//------------------------------// // Chapter 27 : The Mare Named Mary // Story: A Twilight Landing // by MerlosTheMad //------------------------------// Twilight apologized hurriedly and threw a sheet over herself. "I'm sorry! I forgot about the clothing stigma because there's so much to decide on with everything getting serious-while-we're-so-close-and-then-I-started-to-think-about-my-cutie mark-and-how-it's-missing-and-please-don't-misunderstand-anythi—!" Jo, meanwhile, was calmly walking across the room towards her cellphone, which vibrated and rang noisily atop the hotel room's desk. When it became clear that Twilight was rambling, possibly out of embarrassment, Jo turned to interrupt her. "Twilight, it's fine." Twilight bit her lip nervously, the thick hotel blanket wrapped firmly around herself. Jo continued. "Just get something on and..." She got a look at the caller identification on her phone's screen, and paused. I don't know this number. Her eyes narrowed a fraction. So who is it? A wrong call? Twilight tilted her head, spotting her friends sudden shift in demeanor. "Jo? Who called you?" The other girl didn't answer right away and instead put the phone up to her ear. "Is it Alice?" Twilight tried again while raising off the bed. Jo grunted acknowledgement at her friend. "Twilight, put on some clothes. I'll handle this. It's probably a wrong number..." She answered the call and quickly put her phone up to her ear. "Yeah, hello? Who is it?" She thought she was sounded a little too frank, but she decided her tone could change after figuring out who it was. Oddly, it took a moment for the caller to answer her, but when they did it was hesitantly. "Uhm, hello," the caller greeted quietly. "I may have the wrong number... whose phone is this?" Jo raised an eyebrow and pulled the phone away from her head to look at the number again, just double checking she didn't recognize it. "Sorry," the caller added in, alongside a weak laugh. Jo stared at the phone a moment then harrumphed and replied. "Who's asking?" she answered gruffly. She was about to continue, when turning around from the window earned her not just a glimpse, but an eyeful of her naked refugee friend. She almost dropped the phone, and whirled around to face the other way again. "Gah, Twilight, warn me if you're going to walk around like that!" Jo cried out. Twilight looked over, confused from where she was busily trying to do what she had been asked. "But, you told me to put on clothes! Obviously I have to stand up to-" Before she could continue explaining the facts that Jo overlooked, the other girl interrupted her back. "Come on, Twilight-" Exasperated, Jo tossed her gaze up at the ceiling and shook her head. "Jo!" Twilight was busy shoving her arms awkwardly through a t-shirt. "You're still on the phone," she reminded her friend. Jo really wished right then she was more like someone who didn't care about formalities so much. It always led to more embarrassment rather than less when she tried to force things her way. The heated feeling on her face was a sure sign enough of that. While being like Alice would certainly be overkill, Jo did wish she could get over the habits of others a little easier. Though, maybe overlooking Twilight's penchant for avoiding clothing would be overkill, too. Jo quickly thumped a hand against her forehead and suppressed an exasperated groan. "No, just- get dressed in the bathroom, the bathroom. Not out here..." She busied herself with staring out the window, listening to Twilight's own exasperated sigh while entering the bathroom. Afterwards, Jo did remember what Twilight had said about her still being on the phone, and slapped a hand over the bottom of the receiver; it was a little late to do so. "Great..." she muttered. At least I don't think it's anyone important that I just embarrassed the living hell out of myself to. She sighed, again, and put the phone back up to her ear, ignoring the muffled complaints Twilight continued to yell through the hotel bathroom's door. "I'm sorry about that, who was this?" Jo asked with a wistful quality to her voice. She was expecting to hang up the phone in just a moment and tiredly make her way to the bed's side, now that the view had been cleared up... Oddly, the phone line was quiet. It was clear the caller was still there though. Besides the absence of a dial tone there were shuffling noises and what sounded like a few people talking in the background. Jo frowned. Yeah, just call me then keep me waiting... She growled quietly then tried getting their attention again. Maybe they didn't hear me. "Hello?" she asked as politely as she could manage. The voice finally returned, and sounding just a little frantic: just a little. "I'm here! I'm here, heh," the strange woman replied. "You called my house earl- er, that is to say... I'm looking for a... pony, named Twilight Sparkle. I might have heard from a friend that someone was looking for another pony." Whoever the stranger on the line was, they seemed pretty unsure of themselves. Jo began to listen intently the moment Twilight's name had been mentioned. She wondered what exactly was going on now, and who this woman was. Quickly, she dashed over to the laptop. All of the information from earlier that night was still pulled up, and categorized even thanks to Twilight's neurotic filing habits. She looked for the number of the place they had called earlier, found it, and compared it to the one she now held; the two didn't match up. The stranger's voice went on while Jo did this. "So, is she there? If so, I would like to speak with her." Jo stared at the bathroom door, then put a hand over the receiver of her phone. "Hey, Twilight, hurry up in there and come out." She realized she'd been quiet for a long pause of quiet and spoke again. "Uh, I see." She tried to think of what else to say, her mouth working. Keeping the stranger on the line seemed like the thing to do, but she didn't want to answer the questions asked, not yet. But who else besides that family could it be? Jo thought. Her eyes squinted angrily, not able to come up with any good explanation. The fact somebody had randomly called asking for a pony from a TV show over a decade old just didn't make sense... So, it must not be somebody random, she decided. "Twilight?" she called again, replacing her hand on the phone. Her friend needed to hurry up. "I think this might be the pony on the line, or... someone that knows them." "What!?" came a strangled shout from through the nearby door. Instantaneously the bathroom exploded open and Twilight fell out. She had one leg half in a pair of pants, while the other had obviously tripped her and was now free. Falling on the floor was definitely not a great feeling, especially since humans bruised so easily, but she barely noticed in the midst of everything. By the window, Jo's eyes had widened initially from the loud thud Twilight's body had made against the floor, but now she looked at her friend with a flat expression. "Twilight, what are you wearing?" The other girl had apparently begun to put on jeans. "You can't sleep in those," she declared. Twilight, who was actually only half wearing her clothing, stood up as quickly as having two legs would allow and raced towards Jo. "Did you say something about- Oh, what?" she asked, mind coming to a halt over the subject change. Her eyes had been frantic after hearing what she thought she had just heard. "You said put on some clothes though. What's wrong with these?" Jo sighed as her friend slid to a halt only to become confused over her attire. "I meant, like, clothes for sleeping in, you can't sleep in- Well, okay I guess you could... Never mind." She waved her hand in the air to change the subject, ignoring Twilight's look of complete confusion. "There's someone on the phone that asked for you... by name. I think this is important." Without another moment lost, she passed the phone to the already excited looking Twilight. For her part, Twilight accepted the device shakily, brimming with anticipation. A last, deep breath was managed, and then she addressed the telephone as normally as she could. "Hello!? Who is it?" she all but gasped. She was standing with both hands on the cellphone and raised up on her toes out of sheer excitement. Jo had moved past Twilight towards a free chair for a sit, only to jump from the girl's shout. She shot frown back at her. "Twilight, tell them your name. Also, calm down..." Twilight blinked, then fell back to a normal standing position. "Oh, uhm, this is Twilight Sparkle! Is this the pony? Hello?" While speaking, she gave Jo a sheepish grin and brushed her hair back with one of her hands, rather than continue to clutch the cellphone in a death grip. The voice answered Twilight quickly, but with a less than satisfactory response. "Excuse me." Twilight furrowed her brow, but waited; she had no choice really. "Oh, okay," Twilight responded back and looked over at Jo in order to give her a shrug. Jo studied Twilight and wondered absently how the other girl maintained such a high level of energy. While watching, her head supported in both hands, she recognized the look of concentration Twilight had put on. "What is it?" Jo asked plainly. Tiredness was thick in her voice. Twilight listened to Jo, but also to the phone call, and could hear a couple of voices in the background. "Oh, nothing I'm sure... the person on the line simply asked for a moment." The wait went on, and Twilight could just barely hear snippets of conversation between a man and a woman, as would be the case under the circumstances, she guessed. She wasn't sure, but they sounded worried judging by their tone. Getting worried herself, Twilight tried to speak to them and find out what was wrong. "Hello? Are you there still?" Twilight bit her lip and waited for a response. I hope I didn't do something to upset them. I simply have to find that pony. Did I come on too strong? Her eyes searched around the room rapidly in her nervousness, having little else to do. She managed to resist the urge to bob up and down or pace, at least. Twilight hummed and managed to calm herself down a little. Pacing or doing anything of the sort would set off Jo's 'OCD', after all, she considered. Not that Jo would ever admit to me that she has any. The voice replied back to Twilight once her thought had finished, and she nearly jumped. "Sorry about that," the woman's voice apologized, and with very little inflection, as well. Twilight put on a smile despite talking to someone miles away, and shrugged. She realized what she had done afterwards and turned her back from Jo to avoid embarrassment. "I was just curious," the stranger went on, still speaking flatly. Twilight nodded to the air, still smiling. After noticing the pause she added, "Yes?" Behind her she just barely heard Jo whisper 'Calm down' impatiently. Twilight realized she had begun pacing after all. The stranger went on finally, something Twilight was practically dancing back and forth to hear. "Is this really Twilight Sparkle? As in, actually from Equestria?" Twilight stopped and stood still, blinking. She hadn't expected the question concerning herself. To her, this entire situation revolved around