. Did… did something happen?

                                            >You nervously look around. Nopony seem to be in a rush, no other long-lasting products are being taken, no more than usual at least. So there isn't an emergency of some sort.

                                            >Who would buy a dozen or so packs at once? No, that's just silly. They probably just haven't restocked them.

                                            >…still, that leaves you with a conundrum on your hooves.

                                            >"Oh, you're looking for noodles, aren't you?" asks the stallion's voice behind you.

                                            >You whip around, possibly giving yourself a whiplash and making the stallion say a quiet "whoa".

                                            "Uh… y-yeah. A-are you here to stooo…" you trail off, failing to spot a trolley or anything that might be holding the last item on your list.

                                            >"To stooo- you mean to stock the noodles? Nah, I just saw the shelf, same as you…"

                                            "B-b-but…"

                                            >"…I did see a mare drag away a cart full of them though, maybe you could ask her for a pack." the stallion continued, seemingly not noticing your fumbling for words.

                                            "O-oh, w-what did she look like?"

                                            >"Right, uh, well…" he scratches the back of his head trying to remember "…she's got a hoodie on, looks half-dead, oh and she's got a full cart of noodles, duh right?"

                                            "R-right. Th-thank you."

                                            >"No problemo," he sighs, looking at the shelf "guess I'll have to stock that, oh well, it's almost my break time. See you later missy." and just like that he walks off on you.


                                            >This… this isn't going as planned.

                                            >M-maybe you could just wait the shelf to get restocked?..

                                            >…not with an attitude like that. A-and what was he doing, just standing behind you?

                                            >W-was he th-there the w-whole t-t-time?

                                            >❗❗❗

                                            >It took you a moment to rein both embarrassment and anxiety in.

                                            >NOODLES FIRST, FREAK OUT LATER.

                                            >With that renewed commitment you set off to find the mystery mare.

                                            >Hoodie, half-dead, and trolley full of noodles.

                                            >…you're bucked.


                                            >You're dragging a cart full of instant noodle packs, which means you're Floor Bored once again.

                                            >Now that you have what you came here for and your mind is no longer focused, it begins to stray as it wont to do.

                                            >This time your brain starts to pick out the ponies that look happy.

                                            >Like a happy-looking couple, they even have a foal prancing around them, asking for some brand of cereal, if you had to guess.

                                            >Even the pony stocking the shelves looks happy! Look at her, bobbing her head and swaying slightly, she looks like she's bucking DANCING!

                                            >What is this?! It's like they all conspired to taunt you the one day you went outside to buy some food!

                                            >Stop it! Stop being so disgustingly happy! It's irritating! [spoiler]It hurts![/spoiler]

                                            >You swallow a lump in your throat and try to hold back the- hold back your anger!

                                            >Satisfied in torturing you this way, your brain looks for more stimuli and begins to drift back to the reason for your impromptu vidiya marathon, before it was so rudely interrupted by the biological needs.


                                            >It showed up in your recommended videos one day, seemingly for no reason as it wasn't something you normally watched.

                                            >Bored as usual, you decided to entertain your mild curiosity and clicked on it.

                                            >It turned out to be one of those PopSci-type videos that tried to teach normies about something or other using cartoon-like animation.

                                            >You may have watched one or two over the years, though you can't remember what they were about, only that one of the birds bought it in some horrible way and it was treated like a minor "whoops!" moment. That one was a riot.

                                            >Unfortunately, this time the video was about loneliness, of all things.

                                            >Why did you do it Floor? Why did have to click on that stupid video? You stupid blank-flank, why did you watch it?..

                                            >All it did was making you angry and sad. Not only do you now know /why/ it hurts to live like you do, but you now have all those doubts creeping up again.

                                            >Things like "Do you actually enjoy getting all your social interaction from screaming at the stupid foals that get matched with you?"

                                            >Or "Don't you want to change it?" and "Don't you want to be happy?"

                                            >Yeah, just what you needed at 1 am when you have time to think. Harmony you hate it when you have time to think, you always end up just upsetting yourself more.

                                            >But wait, there's more! In addition to upsetting you, the vid's authors had the gall to suggest what you /should/ be doing.

                                            >Yeah, "think if you might be biased to only see the negative" your FLANK! You didn't make up those ponies whispering behind your back!

