//------------------------------//
// Book One, Chapter 2 (Side Celestia) 
// Story: Cheer Princess 
// by MythrilMoth 
//------------------------------//

Princess Celestia awoke to a sensation thoroughly alien to her.

Golden rays of sunlight streamed through the window above her bed, spilling across the powder blue linen covering her and gently warming her face.

*Mmm...feels nice,* she thought sleepily.

Exactly five seconds later, her eyes flew open, and she shot straight up in bed.

"The sun is up? But how? I...WHO RAISED THE SUN?!" Her heart racing, she looked around the unfamiliar room...then down at herself.

And remembered everything from the night before.

She slumped back against the headrest, hand to her hammering heart. "Not Equestria," she panted. "Not home. No longer an alicorn. No magic. This sun is not mine to control." As her heart calmed, she let out a deep, sorrowful sigh. "Equestria..." She bowed her head. "Please, Mother, let your spirit guide Cadance. She can do what needs to be done. She...she has to."

There was a knock on the door. Celestia adjusted her gown. "Enter," she said.

The door opened, and Principal Celestia walked in, a faintly amused smile on her face. "Good morning," she said. She raised an eyebrow. "That was quite an interesting thing you yelled out just now. It seems someone needs to be taught basic science."

"I...umm..." Princess Celestia coughed. "A-anyway...good morning," she said. "And thank you for allowing me to stay here for the night."

"Actually, we're thinking of extending your stay with us, if that's alright with you," Principal Celestia said. "We can talk about it over breakfast." She laid a bundle she was carrying on the dresser. "I went through some of my old things and found some clothes that should fit you. I washed them, so they're..." She yawned. "Good to go. They might be a little out of style, but it'll do for when you and Luna go shopping today."

"Oh. Thank you," Princess Celestia said, blinking.

"I didn't want to chance one of my old bras," Principal Celestia said, "and the shoes you had with you should be okay." She grimaced. "Bras and panties should be top priority when you and Luna go out."

*I have no idea what that is.* "R-right."

Principal Celestia folded her arms. "We've decided to call you Tia," she said. "Is that alright?"

'Tia' nodded. "It's been...a very long time since I was called that, but I don't mind."

"Good!" Celestia said, clapping her hands with a bright smile. "I'll leave you to get dressed, then. Come to the kitchen when you're ready."

"Alright." Tia smiled. "Thank you."

Celestia nodded, then left. Tia sighed as the door closed. "I hope putting my faith and trust in these alternate versions of myself and my sister was the wise thing to do." She stood, wobbling for a moment as her new body's center of gravity asserted itself, and studied herself in the mirror. Her hair was loose from the ponytail she'd been wearing the previous night, and the jewelry she'd been wearing was missing. She was clad in a simple dark blue gown. After inspecting it for a moment, she slipped it off over her head, folding it neatly and laying it on the bed. She then studied her reflection in the mirror.

The only hair on her body was just above her feminine area, and it matched her pastel mane in color, but was sedately trimmed, barely present at all. The entire lower half of her body looked strange compared to what she knew of pony anatomy—truly exhaustive knowledge, considering her great age and breadth of experience.

The strangest part wasn't her hairlessness, lack of hooves, nor the wiggly little toes she had. The strangest part was that her teats were, for whatever reason, on her chest.

And rather larger than they should be.

"That's...not right," she said with a frown. She cupped them with her hands, testing them for swollenness or discharge, but aside from a slight sensitivity which made her breath hitch, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with them aside from their size and position. Shaking her head and sighing, she walked over to the dresser, picking through the clothes the other Celestia had left.

*No. Just Celestia. I need to start thinking of her as Celestia and myself as Tia, at least so long as I remain in this world.*

The garments were curious, if lacking in visual appeal. The nobles in Canterlot would certainly have declared a scandal if they saw their Princess wearing such things. All in all, there were three garments in the pile: a pair of old, faded blue jeans, a yellow T-shirt with a sun motif emblazoned across the front in black, and a small, silky white garment that gave her pause. She frowned and walked over to the chair in which Luna had piled the things she'd worn the night before, sifting through them. There was a similar, if finer, deep pink garment there. "Was I wearing that?" she wondered. "I don't remember seeing it..."

The door opened. "Tia, I'm making waffles, is there anyth—oops! Sorry," Luna's voice called.

Tia turned around, holding the two pairs of panties. "A little help here?" she asked, holding them up for inspection. "I'm a little confused."

Luna blinked at her. "By what? Which pair of panties to wear? It doesn't matter, just wear the clean ones."

"No, I mean—I don't even know what these are," Tia said.

Luna stared at her. "Seriously?" she asked.

Tia shrugged. "I've never seen anything like this before," she said apologetically.

Luna facepalmed. "Oh, for..." She shook her head. "You wear them under your pants, skirt, or dress. See where your legs go in?"

Tia examined the panties again, and blinked. "Oh...yes, I see," she said. She blushed. "Kind of obvious, I guess."

Luna snorted. "Anyway, as I was saying, I've got blueberries and I've got chocolate chips. Which do you prefer?"

"Blueberries sound lovely," Tia said as she stepped into the panties and pulled them up, noting the way they fit snugly against her crotch and rear.

"You and my sister both," Luna said, shaking her head. "Oh well, more chocolate chips for me!"

