In Eri's Eyes

>Stepping into the room you felt a lot of regret
>It really did hurt, leaving before fulfilling your promise to her
>It's the only thing she had ever asked you for, and you weren't going to be able to keep it
>The four alicorns surrounded Discord
>Twilight stepped forward
>She looked upset
>"Again, I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your stay in Equestria."
>Exactly a week ago you would have agreed, but this week changed everything
>This was the week you met 'her'
>You nodded, but said nothing
>Discord seemingly tore into reality with his claw, leaving a portal behind
>Before stepping into the rift you turn to discord
"Can I ask you a f-"
>He interrupts you
>"You know I can't do that Anon, it's against the rules."
>You sigh
"Yeah I know, worth a shot."
>He smirks
>"Keep that chin up Anon, you aren't forgetting now are you?"
"No..."
>You hesitate, wanting to remember everything at least one more time before those memories are taken from you

[Post 2]

>It was still very early in the morning when you stepped into Sugar Cube Corner
>The aroma wafting through the air was magnificent
>The confectioners all hard at work prepping pastries and baking desserts
>This was one of the few places you actually liked in Equestria, you were going to miss it
>Sitting down at your usual booth you continue reading the letter you had received
>'...I'd like to once again apologize that you've not enjoyed your time in Equestria. With the help of Discord we've located Earth and are currently preparing a portal, though it will be about a week until it's safe for use.   -Twilight'
>You were actually going through with it, you were going to leave Equestria
>People would kill to be where you are now, so why would you leave?
>You're practically yanked from your train of thought once you hear somethi- rather someone shifting in the seat across from you
>A black mane with a streak of light ruby veiled an ash gray earth mare
>Her eyes matched the streak in her mane, but colorful as they were, they still looked... sad
>You couldn't look away from her eyes
>The same eyes that seemed to be looking right through you

[Post 3]

>Looking around the shop you see that she couldn't possibly be looking at anyone but you
>After a moment passes you decide to break the silence
"Hey?"
>The mare winced
>"S-Sorry.."
>She takes a deep breath, regaining her composure before continuing
>"I guess I kinda zoned out."
>You wave it off
"Nothing to worry about, happens to the best of us."
>She doesn't reply but she does fidget with her hooves
>Glancing towards the window you see it's still early
>Even the Apples wouldn't be up until around an hour from now
>Other than you and the mare on the other side of the table, the only ponies awake would be the Cube Corner staff
>Speaking of the staff
>Ponyville's pink party planner Pinkie Pie, came bounding from the kitchen while humming that same tune she always does in the morning
>She stops by your table and looks to you
>"Hey Nonny!"
>Then to the mare
>"Hey Eri!"
>Eri Murmurs something and raises a hoof to wave at the party planner
>The party pony turns back to you
>"Why didn't you tell me you knew each other!?"

[Post 4]

>You shrug
"Well, we don't really know each other."
>She sits for a moment before turning to Eri
>"The usual order then, Eri?"
>Receiving a nod in response Pinkie looks to you
>"Same for you Nonny?"
"Surprise me, I won't be in Equestria much longer and still haven't tried everything."
>Pinkie's expression faltered for a fraction of a second
>It was obvious that she still wasn't too happy about it but she would never try to stop you
>She gestures to you but leaves before you can make any sense of it
>It's not until the sound of Pinkie's humming is gone that Eri speaks
>"So... you're leaving Equestria?"
"Don't get me wrong. Equestria is great, I just don't belong here."
>She slumps in her seat
>"That makes two of us."
"You too?"
>"Yeah."
>From the sound of her voice you could tell she was feeling down
>It always worked for you, so maybe...
"Chin up Eri, I'm sure everything'll get better
>You offer a smile but it doesn't seem to really help
>An upbeat humming announces the return of Pinkie and the arrival of your order
>Whatever that is

[Post 5]

>Even after the plates are set down you continue to look at the party pony
"Pinkie, when I said surprise me I didn't mean to give me dessert for breakfast."
>She laughs
>"That's not a dessert silly, they're strawberry shortcake stacked pancakes."
>She leans in close to you
>"Eri's favorite."
"Regardless, what part of strawberry shortcake says breakfast?"
>"The stacked pancake part! I mean, how often do you eat pancakes for dessert?"
>You look over to Eri
>Sure enough, she has a plate similar to yours
>She repeatedly circled the stack with her fork
>You will never get over how ponies hold things in either of their hooves
>You noticed Pinkie gesturing again
>Her hoof passing over her own face
>You're still not sure-
>You look back to Eri who finally began eating
>You turn back to Pinkie who mouths two words
>Turning back to Eri you catch her take her first bite
>Eri very slowly reaches towards her milk
>You thought Pinkie might of been joking
>She wasn't
>[Spoiler]She's blind[/Spoiler]

