Luna extended a wing towards a cushion near herself. "Come, join me. I have heard worrying tales of your well-being. Perhaps you could dispel them, or at least explain them."
I hesitated only a moment before I moved to join her. I wanted to find Celestia, but brushing Luna off to do that seemed like entirely the wrong way to do it. "That's why I'm here, to catch everyone up. I imagine Celestia also wants to know?"
"She... is preoccupied." Her tongue wove deceit poorly. "We can speak, pony to pony." She nodded at me as her eyes roamed over my form. "I am aware you are not always as such, but that may have changed? You would be welcome here, should you choose, or must, remain. It would be most unbecoming of us to not offer as much, considering how faithfully you have served our cause thus far."
"I don't think I will be stuck." I noticed the table in there was not bare of food like the one I had teleported into and willed a large apple over to take a crunch out of it. Mmm, pony food is good food. "Not today. I was found, on the other side. I think I'll be fine, after whatever is needed to get my body back in order." I paused then, the words I had just spoken echoing back to me internally. My body, not 'me'. Well, I did have two of those, bodies that is. I was 'me' in either of them, right?
Luna extended a wing around, brushing my side gently. "I know this sounds difficult to accept, but what you are feeling... I have experienced before. The sensation of waiting to have my life. Of not being truly... alive. To wait to breathe is a terrible thing." Her lips gave the faintest smile. "Though I suppose that to be banished to the moon is not as distant as you, traveler from another place entire. Tell me, do you favor Equestria?"
"It is a good place." I nodded at her as I took another bite of the crunchy apple, savoring the juices that exploded with each munch. "Filled with good people, ruled by good people. What's the rest of your world like? Is it just as nice?"
Luna lifted her shoulders. "Would that I could claim that it were true. Some countries are marvelous places, others... are a work in progress. My sister has made it her long life's duty to make Equestria a shining example to all others. I think she hopes they will follow after the nation she has forged... Sometimes that works, often it does not." Her wing withdrew. "Tell me true, do you still fancy my sister?" I couldn't tell if she had said my name or was just speaking in that mildly odd way she did at times. "Do you still wish to be her stallion, knowing just a little more of her and her world?"
I had passed the love smote stage of any relationship. "If it works out, I wouldn't be sad, but I'm not chasing her like a confused puppy. We have more than enough on both our plates to keep us busy right now."
"Too true." Luna's horn glowed as a rolled up scroll emerged from behind her. "We put out feelers to those other nations you had the good fortune of mentioning." The scroll unfurled, becoming ridiculously long. "It seems we are not alone in losing citizens, though certainly not all of these can be proven to be related to our own, there is a reasonable chance some of them could be. While sister speaks of diplomacy, I feel that is too slow and inefficient for the task at hand."
I could feel tension rising through me. Those were not calm words. "Look, we don't want to start a war--"
"--and we will not." Her face split into a calm smile. "How can there be war with an enemy that cannot hope to reach your shores? No. I suggest we end this with a great finality." She set the scroll aside in her magic and drew out a map of earth. Where had she got that from? "With one great spell, we put everypony, man, diamond dog, dragon, minotaur, and everything else where they belong."
"You could do that?" I felt stupid even saying that. They were magic horses. Who's to say what they could or could not do? "Even if you can, what about people on either side that want to be there?"
Luna brought her hooves up and clapped them together. "Any humans on this side will be given leave to come and present themselves. We can ward them from the spell. Ponies on the other side are more difficult, but, should we wrench them here and they object afterwards, we could send them back far more easily than rescuing all the others who are stuck. The needs of the many win out over their inconvenience, and that is all it would be, in the end."
That's when I saw it. I saw how we were headed towards a possible tragic ending. "And if it all just goes horribly wrong and we end up with one world instead of two? You're talking about a globally spanning spell, no, more than that! It has to go over two worlds, then just grab and swap wildly between them!" My voice was a little tense, I'm not afraid to admit. There were so many potential problems. "What if we end up with one world with everyone dumped on it together? What if we just end up shredding one, or both, worlds? How can we be remotely sure no one will be hurt or killed in this... titanic effort?"
Luna gave a slow nod, a thoughtful hmm escaping her. "We will check, double check, and double check again everything we do before we do it. The best minds in Equestria are working on it this very moment, and when they feel completely sure, only then will we proceed." She lifted an ear. "The only issue they have voiced concerns with are more mental than physical."
I felt a chill run through me. "You'll end up with more people like me."
