> Brenda's Big Adventure
>  by Mike the Red
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> She's GONE
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     The sound of the alarm clock going off at 5:20 AM woke me from my slumber -- I had been dreaming about the ruined Ponyville and wondering what might have happened had I not transformed back into my human body after having been Twilight for a day.  My dream focused on doing lots of repairs, helping everypony who was still alive out with their respective needs, and generally trying to be as helpful as possible.  I figured it was something Twilight would have done in a similar circumstance.  As I turned to get up out of bed to switch off the clock, I noticed my wife was missing.

"Brenda?  You up already?" I asked.  She usually sleeps until almost 6, but her side of the bed was cold, as if she had been gone for quite awhile.  I got up and turned off the alarm clock and put on my house-coat.  I went through the house looking for her, checking every room including the laundry room.   I started to worry as I was unable to find her.  She was supposed to go to work today, and missing a day for her would get her a write-up.   I woke up her youngest daughter, Xaviera.

"Xavi, can you call around to see where your mama may have gone?  She's not here in the house, I checked.  I have to go to work today, but if she shows up, perhaps one of your sisters can take her to work."

"Okay, Mike, I'll check," she said as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.  Xaviera is 20 years old but doesn't have a license or a job.  She has two daughters she is currently raising -- she has held jobs in various places but without dependable transportation and child-care, she has found it difficult to hold a job for any serious length of time.

I laid back down to sleep for about an hour or so -- usually, I drop Brenda off at her job, a trip which normally takes about 25 minutes from our house to her workplace -- my workplace is another hour's drive away from there, but it's also an hour's drive from our house as well.  I set the secondary alarm for 6:45 and tossed and turned in bed, trying to figure out what happened.  Sleep would not come for me, but I laid in bed until the second alarm went off.  I turned it off and took my shower and got dressed to head off to my job.

"Mike, I called around and no one has seen her yet," Xaviera told me.

"All right, keep on checking back -- if you hear anything, please give me a call."

"Okay."

I fixed my sack lunch and headed out.  The car greeted me as I got in and started it up.

"Good Morning, Michael Walker!" came the cheery voice from the speakers.

"TS, can you scan for Brenda Walker?" I asked.

"Where is she?" the car asked.  "She's usually sitting next to you."

"I woke up this morning and she was not in the bed next to me," I said.  "I have no idea where she is or what's happened to her -- or if she might have spent the night at someone else's house..." my voice trailed off at the thought of her cheating on me.  I had my suspicions, but generally kept them to myself.

"I cannot do that, Michael, my scanning sensitivity is not programmed for that -- only for magic use."

"Okay, just a thought.  Thanks anyway," I said, and turned on the CD player to listen to some of my favorite music.  I stopped by a gas station on my way out of town to pick up a cup of soda -- I don't drink coffee, so it has to be Mountain Dew.  The rest of the trip to work went uneventfully, as did the rest of the day.  I received no phone calls from Xaviera, and found that Brenda still had not returned when I made it back home about 12 hours after leaving for work.

-------------------------------    Brenda's Point of View

"What the hell happened?"  I asked.  I was sleeping next to my husband, and next thing I know, I'm laying in a bed somewhere else.  I look to my right to see ... a lavender unicorn?

"Mike, you'd better not be pulling another prank on me!" I told her loudly.  She woke up with a start.

"What?  What?  Who -- what are you?  Where did you come from?  Why are you in MY BED?" she asked in rapid-fire fashion.  She retreated a bit, backing up against the door to her room, readying her magic.

"My name's Brenda Walker -- I thought you were my husband, who looked like you a few days ago -- but this bed is not mine.  Where am I?" I asked, looking at the shelves and seeing lots of books on them and a reading desk in the corner.  I looked down to see -- a baby dragon sleeping in a basket?  I started backing towards the opposite wall to put as much distance between myself and this dragon-thing who was now waking up.

"Twilight, what is all that noise?  I thought I heard someone else talking, what's going on?" asked the dragon-thing.

"What?  You can talk?  What are you?" I asked the dragon-thing.

"You ... what ... Twilight?  Can you tell me what's going on?" the dragon addressed the lavender unicorn.

"Brenda, this is my assistant, Spike.  I need to ask you some more questions."  Spike eyed me warily, not sure as to what to make of me.  "First of all, what exactly are you?"

"I'm a human," I said.  "I came from Earth -- I was sleeping next to my husband and then found myself laying in your bed, which is too short for me."

"Okay, how did you get here, Brenda?"

"I don't know -- I thought you might be able to tell me."

"Who is your husband?"

"His name's Michael, and a few days ago, he looked like you!  I thought he was pulling another prank on me."

"You said ... he looked like ... ME?"

"That's impossible!" Spike shouted.  "How could that have happened?"

"He told me he had wished that for just one day, he could experience what it was like to be Twilight Sparkle," I said flatly.

Twilight and Spike stood in stunned silence, their mouths agape.  It took a moment for Twilight to recover enough to ask her next question.  Spike started chuckling, then broke out into full laughter.

"I can't believe he wanted to do that!  What was he like when he was in her body?" Spike asked, wiping tears from his eyes, still chuckling.

"He fixed some stuff around the house, he fixed his car, and then he went with Princess Celestia somewhere -- he told me he went to Canterlot Castle to attend a party, then he came here with the Princess and the Elements, whatever that is, and sent Discord away, then went to Ponyville again with someone named Nick, but this time it was like "Nightmare Moon" had beaten the Elements, whatever that means, and managed to beat her somehow and..."

Twilight and Spike stood in stunned silence, mouths agape once again.  This time, Spike was NOT laughing.

"Um, Brenda, how exactly did your husband do ALL THAT while in MY body?" Twilight asked with a great deal of incredulity.  She still seemed to be in a bit of shock.

"He told me he came up with this "shimmer" spell of some sort, and said he called on about 20 copies of himself in your body to come out and dispatch this "Nightmare Moon" character," I said flatly.  "I have been to Ponyville once earlier and met with Princess Celestia -- she and I had a short discussion --"

"What?  You met with the Princess?" Twilight asked with surprise.  "I've never seen you before!"

"Mike said something about alternate universes or something.  I thought you were him again."

"Your husband sounds remarkably intelligent -- I definitely want to meet him!  I would like to ask him about that shimmer spell as well.  So you don't know how you came here --"

"He might be able to find a way to make it here when he finds out I'm not home.  Princess Celestia might be able to send me back, though."

"Good idea, Brenda.  Spike, take a letter!"

"Right on it, Twi, fire away!" he said with enthusiasm.

"Dear Princess Celestia ..."


> Exploration
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

      "Twilight, I remembered that I have to go to work today," I said, some worry creeping into my voice.

"Brenda, Princess Celestia said she would be arriving shortly, I'm sure we can get you back home in time," Twilight said with calm assurance.  "If not, perhaps your boss will understand."

"My supervisors are a real pain to work for," I said, contempt finding its way into my voice.  "They don't like me very much, even though I'm one of their best employees."

"If you don't mind my asking, Brenda, is every human on your world as dark-skinned as you?"

"No, my husband is white as are most of the people where I come from.  Some people have darker skin than others, we all come in different skin colors."

"That's very interesting.  How white is he?  Like the Princess?"

I have to laugh at her question.  "No, his skin is a little on the pinkish side," I said, chuckling a little.  "Kind of tan, too."

A knocking was heard at the front door.  "Let's head downstairs, that might be the Princess," Twilight stated optimistically.  I followed Twilight and Spike downstairs to the main room.  Lots of books on shelves which looked like they had been carved into a tree?  This place had a very organic look to it.  Spike opened the door.

"Princess Celestia!  What a pleasant surprise!" Spike beamed.

"I came as soon as I read your letter, Twilight.  Where is this human?"

"She's inside, Princess.  Please come in!"

I had seen Princess Celestia earlier, but even so, I was a little surprised to see how regal she appeared and how much taller she was than Twilight.  I had to look up to meet her eyes.  She ducked under the doorway with her wings folded in.

"So you are Brenda Walker.  Pleasure to meet you.  Twilight mentioned your husband in her letter -- where is he?  She wrote a glowing endorsement of him."

"He's still on Earth, as far as I know.  I imagine he's probably worried sick about me -- knowing him, I'll bet he's probably trying to find a way to get here to find me."

"Just how resourceful is he?" Celestia asked.

"Brenda said he dispatched Nightmare Moon single-hoofedly!" Twilight said with a tinge of excitement.

"I would have to meet him face to face to assess the veracity of that statement, Twilight.  Brenda, is this true?"

"You must be different from another Princess Celestia who met me at my home on Earth and told me of Mike's accomplishments -- she told me that he had freed you from your imprisonment in the ... Sun?"

Now it was Celestia's turn for a jaw drop and wide-eyed look of surprise.  "How did he manage to do THAT?"

"Something about a "shimmer" spell of some sort or other," I said flatly.  "I must be in a different universe if you're unaware of what he managed to do while in Twilight's body."

"Um, Brenda, would it be possible for us to meet him?  It sounds as though he's able to do the seemingly impossible," Twilight stated with quite a bit of surprise.

"Knowing him, I wouldn't be surprised if he manages to get here before you send me back home," I said.  "I've never known him to be so determined about things of this sort ever since he took an interest in My Little Pony."  I saw puzzled looks on their faces.  "That's a children's TV show on Earth, and he seems obsessed with it, especially with Twilight -- I had no idea it was like that until he woke up in Twilight's body a few days ago.  He said her magic is really strong."   Twilight beamed at this statement.

"I am curious to see this TV show you mention.  Your husband's resourcefulness sounds utterly amazing -- perhaps you should stay here and meet everypony -- if he's as determined as you say, he will find a way to get here and take you home."

"I don't want to lose my job, even though I dislike the people I work for -- my husband doesn't make enough money to pay all the bills with what he makes at his job.  I was supposed to go to work today -- and I'm probably going to get written up for missing a day."

"Perhaps you will be able to find employment elsewhere, however, I must return to the castle as there are important matters of business for me to attend to.  I suggest you wait for your husband to come, as the possibility of my sending you home will coincide with his attempt to locate you here."

"Okay, I guess I'll wait for him.  I'm still worried about my job and I need a cigarette right now."  The stress was starting to get to me, and I needed a smoke.   I don't know if these ponies smoke or not, but I needed one badly right now.

"You smoke?  We don't encourage that activity," Twilight said flatly.  "Don't look at me!  I don't smoke!"

"Smoking causes lung cancer, Brenda -- it also pollutes the air.  I must be off now," the Princess stated as she climbed aboard her chariot and then left for the castle.

"See you soon, Princess!" Twilight called after her.  "Brenda, why do you smoke?"

"It relieves stress for me.  The nicotine has a calming effect."  Twilight made a note of this.

"Okay, so how long have you been smoking?"

"About 30 years or so, why?"

"I can sense you breathing with some effort -- you may have emphysema," Twilight mused.

"I can't stop smoking -- I need it --"

"A chemical dependency?  Not good."

"Do you know where I can get a smoke?"

"Hmm.  Maybe Zecora?" Spike asked.

"Who is Zecora?" I asked.  I had never heard this name before.

"She is a Zebrican who lives in the Everfree Forest," Twilight stated.

"Do you think she might have something to help me?" I asked.

"I suppose we can go meet her -- but we have to stop by Sugarcube Corner, as I have an order of cupcakes for a slumber party tonight to pick up."

"That's where Pinkie Pie stays, if Mike told me correctly," I said.  "I'd like one of those cupcakes as well, since I'm kind of hungry."  At the mention of her name, a bouncing pink earth pony showed up, her darker pink mane and tail bunched up like cotton candy.

"Did somepony mention my name?" Pinkie asked, and then she saw me.  She gasped, and took off running back to her place.

"Why did she do that?" I asked.

"You're new here, so she's going to throw you a welcome party," Twilight chuckled.

"Well, I'm still hungry, so shouldn't we be going?"

"Might as well, I still need to get those cupcakes!  Spike, you coming with us?"

"Sure thing, Twi."  He hopped on her back as she trotted along the path leading to Sugarcube Corner.  I felt out of place, especially with all these ponies staring at me, some of them whispering to each other.  As I heard their whispers, I would glare at them in disapproval and watch them turn their heads quickly away from my gaze.  It was going to take awhile before I would come to be accepted, if at all.  I walked behind Twilight as I was unfamiliar with the layout of the town.  After about what seemed like fifteen minutes of walking, we made it to the bakery, which looked like a giant ginger-bread house.  I chuckled at the sight.

"Okay, if you want, you may come in with me.  My order should be ready for pickup, but maybe you might want to meet Pinkie Pie as well."

I saw Pinkie Pie peek her head from around the corner of the shop and laughed as she gasped and retreated inside once again.  "Pinkie Pie!  I'm not gonna hurt you!" I shouted at her.

"You're gonna ruin the surprise!  Why are you here anyway?"

"I'm with Twilight, we're here to pick up an order of cupcakes," I said.