As Luna left, Tia put on the jeans and T-shirt, then slipped on the sandals she'd worn the night before. She examined the jewelry which had been laid out on the dresser. After several attempts to put it on, she gave up with a sigh, examining her fingers.

"Okay, before anything else, I need to figure out how to use these ridiculous things," she muttered. Shaking her head, she left to join her hosts for breakfast. As she moved through the house, tantalizing aromas and scintillating sizzling sounds enticed her senses, and she inhaled deeply, letting out a soft, appreciative moan. *I do so enjoy sitting down to a good breakfast,* she mused to herself as she wove her way through the living room toward the brightly-lit kitchen. She saw Celestia seated at the table, a coffee mug in one hand, a newspaper in the other. Celestia looked up as she approached and smiled, gesturing to the chair beside her. Tia sat down, folding her hands primly in her lap.

"Not wearing your earrings today?" Celestia asked. "That's a shame, they're rather pretty."

Tia paused briefly, contemplating what to say. She had already told her hosts so much, and yet...

Celestia must have picked up on her apprehension, because she put her paper down and turned fully to face her. "Tia?"

Tia sighed. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm just..." She shook her head. "Last night, in my panic and vulnerability, I fear I said too much. Were I not..." She paused. "Were I more...collected, I believe I would have been more guarded with what information I shared." Luna set a glass of orange juice in front of her, and she picked it up and drank a third of it. "Still..." She examined her hand, studying the tapered, glossy fingernails. "If I am...if I am to trust my fate for the next thirty moons to the two of you, I should probably be as honest as possible. It's just..." She looked at Celestia nervously. "I fear such honesty will lead the two of you to think me insane."

"We already think that," Luna said cheerfully as she plated a waffle and poured more batter into the iron, then tended to something sizzling in a skillet. "Might as well go for broke, right?"

"Luna," Celestia said in a patient but firm tone of warning. She then turned a soft, reassuring smile on Tia. "The state of your mental health notwithstanding, you are clearly a young lady in need of help. And your...disturbing resemblance to me...effectively makes you our responsibility in any case." She sipped her coffee. "I have spent much of the night pondering you, your story, and your claims. For the moment, I am willing to accept anything you tell us on faith, provided you are honest with us. I will know if you attempt to deceive us or withhold anything," she added warningly. "If you are truly me—"

"I know," Tia said. "It is not easy—nor wise—to lie to me, and the same must be true of you."

The sounds of sizzling stopped. Luna started putting food on two plates, which she brought over and set in front of them. She then finished fixing her own breakfast and brought it over, sitting across from them. With the distraction of food, Tia found she could leave more sensitive topics aside for the moment. Her plate held two crisp, golden blueberry waffles, a generous portion of fluffy scrambled eggs, and three strips of bacon—though it looked and smelled quite different from the hay bacon Tia was familiar with. She picked up a piece and broke it in half, noting its greasy texture, and bit into it. After chewing for a moment, she said, "This is good. It's...different from anything I'm accustomed to, however. What is it?"

"It's bacon," Luna said as she poured syrup over her waffles.

"I know it's bacon," Tia said. "What I mean is, what's it made from?"

The sisters blinked at each other. "It's made from bacon," Luna said flatly.

"It's pork," Celestia elaborated.

Tia tilted her head. "Meat?"

"Yes, meat," Luna said as she cut a large bite of her waffles and brought it to her mouth.

Celestia poured syrup on her own waffles and turned to Tia. "Meat seems to be a hangup of yours," she said. "You're not a vegetarian, are you?"

Tia thought about how to answer that as she accepted the syrup for her own waffles. "I...am not accustomed to eating meat," she said. "It isn't...it isn't common or customary for my species to eat meat."

"Oh, right, I forgot, you're not human," Luna said, rolling her eyes.

"Human," Tia said, studying her hands as she cut into her own pancakes. "That's what I am now?"

"Yes," Celestia said. She frowned. "You seem to be having trouble with your fork," she said. "I noticed that last night as well."

Tia ducked her head. "I'm...trying to copy the way you and Luna use your utensils," she said.

"Do you not have forks and spoons where you come from?" Luna asked.

"No, we do have them," Tia said. "I just..." She looked at her hosts.

"You can trust us," Celestia said with a patient smile. "Whatever the problem is, you can trust us."

Tia looked into her eyes, saw the understanding and comfort there, and nodded. "I don't normally have, well...these," she said, wiggling her fingers.

"You don't have hands?" Luna asked curiously.

Tia shook her head. "It's an unfamiliar experience for me."

"Then how do you handle things like forks and pens?" Luna asked.

"Magic," Tia replied.

"Of course you do," Luna muttered, biting into a strip of bacon.

"You never actually mentioned what you..." Celestia paused for a bite of eggs. "What species you are."

"I deliberately avoided it," Tia admitted. "I thought it would be...too much."

Luna snorted. "Right, because 'I'm a magical princess from a magical alternate world and that statue outside CHS is a magical portal' was normal dinner conversation," she said.

Celestia rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Luna," she hissed, "try to be more supportive and less...you."

Luna gave her a look that Tia knew all too well from her own sister, and as painful as the memories were, she couldn't help but giggle. "Lulu always did delight in antagonizing me, especially at breakfast," she said.