the mystery pony. I guess this makes sense though. Are they worried about something? If they doubt who I am... Oh, they think I'm somepony with ill intent. I should have thought of that! Hm... This is interesting... like a game of chess or other strategy based activity... Jo inclined her head a fraction. "Twilight?" she asked, just about ready to stand up. Twilight shushed her and waved a hand in the other girl's direction. She made sure to cover the phone's receiver before whispering back. "Not now, Jo, thinking..." Her thoughts regathered themselves and began attacking the next curiosity she had noticed, as there had been more than one. The next thing to tickle her mind, had been the speaker's.... voice. It was familiar. Twilight licked her lips and decided to take the shot into the dark. "Is that you, Mrs. Morris?" she asked, then waited. An answer didn't come back right away, instead, she heard a loud thumping sound. What was that? After the loud thump, the woman's voice did return, with all of its previous calm and flatness nowhere to be found. "O-oh, uhm, no I'm sorry. I don't know anyone by that name." Twilight frowned and her forehead wrinkled itself up in doubt. No, I'm pretty sure you're Bobby's mother... Very interesting. Despite her being quite certain of the voice belonging to the woman she had spoken with earlier, she let it slide. The woman claiming to not be the person she sounded like spoke again. "I have heard that you were looking for a... pony, though, Twilight. I might be able to help you with that." Towards the end her tone had seemed to find its footing again. Twilight couldn't help it, despite the suspicion she felt building up and the worried look from Jo, her eyes widened once more upon hearing the admission of the pony's existence. The emotion that came with it was like pure hope, happiness, and a surprise fillyhood birthday all wrapped up into one. She replied immediately, and very loudly. "Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed, then continued without pause. "Can you take me to her? Could we meet? Are there others!? Please, anything that can help at all would be-" Before she could press further with her questions, Jo, it seemed, had begun to approach her. "Twilight, " Jo hissed as she placed a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Would you stay calm, please? These walls don't look like they're very thick to me..." Twilight fell back down to standing normally and apologized. "Sorry, Jo." Jo stared intently at the phone and spoke again, seriousness edging her voice. "It's fine. So that's the family from earlier? If they called back..." She thought of what kinds of trouble they could get in on the normal side of things, which basically amounted to surveillance of a minor, but, if they had actually called back about the pony... "I don't know about offering to meet them just yet, Twilight?" She proposed the thought as a question, and got a bug-eyed look of shock from Twilight in return. "It's just to be safe, I mean... what if..." Under the scrutiny of Twilight's confused, bewildered expression Jo almost felt compelled to give a good explanation. "For all you know that pony could be the one that got you landed here, right? An evil pony organization that was trying to... Yeah okay, never mind..." she trailed off, teeth gritted and trying hard to get her thoughts in line. They felt conflicted. Twilight hugged her friend, quick and unexpectedly. She pushed the other girl back at arm's reach in a flash. "Thanks for covering all of the angles, Jo," she replied with a smile. "But I don't think that there's any reason to hold back now if the pony is at the end of this trail, and I don't see how she couldn't be. Let's tackle this head on, okay?" Jo heaved a breath, but nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're right, too. Fine, but if- Never mind." She clamped her mouth shut, watching Twilight get an amused look while she had the floor. "Also, no, I don't really think there's an evil pony organization responsible. Sorry for that, too." Twilight chuckled, placing the phone back to her ear and removing her hand from the receiver. "Well, I've seen stranger things before. Especially here..." She did her very best not to let any of those 'stranger' things float through her mind's eye, and instead readdressed Mrs. not-Morris. "Sorry about that," Twilight apologized quickly and with a chuckle. "My friend is just concerned for my safety. Uhm, how about you just tell me where the pony is? I imagine that she's lost just like I am and needs help! If not, I'm hoping that she has a way to get home-" Jo tapped a finger on Twilight's shoulder and gestured for the phone to be passed to over. "Jo?" Twilight asked quietly. "What is it?" Jo frowned a little. "Let me try to talk to them." She gingerly plucked the phone away from Twilight. "If these are people harboring an alien that's shown up on the internet and who knows where else, I'd bet my house that they're suspicious of us. Asking questions like that might not help." Twilight stared a moment, then put a hand on her chin and hummed. "Maybe..." Jo gave her a tired eyed smile, then addressed the phone. "Hi, it's me again," she started simply enough. "Listen, Twilight's not from around here. So, sorry about the super straight forward and completely trusting thing." Twilight made an unappreciative, slightly offended face to replace her eager one. "I am not completely trusting... Logic dictates directness is the best approach here; maybe I am a little excited but-" Jo shot a look at Twilight and motioned her to 'zip it', then continued after the pony-girl sighed and crossed her arms. "Look, we came looking for you guys and you're guarding that Equestrian, so I'm going to assume you don't trust us at all. I can promise you that we're the real deal. I get it, that probably doesn't mean a whole lot. So, here's my idea." Jo paused for a brief moment, just to see if they wanted to respond to that. When they said nothing, she spoke again. "You may pick the location. Where ever you want, and as a gesture of good will, we took a room at the motel just off the highway." She brought the weird name of the place they were staying back from her memory; it wasn't hard, the place had a very stupid name that was hard to forget. "Some place called... Bart's bed and breakfast." Jo flashed Twilight a quick smirk, then waited for the person on the line to accept the deal with open arms. "You-" The voice on the line stuttered the one word, sounding surprised. Jo blinked, waiting for more. "You're in town?" they finally asked; that hadn't been what she had been expecting to hear, and stared at the floor blankly as a result. Twilight saw Jo's reaction. "What's wrong?" she whispered. Jo tried to reply as quickly as she could. "Uuuuh." She shook her head and quickly made to save face, having already taken the honest approach. "Oh, well, yeah," she replied into the phone, coughed quietly and gave a sheepish look of apology to Twilight, all in the space of a few seconds. "See, we only just found out where your house was." Her face shifted from apologetic into shame, while she continued talking without stopping. "By the way we know where your house is... sorry." Jo felt like she'd put her foot in her mouth up to her knee. "Oh my God that sounded terrible," she muttered. Twilight was giving her a concerned look, as well. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Jo, I'm sure everything's fine." Jo's mouth flattened into a straight line. "I just said flat out that we'd tracked down where they live." She sighed and thumped her palm against her head. "Maybe I should put Twilight on? She can explain better than me." Before Jo could hand off the voice, the voice replied right away, and in a friendly, accepting tone. She wondered while listening what had been decided on the other end. "It's alright. I understand now, and that seems reasonable..." the speaker replied, then proceeded in a business-like manner. "I still would like to proceed and find out if that really is Twilight with you. Meeting sounds like the idea... but I actually would like to propose that Twilight and yourself come to see us here if you do know where my family lives already." Jo nodded to the air, a surprised look still on her face. Twilight heard scraps of the proposal and tried to lean forward against Jo's head to hear more. "What did she say?" she asked. Jo had to push the other girl off of her, gently, and walked over to the window. Meanwhile, the voice continued. "I appreciate you being so upfront, though." Jo's mouth worked, honestly at a loss that the conversation had taken this direction so suddenly; she kept listening. "I think maybe we're both being overly cautious, a little. As you can imagine this entire situation has been incredibly stressful for us; beyond belief, really." Jo chuckled at hearing that. She spotted Twilight at the corner of her vision where the other girl was leaning over and staring up questioningly. "Yeah, you can say that again..." she muttered. Twilight frowned again. "What did she say, Jo? At least let me listen, too. Honestly, why does human hearing have to be so poor..." Jo held up a finger, then covered the phone up. "Would you wait a moment? You'll get another turn I'm sure. Also, our hearing is fine." She tried not to look at Twilight's flat look while she paid attention to the phone call. The speaker continued. "I just have one last question, Jo, and I need to ask Twilight." Twilight heard the sentence in full, and put her hands on her hips, while Jo stared at the wall a second then gave Twilight an abashed look. The stranger kept speaking without pause. "I've had it in mind for some time, and if she's the real thing then she'll know the answer... Could you put her back on?" "Yes!" Twilight reached out. "My turn." Her hands floundered in the air trying to nab the phone. "Hold on," Jo took a step back and replied quickly, while fending off Twilight's advance. "A question? Oh, something only ponies would know. Alright, sure, here she is." Just before she had run out of room to retreat to, Twilight snatched the phone away from her hand. Twilight stuck out her tongue and put on a victorious look. "Hello again, Mrs. Morris," she greeted politely. Jo harrumphed. "You've been hanging out with Alice too much," she concluded aloud based on Twilight's behavior. Twilight smirked back at Jo, and was about to speak, when a confession from Mrs. Morris surprised her. "I guess there's no point in hiding it," she began. "Yes, I'm Bobby's mother." Twilight stuck a hand up in the air in victory. "Ah hah!" Immediately, Jo gave her a look like she was crazy, and she wilted slightly beneath it, smiling. Twilight spoke soon after her outburst. "Ahem, I mean, sorry, I meant no offense. I was quite sure of it, though... Uhm ahheh, moving on... I just wanted to start off by saying thank you very much for protecting one of my fellow Equestrians like this. I forgot to before. She and I were both very lucky mares it seems to have made such great friends after coming to be here." Jo noted the mention of 'being lucky' and rolled her eyes at the comment, to which Twilight laughed quietly. At the same time, Twilight could hear some talking in the background, but couldn't quite make out what. She thought she had heard the word 'pony', though. Curious, but not put off, she got to the point. "So, with that said, please ask your question, Mrs. Morris." "Alright, if you're Twilight Sparkle, then you should know this," the voice began; it was definitely Bobby's mother, Twilight concluded. That fact alone made her wonder just why exactly she hadn't wanted to be known by name at first. In truth, she hadn't confirmed it, either, but it was definitely her. There was a bit of a pause, again, which gave Twilight a moment to consider the thought. Would it be because her son is directly affected by the situation and she wants to protect him? But how? And why is she motivated to take interest? Wait... She gasped, coming up with another idea. What if her son has fallen in love with the mare!? Twilight's thoughts leaped to several conclusions all at once. Wait, no... that's completely ridiculous. She made a derisive, mental snort at her own thoughts. Honestly, Twilight, you have the most ridiculous ideas sometimes. You shouldn't have listened so much to Rarity at the spa. After the pause that Mrs. Morris had made, as Twilight was quite sure it was Mrs. Morris, she continued with asking her question. "What is Princess Luna's favorite sort of tea?" Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't manage to say anything. She quickly arrived at a shocking realization. I don't know that! Who would know that? Luna is incredibly introverted and hardly anypony knows her. Her eyebrows drew down in thought. How does Mary know that? Was the pony a maid in the palace? From there, she began to consider if the question's answer was linked to Earth's knowledge of ponies, but she decided to give them the benefit of the doubt, and assumed they knew such information would not be reliable. Jo addressed her quietly from the side. "Did she ask the question yet?" Twilight gave her friend a desperate look, then sighed and nodded. Jo raised an eyebrow. "And you don't know the answer?" Twilight shrugged, then addressed the phone. "Uhm," She began, having come up with what she wanted to say. "Could I have another question, please? I don't actually know the answer to that one." She laughed a little sheepishly before speaking again. "What did they ask you?" Jo approached Twilight and tried to get close enough to hear the phone. Twilight shushed the other girl and backed away, one arm held out. She swallowed and continued speaking to the person on the phone, desperate to save face. "I am curious how you know the princess' preferred brew of tea though," she stated in an attempt to fend Jo off. "Do you know Rarity or Princess Celestia's, too? I know theirs, at least." Perhaps an alternative would suffice, she thought. How in Equestria's name would they know for certain what tea Luna likes? Twilight heard somepony groan in the background of the phone call, which made her eyebrows raise while she fended off Jo, but a response came quickly. "No, that's alright," Mrs. Morris said politely. "I don't know the answer to... I mean, the pony doesn't know them. I have another question, then." Twilight laughed, trying to sound at ease and confident. "Okay, ask away Mrs. Morris." Beside her, Jo finally gave up her attempts to listen in. "You know, that thing has a speaker setting," Jo whispered,then attempted to nab her phone once again. Twilight deadpanned at Jo, resisting the urge to interrupt the person on the phone and point out to Jo that she had ignored such a thing earlier. "We'll use it in a second- hey!" She was forced to hop over the bed. Mrs. Morris continued over the private conversation with another question. "Okay, here's one. Are pony hooves magnetic?" her voice asked in a rush. Twilight went stiff backed upon hearing the question, landing back on the floor with a thump, while one hand balled itself up into a fist at her side. "No!" The exclamation worked two-fold, because Jo also sighed and walked away towards the window. "Alright, fine, have it your way," Jo muttered to herself in angst. Twilight rolled her eyes, but concentrated. There was a pause on the phone, for which she was grateful, because she was quickly piecing together a succinct explanation of how Equestrian ponies and their hooves worked. It really sours my milk how difficult it is for this to be understood easily. Mary's voice returned, and was little more than a croak. "Oh?" she prompted. Twilight put on a smug look directed at Jo, who sulked in the corner, and proceeded. "They're not magnetic at all. Magnetism is a completely different force in Equestria altogether, as are many other forces that are either lightly or even directly correspondent to those here in the human world." Twilight's voice had taken on a very scholarly tone as she continued with the statements. "As for the hooves themselves, the forces they use are, in fact, magical, not magnetic." Jo spoke up from the corner. "Wow, only three sentences. I'm impressed, Twilight." She smirked coldly from her spot by the window. Twilight shot her a look back, then listened for a reply, hoping that her facts had been sufficient. "And?" Mrs. Morris suddenly asked through the phone. Twilight responded with a hint of surprise. "And?" she replied simply enough in return, blinking in surprise. Was that not enough? From the other end of the line came another, decidedly conflicted sounding groan, followed quickly by a loud shout. "Can ponies pick up things with their hooves just by thinking about it or not!?" Twilight almost dropped the phone in surprise, instead, she just barely hung onto it as it danced in her hands. Once she caught the slippery phone again, she lowered it for a split second, shocked. Jo sat up and made to stand, having heard the loud outburst just barely. "Alright, now what?" she asked Twilight. "It- it's nothing, Jo, I'm sure." Twilight replied tentatively, and turned her back to the other girl. She put the phone back to her ear, and wondered if Mrs. Morris must be under a lot of stress over the situation; her reaction made Twilight feel a little bad. Goodness... She had to resist the urge trot in place out of worry. After only a moment longer, Mrs. Morris thankfully spoke again. "Uhm, sorry..." she apologized promptly. Twilight responded after a second; she did her best to sound sympathetic. "It's quite alright, Mrs. Morris," she said calmly. Mrs. Morris repeated her previous question, but with her inside voice this time. "S-so, can ponies pick things up with their hooves? Just by thinking about it?" Twilight smiled and answered the question matter of factly. "Oh, well, of course. That was even in the show, however, so isn't that question sort of an obvious answer?" Twilight responded quickly, with just a hint of surprise in her voice. "Well," Mary responded quietly. "I don't know how right about things the show really is... and what I do know is very little." Her voice was timid, and more than a little unsure, a sharp contrast to the confidence she had begun with. Twilight nodded appreciatively at the woman's honesty. After a moment, she hummed in an interested way, thinking over what she had been told. If a pony was or is currently living with her, like she said, wouldn't she know everything there was to know? she thought. Unless the pony wasn't very attentive, I guess... A number of ideas began pouring over Twilight's mind, but she brushed past them quickly. She considered that it wouldn't be long until she learned the truth, after all. "Mrs. Morris?" Twilight asked patiently. "I don't mean to put more undue pressure on you or the Equestrian, but Jo over here is-" "Twilight!" Jo suddenly hissed. She was leaned over her knees and giving Twilight a stern look of reprisal. "What?" Twilight lowered the phone and look at Jo, confused. Jo made a sharp gesture and continued. "Come on, don't just give away my name like that." Twilight quirked an eyebrow. "Why shouldn't I say your name? Are you embarrassed?" Jo groaned and ran a hand down her face. "Twilight, if these people we're talking to aren't guarding the pony, like they say, or something else, we don't want them to know who we are yet." Twilight rubbed a hand behind her head and shifted her stance, thinking on Jo's words. "Oh, sorry, Jo." She caught Jo's wide eyed look after she repeated the other girl's name, and put a hand over her mouth in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry again. Right." Twilight took a measured, quiet breath, watching Jo shake her head in defeat. I really don't think it's a big deal... she thought, but kept it to herself. Mary had not yet returned to the line, so Twilight picked up where she had left off. "So, as Jo most certainly didn't tell me to ask you, could the Equestrian answer some questions for me?" She hoped the question wasn't too direct, and went on. "That would prove to us that she's actually there!" After finishing, she tried to calm down, realizing she had gotten excited again and raised her voice. "Uhm," Mary began to respond back. Twilight turned and gave Jo a thumbs up, certain the other girl would be satisfied with the progress. Oddly, her human friend seemed to be holding her head up in her hands and no longer listening. Twilight scrunched her face up, but paid attention to the phone conversation all the same. "She's not actually here right now...?" Mary asked, sounding very much as though she herself wasn't sure. Twilight furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to ask if something was wrong, but Mary continued first. "Actually, this is getting a tad ridiculous, Twilight... Are you sure you don't know Princess Luna's favorite tea? It's literally the only thing we know right now about Equestria for sure..." Twilight hummed along cheerfully to the very welcomed admittances, then blinked; her thoughts immediately went back towards thinking of the pony. Why don't they know something more? Any question about the pony races, even simple ones would suffice... What if the mare is injured? Or... She trailed off, all manner of explanations coming to her over the matter. Perhaps she's in a coma? Or unable to speak? Or dying because magic isn't prevalent on Earth!? There was no way for her to know for sure, she realized, and forced herself to calm down and listen. One of her hands arced out in front of her while she breathed out slowly. Somehow, Twilight managed to catch what Mrs. Morris said next. "Unless Luna spoke to you recently, Twilight?" She was clearly reaching for a suggestion. "Then maybe I could ask something else," she concluded. Twilight began pacing and held a hand up to her chin, thinking hard on what was just said. "Spoke to her?" she asked. After a second she laughed incredulously. What does Mary mean by that? "Well," Twilight continued. "I would if I could, but I don't think the princess is here for me to do that. If she is, that would be rather great, though." Her face became serious again, suddenly considering the possibility. "She isn't here, is she?" her eyes scanned the wall, and against her will, pictured the younger of the two celestial sisters trotting down a human town's street. She shook her head and gulped, trying