------[Post 6] - Day 2
>As usual, Pinkie broke the silence
>"Come on Nonny. The pancakes won't bite, that's your job!"
>Having been broken out of your trance you pick up your fork
>The pancakes couldn't be described as anything but a dessert
>From the plate to your mouth, it was nothing but enjoyable
>But more than anything
"These are pretty sweet."
>Eri shifted slightly before quietly speaking
>"They're not that sweet."
>She took another bite but said nothing else
>"Gotta get back to work, you two have fun!"
>As Pinkie left, you again began eating
>But your eyes are glued to the mare sitting across from you
>She wouldn't notice but you still didn't like to stare
>Once again glancing to the window you see the sun still has yet to rise

[Post 7]

"So Eri, What's got you awake so early?"
>She takes a moment to respond, swallowing down the last of her food
>"Nothing special, I always come here this early."
>She finishes the last of her pancakes before continuing
>"What about you... Nonny was it?"
"Names Anonymous but you can call me Nonny, all of my friends do."
>It still hurts to say that
>You did have one friend who didn't call you Nonny but he's really busy these days
>The sound of her fork placed onto her plate grabs your attention
>"Ano- Nonny, would you really consider me a friend?"
>She sounded a little nervous
"Of course. We're sitting here eating breakfast together, pretty sure strangers don't do that."
>She doesn't answer, instead she walks to the counter pays, and begins heading towards the door
>Though she does say something to you before she leaves
>"Thanks."

[Post 8]

>The sun had just started rising as you stepped outside, your thoughts constantly coming back to the blind mare
>According to Pinkie she usually arrived after you left, today you had been late while waiting for the letter
>You would think the mail mare would deliver later in the day, but apparently this was urgent
>If you consider an apology urgent that is
>You couldn't keep letting these things distract you
>You had errands to run and a house to sell
>With breakfast checked off the to-do list it was time to head to the marketplace
>Today was looking to be a pretty good day, you've already made another friend
>If you were even more lucky you wouldn't see any of the other elements
>Pinkie was cool, fun even. Her friends on the other hand
>One specifically over the others
>You sigh
"Come on Anon. You're getting off track, shop stalls are just around the corner."

[Post 9]

>Shopping went as easily as usual
>The lines seemed to move quickly but you knew they were just dispersing
>The usual hustle and bustle fading as everyone scrambled to their jobs or homes
>Leaving you, the shopkeepers and a handful of other ponies in the marketplace
>Aside from a few whispers between owners and customers it was quiet
>So it wasn't much of a surprise when you heard the only conversation in a normal tone
>"Well if it isn't my #1 Customer. Something in mind or looking for something new, what'll it be?"
>Turning to the source of the disturbance you see Bon bon and on the other side of her counter stands Eri
>You had plenty of time before anybody would be by to see the house, more than enough time to drop by and say hi
>You caught her just before she started to leave the stall
"Hey Eri."
>She turned to you, looking slightly surprised
>"N-Nonny? You must be tall."

[Post 10]

>You two apparently didn't live too far from each other
>Both of your homes being just on the outskirts of town
>She was headed home now and you still had a few ponies interested in your house
"Yeah, my height is just a side effect of being a human."
>"A human?"
"Yeah, well humans are.."
>How could you explain this to her
>As far as you knew, there weren't many if any other creatures with hands that you knew of
"I don't have hooves, but I wouldn't consider these claws.."
>The way you worded it only made things worst and more complicated
>"I'm not sure if you noticed Nonny, but I'm blind.."
"Oh yeah, sorry about that."
>Even if you were able to explain your appearance it wouldn't have helped much
>The two of you were rounding a corner when a mixture of bright yellow and pink caught your eye
"Great..."
>It couldn't be Applejack, Dash, Rarity or Twilight
>You still didn't trust yourself around her, so instead of risking what Eri thought of you
"Hey, I just remembered I had something to take care of."
>You're still really bad at making excuses
"I'll catch you tomorrow?"
>She slows down but continues walking
>"Oh.. uh sure."
>While taking the long way around to your house you can't help but feel that you just screwed up

