//------------------------------// // DR2: Meeting Aura Gleam, Guardsmare; and Dusk Ruby exploration // Story: Odd's Oubliette: Otherwise Obsolete Oddities // by Odd_Sarge //------------------------------// The story wasn’t a long one to tell, and after the first few minutes of explaining how I’d run into Dusk Ruby, Aura Gleam relented her position at the front desk to another guard and led me deeper into the station. “It’s uh, a little intimidating to be in an interrogation room.” “Don’t worry about it, Jim. It’s not like I’m cuffing you to the table or anything like that.” “Uh huh…” Aura Gleam shut the door to the room with another burst of light from her horn. I would have questioned the unicorn about the display if I hadn’t been occupied with inspecting the interrogation room. The heavy stone door did not reflect the homey nature of the room inside; wooden panels lined the walls, ceiling, and floor, and a healthy-looking potted houseplant sat steadfast in the pot in the furthest corner of the room. There was even a small glass window at the top of the wall that allowed sunlight to pour in. Several posters adorned the walls, and they all featured ponies in several situations that reminded me very much of the style of ‘Hang in there!’ posters.  In the center of the room was a short wooden table flanked by opposing red cushions. Gleam stepped behind the pillow away from the door and gestured at the other. “Take a seat.” I sat cross-legged in the chair while Gleam set her own rump down and began setting her papers out once again. “So… Jim. Can I get a full name for the record?” “Jim Miller.” “Do you prefer Jim or Miller?” “Jim, please.” “Alright…” Gleam’s quill glowed in its vibrant yellow emission as it crossed over several pages. The same glow flipped through the pages swiftly as Gleam read quietly. Eventually, she seemed satisfied, and the quill set down in the pot of ink, and the yellow glow disappeared from everything.  “Everything good?” I asked her. “Well,” Gleam began as her hoof slid the stack of papers off to the side. “From what I’ve heard, you’re no citizen of any country around here, so we’ll talk about our options after I hear everything you have to say.” I blinked. “What more is there to hear?” “First of all, you're a non-Equestrian citizen with no diplomatic ties whatsoever. What that essentially means is that you're at the mercy of the Crown, which is a position you wouldn't have if you'd shown up in Equestria a few years ago, but I digress. The big things I need to hear from you are what your intentions are in Equestria, and how long you plan on staying.” My visage curled involuntarily. “But I didn't even want to come to Equestria.” Gleam sighed. “Regardless, I need to know what you're thinking before I can let you leave the station again. It's nothing personal, Jim.” I shrugged. “I guess I just want to get out of your hair as soon as possible. I want to stay for as short a time as I can.” “You don't seem too eager to do that,” Gleam said. I was quiet for a second. “What do you mean?” Gleam shrugged. “You just don't sound too committed about going back. You want to stay in Equestria, don't you?” I hesitated. “Jim?” “Maybe a little part of me,” I answered. “Honest. It's a nice place here. It reminds me of home, but in a… better light.” I took a deep breath. “But I know I'm not supposed to be here. I was in a real accident, and I survived and recovered. I need to get back to Earth.” Gleam looked at me, a small, sympathetic smile on her face. She tapped the stack of papers with a hoof. “Right now, we're talking off-record. You can say whatever you want to me.” I looked down. “This place is like… one big daydream. Mountain climbing has been my escape for the longest time, and now that I don't have to worry about big things… I…” I shook my head. “I have friends back home. I shouldn't be thinking about this.” “Do you have any family?” she asked me. “No,” I answered immediately. “Nobody who matters.” “What about a special somepony? Somepony waiting for you?”   I looked up and shook my head. “Nope. And I plan on keeping it that way.” “Pffh,” she waved her hoof dismissively. “You probably just haven't met the right pony.” I laughed quietly. “I doubt if I'll ever meet someone like that.” “I wouldn't call it so early. Plenty of mares out there looking for a stallion who can hold his own.