not to let her thoughts trail off to yet another pony being in trouble, even one as capable as Luna. Twilight began to grit her teeth, waiting as best she could for Mary's response, which came, and disappointingly enough had nothing to do with her question. "What about dream walking?" Mrs Morris asked instead, then continued. "Or... well, I don't want to give too much away to ask a good question." Twilight blinked, then covered the phone up with a hand. She had already forgotten her own question about Luna; it seemed to crazy to imagine, anyway. Jo spotted Twilight's dream-like state, and spoke up, a little somberly as a result of being left out for so long. "Hey, is something wrong, Twilight?" she asked plainly. Twilight licked her lips, still staring off into space in thought. She absently looked at Jo. "I... I'm not sure. I mean, no, there's nothing wrong. This conversation is just very confusing, I guess..." Twilight trailed off, then spoke up loudly. "Mary- I mean, Mrs. Morris said something about dream walking, Jo." Jo raised an eyebrow, while the rest of her face gave away no hint of other emotions. "Huh, she started, then leaned back. "Maybe you should ask her if she does drugs." Twilight tilted her head. "Drugs? Do you think she's sick? Why is that relevant?" she asked, not sure about what Jo was getting at. Jo shook her head and sighed, which confused Twilight more, before responding quietly. "Never mind, Twilight, I was joking. I'll explain later." Despite being finished with speaking, she stood up and strode over to Twilight. "Hey, hit the blue icon in the bottom right of the screen, that will put the phone on speaker." Twilight hummed, looking, then found the button mentioned. She took her hand off the phone's receiver, ready to speak again, and gave Jo an appreciative look. She thought a little about what to say, then decided on a direct question being the best approach. "What did you mean by dream, Mrs. Morris?" she asked flat out. Mrs. Morris replied quickly, and with more uncertainty than anything else clear in her voice. "Never mind... What about..." she began, obviously thinking out loud. "Cutie marks... no wait... Pony magic. You're an expert with magic, right?" she asked over the phone. Beside Twilight Jo slapped her forehead and turned around, while Twilight herself felt a huge grin appear on her face. She couldn't help but let out an excited exclamation. Oh, something I can actually talk about! I know so much about magic! "Am I!?" Twilight said happily, maybe just little louder than she had meant to. If she had been forming any misgivings over the deteriorating investigation, she quickly forgot them. "Well, not that I'm at all bragging, but my entire life I've been studying magic in all of its forms! Magic is my special talent, and it's just the greatest thing there is! Though, I guess I am biased towards thinking that. I must admit I pride myself on spellcraft and to nearly the same degree, the history of magic. So little is known from before the age of Discord's rule, but I-" An uneasy laugh came through the phone rather loudly, cutting her short. "Twilight, that's great, uhm, really." Mrs. Morris began. Twilight put on a surprised look, that became crestfallen soon after from having been unable to get to the best parts about magic. I didn't even get to the basics! she remorsed, but gave her full attention to the new speaker. After all, there was a lot at risk. "I meant something specific," Mrs. Morris continued over the phone. "Say, growing plants very quickly, perhaps? See, the pony here is very good at growing them and-" Twilight broke in quickly, deeply interested still in knowing everything there was to know about the mystery pony. "What's her cutie mark like? I noticed she was an earth pony from the video. It may be presumptuous of me, but if she excels at growing plants I am willing to bet that she's a gardener of some kind." Twilight waited patiently over a brief pause, until Mary's slightly static tinged voice returned. "Yes, she's very good at growing plants quickly-" Something clicked in Twilight's head abruptly, forming a connection that she had pondered, but was now all but confirmed. "This has to do with those vines? Doesn't it?" Twilight quickly set the phone down on the nearby desk and pounded one of her fists into an open palm. I knew it! She grinned, then spoke down at the phone again. "I read those police reports and the news coverage extensively. That sort of magic is incredible! The Equestrian- Oh-" Twilight had begun to expound on the incredulity of an earth pony with so much raw ability. It was something unheard of, especially considering the claims and testimony given by the human law enforcement present at the event. She stopped mid-sentence, however, having another thought, and jumped to solving the new puzzle instead. "What's her name, by the way?" Twilight asked simply enough. "I can't just keep referring to her like this." She let out a cheerful, almost exaggerated sort of laugh, the excitement of things was definitely still getting to her, so she tried to calm down. She realized how flighty she was being then, and hoped that Mrs. Morris didn't mind. Twilight was happy to hear Mrs. Morris respond quickly, and in a calm voice. "When- If we meet then I'll tell you her name, Twilight, no offense... sorry." She was saddened to hear that she wasn't going to receive anymore details about the Equestrian, either. "Oh," Twilight forced herself to respond both happily and nonchalantly; she didn't want to sound at all as stressed out as she felt over the matter. If her fears about not locating the pony showed themselves in her voice, there was no telling how her human protectors would react. "That's okay! I understand completely." She took a deep breath, again steadying her heartbeat. "So, you were asking about the vines, Mrs. Morris?" A moment passed before Mrs. Morris responded in turn. "Yes, it seems you've read about them, then..." Another pause, during which Twilight found herself pacing until Jo rested a hand on her arm. "But once again it also seems I can't come up with a good question..." Twilight gave Jo's consoling expression a quick smile, then strode over to the chair by the phone and sat. Right as Twilight found comfort on the furniture, she nearly fell off again as a loud, highly pitched, and above all excited filly's voice shrieked through the phone. It was loud enough that she could have sworn there was reverberation over the communication line. "Is Twilight coming here!?" the strange voice of a youth cried out. Twilight realized that whoever it was that had yelled, must likely know who she was. Her mind quickly connected the dots that the likely human filly had watched the atrociously inaccurate and embarrassing show of her and her friends. In the background, a deep male voice chided out, "Pumpkin, stay at the dinner table," and was followed by a disappointed sound. Mrs. Morris' nervous laughter came through next. "Sorry," she apologized to Twilight. "That was my daughter." Twilight couldn't help but laugh back in return, sounding just as nervous to her own ears. "That's quite alright. She, uhm, sounds like a hoofull." She laughed again, pulling her hair back over one ear without knowing it. The idea of ponies she didn't know walking up to her had never been much of a bother back in Equestria. In fact, it was rather rare. Being an Element of Harmony was important, but not really something that made her a household name. On Earth, though, it seemed that she was ten times the celebrity. Putting Twilight's worries to a temporary halt, was Mrs. Morris, again speaking all of a sudden. "As I was saying," the other human began. "I apologize for not being better prepared. You have my address already, don't you? Jo said you did." It was very direct, Twilight considered, but that was good. She wanted to move things along as quickly as she could, while keeping in mind to be patient so as not to jeopardize anything. "Yes!" Twilight exclaimed proudly; she remembered exactly what the home's address had been. "Sixty-two hundred Harmony Avenue if I remember the phone registry correctly." She turned to Jo and a little more quietly stated, "and I do... remember that is." She chuckled briefly. Surprising Twilight, Jo slapped both of her hands to her face and fell backwards onto the bed, groaning. She blinked. "What's wrong Jo? What did I do?" She knew it was her that had done something, more than familiar with Jo's reaction to the failings of others. Jo raised her head and stared at Twilight dully. "I know we already stated that we'd practically stalked where she lives down, Twilight, but that doesn't make it a good idea to just shout it from the rooftops." Twilight looked at the phone a little worriedly. "Do you think she minds?" Jo frowned, then sat up. "Just apologize, I think it's probably fine... I kinda doubt by this point we need to worry about anything other than the pony, anyway. Maybe explain our circumstances? Ah, I'll let you decide what to say Twilight." She grimaced at the floor and shrugged, hugging her arms to herself in a protective way. Twilight faced Jo and nodded with a calm smile, then spoke to Mary. "Er," she began unsteadily, and had to resist joining with her friend's facepalm. "Jo suggested that we should apologize for hunting your address down the way we did. I of course, agree, and would like to offer our apology for that. We have an explanation for invading your privacy, also. I can certainly see how we were in the wrong... but we were desperate. So, I hope you can forgive us." she paused briefly, before then launching into a very succinct explanation, that only took her a moment to come up with. "You see, Jo and I came out here because, well, as we haven't found news about the pony in the video for ages, and we were getting really worried. Rather than let the trail go cold we... sorta drove all of the way out here to start going door to door." Twilight waited for a response, a little nervous over the matter. She had studied humans with some frequency over the months, and often she found they tended towards... well, being unpredictable. It wasn't so far fetched to consider that they would be offended enough to perhaps even end the call right there. Thankfully, after a rather short pause, Mrs. Morris returned. "Fair enough, that's more than understandable under the circumstances, I guess." Mary continued. "We don't mind. Uhm, please continue, Twilight." Twilight let out a strangled breath, then coughed accidentally as a result. "Right..." she croaked, then managed to speak again. Still not entirely convinced she was off the hook, she tried to do more damage control by confessing details. "It's just, Bobby had told us in so many words that there was no pony whatsoever at your residence, and he knew nothing about it. Well, we knew that wasn't true because of how he worded it, though I don't blame him for lying! We found several cracks in his explanation which basically confirmed for us that he knew about Equestrians and the video was correct. It was a very noble lie, really. In truth, because of that, we also planned to... just show up at your house tomorrow, uhm, anyway." Twilight heard Jo