"Okie-dokie-lokie!" she chimed cheerfully.

"Twilight, what's with her?"

"Just Pinkie being Pinkie.  I still don't understand everything about her as she finds ways to surprise me even after knowing her all this time," Twilight mused.

"Okay, Twilight, here's your order," Mr. Cake announced.  She put several small coins on the counter and held the box of cupcakes with her magenta aura.

"They look like they have sprinkles on them," I observed.

"Hay sprinkles, yes," Twilight smiled.

"I have allergies," I said with disappointment.  "Are there any that don't have hay of some sort mixed in?"

"We ponies need our cellulose -- it helps in our digestion.  I'll see what I can do for you."

Pinkie Pie popped up out of nowhere and handed me a cupcake.  "Here, you can have this one!" she chuckled and disappeared again.

"Uh, thanks?" I said to the spot where she had popped in and out from.

"Don't mention it!" came her voice from seemingly out of nowhere.  The cupcake was very tasty.

We walked back to the giant tree-house that Twilight called her home and she took the box of cupcakes inside and returned shortly with her saddlebags packed with some supplies.

"Zecora lives in the Everfree, so we have to be prepared.  We can stop by Fluttershy's place and you can meet her, though she'll probably be scared of you since you're so big."

"I was only here for a short while last time around, so these ponies you're mentioning will be new to me.  I know of Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, but none of the others.  The ones whispering behind my back are making me upset, especially this light green one that's been stalking us ever since we left Sugarcube Corner."

"Lyra!  You stop scaring my friend here!" Twilight shouted.  A very embarrassed light green unicorn came forward -- she appeared to be quite bashful -- she seemed to be staring at my hands.

"Um, uh ... who are you?"

"My name is Brenda Walker.  Who are you?"

"I'm Lyra Heartstrings -- can I take a look at your hands?"

"You seem to be staring at them."

"I mean, can I hold one of them?"

"I guess."  I offered my left hand which she took into her hooves -- she seemed to examine it very closely, holding it for what seemed like way too long.  I pulled my hand back.  "That's enough!" I shouted at her.  She meeped and retreated behind a tree.

"Sorry about that, Brenda -- she's been obsessed like that for a long time."
> Zecora
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     We continued on towards the Everfree from Twilight's tree -- I could see the forest some distance off, perhaps about five miles or so.  I was starting to get tired of all this walking.

"Twilight, can we take a short break?  I'm getting tired -- my legs ache from all this walking."

"Okay, Brenda, just a short break.  Zecora's hut is a fair piece inside the forest, and I want to make sure we can get out of there before nightfall -- the Everfree is dangerous enough during the day, but at night -- well -- let's just say you don't want to be in there -- manticores, cocatrice, timber wolves -- that sort of thing."

We sat in a grassy field for about fifteen minutes before Twilight urged me to get back up.  I stretched my legs out a little bit, causing my knees to crack.  Twilight winced at the sound.

"You didn't break anything, did you?" she asked, a worried look on her face.

"I've always had bad legs ever since I was a little girl -- I used to wear a leg brace to correct my posture -- even when I sleep, my legs ache almost all the time."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Brenda -- maybe I might be able to help you ease some of that pain -- but healing magic can only do so much, and what you have sounds like it might be nerve damage -- if that's the case, my magic won't be able to help you very much."

"I appreciate your offer, Twilight.  How much further is it?" I asked as we continued walking.  A small cottage came into view and we headed towards it.  I could see various animals and birds in the area around the cottage, and then a butter yellow pony with wings caught my eye.  She seemed to be cooing to the birds, coaxing music from them.  A small white bunny watched her as she did this.

"Fluttershy, may I present Brenda Walker," Twilight said.  Fluttershy meeped as soon as she saw me and flew into her cottage.  I knew she was shy, but it seemed as though she was scared of her own shadow.  "Brenda, I'll go have a talk with her -- I'll be right back."

A few moments later, both the ponies came out.  Fluttershy hid behind her mane, staying close to Twilight.  "Umm...hello?" she asked timidly.

"You are called Fluttershy?" I asked her.  "What a cute name!"

"Thank you, Brenda," she said very softly.  I had to strain my ears a little to hear her speak.

"You know where Zecora stays?"

"Oh, yes!  But ... why do you want to see her?"

"I need something to calm my nerves, and I was told Zecora has medicines or something."

"Well, she lives quite a bit further in the forest, but I'm not sure just how far exactly."

"Okay, Brenda, we'd better get going again.  No telling how much more daylight we have left."

We resumed walking after saying a quick good-bye to Fluttershy and made our way into the forest.  The trees were very tall and clustered  very thickly.  A path had been made which curved left and right -- straying too far from it would get you lost very quickly as any sense of direction was easily confused by the twisting path.  The canopy allowed precious little sunlight to make it to the floor of the forest and various animals and insects made lots of noise, some of which were starting to rattle my nerves.

"Not much further now, Brenda," said Twilight with some optimism.  We spotted a clearing ahead and a door carved into a tree, looking somewhat similar to Twilight's tree, but this one was a little smaller.  Twilight knocked on the door and a small Zebra answered the door.

"Twilight my dear, what brings you here?  Someone new I see, her appearance is new to me," Zecora observed.

"A Zebra who talks in rhyme?  What other surprises are there in this world?" I asked.  Her voice seemed to have a distinct African lilt to it.  "What part of Africa do you hail from?"

"Zecora comes from Zebrica, Brenda -- you call it Africa where you come from?"

"Mike told me there are 53 countries in Africa, which is something I didn't know," I stated flatly.

"Your world is different from mine, your map must have a different design.  You seek help from Zecora, is this true?  I shall see if there's something I can do."

"I need a cigarette to calm my nerves -- I haven't had one since before I went to bed last night," I said.

"To ease your stress, this leaf you must chew -- I'm afraid this is all I can do for you."  Zecora gave me a small dark green leaf, which I started chewing on.  It tasted heavily of mint and had a pleasant taste to it and it seemed to restore some of my energy, making me feel a little stronger.

"Thanks, Zecora."

"I've heard legend of humans like you, who came from the same land that I do."

"My ancestors were brought to the land I came from against their will.  They were sold to white people to be used as slaves."  Twilight blanched as I mentioned this and Zecora hung her head for a moment.

"So you're descended from slaves, Brenda?  I didn't know," Twilight said softly.  "I'm sorry to hear about that."

"My great-great-grandfather was a slave until after the Civil War," I said.  "I was born in Arkansas."

"What's that?" Twilight asked.

"It's one of the states in the country I came from."

"How many countries does your planet have?" Twilight asked.  "If Africa has 53, then there must be a lot of them!"

"I don't know, I never paid attention to stuff like that -- Mike said something about 200 or so, though."

"Wow, that's quite impressive.  I would like to visit your planet some time to see what it's like," she mused.

"Hurry along now, it will be turning dark soon.  There's not much time before the rising of the moon," Zecora admonished.

"Thanks for your help, Zecora -- maybe I might be able to come back and talk some more with you.  I'm still waiting for my husband to return."

"Fare well, then, Brenda.  Take care, Twilight!" Zecora called after us as we left.

"Does she always talk in rhyme?"

"Most of the time, yes.  Feeling better now?"

"I don't know what kind of leaf that was she gave me, but it also eased the pain in my legs as well," I stated.

"Okay, that's good to hear.  We'll be heading back to my house and I'll fix something for you to sleep on in my guest room -- oh wait, I almost forgot.  I'm having a slumber party tonight!  Perhaps you might want to join in?"

"Well...I suppose I could -- it will give me a chance to meet your friends and get to know them better."  Twilight smiled broadly as I agreed to join in the fun.  I haven't been to a party like that in quite a long time.  "I wonder why Zecora didn't freak out when she saw me."

"She has seen lots of things in her time, and you remind her of humans from her homeland."  We passed by Fluttershy's cottage at this point, and the sun was starting to set.  "I'm glad we made it out of there in time."  After about another half-hour of walking we made it back to Twilight's house.  Spike greeted us upon our return.

"Glad to see you made it back in one piece," he grinned.  "The others are upstairs in your room, Twi.  They've been waiting for you for a little while."

"Thanks for letting them in, Spike.  I guess we can get the party started, then!" she beamed.  "Brenda, this is going to be fun!"
> A Bigger Party than Planned
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     ------------------------------------    Michael's point of view

I had to stop by Brenda's friend's place to see if she was there.  I drove around checking all her friends' places and wasn't having any luck.  It was getting late and I needed to get some sleep, so I went back home.

"Xaviera, have you heard anything?"

"No, not yet.  I have tried calling everyone I know, but no one has seen her today."

"Okay, keep on trying tomorrow.  Got a big day ahead.  I might have to stop by the police station on my way home to file a missing persons report -- I hope it doesn't come to that.  Good night."  I set up my clothes for the following day and went to bed in an attempt to get some sleep, a task which proved to be quite difficult as I couldn't help but think about what had happened to Brenda.  I wondered aloud where she could be before drifting off.  My sleep came fitfully, a series of short naps and quite a lot of tossing and turning.

I woke up feeling almost as tired as I had last night, but had to plow through the day.  My job is hectic enough as it is without having to worry about my wife's whereabouts as well.  I even asked my car if she knew, but told me there had been no sign.  I asked the car to teleport me from work on my way home and drove to the police station to file the report.

"Sir, generally this report requires that the individual in question be missing for at least three days," an officer told me.

"I understand, but the matter is urgent -- I need to know where she is -- I have tried calling everyone she knows, I've even stopped by her job and her friends' houses -- I've even been to all her relatives' houses as well.  I am very worried for her safety."

"We will get on it if you don't receive any word from her tomorrow.  We will need to question you as well just to be on the safe side.  We're not accusing you of anything, we just need to conduct a thorough investigation."

"Very well then.  I'll head home, I have another busy day ahead of me tomorrow."

---------------------------------   Brenda's point of view

"A slumber party?  I haven't been to one of those since I was a little girl," I said.  "I hope things don't get too far out of hand."

"It's all harmless fun, you'll have a good time!" Twilight assured me.  "We have these little get-togethers every few weeks or so, and we always enjoy ourselves.  I think you'll enjoy it as well -- everypony will want to ask you lots of questions."

Twilight opened the door to her tree-house -- I was expecting a slumber party, but was met with a very large surprise welcome party.   When we entered, it was dark inside, then the lights came on and Pinkie Pie was there to greet me.

"Surprise!" she shouted as confetti and streamers went flying everywhere.  "I decided to make a slight change because of your arrival!  Whaddaya think?"

"I'm a bit overwhelmed by this, but I can deal with it.  So do you do this for every new arrival?"

"But of course!  Why wouldn't I?  It's just part of who I am, and I just love to throw parties of just about any kind!  But because you're new here, I wanna know everything about you!  Where do you come from?  What's it like in your world?  What sort of games do you like?  What kind of food do you eat?"

"Pinkie Pie, can you hold off on the questions a bit?  This might be a bit much for Brenda," Twilight said.

"Your hyperactivity reminds me of one of my grandchildren," I said, returning Pinkie's grin.

"Hyperactive?  I suppose I am, a bit ... but you know, it's in a good way!  So ya wanna tell me a little about yourself?"

"What do you want to know?"

"Everything!"

I started by telling her my name, the fact that I was married for nearly 20 years, but when I mentioned my husband's recent feats while he was in Twilight's body, her mouth fell open and her eyes went wide.  Twilight chuckled at this, but Pinkie wanted to know quite a bit more.  Twilight interrupted momentarily, though.

"Brenda, did Mike tell you anything about that shimmer spell?  What did he say?"

"He mentioned something about alternate universes -- his words seemed to confuse me as I'm not all that knowledgeable about such things.  He said something about an electro magnetic spectrum or something like that, and shimmering lights and sounds.  I think he mentioned creating a rift in the fabric of space or something."  I saw Twilight's face brighten quite a bit.

"It sounds to me as though he created a rift in the fabric of the space-time continuum using the electro-magnetic spectrum to call copies of himself through that rift causing a shimmering effect.  Did he say something about his vision going blurry or his body appearing to shimmer as well?" she asked eagerly.  It looked like she was getting an idea.

"Yeah, he said his vision went all blurry and his body went all wavy -- he said that Nightmare Moon tried attacking him while his body was all wavy and her attacks failed to hurt him."

"Brenda, you have given me a very interesting idea.  I think I have all the information I need in order to cast that spell!  I would like to try it to see if it works."

"He said something about the need to be careful when casting it as there might be some evil versions that come forward from those alternate universes."

"Oh.  That could be a problem.  Perhaps I should reconsider this experiment and save it for a better time.  Thanks for letting me know, Brenda."

"I can't believe your husband did that!  He did it while he was in Twilight's body?  How did he do that?"

"He woke up in her body a few days ago -- I don't know how -- just that he said something about a wish."

"Well, I'm glad he was able to help out somewhere," Twilight said smiling.  "He enjoyed being me?"

"He said it was more fun than a human should be legally allowed to have."  Twilight beamed at this mention.

