I awoke slowly, late in the day on what I assumed to be Saturday. I never asked the days of the week and simply continued to go by my previous sense of the days. Yesterday had been nothing to talk about, so I simply went to bed early to make sure I was well rested for my meeting with the princess. I took my multivitamin and my lower dose of my morning medication and got a fresh towel and some clean clothes. After I made sure I was absolutely clean shaven, even going over myself a second time with the razor, I showered until I was squeaky clean. Quite literally, in fact.
After making sure my hair was combed perfectly and I hadn't cut myself shaving, I exited the bathroom and looked out at the sky. I had apparently slept much longer than I thought, or taken a lot longer in the shower, as it was already trending towards the afternoon. I dressed myself in the outfit that Rarity had picked out for me and put on the new shoes she had dropped off yesterday. They fit like a dream and were probably the comfiest pieces of semi-formal footwear I would ever own. They seemed to be designed for every day wear as well, for which I was thankful. I wouldn't wear them on rainy or muddy days, but nice days like today would be perfect for them. Having dressed myself and made sure that that I looked as neat as I could, I exited my room and began the journey into town. I sincerely hoped the doctor could make my pain go away, as having to walk everywhere with one bum ankle would get me nowhere fast. As I began to near town, I noticed a familiar pink tail swaying up the path in front of me.
"Fluttershy!" I called as friendly as I could. Still, the poor mare yelped and tried to hide by covering her face in her forelegs. I giggled a little as I caught up to her, "It's just me, Miss Shy."
"Oh, sorry, you surprised me..."
"I didn't mean to, honestly. Are you heading into town?"
She nodded and started walking with me alongside, "I was planning to stop by this lovely little restaurant for dinner before the meeting with the princess. Twilight requested we all be there."
"I'm looking forward to it... and not... It's weird, I'm so nervous," I said, shaking myself.
"The princess is very nice, and kind. I was nervous the first time I met her too but she's very, um, down to earth, I guess you could say, if that's alright with you..."
I smiled and nodded, crossing my arms in front of me since I didn't really know what to do with them, "Well, I hope it goes well. Would you mind if I join you for dinner? I was going to get something to eat as well, but the only place I know is that place I ate the first night and Sugarcube Corner..."
"Oh I think you'll love this place! They make the best cherry and daffodil salad."
"I can't eat flowers, Fluttershy..."
"Oh...well they have a lot of other dishes, I'm sure they have something you'll like..." she said, trailing back off into silence as we walked along toward town. She led me past the restaurant I'd eaten at previously and down a side street where I hadn't been before. We walked up to a fancier looking restaurant and I was glad I was already wearing my meeting clothes as we entered. It definitely had that slightly upper-crust air that says, "If you don't have a collared shirt, you are scum," about it.
We were sat by a hostess and given our menus, a pitcher of water, and some bread sticks. It seemed to be a slightly upscale Italian restaurant now that we were inside, so I took a look at the menu and grinned widely. They had all the staples and one thing that caused me to raise my eyebrow, "Pepperoni?" I asked softly.
Fluttershy looked over her menu with a blush, "It's not real meat, I don't think. I've never tried it before because I've heard it's spicy."
I shrugged, "Well, I know what I'm having."
Eventually, after we'd finished half the bread sticks and most of our water, a waiter appeared to take our order. I ordered the large pepperoni pizza since I figured leftovers would be good. I would pick up a fridge on the way home or store it at somepony's house until I had my own or just give it to Spike. Fluttershy ordered her cherry and daffodil salad with Italian dressing and I decided to have a normal salad with the same as a starter. I craved vegetables that night for some reason.
We continued to chat softly and amicably while we waited for our food to arrive. I finally just walked over and grabbed a water pitcher as we were both going through it like we'd been in the desert for a month. After finally getting the meals we ordered, I dug into the pizza, finding it an acceptable substitute for one of the places from home, but not close enough.
"Hmm, maybe I should open a pizza parlor here," I said thoughtfully, "Hire a couple of pegasi to run deliveries... Actually, that sounds like a good idea. I'll stow that in the back of my head for later."
"Were you talking to yourself or me?" the timid pegasus asked me after taking another dainty bite of her salad.
