I awoke without the ability to move. I shook my hands and legs trying to get out of… nothing. I was chained to a bed by nothing. What more, I felt odd. Not sick, just different. I shook my limbs a little while longer, only able to turn my head. I tried to scream but the words kept getting stuck in my throat. What happened?, I thought to myself, Is this my entire visit to Equestria? Getting knocked out?
“You’re up. Finally.” I heard a voice call from out of sight. I turned to my right and saw Twilight, her nose bandaged, furiously flipping through a book. “We were a little worried about you. Sorry about the restraints. While you were out, you thrashed a lot. Broke my nose, actually.”
“Sorry.” I said, finally able to speak. “Can you unchain me?” My head was swimming and my body felt weird.
“Sure thing.” said Twilight, her horn glowing. “Before you sit up, you should be prepared.”
“For what?” I asked sitting up, free from my invisible shackles. Explanation was unnecessary. All I had to do was look down at my body to tell that something was wrong. My body was covered in jet-black fur, my legs were thicker than before, and I felt taller. I was five foot nine before, but now felt well over six and a half, and there was something wrong with my feet.
“I can’t feel my toes.” I said to Twilight, knowing perfectly well her response.
“What are toes? Are those what you called those things at the end of your hooves?” replied Twilight. She seemed concerned but also intrigued.
“Can I have a mirror?” I asked. She levitated a hand mirror to me. I grabbed it and looked into it. My hair was more or less the same, but my face was covered in the same black fur that coated my body. My face extended into a muzzle, just like the mares I met here. My eyes changed from their usual hazel to steel-grey. I turned into my OC from home, the one on the shirt that my friends got me.
“I wrote a letter to Princess Celestia, but I have no clue when she’ll reply. She’s probably busy with her royal duties.” said Twilight, recapturing my attention.
“I’m a pony.” I said plainly. “How long was I out for?”
“About two hours. You screamed the entire time. Fluttershy couldn’t take it, so she went home for a while. Pinkie said she was going to bake you a get-well cake.” answered Twilight. So these guys did care about me.
“That was nice of Pinkie. What do you think I should do now?” I questioned, a bit weirded out by my sudden transformation.
“We have to find you a place to stay for the night. You can’t stay here because I don’t have much room. That’s the problem with almost all my friends, except for Rainbow Dash.”
“That’s a whole new set of problems. Doesn’t she live on a cloud?” I asked, standing up. I looked down and realised I didn’t have any pants on. “AHHH!” I screamed, jumping underneath a nearby blanket.
“What’s wrong?” asked Twilight concerned. “Are you alright?”
“What happened to my pants?!” I asked embarrassed. “I was naked this whole time?”
“Yeah. What’s the big deal? I took them off because your legs grew. I figured you would be uncomfortable.”
“What do you mean ‘What’s the big deal’? I don’t have pants on!” I yelled.
“Neither do I.” said Twilight, raising her right leg. It was completely unclothed, revealing her furry leg. I looked it up and down, noting the hooves.
“Any particular reason you aren’t wearing pants?” I asked, a little afraid at what would happen next.
“I didn’t feel like wearing any today. Is that not how pants work where you come from?” she asked, a look of interest on her face.
“No, actually, they don’t work that way! My people wear pants almost all the time! We only get naked around close family and people we’re sleeping with!” I said, amazed at how different Equestria was compared to Earth.
“I see. You don’t have to worry here. If you wear pants, you wear pants. It doesn’t matter, unless you’re going somewhere fancy.” she replied matter-of-factly.
“Is that what you do with shirts?” I asked curiously.
“No! The mares wear shirts all the time. See, in Equestria, the females have these growths on their chest called breasts and they ar-”
“I know what breasts are!” I said indignantly. “We have them on Earth too!”
“So your world is called Earth? Interesting. Tell me more about it.” said Twilight, immersed in our conversation. Damn! I can’t believe I let that slip!
“Forget what I just said! Don’t we have to go talk to Rainbow Dash or something?”
“We were, but then you started talking about a ‘whole new set of problems’. What might that be?” asked Twilight.
“She lives on a cloud. How am I supposed to get up there? Plus she probably won’t want me to stay with her. She doesn’t even know me.”
“I’m sure she’ll do you this favor. As to how you’ll get up there, just fly.”
“Fly? How can I fly?” I asked. No sooner had I said that did I feel something spread across my back. Turning my head, I saw large black wings spreading out past my shoulders. Apparently I was a pegasus. And shirtless.
“This is… unusual.” I said. “Are they supposed to spread out randomly like that?”
“Not really, no. They are doing that for one of two reasons. One: since you weren’t born a pegasus, you’ll have to get used to them. If this is true, the wings will fly open and closed sporadically until you learn how to keep them closed.” replied Twilight, a smirk growing on her face. “The other is that you have a wi-”
“Don’t say it!” I said, closing my wings. It actually felt kind of natural, like opening and closing your fist. “I do NOT have a wing-boner. It’s obviously the first one. I can open and close them at will pretty easily, now that I know that they’re there.” I opened and closed my wings a few time to prove it. It felt really normal, like having giant, feathered hands on your back. Yeah, that is what constitutes as normal to me. Go figure.