"I would really like to meet him -- he sounds utterly fascinating."

"He sounds like the kind of guy who'd love to be at a party!" Pinkie exclaimed.

"He doesn't go to parties -- he hates them."

"What?  Really?  I can't believe somepony who can do all that in Twilight's body would hate parties!" Pinkie said with exasperation.  "Do you know why he hates parties?"

"He's told me he doesn't feel comfortable at parties -- I don't know why exactly, just that when I've invited him to come along with me to a party, he simply refuses to attend."

"Well, I guess that's okay ... I guess I would have to meet him to understand him a little better.  Maybe he needs to open up and live it up a little!  I'm sure I could break him out of his shell!" Pinkie said with great enthusiasm.

"Don't think I haven't tried.  I've given up on trying -- he's very stubborn like that."

"Does he take himself very seriously?" Twilight asked.

"Far more so than is necessary, I think," I replied.

"Does he like books?"

"He used to work in a library," I said.  I immediately regretted having told Twilight this.  She started asking all kinds of questions about the library he worked in, how many books they had, how big it was and a lot more questions.  I had to tune her out for a minute until she ran out of breath.  "Twilight, all I know is that he worked in a library.  I don't know which one it was, just that it was with a university, that it was a big library and had lots of books.  He stopped working there shortly after we got married."   Twilight's face fell.

"Why'd he do that?  He must have liked working there," she said with some sadness in her voice.

"He was working two jobs and the other one paid more, so he quit his job at the library so he could spend more time at his better paying job."

"I find that hard to believe," Twilight mused.  "Perhaps if he makes it here to take you home, I can ask him about his employment with the library."

"Twilight, there are some questions that are better left unanswered -- his past is probably better left unknown.  He doesn't like talking about those things, and doesn't want others to know his business."

"He sounds very mysterious," Twilight mused.  "This makes him even more fascinating."

"Oooh, a man of mystery!" Pinkie chimed in.  "I wanna meet him too!"

"I'm hoping you'll get your chance soon -- I don't really want to lose MY job."  I saw a white unicorn come trotting over to talk to me.

"Darling, I need to know what sort of clothing that is you're wearing."

"Mike told me your name is Rarity -- and I'm wearing my sleeping clothes -- I was wearing these last night when I went to bed."  Rarity gasped when she heard me call her name -- I had seen her on my previous trip to Ponyville, but that was a different version of Ponyville.

"Darling, you haven't even told me YOUR name!  And who is Mike?"

"Rarity, my name is Brenda Walker, and Mike is my husband.  He was in Twilight's body a few days ago, and the two of them pulled a prank on you to see how you'd react upon seeing two Twilights."

"What a horrible thing to do!  Twilight, if there were a second you, would you do that to me?"

"Well ... I would be curious to see your reaction," Twilight giggled.  "I'll bet your expression of shock would be priceless!"

"That's not very nice, Twilight, darling," Rarity pouted.  "Brenda, I would like to invite you to my shop so I can provide you with something more presentable than what you're currently wearing.  Does everypony where you come from wear clothes?"

"The world I come from has about seven billion people living on it, and yes, we all have to wear clothes."  Rarity's face brightened quite a bit at this.

"Ooh, just think!  I could make a serious living designing clothes for everypony in your world!"

"There are lots of fashion designers -- some of them are very wealthy and their names are very well known."

"Can you name some of them?"

"Versace, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Giorgio Armani --"

"Do you think I could have my name mentioned along with those?" Rarity asked optimistically.

"I don't know -- I have never seen the inside of your shop.  Depending on what you can do, I have no idea of how well your designs would compare to the best in my world."

"Tell you what, Brenda, darling.  You come to my boutique tomorrow!  I'll clear out my schedule just for YOU!"

"Um, I don't know where that is, exactly."

"Brenda, I'll have Spike take you there tomorrow.  He knows where her boutique is.  Please try to keep him in line, Rarity."

"Thank you Twilight!  I'll make sure Spikey-Wikey behaves himself!" Rarity smiled.

"You like him quite a bit, Rarity?" I asked her.

"If he wasn't Twilight's assistant, I'd have him stay with me!  He's simply adorable, darling!"

"He's quite taken with Rarity as well.  He fell in love with her when he first saw her," Twilight said.  Spike blushed at this and Rarity smiled, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

"I'd love to escort Brenda over to Rarity's boutique tomorrow!" Spike exclaimed almost too eagerly.  Three other ponies came up to me at this point -- Fluttershy, whom I had met earlier, Rainbow Dash, whom I had met on my previous visit to Ponyville, and an orange pony with a blonde mane wearing a cowboy hat of some sort or other.  She addressed me first.

"So what exactly are ya?" she asked.  Her expression was one of puzzlement.  I told her I was a human.  "A human?  What's that?"

"It's a different species," Twilight said.  "She comes from a different world!"

"How'd ya get here?"

"I have no idea, I woke up in Twilight's bed this morning with no clue of where I was or how I got here."

"It's true -- she woke up in my bed and scared me quite a bit, but having talked to her for awhile, she's actually pretty nice," Twilight said.  "It's her husband I want to meet."

"Twilight, if everyone here keeps asking me the same questions over and over again, I think I'm going to lose my patience."

"So what's your world like?" Rainbow asked.

"It's crowded, it's noisy and it's full of people who don't like each other very much," I said with some contempt.

"So if it's so awful, why not stay here with us?" Pinkie asked.  "This place ought to be a lot better than the world you came from!"

"I haven't been here long enough to make a choice like that -- I have friends back home I would miss and I would also miss my husband, unless he finds a way to make it here.  Princess Celestia suggested I wait for his arrival -- but it seems as though his "resourcefulness" is something that was much easier for him when he was in Twilight's body."  This drew gasps from the ponies who hadn't already heard it.   "I don't even know the orange pony's name, although she sounds like she comes from Alabama or Mississippi," I observed.

"Alabama?  Mississippi?  What's that?  My name's Applejack, ma'am, and I've never heard of those places you named."

"I'm originally from Louisiana myself, and Alabama and Mississippi are states that are close to my home state."

"States?" Twilight asked.  "What exactly are those?"

"They are part of the country I came from, the United States of America."

"Are they smaller governmental constructs in your country?"

"Well, they have their own governments, but the federal government has more power than the state governments."

More questions about this sort of thing were asked, but I grew bored with questions about politics and told them as much.  The party itself was going on around us and I didn't really get too involved with it as I was too busy answering other questions from these ponies who wanted to know everything about me.  I had to get something to drink as my voice was getting sore from all this talking.

The hour started getting late and pretty soon all the ponies left Twilight's house, leaving me and her and Spike still standing in the main room.

"I'll set up a pad for you in the guest room, you'll probably want to sleep by yourself tonight.  I'm sorry I can't do anything more for you so far.  I'll see if I can get better sleeping arrangements for you as I can.  Spike, I'll help clean up this mess."

"I'll help you clean it up," I offered.  "It might take my mind off where Mike is right now."
> A Search Begins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     ----------------------------  Michael's point of view  -----------------

Another day had gone by with no word from Brenda.  I was starting to get very worried now.  I got on the internet and checked some personal stuff and played a few games to take my mind off Brenda's disappearance.  A mysterious email caught my attention, the information a bit of a surprise.  Turns out my car could communicate with Princess Celestia.  I hurriedly went back to the car to test it out.

"Good evening, Michael, are we going somewhere tonight?" came the cheery voice.

"I need to know if you can communicate with Princess Celestia," I stated flatly.

"Yes, Michael, I can.  What would you like to tell her?"

"I need you to tell her that my wife has disappeared and I am searching for her, but have not been able to find her anywhere.  I would like to know if she might have seen or heard from her."

"Message relayed, Michael."

"Dear Michael, I am sorry to hear about your wife's disappearance, but I am afraid I have not seen or heard from her as of yet.  I trust you have exhausted all avenues of search for her in your world?"

"I have filed a missing persons report with the local police department, but they are only just beginning their search.  They seem to be interested in asking me some questions and I hope I don't become a suspect in their search, but sometimes people will jump to conclusions before obtaining all the facts.  If you wish to know, I have nothing to do with my wife's disappearance as I woke up three days ago to find her gone.  I am willing to back up the veracity of my statement if you wish."

"I sense great sadness in you and understand your truthfulness.  I will see if I can do anything to help you and if I can, I will make sure to inform you of any measures I take to remedy your situation.  If you need further advice, you may contact me at your leisure."

"Thank you, Princess Celestia.  I appreciate your kindness deeply."

"I didn't realize it was that serious," came the not-so-cheery voice.

"Yeah, it is.  I'm going to bed now, talk to you in the morning."

"Good night, Michael."

I turned off the car and went back into the house to get some sleep.  Tomorrow was Saturday, so I was going to see if I could get some more information.  I talked to Brenda's older sister Beulah and asked her to call her folks down south to see if any of them had seen her.  Beulah was rather alarmed to hear of Brenda's disappearance and scolded me for not telling her sooner.  I apologized for having let it slip as I had been a bit too preoccupied with my own thoughts and obligations.  I was trying to formulate a plan to find her but wasn't having much luck.  Maybe I needed a diversion.  I laid down to sleep, again tossing and turning until finally drifting off.  My slumber was interrupted by a flash of light and a golden POP, ushering the arrival of Princess Celestia.

"Michael, I need your assistance," the Princess announced.

"What seems to be the problem?" I asked groggily.

"Spike misses Twilight, and I have had no luck in finding a replacement for her.  I seem to recall you were willing to volunteer to be a substitute for her."

"Princess, as much as it pains me to say this, my wife has gone missing, and I need to find her.  I would love to go back to Ponyville, trust me, but my primary objective at this point is finding Brenda."

"Forgive my intrusion, Michael.  I appear to have chosen an inappropriate time to make my request."

"I was hoping you might have heard or seen her -- one other thing I'd like to know is how's everypony holding up in your realm?  I'm sorry to hear about Spike, but I was hoping Rarity would be able to help him somewhat."

"The recovery is continuing apace, but Rarity can only do so much for Spike -- and he misses Twilight dearly.  This is why I came to you, as I remember your desire to remain in Twilight's body.  Truth be told, we could use your assistance as Twilight, as your magic abilities were quite impressive.  I had no idea you had helped Pinkie Pie as much as you did -- why didn't you mention this to me last time around?"

"I did what I could to help her -- I figured that the other stuff I did was more impressive -- but I thank you kindly for your compliments, Princess.  Tell you what -- if I don't hear from her in some way, or if I can't find her within a month, I will take you up on that offer.  Until then, though, I must continue to search for her.  There is a possibility that the police may arrest me and charge me with her murder, even though I am not responsible for her disappearance, but in light of how human nature works, it wouldn't surprise me if they did."

"Should that event come to pass, Michael, please inform me so I may assist you."

"How may I contact you if I am held against my will in a place where I cannot communicate with you?"

"I will give you this token -- keep it in a safe place -- and when you need my help, break it."

"If they put me in a jail, they will strip-search my body for any items I could use to escape."

"I will do something else for you.  I will impart within you an ability to contact me directly through the use of a telepathic link.  Should the worst come to pass, you may call for my help.  I'm afraid I cannot do anything more for you now."

"You have my thanks, Princess Celestia.  I hope I find her soon as I'm not sure how I'll pay all the bills with just my income."

"I will see what I can do to help you with that endeavor -- and good luck with your search.  If I discover any information, I will pass it along to you."

"Thanks again, Princess, and good-bye for now."  She disappeared with a flash of light and I went back to sleep.  I had to exhaust my options, but few remained.  There was a part of me that desperately wanted to return to Ponyville with the Princess but I had to remain strong for my wife.  I couldn't just abandon her like that.
> Brenda's Day with Rarity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     I awoke to the sun's rays coming in through the window.  The pad on the floor lent some comfort, but not much as I had wrapped my body in the blankets to try to keep myself warm during the cold night.  Twilight was already awake and opened the door to the guest room I was sleeping in.

"I am in the process of obtaining a second bed to make it a little more comfortable for you, Brenda.  I apologize for my lack of preparation for unexpected visitors, but I should have a bed ready for you tonight.  How are you feeling?"

"Well, I feel lonely since I don't have my husband to sleep next to me and I'm hungry since I didn't get much food yesterday."

"Spike's making breakfast and you're welcome to come down and have some.  He's looking forward to taking you over to Carousel Boutique today!  I have some studies to catch up on and I am also keeping a journal as well.  Any information you're willing to provide about your home world is greatly appreciated -- I will provide you with writing materials so you can put on paper whatever you feel like telling me."

"I'm looking forward to meeting Rarity and getting some new clothes -- she talked at length last night about what she was wanting to try out.  I'm kind of surprised that she didn't remember me, though."

"That must have been in a different universe than this one -- the way you talk about your husband still fascinates me."

"Well, you might find him a bit underwhelming -- he sometimes does things that don't make any sense."

"You'd be surprised at how many ponies around here do things that don't make any sense!" Twilight chuckled.  "Take Pinkie, for example..."