"Oh, myself, I do that a lot. Helps me think, you see," I said, taking another bite of pizza, being very careful not to get anything on my clothes. I finished another slice and would definitely require a take-home container, but Fluttershy had decimated her salad, despite it being bigger than her head, "Wow, that must be good."
She smiled, "Oh it is, definitely."
We continued our chat and I asked about her animals, wondering when she needed help since I lived so close by. We agreed that I'd help every other day in the afternoon if the animals liked me. That would have to wait until tomorrow though, we still had to find out what Celestia had to say.
At long last, after I'd consumed another slice of pizza out of boredom, the waiter finally deigned to grace us with the bill and a box for my leftovers. Grumbling, I paid for my meal and left the tip while Fluttershy paid for hers. His tip was decidedly smaller than the one I had left on my first day. I tip based on quality of service, and that colt had said maybe four words to us outside of those he was required to in order to take our orders. Not to mention the delays in service. A nice young couple had come in about half an hour after we did and had left long ago, hunger sated.
We stood and left the restaurant with my leftovers and I frowned as I looked at the sky, "It's almost dark. How far is it to the library?"
My companion pointed with a hoof, "It's just over that way," she said as we began walking. It was a ten minute walk, but we arrived just as the sun was setting. I knocked on the door only to have it be yanked open as I was yanked inside.
I was sat on a cushion as a purple unicorn began to blabber in my face about being late, "Easy, Twilight, blame the waiter. He took forever to do anything. Has Spike eaten yet?"
Twilight's train of thought derailed with an almost audible crash as she looked over at her dozy dragon, "No, I don't think so, why?"
"Hey Spike? Want some pizza?"
His eyes lit up as he came over, and I held the box out to him, opening it up, "Oh man, I haven't had pizza in ages," he said, drooling as he took it from me and went back to his seat. I smiled as the dragon dug in and looked around the rest of the room.
The other elements were already there, seated and waiting for the arrival of the princess, "So, do I clean up good or not?"
"I believe you mean 'well,' darling, but yes, you do," Rarity said with a smile, "How are the shoes?"
"Very nice, my lady," I smiled back and relaxed a little as the sun finished setting on the horizon.
Twilight paced nervously, "She'll be here any minute! Did I miss anything? Is the library clean enough? Did I put away the books I had out?"
"Everything is fine, Twilight Sparkle," said a soft, regal voice after a brief flash of light blinded everyone for a second. I blinked my eyes clear but hesitated to open them fully and look upon the princess. I'd heard horror stories of her deific presence ruining the minds of countless humans who had found themselves in Equestria and to be quite honest, I was terrified of meeting her in general. The one being in Equestria aside from Discord or Luna who had control of my fate, and I was about to see her in her full glory, unfiltered by the Hub or a television screen.
Hesitantly, I opened my eyes. I managed to glimpse a pure white hoof before I decided that I should probably bow. I brought my knees up underneath me from my cross-legged position before I leaned forward and placed my forehead on the floor of the library, "Princess Celestia, I am honored by your presence."
"Please, Tera, rise," she said.
I did so, getting to my feet before I dared to open my eyes. I had begun to feel that familiar tingle at the back of my neck, the hair raising up, which signaled to me that something other than normal was going on. I opened my eyes and beheld the princess of the sun.
There was a soft glow all around her, as if she permanently walked in a sunbeam. I could feel my spirits lift even as the sense of Other pervaded my being. Her mane flowed in some wind that could not be felt and the colors, separate on the show, flowed seamlessly into each other. The result was absolutely stunning, but I was glad that there happened to be no crushing deific presence forcing me to my knees to bask in her glory and proclaim all my sins and my lack of worth.
I smiled, relieved, and she smiled back as I stepped forward and extended my right hand, bowing slightly. She raised a hoof, which I took in my hand and marveled at the odd sensation of whatever magical field ponies used to grip things. I lifted her hoof slightly as I bent forward and kissed it. As my lips touched the hair of her immaculate coat, I felt an electric shock jolt through my body. I straightened suddenly and looked into the princess' eyes. My grip on her hoof refused to loosen as the world around us began to fade away into whiteness. I thought to myself that this must be what dying felt like.
"You are not dying, Tara Watson," the Princess in front of me said as we entered the white void.
"So who's head are we in, then? Mine, I'm guessing."
"You would be correct. I brought us here because I have many questions that I would rather my little ponies not find out the answers to, and this would be much faster than a long interrogation in a side room of the library."