“Good to know you can control it now.” said Twilight. Right then, Fluttershy burst through the door in a flurry of panic. As soon as I saw her, my wings flew open wide.
“Oh my gosh! Is he ok?” she asked. Looking at me, she said, “Sorry. I didn’t know you had company. I’ll just go.”
“Don’t go!” I called to Fluttershy, who turned around to leave. “It’s me! I changed into a pegasus somehow.”
“That’s interesting.” she said, concentrating on something on my back. “What’s wrong with your wings? Why do you have them spread like that? It looks uncomfortable.”
“Er, I, um… I can’t control them very well yet. They just fly open sometimes.” I sputtered with embarrassment.
“I thought you said you could open and close them at wi-” started Twilight.
“Well, Fluttershy, now that I can blend in a little better, would you mind showing me around Ponyville? I would love to see it before I have to leave.” I said loudly, making it impossible for her to hear what Twilight was saying.
“That’s a good idea.” said Twilight, dropping the subject of my involuntary spasms of the wing. “I want to introduce you to the rest of our friends. I’ll need their help to keep an eye on you.”
“What do you mean, keep an eye on me? You don’t trust me or something?” I asked, a little hurt at the implication.
“Actually, I don’t trust you.” said Twilight. “You have to understand how this looks from my perspective. You are a creature nopony has ever seen before, you won’t tell us anything about you, and you just changed to look like us. You know what the spells?”
“Changeling.” I said, understanding now why she’s being so cautious. She thought I might be a changeling. Understandable. So all I have to do is not give her a reason to distrust me. Sounds easy enough. “I’m not, although if I were a changeling, I’d probably say that anyway. That’s why you want me to stay with Rainbow Dash. She probably sleeps with one eye open, so if I do decide to do something mischievous or evil in the dead of night, she’ll be able to catch me. Right?”
“Exactly. So, now we get to go meet the rest of my friends so they can help keep watch on you until we get word back from the princess.” said Twilight, finally closing her book. “One second while I heal my nose.” Her horn began to glow purple once more and there was a gross CRACK! She clawed the bandages off her nose revealing it to be in perfect shape.
“How’d you do that?” I asked stupidly.
“Minor injuries like broken noses are easy to fix when you have the right spell. I just happen to have that particular spell in this book. In any case, we should go meet the girls.” replied Twilight, inhaling deeply through her nose. She gestured for me to follow her as she walked to her door. Opening it, she led me and Fluttershy out of her home. We walked quietly for a few minutes, my wings still open, with nopony having anything to say. It would appear that Fluttershy really did believe I was a changeling. That kind of stung. I wanted to reassure her, tell her I wasn’t, but it would be pointless. So I just kept going silently, taking in every detail I could. I scanned the town, spotting shops and ponies just being ponies. I loved it! I probably made some of them very uncomfortable, I stared at them for so long. I couldn’t help myself! We stopped in front of a large tent-like structure. Twilight opened the door, me and Fluttershy following close behind, and we entered the establishment.
“Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every dress is chic, unique, and magnifique! I will be with you in one minute!” called a voice from the right of the wide empty room. The source of the voice was a pure white unicorn mare, with a swirled purple mane. Next to her was an orange mare with long, dirty-blonde hair. They were both huddled around a sewing table, the unicorn working the machine, the earth pony starring in anticipation.
“Applejack, darling, you really must try to be more careful with your hat.” said the unicorn.
“This must be the eighth time this week that I had to sew it up.”
“Sorry, sorry. Ya know how things get get at the farm, Rarity. Ah can’t help it. Can ya fix it?” said the earth pony, anxiety welling in her voice.
“Of course I can darling. I just want you to be more careful.”
“Sorry to intrude, but this is kinda important.” said Twilight. “We need to talk.”
“One minute Twilight, dear.” said Rarity. “As it were, I am in the zone.” After a few seconds of her sewing, she looked up and handed the hat to Applejack, who swiftly shoved it on her head. Turning to face Twilight, she said “What can I do for you, dear?”
“I would like to introduce you to… a friend, I guess. This is Rarity and Applejack.” said Twilight.
“I know. I would just like to say it is lovely to meet you both.” I said, looking back and forth between them both. “I’m going to be staying in Ponyville for… I don’t actually know. I don’t know if I’ll ever get home.”
“I’m sorry to hear that, darling. Would you like to tell us about your home? It might make you feel a little less homesick.” said Rarity tenderly.
“Don’t be sorry. I love it here! If I am trapped here, I wouldn’t be upset at all. I would love to tell all of you about where I’m from, but that may be dangerous.” I replied.