groan from the bed, and gave the other girl a disparaging look. "Jo," she whispered. "The truth is always the best thing to say." "Debatable," Jo mumbled back. Mrs. Morris spoke again and, surprisingly to Twilight, in a very calm tone. "I see... I'm sorry if he acted untoward either one of you. He's still young and has some growing up to do yet... but he's getting better. Still, it's no trouble at all, really." Twilight smiled, then stuck her tongue out at Jo quickly before addressing the phone on the desk again. "Thank you!" she replied happily. Mrs. Morris replied in a business-like tone, perhaps even with a hint of being in a hurry. "Should we discuss how we should meet now?" Her tone quickly switched gears, though, and once again took on an uncertain quality. "I mean, I did think asking what Luna's favorite tea was pretty clever, but realistically there isn't anyway around us doing this..." Twilight smiled, and couldn't help but chuckle in return. "It's alright, really!" she said back in earnest. It was true, she had wanted to put the humans' fears to rest, but if there was insufficient information available to one or both parties, it simply seemed to her that nothing could be done about it. Twilight wanted to ponder possible questions to help, but as the questionee, she wasn't in a position to make suggestions. "Although," she pressed on, despite the setback, a little idea coming to her absently. "Princess Celestia's favorite tea was a delightful cinnamon blend. Maybe her sister enjoyed the same thing?" There was a long, long pause. Twilight stole a glance at Jo, looking away from the phone, thinking that perhaps the call had ended. "Is it broken?" Twilight asked. Before Jo could get up and check, or reply, a loud thunk echoed through the phone call. It was loud enough to make Twilight jump. "Twilight," Mrs. Morris then replied promptly. Twilight sucked in a breath, just finishing up with moving on passed the nervousness she had been rebuilding. "Yes?" she asked, a little breathless from both surprise and suspense that had tumbled together as one with all the waiting. The sound of a deep breath being taken came through the phone speaker loudly before Mrs. Morris spoke. "I know it's Christmas Eve tomorrow, but, well I'm guessing you're able to, so, how about you, and Jo, both just come and meet us tomorrow?" Twilight's eyes lit up; finally, at long last, it seemed she would have her first, concrete clue as to how she would get home. Just to make sure everything was alright, she turned towards Jo, fully aware of the stupid grin that must be on her face. Jo, giggled, actually giggled, at her. Twilight blinked in surprise at her friends reaction, but managed a thought. Wow, I didn't think I looked that ridiculous. Her smile melted for the most part, but she couldn't help but keep traces of it. "So... Jo..." she started to say. Jo folded her arms and nodded. "Yeah, Twilight, noon's perfectly fine. It's not like there's any going back for us now that we've driven clear across the country." "Yes!" Twilight beamed back at her friend, then whirled about and leaned down at the phone again. "That sounds perfect, Mrs. Morris!" she exclaimed in return, and in a perhaps too loud voice. Jo growled from behind her. "Twilight, if we get kicked out of the hotel because you're too loud I'm making you sleep in an igloo." Twilight raked a hand through her hair, trying to hide her embarrassment, though there wasn't much; she really was too happy right then to feel much else. A tinkling laugh that was Mary's entered the room from Jo's cellular device. "That's... great," she said happily. At least, she sounded happy. It was hard for Twilight to tell, she considered. Mary sounded either incredibly relieved, or worried still. Huh, Twilight thought. She must be really protective of that pony. Mary continued to speak. "By the way, you can call me by my first name, if you prefer, Twilight." "Oh, sure. No offense, but the way human names sound is so confusing..." Twilight paused a moment before continuing slowly. "So, is that all then? We're to meet, and after you are completely convinced that I am who I say I am I can meet the pony? And we'll discuss everything? Because... you have no idea how incredibly anxious I am to consolidate my information!" She couldn't help but bounce up and down again slightly where she stood, and had to give Jo and sheepish look for propriety's sake. Mary chuckled, though she sound worried, sad even, perhaps; definitely worried though, Twilight thought. "Of course, yes. Please show up tomorrow around noon. Noon?" she repeated the time as a question at the end, as if asking someone, then repeated it again. "Noon, yes. We'll see you then." Twilight nodded, and was about to say goodbye so she could speak with Jo about everything they had learned about pertinent details, but, she halted herself. One, other slight detail crept back to mind for her. "Oh, Mary, I'm not done yet, actually. I have something to say, uhm, about Bobby... if that's alright." Mary replied in a surprised voice. "Oh?" Twilight nodded, though the human mare couldn't see her. "Yes, you see, the way he went about talking to us was a little rude... He did call me a prostitute at one point, but I guess it's alright since that lead to his unknowing admission of what he knew. Still, it is not my place to comment, but I thought you should know." Twilight heard a strange sound in the background, followed quickly by Mary saying, "I see, please hold, Ms. Sparkle. I'll be right back..." Twilight blinked in surprise, but raced to make her reply. "Oh, please, just call me Twilight. Are you going to hang up?" There was a clunking sound, then the sound of relative quiet. "Hello? Mary...? Mrs. Morris?" Twilight looked up at Jo briefly, who was sitting and still listening nearby. "What was that about?" Twilight asked. Jo chuckled, fairly sure of what was happening. "Karma," she replied simply. "Well, it seems like we're all set for tomorrow then." Twilight arched one eyebrow at Jo, but nodded, then heard Mary's voice again; strangely, it sounded quite far away. "Bobby," she said at first, and very sternly, then another pause followed. "Ooh," Twilight said aloud, understanding now. "Karma," she replied. She did feel a little bad for ratting out the young colt for misbehaving, but you just didn't say things like that. From her knowledge of Earth, it was quite frowned upon just as much as in Equestria, so her conscience remained clear as far as she was concerned. "Bobby," Twilight heard Mary say again, and physically clenched up from the heat evident in her voice. Somehow, it had built even further. "Did you call a girl... a name?" Unable to help it, she looked over at Jo fearfully. Twilight gulped. "Uhm, Jo, I'm quite sure I read that humans don't typically practice this, but I did read in some places that certain carnivorous species on your world do so, so perhaps it's best I ask, but-" Jo sighed, "What is it, Twilight?" Folding her hands, she regarded the other girl calmly so that she would get to the point already. Twilight took a breath. "Well, I read that in some species here it is common for creatures to eat their young..." She glanced warily at the phone again, and just in time for Mary's voice to be heard from it again. "Specifically," Mary went on, still sounding like she was half a mile from the phone, but somehow loud enough to be heard. "Did you call her," there was a brief pause, just before a shout more like that of an angry dragon, and less a human, came through the phone and made both Jo, and Twilight, jump. "A prostitute!?" Only a few minutes had passed since Twilight had been told goodbye by a polite sounding stallion, but it felt like forever. Now, both her and Jo were likewise finished with talking over things. As it stood, they had not yet confirmed that the pony they were hunting even existed. Jo was very firm about reminding Twilight that, and taking the situation seriously. Twilight took things seriously, too, but had to keep her hopes up despite the chances things weren't as they seemed. Nonetheless, it did seem very likely that they were. Twilight hummed happily where she was, kicking one leg absently while reading a book. Jo, meanwhile, was hunched over at the laptop, getting in some last minute browsing. The news from the phone call had woken both girls up, to the point of Jo suggesting they get food and stay awake. After all, Twilight was dressed now. So, Jo considered, why not? Jo turned around and stole a glance at Twilight, looking for all her worth like she was on cloud nine. It struck her as ironic, a little bit, that Christmas was only a couple days away, and here Twilight was acting like a little kid about to open a mountain of presents the very next morning. Jo sat back in the hotel's desk chair. Then again, I guess that's true, she reminded herself thoughtfully. Just in the back of her DeLorean, other than bags of clothes, were a few packages that Alice and her had shopped for Twilight. Nothing grand, but a few things that they had hoped, 'would teach Twilight the meaning of human caring!', as Alice had put it. Jo sighed, in that way she did, then turned 'round again and faced the computer. As she did, a little noise binged loudly; it was her email. She blinked, already wary, because she recognized the sender, which was her own house's security system. Jo furrowed her brow angrily. Uh oh, she thought warily, and clicked on the link in her email. After a brief bit of streamed video loading up for her to watch, the security footage played before her. The sound of Twilight getting up and walking to stand by her side was barely noticed in the wake of the horrible news. “What’s that?” Twilight asked, peering over Jo’s shoulder. Jo snarled, copying the file over. “Before we left," she started, eyes narrowed enough that she could barely see anymore. "I installed a wireless security system in my house around the windows... and my bedroom door. They begin recording when it detects movement." She looked at the camera's number, and sure enough, it was the camera she had hoped wouldn't be set off. "This one though, is the one that's in my room. I told Alice, to stay out of my room.” Twilight set herself down on her knees, bringing her eye level with the computer screen. “What would Alice be doing in your room?” she asked, curious over the whole matter. It was no longer a surprise that Alice would be causing mischief. Jo shuddered a moment as the video loads. I’m not sure I want to know… but I'm guessing I'm about to find out. The video opened up in Jo’s hallway, the wooden floors in a surprising shimmer. Jo gritted her teeth. “She wasn't just in my room," she muttered, dread thick in her voice. "She found my camera and moved it!” The sound of a song Jo recognized as 'Bob Seger’s Old Time Rock and Roll' started playing, then Alice slid into frame slowly. The blonde girl was wearing little more than a button up shirt and long socks with... what seemed to be Applejack's cutie mark on them. In addition she had on a Stetson hat. Jo’s eye twitched as Alice began lip-syncing into a candle holder while dancing on camera. “I’m going to kill her...” She resolved aloud. Twilight blinked in befuddlement at first, but tittered quietly as they continued watching. "Well, it's a little funny, if weird," she remarked. Beside her came a plaintive groan from Jo. Soon Alice, who was proudly smiling from ear to ear, reached off screen and pulled what looked like large cue-cards into the frame. She held up the first, which read, 'Hi Jo and Twily!!!'