“...she’s not breathing! Doctor…”
“...cascading arcane contamination. We need to stabilize…”
The world was a mottled blur of color and movement again. Jane would have voiced her annoyance if she could have said anything; this was becoming an annoying pattern in her life. A mass of purple and blue shadow swam into view.
“Help...”
“...stable now…elements...”
Stable? Then why couldn’t she move!
“...elements of harmony...willing to try…”
Focusing, she tried to push her way through the fog that wrapped around her mind. To raise a hoof and declare with certainty that if they didn’t help her, she’d be very cross with all of them. But as quickly as they came, they faded away again.
Left in silence and a blotchy mess of white light, a sense of exhaustion crashed down on Jane. She just didn’t have the energy to fight right now. All she wanted to do was to sleep.
A nice long sleep.
- - - -
The soft sound of music suddenly pulled Jane back to the land of the living. The first thing she heard was the rapid tones of a violin chorus playing a sweeping concerto movement. The music sounded slightly tinny and crackling, like it was floating over a radio, or coming from a record. She could feel a warm blanket pulled around her body, and a pillow behind her head.
Hospital? She thought, slowly opening her eyes and glancing to the left, the music tones fading away to an end.
“And that was Treble Clef, Violin Concerto Number Two in C, by the Royal Canterlot Orchestra.” The boxy radio sitting on a table next to the the window, declared, “We’ll be back after these messages.”
The radio then rolled over to an advertisement for wing care products, with the requisite annoying jingle.
Blue Crystal Feather Conditioner! Keep those flight feathers flicking, flitting and flying free! No other feather conditioner can match; try it and you’ll agree! Bluuuueeeeeee Crysssstaaaallllll!
“Ahh. Advertising.” She smiled, glancing out the window, “It seems our people aren’t so different after all.”
The sun was working its way through the sky. Probably about mid morning by Jane’s estimation. Rolling her head back, she turned her attention to the rest of the room. A series of colorful balloons, more than a few of them declaring “Get Well Soon!” had been tied to the foot of the bed.
A monitoring machine was on her other side, its screen seemingly carved from a block of clear crystal. A silhouette of her body, full of green light, and surrounded by many technical and medical sounding words, were displayed on its surface. The strange magi-tech fusion continued with the IV- or equivalent there of- that ran into her foreleg; a tube ran from a glass canister of fluid, to a square, white patch of cloth that ran across her leg.
A small collection of books had been left on a bedside nightstand, a neatly written note laying atop the stack, while a pouch rested against the stack’s side. Humming to herself Jane floated the rote over to herself and read.
Jane,
I left these books for you in case you woke up before we could visit. It’s just been a little bit crazy the last few days cleaning up after the The Collector. I hope that you’ll enjoy them! They’re my copies of A Pony’s History of Equis and Universal Charms and Enchantments.
Celestia has left you a stipend for while you’re in the city and given you one of the ambassadorial suites at the palace to stay in for now. We’ll catch up with you as soon as possible.
Your Friend,
Twilight Sparkle
“Awww.” She grinned, effecting her best Jewish grandmother impression “Isn’t that nice, she took the time.”
Sitting up a little straighter in bed she picked up the book of history and began to tuck in to pass the time. The next hour turned into a blur as she tore into Equestria’s past, devouring the information in the way only a fan and lover of history could.
The coincidental similarities to Earth history, not only in terms of the events, but in terms of aesthetics as well, were evident from the start. The pre-Equestrian pegasai in particular, with their martial discipline, crested helmets and history of staying mobile and raiding what they needed from their neighbors, reminded Jane of a crazy blend of Spartans and Viking raiders.
And that wasn’t counting the actual Viking like creatures, in the form of sleek elk longships, lead by powerful elken Jarls that raided earth pony farms and griffin sky fortresses alike. In fact, the pre-Equestrian unification world was a bit more violent than she was expecting for the world.
The book was full of illustrations and pictures of artifacts as well. The chapter defining the founding of Equestria was introduced with a photo of two sections of tapestry. Long and narrow, it was reminiscent of the Bayeux Tapestry of Earth, with a linear collection of images obviously meant to indicate a series of events.
“The Trayon Tapestry.” Jane muttered to herself, reading the caption, “So named for the village in northern Prance where it was woven. Currently on display in the Canterlot Historical Museum. ...Seems legit.”