“See the problem? I know nothing about him except that he’s not from Equestria and he’s not a pony. Don’t let him fool you. He’s different from us and I don’t trust him very much. I need you girls to help keep an eye on him until Princess Celestia returns my letter.” said Twilight. I seemed to be a burden to her.
“Now Twi. That’s a mighty rude thing to say! Of course he’s from Equestria. He’s just as pony as ah am.” said Applejack.
“Actually, she’s right.” I told Aj. “I’m not from Equestria and I can see why she doesn’t trust me very much. I know all this information about you and I won’t tell her how I know this stuff. It does look a little suspicious.”
“Like what?” asked Rarity
“Nevermind that. It was nice meeting you guys, but I really think we should go.” I said, turning to the door. Twilight and Fluttershy said their goodbyes, and we left the boutique. As soon as I stepped outside, I heard a yell.
“CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS HOOF-BALL PLAYERS!” shouted an unknown voice. Before I could think, a shoulder collided with my gut, knocking the wind out of me. I fell to the ground with a grunt of pain. Breathing shallowly, I looked up and saw a small orange body get up from off my chest. She wore a pair of grass stained jeans and a jersey with a big 00 on the front. Her mane was purple and windy. Standing up she said,
“Sorry mister! I’m trying to get a cutie-mark in hoof-ball. It doesn’t seem to be working.”
“Ugh! That hurt, kid! I’m not exactly in perfect health, ya know!” I said irritably.
“What happened?” she asked. She seemed more intrigued than concerned.
“Can’t you see the bandages? I got into a fight and the other guy stabbed me.” I replied.
“Cool! You must be really tough! Can I see where he cut you?” she asked brightly. I looked at her bright face, illuminated with interest, and couldn’t find a way to say no. I grabbed the bandages on my side and carefully peeled them off, exposing my wound to the world. Fluttershy did a good job stitching me up. They were even and clean. I leaned to show this small child my wound I got in a vicious fight. I may not be the greatest role-model in the world. She stared at my stitched wound in awe.
“Awesome! Your almost as cool as Rainbow Dash! Too bad somepony as cool as you wouldn’t want anything to do with a blank flank like me.” she said, crestfallenly.
“Your Scootaloo, right?” When she nodded, I continued. “How old are you?”
“I turn 14 next month.” she answered.
“I’m 18 years old. Look at this.” I said, turning to show her my thigh. She looked at my leg puzzled, and then she gasped.
“You don’t have a cutie-mark either?” she asked.
“Nope. My flank is just as blank as yours. Don’t worry, you aren’t alone. You’ll get your’s in due time. Probably before me. You said you know Rainbow Dash. Where can I find her?”
“Right behind you.” came a brash voice from behind me. I turned around and was met with the sight of a mid-height pegasus with cyan skin and a rainbow mane. She was thin and a bit flat, and wore a blue tank-top. “What do you want?”
“Er… Twilight should probably explain. It’s a bit complex.” I said, very much so scared. She was extremely intimidating. I felt like she could kick my ass at any time.
“Rainbow Dash, this is Silver Rift.” said Twilight, walking up to meet Rainbow. “Would it be too much to ask if he could stay with you for a while?”
“Why? Who is he?” asked Rainbow skeptically.
“We have no idea. Fluttershy found him in the Everfree Forest and he’s from a place called Earth. I don’t really trust him, but we can’t just leave him to wander around.”
“Why not? I’ve never heard of anywhere called Earth. Maybe he’s just some crazy stallion who escaped the mad-house or something.” said Rainbow Dash.
“I thought that at first too, but he passed out while he was here. While he was asleep, I used a spell to scan his body and life-energy. It’s like nothing I’ve ever seen! His body is filled with magic that could rival the princess!” whispered Twilight, although very loudly.
“You didn’t say that before! That was important and you didn’t tell me?” I said in outrage.
“To be fair, you have withheld information from us. Like everything about you.” said Twilight.
“I still don’t understand why he has to stay with me.” said Rainbow.
“I think he might be a changeling. He has to stay with you because if he tried something sneaky, you could catch him in your sleep. So, I want you to catch him in your sleep.” answered Twilight. Rainbow Dash looked at Twilight, then to me, then back to Twilight.
“Fine. If I have to. Silver, right?” she said, not caring to wait for my answer. “I’m Rainbow Dash. I care very much about Ponyville. All of Equestria really. I am the Element of Loyalty, after all. So, if you try to do anything to hurt Ponyville, or Equestria, or any of my friends, you will be very sorry. Don’t pretend like you’re not scared. I can smell it on you. You are about ready to piss yourself. Just to make myself clear: Do not. Mess. With. Ponyville. Or I will destroy you. Got it?”
“Erm… I… Uh… Y-yes, got it. I would never do anything to hurt Ponyville.” I said, face pouring sweat. She was terrifying! I’ve never been more scared in my life.
“Good. Now, let me show you to my house.” said Rainbow, flapping her wings and rising in the air. How the hell am I supposed to get up there?!, I thought to myself, my wings finally closing.