I nodded and looked down as I did so, realizing my physical form had changed to resemble how I always envisioned myself, "So what may I answer for you, Princess?" I asked, summoning a large cushion for her to and my favorite recliner for myself.
She smiled as we sat, "You have impressive mental control."
"I'm used to weird things happening," I replied, "Though I admit that I am absolutely terrified."
"Why?"
"I have anxiety issues, and I just got pulled out of my world and thrust into this one. While there are good parts, I miss my cat, my family, and my friends."
"So you want to return home?"
"I just want a connection to it, if possible, maybe a way to go back now and then, but I really like it here. The doctors here are actually doing something about medical problems instead of stalling or denying."
"Well, first, let me apologize for your uprooting. I have no knowledge of how you got here, but I will attempt to find out. I am pleased that you are adapting well to life here and to see a human again."
"Again? Humans existed here before?"
"Yes, long ago, before Discord. There were many great sages and powerful mages that would journey between your world and mine to visit and learn. Then Discord damaged the connection between our worlds, cutting them off from each other. One human was trapped here during that time, a wise old man who adapted to life here quite well. He even learned how to change into a unicorn to fully integrate into society. My little ponies know him as Starswirl the Bearded, but his human name, and the one I always called him, was Merlin."
I gaped, "Merlin was real? Where I'm from, he's just a legend, along with everything else related to him, like King Arthur."
"Oh, he was quite real, a joy to be around, and rather handsome in his own way," she said with what looked like a wistful smile to me before she chuckled softly, "Do you know who the Lady of the Lake was?"
"I'm going to guess it was you?"
She giggled at that, "No, actually, my sister had that honor. She was much more suited to the part than I. Though I did give her the sword."
"This... is a lot to take in."
She stood then and walked close to me, I stood as well, "As much as I am enjoying our conversation, the spell is fading and I still have many questions. May I read your memories?"
"You may, but please leave my personal memories to myself. I'm not sure I want you knowing everything that goes on in my head. Also, I am sad to say that our history has been violent and terrible since, well, since the worlds closed and a lot of my knowledge on it is filtered through a biased educational system and secondhand sources."
"I understand," she said, placing her horn against my forehead. I felt a pulse of magic shudder through my head as everything I had thought forgotten from school and other knowledge came rushing back as the magic did its job. It activated every memory it could find, including those I purposefully suppressed, and those I didn't like to recall. I began to feel tears pouring down my face as the rush of knowledge continued.
"Please... Stop..." I managed to gasp as I felt a pressure building in my mind. I felt myself lift into the air and pain as I collided with something solid behind me, then nothing for some time.
I found myself, eventually, in a familiar dreamscape I associated with those times when I was under a guided meditation or spoke with my spirit guide. The sealed vault door that was ever present at those times, and I believed held something from my abilities with the supernatural, was cracked. The damage was barely there, but it extended from the floor to the ceiling and I could hear the metal groaning under some kind of strain. Terror washed over me as the door shook from an impact. The crack grew wider with each blow. Whatever was sealed away in my mind was pissed. Another loud collision and light flooded through the gap in the door and blinded me. I screamed and fell away into blackness.
I woke with a start some time later, laying in a hospital bed. An IV cord trailed from my arm to a bag of clear fluid above the heart monitor that indicated my heart rate was returning to normal. I looked around the room and spotted the princess sitting by a window, her horn glowing as she brought forth the dawn.
I watched her silently until she finished, "Princess? Why are you here?" I asked, my voice lighter than normal.
She blinked and stood, turning toward me with a sad smile, "I wanted to keep watch over, Tara, and apologize as soon as you woke. I did not know the memory spell would have such an effect on you. You've been unconscious for almost a week. I gave permission for the doctors to go ahead with their spells that you had made appointments for, to make up for the trouble I've put you through. How are you feeling?"
I looked myself over. Despite my lack of reference materials, the doctors had done an almost perfect job modifying my form, but anything more would have looked wrong to me. I felt none of the stiffness in my ankle that was usually present, and smiled, "I feel fine, though I had a very strange dream."
"The vault door?"
"How did...?" I trailed off, my feminine voice still weird to hear coming out of my mouth.
"I received a flash of it before the spell broke. I truly am sorry if I caused you any distress. What was that door, if I may ask?"