The pictures were a collection of events that rang with a familiar residence to Jane. Three groups of ponies, one unicorn, one earth pony, and one pegasai locked in conflict over bushels of produce. This was followed by six ponies staring up at an overlapping moon and sun.
“Wait a minute.” She frowned, flipping to the next page, “If this is the founding of Equestria, where’s the wendigos?”
Delving deeper into the page, she searched for any mention of the icy horse spirits, but found none.
On the third week of the conflict, a celestial meeting of the sun and moon during the daytime sky drew the attention of the tribal leaders. Taking it as a sign from the heavenly sun and moon, Princess Platinum, Commander Hurricane and Chancellor Puddinghead banded together to form the nation we now know as Equestria.
“Huh...do they not exist in this timeline? That’s probably the biggest deviation so far…”
Quickly flipping back to the chapter introduction, she looked at the photo again. The next tapestry section depicted a fresh conflict. Griffin clashing with ponies in a circle around a powerful and armored looking griffin locked in single combat with a similarly powerful looking pegasus.
The section after that was another piece of whiplash for Jane. It depicted Luna, Celestia and Discord, of all creatures, surrounded by ponies bowing in reverence.
“...Discord, being involved in the world?” She gaped at the pages, half expecting them to suddenly declare ‘Fooled You!’, “Now I know that this is world just messing with me.”
A further scan of the page revealed that Discord had turned on them in relatively short order, necessitating the use of the Elements of Harmony against him.
“Ahh. Good. Familiarity.”
The door to the room clicked open, a creme colored unicorn nurse with a rose colored mane trotting in. “Oh!” She exclaimed, the surprise obvious in her voice, “You’re awake!” She immediately swooped over to Jane, levitating a yellow crystal out of her jacket, and slowly waving it before her eyes, “Follow the light please. How are you feeling?”
Jane’s response was interrupted by the rumbling sound that escaped her stomach.“Uhh. Hungry, apparently.” She nervously grinned, “How long have I been out?”
“A few days. You were suffering from some nasty magic backlash there.”
“Magic backlash?”
“Yes.” She smiled, her voice very chipper, “You were turning into a kind of hard rubber like substance.”
“Oh.” Jane blinked, “I don’t have to worry about that happening again, do I?”
“Oh, of course not. Not at all. Nothing to worry about.” She grinned widely, “Just don’t have any transmutation spells cast on you for the next few years.”
“What.”
“I’m going to get the doctor! Sit tight!”
And with a blur of color she was right back out the door, leaving Jane alone with her books and her bed.
“Alright.” Jane snapped the book shut with a flourish of magic, “Enough of this madness.”
Yanking the magical IV from her foreleg, she rolled out of bed and almost collapsed to the ground. Her legs felt tired and wobbly, from a few days of being bedridden, she guessed. With another glance around the room, she spied her saddle bags resting against the wall. Tossing both the books and pouch of money into the bags, she secured them onto her back and trotted for the door.
It swung open again before she could reach it, a dark blue coated unicorn stallion following behind the nurse from earlier. The doctor- given away by his coat and stethoscope- just raised an eyebrow at Jane.
“This…” Jane began, before just giving up and shrugging, “Yeah, this is exactly what it looks like.”
“Well, if it’s not too much trouble,” The doctor began, horn glowing, “I’d like to at least examine you before you complete your daring escape.”
Jane laughed nervously.
“And the fact that I feel fine?”
“Doesn’t mean anything.” He grumbled, horn lighting up, stethoscope snaking it’s way to Jane’s chest, “Now breathe.”
Trapped, Jane sighed and took a few slow, deep breaths. The doctor’s face scrunched up in a frown as he carefully listened. After a minute or so of said listening, he nodded to himself.
“Lungs sound good and healthy. No residual changes there. Seems like our attempt to stabilize your condition were successful.”
“That’s good. I can go then, right?”
“You can.” He frowned, “But allow me to make something perfectly clear for you. You’ve been exposed to multiple transmutation spells, half of them from sources that are completely foreign to me. To make matters worse, The Collector was channeling power from Discord when he hit you again.”
“Okay…” Jane blinked, suddenly feeling very nervous, “What does all of this mean?”
“Practically? Stay away from shape changing spells. They could do anything from activate his original enchantment again, to catastrophic body and organ failure.”
“Catastrophic.” Jane repeated in a deadpan voice, “As in?”
