Kelly Mathews, Equestria's Landstalker

by Leafwebs


Chapter 4_The Amended Contract – Who I Really Am

Chapter 4_The Amended Contract – Who I Really Am

Nigel’s eyes shot open but found him-self face down and even his muscle memory was tricked by the experience. With his vision clearing Nigel became aware of the ponies standing over him as they pulled something away only for it to crumble.
“By Luna’s night… Hound Speaker… wasn’t a pony.” A pony mare with purple fur and two tone pink main exclaims with an awe-struck gasp.
“It looks… like he’s not the only one, Cheerilee.” A sky blue alicorn mare with silver mane comments casting an eye at a pony that shifts to a gryphon when the collar was removed from its neck. “My name is Princess Trixie Lulamoon. Can you tell me who you are and what you remember please?”
“Nigel I… guess, not like… like I can return to my real life.” Nigel replies meekly in a cold sweet.
“You guess, you mean this is not your true form.” Princess Trixie replies cocking an eyebrow.
“Sumac was right about Hound Speaker not being a pony.” A hulking wolf made of wood barks out, lowering his head the wolf sniffs Nigel. “Unnatural magic still clings to him however.”
The mention of the name Sumac triggers a short memory of a conversation with another Timber wolf with which Nigel had spoken to.
“Hound… you need to talk with someone about those nightmares your having.” Sumac growls out quietly. “You stalk around in a daze when you’re awake and even in your sleep you do little more than plead for your sister’s safety.”
“Sumac… I thought… we were beyond this about me not being a pony.” Hound Speaker counters quietly, a hurt tear falling to the ground as he stops his attempt to move and hook a maple sap bucket to a harness he was warring and sits down.
“I know that this is a sensitive topic for you and I’m sorry you don’t believe me about you not being a pony. However after the way you charged a shadow and the reaction you had to the dolls, I’m certain some part of you remembers you being something other than a pony.” Sumac whines a little giving a sympathetic gaze. “Have you talked to your neighbors about these nightmares?”
“No… You’re the… only one I’ve had this conversation with.” Hound Speaker replies confused.
“You have some friends, try reaching out to them. If you have to talk to me in absence of someone else I would welcome you.” Sumac adds using his muzzle to lift Hound Speaker to his feet before hooking the bucket to his harness. “Now go home I’ve delayed you for long enough.”
“Okay, later Sumac.” Hound Speaker replies as he trots to Maple Village.
“Are you alright?” a gray Pegasus mare with a blond mane asks snapping Nigel back to reality before joining Cheerilee, the timber wolf Willow Bark, and Princess Trixie.
“My real name is Kelly Mathews. I think I bought a cursed item that transformed me to what I’m now.” Nigel replies pulling out his dog head whistle. “My sister was with me when it happened… I’m scared she’s in danger and I have no way home to help.”
“Please come with us Kelly… or Nigel, this sound like a private conversation to Trixie.” Princess Trixie adds offering a hoof.
“Sumac is still lost so, for now Hound; we are going to search for him.” Willow Bark barks out placing a broken claw tip in Nigel’s hand. “This might help you find him if we fail.”
Princess Trixie gathered her five close friends and a few others to board a private train. When the train was in motion, Nigel and Princess Trixie and her company discussed what happened to bring Nigel to this world.
“This should be suitable place to talk about yourself.” Remarks Princess Trixie as she waves Nigel into an open train cabin.
“Thank you Princess, like I said my real name is Kelly Mathews.” Nigel replies sitting on a bench. “I’m software writing major. I was attending the Open MMO convention with my sister Erin dressed like this, only not so realistically; to get some royalty free software to incorporate into my work.”
“We had a few minutes before I had to be at the panel that was giving out the software, so Erin asked me to check out the vendors and get… get a souvenir. I wasn’t even interested in anything when the old buzzard said he had something to complete the look.” Nigel continues doing everything she could not to break eye contact. “The next damn thing I know I’m turning toward someone’s shout and the convention dissolves away into a grassy hell where I fall on my ass looking like this. With nothing better to do I followed the tracks to that village.”
“That not fair at all.” Rain Drops remarks with a hint of rising rage.
“Trixie is familiar with the difficulties involved in otherworldly travel. It will be hard but we are capable of helping you begin your search.” Princess Trixie remarks with a smirk and clapping her hooves. “For now we are heading home so we get materials to create a tracking charm out of this claw tip.”
“How… how long was I Hound Speaker?” Nigel asks nervously.