I nodded and sighed, sitting up a little in the bed but making sure to keep the blanket over me since they had apparently decided I didn't need clothes, "When I began to experience the paranormal and investigate supernatural occurrences, I always felt like something was blocking me from doing more. I envisioned it as that vault door. I've been trying to get it to open for years. In the dream, though, it was cracked, and something broke out."
She nodded and approached my bed, "That would explain some things, actually. The spell didn't break because I hit the door. The spell broke because you broke it, Tara. It may have been instinctual, but you successfully countered a highly complex memory spell. It seems you have some magical ability."
I blinked and tilted my head at her, "I don't feel any different," I said, fiddling with my fingers, "I can't make fire or anything like that."
She smiled, "Not right now you can't, but I believe with training and will you could at least master basic telekinesis."
I grinned, "That would be really cool."
She stood and made her way over to the door, "I'll have some clothes brought for you if you believe you are ready to leave. I know I for one hate spending time in hospitals," she admitted as she removed the IV from my arm and applied a bandage.
"As if you ever get sick."
"Not by accident, but sometimes I go a little overboard when I want a sick day," she said with a giggle before exiting the room.
I chuckled at her and lay back in the bed. I spent a few moments trying to summon my glass of water to me, but I still didn't believe that I had any magical talent beyond being sensitive to Other. I then decided I should take a closer look at my new form so I stood and walked over to the floor-length mirror that was attached to what I guessed was the bathroom door. I dropped the blanket little by little and looked myself over.
I had just gotten to my hips when the door burst open and the entire group of ponies entered, Twilight in the lead bearing my clothes. I shrieked and tugged the blanket up around me, my entire face beet red, "Knock first!" I squeaked.
I realized I sounded like a combination of Rainbow and Twilight as they all hastily exited, slamming the door before knocking on it. I composed myself, making sure the blanket covered me completely before sitting on the bed, "Come in!" I called softly.
The mares reentered the room, several of their number blushing while Rainbow Dash was laughing to herself and Pinkie just had a grin plastered on her muzzle. Twilight approached and handed me my clothes, "Sorry about barging in on you like that. We weren't expecting you to have gotten up."
"It's... fine. Just a shock is all," I said, taking a look at the outfit. My skirt was there, as was a random t-shirt and my bra, "You uh, forgot something, Twilight."
"I did? Oh no, what did I forget?"
"Underwear."
"Underwear?"
I sighed, putting my face in the palm of my hand, "Never mind, I'll be in the bathroom for a moment," I said, standing and shuffling over to the restroom. After I had pulled my clothes on and relieved myself, I returned to the main room and stood there, "So? How do I look?"
Rainbow rolled her eyes, Twilight nodded sagely, Pinkie bounced and nodded rapidly, Applejack shrugged, Rarity gave me a curt nod that I imagined was because I was not wearing one of her outfits, and Fluttershy just looked at the floor. I shrugged and we all moved out into the hallway. As we left, I made sure to thank the doctor for his services and an appointment for a follow up in a week just to see if everything was going well.
Once we left, I realized just how hungry I was. I also realized I didn't have my keys or my bits, "So, who has my keys?"
"Oh! That would be me, darling, I apologize," she said, levitating them over to me as my stomach growled, "but perhaps lunch first?"
"I believe that would be best, but my money is at home and..."
"Nonsense, dear, it would be our pleasure to treat you this time, as a way of making up for missing out on the trip to Appleoosa."
"Damn, I missed that? Wait... You said the last major thing that happened was your little issue with the Diamond Dogs. What about Fluttershy's modeling career?"
They all looked around and Fluttershy squeaked. Rarity spoke for the group, "We all agreed it would be better if that were not mentioned, my apologies."
"Well, at least now I know when I am a little better, I'm glad my little bout of sleep didn't impede your adventures."
The group nodded before I paused and caught Pinkie Pie for a second, whispering in her ear, "I liked the song, even if nopony else did."
She blinked and looked at me as I continued walking toward wherever we were going for lunch. As we sat down and ordered, I was finally asked the question I had been dreading, "So what happened?" asked Rainbow as I took a sip of root beer.