[Post 11]

>You arrived home a few minutes late
>Today was shaping up to be a good day
>The mare that would be looking to buy wasn't here yet
>You didn't see any of the elements but Pinkie
>You even made another friend
>Granted, you did just leave her but you could explain that tomorrow
>You just didn't want to deal with Fluttershy
>Maybe it was time that you got over that
>Looking over the house once more, you're finally satisfied
>It was clean, presentable and already furnished
>What more could someone ask for?
>"Excuse me,"
>The soft spoken voice pulls you out of your thoughts
>A sunflower mane and bubblegum coat came together to form the mare in front of you
>"Are you Anonymous?"

[Post 12]

"That would be me."
>She glances behind you
>"I'm here about the house!"
>She practically blurted the whole sentence out as one word
"Of course, is there anything you wanna know, any questions?"
>She seems to look everywhere and at everything but you
>You weren't surprised, most ponies acted the same way
>"No, not really."
>You extend your arm out towards the house
"How about we start with a tour then?"
>"Sure!"

[Post 13]

>The house was by no means a mansion but it was larger than most in Ponyville
>Being nearly twice the height of a pony it was thought that you needed about twice the space
>You would've been fine in a normal home but there certainly weren't any complaints
>The mares attitude reminded you a little of Pinkie, just not as spontaneous
>Sometime after reaching the second floor she started to look uneasy
"Something the matter?"
>"Nothing, just a little nervous is all."
"Wasn't expecting a human were ya?"
>"Well no, but that's not it. I actually think humans are pretty cool."
>She thought humans were.. cool?
>She looks into the guest room
>"I've just never bought a house before, or lived alone."

[Post 14]

>Your schedule for the week had just been hit with a wave of release
>With the house sold you had no real priorities left while you were in Equestria
>..Other than leaving
>Though there was something odd about that mare
>Aside from you forgetting to get her name that is
>As she was leaving the house you took notice of her legs
>You would have asked but it wasn't your business, you didn't really know her and you would only be here for a few days anyway
>Other than a few meals your checklist was now empty
>If only things were always this easy, you might have actually stayed in Equestria

[Post 15]

>Another early day, another early letter
>You skip the letter for now, planning to read it later and head to Sugar Cube Corner
>As always the smell of pastries fill the air
>Your seat felt just as comfortable as it always does
>You find yourself quietly humming along with Pinkie while she was in the kitchen
>Or you thought she was in the kitchen at least
>"Hiya Nonny!"
>To this day you'll never admit that Pinkie scared the ever living s-
>"So I hear someone sold their house to the new pony in town."
"Where did you hear-"
>Pinkie's playful expression disappeared
>"I know you saw them."
"Saw what?"
>She frowned
>"The cuts, Nonny. They're all over her legs."
"It' kind of hard to see passed coats Pinkie, I didn't see anything."
>Her expression told you she wasn't buying it
>Lucky for you, the door opened

[Post 16]

>It would be rude to say you were disappointed but you'd be lying if you said you weren't
>The familiar sunflower maned mare stepped inside
>..Only to basically be ambushed by the party pony
>"Hi!"
>Being caught off guard the mare jumps back before laughing
>"Oh, uh hi."
>Pinkie jumps circles around the guest who looks over to you
>"I know you were busy yesterday but how about today I give you the grand tour of Ponyville! Or maybe you want to order something? That's okay too!"
>"Haha sure, maybe later but right now I have to talk t-"
>Pinkie cuts her off, pointing a hoof in your direction
>"To Nonny? He's right over there!"
>She chuckles and steps towards you
>"Nonny? I like it. Hey Nonny, I gotta ask you something."

[Post 17]

>This time you had actually got her name
>Connie was sitting across from you
>"I know you'll be in Equestria for a couple more days but.."
>She trailed off but continued before you could ask anything
>"I was wondering if I could move in a little early and stay with you."
>Her tremulous voice spoke volumes about how afraid she was
>Even so, she still tried to give you a smile
>She was actually afraid that you would say no, you couldn't help but wonder why
>You nod reassuringly
"Of course, I mean it's your house after all."
>From a fake smile to beaming in only a few words
>"Really Nonny, you have no idea how much this means to me!"
>You shrug
"Well, you could tell me."
>She looks over to Pinkie and waves her over
>"So what's good here, Nonny? I haven't had breakfast yet."
>10/10 topic dodge, you'd let her have it for now
"I have a friend who really enjoys these pancakes they serve."