“I’m sorry… if what we learned during our time infiltrating the town is true you were that way… for almost a month and a half.” The blond mane gray Pegasus replies her ears folded. “My name is Ditzy Doo by the way.”
The Princess and her friends recounted their tale that brought them to Maple Village.
“We overheard a conversation you had with the Mayor.” Princess Trixie continues taking in the shocked expression on the trembling Nigel's face. "After you were by yourself we stopped you to establish our cover."
The memory of that day flashes in the elf’s mind.
“You were courteous when we first spoke to you then, but if we asked anything about the town or that dealt with your past the collar they had on you would glow and you would become evasive.” Cheerilee states as a guilty expression crosses her features.
“We discovered that the spell had limited range the day you returned late from the maple fields crying.” Rain Drops adds. “I intended to ask you about that but the damn collar activated by the time I reached you. You weren’t even aware that late when I confronted you.”
“We followed you into the fields and encountered Timber wolves after you failed to find what you were looking for. They seemed pretty comfortable with your presence.” Princess Trixie adds raising an eyebrow.
“The whistle I carry has the in game power of letting me speak to dogs.” Nigel mutters in response. “It isn’t even an important item in that game. Why would a merchant have such a souvenir for a game which had no official merchandize?”
“There is a Pegasus who talks to animals back home. She might like to hear about what passes for a chat between a pony and timber wolf or elf and timber wolf.” Ditzy Doo adds with a small smile.
“Back to what happened in the maple fields.” Princess Trixie grimly adds. “We noticed your talent but in the interest of time Princess Luna used a spell and talked to the Timber Wolf alpha. He revealed the location of our foalnapping victims to us and also told us you were just another hostage.”
“Twilight Sparkle cast a spell on your collar that would disenchant all the other control collars and the control hoof bracelet when your collar was next activated.” Rain Drops adds with a neutral expression. “Shortly after she finished you took off in a rage to confront Maple’s mayor.”
“We reached the meet up point with the others.” The engineer calls back and begins slowing the train down.
The sounds of families reuniting and happy children put a smile on the gathered mares’ faces. After the train got moving again the door to the compartment that Nigel and Trixie’s group were in opened allowing a dirt covered and armored dark blue alicorn to enter. She moved slowly, clearly from exertion; to a seat across from Nigel.
When she looks up at Nigel she cocks an eyebrow and a small tired smirk forms.
“Solving the one mystery is enough work for this day. You and I need to discuss the meaning behind your nightmares and your presence in our nation however.” Princess Luna remarks with a hint of pride in her voice, then turns slightly to face Princess Trixie. “Firstly we will get our tired families home and notify the neighboring nations that we have found their citizens.”
“How’s Twilight?” Ditzy asks.
“Happy. I left her in her family’s care to get some well deserved sleep.” Luna replies. “None of the foals were hurt or under fed, but misery from being separated from their families will take time to heal.”
The train ride back to Ponyville took about four more hours giving the Princesses time to fully catch up on each other’s part of their mission. Nigel who is also Kelly Mathews and Hound Speaker was asked more about himself.
“You mentioned you job aspiration before, but I don’t see how it would necessitate being armed with a sword.” Princess Trixie comments.
“It would be the one thing I gain from him. No by the way, I’ve never used a sword and I never need one for my career.” Nigel replies downtrodden. “I don’t even have a clue if it was one of the magic types.”
“If anything I wouldn’t even have a say on the story with my job.” Nigel continues.
“But you said it includes writing, how is that not story related?” Cheerilee replies confused.
“The writing I do is more like the stage instructions in a play than it is scene events of the story. Only I do this without the needing an actual stage.” Nigel replies with a small smile. “Someone else supplies the story, art, music, and such and I write the code that makes it behave like a play that the watcher controls, basically making an interactive story.”
“That is quite interesting we could find somepony with a similar job if it would help make things easier for you during your stay while we work out how to get you home.” Cheerilee offers.
“Thank you.” Nigel adds.
It was quite the rest of the trip to Ponyville with Nigel not wanting to talk yet about Erin.
Upon stepping off the train Nigel feels a tingle and his vision distorts before him. The Ponyville train platform and village past it dissolves away into a crowded government office room. Nigel catches a brief glimpse of a flying Friday doll before his focus settles on Erin.
“Sister I… missed you. Erin how am I able to stand with you now?” Nigel whimpers running up to and pulling his sister Erin into a weak hug.