“Your body could completely fall apart. Organ rupture, bones twisting, parts of you trying to become one thing, while the rest of you tries to become another thing, the whole nine yards.”
“Ah.” Jane paled, “I see.” She bit her lip for a moment, her eyes drilling into him, begging for help, “Doctor...I have to ask. Will I ever be human again? Or am I stuck like this?”
The doctor’s expression softened, compassion filling his eyes as he moved onto the silver lining of the explanation. “The good news is that we used a cosmetic transmutation spell to stabilize you. Very similar to the one your friend Rarity used to effect her own change. Eventually, the magic will just fade into your aura and it will be as if you were a naturally born unicorn.” He placed a hoof on her withers, flashing his warmest smile, “Once you’ve hit that point, you’re free to be changed again.”
“Oh, okay!” Jane smiled, “I can deal with that. How long is it going to take?”
“A few years, unfortunately.”
Jane pondered that for a moment, idly rubbing her chin with the back of a hoof. Being stuck as a pony for a few years. Her knee jerk reaction was a surge of aggravation at the thought of being a quadruped for another two years at least. Anger at not having hands or being human.
But almost as soon as those thoughts coursed through her brain, her conscious felt the need to speak up. The Collector, focused on her, had not seen Rainbow Dash coming. And that had probably been his downfall.
“The ship...out of danger?” She muttered, smiling wistfully.
“Pardon?” The doctor blinked.
“It’s nothing doctor. I understand. Am I good to go now?”
“Yes. You’re free to go.”
- - - -
Jane hummed to herself as she trotted through the streets. The doctor had provided her with directions towards the palace, but she wasn’t heading that way.
She wanted to explore.
Perhaps it was the post battle rush. Perhaps it was the fact that she could do so without worrying about spreading any ritual spells. But she was feeling oddly perky as she trotted through the streets.
She couldn’t keep the changes to the story of Equestria’s founding out of her head either. No wendigos was a very big deal in her mind, and now she was wondering if they even existed in this version of Equestria.
Flipping a few bits to a corner bistro, she munched on a carrot dog (Equestria food was strange sometimes) and contemplated where to go. She could wander over to the library, maybe check things out there.
Nah. She thought, taking another big bite of spiced carrot, I could use something a little more hands on. Oooo! The museum! The book mentioned the Canterlot History Museum!
Resolving to find out, she glanced at the earth pony who was working behind the counter.
“Excuse me Miss?” She inquired, “Do you live around here?”
“Yes mam.” She nodded back.
“Would you happen to know where the Canterlot History Museum is?”
“Sure thing! Just head two blocks east, hang a right, and follow it to the end of the street. You can’t miss it.”
“Thanks.”
Trotting along the streets, Jane’s attitude remained upbeat at the sight of all of the ponies going about their day, safe from the threat of freezing to death with the sun locked on the other side of the planet. It lifted her heart, that only rose further when she spied the museum at the end of the block she just turned onto.
The vendor pony had been correct. She couldn’t miss it. The entrance was flanked by a pair of alicorn statues, but as they lacked any cutie-marks Jane was hard pressed to guess if they were supposed to be anyone in particular or more alicorns in general.
The entrance of the building lead to a central hallway, that other galleries branched off of. But the room itself was dominated by another statue of alicorns. It stood ten feet tall, carved out of white and black marble, and displayed what she imagined was supposed to be Luna and Celestia. But they were very...different takes than she was used to.
Celestia’s statue stood with all four legs firmly planted on the base, head held high, carved with a body build that was more unstoppable juggernaut than the pretty pony princess. The expression carved on the statues face was authoritarian, almost angry.
Luna’s statue, by contrast, seemed to be thinner and more ethereal than the actual pony, carved in such a way to almost seem like a coiled serpent, ready to strike. Standing diagonally across from Celestia’s statue on the base, the expression carved on her muzzle was playful, and scheming.
The placard set up before it proudly declared that the piece was “Sol Invictus and Lunam et Infames.”, carved by Artistic Flourish in 110 PU (Pre-Unification), and displayed in the Temple of the Sun and Moon, until the arrival of Celestia and Luna.
“So...they were worshiped as gods. At least at one point.”
Working her way through the exhibits, Jane’s brain was firing on all synapses. The reflections of earth history that she noticed in Twilight’s book were all the more common and obvious among the displays.
Then, as she stepped into another hallway, she came to a stumbling halt.