                                            >…BUCK YOU STUPID BIRDS! BUCK YOU AND YOUR-


                                            "Eeep!" you yelped as your cart crashed into somepony else's.

                                            >ARe yOu buckING KIDDiNg Me?!!

                                            >That's it, the universe is officially out to get you today!

                                            >You turn to unleash your scathing glare at the idiot that totally-bumped-into-you-and-not-the-other-way-around.

                                            >Instead of some mouth-breathing moron you see a rather petite mare in a… sweater?

                                            >IT DOESN'T MATTER! She bumped into you and will receive the full force of our wra-

                                            >Wait, is she hyperventilating?

                                            >"I-I-I'm s-s-s-so s-s-s-sor- s-s-s-sorry!"

                                            >S-s-s-sorry? That is some stutter.

                                            >AARGH! Can she be any more pathetic? It's no fun at all to yell at somepony who's gonna take an hour to stutter out an apology!

                                            "W-watch where you're going!" yeah, YEAH! Take that! Go right up in her face, that'll show her who's the boss around here!

                                            >Wait, what is she… Oh no, oh buck no, no no no…

                                            >She looks like she's about to faint! WHAT DOES ONE DO WHEN SOMEPONY'S ABOUT TO FAINT?! COME ON FLOOR, YOU HAVE THE INTERNET!

                                            "Wait, no, h-hold on! Hey… whatever your name is, look at me! Don't you- don't you faint on me!"

                                            >The tiny mare looks at you with pure wide-eyed terror, breathing like she just ran a marathon underwater.

                                            "S-Stop!" you almost yell, shocking her into a stupor.

                                            >…she's not breathing. Did… did you kill her? Did you give her a stroke?!

                                            >Oh please please PLEASE start breathing again! You don't want to go to prison, you won't survive a day there!

                                            >Y-you'll get raped in the shower! S-sure it may sound hot, but you know the difference between fantasy and reali-

                                            "Breathe darn it!" you shake her desperately, that gets her out of… whatever it is you put her in.

                                            >She sputters and struggles for breathe again. What the hay is this mare's problem?

                                            >You both just breathe heavily for a minute there, with you holding her in your hooves as if her life depends on it.


                                            >"N-noodles." she mutters, looking at your cart.

                                            "Whuh?"

                                            >"Y-you're the m-mare in the hoodie."

                                            >You take a confused look at your hoodie, then at the ponies milling about in the supermarket. Guess it must be an uncommon article of clothing.

                                            >The small mare starts moving and you let her go.

                                            >"I-I wanted to ask if I c-could take a pack or t-two from y-you." she says, now standing on her own four legs.

                                            "…why?"

                                            >"B-because y-you cleaned out the shelf?"

                                            >…

                                            "Oh… right." you chuckle nervously, rubbing your foreleg with another.

                                            >Wait a minute. She crashed into you! You're supposed to be still angry at her!

                                            >…eh, buck it, you're not in the mood for it anymore.

                                            "Well, uh, I… I need them! I-I'm having a friend over." Floor what the hay are you talking about?

                                            >"B-but…"

                                            "Sh-she really likes the ram- she really likes my noodles!" the mare just looks at you with confusion.

                                            >She's not the only one confused. And what was that rambling of a madmare about a friend coming over for your noodles?

                                            >Floor have you lost your mind completely?

                                            >Have you?

                                            >Wait, why are you talking to yourself, in front of others no less?

                                            >Sh-she's been staring at you this whole time.

                                            >You want to die. Just drop dead right then and there.

                                            >Please.

                                            >"A-are you okay?"

                                            >…no such luck.

                                            "Y-yeah. I-I was just thinking how I'm gonna prepare those noodles. Right, I should get going," you fake a laugh and it comes even more psychotic "I, uh, Illseeyoulaterbye!"

                                            >You practically run away, leaving the confused pony behind to make sense of what just happened because, frankly, /you/ can't.

                                            >Just like you can't believe that you uttered this utter nonsense. A friend? Coming over? FOR YOUR NOODLES? WHAT?!!

                                            >You may have finally lost it. You blame the stupid birds for distracting you and making you crash into that mare's cart and nearly killing her.


                                            >Here we go again with the sad stuff…

                                            >Did you really have to yell at her like that? Now that you think about it, she did look weird.