"Somepony call my name?" asked the pink earth pony as she stuck her head in through the window.

"Pinkie Pie, we're on the second floor.  How are you able to do that?" I asked in surprise.

"Like I said, Brenda, Pinkie does things that make no sense some times."

"Hey, Brenda!  I'm throwing another party later on today!  You wanna come?"

"I'm going over to Rarity's boutique today to get some new clothes," I said.  Pinkie's expression deflated slightly, but she perked back up.

"Well, maybe later then, Brenda!  Just to let you know, you're welcome any time you wanna drop by!" she exclaimed as she started bouncing off in another direction.  I marveled at her energy level and wondered how she kept it up.

"Sometimes I wonder if all these ponies really are crazy," Twilight mused.

"They like to play a lot -- their playfulness reminds me of my grandchildren."

"How many grandchildren do you have?"

"Twelve."

"Wow!  I would love to meet all of them!"

"If my husband makes it here, he might be willing to take you to our world so you could meet them," I said.

"There's more to it than that, Brenda!  I would love to see everything about your world -- it sounds wonderful!"

"Twilight, there's a lot of bad things about our world, things that are very dangerous, and lots of bad people, too."

"Michael sounds like he would be capable of making me safe on our journey," Twilight mused.

"Breakfast is ready, come and get it before it gets cold!" Spike announced.

I joined them at the table for pancakes and syrup, sliced apples with a brown sugar glaze, fried sliced potatoes and orange juice.  The food was very good and filled me up.  I helped with the dishes and clean-up and then it was time to head over to Carousel Boutique.

"Okay, you two have a good time over at Rarity's -- I'm going to catch up on my studies and my journal.  I may be in the basement when you get back, so don't be too surprised if I'm not up here to greet you when you return."

"Seeya later, Twi!" Spike said enthusiastically.  "I enjoy my visits with Rarity," he said, addressing me.

"How often does Twilight send you over to her place?" I asked him.

"Well .. I never really give that much thought -- I really like Rarity, and as far as I'm concerned, I don't think Twi sends me over there often enough!" he chuckled.

"How long is the walk over there?  Sugarcube Corner is closer, but even that walk takes at least 15 minutes."

"Yeah, well, I don't mind the walk -- I could use a little exercise every now and then.  Is the walk that difficult for you?"

"I don't have any shoes, and the ground is kinda hard on bare feet."

"Maybe Rarity can make a pair of shoes for you," Spike offered.

"What materials would she use for that?  Leather is made using the skin of cows."

"And ponies don't eat meat, of course.  I'll bet Rarity can find a way of making some shoes for you without using leather."

We continued walking for a little while longer, passing the Bakery and stopping in front of the boutique, which, oddly enough, was shaped like a carousel.

"So this is why it's called Carousel Boutique," I observed.

"Points for originality," Spike laughed as he knocked on the front door.  I heard a rapid series of hoofsteps down the stairs and then Rarity opened the door, greeting both of us with a big smile.

"Brenda, darling!  I was wondering when you might show up.  Please come in!  You too, Spikey-Wikey!"

"Rarity, please don't call me that in front of others -- that embarrasses me!"

"Spike, darling, sometimes I can't resist!  You're so cute!"  He blushes and hurries inside.  I follow him and Rarity closes the door behind us.  "Brenda, darling, please forgive the mess.  An earlier patron was a bit too insistent, even though I was trying to clear my schedule for you.  But enough of that!  You're here now!" she exclaimed.  It seemed as though she could not contain her excitement.

"I'm going to need some shoes, if such a thing is possible for you to do," I stated.

"I plan on doing that, and so much more for you, darling!  I am looking forward to this challenge, and see it as a possible opportunity for me should I manage to make it to your world!  Now, if you'll just step up here onto my platform, I'll take some measurements.  I'll need for you to stand as still as possible so I can obtain precise measurements -- I want to make sure the clothing fits exactly to your body."

"It doesn't have to be an exact fit -- I like the clothing to be a little loose so I can move around in it," I said.

"My designs allow for that, Brenda -- but I want them to look good on you as well!  You've never had your measurements taken for clothing before, have you?" she asked as she manipulated a tape measure using her telekinesis.  This caught me by surprise, as Twilight was the only one other than Princess Celestia I saw using actual magic.

"You can use magic too?" I asked.

"Of course, darling!  I'm a unicorn, and all unicorns can use magic to some degree or other.  How many of us have you seen?"

"Well, there was this light green unicorn who was stalking us yesterday -- she seemed obsessed with my hands."

"Lyra!  You'll have to forgive her, darling, she's been carrying on about humans for a long time -- she desperately wants to have hands so she can play her instrument more easily." Rarity continued taking my measurements, moving the tape measure around my body.  "Oh, the upper part of your body has some interesting features."

"These are my breasts," I pointed to them.

"Do all humans have those?"  I laughed at her question.  She turned a couple of different shades of red.

"No, just the women or females, and they don't generally show up until after we're about twelve years old or so."

"Forgive me for asking this, Brenda, but what exactly do they look like under your clothing?"

"They look like -- Rarity!  I can't believe you'd ask something like that!  I don't feel comfortable showing them to someone I barely even know!"

"The designs I make may not fit correctly if I can't take exact measurements, Brenda.  Please understand that."  Rarity still showed quite a bit of embarrassment at having asked me such a personal question.  She moved the tape measure to my feet to make a design for some shoes.  The whole time she was taking my measurements, she was furiously scribbling notes on paper for each measurement.  Then she repeated the process, making sure she got the numbers right.  After double-checking her work, she repeated the process yet again to triple-check her work.  My knees protested standing in one place for what seemed like an hour.

"I apologize for asking that earlier question, Brenda, darling.  Do you require undergarments as well?"

"Oh, yeah, that's right.  I require bras to support my breasts."

"Are you wearing one of those right now?"

"Yes."

"May I examine it please, so I can make something like that for you?"

I turned my back to her and saw Spike sitting on the couch watching us.  "Rarity, I'll need some privacy for this," I said.

"Certainly, Brenda, allow me to close this curtain.  Step over here, please."  She led me to another room with a privacy curtain.  I removed my bra and handed it to her -- she used her telekinesis to examine it, then felt the material using her right fore-hoof.  "Very nice!  I believe I can duplicate this fairly easily.  How well does this item fit you?"

"It's comfortable enough for me -- I don't like underwire bras, so I try to get something like the one you're checking out right now."

"Do your breasts spill over the top of it?  Or is the cup size correct?"

"It's close enough to what I need.  It serves its purpose and that's all I need."

"Fair enough, I'll make a few of these for you.  What about your other undergarments?"

"Uh, well, I do wear panties under my clothes," I began.

"What do those look like?"

"Rarity, this is getting really uncomfortable."

"It would be a shame if something bad were to happen to the clothes I am going to make for you -- I would hate to see them get soiled in some fashion or other.  Darling, please, for the sake of protection, I need to know so I can make more for you."

Reluctantly, I slide off my panties, but only after making her turn away so she can't see my nudity.  I pulled my sleep pants back up and handed her my panties.  She seemed to marvel at them, taking more notes on the size and shape, and sketching a quick design as well.  She did the same for my bra and moved them back over to me so I could retrieve them from her telekinetic aura.  I put them back on, but again, only after I was sure she wasn't peeking.  Her curiosity got the better of her, but she only got a glimpse of me.  "RARITY!" I shouted at her.  She turned away, blushing furiously.

"Sorry about that, darling, I couldn't resist!  You are quite the specimen, aren't you?" she giggled.  "Now, I'll need some time to come up with some designs.  Please wait in the front and keep Spike company for me.  I'll be out in a little while to show you what I've come up with.  It may take awhile, but please be patient."

I returned to the main room to see Spike sitting on a red velvet chaise lounge against a wall.  I joined him to wait on Rarity to sketch up some designs.  "Spike, have you waited on her like this before?  Do you know how long it usually takes for her to do this?"

"Well, no, I can't say that I have -- usually, when Twilight sends me over here, it's to help Rarity out with some of her more mundane chores -- I don't mind, of course -- Rarity is so beautiful, I sometimes wish I could spend every day with her!"

"She is very pretty -- I can see why you like her so much."

"I wonder what your husband would think of her."

"My husband seems to think Twilight's prettier, I think, but I wouldn't know without actually asking him.  I wonder how much longer it's going to take him to get here," I said as worry was starting to creep back into my voice.

"If the Princess and Twilight say he's going to make it here, I'm pretty sure he is, Brenda.  Maybe it'll take some time, but if he's as good as they say he is, I'll bet he'll be here in a week!" he said cheerfully.

"I hope so -- I may not have a job to go back to when I get back -- IF I get back," I sighed.  I was starting to get a bit depressed at the thought of actually losing my job.  I might detest the people I worked under, but I needed the money to help pay the bills.  Even so, I liked the slower pace of things here in Ponyville.  Maybe if we could take care of some loose ends back home, Mike and I could make a home in this town.  Well, maybe...

"Brenda, darling, why not come on back and see what I've come up with for you?" Rarity asked.  "These are only preliminary, but I wanted to give you a rough idea of what I have in mind for you."

Spike and I followed Rarity to a work room where she had been sketching up some ideas.  Her designs were quite a bit fancier than anything I had ever purchased from any store, and I commented on this.  I told her that what I wore more often than anything else were pants and shirts, jeans, sweaters and the like.  What she had designed were dresses with ruffled collars, lace designs, filigrees, very fancy stuff.  I was impressed, but told her I just needed functional clothing.  She huffed in protest and sketched up some more designs.  I think I might have disappointed her.

"Darling, don't you think you might at least want something fancy for the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala?"

"What's that?" I asked.  I had never heard of such a thing.

"Are you kidding?  It's only the biggest event of the year!  Every pony who's any pony comes to it, but they need a special invitation from the Princess.  We'll be preparing for it in a couple of weeks, and we're really looking forward to outdoing ourselves once again!"

"Well, I suppose -- but I'm hoping to be gone before then -- my husband is supposed to be coming to take me back home, or maybe I might have to ask Princess Celestia to send me back home.  The way the other ponies in this town whisper about me to each other really creeps me out, and if the Gala you talk about is something involving a large group of ponies, I don't think I want to be the center of attention at that event."

"Darling, just trust me on this -- they'll come to accept you soon enough, once you've spent enough time around them!"

"I get the impression you're just trying to cheer me up -- I already miss Mike and it's only been two days."

"Well, you need to be more patient, dear."  She continued her sketches and showed me some more designs, these being quite a bit more practical.  I picked out a few pant-suit designs and a color scheme for them, mostly involving dark blue, brown, tan, and dark red.  "You certainly like dark colors, Brenda, but I'll throw in a couple of more lively ones as well, just to see what you might think."

"As long as it doesn't involve chartreuse, mauve, pink, or yellow, I might be interested."

"Brenda, darling, you wound me.  I particularly like yellow," she sighed.

"That color dominates Mike's uniforms," I groaned.  "He looks like he works in a fast-food restaurant with those silly shirts he wears."

"What colors make up his shirts?"

"Yellow and red -- he refers to it as mustard and ketchup."

"Those colors clash rather horribly with each other -- who came up with such an awful design?" Rarity was aghast.

"I dunno -- it's been like that for more than ten years now."

"Does he feel embarrassed to wear such awful clothes?"

"It's his work uniform!  He HAS to wear it!  He can't change the colors even though he told me he hates it.  He wears them only because they pay him half-way decently."

"So the company he works for makes him wear those awful things.  Maybe I should whip something up for him myself.  Is he about the same size as you?"

"He's quite a bit bigger than me."

"How much?"

"He weighs about 90 pounds more than me and stands about four inches taller than me."

"Okay, that means I would have to take his measurements then, and since he's not here, I can't do that.  Maybe when he makes it here, he can come by my boutique!"

"Well, I guess I can ask him.  So how much do I have to pay for these clothes?"

"Well, Brenda, darling, I am willing to present these to you as a gift -- I am the Element of Generosity, and I feel a duty to provide you with a gift -- but please be sure to take good care of them!  There are limits to my generosity, you know!"

"I feel obligated in some way to make a payment of some sort -- if there's some way I can do so, please let me know."

"Oh, please, darling, it's no trouble.  It'll take me a couple of hours to make your clothes, so please return to the main room to wait on me again.  Spike, please join her so I may give this my undivided attention."

"Sure thing, Rarity.  Sorry to make you wait again, Brenda."

"That's okay, Spike.  I don't feel like making two trips between Twilight's house and here."  We made small talk as we waited on Rarity to craft my clothes.  I was quite surprised by her generosity and wondered if there was some way of repaying her for her kindness.  Perhaps Mike might be able to do something for her, or maybe I could work in her shop until he arrived.  I made a mental note to ask her when she was finished about possibly working in her shop for her.  Presently she finished her work and called us back so we could examine the finished product.