Luna seemed taken aback. "Where did you hear that name?" she asked. "Ti—my sister hasn't called me that in years."

Tia smothered a naughty smirk, bringing her orange juice to her lips. "Did she stop calling you that before or after she stopped calling you Woona?"

Celestia, who had been in the middle of a sip of coffee, produced a textbook-perfect spittake. Luna stared, jaw agape, at Tia, whose eyes twinkled devilishly. She then looked accusingly at Celestia. "What the fuck did you tell her?" she hissed.

"I didn't tell her anything!" Celestia insisted, laughing as she mopped up coffee.

Tia smirked as she picked at another strip of bacon. "If you needed any more proof that I truly am Celestia," she said before popping the bacon into her mouth. After chewing it, she hummed thoughtfully. "I could get used to this. What animal does this meat come from?"

"Pigs," Celestia said.

"Hmm." Tia licked her fingers clean, then cut into her waffles again. "And...animals in your world are not sapient, I trust?"

Luna snorted. "Of course not," she said. "Humans are the only sapient species."

"And some great apes, and dolphins and whales," Celestia amended. "At least, that's what scientists think."

Tia frowned. "And...horses? Cows? Sheep? Donkeys?"

"No, of course not," Celestia said dismissively. "Horses are beautiful and intelligent creatures, don't get me wrong, it's why they're so highly revered in our society and culture. But they're no more sapient than the dog that keeps peeing on my azaleas."

"And cows aren't any of the above," Luna said. "The one thing they are is delicous."

Tia suppressed a shudder. "You don't...eat equines, I hope?"

Celestia made a disgusted face. "Of course not," she said.

Tia sighed in relief.

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me horses and cows and sheep talk where you come from," she said in a mildly sarcastic tone.

"Yes," Tia said simply.

Celestia stared at her, eyes wide. "Seriously?"

"Yes," Tia repeated. "All equines, most bovines." She took a deep breath, then plunged in. "Myself included."

Luna dropped her fork.

Celestia blinked. After a moment, she slowly said, "Equestria."

"The name is not coincidental," Tia said.

Luna shook her head, then peered at Tia with narrowed eyes. "You're...a horse."

"Pony," Tia clarified.

"You're telling us...you're a horse princess."

"That's right."

"From a magical land of talking horses."

Tia took a bite of eggs, staring at Luna with as open and honest an expression as she could muster.

Luna glanced from her to Celestia. "Say something," she said.

Celestia opened her mouth, started to talk, stopped, then shook her head. "No wonder you're having trouble with your hands," she said numbly.

"You seriously expect us to believe you're a magical talking horse princess who has somehow turned human," Luna said flatly.

"I don't expect you to believe anything," Tia said. "I have told you the truth. Whether or not you choose to believe it is up to you." She looked from Luna to Celestia, then wiped her mouth. "My name is Princess Celestia of Equestria. I am one of the last Alicorns. I have lived for over three thousand years. I have seen empires rise and fall. For millennia, I have raised the sun each morning and lowered it each night. I have fought and defeated usurpers, dragons, and demigods. I have ruled Equestria for most of my life. I am, to my dismay, worshipped as a goddess by many of my subjects. And in all of my many years of life, I have made three great mistakes. One of those mistakes separated me from my sister. Another led to my own personal heartbreak when I was forced to part with the one I loved. And the last...has brought me here." She finished her orange juice. "For the first time in a thousand years, I feel alone, small, and afraid. You—alien counterparts of myself and my beloved sister—are the only ones I can trust and rely on in this strange world where I am powerless." She looked from Celestia to Luna, her eyes old, tired, and sad. "That is the truth." 

Tia finished her breakfast in the silence that followed her proclamation. Luna and Celestia watched her eat, neither seeming to want to speak.

Once Tia's plate was clear, Celestia swallowed heavily. "Alright," she said. "We'll do whatever we can to help you. Right, Luna?"

Luna nodded dazedly. "Of...of course," she agreed, still staring at Tia with wide eyes. She shook herself, then drained her coffee cup. "We...we'll need to get you some things. Clothes, a phone..."

"A computer," Celestia said. "She'll absolutely need a computer. I'll...I'll help you learn how to use your hands."

"Thank you," Tia said gratefully, frowning at her fingers. "It's...it's getting easier, just sitting here eating breakfast." She flexed her index finger experimentally, curled her hand into a fist, then spread it out flat. "I believe it will simply take practice."

"Would you like me to help you with your earrings now?" Celestia offered.

"Please," Tia said. "Also, would you mind putting my hair up for me the way it was last night? I rather liked it."

Celestia smiled. "Of course."


* * * * *


A half hour later, Tia, now wearing her earrings and necklace and with her hair back in a high ponytail, sat as the line judge and sole observer of what was, to her, a very confusing argument.

"A tablet would be more practical," Celestia said.

Luna slammed a fist on the kitchen table. "Tablets are for boring people who lack creativity!" Luna insisted. "Tia is obviously a very creative girl—"

"Thank you," Tia interjected primly.

"—so she needs a laptop!"

"We're not turning a magical pony princess into a gamer, Luna," Celestia said mildly.

"You think I just want somebody new to pwn?" Luna exclaimed incredulously. "I could pwn all of Canterlot in my sleep! I just think she needs more..." She flexed a bicep. "Muscle out of whatever we get for her! I mean, she clearly has a great deal to learn. Do you really think a dinky tablet is going to have enough memory and power?"