                                            <Oh look who's talking!> SHUT UP brain.

                                            >Still, who walks around outside in a sweater? Then there's the way she nearly fainted when she realized what she did. And the stutter too.

                                            >What a weirdo.

                                            >…

                                            >Wait, she /is/ a weirdo.

                                            <She's a weirdo, you're a weirdo…> what are you driving at brai- <You could be weird together.>

                                            >Sh-shut up brain! This isn't the time f-for this kind of… stuff.

                                            <No dummy, she might be into the same things you are.>

                                            >What's that supposed to mea- oh, OH!

                                            >…

                                            >No.

                                            <You're lonely, aren't you Floor?>

                                            >NO.

                                            <Stop whining and go for it you wuss.>

                                            >She's probably gone already.

                                            <But you know where she's gonna be.>

                                            >Yeah, right, like you're a bucking detective all of a sudden.

                                            <No, but she seems to handle social stuff about as good as you do.>

                                            >The self-

                                            <-check-out. Exactly, now go make a friend before she's gone for good.>


                                            >You're Paradise one again, and what the hay was that?

                                            >You found the pony you were looking for alright, even crashed into her, though from that point on things get a little fuzzy. You think… you think you may have blacked out for a bit.

                                            >You pick yourself up from the floor and start pushing your trolley to the check-out. Hopefully the rest of the day will go by without any more "excitement".

                                            >"Oh hey… sorry I didn't get your name."

                                            >You turn to face that music-loving shelf-stocking juggler pony.

                                            "I-it's Paradise, P-Paradise Skies."

                                            >"Nice to meet you Paradise, I'm Rift Strummer"

                                            >You smile back. So that's what her name was.

                                            "Th-that's a pretty name."

                                            >"Why thank you Paradise! So did you find the noodles?"

                                            "Oh! N-no-"

                                            >"Did you follow the directions? We've moved things around recently and now ponies have trouble finding things."

                                            "No, i-it's not like that. The shelf was empty."

                                            >"What? Hmm… that's odd." she put a hoof to her chin in thought.

                                            "There was a mare in a hoodie, she cleaned out all the packs. I-I've accidentally bumped into h-her."

                                            >"Oh… I think I know who you're talking abut. Yeah, she comes here every now and then, never bought so much in bulk though. Guess things have gotten real bad."

                                            >> elected to walk you to the check-out.

                                            "W-what d-do you mean b-bad? D-do you know her?"

                                            >"No, but I've seen her around. She barely talks, always wears a hoodie, real skittish too. I think she's just sad. I kinda…" you both stopped and she looked around, a hint of pink on her cheeks now.

                                            >"I kinda get her." she leans in talking quietly "I was in a bad way like that, well maybe not *quite* as bad, when my friend's family moved to Manehattan. I think she's lonely and needs a friend."

                                            "Um… w-why d-don't you try and ch-cheer her up?"

                                            >Rift looks away for a moment, there are hints of shame and regret on her face.

                                            >"…I wish I could." she said with a distant look "I barely have time to sleep between my part-time here and college studies."

                                            "Oh."

                                            >"Yeah, oh." she cheered up a bit "But, maybe you could talk to her?"

                                            "W-why me?" you resumed you walk, but not hearing the hoofsteps you turned around.

                                            >Rift's eyes were wide open, yet pupils shrunk to pinpricks.

                                            >She smiled as soon as she realized you were looking at her, but it was an uncomfortable, strained smile. Like she wanted to tell you something important, but could not find the right words, the ones that wouldn't sound mean.

                                            >Despite being little too friendly for your comfort, Rift was nice and she seemed to really feel for the mare in a hoodie. You decided to help her.

                                            "I-is it because I-I'm a little… odd too?"

                                            >She nodded.

                                            >"I'm sorry, I didn't know how to say it… nicely." she added sheepishly.

                                            >"It's just… it's just that I was thinking of quitting this job to have more time for study, but it feels like I'm the only one who even bothers to say hello to her."

                                            >"I know I probably didn't make much of a difference in her life, but I just can't help feeling for her. I mean, I bounced back thanks to a friend, I just thought I could help her in similar way, you know?"


                                            >You understand, perhaps more than you would like to. You remember yourself before you met Anon, it's not something you look back at with pride, nor something you want to relive again.