[Post 18]

>Pinkie brought over Connie's order of 'Definitely not dessert' pancakes
>A couple of times you caught the concerned look in the party ponies eyes as she brought things over
>No doubt still worried about Connie
>Maybe when you get back to the house you could ask
>"This is amazing!"
>You had yet to order anything but you were planning to actually get the pancakes for the second day in a row
>Pinkie stopped by the table
>"She's usually here by now, maybe she just slept in."
>Connie looks between the two of you
>"Who what now?"
>As if to answer her question the door slowly creaked open
>In walked a set of gray hooves
>Walking over to the table and sitting next to Connie, was Eri
>And did she look upset

[Post 19]

"Morning Eri, something the matter?"
>Her expression slightly worsens as she replies
>"Oh, hey."
>You gesture to Connie trying to explain Eri's blindness
>Unlike you yesterday, she got it immediately
>"Hiya"
>Eri waved in her general direction
>A moment passes and you wait for her to say something, anything
>She never does
>Pinkie makes another return to the table
>"The usual order, Eri?"
>Eri groans
>"No.."
>To everyone's surprise, she stands up and leaves
>No one says anything but you get up and head towards the door
>You weren't sure of what to say so you just opened it and stepped out

[Post 20]

"Hey, wait up!"
>When you got outside you were surprised to see how far she had gotten
>Ponyville didn't have many lamps outside so if she got too far you could lose her
>Starting towards her you begin to call out but remember that it's extremely early
>She had only been walking so it didn't take you too long to catch up
"Hey, what's the matter?"
>She continued walking
>"Nothing, don't worry about it."
"Come on, Eri-"
>"No Anon!"
>You reach out towards her
"Eri, tell me what the problem is."
>You couldn't help but notice how softly that came out
>"Why would you care?"
"Because we're friends!"
"..Right?"
>You've consciously ignored the fact that she hadn't called you Nonny
>You wanted to believe that she just preferred Anon..
[spoiler]>"I.. don't know, Anon."[/spoiler]
[spoiler]>..Guess not[/spoiler]

[Post 21]

>Those sorrow filled words stopped you from reaching towards her
"W-what do you mean?"
>It was getting difficult to speak over the lump in your throat
>You could see the tears slowly build in her eyes
>She sniffles
>"I mean, we can't be friends."
>You feel your heart begin to sink
>It's becoming even more difficult to speak, you find yourself trying desperately not to choke on your words
"Of course we can!"
>You have to raise your voice, otherwise all that comes out are mumbles and murmurs

[Post 22]

>"Then can you tell me, what kind of friend ditches another friend to be with some mare?"
>Your heart sinks even deeper
>But... Fluttershy, you still didn't trust yourself not to make the same mistake that you had all that time ago
>You don't have a chance to respond as Eri turns to leave
>"Just... leave me alone."
"But Eri-"
>"Please Anon, just leave me alone."
>The tears in her eyes finally begin to fall
>"You've done it before, you can do it again."
>She starts walking once again
>You felt that if you didn't stop her now, that you'd never see her again
>You felt that she wasn't walking away from you, but out of your life
>You felt that you could stop her, say something and then everything would be alright
>But what would you say?
>You might end up saying something stupid and make things worst
>But at this point it's worth the risk, right?
>Then why were you still standing here as she rounded a corner
>Why wouldn't you run after her?
>Why were you standing here alone?
>Why were you such a fuck up

[Post 23]

>You didn't bother going back to Sugar Cube Corner
>You weren't that hungry anymore
>You lay in bed, looking towards the ceiling
"What a great way to start the day."
>You'd been in bed for hours, it was already past noon
>You hear your door unlock and open from downstairs
>Bolting up you remember that you'd let Connie stay in the house
>As if to confirm your belief Connie calls up the stairs
>"Nonny?"
>You sigh, not wanting to be bothered
"Upstairs."
>After making the trip that is the stairs, she steps into the room
>A worried expression adorns her face
>"Hey Nonny."
>Even if you hadn't seen her face, the tone in her voice told you that she was concerned

[Post 24]

"Heya."
>You throw in a smile and wave to try and reassure her
>Your voice however, isn't on the same page as your body
>She crawls onto the mattress and sits herself next to you
>"How're ya feeling?"
>You lie back down and look up into her aquamarine eyes
"You want the truth or a lie?"
>A faint smile threatened to upturn the corners of Connie's frown
>"Lie to me."
>Admittedly this got a smirk out of you but it didn't last long
"Never been better, I feel like a million bits. Sunshine, rainbows and all that good stuff."
>Her expression doesn't change
>Her voice however, mellows down from worrisome to caring
>"Do you wanna talk about it?"

