//------------------------------// // Part One: The Trouble Isn't Over Yet // Story: Janice Adjusts to Ponyville // by The REAL Mister Pkmn //------------------------------// Shortly after Maestro had left Ponyville, Janice, the prized pupil of Princesses Celestia and Luna, took aside her other friends, and went into the Whitetail Woods. She then sighed. “I know that you all already know that I’m a Kirin, so I think you guys deserve to know what I look like.” Surprised by this assessment, Mellia tried to convince her otherwise. “Listen, you don’t have to do this, Janice.” She then looked over to their other friends. “I believe that we all agree that maybe you should wait a bit to show us.” However, Janice was not to be deterred. “No. You guys are my friends. I want you to be comfortable around my Kirin face, not just my pony face.” Gathering her courage, Janice then breathed deeply. “Here we go.” All of a sudden, an azure glow expanded from her horn, and extended across her body. Her limbs and features then started to contort in ways that were quite unnatural. Fur started to give way to scales, her muzzle lengthened into a snout, her teeth sharpened, her forehooves morphed into claws, her eyes became draconic, and her tail was replaced with a reptilian one with cyan and lavender spines alternating. She then stood on her hind hooves, which had become burlier so as to properly support her bipedal form. She then spoke. “So? What do you think?” Mellia was the first to get over the shock of the reveal. “You look… Well, It’ll certainly take some getting used to. Seeing you like this, I mean.” She smiled brightly. “I’m certain, that with enough time, we’ll be more comfortable around you like this.” She then looked back to the others, who were just shaking off the shock as well. “Isn’t that right, girls?” Inclining her head, Zecora replied. “Indeed, you must forgive us if at first we balk. For ‘round you this moment we uneasily talk.” Smiling brightly, Cloudkicker piped up. “It’s great that you want us to be comfortable around you no matter what. We’ll try our best to adapt.” Pondering for a while, Roseluck eventually commented. “I hope the rest of the town will be as accepting. It might be rough, but we’ll support you.” Curious about something, Concerta spoke up. “Say, how old are you?” Raising an eyebrow, Janice replied. “Around 17. Why?” Sighing in relief, Melia voiced her excitement. “So I’m not the youngest of us! Sweet.” Chuckling at Melia’s response, Zecora explained to Janice why. “She is of 18 and the others 19 of age. I am of 20, the oldest of this range.” Shaking her head, Janice revealed a bit of information. “Not quite. Maestro’s 21, going on 22 in May.” Blinking, Cloudkicker spoke up. “So when he was in town he was the fourth oldest out of the entire town, only behind Granny Smith, the mayor, and Filthy Rich. That’s quite something.” Confused a bit, Janice voiced it. “Huh? What about the teachers, and the business owners?” Chuckling, Roseluck explained. “Most of them are somewhere in the 18 to 20 range. There’s a few ponies in town that are your age, like Applejack and that Fluttershy mare. The only ones younger than you that live in town are the school children.” Sighing deeply, Janice spoke out. “I wish that I could have everyone be a bit more comfortable with me walking around like this. Maestro may praise me for how good the polymorph’s gotten, but I’d rather not walk around in that fake body if I can help it.” A thought occurred to Concerta. “Say, why don’t we walk back to town with you like this? That might ease a few ponies’ nerves. Besides, you said you wanted to open a jewelry store, right?” Janice seemed hesitant, but realized that it was probably the best way to get the town to overcome the stigma. She sighed. “Alright. Let’s get this show on the road!” My Little Pony, My Little Pony, Ah, ah, ah, ah... My Little Pony! I never took Friendship seriously. My Little Pony! But here you are, and I truly see! A uplifting tune, A steady breeze, A scented gift, A gentle touch, A true heart, The vision of true art, And magic makes it all complete! My Little Ponies, I'll treasure these good friends! The ponies of town were wary when they saw Janice stroll through the town in her kirin state, but remembered that she did save the town, so she couldn’t really be a monster, right? So a few brave souls went up to speak to her, and were genuinely surprised when she acted just as friendly as she had before the town found out about her kirin blood. Their surprise abated, and a few more approached, and apologized. Janice batted a claw bashfully, and told them not to worry about it. However, Janice noticed that some of the townsfolk still regarded her with looks of disgust and/or mistrust. She sighed, and hoped she could change their minds somehow. Soon, the group of six found their way to Town Hall, and entered. At the receptionist desk was quite the sight- a periwinkle pegasus was demanding to see the mayor. But that wasn’t the surprising part- He looked to be made of crystal. They overheard the conversation. “Look! I can commune with spirits! It’s what I’m good at! If you’ll just let me, I can set up a spirit barrier to keep stray monsters from wandering into town! Just let me talk to the mayor!” Janice’s eyes were wide. Crystal pegasai were thought to be extinct! Yet here one was, demanding to see the mayor. The secretary shook her head, causing her seafoam mane to sway a little. “Look, Mister Howler. Mayor Ivory Scrolls may have a bleeding heart for freaks, but not me. It’s my job to protect her from herself. Now, you can just--” Janice cleared her throat to get the attention of the secretary. Once she had it, she wore her most winning smile. “Hello there. I’m looking to speak to the mayor about something of importance regarding a more… permanent residence in this town.” She then pulled out an official document from Celestia and Luna, and handed it over to the secretary. “It’s all there. All the permissions I need. So if you’ll excuse me…” The secretary was visibly livid. She knew that no matter how much she wanted to, she could not go against documentation from the crown. Her dark mulberry coat was standing on edge, and one of her dark green eyes was twitching. But, she drew in a deep breath, and collected herself. She breathed out, and adjusted her wire-framed glasses that had gone askew. She tipped her head slightly in acknowledgement, gave the documents back to Janice, and turned back to the crystal pegasus as Janice walked to the mayor’s office. Lumbering up to the office door, Janice knocked a few times. She heard the mayor call out. “Come on in!” Janice went inside, and as Ivory looked up, she blinked to ensure she wasn’t seeing things. When she was sure that she wasn’t hallucinating, She looked at Janice, studying her for a bit, before smiling. “Ah, Janice. Good to see you’re trying to be more open with us. So, were you thinking of getting more a permanent residence?” Janice nodded, and handed over the document from the Princesses. “I see. This document will move things along quite nicely, I think. Normally, I would have to jump through a few hoops just to do this for a pony that is not of the three tribes, or a hybrid- let alone a non-pony, seeing as the Noble in charge of our region of Equestria is not as open-minded as I, but with this, we can skip that headache entirely.” with mirth in her eye, Ivory chuckled. “Though Baron Greenfield will not like it, he’ll have his hooves tied in this matter. I’ll get our best on it. I presume you’ll want a storefront as well, so I’ll show you a few layouts to choose from.” Janice smiled as they discussed her new residence in town. Things were looking up. Maybe, she could get some downtime before the Elements were needed again. Ice Temple, Frozen North Looking through his Gazing Orb at the situation, Cold Heart couldn’t help but chuckle. “Oh sweet, naïve, little Janice. I’m not through with you by a long shot. Just because I’m getting ready for the next pawn’s arrival doesn’t mean I won’t send trials your way in the meantime. After all…” He clutched Chessmaster’s locket with a claw. “The trouble isn't over yet!