"Brenda, darling, please try this set on for size," she said as she showed me the first pant-suit set along with a new bra and panties.  I was about to step to the privacy room to change, but I stopped for a moment.

"Rarity, I think I need to take a shower before trying these on -- I want to make sure I'm clean before putting on some brand new clothes."

"Okay, then!  Follow me, darling, I will show you to my bathroom!" she said a bit too cheerfully for my taste.  I followed her upstairs to her bedroom suite with its adjoining bath.  It was just large enough for me to wash myself off.  Rarity brought my new clothes upstairs for me to try on once I finished bathing and toweling off.  She was kind enough to give me the needed privacy of changing without being stared at.  The clothes fit quite nicely, even though the bra was a little snug and the panties just slightly too loose, but not bad.   I tried on the shoes which were made of several layers of cotton denim -- these were simple slip-on shoes, but they served their purpose quite well.

"Thank you so much, Rarity!  Looks like you've done a great job!" I smiled as I admired myself in her work.  "Is there some way I might be able to work in your shop with you as a form of payment?  I just wouldn't feel right without doing at least something to help you."

"Please forgive me, darling, but I must insist you take these without payment.  It pleases me enough to know you admire my skills as much as you do!"

"I really appreciate your generosity, and I will still try to find some way of repaying you, Rarity.  Thanks again!"

"No problem, dear.  Here are the rest of the clothes I made for you -- but before you go, would you like to accompany me to the spa?  Perhaps you might like a massage or something?"

"I appreciate the offer, but I think I should be heading back over to the Library.  Spike looks like he's getting bored."

"Oh, no!  I was just resting, that's all!"

"Spikey-wikey, it looks to me like you were sleeping!"

"Well ... I suppose I was ..."

"Okay, I guess I've taken enough of your time today, Brenda, darling!  You two head on back then.  Please, Brenda, why not come by again some time?  There are some other things I would like to try for you!  Perhaps you might want to join me for a spa day some time?"

"Thanks for the offer, Rarity, I'll think about it and let you know later."  We said our good-byes and headed back to the Library, both of us carrying a few bags with my new clothes in them.  The new shoes gave me quite a bit of comfort making the trip back considerably more bearable.  Twilight was there to greet us upon our return and admired Rarity's handiwork.

"She sure knows how to make the clothes accentuate your beauty," she smiled.

"Thanks for the compliment!" I smiled.
> Taking the Car to Ponyville
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     --------------------  Michael's Point of View   ---------------------

I woke up on Sunday and once again Brenda had not returned.  I decided I was going to test a hypothesis.  I took a shower and got dressed in some of my best civilian clothes.  I decided to see if the car could take me to Ponyville and if I could get some answers from Twilight herself or Princess Celestia -- provided, of course, I made it to the right universe.  I figured if I couldn't find her, at the very least I could check up on things.  I had no idea how much magic energy it would take from the batteries to make the jump across the dimensional barrier separating Earth from Equestria, but I figured if nothing else, I could drive some distance to recharge the batteries, or better yet, get Twilight to use her magic to recharge them.  I decided to get something to eat and drink before making the trip -- didn't want to be going there on an empty stomach.  I decided to take a jacket and knit cap just in case the weather might be a little uncooperative in Ponyville.

"Good Morning, Michael!  Where are we going today?" asked TS in her cheery voice.

"Ponyville, in front of Twilight's house, if I figure correctly," I said.

"Acquiring destination.  Destination target acquired.  Preparing to teleport, Golden Oaks Library, Ponyville, Equestria.  I hope you are prepared, Michael," TS said rather flatly.

"I hope they're prepared for me.  I also hope this is the correct universe I'm traveling to."

"With any luck, Michael, it should be the correct one."  The car started glowing with a magenta colored aura, then everything flashed white for a split-second.  I felt my body blink out of existence for that split-second then return as the car successfully made the jump to Ponyville.  The car was facing the tree, the engine still running.  I hadn't even put the car in gear and it made the jump.  I could feel many pairs of eyes staring at this sight.  Twilight came out the front door of her house to see what all the commotion was about.

"Magic battery level, 43 per cent," came TS's not-so-cheery voice.

"Twilight's here, maybe she can recharge them for you," I offered.

Twilight teleported onto the hood of the car.  I turned off the ignition.  "See you later, Michael," TS said as the car turned off.  Twilight stared at me, her gaze never leaving mine.  She appeared to be saying something, but I couldn't quite make it out.  I exited the car to see what was going on.  She backed away, slightly frightened by my size.

"Relax, Twilight, I'm not going to hurt you -- I'm just here to see if my wife has been here," I offered.

"What -- what -- what are you?  What is this -- thing -- sitting in front of my house?"

"This is my automobile, Twilight, and it teleported me from my home world to this world."

She stood in stunned silence, mouth open.  It took her a couple of minutes to regain some composure.  "You -- this -- thing -- crossed a dimensional barrier?"  I grinned at her confusion.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?  By the way, do you think you could do me a favor and recharge the magic batteries in the car?  I drained about 57 per cent of their capacity with just the one jump -- recharging them will allow me to return to my home world."

"Magic batteries?  Who are you?  Where did you come from?  How do you know my name?  And why does this 'automobile' have MY cutie mark on it?"

"That's a bunch of questions there, Twilight.  To keep it short, my name is Michael, I came from the planet Earth, the car has your cutie mark on it because about a week ago, I woke up in your body and imbued my car with magic, with one of the side effects being the subtle touches adorning the vehicle.  The car has magic batteries allowing it to teleport as well as do various and sundry other things.  If you choose not to recharge them for me, I will have to drive the car some distance in order to manually recharge those batteries."

"How does this thing work?  And you still haven't told me how it is you know my name." She glared at me, but with a somewhat puzzled look on her face as well.

"It's a long story, one I don't feel like telling you right now.  I am looking for a dark-skinned female human, a little shorter than me -- she is my wife, and I just wanted to know if you might have seen her.  If not, perhaps you might be able to contact Princess Celestia for me -- oh wait, my car can do that.  Give me a moment, please."

Twilight grew very excited and started asking so many questions so quickly I couldn't keep track of what she asked.  I got back into the car and turned it on, rolling down the windows.  Fortunately, the weather was very nice in Ponyville today, thank Celestia.  I asked the car to contact the Princess.  The car did so for me.

"Princess Celestia, I need to know something, and I apologize for my intrusion -- have you seen my wife?"

"To whom do I have the pleasure of speaking?  I had no idea that this channel of communication existed!"

"Princess Celestia, my name is Michael Walker -- I am a human from a planet called Earth, and I have traveled across a dimensional barrier in search of my wife, who disappeared about 4 days ago or so."

"I have traced your location as that of Twilight's library -- I will be there shortly."  the words had barely come out of the speakers when a flash of light and a golden POP signaled the arrival of the Princess.  She appeared about five feet to my left.  Her immediate reaction was one of great surprise at seeing me in the car.  I rolled up the windows and turned off the car and exited it so I could greet the Princess properly.

"I was hoping you'd come, Princess.  My car here is the device I used in order to travel across --"

"You do not have the right to address me as that, Michael."

"Begging your pardon, your Majesty,"

"You must return to your home world at once."

"Your Majesty, the car's magic batteries need recharging before I can make that return trip."

"Very well then, Michael, I shall do that for you now.  You must immediately return to your home world after I have done this for you."

"What about my wife?"

"Does she look something like you?"

"She is dark-skinned, about four inches shorter than me -- her name's Brenda."

"She has not been here, Michael.  I have recharged the magic batteries for you -- so please leave. NOW."

I bowed my head to the Princess, returning to the interior of my car, turning it on again.

"Magic battery level, 100 per cent.  Good morning, Michael, where are we going today?"

"We are going  home, TS, that's where.  Thanks for your help, your Majesty -- please let me know if you see my wife."

"Princess Celestia is here?" came TS's cheery voice.

"She is very upset with me, TS -- we need to go now."

"Preparing to teleport, home, Earth."  The car glowed magenta once again, and disappeared with a blinding flash of light, reappearing in the driveway in front of our house.

"That was rather fruitless," I muttered.

"Magic battery level, 44 per cent.  Required driving distance for full recharge, 184 miles."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.  I'll get on it shortly."

----------------------------  Back in Ponyville  ----------------

"What was that all about?" Twilight asked.

"So he's looking for his wife.  I hope he does not return -- he will prove to be a bad influence, Twilight.  You should not be so inquisitive in the affairs of humans -- I suggest you forget you even saw him or his device."

"There was so much I wanted to learn from him -- and how it was that his car had my cutie mark on it."

"Well, I suggest you not dwell on it any further, Twilight." The Princess then teleported back to the castle at that point.
> Brenda's 3rd Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     I woke up in the middle of the night with a start -- a bed had been brought into the guest room to ease my sleep somewhat, but missing Mike made me feel quite lonely.  I had dreamt about being fired from my job, and I was sweating even though it was rather cold in the room.  The bed was still a little too short for me, but better than sleeping on a pad on the floor.  I had no idea what time it was and laid back down to sleep.  I was hoping I would be returned to my bed on Earth and wondered how much longer it was going to be before Mike finally made it here.  I resolved to ask Princess Celestia to send me home before the Grand Galloping Gala, regardless of whether he made it here or not.  I didn't want to be around all these ponies -- it made me feel very uncomfortable -- even though many of them tried their best to make me feel happy, I was starting to get homesick.  As bad as things had been back home, at least it was still home.  I had no idea of how much time had passed when I laid back down and found my face being nuzzled in the morning.

"I heard you crying last night, what's wrong?" Twilight asked worriedly.

"I miss Mike," I said.  "I want to go home before the Grand Galloping Gala."

Twilight's face fell.  "Are you sure you want to leave before then?  I would have figured you would want to attend the biggest event of the year!"

"I was telling Rarity yesterday that I don't want to be the center of attention -- I'm pretty sure I'd be stared at by all the ponies attending the Gala.  I heard their whispers and felt their eyes on me when Spike and I went to the boutique."

"I'll have a talk with the Mayor and see if I can get everypony to treat you with more respect, Brenda.  I'm disappointed by everypony's reaction to your presence, but maybe I might be able to get them to change their attitude towards you."

"I'd really appreciate that, Twilight, but I miss my home and I miss my job -- I need to do something to take my mind off what's been happening to me since I got here."

"Perhaps you could stop by Sweet Apple Acres and help Applejack on her farm -- there's always plenty of work to do there, and I'm sure they'd appreciate whatever help you'd be able to offer them."

"My dad used to work on a farm -- that sounds like a good idea, I think I'll check it out."  I got up and took a shower and got dressed in a fresh set of clothes -- I commented on the softness of the material and made a mental note to thank Rarity once again -- ate breakfast, helped with the clean-up and headed off towards Applejack's farm.

"Okay, Brenda, have fun, but don't work too hard!" Twilight called after me.

"All right, see you later, Twilight, you too, Spike!" I said as I continued on my way.  I silently hoped Twilight would talk to the Mayor today as I kept on hearing whispers.  I caught glimpses of three smaller ponies out of the corner of my eye before I was tackled to the ground by shouts of "Cutie Mark Crusader Monster Catchers go!" and then felt one of them on my legs, another one on my chest and the third one in my face, glaring at me.

"GET OFF OF ME!" I yelled.  They fled in terror, each one going off in a different direction.  I chased after the yellow one who seemed to gallop even faster when she turned to look behind her.  I saw her head to the farm and slowed my pace -- this was where I was supposed to be headed, and chasing after one who lived there might get me in trouble.  It took me several more minutes to reach the outskirts of the farm, the house sitting a little ways back from the dirt road running parallel to the fence line.  A red stallion with a blonde shock of a mane and tail strode lazily up to meet me, a wheat stalk in his mouth.

"You the one chasin' after mah baby sis?" he growled, glaring at me.

"She and a couple of her friends knocked me to the ground and ruined my clothes," I stated flatly, a hint of anger in my voice.  "They started jumping on me!"

"Apple Bloom!  Come out here now!" he shouted.  The yellow one peeked from behind the front door and slammed it shut.  He shouted again.  "Don't make me come in there and get ya!"  The front door opened and the yellow filly very timidly approached me.  She hung her head as she slowly trotted up to her big brother.

"Sorry, Mac.  Sorry, whoever you are," she offered shyly.

"My name's Brenda -- Twilight told me I might be able to help out around here to take my mind off being here instead of my home."

"Ah'm Big MacIntosh, pleased ta meet ya, Brenda.  Ah'm afraid there's not much work today."  Applejack came out the front door to see what was going on.  She saw me and smiled, and trotted over to meet me.

"Brenda!  Nice ta see ya!  What brings ya by these parts?" she asked.  She saw my clothes had been dirtied up.  "What happened to ya?"

"Well, your little Apple Bloom and a couple of her friends tackled me on my way here," I said.  "I need something to do before I go crazy since I can't go home yet."

"Apple Bloom!  You and your friends should know better!  She's not a monster!  Apple season's over, so there's not much work around here now -- why not check with Pinkie Pie?  I'm sure she could find somethin' for ya ta do," Applejack said optimistically.