[Post 25]

"Not really."
>"Didn't think so, it was worth a shot."
>She gives you a heartwarming smile
>"Just know that I'm here for you."
>Connie may never know just how much those words mean to you
"Thanks, maybe I'll tell you later but not right now."
>"Alright, it's better not to keep things all bottled up."
"You would know."
>You just said that outloud
>She drew her forelegs closer to her body
>"W-What do you mean?"
>You sit up and instinctively throw an arm around Connie
"Nothing, forget I said anything."
>She looks down to her hooves and exhales
>"No... you're right."

[Post 26]

>"I'm just now moving here, to Ponyville I mean."
>She doesn't look to you, she only sits there, head hanging whilst telling her story
>"I used to live in Canterlot but I didn't have many friends."
>She sighs
>"I guess you can't blame them, I'm only ever a burden."
"No yo-"
>"I lived with the only friend I had and we'd split rent... sometimes."
>She leans against you
>"Never was that great at keeping jobs but she never seemed to mind."
>A faint smile spreads on her face
>"Whenever I would lose a job she would give me this nice smile and tell me that 'Everything is fine, I know you'll do even better next time!'"
>The smile faded as quickly as it appeared
>"She was always like that, even when we were little."
>She attempts to blink away the tears forming in her eyes but they come right back
>"And once she didn't come home for the whole day."

[Post 27]

>"She told me she would be out with friends once a week."
>Connie shrugs
>"I didn't think anything of it. I wasn't her only friend, even if she was mine."
>She started to hit home with you there, you had a pretty good idea what that was like
>"The 'one day a week' eventually became two."
>"Then three..."
>"And I guess she had trouble with numbers when we were in elementary, because she skipped straight to five."
>She ended that with possibly the weakest laugh you've ever heard
>"One day she decided that she was done, she was going to move out,"
>"To leave me alone."
>She stammers unsure of how to continue
>"I-it wasn't until a few weeks later that I..."
>"...That I.."
>She is unable to finish the thought, collapsing into you and finally letting herself cry
>You pull her into an even tighter embrace, stroking her mane as she cries into your shirt
>You don't say anything to try to calm her down, she needed this
>Instead you wait for her sobbing to decrescendo into nothing more than sniffles

[Post 28]

"Feeling better?"
>"Thanks Nonny, sorry about your shirt..."
>You wave it off
"Don't worry about it, sometimes it's good knowing someone is there for you."
>"Guess I can enjoy that feeling for a few days."
"Don't think about it that way, you've gotta keep your chin up Connie."
>"What?"
"Chin up, it's something an old friend of mine once told me."
>You don't think you could ever forget that saying
"Still want to know what happened?"
>"You don't have to tell me-"
"After what you told me, I feel like I owe you."
>You're not sure where to start
>And then you remember, the nickname
"When did you start calling me Nonny?"
>"Just today."
"Can you guess how many ponies call me Nonny?"

[Post 29]

>You're both in the kitchen, Connie at the table and you preparing food at the counter
>You still hadn't eaten so it was about time you made something
>It felt good..
>Having been able to tell her everything, to finally get everything out there
>You look over to Connie
"Sure you don't want anything?"
>She shakes her head
>"After those pancakes from earlier, I couldn't if I wanted to."
>She was still new to Ponyville so you thought it'd be a good idea to show her around later
>But for now you could only focus on the food in front of you

[Post 30]

>Stomach finally full, you decide to wait for everything to settle before you getting up
>At least that's what you would have wanted if it weren't for someone knocking at your door
>It wasn't often that you had visitors so you usually didn't have a problem getting the door
>But you were so comfortable, why now
>Trudging over to the door you wonder who could possibly be visiting you
>As the door swings open it takes you a moment to realize what you're looking at
>Or rather who
>Standing at the door, was your old friend
>[spoiler]Discord[/spoiler]
>And unlike last time, he's smiling