The entrance to this exhibit was guarded by a statue of Nightmare Moon, leering down at those who would pass with a fanged smile. A sign at the statue’s base read “The Age of Nightmares”. Jane blinked a few times, mulling those words over.
“Just how long was Luna, Nightmare Moon?”
Stepping into the hallway, she began to delve into a dark period of history.
She was immediately confronted with a miniature statue of Discord standing in the middle of a diorama of Canterlot, being faced down by Celestia and Luna. The petrification of Discord, right where it should be. Jane shrugged, trotted around the corner, and found herself face to face with a golden death mask.
Jerking back in shock, she shuffled around the stand, staring at the camel shaped mask that looked like it belonged to a pharaoh.
“Replica of the burial mask of Akhem the Twice Cursed. Scourge of Ancient Dromedous.”
The story that this room told was a sad one. A sorcerer king that betrayed his brother and launched a reign of terror against his own people, wiping away whole villages that dared to defy him, a few scattered artifacts of mundane life- a child’s doll, a cracked bowl, a hoof written note- sitting in cases as a final testament to those lost.
It was a reign brutal enough that magic had apparently been banned from the land since then, as the photos showing Celestia accepting magic using refugees to Canterlot spoke too. He was sealed away, only for the next threat, Grogar the Demon Ram (as revealed in the next room) to kill the donkey city of Tambelon twenty years later.
And so it went. Over a period of five hundred years, Celestia and Luna engaged in a prolonged game of whack a mole with every dark horror that crawled out of the pit. It was an era in which the tiger sorceress Catrina made the scattered kingdoms of Inj howl, in which the Celestial Bureaucracy of Equis’ equivalent to China was toppled by the Thunder King. It was when the diamond dog civilization collapsed and when the Changelings rose from the depths of the Rainfall Jungle to hunt for the love of their fellow sapients.
And then, the final chapter in the sad affair, Luna’s fall and banishment, which ended up giving historians the name of the era. The Age of Nightmares. It seemed that only then did the madness stop, the slings and arrows of fate apparently exhausted, the world settling into a more peaceful state that had lasted till the current day.
On balance, it was a much more realistic take on the land of candy colored ponies. A world where King Sombra was much less of a rarity and more just the dictator that had the distinction of being the one who appeared before Luna became Nightmare Moon.
Sighing, she shook her head, and began to work her way back to the door. Idly, she mused about the possibility that in another five hundred years both she and The Collector would be but footnotes in Equestrian history. The strange bipeds known as humans just an oddity, the subject of tales used to scare foals into going to bed on time. Right now though, she just wanted to rest at the palace.
A roar of noise assaulted her ears and an explosion of flashes tore across her field of vision like a bunch of angry diamonds as she stepped through the doors.
“Miss Berland! Miss Berland!”
The call came from all sides, ponies with notepads and cameras swarming around her like a school of sharks on a freshly wounded seal.
“Miss Berland! What was your role in the battle with The Collector?”
“Miss Berland! What are humanity’s intentions for Equis? Who do you represent?”
“Miss Berland! How do you think your presence will disrupt the current political situation?”
Flinching from the continued assault of photographs, Jane fell back on the only thing she could. The tricks her father had taught her on how to handle nosey reporters.
“I’m just happy that the situation was resolved and that everypony’s okay. I can’t comment on your other questions unfortunately. I’m not familiar enough with the political situation to comment, and I’m not a government representative of any kind. Now,” She began to push her way through the crowd, “If you’ll excuse me.”
The reporters shouted their disbelief, their further questions, their demands for clarification on her statements and their own follow up questions.
“What does the existence of life outside our planet mean?”
“What’s your opinion of the princesses?”
“I’m sorry.” She answered to them all, “But I’ve really said all I can. Please let me through.”
“Ya’ll heard the mare!” A voice barked out, familiar stetson bobbing it’s way through the crowd, “Let her through!”
Ponies parted before Applejack, the farmer using her country raised strength to just push those who refused to move aside. Jane rushed forward, drawing even with Applejack as she bumped the last stubborn reporter out of the way.
“Come on Jane.” She nodded, “Let’s get back to the palace.”
“Agreed.” Jane responded, dropping into step alongside the orange mare, “How’d you know where I was anyway?”