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively. I sighed and shook my head. “Listen, corporal. I just want to know who I can talk to about getting out of Equestria and back to where I came from. We've established that this is not the same planet. I want to be in Equestria for as short a time as possible, and I want to go back home.” “We'll see,” she said, her voice leaving no room for argument. Gleam slid the papers over to me. “I'm going to walk you through this, alright? Let me know if you can't use a quill.” I took the papers, and we began. We spent about two hours in that room going over the documents. Most of them reminded me of filling out naturalization and citizenship forms, but there were very specific questions that were far from the norm: there were constant mentions of ‘tribes’ for ponies, and sections dedicated to talking about what ‘nature of magic’ I ‘specialized’ in and how a ‘cutie mark’ related to said specializations. On each page was a section dedicated to writing down my ‘race’, and each time I wrote ‘Human’, I felt more at odds with reality. Eventually, we reached the end of the documents, and Gleam packed up and left me in the room. She returned a time later. “I've got you down for nonimmigrant status, now. You're going to have to go pick up a permit from the Fillydelphia Courthouse. I'll be taking you there.” “But I don’t need a status,” I protested. “I just want to find someone who can help me get back home.”  “We don't have a protocol for this kind of situation, Jim. Nopony ever expected a foreign national to slip into the country without a… verified homeland. My superiors said that I was to go with you, so I'm your escort.” “Fine,” I relented with a heavy sigh. "Let's go.” The two of us left the station and set out for the courthouse. We had to stop multiple times for Gleam to explain mundane pedestrian signs to me—which was ‘just policy’ to her—but we eventually arrived at the rather imposing building. I imagined that there would be more security around their government buildings, but Equestria seemed to lack that, for better or for worse. We went through the front door and into the main lobby. A secretary pony directed us to the non-judicial section of the building. With Aura Gleam speaking up as necessary, I walked out of the building nearly an hour later with several brochures for tourists to Equestria and Fillydelphia, and a bundle of legal documents that provided me with legal rights during my stay in Equestria. “Well, that was easy,” I said. “Considering the situation? Yeah, things could’ve been worse. There's still the matter of the permit, though.” “Of course there’s more,” I groaned. “A little,” she laughed. Her face turned serious, though. “But it's important. You mess up once out here, and you won't be let off with just a warning. Your permit will be revoked, and you’ll be placed in a cell for a good long while before your case processes.” “Stay clean,” I affirmed. “Got it. One last question, though.” The unicorn nodded. “Go ahead.” “If there’s nobody in the… system, who can help me get back home, do you know anybody who can?” Her helmet levitated off of her head with a flicker of her magic, and she ran a hoof through her mane. “I really wouldn’t know where to start, honestly. I’ve done a little research into more complex spells in my spare time, but never have I seen a spell that would require as much energy as it would take to move matter from beyond Celestia’s sun. I don’t even think a grimoire would have a spell capable of taking you back home, and those books contain illegal spells, to boot. The only ponies I could recommend you seeking help with are the princesses.” Aura Gleam sighed and slid her helmet back on. She offered her hoof to me with a smile. “I’m sorry I can’t give you more, but if it’s any consolation…”  I took her hoof, and we shook. “Welcome to Equestria, Jim. Stay out of trouble, and I hope you find what you're looking for.” “Thank you, Gleam. I’ll see you around.” With one last departing nod, the armored guardsmare trotted off in the direction of Fillydelphia Station, leaving me alone in front of the courthouse. I sat on a bench for a moment, just taking it all in. I had no idea where to start. There was so much knowledge, so much information. So I figured I would try to start with the most obvious lead.  I stowed my new papers in my bag, tightened my straps, and made for 657 Evening Crest Road. I stood awkwardly outside of Dusk Ruby’s door. She hadn’t answered immediately, and repeated attempts with the knocker didn’t produce any new results. A few of the neighbors living in the duplex gave me odd looks as they went up and down the stairwell in the center of the building, but I stayed resolute in my spot next to Ruby’s door. One of the ponies—a pegasus mare coming down from the third floor—paused on my level and looked me up and down. “You a friend of Ruby?” I was a bit caught off-guard. “Oh, uh, yeah. I’m a friend of Dusk’s.” The mare relaxed. “Ah, alright then. Well, she’s usually asleep by now. The door’s not locked, so you can go ahead and let yourself in.” I furrowed my brow and eyed the door. “Is it?” The door clicked as I turned the knob. I looked back at the mare. “Should I even…?” She shrugged. “Better than standing out here. Have a nice day.” The raspy-voiced mare gave me a crooked smile and headed for the last flight of stairs.  I gave the mare my thanks and turned back to the door. I took a breath and eased the door to Dusk Ruby’s apartment open. The room was dimly lit by a few small candles adorning the tables and shelves. Dusk Ruby lay on a bed in the corner of the room. The covers were tossed back, leaving Dusk exposed, and a half-empty bottle labeled ‘Nightfire’ was laying on the floor a few feet away from the bed. Her steady snores filled the room as I shut the door behind me and inspected the rest of the apartment.  