                                            >Maybe it's worth a try? After all, there's a chance to help someone turn their life around, or at least make them feel less lonely.

                                            >Rift quietly watches you debate yourself, content in you at least giving her suggestion a thought.

                                            "…I-I'll try, t-to t-talk to her I-I mean."

                                            >"Thank you Paradise, I hope she gets better and that you two become friends. I just wish I could make a difference."

                                            "I th-think… I-I think i-it's enough t-that you try t-to help however you c-can." you smile yourself, hopefully making her feel better.

                                            >She smiles back, saying nothing. You and Rift say your goodbyes and she returns to work, probably having used up her break time on you.

                                            >Oddly enough, it doesn't feel like a waste. She definitely gave you a something to think about.


                                            >You're nervous and a little out of breath, running to the check-out, which means you're Floor once again.

                                            >Seems like that mad dash was worth it, as you see the pony you were looking for… just standing around.

                                            >W-was she waiting for you? Why? No, that's silly, why would she wait for /you/ of all ponies?

                                            >…

                                            >…maybe…

                                            >Before you have a chance to wuss out as usual she spots you.

                                            >Alright, stay calm Floor, she probably wants to apologize. Just listen her out and do…

                                            >Wait, what were you going to do anyway?

                                            >Make friends.

                                            >Right. Uh-huh. Yep. Okay.

                                            >…how do you do that again?

                                            >…

                                            >Oh buck she's in front of you! Probably about to stutter out someth-

                                            >Wait, don't space out you dummy!

                                            >"H-hi."

                                            "Uh… hello? I mean, uh… Yeah…"

                                            >She looks confused.

                                            >"A-are you alri-"

                                            "I am not retarded!" you almost yelled at her, instantly wincing at the realization of contradicting what you just said.

                                            "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell. That… that /was/ kinda retarded of me." you sigh in frustration, once again reminded that you can't talk to other ponies.

                                            >The mare in front of you chuckled. Probably trying to hold back the laug-

                                            >Now hold on Floor, remember the birds and the b̶e̶e̶s stuff about seeing only the negative.

                                            >Buck, for all you know she's just as nervous and probably thinks /she/ is the weird one here.

                                            >Should you… should you say something? Like, make her feel better or something? What would you say anyway?

                                            >C'mon Floor… Maybe you could just be honest?

                                            >…no that's stupid. Maybe kinda-honest? Doesn't that defeat the purpose though?..

                                            >UUUUUUHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

                                            "Buck it." you mutter.

                                            >Well, now you've got her attention. Looks like she was in her own world as well.

                                            "Can… can we just pretend this didn't happen?"

                                            >"O-oh, o-okay."

                                            "So, uh, hi. W-were you waiting for me or something?

                                            >"Y-yeah, I w-was." now that got /your/ attention.

                                            >Taking your silence as her cue, she continued.

                                            >"I-I'm P-Paradise b-by th- b-b- b-by the w-way."

                                            "Uh… I'm Floor, Floor Bored."

                                            >"N-nice t-t-to m-meet you F-Floor."

                                            "So, um, why were you waiting for me?"

                                            >"I-it's… wh- uh-" she kept fumbling with words, her stammering was almost as bad as when you two bumped into each other.

                                            "Hey, y-you- you calm down." you say in what you hope to be a reassuring voice.

                                            >She smiles and tries to calm herself down with some sort of breathing technique.

                                            >You resume your inquiry after she seemed to be less jittery.

                                            "Listen, uh, Paradise, I'm… I'm not angry or anything. Is it because of our run-in? I mean, I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier, was in bad mood s'all. Not your fault or anything. We're, like, okay, right?"

                                            >"O-ok- o-okay."

                                            "Cool. And… about the stuff I said earlier, like, when I sounded crazy, about the friend coming over — it's… it's all horseapples. Truth is…" you look up at her, trying hard to spot any sign of her messing with you.


                                            "Truth is… I just don't like going out, so I buy the stuff in bulk."

                                            >"I-I… I w-was like that t-too, s-still am a b-b-bit." she said after a pause, then smiled awkwardly.

                                            >"A-a-and as f-for why I w-was waiting… I… I t-talked with one o-of the ponies s-stocking sh-shelves…"

                                            >You have a hunch who that might be. There's one mare that makes it a point to at least say "hi" whenever you come here.