"Okay, I guess I can do that, if nothing else," I said and made my way back towards the town's bakery, a walk which was going to take another half hour.  On my way there, I was knocked to the ground by a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane and tail.

"You're the one who scared Scootaloo!" she shouted at me.

"Who's that?  And this is the second time I've been knocked down today!" I exclaimed.

"She's one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders -- she told me this dark-skinned monster scared her witless!"

"I heard three small ponies shout something like that before they jumped me and knocked me down and started jumping on me!  They ruined the clothes Rarity made for me yesterday!"

"Oh.  I'll have a talk with Scoots to straighten this out.  What was your name again?  I saw you at the party, but didn't get a chance to talk much."

"My name's Brenda!  I was on my way to Sugarcube Corner to help Pinkie Pie out, but now I'm gonna have to go back to Rarity's boutique and see about getting this set of clothes repaired!"

"Brenda, I'm sorry about Scoots' behavior, I'm gonna have a long talk with her.  Catch ya later!" she smiled and flew off somewhere.  I continued towards Carousel Boutique, my mood substantially fouled by the day's events.  Suddenly I was knocked down again, this time by a bouncing pink earth pony.

"Hey, Brenda!  Did you like that party the other night?  Can we have another party?  Hey, you wanna help me make some cupcakes?  What's up?  You don't look too happy, what's wrong?"

"Pinkie Pie.  Please get off of me!  This is the third time I've been knocked down today!  I'm on my way to Rarity's to get these clothes fixed!  She only made them for me yesterday!"

"Oh.  I'm sorry Brenda.  I guess I'll just go back to the bakery and make some fresh cupcakes for you to make up for what you've been through.  Seeya later!" she said almost too cheerfully before bouncing back to the bakery.  I grumbled something in response and continued on my way.  A certain grey pegasus flew past me, narrowly missing me and nearly flying into a tree.  She managed to right herself in mid-air and flew off in the opposite direction.  She appeared to be carrying a mailbag and a letter fell out.  I picked it up and noticed it was addressed to Rarity.  "What a coincidence," I thought.

I made it to Carousel Boutique without further incident.  I put the letter into the mailbox and knocked on the front door.  Rarity peeped from her upstairs window.  "Brenda, darling, why did you frighten my sister?" she asked and then saw the state of my clothes.  "What happened?  Your new clothing has been destroyed!"

"Is your sister one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders?" I asked, almost a little too angrily.

"Why yes, Brenda!  How do you know of them?"

"She and a couple of her friends knocked me to the ground earlier today when I was on my way to Applejack's farm.  They jumped on me and ruined my clothes!  The rainbow one knocked me down!  Pinkie knocked me down too!"

"Brenda, darling, please come in!  I'll take care of your clothes for you -- and I'll make you another set as well.  Sweetie Belle!  Come here at once!"

I went inside the boutique, noticing a much cleaner appearance this time.  I sat down on one of the couches.  Rarity trotted downstairs and gasped as she saw just how badly my clothes had suffered.  Rarity scolded Sweetie Belle, who apologized to me for her earlier actions.  She was still somewhat scared by my appearance, but she assured me that she and her friends would not repeat what they had done earlier.  Rarity allowed me to wash off and while I was doing that, she had fashioned another outfit for me.  I toweled off and got dressed in the new set of clothes, admiring her handiwork.

"I'm amazed at how good you are at this," I smiled.  "I'm sorry about what happened to the clothes I was wearing earlier."

"Not your fault, darling -- how's things going over at the library?"

"Could be better -- I'm getting worried about Mike, and I'm starting to have bad dreams about my job back home."

"Would you like some tea to calm your nerves?"

"I'd love some, Rarity -- I need something to do to keep me from going absolutely crazy around here!"

"You said you tried the farm -- are they sure they don't have any work for you?  They should always be busy there!"

"Big MacIntosh told me there wasn't much to do -- they said apple season's over -- but Pinkie Pie did offer me an opportunity to help her make some cupcakes, so maybe I should head over to the bakery."

"Okay, dear, but be more careful with the clothes!  I'll fix these for you and have Spike take them back to the library the next time he comes here.  I'm happy you appreciate my work, it means a lot to me, darling!  Take care now!"

I waved good-bye and headed off to the bakery which was just a relatively short walk from the boutique.  I knocked on the door of the ginger-bread house and Pinkie poked her head out from behind the door.

"Oh, hi, Brenda!  You here to help me make some cupcakes?  You're just in time!  Please, come inside!  We can make another batch of 'em!"

I went inside and was overwhelmed by the scent of all the sweets being made.  The front counter had a large display of all the baked goods that had been made earlier, many of which made my mouth water just looking at them.  Generally, I don't eat sweets much, but these looked very tempting.  Pinkie caught me eyeing the display and popped a cupcake in my mouth.

"Hey, next time let me eat it slowly," I mumbled through bites of the cupcake.  "These don't have hay in them, do they?"

"Oopsie!" she said apologetically.

"I have allergies!" I shouted.

"Oh no!  I've gotta take you to the hospital before you die!" she shouted and put me on her back, running as fast as she could to the hospital.  She banged through the front door and deposited me in front of the emergency desk.  A nurse shot her a side-long glance before looking at me.  She was rather shocked by my appearance as she probably had never seen a human before.

I was thoroughly checked out, certain medications were given to me, and I was pretty much sent on my way from there.  Pinkie heaved a sigh of relief that I was okay and promised me never to pop a cupcake in my mouth again -- I witnessed her make a cross sign against her chest and place a hoof over her left eye.  I asked her the significance of this act and she told me it was a Pinkie Promise, whatever that meant.  She told me nopony ever breaks a Pinkie Promise unless they want some serious trouble.  I told her I was feeling tired and wanted to make my way back to the library -- she begged me to come back the following day to help in the bakery again.  I told her I would give it some thought as I was not feeling too well.  She cheerfully said okie-dokie-loki and went back into the bakery, leaving me to make my way back to the library.

"What happened?" Twilight asked somewhat surprised by my new clothes.

I told her about the day's events and asked to go to bed early.  I was feeling very tired at this point and quite depressed by Mike's inability to find me.  I went upstairs and got into my bed and fell asleep fairly quickly.
> The Search Intensifies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    --------------------  Michael's Point of View  ------------------

I drove around for a few hours to recharge the magic batteries.  During that time I asked TS to contact as many different Princess Celestias as she could in order to find the right universe.  TS told me she could only contact six alternate universes in total and none of them had received a visit from my wife.  I asked TS to contact each Princess and have them try to contact counterparts in other alternate universes in order to try to track Brenda down.  I was informed by each one of the Princesses that they would do their best to try to find her for me.  I asked TS how many alternate Equestrias she could teleport to, and she told me that there were about 20 separate alternate universes she could try.  I asked about the disparity between channels of contact and teleport locations and she stated something about the differences between subspace communication and trans-dimensional accessibility with relation to actual teleportation as opposed to telecommunication.  It turns out that it's easier to teleport to an alternate universe Equestria than it is to communicate with it's respective Sun Goddess, which to me seemed counter-intuitive.

"TS, it seems to me as though the more frequently you teleport to Equestria, it consumes less energy than the previous jump," I stated flatly

"This is true, Michael.  The more often I teleport, the more efficient the teleportation."

"Which means that if I travel enough times, it will take less than five per cent of the magic battery usage," I offered hopefully.

"The only problem is finding roads in Equestria that facilitate easy travel," TS stated flatly.

"That, or having one of the Princesses or Twilight recharge the batteries," I said.  I continued to drive around until the batteries were fully recharged.  It was starting to get late so I headed back home -- but before I did, I asked TS to take me to another Equestria -- just on the off-chance that this one might be the right one.  Turned out that it wasn't, and I had Twilight recharge the batteries for me -- I thanked her and came back home.  I saw an identical car to TS sitting in the driveway, which puzzled me, so I pulled to the curb in front of my house.  "What the hell?" I thought.

"How many more times, TS?  I'm losing hope here."

"You have 17 more to check, Michael.  Your round-trip commute to your workplace and back should be enough to fully recharge the magic batteries this time."

"Okay, thanks.  Good night, TS."

"Good night, Michael."

I went to the front door of my house and found it locked.  I tried my key and found it didn't work.  "I don't remember changing the lock on this door," I thought.  I pushed the doorbell and Xaviera answered it.

"Where did YOU come from?" she asked with a great deal of surprise.  I heard some hoofsteps which surprised me, and then I saw something that made my eyes bug out -- right behind Xaviera stood Twilight Sparkle, a quizzical look on her face.

"Hmm.  I was wondering why my key didn't work.  Xavi, I have come from an alternate universe, looking for Brenda.  Is she here?  And I see Twilight here -- what's up?"

"Brenda's upstairs, Mike.  But I thought you had changed into Twilight?"

"Well, that lasted only a day for me -- so, Twilight, are you supposed to be me in this world?"

"Yeah, and I lost my magic power -- Brenda superglued my horn back on, but I can't use any magic," she said.

"This is interesting -- I will see what I can do for you, but I need to talk to Brenda right now," I said.  I went inside and upstairs to find Brenda laying on the bed watching TV in our room.  She was shocked to see me.

"Mike!  You changed back!" she smiled.  Twilight followed me into the room.  Her smile disappeared immediately.  "What's going on here?"

"You tell  me.  You disappeared on me a few days ago and I've been trying to track YOU down.  I come back home after visiting Ponyville, and find Twilight here as well as you.  I think I may have skipped into another alternate universe, and I think the version of you I'm trying to find has been transported into yet another alternate universe.  It makes my brain hurt just to think about it."

"If you don't mind me interrupting," Twilight said, "I really need your help, Mike."

"Can you change 'Twilight' back into you?" asked Brenda.  "He lost his job a few days ago and can't change back.  Said the car went into 'safe mode' or something like that."

"Twilight, follow me into MY car -- I should be able have the car -- wait a minute.  If I have the car change you back into me, that will create a paradox.  Can't have that happen, or MY car will go into safe mode!  Maybe I can take you to Canterlot and have Princess Celestia help you out -- that's the only way I can help you, Twilight."

"What if you end up in a different universe?" Brenda asked worriedly.

"I'll just have to take that risk then," I said.

"I'm desperate enough to take ANY risk," said Twilight.

"Yeah, you go on ahead and take her with you, Mike -- she's been crying herself to sleep every night since Monday, and it's driving me nuts."

"Okay, Twi, let's go.  My sleep can wait until I get this taken care of."

"Can you help me down the stairs?" she asked.  I picked her up and hefted her body over my shoulders and went to the car, putting her in the back seat and buckled her in.

"Try not to say anything until we make it to Canterlot, please," I stated flatly.  She made a motion with a hoof across her mouth as if to signify she would remain silent.  I turned the car on and TS greeted me again.

"Where are we going, Michael?" came a quizzical sounding TS.

"To Canterlot, outside the front gate of the castle, if that's possible," I replied.

"My sensors detect a presence in the back seat," TS stated flatly.  "Analyzing rear passenger data.  Unconfirmed.  Rear passenger, please state your name."

"Michael Walker," came the name from Twilight's mouth.

"Voice data confirmed.  Twilight Sparkle.  Good evening, Twilight!"

"Evening, TS," she said glumly.

"Destination target acquired.  Canterlot Castle main gate.  Preparing to teleport."  The car glowed purple in the dark and once again a brilliant flash of white and the stomach-churning sensation of a teleport hit before we materialized in front of Canterlot Castle's main gate.  We were met immediately by a contingent of Royal Guard ponies.  They surrounded my car, the unicorns readying their magic.  I got out and had Twilight get out with me.  The Royal Guard unicorns powered down upon seeing her, then surrounded ME.

"You.  Tell us what you're doing here," one of them commanded.  I saw Shining Armor among them, which surprised me.  He went over to Twilight and greeted her.

"I am here on behalf of Twilight Sparkle, who has lost her ability to use magic.  I seek an audience with Princess Celestia in order to help Twilight regain her magic power.  My name is Michael Walker, and I have traveled from an alternate universe to get here.  I am also searching for my wife, a dark-skinned female human whose name is Brenda."  As I was saying this, Shining was looking very confusedly at Twilight.

"Twiley, what's wrong with you?  Don't you recognize your BBBFF?" he asked.

"Shining," I said, trying to get his attention.  "She's been through an awful lot lately, and she needs Princess Celestia's help.  I would like to request your assistance so we may meet with her."

"So tell me, exactly, what are you?" he asked.

"I am a human -- Homo sapiens -- and come from a planet called Earth.  Twilight was on that planet as well, but lost her magic power.  Give me a moment, my car here (I pointed to it) can communicate with Princess Celestia."  I got back into it and turned it on.  "TS, please send a message to Princess Celestia and let her know I need her assistance as soon as possible."

"Message relayed, Michael," TS said cheerfully.  Suddenly another flash of light and a golden POP ushered in Celestia's arrival.  I turned off the car and got out.