“It was us. About three hours ago you were transported from our perspective, how long has it been from yours?” Spoke the CIA Agent whose ID badge had the name Dan Forest on it in a worried tone.
“About… it was about… a month and a half ago from what I was told. Yet I only remember three days.” Kelly replies in Nigel’s alien voice shaking his alien head.
“Kelly what happened to you?” Erin asks.
“I spent most of that time as a pony…” Kelly replies depressed. “I ended… up… in this small village… and was ambushed. I would have stayed that way if not for Princess Trixie, a former Lord of Luna’s Night Court.”
“We’ll have to address the diplomatic concerns later as the tracer dart is almost dead.” A different agent states examining a cracked and muddy thing attached to Kelly’s clothes.
“You mean Kelly could be ripped away from us again.” Erin replies distraught eyes going wide as she grabs this new agent.
“I don’t know for sure. The Merchant trope indicates that his victims can only leave their linked universe during the duration of a summoning contract.” He explains shaken. “Kelly’s item was programmed to send her to this other world. When the dart fails it might think the contract ended and she be gone.”
“No, no, it can’t be true…” Erin cries running back to Kelly’s side.
The feelings of hope Kelly began feeling started fizzle out at the prospect of watching her sister fade away again.
“You could have been more tactful, Rick.”An agent with the CIA ID Tag of Director Watson scolds the new agent who had sprung the bad news.
‘I… I can’t… can’t go on living if I lose you.’ Kelly screams silently in her head as the possibility of never going home returns with a vengeance.
“Wait folks…” A new man in more casual clothes speaks raising a hand slightly. “Programmed, her item is programmed to send her someplace else and turn her into this game character.”
“You’re suggesting…” Rick replies eyes lighting up in hope.
“I think it can be reprogrammed or patched…” The civilian consultant continues.
“This is a technology or magic we don’t understand, how do you propose we reprogram this item. We can’t hook it up to a computer and we don’t have the time to analyze it code before the dart dies.” Director Watson asks skeptically.
“We have a short cut through my connection with Lava Gazer.” The civilian consultant proposes.
‘Was that a pony name?’ Kelly thought stunned now noticing the agoraphobic flame mane silver unicorn by the civilian consultant. ‘It’s was him… the unicorn from the convention hall.’
The sight of Lava Gazer became the confirmation of some omen of good fortune for Kelly after all she went thru.
“Hold on… It’s not… ” Lava Gazer sputters in a weird accent before he starts speaking more clearly. “Wait I can’t just alter a spell like this without some idea of what the end result needs to be. I need at least a personal item and picture just to get her looks right and that doesn’t even address the other part.”
“I have her purse… It even has her id still in it. She gave it to me to hold before we talked to that jerk.” Erin meekly adds.
“We can use the planer trans-locator scanner to provide the baseline for reprogramming the location and for her form if we wire it into Mike’s arm.” Dan adds gesturing to the civilian consultant. “Will you give it a try?”
Lava Gazer nods ears splayed back in nervousness. “Okay I will do it.”
While the agents worked on something with Lava Gazer, Kelly turned to her sister.
“Have they called our parents yet?” Kelly asks nerviously.
“Yes, but they didn’t tell them about you yet.” Erin replies sobbing some. “The convention got trashed and it made the news.”
“I really got taken by The Merchant then…”Kelly glumly mutters. “Were you hurt? Did he banish anyone else?”
“I was roughed up a bit… one of the CIA agents stood against The Merchant long enough for our unicorn savior to free me somehow from his grasp.” Erin meekly replies. “A fight took place between the two and the unicorn and the others won with a mega spell that killed the monster.”
“I’m patched in how do we start this?” A female CIA Agent asks booting up a lab top hooked up to Mike’s arm and another arm mounted machine.
“I should be… able to see the objects aura if you point that… at the items.” Lava Gazer replies nervously his accent briefly returning. “Once I have it… I’ll begin casting a… casting a spell on her item.”
“Turn it on.” Director Watson orders.
The female agent first points some device at Kelly’s possessions and the unicorn Lava Gazer begins to concentrate a small glow forming on his horn. Kelly’s breath hitches at an unexpected tingle spreads over her body.
“I think… I got the body right.” Lava Gazer huffs eyes squinted and horn glowing. “I’m… ready for the location.”
“I’m loading the planer address now, Lava Gazer.” The female agent replies as she finishes typing a command into her lab top.
Lava Gazer turned to study Kelly’s every feature his eye twitching and changing focus as if straining to see something Kelly could not.