                                            >Is… is she trying to help you find a friend or something?

                                            >That bitc-

                                            >You almost /feel/ the screeching of brakes on that train of thought.

                                            >That's… not the actions of somepony trying to hurt you. The opposite even.

                                            >Are you that pitiful? Do you look so pathetic that she felt you needed help making friends?

                                            >…so what? Does it really matter why she did it? Because you /do/ need help, if you're being honest with yourself. You /are/ pathetic, you say as much yourself.

                                            >For once in your life Floor Bored would you just accept the help instead of snapping at everypony for trying?

                                            >"-oor? F-Floor B-B-Bored? A-are you o-okay?"

                                            >Great, zoned out again. You take a deep breath and decide to do your best… doing whatever it is ponies do to make friends.

                                            >…guess you'll just keep being honest. That was one of those "friendship elements" or something.

                                            "Yeah. Just zoned out. I think I know who you talked to. I think… I think I should maybe thank her later."

                                            "I'll be honest with you, I didn't really hear what you were saying." you said with an apologetic smile "I'm not trying to be mean or anything, just kinda zoned out, as I said."

                                            >"I-it's alright. Rift said you w-were a-always looking s-sad."

                                            "…she wasn't wrong."

                                            >"S-so sh-she asked me t-to… uh… t-talk to you? I-I d-don't mean l-like j-just… uh…" poor mare fumbles with words again.

                                            "Like a friend or something?" that seem to break her out of the loop.

                                            >"Y-yeah. Sh-she th-thought you n-n-needed a f-friend. A-and I'm a b-bit w-weird too, s-so I-I might have b-b-better luck w-with y-y-you." she trailed off at the last part.

                                            >You sat down on the floor, though hardly noticing it's coldness.

                                            "…Is it just me or the mare's got an eye for weirdos?" you chuckled, Paradise quickly followed suit.

                                            >"M-maybe."

                                            >…

                                            >"D-do you r-really f-feel s-sad often?"

                                            >You nod quietly.

                                            >"M-maybe w-we c-could t-talk… I-I m-m-mean l-like…"

                                            "Like friends?" you said with a small chuckle.

                                            >"I-if you w-want, o-of course."

                                            >…

                                            "I think… I think…" it takes actual effort to say it out loud for some reason "I think I'd like that."

                                            >You exchanged your contacts, desperately trying to hold back the giggles upon seeing her "1337 h4x0r"-like email address, which you promptly slipped into your saddlebag lest you burst out laughing.

                                            >After getting up your walk to the check-out with Paradise was a quiet one.


                                            >You were about to start scanning your purchases when it hit you.

                                            "Oh, Paradise!"

                                            >"Hmm?"

                                            "I totally forgot something with all that friendship stuff. Here…" you hoof her some noodle packages.

                                            >"Um… th-thank you, b-but d-didn't you-"

                                            "It's alright, if worst comes to worst I'll just go out again, I have to thank Rift anyway."

                                            >"I-it's Rift Strummer a-actually."

                                            "So that's what her name is? Cool."

                                            >"W-would you l-like some help w-with th-that?" she points at your cart still full of noodle packages.

                                            "Uh… sure."

                                            >With another pony's help scanning and packing was done much faster.

                                            >You made sure to help Paradise with her things too. It wasn't much, but you wanted to help her too.

                                            >You were about to part ways, having just exited the supermarket, when you called out to her.

                                            "Hey, uh, thanks for agreeing to… y'know, talk to me. You didn't have to, but you still did. So, uh, thanks, it's been nice, talking to you I mean."

                                            >"I-it's been nice t-talking with y-you too F-Floor. A-and I-I like y-your h-hoodie. I-it looks comfy a-and l-looks g-g-good o-on y-you."

                                            >…suddenly your cheeks feel warm for no reason at all.

                                            "A-and I l-like your sweater too. It's very… colorful."

                                            >"Th-thanks. I-I g-guess w-we'll t-talk later."

                                            "…I'm… I'm looking forward to it. Goodbye!" you really are. For the first time in a long while you're actually looking to talking to somepony.

                                            >Did you actually make a friend today?

                                            >You don't know. Guess time will tell.

                                            >But for now, walking home, you cherish something new.

                                            >Or rather it's something that you thought you've lost.

                                            >Something precious.

                                            >Hope.