"It's... complicated. Princess Celestia had a lot of questions, so she brought me into my mindscape to ask them so we didn't waste the entire evening on boring things like the average rainfall of the amazon basin or the airspeed of an unladen swallow. We chatted for a while, but the spell was waning so she used a memory spell to read my memories and learn Earth's history as I knew it. It has some... unintended side-effects, but I'm alright now. She must have been able to remember what I looked like in my mindscape cause, well, you see it now," I said at length before sipping my root beer.
"So why didn't you just become a pony?"
"I agree, Starswirl the Bearded pioneered a spell that would transform another species into a pony."
I wiggled my fingers at them, "Hands, first and foremost. Second, I really like using my computer and if I didn't end up a unicorn, I couldn't do that any more with serious training with my wings or holding a stick in my mouth if I didn't have those either."
I was greeted with some nods, but mostly thoughtful silence. I hadn't spoken to Applejack much, so I directed the conversation over to her, "So, how does Bloomberg like Appleoosa?"
She blinked, "Now how the hay did... Oh right, yer fancy future knowledge," she said, rolling her eyes, "He likes it just fine. Cousin Braeburn swore he'd take good care of 'im. Long as them buffalo follow the new agreement."
"Oh, they will, at least, I'm pretty sure they will. It's never really brought up again," I said with a shrug, "Seemed like a hell of a waste of pies though."
"Eh, it got our point across and tweren't nopony killed, so ahm happy."
I nodded and stretched out as we waited for dinner. It was odd, really. I had so many things I wanted to talk to them about, but everything I did hadn't happened yet. Once dinner arrived, the idle chatter began anew and I interjected when I thought it was appropriate. It was just after we had finished eating when I felt my head pulse, and I sighed.
Pinkie looked over at me, "What's wrong, Tara?"
"I spent a week in the hospital without my medication. I guess I get to experience withdrawal sooner rather than later..." I said softly. I was not looking forward to the mood swings, brain zaps, and paranoia. It had to be done I told myself.
"Well, if you need anything, we're here for you," Twilight said, placing a hoof on my arm.
I smiled, "It's not going to be fun. I'll experience mood swings, among other issues, and it won't be a good idea for me to be around large crowds."
Applejack, of all ponies, nodded, "Ah know how that can be, sugarcube. Don't you worry none, if y'all need somethin', we can get it fer ya."
"Thank you, all of you. Hopefully by next week the chemicals will have worked themselves out of my system."
Twilight winced, "I did some research while you were... out, and found that it might take up to six months," I frowned and could feel myself tearing up at that, but she continued, "Now, we can ask Zecora if there's something herbal you can take in the meantime to flush your system or manage the mood swings, and we can go there once we get you home so you can get whatever you need. There's no guarantee she'll have something, but it's an option."
I nodded and stood as they did, "I'd like that Twilight. I definitely need some footwear if we're going into the Everfree."
"I took the liberty of making you some more casual shoes for your new hoofsize, darling," Rarity said as we began our walk. I smiled and enjoyed the feeling of the soft grass on my feet as we journeyed, mentally tracking the time. We reached my "house" without a single jolt of pain or ache from my ankle.
"Those doctors did a wonderful job on my ankle," I said, kneeling down next to Twilight and giving her a hug, "Thank you for helping."
She smiled and returned the hug, before I stood and turned to the door, opening the locks and then pushing the door in. What I saw completely shocked me. The entire area had been rearranged, save for my computer which remained by the door and the only power outlet. Plus, I think they didn't want to damage anything by moving it. Directly in front of me was a sitting area with several pony-sized couches and an overstuffed large recliner that looked perfectly sized for me. Behind that was an open dining area with a table, again sized for me, and chairs that would seat both ponies and humans. I walked in and looked to my left, to find the bathroom sealed off from this side and instead opening into the hall that led to the bedroom. The kitchen was off to the side of the dining area and everything in there was sized perfectly. I fell to my knees in awe, "You girls.. did all this?"
"We thought ya might want somethin nice to wake up ta. Ah don't know if'n the princess told ya, but ye're an official resident of Ponyville until y'all decide otherwise," Applejack said, "Big Mac did most of the woodwork, Ah just helped install it."
"I'm just... come here, group hug!" I demanded, grabbing them all and squeezing them to me, happy tears falling from my face.
Rarity whispered in my ear, "The bill for the materials is in the kitchen, no hurry," she said with a laugh.
I laughed too and stood up, "Well, let me get some underwear and a pair of shoes and we'll be off!"