//------------------------------//
// Chapter two 
// Story: Life in Equestria Shimmers! 
// by PopopamAJ 
//------------------------------//

Miranda opened her eyes. Maybe Daniel was right… This was getting kinda creepy. She looked around. She seemed to be in a damp forest. Lifting her head for a better view, she saw plants of all kinds. Some looked familiar, but she wasn’t quite sure how… Namely the blue flowers in the distance. Miranda struggled to her feet, but something was wrong. She stumbled over. Looking down, her feet were gone! Panic swept through her for a moment and she held her hands- no, the stumps that used to be her hands- in front of her. They weren’t just stubs, she realized. They were hooves! Miranda gasped silently, short of breath in shock. She heard a panicked yelp from Daniel, but she didn’t pay it attention. He must’ve noticed too. Her biggest dreams had come true:
She was a pony.
Miranda was speechless with excitement. Regaining herself, she slowly got up on her new hooves.
“Miranda, what’s going on?!”
She turned around in circles to see herself better. A blue coat, pink and lavender mane? She was her own OC!
“Where are we?!”
Wait, if she was her oc, that must mean...  Leaping to the nearest puddle to see herself better, her thoughts were confirmed and she gasped. She had a horn.
“Are we ponies, Miranda?!”
“Nooooo way!” Miranda squealed. A moment of silence. Then she screamed with delight.
“WE’RE PONIES!!!! WE’RE PONIES, WE’RE PONIES!” Miranda hopped in circles around Daniel.
Daniel looked still terrified, but he turned pale when she screamed. “Miranda, please,” he loudly whispered. “What if some kind of forest animal hears us? I don’t wanna know what’s in this place…”
Miranda stopped prancing and silently gasped in realization. “Oh, sorry! You’re right, there’s some nasty creatures living here.”
“I was hoping I was wrong…” Daniel muttered in fear.
“This must be the Everfree Forest,” she continued. “We might find a manticore, or a sea serpent, or….”
“Please! I don’t wanna know!”
“Well I mean, the sea serpent’s nice…”
“How are we gonna get back, anyway?” Daniel tried desperately to change the subject.
“Get back?” Miranda laughed. “Why would we do that?! It’s clear we won’t be getting back this way, and why should we have to leave so soon?
“This is gonna be trouble!”
“Daniel… This has been my dream for, well forever! I…” Miranda paused, unsure if she was guilt tripping him too much. “I don’t want to lose it so fast. Please don’t take this from me?” She pouted. Puppy dog eyes. Nobody could resist puppy dog eyes from human Miranda, so as a pony she was unstoppable with such power. Daniel sighed.
“If it means that much to you… Maybe… But we should find a way back soon. I just don’t think the answer is in this forest. And I don’t wanna stay to find out…” Daniel shuddered. He tried to get up but fell down again. The second time he wobbled on all fours. Carefully he trotted to the puddle Miranda was at and saw his reflection.
“You’re an earthpony!” Miranda smiled. “Your colors are fitting, too!. Oh, that reminds me! You need a new name!”
“What?!”
“In Equestria, human names sound just weird. We have names like-”
“Cupcake heart or glitter shine? I don’t want a girly cute name like that! Can’t I keep my own?”
“Don’t worry, I can find you a fitting pony name that isn’t too cutesy! Mine is Doodlebug!” She paused and looked at his cutie mark. It looked like someone had painted a simple but pretty painting of grassy hills on his flank. She tapped her hoof on her chin.
“How about Landscape?”
“That’s a normal pony name?”
“Not all ponies are named after shiny stuff. Do you like it?”
“Well, if that’s normal in Equestria.. It isn’t too bad,” He smiled.
“So it’s Doodlebug and Landscape, taking on Equestria!” Doodlebug squealed.
“Speaking of which… Do you by any chance know how to get out of this forest?” Landscape was pale again.
“No…” Doodlebug admitted. “But we can find our way! We just gotta look out for landmarks, and I’m sure we can find our way from those!”
“I hope so…”