“The princess had some ponies watchin’ you while you were recovering. Mostly to keep the likes of them,” She twisted her neck about to shoot a withering glare at the group of reporters as they faded into the distance, “From botherin you and the doctors.”
“What, and they followed me to the museum?”
“Yup. Came ta get me when you went inside.” She glanced over at Jane, raising an eyebrow as she aimed a pointed question her way, “Why didn’t ya wait at the hospital for us?”
“I didn’t want to be cooped up.” Jane shrugged back, “Sides, that history book Twilight left me put a thought in my head that I wanted to check out.”
“Oh? What was that?”
“Ehh. Just a disconnected between the founding of Equestria I know, and the one that you girls know, apparently.”
“That’s been happening to you a lot, hasn’t it?”
Jane just shrugged. She didn’t have a good answer for that, really, as it was largely true.
“I guess it’s kind of like looking at a tree through a very dirty window.” She said, eventually, “You can see some of the branches, but until you actually walk over to the tree, you can’t see how big it is.”
“That makes sense ah suppose.”
“I’m surprised that you aren’t back at Sweet Apple Acres. That farm doesn’t take care of itself I imagine.”
“Ah, Big Mac’s got it under control. We’ve been busy cleaning up after The Collector. There’s a big pile of stuff of his that we ain’t right sure what to do with. Not sure how dangerous it all is”
“I’ll take a look. Assuming he’s stuck with the pattern, he’s probably stolen things from half of the universes I recognize.” ‘
“You might want to take a bath first. You’ve been cooped up in bed for the past few days after all.”
“Good point.”
- - - -
“Mmmm...yesssss….”
The bathwater was almost perfectly to temperature, just warm enough to drain the stress from a pony’s body, but not hot enough to be uncomfortable. It was just what Jane needed right now, she thought.
The square marble bath was very large in relation to her pony body, constructed so that some of the larger species on the planet would be able to fit comfortably within. So, she had plenty of room to move about.
Casually grabbing the scrub brush from its hook on the wall, she set about scrubbing her coat, washing away the accumulated filth from The Collector fight, and being stuck in bed for a few days.
After a few minutes of thorough cleaning, she cast her gaze to the collection of jars that rested on a nearby shelf. Picking one at random, Jane examined the label. The label declared that the contents were bath salts, citrus in scent, so a liberal amount was added to the water.
“Celestia really knows how to treat visiting dignitaries.” She happily sighed, leaning back in the bath, closing her eyes and just letting the warm water buoy her aloft.
It really was nice of Celestia to give her such a nice room to stay in for the time being. The bed was huge and soft, with fresh silk sheets. The carpet, woven with both sun and moon iconography, was full and plush under her hooves, and the wide balcony provided a really lovely view of Canterlot.
...Wait a minute.
She opened her eyes.
“Why am I being treated like a dignitary?”
Flipping over with a series of undignified splashes, she paddled over to the edge of the tub, clambered out and gave herself a full body shake to begin the elaborate drying process. At least it was a process made easier by the primitive (compared to earth at least) hairdryer that had been provided.
Her mind couldn’t stop chewing on her previous question though. She was being put up in Canterlot palace, where a visiting diplomat would usually be staying.
“Would that make sense?” She muttered to herself, drying her mane in a very absentminded, hap hazard manner, “I guess I’m the closest thing to an ambassador from Earth there is…”
It was a realization that flowed naturally from the questions from the reporters. Everyone was staring at her (both literally and metaphorically) wondering what all of this meant.
Not that she had any clue what it meant either.
“What if Celestia asks me for an opinion on Earth? What the hell am I going to say? I can’t throw my species under the bus! But I can’t sugar coat it either! How am I going to suggest she make first contact? I’m not trained for a first contact situation!”
Biting her lip, she quickly dried the rest of herself off and trotted back into the bedroom just in time for a knock on the door.
“Who is it?”
“Royal Herald, royal advisor to the princesses. Can I speak with you please.”
Jane pulled the door open, blinking at the pony on the other side.
He was an older unicorn, an expression of consternation still evident through his bushy eyebrows and very full moustache that drooped past his chin. His tan mane was balding (an odd look on a pony, really), the remains pulled back in a ponytail. Dressed in a red coat with gray cuffs, he would have cut a rather dignified figure, if he didn’t look so flustered.
“Can I...help you?”
“Quite.” He huffed, brandishing a scroll from his jacket like some kind of knife, “Itinerary.”
“Itinerary?”
