A Rose is a Rose...

Rosella stood at the mare's stall, feeling a scarf between her hooves.

"What's the material on this?" she asked the unicorn on the other side. "Silk? Satin?"

"Polyester," the mare answered with annoyance. "Whaddya expect, kid?"

Rose scoffed and threw the scarf in the dirt behind the stall.

"I'd at least expect a quality product," she snapped. "Have a good day... not."

She stormed off, moving on to the next stall.

Kat trotted down the street, glancing at everything in turn. She saw a stand selling food, and her mouth instantly began to water. She ran quickly to the stall, and excitedly ordered everything she could.

"That'll be 60 bits." said the pegasus running the stand. Kat's mouth hit the floor,

"60 bits?!" she screeched, "I don't have that kinda money!" she whined, still drooling. She sank to her knees and began to weep as if she was in a cartoon. "but I'm so hungry!"

Rose heard the screech before she saw the pony. Sighing, she went over to help.

"You know, gluttony is a sin," she muttered as she quickly handed over the bits for her food. "Watch yourself."

Rose didn't know why she was helping ponies. She didn't do that. It wasn't in her nature. What was wrong with her today?

The mare turned away and returned to the second scarf shop.

"Please tell me you sell expensive material," she asked. "I need quality product."

The stallion laughed and yanked out a scarf from nowhere.

"Silk. Five hundred bits."

Rosie frowned and poked the scarf, sniffing it a bit.

"I hate liars even more than cheapskates. This is bucking nylon. What is wrong with society?"

She threw the scarf at his face and moved on.

Kat sat in silence, holding the bits. "Wha-?" she asked, shocked. Shrugging, she stood and gave the bits to the pegasus with a wide smile.

the pegasus looked at her oddly, but accepted the payment and gave her her food. She graciously accepted and took the food to an empty table near the stall. She began eating as soon as she sat down, devouring piece after piece.

Looking up, she noticed a light green crystal pony getting angry over scarfs. That was the mare who had given her the bits. Grinning, She waved at her. "Hey! You!!" she called loudly.

Rose frowned at the mare.

"What?" she snapped. "I'm scarf-shopping. Go away."

She grumbled a bit more and looked at the stalls. There was a pretty blue one... It was sapphire, like his skin...

She bit back tears and pulled on the pink scarf at her throat.

Kat tilted her head, pursing her lips. If you were looking at her, she looked like a cartoon. "OI!" she called, "I just wanted to thank you! You saved me from starvation!" she laughed, smiling a funny smile. She turned back to her large pile of food and began demolishing it. Soon, she was leaning back in her chair rubbing her stomach with a goofy grin on her face-the plate in front of her finished. Not a crumb was left.

Rose froze. She turned back and stared at the mare.

"Did you just duckface to me?" she snapped in disbelief. "Really? Really? What?"

She frowned deeply at the mare, who started eating like a glutton.

"You might at least have some manners," she said. Oh, Faust. She was starting to sound like him. What was wrong with her?

"Manners? What are these 'manners' you speak of?" the mare asked with a laugh. She groaned, closing her eyes and frowning, "I'm still huuungryyyyyy" she pouted.

Right now, food was basically the only thing on her mind. She'd been out on the sea for a while, alone and with no food. She had only recently found her way to Manehatten, somehow. She knew she needed supplies, but food was her top priority, always.

Rose burst into tears and turned away. She was ashamed of herself. She sounded so horrible, but she couldn't help it.

She took off down the stalls, but her scarf snagged on the corner of a stall and fell off, fluttering in the wind.

She ran down to the end of the district, crying hard and long. They were hot tears, the ones that don't stop for a long time, and she was so sad and disappointed with her life.

"Eh?" Kat looked up, the mare had run off and it sounded like she was crying. Kat tilted her head and looked longingly at the restaurant. Well, she helped me. I guess I have to help her..... she sighed, hanging her head and taking a deep breath.

"OI! STOP!" she shouted as loud as she could. She swiftly ran off after the mare, screaming at her to stop.

Rose collapsed in a pile, crying hard and long. 

"Why am I such a mess?" she asked herself, pleading. "Why can't I get over it? What's wrong with me?"

She sobbed and held her head in her hooves.

"Oi, what's wrong with you?" Kat asked, poking the fallen mare-completely oblivious to the fact that the mare was in pain. She tilted her head an leaned closer, placing her face in front of the crystal pony's. 

She rose an eyebrow, wondering what could make a pony like this.

"I- I-" Rose tried, but just ended up crying harder.

She was a mess, and she knew it. She knew she would be a mess for quite a while, and there was nopony who could heal her at the moment. Even the therapist gave up.