. Alice let the card drop unceremoniously to the floor, and the next hand written message was revealed. It was almost difficult for Jo and Twilight to read with Alice’s dancing. The second message read, The fuzzballs and I are having fun. Hope you’re having a blast in Mountain-Land! Alice tossed the card over her shoulder, winking with one eye and posing briefly, before leaning forward with the following card, which read, I bet you're wondering what I did, Jo, but I totally didn’t go into your room. You told me not to, after all. By the way, your router has terrible network security! The card fell to join its mate on the floor, while the blonde gave a cheerful smile to the webcam. Twilight nodded appreciatively. “She’s a good dancer, isn't she?” Jo stood up, knocking over her chair, and jabbed a finger at her laptop. “She hacked my router!" she shouted. Twilight grinned, laughing harder, but shushed her friend. "Jo, quiet, or we'll get kicked out like you said." Jo didn't acknowledge Twilight's warning. “Can we send her to Equestria with you so I never have to see her again? Please,” she begged. I know I already said to, but take pictures of the pony for me at all costs! Anyway, I'll make more videos as I get bored, for now, Merry Christmas, guys! The next card fell and Alice gave a massive grin, then stepped back. Jo wilted and sagged back into her chair, fearful of what was coming. "Oh no, what is she doing now?" After tossing away the cue-card, Alice began dancing to a new song playing. Twilight listened to it intently. "Oh, I recognize this one," she remarked. "I'm certain some of my friends showed it to me... I think it was bronies who made an entire musical play based around it, with costumes and everything." Jo groaned and slammed shut the laptop computer with one hand, not at all eager to continue watching Alice dance to... Psy's 'Gangnam Style'. The moment she did, a voice outside their door called to them. "Excuse me," the stranger said. "Guests are complaining that you're being too loud. Ms.? Could you lower the volume?" Jo grumbled, while Twilight laughed quietly, making her way to the door to apologize for her friend's rudeness. Jo's car moved slowly and carefully, which with the music and the stereo off, was quite of the ordinary. Under normal circumstances it would have been as likely as the sun just going out in the middle of the day. The reason for the silence, was simply that Jo and Twilight had yet to settle on things completely; namely, their plan. They were fast approaching the place they were to meet with the other Equestrian, too. In the passenger's side seat, Twilight sat, dressed in her thick coat and seasonal clothing, though the coat was unzipped while the car's heat was turned up. She was busy scribbling frantically into her notebook, the effort made a little difficult by certain bumps in the road, but, she persisted. Once finished with a line, her eyes would scan over the step by step process which she hoped to utilize in order to convince them she was really 'Twilight Sparkle', as well as tertiary plans in case the pony was in trouble or a double cross. Twilight was quite convinced she was prepared for every conceivable situation that could face her. After all, by the conclusion of the phone call last night, everything had gone perfectly well, all known factors held in consideration. All parties were going to meet, as agreed, and Twilight and Jo were going to prove that she was a pony, as the people they spoke to had requested. The only slight hang up, however, was that Twilight was not, in fact, currently a pony. That was going to be difficult, she considered, but had come up with something at least, thanks to Jo. Still, that one little detail was responsible for the frazzled state of Twilight's disheveled hair style and demeanor, as well as the fact that both she and Jo were almost late for their appointed meeting time. On top of that, Twilight was still very nervous about not yet having spoken to the pony in question. "Twilight," Jo muttered, eyes fixed forward at the snow and slush covered road. "Would you please stop fidgeting like that? You're making me uneasy, too." Meanwhile, she continued to search through the flurries of snow and low visibility for where exactly they were supposed to go. That would be just my luck, she thought. Twilight takes three extra hours putting together a 'carefully laid out plan', and then I can't find the stupid house. "Sorry Jo," Twilight said without looking over. "Now, we have a contingency for if the pony we encounter is actually a trap... First, we need to keep an eye out-" Jo stopped listening. Twilight had on a decidedly manic look, to point out only one of her present characteristics. As far as Jo could tell, the other girl's state for the time being was due solely because of their current obstacle. With Twilight, though, it was a little hard to tell. Often, it took a little bit of doing to get Twilight to stop blowing her very own concerns out of proportion. Even then, the severity of how seriously she reacted to something seemed proportional to the number of hours she had spent thinking on it, which meant it would just get worse with more time. Jo considered that Twilight had been hunting her fellow Equestrian for more than a month, as well, briefly recalling other instances that had occurred in recent memory. There had been that day she learned about germs on Earth and spent the entire week disinfecting my house... Then there had been that time she holed up in her room for four days and wouldn't come out or explain why... Hm, she had been trying to find a solution to balance America's deficit that time. Jo took even breaths, staying quiet mostly in hopes that Twilight would think herself out of her own nervousness. This is going to be ridiculous. I just know it. Jo resisted the urge to shut her eyes and pretend she were back at her house or the hotel room in her comfort zone. The thought of meeting strangers always got her on edge, always, and brought with it a certain amount of nervousness that she couldn't easily put down. But, to help Twilight and make good on her promise, she was determined to go through with things as best she could. "Hey Jo," Twilight said looking up for just a brief moment. "Are we almost there? The house wasn't that far away. I really don't want to be late..." Jo glanced over, then focused again on the road, intent on finding the right sign. Unfortunately, she could only see out as far as maybe thirty-five feet or so. "Yeah... I think the road's just up ahead, Twilight," she replied quietly. Where the balls is this place? Her brow scrunched up in determination and impatience from the thought. It had taken an additional hour for them to find the house, and their drive had been projected originally as twenty minutes by Twilight, but she and Jo both had finally found the address they were looking for. "Ooooh, we're so late-" Twilight began to say for the fifth time, face pressed against the window as the vehicle rolled up the street. "Twilight," Jo said warningly, "If you really want me to believe that episode in season two never happened like in the show, then you're going to need to chill." She calmly surveyed the sight of the house, then began breaking after spotting something out of place. Meanwhile, Twilight huffed out a breath and folded her arms. "I'm telling you, that TV blows everything way out of proportion... Okay, maybe I did try and scheme up a friendship problem that I could write a report about, and maybe it did include a spell that made ponies want something terribly, but it was not-" Jo waved a hand at Twilight and made a loud shushing sound that was a bit like a snake's hiss. "Twilight," she whispered. "That's a police cruiser." She turned her head and looked at Twilight, who was now busy studying the vehicle as well. Twilight, no longer distracted by embarrassment, surveyed the scene intently, her attention fixated on the building in front of her. There were no other homes or houses nearby; the closest seemed to be a couple 'miles', as humans called them, down the road. The house was nice, covered in snow, and pretty large, but normal. Covering its length and breadth were a forest of the 'Christmas' decorations that ever so slightly resembled those used in Equestria for Hearth's Warming Eve. However, in the middle of the long driveway leading off the road, was a police cruiser as Jo had claimed, barely covered at all by snow. It was clearly running, with exhaust pouring out of its back end. Beside it, Twilight spotted two individuals, one shoveling snow, and the other standing quietly beside the vehicle with what looked like a drink. Who are they? Her mind raced to find an answer. They were both watching her back, she realized. Twilight gasped, then ducked low in her car seat. "They're looking at us!" Jo gave Twilight a flat look, then inspected the men up ahead again. "Yeah... So, I think it's safer to assume that they have a friend who's with the local police." She patted her friend's shoulder to give her some confidence, then pushed her car forward until bringing it to a stop at the end of the driveway. "Oh my goodness." Twilight narrowed her eyes, then turned to face Jo. "This is highly suspicious," she remarked. "But... I think it does make sense. It's a precaution." She straightened up, then turned to face Jo. "What does it mean though? Could they be mad at us after all for hunting down Bobby, like you said? Or..." Her mind wandered, searching for rhyme and reason to explain the presence of a police officer. Human law was a world apart, literally, from how the guards functioned back at her home. Then, by proxy, she immediately shot to ideas of the human judicial system in all its nightmarish reality. Jo grimaced at what Twilight had asked. I really don't know, she thought, then shrugged and gave Twilight a brief glance. "I couldn't say, Twilight. Should I call that number again and ask? Uh, Twilight?" Jo leaned forward to try and get a look at Twilight's face; the other girl was staring wide eyed at the floor boards. "Twilight? Come on, don't lose it now." Twilight jerked suddenly, then shook her head, purple hair splashing from side to side. "You're right," she said aloud resolutely. "You're absolutely right, Jo! No government sanctioned institution is going to stop me from gathering information on a way home! No way." Jo blinked, then inclined her head slightly. "Uh, what?" Twilight turned and smiled at Jo confidently. "Come on, Jo, let's go and-" A knock on the car window made Twilight shriek, Jo swear, and both girls jump high enough to hit their heads on the DeLorean's low ceiling. "Ow-" and "Sonuva bi-" were bother muttered respectively by the two girls, until they looked out the car window at the sound of gentle tapping. Together, they spotted what was undoubtedly a policeman