LOPE Explanation (Don't Panic) two.

Hello. My name is Sudden Storm. I do hope Mr Hadley's presentation wasn't too harsh, and he didn't ramble too much. Give him a big round of applause. I'm only joking. Lighten up the mood.

As he said, I was originally a man, and lived in a small village in the Canadian Rockies where I was born and raised. I am now a mare, and live in the adjoining town which had (or has) a shopping mall where me and three other ponies decided to take permanent residence. As he said, I am Marconi mare. I run the radio station there, and broadcast for any and all returnee's who may be listening. No doubt a few of you may have heard my broadcasts. Unlike you all, who have been teleported twenty years into the future, the four of us came back in a matter of minutes. You are lucky you have me, Scott, and Jim to give you guidance, a luxury we didn't have.

As Mr Hadley said, I went by a different name, one that wasn't composed of common words. Only the first two of my closest companions know what my original name is at all, and until recently I didn't even publicly announce my old body being a man's. No, I won't give my old name away. But it's come to my attention that somep- somebody occasionally slips through the safety net Celestia set to prevent that from happening. I make no presumption this has happened to any of you, but if so, see me after this assessment. Understand that it doesn't happen often, but without it, more of us would endure this. The transition, as you may have guessed doesn't account for any aspect of your character or preference. If this whole thing were cast again, you wouldn't even have the bodies you have now nor your old ones. I want you all to be happy and healthy as you can be, and most of you seem to be alright for all intents and purposes.

You undoubtedly noticed his elaborate descriptions of the different body types available in the roulette. It seems to me only five of them are applicable to this audience. If you have feathered wings, I want you to come with me, and take the fire escape to the roof. If you have neither, I want you to go with Monica who will test your physical strength and endurance, and find your limitations. There you'll sample the vegetables their party has been growing to find for yourself what's edible you may not have known about and receive a few instructions on botany. If you are amongst the insect horse crowd, I want you to take a dosage of grief and use it to your advantage. You may find yourselves gifted by this tragedy in such a manner the others aren't. You've been given the gift of emotion feeding and partial shapeshifting. No, it won't alter your base form, as that's what you really are now. If you have been given a reptile form, you must follow our overseer who has been excavating for the past two decades. You may find yourselves under extreme impulses and urges you never knew before, and can nary control. Don't worry, you're not alone. You also have the most flexible diets of us all. You won't starve. Finally, the rest of you must go with my friends from Vancouver BC, Scott Andrews and Jim Miller. They'll tell you something you must all hear, so don't leave yet.

Scott?

Thank you, Sudden. The energy around us that a fifth of you can sense has a name. None of us knew it then, but it's called thaumic energy. As he said, Earthlings were an abnormality in the universe. Unlike all beings elsewhere, we could live and thrive without it. The Equestrians have always needed it like they need UV, along with all other organisms in the universe. When it came here, in select hot spots first, then orbit before it would inevitably engulf the whole planet, all lifeforms save humans have adapted to it to the point they need it to live, too. If ever it went away, the world would be barren, and we would die slowly from malnourishment as we would without UV. The HPI would perish like their test subjects by cooking their brains, as it goes right to their heads and overloads them. It has other effects, too.

If you're like me, you may perform telekinesis and teleport. Based on your own talents, you might engage in pyrotechnics or shock adversaries. You see this pen? Do you see any wires on it? Focus your thoughts and concentrate on it, and it'll stand up on it's tip and slide across this binder. Any volunteers? No? Skeptical, are we? Don't worry. I was once skeptical, too. Then I got this here mark of a sledgehammer smashing a plaster wall, a representation of the man I was, and the mare I am: A carpenter.

I built houses, and one day, my longtime friend and neighbor Jim, originally Jessie, who miraculously appeared hours later like I did, reunited with me and found me marooned on the roof of a neighbor's house by coyotes. They chased me around till I had to ascend the ladder to safety. Without knowing what I was doing, I made a surge of energy burst out of my body cavity, scaring away the mad canines and collapsing the entire house beneath me. I flailed and waved, as I fell, the whole place leveled in debris. Before I hit the ground, I suddenly levitated, descending ever slower till I landed safely. When I did, my lifelong friend and neighbor, who became my clot friend that evening, walked away from the sight with me. I took one last glance at the demolished house, and the most amazing thing happened: As I looked at it, I thought about the impossible: the debris putting itself back together in the right order, and the place standing as it was. As I thought this, the debris levitated and reassembled, leaving no trace of ruin. This taxed me of all energy I had, and left me too exhausted to walk. Before I collapsed, I felt something weird. Jim and I looked, and this mark was on my hip. He then carried me on his back all the way home where we then stopped being neighbors and became mare and clot friend. I think I'll let him talk now.

Hello, my name is Jim Miller, but if you want to call me Jessie, you may do so. I'll respond to both. You can also call Scott Scottie, as s/he won't mind. As you can guess, Sudden Storm likes being a chick, and even prefers it. While I can't say the same for us, things worked out brilliantly between us. We are very happy together. We have three fillies we'd like you to meet, as they could instruct you on your newfound abilities better than we ever could.

But first, you may benefit from knowing these marks aren't for decoration. They represent our core aspects. Basic traits and talents. They may even serve as an identifier. As you can see, mine is a tripod with a camera mounted on it. I have always been a forward thinking "Guy". An old trouper who always tended to make plans for the future quickly. I didn't get this in an emergency, mind you, but a pivotal moment none the less. I notice a couple of you have your marks. That's great. Tell my mare, our fillies, Sudden, or Monica about this, and we'll listen. We want to know about you as best we can. Thank you for your time. Take it away, ponies.