"I fail to see how a laptop provides more educational value than a tablet," Celestia said. "They both have equal access to the same information on the web—"

"Sister," Luna said patiently, "tablets suck."

"They most certainly do not!" Celestia said.

Luna began ticking points off on her fingers. "You've never gotten your tablet to work with our home printer or the school printers. Streaming video is garbage on a tablet. Memory is garbage on a tablet. Storage is garbage on a tablet. If Tia truly knows nothing about our world, she's going to need full cultural immersion just to fit in and not be branded a freak. That means movies, music, memes, everything. And how is she to learn how to use her hands without a proper keyboard to learn to type on?"

Celestia frowned. "Fair points," she admitted. "Still—"

"And," Luna said, waving her phone (Tia had at least learned what that particular device was called, if little else) at Celestia, "Blue Box is offering twenty percent off if you buy a laptop and a smartphone."

Celestia paused, frowning. "Contract?"

"Two year."

"What's the monthly?"

"Reasonable."

Celestia pursed her lips. "Tia? What do you think?"

Tia blinked. "I honestly have no idea what the two of you are talking about." She shifted slightly. "Umm...I don't know if I'm comfortable with the two of you spending what sounds like a significant amount of money on me."

Celestia waved her off airily. "Don't worry about it," she said. "We have more than enough money to support you, and...well..." She smiled sadly. "I've always wished I had a daughter to spoil. I just never made the time to start a family."

Tia nodded sympathetically. "I know what you mean," she said. "Over the centuries, I have had the occasional suitor, but have only ever been in love once, and that ended...awkwardly." She coughed. "I have, of course, adopted many fillies and colts over the years, attempting to fill the void, but I fear I have never been the best mother figure." She sighed. "As evidenced by the current situation with Sunset Shimmer."

"That reminds me," Celestia said, pulling out her own phone. She showed it to Tia. "Is this her?"

Tia blinked. "Yes, it...it certainly does look like her. Although she looks...different." She frowned as she scanned the surrounding text. "Missing teen? Suspected runaway? What—"

"It's a news article from two years ago," Celestia said. "I follow news reports of missing children from across the country. I'm a member of a volunteer watch of sorts that keeps an eye out for troubled teens who have run away from home. That's why the name Sunset Shimmer rang a bell."

"This Sunset Shimmer disappeared from her home in Fillydelphia two years ago," Luna said.

Tia frowned. "Then she is definitely the Sunset Shimmer native to this world," she said. "The Sunset Shimmer I chased through the portal has been my student for six years." She sighed. "I hope she's alright..."

Luna coughed. "We have a lot of shopping to do today," she said. "We should...we should really get going."

"And I need to get over to the school," Celestia said. "The paperwork never ends." She glanced at Luna. "I'll leave it up to you what to buy her," she said. "Just...use good judgment, alright?"

"Leave it to me," Luna said. "Come, Tia! Blue Box awaits."

Celestia tilted her head. "Shouldn't you go clothes-shopping first? Especially considering the, ahem, underwear situation?"

Luna smirked. "Think about the kind of person who works at Blue Box, sister," she said in a devious tone.

Celestia blinked...then groaned. "And this is why summer Luna is worst Luna," she muttered.


* * * * *


Ten minutes later, Luna's car backed out of the driveway, with Tia firmly belted into the passenger seat. "What exactly powers this carriage?" Tia wondered aloud. "I had suspected steam, but—"

Luna glanced askance at her. "Are you serious about being from some kind of storybook fantasy world?" she asked. "I mean, really."

"I have spoken nothing but the truth of my home and life," Tia said tersely. "I understand your skepticism, but I also grow weary of it."

"So if you're three thousand years old, why do you look like you're fifteen?"

Tia shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "I don't understand the magic that governs the portal. Not even Starswirl the Bearded fully understood how the portals worked, and he was the wizard who created them." She glanced at Luna curiously. "How old are you and Celestia?"

"I'm twenty-eight," Luna said. "Celestia is thirty-six."

"Well, the age difference between you is the same as the age difference between me and my sister," Tia said with a frown. "It is puzzling that I'm not an exact duplicate of this world's Celestia," she mused. "Then again, I've only encountered parallel versions of myself a handful of times. There are...usually differences." She shook her head. "Anyway, back to the carriage."

"Car," Luna said. "We just call them cars." She coasted to a stop at an intersection. "This car's a hybrid. It runs off either gas or a battery."

Tia gave her a blank look. Luna sighed as she turned right and continued on. "I guess your magical pony land doesn't have engines."

"Oh, we do have engines," Tia said. "Usually they run on steam. Most of our trains are powered by steam."

"Wow," Luna said in a dry, sardonic tone. "I've never even been on a steam train. I think they decommissioned the last steam locomotive about fifteen years ago. All the trains today are either diesel or electric."

"Ah, electricity!" Tia said in a bright tone. "That, I know! We have seven hydroelectric dams in Equestria, providing power transmission to most of our towns and cities." She paused, then added, "We don't use it for much, though. Mostly hospital equipment and some lighting. Oh, and refrigeration. Electric refrigerators are far more efficient. But apart from that, electricity is more a curiosity than anything."

