The whimsical landscape was not the only thing that surprised Manuel, but the buildings and the ponies were leaving him in a flabbergasted state of amazement. Everything and everyone was absolutely gorgeous, detailed, and adorable. It gave his soul a sense of comfort he somehow knew he needed. Still, all the ponies around him kept looking at him and whispering among themselves. Manuel felt strange, sticking out like a sore thumb among the crowd. He fidgeted his hands in front of him like a makeshift shield, but there was nothing he could do to ease the feeling of being observed.

"Don't worry about it," Starlight said, walking closer to him in order to whisper. Her voice was soft and full of care, and it somehow made Manuel's shoulders relax a little. "Everyone's a little bit curious, that's all. No one wishes you any harm nor do they desire that you weren't here."

"How did you know what I was thinking, Starlight?" Manuel asked her, tilting his head to the side. He was grateful for her advice, but still, it had been slightly weird that she had said the exact thing he needed at the precise moment. She was a stranger after all. Maybe she was one of those people who could really read into any situation, or a highly empathetic individual. Either way, Manuel had to ask.

"Oh," Starlight was shaken by the question. She didn't want to straight up lie to him, but she couldn't exactly tell him the truth either. Something along the middle of that spectrum needed to work. "I noticed you were nervous, and I assumed it was probably about the strange looks you were getting. I could be wrong, but most people don't like being the center of attention."

"Yeah, you're right about that." Somehow, knowing she was by his side made the uneasy feeling recede. Something about her made him feel warm and comfortable, like taking your shoes off and lying on the soft couch after a cold hard day outside. Maybe he could remember his past if he kept surrounding himself with the one who made him feel already home.

"What have we here?" A voice Manuel couldn't recognize startled the group. When he looked towards the source of the sound, Manny found two ponies talking directly to Twilight Sparkle. One was coated in a warm yellow but her mane looked like fire with its red streaks. Her green eyes were defiant and she was staring at Twilight like she had somehow antagonized her in a way.

Beside her, Manuel found another pony. If the first one seemed like a reflection of the sun, this one was the exact opposite. Her fur was blue and her mane looked like thin strands of shiny ice, but her eyes were a strong shade of purple, and they were shining with the intensity of curiosity and some sort of fake malice.

"Hello guys," Twilight responded, choosing politeness over simply answering the question. "How are you today?" She looked uncomfortable, like she was trying to avoid being interrogated about Manuel. He was a little taken aback by the whole interaction, but he decided to wait and see how it all turned out.

"Cut it out, Twilight," The sunny pony said looking annoyed. "Who is that? And where are you going?" After finishing her question, the pony looked at the entire group. Apparently she had noticed someone strange tagging along, but she hadn't particularly looked at the newcomer. As soon as she did though, her face transfigured. "Oh, it's-"

"His name is Manuel, he just got here, and he doesn't remember a thing," Starlight said hurriedly. Her eyes were desperately trying to convey so much without saying what she really wanted to say. Luckily, the girls understood and their stances relaxed and a sort of sadness took over their experiences.

"We can fill you in on the details later, for now we need to get him some new clothes."

"Oh, I- I see. Well then, Manuel, I'm Sunset Shimmer, and she's Trixie," she said pointing to herself and then to the other pony. "I guess we'll see each other around."

"Nice to meet you both," Manuel said, confused and a little curious about the whole situation, but their faces seemed to turn even sadder somehow.

"We should get going," Twilight said. "We need to get new clothes for him, and knowing Rarity it'll probably consume our entire day." Funny exaggeration or not, everyone seemed to agree on that.

"I'll explain everything to you later," Starlight whispered to the newcomers and they nodded.

Walking forward, the mood seemed to have stuck into a sour sort of circumstance. That was, of course, until the Carousel Boutique was on sight.

"What is that?" Manuel asked, amazed by the gilded building in front of him. It had details everywhere. From the painting on the walls to the actual carousel horses on the second story, it was impressive.

Suddenly, the same strange feeling he had a few minutes ago at the library assaulted him again. It felt like a tingling of sorts, and he instinctively stood in front of Starlight to work as a human shield if needed. She blushed behind him, but then she asked. "Is everything ok Manuel?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I think so," he was not sure, but he still needed to check his surroundings. The feeling was making him dizzy and there was nothing to justify it at all. "I'm sorry. I don't know what came to me."

"That's ok, maybe it's just your head and it'll get better soon."

"Maybe," he agreed with a shrug.

"In the meantime, why don't we get you some nice new clothes?"

The prospect of having something comfortable to wear was nice, but he was also worried about what they could possibly find behind those doors. Anyway, the only way to know was walking forward.