“Princess Celestia has decided to host a garden party tonight in ‘celebration’ of the defeat of The Collector.” Jane could almost see the air quotes around the word celebration, “In reality, this is to allay the fears of the Canterlot nobility. Your presence is requested.”
The scroll clearly laid out the schedule (eight o’clock), as well as provided a map from both the current room, and from a room somewhere in the basement, to the garden in question.
“Well, I suppose it makes sense….”
“Until then Princess Celestia asks you to assist with identifying The Collector’s...collection.”
“Best get to it then.”
Royal Herald lead the way through the palace’s maze of corridors, down into the depths of the earth and the hiding place of the The Collector’s collection.
The room that Celestia had chosen to lock the items away in had probably been a storage room at one point. Buried in the basement as it was, its walls seemed quite thick, which gave Jane the impression of a magical blast chamber.
Everything that The Collector had brought with him had been spread out on the floor in neat little rows. Royal Herald nodded towards the set up, pulling another roll of paper, quill, and bottle of ink from his jacket.
“Princess Celestia would like you to identify what you can, and assess how dangerous they might be.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Satisfied, Celestia’s majordomo trotted off, leaving Jane to her work.
Jane set to it with the same logical efficiency that she set to programming. Neatly trotting up and down the the rows, she marked the paper with the name of the item (or a deduction in the cases where she wasn’t sure), the universe of origin, and an assessment of possible danger.
The items spoke, in their own way, to The Collector’s obsessions. A great amount of what lay before her were things that practically screamed “Dungeons and Dragons”, their numbers only matched by what seemed looted straight from a Federation armory, the remaining spaces filled out by items picked up here and there.
Your garden variety geek, turned world raiding supervillain.
Strangely enough, despite that fact, most of what was there was more on the mundane side...relatively speaking. It was mostly magic trinkets on one hand- wands, rings, and other miscellaneous arcana- and modern to futuristic weapons on the other.
That being said, the powerful pieces he had brought were dangerous enough. The Honjo Masamune sword- in addition to providing The Collector invisibility- had almost cut her in half, and they were all probably quite lucky that he hadn’t had a chance to use his Staff of the Magi.
Her journey of cataloguing came to an end at the portal opening remote control; the key to The Collector’s ability to travel from world to world. Levitating it from the ground, Jane idly tapped its touch screen controls. Names flicked past her vision, each one speaking to a whole new universe of possibilities.
“Ahem.”
The feminine cough made Jane almost jump right out of her fur. Almost dropping the remote in her shock, she spun about, only to find Princess Celestia standing just inside the door. An impish smile played across her muzzle as she carefully picked her way through the things on the floor.
“Did your analysis go well?”
“Well enough I suppose.” Jane commented, carefully putting the remote down, and presenting her findings, “Here’s what I’ve worked out so far.”
Celestia’s magenta eyes scanned the writings, her expression frustratingly neutral as she took in everything that Jane had written. Eventually, she peered at Jane over the top of the page, her gaze suddenly piercing.
“And what would you do with them, if you were in my place?”
“Well, the minor magical stuff you could probably keep if you wanted. The wands are just spell storage devices when you get right down to them. The more powerful items,” She shrugged, “Well, those I’d lock up or send back where they came.”
Contemplating that for a moment, Celestia nodded, the list vanishing with a soft flash of light. “Your logic is sound.” She motioned to the door with a wing, “But, I shall worry about it later. It’s time for the garden party.”
Following Celestia out of the room, Jane raised an eyebrow. “You think that a party will really help calm the nerves of the nobility?”
“Not all of them.” Celestia sighed sadly, “But statescraft is also showcraft, and I am hoping that your presence at a civilized gathering will convince them that humans aren’t coming to drink their blood in the night.”
“Do...do they really believe that?”
Celestia smiled, a hint of bitterness creeping into the expression. “It has been long enough since Canterlot has faced real monsters, that idle minds see fit to invent their own.”
Jane frowned, but said nothing as the two continued to trot along. But, Celestia didn’t remain quiet for long.
“How are you feeling? The Doctor told you the news?”
“He did.”
“And how are you feeling about that?”
Jane shrugged. “I can’t really say it’s ideal...nothing against your people, princess, but I don’t think that I’d choose to be a pony. But…” She hesitated for a moment, before shrugging again, “Look, when it comes down to brass tacks, if being stuck as a unicorn for a few years is the price to pay to keep this planet safe, I’d gladly pay it again.”