in a tan uniform and broad hat. Twilight tensed up and pressed herself back into her chair; after a moment's pause, she waved timidly. Jo, however, calmly addressed her. "Twilight, just stay quiet and let me handle this." A quiet whimper of acknowledgement came from Twilight, and Jo exhaled a breath in preparation, then lowered the window. "Hello, is-" Jo was interrupted immediately. "Are you girls lost? You don't look like you're from around here, no offense by that. Trust me, it's a good thing." The man's voice was lighthearted and not at all serious. He was tall, and looked bulky beneath his uniform jacket as well. The combination of those aspects had Jo put a little off guard, who had been prepared for the worst, or at least what you would expect from a policeman walking up to your window. "So, can I help you two lovely ladies get back to the main road? Or... anything else?" Jo's head shot up, then rotated ninety degrees slowly to face the man. I know that tone. When he looked up, she had to force a weak smile onto her face. This guy's a pig... Well, not like a cop, but- Augh, my own thoughts make no sense. Before she could finish, Twilight, however, took it in stride and responded immediately, while Jo continued to work her mouth noiselessly. "Oh, uhm, no, actually! We're expected and here to meet somepony, er, someone." Twilight shuffled the stack of notebooks in her lap and managed a slightly nervous sounding laugh. "Well, we are here to meet a pony, but people too." She smiled cheerfully for the stranger, who seemed a lot less scary than she had imagined at first. Jo would have face-palmed were it not for how rigid her body had become out of shock, and the subsequent wariness she had been taken on after listening to the guy at her car's window. She really wanted to just drive off, but that, wasn't really an option. "Whoa," the man said, standing up straight. He quickly looked over both Twilight, then Jo, then peeked into the back of the small car. "You guys really showed up?" he asked, which was followed quickly by a curse of his own. "Looks like I lost that bet, damn. Now I gotta buy the brandy and eggnog..." The man seemed to catch on that Twilight was giving him a look like he was crazy, to which he then shrugged. Jo, on the other hand, had heard a magic word. "Brandy, huh?" she asked flatly, not giving anything away. The cop bent down and smiled. "Mmhmm, favorite draft?" Twilight blinked in confusion. Uhm, am I missing something here? And I could have sworn Jo was acting hostile towards him a moment ago. Now she's acting... well, mildly stand offish, which is normal I guess, but still. She inhaled tried to get back to the matter at hoof. I don't understand humans. Jo shrugged. "I don't really have a favorite, but I lean towards dark, myself." Twilight looked at both of the two humans present, besides herself, in quick succession. "Ahem? I believe we were discussing important matters a moment ago." The policeman, infuriatingly enough, merely chuckled and tipped his hat back. "Ah, sorry. I got off track there. I didn't think you were real at all, honestly. Heck, you're an hour late, too." He paused a second, as if considering something. "Where's the horse at, in the trunk?" His voice had become a twinge more serious. "Uhm..." Jo and Twilight both managed to say simultaneously. They looked at one another for a moment, each easily able to tell they didn't quite know what to say. Twilight did manage to speak, though. "I didn't include law enforcement in the plan, Jo," she said, albeit weakly. Jo sighed, and managed to rally her exasperation over everything in order to mount a response. "She isn't a horse," she started with, to which the police officer raised his eyebrows. "She's a unicorn, and she's sitting right there, in disguise." The last part she had added was critical, and made sure to begin her explanation with it. "Sorry we didn't just walk up, but we weren't informed that... you would be here." Twilight looked over at the man in a flash and waved shakily. "Heh- Hello!" she managed. The snow covered road and surrounding area was quiet a moment, until another surprise came from the strange man in the form of a sudden laugh. He continued laughing, not slowing down for several seconds. "Oh, oh damn, so sorry, ahem." The cop coughed, straightening up and regaining his composure. "I'm just security, ladies. I mean, I don't see the point to me being here, what with all of this just being girly nonsense, but Stan- well, you'll see, I guess. Still, rules are rules, or 'a deals a deal', in this case." He cleared his throat then, and cracked his knuckles loudly beneath his gloves. The act made Twilight cringe a little and shift her own expression. The stranger continued. "Until I see a pony, you girls can't come inside, crazy magic talk or no. That's what I was told, so you aren't coming near this family." "What? But-!" Twilight began to exclaim, but was stopped short by Jo placing a hand across her front. She gave the other girl a quick, comforting look, then looked back out the window. "Listen, that wasn't in the deal on the phone at all. So, until we see the pony, we aren't going anywhere, alright?" Jo narrowed her eyes, standing her ground. He may be police, she considered, but they hadn't done anything wrong. The man leaned in some, taking what Jo had said as a challenge by appearances. He began to speak, jaw set firmly, but Twilight interrupted him before he could. "Now wait, please. I'm certain we're all here to help one another, alright? Let's please not fight!" Twilight held both her hands up in front of the two humans squaring off against one another. She faced the human stallion. "I can prove that I'm Twilight, but I can't become a pony right now." It was true, she remarked inwardly. If nothing else she hadn't lied yet at all, but she simply couldn't confess everything just yet. "I can show you a little magic, alright? That will be my proof. But I can't become a pony." The man outside the car straightened up, his features lightening again. "Why not?" he asked. Twilight blinked. Fiddlesticks! That's a good question... She raced for an answer. Jo, meanwhile, was weary, because his voice hadn't softened up with the rest of him. "Because," she started to say, "If you all aren't who you say you are, or this is a trick... then we'll have screwed up. For her safety this is only going to go one way, ours." Twilight turned to face Jo, brow furrowed in incredulity. "Jo!? What are you-" Her own outburst was halted by the human standing outside her window, suddenly laughing again. She turned again and looked up at him in surprise. "This is really something. Yeah, alright, fine. Show me your... magic... pony magic..." He began snickering, and it quickly became a wheezing laughter for which he had to huddle over at the waste. "Oh... I'm crying..." Twilight narrowed her eyes and set her expression sternly. "Ahem," she said indignantly. "Is there something funny about all of this?" "Easy, Twilight..." Jo muttered, but was shushed. The policeman kept laughing, trying to talk through it all. "No... No... Everything's fine!" he laughed harder. "I can't believe I'm getting bribed to do this, it's ridiculous." he coughed, then managed to compose himself and stand up. "Sorry, even knowing this stuff is real I can't take it seriously." He snickered more, then looked at Twilight for a moment, who continued to look back up at him heatedly. "Are you done?" Jo asked, trying to keep her voice level. What is with this guy? He's a complete clown. After the stranger nodded, and apologized again, though in a none too serious way, Twilight harrumphed and opened the glove compartment of the car; from it, she retrieved the crystal which had been brought with her. "I hope this is sufficient proof, Mr. uhm..." Twilight's voice was stiff, which earned another snicker from outside. "Name's Dan, princess," Dan remarked, still grinning stupidly. "What's with the rock?" Twilight rolled her eyes, then flicked the crystal. "It's not a rock," she said, just as the familiar peel of sound emitted itself into the otherwise still winter air. Motes of purple light burst forth, as expected, and joined the lightly falling flakes of snow drifting down outside the car. She looked up to see 'Dan', as he called himself, back up two steps and nearly tripped over backwards into the snow bank. "Whoa!" Dan shouted. His eyes were wide and his mouth was agape in shock. "Alright, alright I believe you." There was a tinge of unmistakable fear in his voice. "I'll take you in. Just don't... hoodoo me or anything, alright? I swear to god if you turn me into a pony or something crazy I'll..." he froze in his speech with visible difficulty, then looked away from the fading lights. "Never mind." Jo couldn't help but smirk. Yeah, that's right bucko. Beware Twilight Sparkle. She promptly shut off her car and shot the cop a curt smile. Though, if we could turn Twilight or anybody into a pony we wouldn't exactly be here. Let him think what he wants though- "Oh, haha," Twilight laughed. "I can't turn anybody into anypony, or, a human into a pony, anyway." She giggled, and quickly opened her door and stepped outside. "Still, that's great! Please, lead the way." Jo rolled her eyes as Twilight corrected the man by giving away the thing she had only just finished thinking over. "So," Jo started to say, standing up and stretching now that she was outside. "Lead the way, Deputy Dan." The officer scowled at Jo briefly, but was too busy giving Twilight her space to say anything in return. Twilight was quite sure the sullen looking boy outside had been Bobby. He had looked very cross about something, so she had said hello. Afterwards though, she received only a flat stare in return. It seemed logical to think that he was upset about something; hopefully, she thought, it wasn't her being there. Now, Twilight took careful steps through the ice and snow towards the house. With the ground as slick as it was, she could only wonder further how humans managed to get by as well as they did with only two limbs dedicated to walking. It took all of her concentration and accumulated skill at the art to keep from toppling over. "Alright, this way." Up ahead, Dan, the human enforcer of the law, opened a gate, then ushered both her and Jo after himself. "Don't be surprised if you have to show off your... whatever that was, again." Twilight looked at him a little speculatively, but nodded. Twilight also noticed where this law enforcement official ‘Dan’ tended towards looking, and leaned over to speak with Jo discreetly. “Jo, I think he was staring at your mammary glands,” she whispered discreetly, keeping her distance. Jo grunted beside her. "I noticed... Trust me... Just ignore him." Twilight frowned, but nodded. She was entirely too unfamiliar with human habits, but that one obsession particularly boggled her mind. She put it out of thought and refocused on things at hoof. In truth, the strange man had at first made her uneasy just by being at the house, but now, thanks in part perhaps to his demeanor, she found his presence a little reassuring. She briefly considered the likely chances that the pony she was coming to join forces with