"Uh...." Kat trailed off, her mind blank. She didn't know what to do, having never been in this situation. She bit her lip, glancing about the street. "Here, let me treat you to some pizza." she offered with a wide smile, sticking her hoof out to help the mare up. 

Perhaps she could help, even though a therapist had failed. Her cheerful attitude tended to wear off on others, or make them annoyed. Either way, she had a special charm that drew people toward her even though she's a lunatic.

Rose waveringly got to her feet.

"I-I guess I'm a little hungry," she said, a watery smile on her face. She was now stuck somewhere in the middle of her two personalities, something most ponies called her full name, Rosella. "Thank you."

Kat grinned, "Well that's good, I'm hungry too!" she laughed. Slowly, she began trotting away, babbling on all the while, "So what's your name? Or, do you not want to say? It doesn't really matter to me, I'm Saphira Katianna, by the way," the mare spoke in a rush, barely stopping for breath, "Do you live around here? I only ask 'cause you're a crystal pony and I didn't think you did, but who knows? I'm not always right." She giggled, her shoulders shaking and a wide smile across her face.

Rosella stuttered, trying to keep up.

"Well, I-I'm Rosella Petals, but ponies u-usually call me Rosie when I'm... happy, or Rose when I'm... not. I just moved in, actually, and it's nice to meet you, too, Saphira."

This mare was overwhelming. Was it a good thing? Maybe. It might actually work for forgetting things.

Kat looked back with a grin, strutting down the street. Randomly, she stopped in the middle of everything with a funny look on her face, "Uh......Where are we?" she asked nopony in particular, scratching her head and looking around.

Kat got lost a lot, especially in cities. So it wasn't strange when she had no clue where she was, but still, her constant abilities to get lost continue to confuse her.

"We're in the Market District, Saphira," Rosella said calmly. "You know, with all the shops and food."

Rosella was starting to get worried. Should she trust somepony who got lost in the middle of the street? It was strange. She had never met anypony so oblivious and optimistic... Oh, wait. Right. That was her, not to long ago.

She frowned and shook her head.

"Oh." Kat laughed, scratching her head, not even slightly embarrassed. "Well then, let's go! I smell food." she sniffed, her mouth watering at the scent. She raced through the crowd, completely oblivious to everything except the smell of food.

Swiftly, she pushed past an old couple and stood still in front of a shop that read "Pizza" Still drooling, she entered the shop and pouted at the line. Sighing, she stood among the ponies, bouncing on her feet.

Rosella hesitantly followed the mare, who was bouncing on her hooves and whining at the line.

"Calm down," she hissed. "Faust. It's like you're a starved pirate. Calm yourself. You're embarrassing us."

Rosella pulled another scarf out of her bag and used it to cover her muzzle.

Kat laughed again, placing a hoof on her hat. "Right on!" she giggled, for the mare was just that. Right on. Well, almost. She wasn't exactly starved. Anymore, that is. She ate already, but nothing could really fill her stomach that easily.

Ponies in the building glanced up at the word pirate, but most shook it off and continued eating. The line slowly worked its way through and Kat continued bouncing. Once they were at the front of the line, she started to drool and her eyes dulled as she stared at the menu.

"Hey, what is it you want? You're holding up the line." barked the counterpony. Kat ignored him and continued studying the list.

"Aight! I'll have the largest pizza you've got! With the most toppings possible." turning to Rose, "Whaddia want? On me." she laughed, pulling out a coin purse.

"Um, I'll go with a white pizza with daisies," she said. "You don't have to pay. It's okay, you know."

White pizzas were good for her figure. She didn't like tomato sauce, anyways, and she didn't see the point in eating something both fattening and disgusting.

Huh. Saphira actually was a pirate. What a coincidence. Rosella blushed as others started grumbling, really considering her choice in companionship.

"At least you found somepony who can tolerate you," Rose whispered in her mind. "There aren't that many who can take the emotion."

"Shut up!" she cried, not realizing she had said it aloud.

"Obviously I'm paying you dunce!" she laughed, dropping bits she apparently didn't have before on the counter. The attendant nodded, giving her a strange look before turning to give the order the the chef.

Kat's mouth started to drool at the scent, and didn't realize she had to move. Suddenly, Rose shouted 'shut up' and Kat snapped out of it.

"What? Who? I didn't say anything."

Rose felt her cheeks go red.

"Nothing. It's nothing."

She turned around and picked the bench furthest away from the crowd, in an isolated and shaded area. Sighing, she waited for Saphira to follow. 

Now she was going insane. What gives? Voices? Talking to herself? She never realized how messed up she was until then.