A small kitchen was to the left by the apartment's only window, and two pony-sized chairs took residence there. In another corner, a desk covered in papers covered one half of a small workspace, and a bookshelf filled the other half. A dresser with several drawers and a few other pieces of furniture—including a comfy-looking sofa—completed the room. Beyond the open doorway of the only other door in the room was what appeared to be a full-sized bathroom. Dusk’s room didn't have much in the way of personal possessions save for a few photographs scattered throughout. Most of the pictures were of Ruby with other ponies, and I even recognized Aura Gleam in a few of them. I didn’t have long to look, though, before I found what was undoubtedly Dusk’s favorite picture. It was an ornately framed photograph that rested on the nightstand next to Dusk’s head. The photograph showed what appeared to be Dusk Ruby as a filly, with two ponies behind her: both were dark-colored pegasi. One was a stallion with a pair of black wings and a rose emblem on his armored chest, and the other was a mare with a single black wing and a pair of flashing purple eyes. As I crept closer to her bed for a better look, I realized that they had shining fangs as well, which I took to mean that they were bat ponies, not pegasi. I turned to the bottle of Nightfire on the floor and inspected it. The label claimed it to be some sort of cognac ‘By thestrals, for thestrals!’ I didn’t know much about such things, but the ancient-looking bottle certainly looked the part. I decided against drinking any of it and instead set the bottle on the nightstand.  With my survey complete, I figured I'd already invited myself into her home, and so I settled down on the couch. I set my hiking bag down on the floor, and retrieved my notebook and pen from inside. Under candlelight, I began to write down an entry in my notebook detailing the events of the past morning.  A while later, I was interrupted by a rambling, and quite possibly drunk, Dusk. As I looked over from the couch, I noticed that she still seemed asleep. “Can’t sleep, drinkin’ all night, gonna drive myself mad. Got the shakes, can’t keep still, gonna go insane,” she slurred, waving her hooves as she spoke in her sleep. “They got no bones, so they can’t break. They can’t break. I’m all hollow, but they can’t take me! Can’t take me, ‘til the day I die!” I set my notebook aside and stood from the couch. I walked over to Dusk’s nightstand and I picked up the bottle of Nightfire once more. I took a whiff of the contents. It certainly smelled like some delicious aged cognac, and I couldn't help but take a sip. As soon as the warm liquid hit my tongue and entered my throat, I felt my tongue go numb. I was able to run it along my teeth, which also went numb shortly afterwards. Panicking slightly, I set the bottle down on the nightstand and took a step back.  After a few moments, feeling began to return to my tongue, and the numbness left my teeth. I shuddered. “Buh. Strong stuff.” I looked back towards Dusk, and noticed that she was still talking in her sleep. “They got no bones, so they can’t break…They can’t break…” A shiver rippled across her fur. I went to pull her Dusk's blanket up to cover her, and as I did, I noticed a symbol on her flank. It depicted a pair of leathery wings, much like her own, underneath a rose.  After covering her, she appeared to stop shivering. I went back to my spot on the couch and sat down, but kept my eyes on Dusk. “They're not coming to take me away, they can’t… they won’t take me away…" she sobbed. I watched her for a few minutes more, until I was sure she’d stopped shaking. Dusk was fast asleep by then, so I’d have to wait if I wanted to talk to her about my situation. I decided I'd try to sleep instead, and settled down to take a nap. I don’t know how long I slept for. When I woke up, it was pitch dark except for a meager amount of orange light coming from the window; the candles had gone out. I sat up and heard a shuffling sound. I turned my head to the left and saw Dusk standing by her bed with one of her forelegs curled around the bottle of Nightfire. “Jim?” she asked, sleepiness evident in her voice. “When did you get here?” “Few hours after you left me.” I rubbed my eyes and stood. “Sorry about letting myself in, I wanted to talk to you, but you weren’t answering.” “It’s okay,” she replied. Dusk eyed her bottle. “Did you… drink any of this?” “Yeah,” I admitted. “It’s not half-bad for brandy. Bit strange, though.” She swilled the drink around in a circular motion. “I can see that.” She blinked, then looked up at me. “So, how did things go with Aura?” “Not great, but progress is progress.” I opened my bag and pulled out my fresh permit. “I have some legal protections now. Not any closer to getting back home, though.”