"Princess Celestia, it is an honor to meet you once again," I said as I bowed my head to her.  She ignored me and focused on Twilight.

"Twilight, my faithful student, come here!" she smiled.  Twilight slowly trotted over to her, looking somewhat apprehensive.  "Twilight, there is no need to be afraid."

"Um, I'm not exactly Twilight, your Majesty," she said.  "In fact, just a week ago, I looked like HIM," she said and pointed a hoof in my direction.

"I am not exactly sure what is going on here, so one of you two had better start explaining to me right now," Celestia said, her face darkening considerably.  Simultaneously Twilight raised a hoof as I raised my right hand.  We looked at each other and laughed.  Celestia's mood lightened as she saw this and let a small smile cross her lips.  "I believe the two of you are identical in some way -- so you, the human, tell me where you come from and how you managed to find Twilight -- and Twilight, you tell me what happened to you, please."

"I seem to be traveling from one alternate universe to another, your Majesty, as I am searching for my wife.  I found Twilight quite by accident, as I traveled back to my home world from another version of Ponyville.  The big metal object beside me is my automobile, which can travel across dimensional barriers as well as traveling on roads.  When I was in Twilight's body, I used my magic to augment this car.  Apparently, this Twilight seems to have lost her magic powers.  My car requires magic to refill its magic batteries or a considerable driving distance for a full recharge -- I was hoping perhaps you might be willing to recharge its magic batteries for me, your Majesty."

"Quite a story there -- let me examine your car.  It bears some resemblance in some way to Twilight -- was that your doing?"

"Yes, your Majesty."

"Twilight, what is your story?"

"I woke up about a week ago or so as Twilight Sparkle.  I was able to use magic to fix a few things around my house and my car as well -- but while I was having breakfast with my wife, her youngest daughter and two grandchildren, one of them decided they wanted to ride on my back and accidentally broke my horn off.  I tried to use magic to mend it but it didn't work, so I had my wife use an epoxy resin to try to glue it back on.  That worked, but my magic still won't flow through the horn.  I subsequently lost my job and found myself crying over my loss.  I would appreciate healing so I might be able to use magic again.  Barring that, I would appreciate being allowed to stay here in Equestria, perhaps as a different unicorn.  I can't believe Mike found me and brought me here to see you personally, your Majesty!  It is an honor to meet you!"

"Your story is quite interesting, Twilight -- but I'm afraid I cannot allow you to stay here in Equestria --"

"Your Majesty, please!  I have nothing to go back home to!  I've lost my job and can't get it back!  Even if you were to turn me back into a human, like Mike here, and send me back, it's already too late for me!  Please, your Majesty!  I am willing to do ANYTHING to stay!"

"I believe I can find a use for you here, Twilight.  I will change you into a unicorn and provide you with employment and housing in Ponyville.  Please give me a moment to analyze your mind in order to determine a suitable magic level for you as well as a good color choice for your new appearance.  When I am finished, I will send an escort to take you to Ponyville, where you will meet up with Twilight Sparkle and establish yourself in that town."

"Thank you so much, your Majesty!  You have no idea just how much this means to me!"

"Actually, I do, Twilight, so make sure you obey the laws and respect everypony as much as you can."  She then cast a spell on Twilight and I watched her change a little bit -- I was surprised to see her remain female, grow just a tiny bit taller, her coat darken a few shades, her mane and tail changed colors to pale orange gold and her cutie mark disappeared.  Celestia instructed a chariot to be readied to take the transformed Twilight to Ponyville.  "I expect to receive reports from you from time to time," she said.  "You will have to find a new name for yourself -- when you do, please inform me of your choice.  If you need help, Twilight will be able to assist you.  In return, I expect you to provide her with whatever assistance you can.  Fare well, new pony, and good luck."

"Your Majesty, I have come looking for my wife.  Have you heard anything from Twilight about a dark-skinned female human who may have recently appeared here?"

"I'm afraid not, Mike.  I have not sense any disturbances other than yours, so I request you return whence you came."

"Your Majesty, may I request a refill of the car's magic batteries?  I know that may be a bit much to ask, but without a recharge, I'm stuck here."

"Very well then, consider it done.  Please don't trouble me any more, or I may be forced to take other action to remedy your presence."  She cast a little magic to restore full battery power to my car.  I got in and turned it on.  The car greeted me and asked for a destination.  I told TS to take me home once again, hopefully to the correct universe this time.  This time when I pulled towards the driveway of my home, I noticed no other cars there, which gave me a little relief.  For good measure, I tried my key in the door lock, noticing the exact match.  I went in and checked to see if Brenda was here first, then to see if Twilight was here, and then Xaviera.  She and her kids were downstairs watching TV and they greeted my appearance.

"Where's Brenda?" I asked.

"You haven't found her yet?" Xaviera asked.  "The police came by a bit earlier -- I told them you'd be back later on."  The words hadn't even left her mouth when a loud rapping at the front door startled me.  I looked out the side glass of the doorway and saw two police officers standing in front of the door.
> Worry
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     ----------------------   Brenda's Point of View   ------------------

I found myself walking down the hallway of the hospital, my work trolley loaded with all the needed cleaning items, disinfectant sprays, cleaning sprays, clean rags, and trash bags at the ready.  A nurse greeted me and waved a friendly smile.  Suddenly my pager went off, so I went to the nearest in-house hospital phone and called my supervisor.  He demanded my immediate presence in his office.  I paced nervously outside his office, wondering what was in store for me.  He beckoned me inside, then berated me for poor job performance, poor workplace relations with my co-workers and generally unsatisfactory attitude.  He then told me I was fired, whereupon I started crying.  He told me to leave his office, get my stuff, clean out my locker and go home, or have me arrested for criminal trespass.  I shouted "What did I do wrong!" at him before he threatened me with arrest again.

I woke up in a cold sweat in the guest room bed again.  I lie awake, unable to sleep and decided to rest some more in an attempt to try to fall asleep again.  I was wondering when this nightmare was going to end -- stuck in a world full of colorful ponies -- my husband gone, nowhere to be found -- and then Twilight came in the room to wake me again.

"Don't want to miss breakfast, do you, Brenda?" she asked.

"Please tell Princess Celestia I want to leave.  Today."

"You need to be more patient, Brenda -- it's only been four days."

"It seems like an eternity to me -- I want to go home!"

"Okay, Brenda, I'll have Spike send a letter informing the Princess of your desires.  I'm sure she'll send you on your way, but I just hope it's not while your husband is searching for you.  But if you are so unhappy here, I understand.  I will miss you, Brenda, it's been nice to get to know about you, even though there was quite a bit more I wanted to know.  Let's head downstairs, you don't want to leave on an empty stomach, I'm sure."

"Thanks, Twilight.  Let me get freshened up and I'll be right down."  I took my last fresh set of clothes to the bathroom and took a short bath, toweled off and got dressed, then headed downstairs to what was to be my last breakfast in Ponyville, or so I hoped.  Today it was waffles, ones with hay for Twilight, and scrambled eggs for Spike and me.

"Spike, take a letter for me please," Twilight said somewhat glumly.

"Sure thing, Twi, go ahead."

"Dear Princess Celestia, I regret to inform you that my human house guest has requested immediate transport to her home world.  Even though I am interested in further study, she has become homesick and wants to return home as soon as possible.  She has made some friends here, but dearly misses her husband.  Please address this issue at your earliest convenience.  Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle."  Spike rolled up the parchment and sent it on its way.

"Brenda!  Don't tell me you wanna go home already!" Spike exclaimed almost incredulously.

"I have been miserable here without Mike," I said.

"Well, I'm gonna miss you!" he said.  A knocking was heard at the front door and Spike got up to answer it before Twilight could even ask him to get it.  "Your Majesty!  I had no idea you'd get here so quickly!"

"May I come in, please," Celestia half-asked in a relatively serious tone of voice.  Spike opened the door to the library for her.  "Brenda, I decided to personally visit to make sure you are ready to go home.  If this is truly what you want, I believe I can do this for you, but mark my words -- do not ask me to do this for you again, as I shall not be so generous the next time around.  I believe your husband is still searching for you as I can sense great disturbances in the fabric of the space-time continuum -- he is close, but hasn't found this universe yet.  Be that as it may, should he arrive here and ask of your appearance, I shall inform him of your decision so he may return to you.  Prepare yourself, Brenda, this shall be swift."

Princess Celestia concentrated magic through her horn and enveloped me in a golden aura as I felt my body become almost weightless and a brilliant whiteness obscured my vision.  I felt a sudden dropping sensation as though I was falling, and then found myself standing in the front yard of my house.  I looked at the driveway and saw Mike's car there.  I went to the front door and found it unlocked, so I went inside.  I called for Mike, but was met by Twilight Sparkle instead.

"Where's Mike?" I asked with great exasperation.

"You're lookin' at 'im," replied the lavender unicorn.

"Am I here as well?" I asked.

"Yup.  Yer upstairs, sleepin'" came the response.

"Can you use magic?"

"Yup.  Whatcha want?"

"I'm looking for my husband!  He's still human!"

"Huh.  Mebbe he's in another universe," she offered optimistically.

"Can you send me there?"

"Yup.  Earth or Equestria, which d'ya want?"

"Another Earth!  I can't stand looking at any more ponies!"

"Ah'm dis'pointed, Brenda, I'd'a thought you'd wanna see the Princess again!" she smiled.

"Mike!  I'm looking for my HUMAN husband!  Please send me to another version of THIS world!  PLEASE!"

"Aaah, yer no fun.  Okay, I'm'a send ya right now, jus' hang tight, a'ight?"  Without waiting for a response, she focused magic into her horn, enveloping me in a magenta-colored aura before my vision was blurred again and again the sickening stomach drop occurred.  Once again I was in the front yard of the house.  This time, the car was not in the driveway and it was dark outside, our neighbor's porch light was on so I went to the front door again.  This time it was locked -- I pushed the doorbell, only to remember that it was broken.  I knocked on the door and my youngest daughter answered.

"Hey Mama, I was getting worried!  Where have you been?" Xaviera asked, almost astonished by my return.

"I've been stuck in Ponyville waiting on Mike for the last four days.  Where is he?"

"He went looking for you, Mama."

"Okay, so now we wait for him to come back.  I wonder how long THAT'S going to take!"  I went upstairs, but because the difference in time between Equestria and Earth was so far off, my body rhythm got messed up.

"Mama, can you tell me what it was like over there?"

"I'll tell you later, Xavi.  I'm going to watch TV until I fall asleep again.  I need to call work in the morning and find out whether or not I still have a job to go back to.
> Down at the Station
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     ------------------  Michael's Point of View  --------------

"Mr. Walker, we need to ask you some more questions," one of the officers stated.

"Of course, shall I take my car there?"

"I don't see why not.  Just follow us, we'll have one escort in front of you and another behind you."

"Okay, I'm going now."  I went back to the car and drove over to the police station.  I parked the car in the lot adjacent to the station and went in.  An officer escorted me to an interrogation room and told me it was just routine questioning.  At first, the questions were fairly simple -- the date, the estimated time of disappearance, my whereabouts, my itinerary for the day, a description of a normal morning routine.  The questions then became a bit more pointed -- did I have a possible motive to kill her, possible life insurance benefits, verbal or physical disagreements, family history, and various and sundry other questions of that type.  They continued questioning me for several hours, repeating the same questions in an attempt to possibly catch me in a lie, or perhaps to see if I might have been responsible for my wife's disappearance.  I became increasingly agitated by their stubborn refusal to accept my truthful statements as fact, and continued to harangue me about the matter.  They resorted to the old "good cop bad cop" routine in an attempt to coerce me into confessing to a murder I didn't commit.

"You told me this was going to be routine questioning," I stated.  "I haven't been placed under arrest and you have no authority to hold me without due process."

"Very well then, Mr. Walker, you are under arrest for the murder of your wife.  How do you like those apples?" asked the bad cop.  I was then bent over the table on my stomach, my arms roughly grabbed behind my back and handcuffs tightly wrapped around my wrists.  I was then unceremoniously taken from the police station and shoved into the back of a cruiser and transported to the county jail for processing.  After being fingerprinted and stripped of my clothing, I was put into another room and roughly hosed off as a sort of cleaning.  I was then put into a pink prison jumpsuit and forced into a jail cell.  I was then informed I would have to wait until the following morning before being arraigned.  My cellmate told me I had to sleep in the top bunk.

I lie awake in the top bunk, waiting for the light to go off.  It never did.  I decided to use my telepathic link to Princess Celestia, and found myself enveloped in a blinding whiteness that completely obscured my vision, a feeling of my stomach dropping, and then standing before the Sun Goddess herself.  I bowed deeply to her.

"Princess Celestia, your Highness, please forgive my intrusion," I stated solemnly.

"I feared the worst, Michael.  It pleases me to see you are relatively safe."

