Oddball

by Crescent Pulsar

Six Mares and a Little Filly

Not expecting that second question from "Oddball", it took a moment for anyone to reply, which Twilight Sparkle elected to do as she stepped forward and concernedly asked, "You're not supposed to be a pony?"

"Nope," Oscar replied, not expressing any of the behavior that everyone else present would have expected to see from someone whose body had been changed against their will. "I don't appear to be on the same world, either."

"You're an alien!?" Most gasped or exclaimed, with varying degrees and combinations of shock, interest and fear.

Seeing their reactions, Oscar cautiously said, "Uh... Is that still true if I'm a pony like you now?"

"Looks can be deceiving," Rainbow Dash asserted from where she hovered, her forelegs crossed as she regarded Oscar with suspicion.

"Now, hold on," Applejack inserted herself as she spared the pegasus a glance, knowing things could get out of hand if they went off on a tangent. Turning to Oscar, she pointed out, "Discord claimed that you were his child. Is that true?"

"He did?" Oscar responded, who blinked her eyes in mild confusion. "Well, if it's true, then not in the traditional sense: I was a thirty-three-year-old human the last time I was aware."

"What's a human?" Spike inquired, from his safe position at Rarity's side.

Oscar assembled a description in her mind that she felt was a comprehensive enough image before replying, since she'd never had to describe her former race before. "A human is a mammal that walks upright on two legs, has hands, sparse body hair except for the top of their head, and have no tail but are really keen about getting some."

The native ponies and young dragon were too innocent to catch the innuendo, and thus found that final detail a bit strange. It also made Twilight Sparkle more curious about an observation that she had made instead of sating her interest in the human race in general, which led her to inquire, "Is that why you're taking your transformation so well? Because you have a tail?"

"...Nah," came Oscar's belated reply, due to her joke being taken literally. "I actually find all of this interesting. I'm only worried about what I'll do for food, shelter and all that."

"What about your friends and family?" Rarity asked what was on most of their minds.

Shaking her head, Oscar casually replied, "I don't have any of the former, and I'm not close to any of the latter."

That answer inspired mixed reactions of disbelief and sympathy, and a few were even aghast, so she decided to change the subject before anyone decided to try and travel any further down that unpleasant road. "Anyway," she began, while she slowly and shakily raised herself onto all four hooves, "can I eat grass? That'd make it easier to explore the world."

"Absolutely not!" Rarity declared, with a stomp of her hoof, who had finally come to a decision on how to handle the situation that Discord had left them with.

Oscar's ears drooped of their own accord. "What can I eat, then?"

"Not that!" Rarity replied, before she calmed herself down and lowered her voice to a normal level. "I mean, regardless of what you were before, you're a lost filly without a guardian right now, and you don't even know what you can eat. It would be unconscionable to allow you to wander off on your own."

Rainbow Dash spoke up in objection and said, "You're not suggesting—"

"Okay," Oscar deferred, who noted that her cooperation was widely unexpected. "I'll place myself in your care if it's not too much trouble."

"We'll need to inform Princess Celestia about this, anyway," Twilight Sparkle reasoned, to stave off a potential argument. "Let's see what she thinks about this before we commit to anything."

"Princess Celestia?" Oscar said, his ears perked up in interest. "Is she a big, white horse with a tattoo of a sun on her flank and multi-colored hair that kind of looks like an aurora borealis?"

"You know the princess?" Applejack voiced the question that was at the forefront of their minds, and deemed more important than correcting her usage of "horse" and "tattoo", which could easily be explained by her alien origin.

"I met her briefly," Oscar affirmed, with a nod of her head. "She's one of the last things I remember before waking up here."

The element bearers exchanged looks before coming to a silent agreement, which Twilight Sparkle voiced by saying, "Then it's decided: I'll contact Princess Celestia and see what she has to say. You can stay with me in the meantime."

Oscar opened her mouth to speak, but her new stomach chose that time to loudly announce that it was tired of being empty. In response, Pinkie Pie yelled, "Hold on," and zoomed over to a seemingly-ordinary bush nearby, which she jabbed a foreleg into before rummaging around in it for something. "Don't worry, Oddball! I have snacks stashed all over Ponyville, in case of snack emergency!"

While her friends silently wondered how that worked out with something perishable, she soon found what she was after and quickly presented it to Oscar, who reflexively leaned her head back when a chocolate cupcake topped with cream cheese frosting was thrust into her face. Since she couldn't help getting a good look and whiff of it, she observed that it seemed to be in an edible condition, so she plopped onto her haunches in order to accept the cupcake. Once she was sure that it was securely clamped between her hooves, she leaned in and took a bite.

Face lighting up at the flavor, she swallowed before proclaiming, "This is good!"

As Pinkie Pie happily bounced in place for a bit at the praise, the other element bearers and baby dragon relaxed more as they watched the strange filly doing something completely benign and normal. They couldn't completely dispel her odd appearance and alien origin, and the wariness it engendered, but it was a big help that she wasn't being hostile or combative.

When Oscar was finished eating, and was sure that she had licked up all the frosting about her muzzle, she regarded Pinkie Pie and asked, "Why did you call me 'Oddball?'"

Pinkie Pie cocked her head and guilelessly replied, "That's what Discord called you."

"That's not your name?" Applejack prompted, who honestly wouldn't put it past Discord to lie unnecessarily about what someone's name was.

Oscar shook her head. "It's Oscar, but I like the sound of Oddball: seems more appropriate, all things considered."

"You'll change your name... just like that?" Rainbow Dash asked, giving voice to the incredulity of the group.

Oddball simply replied, "Yup."

Pinkie Pie giggled and good-naturedly remarked, "You are an oddball!"

"Are you sure?" Twilight Sparkle inquired of Oddball. Upon receiving confirmation, she decided that it was time to move on, because she wanted to get a response from Celestia sooner rather than later. So, she spoke up and addressed everyone, saying, "Then let's head back into town. I have a letter to write, and we should keep an eye out for Discord and make sure he's actually trying to integrate into our society."

As some of her friends voiced their agreement, with Rainbow Dash particularly eager for a fight if Discord proved to be a threat, she returned her full attention to Oddball and asked, "Are you able to walk?"

Oddball got all four hooves underneath herself once again and gave it a try, but it quickly became apparent that she wouldn't be going anywhere fast. To a native onlooker she looked like a foal that was taking its very first, unsteady steps, and that image broke through Fluttershy's reservations, who hurried over to her and softly offered, "Would you like me to carry you?"

Looking up at the yellow pegasus who had lingered in the back of the group and hadn't said a word to her until right then, Oddball got a good feeling from her and offered a little smile. "Yes, please."

Fluttershy carefully placed her on her back, with all four legs splayed out. Having a warm body with a fur coat resting against another was a completely new experience, and it was far from unpleasant. In fact, when her ride began to walk, and the motion shifted her around enough for a gentle belly rub, she couldn't help resting her head and releasing a sigh of contentment.

"This is nice," she thought to herself.

Comments

[The Faceless Maker]

Well, aren't we heavy on the exposition?

[Moonlight]

Just read through what you have here so far and you have my interest. I find myself curious how things will pan out from here, partially from the warning in the description. Nice work, I'll be keeping an eye for updates.