“Really now?” Celestia asked, the ethereal smirk returning to her muzzle.
“You shall not stand by the blood of your fellow. I may not have been very devout in my life, but I remember that teaching at least. My discomfort is in no way equal to the lives of millions.” Jane responded, a serious bite in her voice, that gave way to a more light hearted tone, “Besides...I do get to play around with magic for a few years. And for me, that is amazing.”
“Speaking of which….”
Celestia’s golden magic sprang from her horn, coiling lazily around Jane’s form before suddenly snapping taught and falling into a garment. The sky blue dress draped loosely across Jane’s back, croup and dock, falling to the midpoint of her hind legs.
“Don’t tell Rarity.” She winked.
- - - -
“There you are darling!” Rarity beamed, rapidly waving a hoof as Celestia and Jane stepped into the palace garden.
Looking around, it was hard to believe that a few nights ago, a battle had raged here. Now, dignified looking ponies milled between the statues, long tables of refreshment set up in convenient places so that even coverage was provided for the guests.
The girls- minus Twilight Sparkle and Spike- bedecked in their own simple dresses, had been waiting by the entrance. Jane nodded to each in turn as she drew close.
“Hey there girls. How’s the party?”
“Boring.” Rainbow Dash said simply, as if it were self evident, “Everyone’s all stiff and weird still.”
“Mmm.” Jane’s eyes darted about the garden, “Aren’t we missing someone? Where’s Twilight, and Spike?”
“They’re around darling.” Rarity soothed, already leading her towards a group of ponies, while the rest of the group split off, “But its time to mingle.”
Jane frowned for a moment, but walked forward to make nice with ponies the best she could, putting her best party smile. With Rarity at her side, she introduced herself to nobles (“A pleasure to meet you. I’m Jane Berland.”), and answered inane questions (“No, I don’t think that I can eat meat anymore.”).
But as the night wore on, it quickly began to fall into a mental blur. The names of the canterlot elite, outside of Fancy Pants and Fleur-De-Lys, were never things she had paid much attention to back on Earth. And in terms of the actual party itself…
Ugh. This is so damn boring. She thought, excusing herself from a pair of nobles, This is just like dad’s promotion parties. Lawyers.
Wandering over to one of the tables, Jane eyed the red colored punch for a moment before helping herself to a glass. Downing it in one smooth gulp, she let the flavors settle on her tongue. It was mostly cherry, but there was an undercurrent of some other kind of berry. It tasted good at least.
Lowering the glass she paused, staring at the way it seemingly stuck to her hoof.
“Contemplating something, darling?”
“Nothing important, really.” She sighed, putting it down, “Just finding this party tedious. I’m just gonna go for a walk.”
“Are you sure dear? This is supposed to be for you.”
“No. It’s supposed to be for them. So they can see how not dangerous I am. Bunch of bitching idiots. Just…” She shook her head, “Just give me some time.”
Leaving Rarity, she began to trot to the around the side of the hedge maze, away from the festivities. As the sounds of the party grew more distant, she broke around the edge of the hedges and stopped dead.
Twilight Sparkle sat alone on the grass, looking up at the night sky.
“Twilight?”
Almost flinching from hearing her name, Twilight turned her head towards Jane, a wide but strained smile on her muzzle.
“Hey Jane. Enjoying the party?”
“Not really.” She shrugged, “Why are you out here on your own, anyway?”
“Just...thinking.” She shuffled in place slightly, staring awkwardly at the ground for what felt like a few minutes before speaking up again, “I had to fix the memories of Skitch-Sketch’s parents today.”
“...Oh Twilight…” Jane flinched away from the words, “I am so, so sorry.”
“It had to be done. I mean...we couldn’t let them just live on with the false memories.”
“Yeah...but it probably didn’t hurt any less.” Jane observed, sinking into a seat next to her.
“No. It didn’t. And it just...got me thinking.”
Jane cocked her head slightly, letting the gesture ask the question for her.
“I’m just thinking,” Twilight elaborated, “That things are never going to be the same. Not really.”
“Come on! You’ve faced down horrible threats before. Your charged Nightmare Moon!’ She grinned, “That’s something my father would call ‘chutzpah in the first degree’.”
“Chutzpah?”
“Guts. Audacity. Spine. You’re one tough librarian Twilight.”