"You're kidding," Luna said flatly, risking a perplexed stare at Tia. "Here, everything runs on electricity. We are quite literally helpless without it."

"That seems...dangerous," Tia said. "What happens if the electricity fails?"

"We wait for the power company to fix it," Luna said simply. "With increasing degrees of panic, fit-throwing, and so forth, depending on how addicted to technology we are."

"And if it can't be repaired?"

"I don't think that's even possible with today's technology," Luna said. She turned onto a much broader road which was densely packed with cars. Tia looked out the window with interest. Dozens of vehicles of all shapes, sizes, and colors whizzed past along three lanes of shimmering pavement. Even more vehicles, moving in the opposite direction, passed on a road that ran parallel to the one they were presently on; the two were separated by a series of grassy dividers surrounded by yellow-painted cement. Signs along the side of the road offered information—presumably; none of it made sense to Tia—as well as advertisements for various things.

"I really do have a lot to learn, it seems," Tia mused.

"Well, you have plenty of time," Luna said.

Fifteen minutes later, Luna pulled into the parking lot of a large building with a bright blue roof and a sign above the broad glass entrance which said 'BLUE BOX'. "And here we are," she said. "If Celestia asks, we did not come here first, alright?"

Tia rolled her eyes. "I don't understand why the two of you were arguing about which store to visit first. It seems...silly."

Once Luna found a parking place and turned off the motor, they got out of the car and walked to the entrance. Tia gaped up at the store. "This building is...rather large," she said.

"Well, it's an electronics and appliance store," Luna said. "It wouldn't be much of one if it were small." She glanced at Tia. "What, stores aren't very big in your magical horse land?"

Tia shook her head numbly. "The largest stores in Canterlot can accomodate maybe...twenty customers at a time, if that."

Luna snorted. "In that case, the mall's going to give you a heart attack." Shaking her head, she led the way through the glass doors, which slid open as the ladies approached.

Upon entering, a gangly man with pimply cream-colored skin and slicked-back brown hair walked up to them. He wore khakis, a blue polo shirt with the store logo, and round-framed black glasses. "Vice-Principal Luna!" he said in a high, nasally voice.

Luna smiled. "Giz," she said. "You graduated two years ago, you can just call me Ms. Luna now."

Giz chuckled. "Okay." He glanced at Tia, blinked, and looked again, his mouth hanging open. "Wha-what the...?"

"This is our younger cousin Tia," Luna said quickly. "I know, the resemblance to my sister is very striking, is it not? She's new in town and will be staying with us for a while. I'm afraid all of her baggage was lost, so we're replacing everything she owns today."

"I, uh, I see," Giz said distractedly. There was a faint blush to his cheeks.

Luna snapped her fingers sharply in his face. "We're here to pick up a laptop and a smartphone for Tia," she said briskly.

"Oh! Oh. Right." Giz cleared his throat. "What kind of, umm...what kind of laptop did you have in mind?" he asked Tia.

"Umm...I'm letting my cousin decide," Tia said. "I don't know a lot about, umm...such things."

"Well, if anybody knows their computers, it's Ms. Luna," Giz said with a chuckle. "Come on back, you probably know where what you want is better than I do."

Tia tuned out the conversation between the two, looking around the store with interest. There were many things on display on the shelves and on the walls, and they were all very...shiny. Things which looked similar to the objects her hosts had in their living room were displayed, with placards proclaiming their features and prices. Many of them were lit up from within and showed images—some moving, some still.

She found herself simply wandering around, gawking at everything, lost in a reverie. She was so caught up in her rubbernecking that she collided with someone, who let out a startled grunt.

She turned to see a pale-skinned girl with electric blue hair, oversized purple sunglasses, and a pair of seafoam-green headphones standing behind her. "Oh, I'm so sorry!" she said.

The girl gave her a thumbs-up and a grin, then wandered off, bobbing her head.

"New friend?" Luna asked from behind her. Tia turned around. Luna smirked and nodded toward the front. "We're all set," she said. "Gizmo's ringing us up and activating your phone."

Tia followed Luna to the front of the store, where Gizmo waited with a slender cardboard box with a handle on top and a small assortment of packaged items. They stood waiting while he did whatever he was doing; after a few minutes, he started putting things into a plastic bag and read off a rather alarming-sounding total to Luna. Luna slid a thin card through a slot, which beeped. Something behind the counter spit out two long, thin reams of paper, which Gizmo tore off and handed to Luna. He then smiled at Tia. "Enjoy your new phone and laptop, and welcome to Canterlot!"

"Thank you," Tia said as Luna picked up the cardboard box in one hand while handing Tia the plastic bag. They left the store and walked back to Luna's car; the back end popped open, and Luna placed everything inside, slamming the lid.

"Next stop, the mall," Luna said as they got into the car.

"I...don't know how money works in this world yet," Tia said, "but it sounds as though you just spent...quite a bit."

"Well, it wasn't exactly cheap," Luna admitted, "but like Celestia said, we're not hurting. Don't worry about it."


* * * * *


Tia stared in stunned shock. "Wh-what is...what is this?!"

Luna smirked. "Canterlot Mall."

Tia shook her head. "It's as big as my castle! Maybe bigger!"

Luna chuckled. "It is a castle, of sorts. A castle of retail shopping. Two hundred stores, though most of them sell worthless crap."