had in fact made quite the home and friends for herself. Still, whatever the circumstances, she resolved to at least make their first meeting as simple and easy as possible. Even by her standards, everything going on was quite incredible. Jo stayed ahead of Twilight, and together they made their way up the stairs to the house allegedly containing the pony. The officer open the door casually and stopped half inside. "Wait here." He spoke plainly and didn't wait for a response, and the door shut, nearly slamming, behind him. A circular wreath shook for a full ten seconds afterwards. Beside her, Jo huffed a breath out and turned to lean on the railing. In all, the other girl seemed to be trying hard to go along with things, and not cause trouble. For that, Twilight was very grateful alone; with everything else on top of that she felt altogether indebted. At the very least Jo hadn't merely demanded to see the Equestrian or some such. Twilight had foreseen a good chance that the quick-to-anger Jo might have reacted that way after being barred entry. Twilight shivered, waiting, and was very aware of just how rigid she was standing still. It was certainly in part because of the cold; the air was positively freezing, even more so than around Jo's home. She resolved then and there that if she were to return to Equestria, then revisit Earth at a later time, it would be somewhere with a normal climate. Perhaps with Rainbow Dash, too, so she could change the temperature. The front door opened up, clunking loudly and grabbing both girl's attentions to reveal... a very tall, solidly built man. He had red hair; a bit of a rare pigment in humans, as Twilight had noted. Twilight slouched a little when it wasn't a pony that immediately greeted her, but she guessed that was a little optimistic to expect that just yet. At the very least, she tentatively put to rest her original fears that the Equestrian was in any sort of danger. The middle-of-nowhere house had an air about it, a familiar one. A family lived here, and quite comfortably. She was certain the pony was safe, now. "So," the tall man began. "Which one of you is Jo, and which one of you is Amelia?" He turned and instead of looking at either Twilight or Jo, looked as though he was waiting for the policeman to answer him. Twilight laughed nervously, rubbing one arm with her hand. "Well, that was my alias, yes... it isn't my real name though. This, however, is Jo, my good friend, and I of course am Twilight Sparkle. It's very nice to meet you." She smiled and extended a hand out to the tall human in greeting. When the he didn't take the offering right away, she tried to smile bigger, feeling a little put on the spot as a result of his stare. Why's he just looking at me? Twilight coughed a little and spoke again, her hand still hanging in the air. "Didn't, uhm, Mr. Dan tell you? I'm in human form, right now, but I am Twilight. I understand you all have been protecting my fellow Equestrian, but I am only here to help. Well... in truth I'm stuck here on Earth, too. Not that it's a bad place at all or anything, heh, but-" "Twilight," Jo said; she had a hand pressed over the bridge of her nose in an effort to keep her own cool. The man blinked at all this, but neither spoke just yet or made any other outward signs of discomfort. So, Twilight continued; she could see Jo shifting in the corner of her eye, but she didn't want seem rude or anything and kept her attention forward. "Uhm, I guess that you're upset I'm not a unicorn at the moment. In truth, there is nothing I can do about that, for the time being..." She saw Jo tense up beside her, and she realized why; coming out with this information was certainly unwise, but it was the right thing to do. "I can, however, provide evidence that I possess magic. I'm not really sure of its full capabilities... but... if you ask Dan he can tell you about its credibility, and I would be happy to show you, too." The air was quiet a moment. "He told me. I'm Stan, Stan Morris," he proclaimed simply, and continued to look at either Twilight or Jo in turn; it seemed to either girl that he was trying to read them. "Care to show me what you showed him, too?" he asked, a little bit of a lighter quality to his voice than the first time he had spoken. Twilight relaxed some and lowered her hand, as it still hadn't been taken. I can't imagine why this man... Stan, is so on edge. Does he really protect a stranger so fiercely on principle alone? Either way, Twilight noted, things were moving along just fine. She pulled out the crystal from her bag and held it up before the man. A moment before striking the surface with a free finger tip, a noise caused commotion. "Twilight-!?" a strangled voice called. They sounded strained and desperate, and immediately Twilight was confused by that. Just then, a pony burst her head out of the door, nosing her way out between 'Stan' and the doorway. The pony had a pale orange coat, almost a peach color, blue and tan mane and tail, but wore what seemed to be sweatpants and a sweatshirt. Chaos broke out immediately. All at once, Stan was talking to the pony, Jo gasped, Twilight began exclaiming about Equestria, and the top ten questions she had annotated, and the pony seemed to be speaking frantically, too. "Alright quiet! Quiet! Quiet!" Stan shouted the words until finally the two women and one mare surrounding him piped down, though it was clear to anyone present they were all on the edge of their seat with things to say. Regardless of this, he turned angrily to the pony and strangely, addressed her, first. "Why did you come out already? I was two seconds from making sure everything was safe, not that it matters no-" The mare cut him off gruffly. "Oh, stop, I've been losing my marbles all day about Princess Twilight showing up, she's here now, you're out here interrogating her, and Dan just got finished telling me about how he already interrogated her; I'm taking over that situation, dear!" Stan put on a defeated look and replied to her in a very familiar, pleading way. "Honey, please, I was trying to make sure you were safe-" Jo's eyes bugged out. "Dear? Honey?" she asked. "Is that really Twilight out there!?" came the excited shout of a young sounding girl. "Hi Twilight!" The sounds of a couple other voices herding the first joined in, before disappearing again. "Anna, behave," the pony muttered back into the door, then glanced at Jo. "Huh? Yes, yes, he's my husband. Now, I've heard that magic has been confirmed, Twilight's here, though in disguise, that's good enough for me and-" Before the pony could continue, Twilight and Jo exclaimed, "Husband!?" Both of them stared openly at the pair standing before them, eyes shifting from the tall human, then to the waist high pony. The pony stared back in just as much shock, but regained her composure quickly with a nervous laugh. "Oh, hah, sorry. There's a lot I have to come clean about. Maybe I was abrupt to come out already... Oh well now we can get it out of the way! You see-" Jo blanched, interrupting. "Yeah, apparently." Her jaw was slack and she had been forced to support herself with the railing. Wow, how long has this pony been on Earth? Her sight turned towards the man, suddenly feeling uneasy towards him. Come on Jo, you're more open minded than that. Nonetheless, despite her progressive thought she began to feel faint. Twilight, meanwhile, took the break in chatter to speak up herself. "I'm just so relieved you are actually real!" she exclaimed, and nearly dropped the crystal she was holding. After juggling it a moment, she regained her grip. The pony put on a sheepish look, showing her teeth with a nervous looking grin. "Ah heh... Yup, I'm certainly real all right." Twilight continued, taking the expression as simply nerves. "I've been so stressed without any sign of home and... I mean, I knew you were real from that video, I just knew it." She cleared her throat promptly and composed herself. "I, am Twilight Sparkle, the Element of Magic, and-" Twilight gasped, her mind reeling at all of the information that needed to be gathered, and now. "What's your name?" she asked, kneeling down in the snow to address her fellow equine. Being so much taller than an average sized mare struck her as profoundly odd, and unsettled her, though she was too excited still for even an ounce of it to show. The mare smiled at Twilight calmly, and a good amount of obvious tiredness was evident in her eyes right away. "I'm Mary," she replied. Twilight clapped her hands. "Oh my goodness! Did you hear that Jo? Her name is Mary! Huh, what an interesting name..." While musing, she looked over at the other girl, who seemed a little catatonic. Laughing a little, she gave her friend a nudge with one arm. "Hey, come on, Jo, everything's fine now! We can talk, go in, and I'm sure Mary has some hot chocolate we can all enjoy-" The pony, Mary, interrupted cheerfully. "Yes! I do! And let me just say that for the unicorn that can help me out, I have all the hot chocolate she could ever want." Her speech was briefly followed by a bit of laughter, that admittedly sounded a little stressed to Twilight. Twilight, grinned, and faced the mare. "Oh, I meant the other Mary. As in, Mrs. Morris..." she trailed off, thinking over just how incredible of a coincidence that was. "Uhm," she began to say slowly. "There are two of you, right? A human Mary and you?" Twilight stared openly, waiting to hear the response to her question that had just come to mind. Time seemed to slow down while she waited. "Well," Mary began to say, sitting down in the doorway and rubbing a hoof behind her head in a bashful way. "Not... Not so much, no. I'm Mary Morris, and I used to be human." She looked up again and Twilight's gaze, which was filled with confusion, while her own was filled with determination. "I need your help to make me human again, Twilight." Her voice was resolute. Twilight stared back blankly, stretching the silence for nearly a minute. Her throat croaked twice, but finally she managed to speak. "I- I didn't plan for this... Let me check my notes." She had no idea what to think, now. Beside her, Jo muttered, "Great Scott..." Stan heaved a sigh from where he was in the doorway. "Can I get anyone a drink, then?" he offered. Immediately after, Mary burst out again. "W-wait, you can, right? Dan said he saw you use magic. Surely if you're human right now it's easy for you to turn me into one, too. That's what he said. That you turned yourself human as a disguise!" She stepped towards Twilight, desperation filling her. "Please! I mean- I don't want to sound... I mean... I've been stuck like this and-" she reached Twilight, and touched her hand with a hoof. Twilight, who had set her bag down, had also begun rifling through her notebooks. She was desperately trying to get her references for the wilder speculations she had thought up during her free time. Though, she doubted she had any that quite reached as far as what she was now dealing with. "Mary, just a moment, I-" Mary's hoof came in contact with Twilight as she was speaking back to her. A brilliant purple flash bloomed out across the front porch to the home, washing out over the snow and surrounding fields.