“Maybe...but everypony knew who Nightmare Moon was. She’s in all of our history books!” Twilight countered with a hoof jab, “They just didn’t believe she was going to break out anytime soon.”
“Huh. Another deviation.”
“See! That! That right there is what I mean!” Twilight stomped a hoof, a deep glower darkening her features, “Nightmare Moon didn’t come with implicit evidence that the world didn’t work entirely the way we thought it did!”
She took a calming breath.
“I’m sorry Jane. I know that none of this is your fault. It’s just...you’re the big question. What do you mean for us?”
“Heh.” Jane sadly smiled, rubbing the back of her neck, “I guess I can’t blame ya there. Can’t really claim it doesn’t work the other way either.”
“You’re scared too?”
“...Maybe? I suppose I really haven’t had the chance to really process this all myself. But the existence of Equestria does raise some real big questions that...well, I just don’t have the answer for.”
“And it’s like I said before. Will things ever be the same?”
Jane looked to the stars, falling quiet as she contemplated that question.
“No.” She said, eventually, “I guess it won’t. There are a lot of questions that will have to be answered someday, by both of our people. But...there’s something a wise man said, that I think applies here.”
“What’s that?”
“When I reach for the edge of the universe,” She swept a hoof across the night sky, “I do so knowing that along some paths of cosmic discovery, there are times when, at least for now, one must be content to love the questions themselves.”
Twilight considered that for a moment, and then smiled. “I think I can believe that.”
Jane smiled back, settling down to lay on her barrel as the two mares returned to star watching.
“What are you going to do now?” Twilight asked not long after, “Going to stay with us until you become human again?”
Jane frowned. It was an important question really. But as the two sat side by side one thing became increasingly clear in her mind.
“I can’t. It..doesn’t feel right.”
“Doesn’t feel right?”
“I kind of feel like I’ve caused enough chaos in the world, I guess. Besides, I’ve been gone for a few weeks of earth time. My parents are probably going nuts.”
“You’ll go back as a pony?
“Why not? The fact that I’m a pony should shock them enough that revealing I’m transgendered will be easy by comparison.”
Twilight grinned and then broke into laughter, Jane quickly joining in. And from her position, peaking around the side of the maze, Princess Celestia smiled.
- - - -
The next evening, it was time to say goodbye.
Jane looked to each of the Mane Six as they stood in the first floor of the art emporium she first woke up in. Her saddlebags were secured on her back, The Collector’s haul resting inside the portable hole that was in turn, sitting in said saddlebags.
She looked to Applejack first, bowing her head to the farmer. “Keep that farm strong Applejack. You’ve earned it.”
“Thank you kindly Jane.” She nodded, passing over a small bag of apples, “I rustled up some provisions for your trip.”
Tucking them into the saddlebags, Jane turned to Fluttershy. “Flutter on, Fluttershy. Never stop being kind.”
“Be careful.” Fluttershy responded, “It sounds dangerous out there.”
“I will.” Jane agreed, facing Pinkie Pie just as the party master embraced her in a full hug, “Ack! Pinkie?”
“The party I would have thrown you would have been amazing.” She sniffed.
“It’s okay Pinkie. You threw me that party in spirit.” Patting her head with one hoof, Jane extended her other one to Rainbow Dash for a quick hoof bump, “You show the Wonderbolts what for Dash. Never forget how awesome you are.”
“Like there’s a chance of that.” She smirked back.
Twilight trotted forward, holding the books she had left Jane to read in the hospital.
“I want you to keep these. Something to read on the way home.”
Jane nodded, adding them to her load, as Pinkie let go of the hug. Turning to Rarity last, Jane smiled her widest smile yet, embracing the white coated mare in a hug of her own.
“Thank you Rarity. I don’t think I would have been able to admit the truth to myself without your push.”
“Think nothing of it darling. I’m just happy that I could help you with that realization.”
Breaking the embrace, Rarity pulled a cloak from her own saddlebags, draping it across Jane’s form.
“I made this for you. A nice all weather cloak for your trip.”
Jane hugged her again. “Thanks again Rarity.”
Letting go, Jane pulled the remote from her pack, and pressed the button that would take her home. The swirling blue portal appeared before the group, hissing and whistling as it churned with it’s chaotic energy.
Looking back to the girls one last time, she nodded to them. “See you girls in the pictures.”
And with a flash, she was gone.