"How...how do you find anything in there?"

"Experience, browsing, the mall directory," Luna said airily. "Don't worry too much about it, though. We're only going to one place." She pointed to the nearest entrance; the wall surrounding it had a different appearance from the rest of the wall around it, a more muted blue-gray as opposed to the shining white with red brick trim of the rest of the mall. Tall indigo letters spelled out the logo "NAVY BLUE" above the glass doors and windows.

Inside, there were hundreds of racks and shelves of clothing, flowing in a veritable sea of color and cloth. Luna led Tia over to a long counter, where a smiling woman greeted them. Luna took the woman aside and spoke to her in hushed tones; the woman occasionally cast surprised glances at Tia, then worried at her lip as she spoke to Luna. This exchange went on for several minutes before the woman rooted around in a drawer and handed Luna a long, flexible measuring tape. Luna thanked her and led Tia through the back, down a corridor lined with curtained-off booths to either side. She knocked on the wall beside one, waited, then pulled back the curtain and ushered Tia inside. "Strip," she commanded. "All the way down."

Tia complied, removing every garment she had put on that morning. Luna approached her with the measuring tape, instructing her to move this way, turn that way, raise her arms, lower her arms, and more, all the while taking notes into her phone. When she was done, she picked up the panties Tia had put on that morning, checked something, and nodded. "Put these back on," she said. "After that, stay in here, keep that curtain closed. I'll be back shortly."

Tia put her panties back on and waited, shifting side to side uncomfortably. The tile floor chilled her bare feet.

Two minutes later, Luna walked back in, carrying a handful of odd-looking garments. "What are those?" Tia asked curiously.

"Bras," Luna said. "I worked it out so once we find one that fits, you can wear it while we finish shopping. The clerk here agreed to it since you're..." She shook her head. "Well, it's not important. Here, let me show you how this works."

Tia quickly caught on to the fact that the bra was designed to support and conceal her teats while restricting their movement. "I am a bit curious about these human teats," Tia said as Luna fastened the bra clasp at her back, then stepped in front of her to study her critically. "They seem...unnecessarily large, considering I have not, to my knowledge, had a foal recently."

"They're just like that," Luna said dismissively. "You get used to it." She smirked. "You'll get used to a lot of things." There was a vague, gleeful menace in that smirk that set Tia ill at ease. After a moment, Luna nodded in satisfaction, then clipped a small cardboard tag off the bra. "Okay, get dressed, we'll finish shopping."

Luna led Tia around the store. In addition to the bras, she selected several pairs of panties; Tia looked over the various pants, shirts, and skirts the store had, with Luna commenting on one or another item.

An hour later, they left Navy Blue with three huge bags of clothes. Tia now had a complete wardrobe of underwear, socks, jeans, shorts, skirts, tops, and four pairs of shoes. "This should hold you until closer to time for school to start," Luna said. "Celestia aims to enroll you in CHS. We'll go someplace a little less...clearance rack before then."

"Alright," Tia said. "So, are we done?"

"One more stop to make," Luna said as they put everything in the car. "The drug store. You'll need a few...things."


* * * * *


On the way home, Luna and Tia stopped to pick up pizza for lunch. The prospect of pizza was enticing to Tia; in Equestria, it was largely a Manehattan dish, and she had never actually had occasion to sample it.

When they pulled into the garage, Luna carried the pizza, breadsticks, and sodas they'd bought inside, while Tia took one bag of clothes and the cardboard box containing her laptop on her first trip. A second trip later, all the shopping was hauled into the house and laid out on Tia's bed.

"Let's plug your phone in and get it charging now," Luna said as she rooted around for paper plates. "We'll set up the laptop after lunch." She walked back to Tia's room and came back with a phone not unlike her own, with a metallic light blue back. Tia watched with interest as she connected a long, thin cord to the side of the phone, then attached the other end of the cord to one of the many beige panels on the walls.

"I've been meaning to ask about those little panels," Tia said.

Luna frowned. "You mean the power outlets?" she asked. "I thought you said your horse world has electricity."

"It does, but I haven't seen anything like that," Tia said.

Luna's brow furrowed. "So how do you get electricity where it needs to go?"

"Through the air?" Tia said, now feeling confused herself. "The coils transmit the power, it carries to the edge of transmission range..."

Luna's eyes widened. "YOUR WORLD HAS WIRELESS ELECTRICITY?!" Her jaw dropped. "They've been trying to make that a viable technology here for over a century!"

"That's simply how it's always worked in Equestria," Tia said with a shrug. "Of course, unicorn magic is involved."

Luna's shoulders slumped. "Of course it is," she muttered. "Well, let's eat."

Luna carried the pizza, breadsticks, sodas, and paper plates over to the living room table and flopped down on the sofa. Tia joined her. "That pizza smells good," she commented.

"Guess you don't have that in horse world either," Luna said.

"We do, but I've never had the opportunity to try it. I don't get up to Manehattan very often, and Canterlot's culinary guilds..." Tia grimaced. "They're...particular about what sort of establishments are allowed within the city. The only time I've ever exerted my authority over their wishes was to allow a donut shop to open in Canterlot."