Luna poked me right in the chest. "You were the inspiration for this spell. The way you slide back and forth with minimal energy was the key to devising such a large effect. That aside, it is just a worry that some consciousnesses might splinter, residing in both worlds much as you do. They are working to minimize and hopefully eradicate that, but you should hardly be surprised. You are not a unique being, and anything either of us does, someone else could copy."
So, there it was. They wanted to smash a big red reset button rather than slowly work through the governments of the world. "What does Celestia think of this idea?" I noticed I wasn't holding the apple anymore. I had eaten the entire thing. Oops. "Which side of the divide will I end up on?"
Luna let out a slow breath. "You haven't pieced it together? I thought you were a learned person, True Shot."
A challenge? I frowned at her. It was no time for... oh. "Shit." She nodded at my cuss. "You won't let people be split."
Luna sat up. "How can we? If we permit it, the humans will find a way to us. They have shown they are clever. This goes double for those they already... know." She was looking at me quite pointedly. "You will need to pick a side. I hate to use tired lines, but you're with us, or against us, and never has that been more true. Even should you try to be neutral in this, you will be used by your own people to get to us, eventually."
Night's eyes were wide as she did slow circles, almost toppling in the process. "It's so large, and full, and..."
Trixie put a supporting hand on her shoulder. "They have very complete clothing stores." They had found their way to the nearest, largest, clothing store. While people milled around them, ignoring them, Trixie pressed in close to Night. "Isn't it exciting? We will make you into a new you. It's like magic, with less... magic."
Tod came jogging up with a long flexible ruler. "I asked them for something to get her measurements."
Starlight accepted the tool. "Very nice. Stand still, Night, and we'll find out what sizes Trixie gave to you. You don't look like a Linda Sister."
Trixie rolled her eyes at that. "As if Trixie would be so boring as to keep doing the same thing over and over again. She made a pretty one. Not as pretty as Trixie, of course, but serviceable."
Night smiled awkwardly at Trixie as she spread her arms and tried to stay still for Starlight's measurements. "Thanks, I think... Am I... pretty?"
Tod turned away suddenly, which only got a laugh out of Trixie. "That means 'Yes, but I am way too scared to say it.'" She slapped Tod on the back. "You aren't going to have much luck if you're afraid to speak your mind."
He whirled on her. "I was taught to--"
Trixie put a finger on his lips. "You were taught wrong." She leaned in, voice lowering, "If a mare asks if she is pretty, the only answer is 'yes'. You can consider other ways of saying it, but this is a fact, if you wish to live a long and happy life."
He went pink and took a halfstep away. "Well, you're pretty."
Trixie flashed a bright smile. "You have mentioned this before, but you are free to say it as often as you wish."
Starlight pressed the limp ruler against various parts of Night, getting her measurements. "Trixie is stuck on big..." She rolled her eyes. "At least she put it in more strategic places this time."
"Mm?" Night's eyes followed Starlight as best she could while keeping still. "Did she do it wrong?"
"Oh, no. You're just heavy here." Starlight gave Night's chest a little poke. "Not to mention the other end. You are very attractive, at least if the magazines we've seen are a measure, which I'm certain is what Trixie used." She wrapped the ruler around Night's chest, getting her bust measurement. "Yep... Alright. I have all I need to get you into something. This way." She took Night's hand and led her towards the women's department.
Trixie noticed them leaving and she and Tod hurried to catch up. "She suggests something bright to highlight things."
Starlight paused and looked back at Trixie. "Are you giving fashion advice?"
"And what is wrong with Trixie doing that?"
"I didn't think you knew... nevermind. Alright, something bright. Why bright?"
"She has dark skin. Dark skin with bright clothing will work well." Trixie nodded with authority.
Tod glanced between Night and Trixie. "Why is... she dark?"
An annoyed grunt came from a lady standing close enough to hear Tod and she stormed away with entirely the wrong impression.
Trixie shrugged. "Everyone else here is about the same color. Trixie thought that was boring. Humans have other colors, so she gave her another color."
Night had wandered off while everyone else was talking and was running her fingers over clothes on a rack. "These look quite nice..." She pulled a bright orange suit free of the selection and held it up to herself.
Starlight moved swiftly to her side. "That looks fantastic, let's just check its measurements."
Tod got to discover that a dress was just the start, not the end of any female's wants, pony or human. Night adorned herself with bangles and bobs and once she got going, didn't stop until she had arranged a full wardrobe for herself, leaving poor Tod to carry it around the store. That part, at least, he knew well enough from sitcoms.
At least the end result was worth it. Night did a slow turn for her new friends, showing off her new form, dressed properly in cloth instead of magic. "How is it?