"The only thing wounded is my pride, your Majesty.  I was hoping I would not have to resort to contacting you, but as I had feared, the police over-reacted, which seems all too typical for them.  I have not been able to find my wife, so I am not really sure what to do now.  I left my car in the parking lot adjacent to the police station, so I am afraid it might have already been impounded, leaving me without transportation.  If that is the case, I fear I have no way back home, nor do I have a way to go anywhere.  With your permission, your Majesty, may I seek a new life, a fresh start in Ponyville?"

"I have not heard word about your wife's whereabouts either, Michael.  I understand your desire to remain here, and I am seriously tempted to honor your request.  What would happen if I were to send you back home with a way of retrieving your vehicle?"

"The police placed me under arrest for the murder of my wife, even though I never committed that heinous act.  You may ascertain the validity of my statements in any way you wish, your Majesty -- I tell you the truth -- I did not kill my wife.  If I were to return to my home world, I would be considered a fugitive, as I was placed in a jail cell -- I contacted you from that cell."

"Michael, I shall use my magic to determine your truthfulness.  Give me a moment, please."  She focused magic into her horn which started glowing white -- a strange sensation overtook me, a feeling of warmth which increased in it's intensity very rapidly, becoming hotter and hotter until I couldn't bear it any further.  I sensed her mind probing mine, looking for information, reading my thoughts, focusing on memories, delving deeply into my psyche.  I welcomed her presence, not that I would have been able to refuse her, and she continued searching.  The heat grew in its intensity even further -- it felt like my flesh was being burned away -- I could hear myself screaming in agony as the pain seared through my body.  Suddenly, I felt her leave and my body went cold.  I fell to my knees, gasping for air, holding my chest as my heart pounded away furiously.

"Michael, I apologize for doing that -- but I had to make sure.  You are indeed telling the truth.  I am very sorry for causing you all that pain -- I can only hope you will forgive me that excess."

"Perhaps you might be willing to honor my earlier request, then.  You have my forgiveness, your Majesty.  I am afraid I cannot return to my home world now, and I apologize for causing this inconvenience."

Princess Celestia smiled at me.  "You do not need to apologize to me, Michael.  I shall honor your request and send you to Ponyville.  It saddens me to know you cannot return home, but I hope you will be able to make amends for that in some way."    

----------------------   Brenda's Point of View   ------------------------

The following morning came as I found myself in my bed -- the first decent sleep I'd had in five days.  Mike was still not back, and I was wondering what had kept him.  Today was a sunny day, and I noticed the alarm clock read 8:22 AM.  I was supposed to be at work at 7:00.  I went to the bathroom to take a shower, grabbing a fresh set of clothes from the dresser.  I noticed how much smoother and softer the ones Rarity had made for me were, and I silently cursed myself for not having taken them with me.  I figured I'd have to hand-wash the ones Rarity had made -- I had no idea if machine washing them and drying them would cause them to shrink to an unwearable size.  After that, I got my phone and called my job -- they told me that I had been fired for three consecutive no-call no-shows.  I was hoping Mike would show up before too much longer so we could at least pay some bills.  I headed down to the kitchen to cook something to eat, and heard a knocking at the front door.  I opened it to see a police officer standing there.

"Ma'am, we are searching for Michael Walker -- this address is listed on his driver's license.  We arrested him for the murder of his wife and transported him to jail, but he disappeared last night.  We would like to know if you've seen him," the officer stated.

"I'm his wife!" I shouted at the officer.  "What do you mean, 'he disappeared'?"

"We were hoping you'd know, ma'am.  What is your name?"

"Brenda Walker!  You mean he made it here yesterday?  And now he's gone again?  DAMN!"

"Ma'am, would you mind letting us know what's going on?"

"I was told he was searching for me while I was in this weird place with all these weird-colored ponies -- I just managed to make it back here last night after being in that weird place for four days!  So why did you take him to jail?"

"Your husband filed a missing persons report, ma'am.  We assumed he killed you and filed the report to distract us from conducting a thorough investigation.  He disappeared from his cell last night, and we are conducting a massive search for him.  We believe he hasn't gone far, and we are checking all possibilities."

"But since I'm back, doesn't that destroy any murder case against him?"

"Even so, he escaped custody.  We will have to charge him with that, if nothing else."

"If I know Mike, he's probably in Ponyville.  You can't get him if he's there -- I don't even know how I ended up there -- I woke up five days ago in Twilight Sparkle's bed in Ponyville."

"How is that even possible?"

"I don't know -- somehow or other, he seems to be able to go there -- and I'll bet he probably figured he had no choice when you arrested him for my murder!  You scared him away!  Now he's NEVER coming back!  You have DESTROYED my marriage!!"

"Ma'am, please, we're just trying to do our jobs here.  We're sorry if we caused you any trouble."

"Sorry doesn't bring Mike back to me!  Get away from my house!  GO!  NOW!!!"  At this point I was on the verge of tears.  I couldn't believe they had been so damned stupid!  Stupid damned cops!  I watched them get back into their squad cars and left.  

Without a job and without Mike, I was now really worried about my future.  I couldn't pay the bills myself, and I needed help.  I contacted my sisters, my brothers, all my friends.  Truthfully, I didn't really have too much to worry about after talking to all of them -- they were willing to pitch in as much as possible.   I had my oldest daughter drive me to my workplace to see about getting my job back -- amazingly enough, after discussing with my supervisor about what I had been through, he rehired me on the spot.  Now I just needed to make arrangements for transportation.  

I went to an attorney's office to file paperwork for a divorce -- with Mike gone and no way of knowing whether or not he'd come back, it would be a simple matter for filing the papers.  Turns out there was a nice good-looking attorney working as an associate of that firm who took an interest in me.   Six months later, we got married.  I never looked back.







FIN
> Alternate Ending : The Gala
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     --------------------   Brenda's Point of View   ----------------------

I had asked Twilight to contact Princess Celestia for me to let her know I wanted to go home.  It had only been four days, but I was already at the end of my rope.  I desperately wanted to go home, and was crestfallen when the response from the Princess was that I should stay until Mike finally made it to Equestria, whenever that might be.  The next week and a half I spent trying to keep myself busy and my mind occupied until the Grand Galloping Gala.  I was determined not to go, but was dragged along by Twilight, who absolutely insisted I go with her and Spike to the Castle.  Rarity had made a special outfit for me just for the occasion, and I will have to admit that I looked quite attractive in it.  I helped out as much as I could with various tasks prior to the actual event, whether it was decorations, cooking, cleaning, or anything else that might have been needed that day.  Some of the catering was being done by a new pizza company I had never heard of before -- carts with purple pizza boxes were being wheeled in, the boxes being placed in warming bags to keep the pizzas warm.  I then saw a dark purple unicorn who stood a bit taller than the other ponies, her coat matching the purple of the pizza boxes.  I made eye contact with her and she trotted over to me.

"Brenda?  Is it really you?  It's been so long!" she exclaimed in her excitement.

"Do I know you?" I asked quizzically.  "How do you know me?"

"Well, once upon a time, I was a human -- married to YOU, no less!"

"How long ago was that?"

"My goodness, it has to have been at least seven years!  I never thought I'd see you again!"

"What are you doing here?"

"I am helping with the catering, my pizza place was contracted for delivery of 50 pizzas for this event."

"Do you have any with sausage and pepperoni on them?"

She laughed.  "No!  Ponies don't eat meat, you know that, don't you?"

"So how long have you been like this?  I thought you were in Twilight's body, Mike."

"Heh.  I haven't been called Mike in more than six years!  Only Princess Celestia called me that before I was transformed into the unicorn you see before you now.  My new name is Amethyst Shadow, Brenda."

"If it's been so long, how do you explain the time difference?  Mike was Twilight only three weeks ago!"

"To tell you the truth, I accidentally used a time-travel spell when Twilight showed me the Starswirl the Bearded collections in the Canterlot Archives.  She warned me not to do it, but I was too enthusiastic to give it a try.  I ended up here, having traveled back in time about six years or so, and I'm not exactly sure how much time it was."

"Does Princess Celestia know about this?"

"That happened nearly a year ago, so yes, she does know!  She admonished me severely for it, but was kind enough to let me get a fresh start here in Canterlot.  I started up a pizza company, and business is overwhelming!  I contribute a great deal of tax revenue to the Royal Coffers -- and I still manage to live a very comfortable life-style here!"

"Can I try a slice of the pizza?"

"Sure, most of them are just cheese pizzas, so help yourself to a slice.  Fair warning, Brenda, you'll get spoiled on it!"

I took one of the boxes out a bag -- PD7 Pizza?   Odd name, that.  I took a slice and started eating it.  I couldn't believe just how tasty it was!  "Mike, this is some of the best tasting pizza I have ever had!  Why did you give it the name you did?"

"Heh.  I originally wanted to call myself Purple Dix-sept, but Twilight told me that was kind of a dumb name -- the nickname I came up with was PD7, which I figured would be a catchier name for my pizza company.  I had no idea just how easy that company name is to remember -- competing pizza restaurants didn't have such catchy names -- and my food quality is better than all the others, I made sure of that!"

"Can I have another slice?"

"Sure, help yourself.  Is there anything else?  I have more preparations to do," she said.

"I'm trying to find my human husband, have you heard anything about him?"

"No -- did you ask Princess Celestia or Twilight?"

"They've told me I should wait until he shows up."

"How long have you been waiting?"

"About two weeks -- I'm going crazy around here, I really miss Mike!"

"Has Princess Celestia said anything about sending you back home?"

"I should probably ask her, but my patience has run out.  I really wanna go back home!"

"I suppose he's looking for you, but hasn't found this particular universe yet.  Maybe there's another possibility."

"Like what?"

"There might be a universe where he hasn't left Earth and is waiting for you to return.  I could send you to one of those universes," she offered.

"Is that even possible?"

"I have quite a bit of magic at my disposal, some of which I can't even explain logically.  However, I should be able to send you back home if that's what you wish -- I can open a window to alternate universe Earth and find a suitable one for you.  I might get in trouble with the Princess if I do that, though."

"What would she do?"

"It depends on her mood.  I believe it might be a good idea to ask her permission first, so I will take this opportunity to seek an audience with her.  If you're going to be here for the full event, I should be able to make it back before too much longer so I can help you."  She trots over to Twilight at this point.

"Twilight, I need to ask a favor of you."

"What is it , Ammy?"

"Brenda wants to go home, and I need to talk to Princess Celestia to get possible approval for sending her home."

"Okay, Ammy, I'll go check with her for you."  Twilight teleports away for a moment and returns a few minutes later.  "Ammy, she wants to talk to you personally."  The two of them teleport away again to meet with Princess Celestia.

"Amethyst Shadow, you have met with your former wife, I take it?"

"Yes, Princess Celestia.  She desires a return to her home."

"Can you send her to the right one?"

"I believe I can do that, your Majesty.  I just wanted to get your permission first."

"Very well then, Amethyst.  You have my permission to send her home.  She has suffered long enough."

"Thank you, your Majesty.  I shall return to the Royal Ball Room to meet up with her again."

"Thank you, Amethyst.  That's one less headache for me to worry about."

The tall dark purple unicorn teleports back to the ball room and meets up with me again.  "Okay, Brenda, the Princess has given me her blessing to send you home.  Give me a moment to open a scrying window to Earth -- we'll be checking several of them to find the right one for you."

Amethyst then allows her horn to glow bright purple and a magic window appears.  It shows my home from above, then the interior of my home, specifically my bedroom.  The window flashes each time we view another alternate universe.  It takes several tries before the bed just shows Mike sleeping alone in it -- in a few cases, it's Twilight in that spot, in another one, it's a blue unicorn, in quite a few it's both Mike and me in the bed.  We return to a universe with Mike sleeping alone in our bed.

"Is that the right one, Brenda?"

"Looks like it, Mike."

"I'll put up with you calling me that for now, Brenda, but I'm going to send you to this particular universe.  I hope it turns out to be the right one.  Fare well, and good luck, Brenda."  Her horn glows even brighter now, enveloping me in a bright purple aura, then my vision is obscured by a blinding whiteness.  I feel my stomach drop and then I feel myself standing on the floor between the TV and the bed in our room.  Mike wakes up from the popping noise my arrival makes.

"Hey, Brenda, what's up?  I was wondering where you've been for the past two weeks or so."

"Mike, you have no idea just how happy I am to see you!" I exclaim, hugging him tightly.

"Where've you been?"

"I found myself waking up in Twilight's bed about two weeks ago."

"Wow, you got to see Ponyville by yourself?  Did you like it?"

"It was okay, I guess.  At least I got this nice outfit from Rarity."

"Whoa!  Very nice!  She does good work, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, I plan on wearing this on very special occasions."

"How'd you make it home?"

"Some dark purple unicorn named Amethyst Shadow sent me back."

"Never heard of her."

"She told me she was you several years ago."

"Must be an alternate universe then.  Let's get some sleep, we can talk more about this tomorrow."

"Good idea, Mike."  I got into the bed after removing the outfit Rarity made for me and let myself fall asleep.  It was good to have my old bed back!









FIN