Luna shook her head. "Okay then." She opened the box and revealed the cheesy bounty within: a pepperoni pan pizza. She grabbed a slice for herself; Tia did likewise, placing it on her own plate. Luna divided up the breadsticks between them and gave Tia one of the two cups of dipping sauce. With food in front of her, she settled back in the couch. "Let's see what's on TV today," she said, picking up the remote from the table beside her and pointing it across the room.

The most prominent of the multitude of strange objects in the room came to life, showing a man walking back and forth in front of a map that had large green and yellow blobs moving across it. Luna frowned. "Oh great, it's going to be rainy later this week," she muttered.

Tia blinked. "Is this...a movie screen of some sort?"

"It's a television," Luna said. "It's how we get most of our news and entertainment here." She pressed a button on the remote, and the weather forecast was replaced by a couple engaged in an act of passion.

Tia stared. "This is entertainment?"

"Some people think so," Luna said. "Bah, I don't feel like channel-surfing." She pressed another button, and the scandalous images moved to one corner of the screen. The rest of the screen was filled with a grid that listed times, channel numbers, and what Tia assumed to be descriptions of the available choices. Luna evidently saw something that caught her fancy, because after a moment, the image changed to two men in cloaks circling one another, holding swords made of light. Luna turned to Tia with a smirk. "Now it's a movie screen," she said before taking a large bite of pizza.

Tia watched intently as she took a bite of her own pizza. Her eyes widened. "Oh...oh my," she said. "This...this is wonderful!"

Luna grinned. "Pizza is one of the best dishes ever invented," she said. "It's a little on the fattening side and all the grease isn't good for you, but what is these days?"

Tia laughed softly. "I've often found the most delicious things are the ones that are the most fattening." She grimaced. "Although one photo printed out of context in one newspaper can lead to...disastrous situations."

"Oh?" Luna asked.

"Suffice to say I've picked up the rather embarrassing nickname 'Cakelestia', and there are rumors floating around that my diet consists of cake, cake, and more cake," Tia said as she took another bite of pizza. "What are these little round things? Is it more meat?"

"Pepperoni," Luna said. "And yes, it's meat, but don't ask what's in it. For one thing, nobody really knows. For another, nobody wants to know." She picked an errant slice of pepperoni off her plate and popped it into her mouth. "Sometimes, ignorance is bliss." At Tia's forlorn glance, she added, "All anyone knows for certain is that it is allegedly mostly pork and beef. It just doesn't come from, shall we say, prime cuts."

Tia tilted her head in confusion, then shrugged. "I suppose part of adapting is not asking questions I'm probably better off not knowing the answers to," she decided before taking another bite of pizza. "As long as I don't develop an unsavory meat addiction by the time I'm able to return to Equestria, I can deal with eating meat here."

"That's the spirit!"

Tia winced as the action on the screen took a particularly violent turn. "So...what exactly are we looking at here?"

"It'd take longer to explain than there is time left in this movie," Luna said. She glanced at Tia. "You seem to know what movies are," she said. "You asked if this was a movie screen."

Tia nodded. "We have moving pictures in Equestria," she said. "They're a fairly recent thing. I don't pretend to understand how the technology works. It's one of many inventions a stallion named Time Turner has come up with."

"Time Turner," Luna repeated. "Brown hair, Trottingham accent, talks very fast, sometimes acts as though he's much older than he looks?"

"That's him," Tia said. "Most who know him just call him Doctor."

"He teaches physics at CHS," Luna said absently.

"I have to admit, though, movies in Equestria are nowhere near this level of...anything," Tia said as she watched one of the men perform an impossible leap. "They're essentially just plays filmed in places other than on a stage."

"They're serious business here," Luna said. "Hundreds of millions of dollars are spent filming a single movie, special effects technology for films is some of the most advanced technology in the world..." She dunked a breadstick into marinara sauce. "The movie industry makes more money and wastes more money every year than some nations."

The movie ended on what Tia could only assume was a depressing note, having missed most of it and not knowing what was going on in general. As it ended, another movie started immediately; she settled in, enjoying the pizza and breadsticks and making idle conversation with Luna as they watched. This one was far less elaborate than the one preceding it, but still more sophisticated than anything Tia had ever seen. The story followed a teenager who had just moved to a new town, only to fall prey to a gang of bullies. The elderly maintenance man at the apartment building where he lived taught him to defend himself, and a confrontation with the martial arts instructor for the bullies ultimately led to the protagonist facing off against his tormentors in a tournament.

By the time the movie ended, they had finished off all the food, and Tia was feeling full and lethargic. Yet another movie seemed ready to start, but Luna changed the channel again; it only took Tia a moment to realize that the new program being displayed was a weather forecast.

"Well," Luna said, standing up with a grunt, "I think it's time you start learning how to use a computer. Help me clear the table, then we'll get your new laptop out and I'll start teaching you."

"Alright," Tia agreed.


* * * * *


Celestia managed to get loose from the office at half past four, which was two hours longer than she'd intended to work on a blazing hot July day. "I wish school principals got to enjoy their summer as much as certain other people," she muttered to herself as she waited for her car's sluggish air conditioner to cool the scorching interior of the car. Even though the outside temp was only in the mid-eighties, the sun was strong, and the inside of her car was well over a hundred degrees. She'd checked in with Luna during the day, and no problems seem to have arisen with Tia.

On the way home, she stopped to pick up a frozen lasagna for dinner, as well as a loaf of garlic bread and a couple cartons of ice cream.