“I… I think I… have it. Stand back.” Lava Gazer remarks tired and strained as the glow of his horn transfers to Kelly. For a small moment a band of purple crossed Lava Gazers brow almost like he were wearing a metal headband. Kelly’s body felt like it returned to normal It didn’t last.
When the Spell died down the effect on Kelly stopped, making her revert back to Nigel. Like her sister Kelly couldn’t help but cry at this setback.
“Why didn’t it work?” Rick snaps in disbelief.
“I don’t know, he doesn’t have this trouble… if I touch…” Mike adds before trailing off. “Miss Mathews… Kelly is it okay with you if I touch that whistle?”
Kelly walks up to Mike and stretches her hand out with the whistle in her palm.
“Lava Gazer please try again, just one more time for me.” Mike quietly pleads adopting Lava Gazer’s accent partway thru as he places his metal hand on the whistle.
With a weak but determined nod, Lava Gazer takes a deep breath and his horn began glowing once more. This time as the glow surrounded Kelly, orange sparks also started racing across Mike’s arm sending the lab top attached to it into a frenzy as it collects the data. No one had a chance to ask if it was working before a flash momentarily blinds everyone.
“Kelly!” Erin cheers and jumps for joy at her sister’s restoration.
“It worked… it really worked.” Kelly adds her look of surprise melting into joy. “I’m me again… I don’t know why this thing is counting down but I’m me.”
“Counting down… let me take a look at it.” Mike asks.
On closer inspection of the changed whistle Mike determines that the countdown is a new mode for the artifact that allows its bearer about 48 hours worth of time in their original form every sixteen days. Kelly would be stuck as Nigel for the time being, but Patricia the female agent was able to record the process used to change her as a computer program and between her and Rick even this condition might be fully fixed with time.
“Thank you all, I would have lost my sister if you had not come to our rescue.” Erin replies wiping away a tear.
“Glad we could help.” Lava Gazer says smiling and bowing.
“Something good came from our actions relating to this mess with White Rabbit and the LeClaire Incident.” Mike adds with a sincere smile. “I will pass your thanks along miss.”
However before more could be said and done Mike’s and Lava Gazer’s bodies started phasing in and out. Patricia managed to attach a tracer to Mike’s Planer Trans-locator and Dan handed a seal envelope over to Mike before the pair finally phased out.
“Miss Mathews my name is Director Frank Watson.” Director Watson states calmly. “Normally we would not consider taking the actions I’m about to suggest, but your condition now makes you subject to the Tracer Initiative.”
“What?” Erin blurts out in shock.
“Your kidnapping by this Merchant at the Open MMO Convention combined with the limited information Rick and Patricia gathered about him make this menace a top threat to our world.” Director Watson adds pulling a folder from a suitcase on a nearby desk. “Without more information to reverse your condition permanently, your new abilities make you a priceless ally. Still we are just beginners in inter-dimensional relations and defense, I ask you to return to this other world you’re linked to and investigate the Merchants tampering. If he should come back you may be our only chance.”
“With these orders you will officially represent the United States and Earth of The LaClaire Incident.” Director Watson adds.
“I did some more looking into the Displaced Trope. It is possible to encounter others in the same position you were previously in Kelly.” Rick adds. “For us to fully restore you we need you to find these others so we filter the Merchant’s signal from your own. There is no other way with what we got.”
“Are you asking my sister to use them for our own gain?” Erin scolds.
“The Merchant will crush us at this junction if he so decides. As for the Displaced you meet the Tracer Initiative provides for you to use you own best judgment, you know the requirements of our own treatment methods they need to have an unaltered possession we can use to reset them.” Director Watson replies.
“Don’t let your guard down Kelly in your dealing with other Displaced, not everyone wants to return home. Even worse we cannot afford to war with them.” Rick counters. “Offer you help but never push it on them.”
“You will have time to think about this. Let’s get you home now so you can prepare.” Director Watson finishes.
‘Now as I ride home to spend time with my family, It has fallen to me to make a choice.’ Kelly muse’s to herself turning to Erin as they pull into their neighborhood. ‘The world is about to change once more.’
Elsewhere in a solitary and empty tower in the highest room a practitioner of the long forgotten arcane art and scholar has just felt a ripple in the mystical planes. This sage dressed in a canceling dark blue cloak and pointed wide brim hat pens a message for the thief Pockets and a Gummi Farmer.
Elsewhere still Princess Luna ponders with worry the new planet in her night sky that was announced by a ripple in the mystical planes. A black bat-winged fairy lands on her shoulder.