When Celestia walked through the door, she heard Tia's hauntingly familiar voice coming from the living room.

"Unicorns and pegasi are mythical here...humans think 'alicorn' means what? That's just silly..."

"What's it say?" Luna asked.

"This thing says you humans think 'alicorn' just refers to a unicorn's horn or the substance it's made from," Tia said. "That's...that's absurd."

"So what does it mean, miss horse princess?" Luna said in a snarky tone.

"That's...actually exactly what it means," Tia replied. "Alicorns are ponies with the magic of a unicorn, the wings of a pegasus, and the strength of an earth pony. Also, very long life spans. Not...usually on the same level as my sister and I, granted, we're special cases, but Mother was over five hundred years old when she passed into the Elysian Fields."

Celestia raised an eyebrow at that as she set down the groceries on the kitchen table. "Classical mythology?" she asked.

"Ah, sister! Welcome back. I didn't hear you come in."

Celestia walked into the living room, where Luna was watching the news while Tia sat cross-legged on the sofa, engrossed in her new laptop. "So, I trust everything went well today?" she asked.

"Yes," Tia replied. "I'm already learning a great deal about this world." She sighed. "Mostly, I'm learning how much I have to learn about this world."

Celestia chuckled. "Well, between the two of us and the Internet, I'm confident you'll learn quickly."

"Well, if nothing else, learning about your world will pass the time," Tia said. "And as concerned as I am about the state of Equestria, not to mention the matter of Sunset Shimmer...I have to confess I'm excited to have an entire new world of information at my fingertips."

"Well, I'm glad to hear some enthusiasm about learning," Celestia said. "You have slightly less than three months to get up to speed for the start of the next school year."

"Are you sure about enrolling her in CHS, Celestia?" Luna asked. "I mean—"

"I believe it is for the best," Celestia said. "Besides, if that statue at the school is a magical portal to her world, would it not make sense to put her in a position to keep a close eye on it?"

"That's true," Tia said. "The first thing I learned once Luna showed me how this Internet of yours works is that in this world, magic is..." She grimaced. "Mostly fiction. Which means my best hope for returning to Equestria before thirty moons pass is if Cadance and the unicorn scholars of Canterlot find a way to breach the portal." She sighed again. "Otherwise, I'm stuck here for the duration, and...and I can only pray that my subjects can find a way to survive without me."

"Well, surely a council of intelligent, civic-minded, err...ponies...can manage to keep your kingdom from falling apart for a couple of years," Celestia said.

Tia gave her a sad look. "You don't understand," she said. "I haven't researched how the sun and moon work in your world yet, but in Equestria, I personally am responsible for the beginning and end of each day and night. The spells the ancient unicorns used to do what I have done for millennia are lost to the ages. If Cadance can't somehow master the heavens without my guidance, Equestria's sky is stuck where it was when I left."

Celestia blinked. "Seriously? Well...what time of day was it when you, err, departed your world?"

"Twilight," Tia said.

"Oh dear," Celestia said after a pause. "Well..." She fumbled for anything encouraging to say, then gave up and shook her head. "I picked up a lasagna for dinner," she said. "I'm going to get dinner started early because I'm starving, is that alright with you girls?"

"Works for me," Luna said. "Those things take an hour to cook anyway."

"I'm looking forward to sampling more of this world's excellent cuisine," Tia chipped in.


* * * * *


Late in the evening, with a belly full of the heaviest pasta dish she'd ever eaten and a mind full of new information, new possibilities, and a whirlwind of fears, concerns, and anxieties, Tia changed into a nightgown and slipped into bed.

Elsewhere in the house, Celestia and Luna were having a last bowl of ice cream before bed as they watched the latest update on the storm front approaching the area. "She's imaginative, I'll give her that," Luna said.

"You're still skeptical of her claims?"

"Aren't you?"

"Hmm." Celestia ran her spoon through a swirl of chocolate syrup before spooning some mocha ice cream up and bringing it to her lips. "Let's just say for now, I'd rather accept that everything she's told us is the truth and do whatever I can to help her than waste energy on cynicism and doubt. Besides, if she truly is from another world, we have as much to learn from her as she does from us. Isn't that exciting?"

Luna rolled her eyes. "Well, you certainly both share the same annoying enthusiasm for learning," she said.

Celestia stared at her. "How can you, an educator, be so...dismissive of a thirst for knowledge?"

"I'm an administrator, not an educator," Luna pointed out. "And I encourage learning, of course, in all the students who pass through CHS. I just think some people are a little too invested in learning for the sake of learning."

Celestia pursed her lips. "Ah, yes. I had forgotten those six years you insisted on calling me 'Nerdlestia'." She stuck her tongue out at her sister.

Luna smirked, then dipped her spoon into her bowl. "I just...don't know what to make of her yet, I guess," she said. "Regardless of whether or not I believe her story, it's hard to fake her level of ignorance about, well...everything. At the very least, she clearly desperately needs our help."

"That much, we are in complete agreement on," Celestia said. "And if it turns out she truly is, as she claims, a magical talking equine princess?"

Luna paused, pondering that, then shrugged. "Dibs on her laptop when she goes home?"

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Finish up and get some sleep," she said. "We've got a long day tomorrow."

"We do?"

Celestia smirked. "You'll see..."