> Chimera
>  by Ecnalab
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun shone brightly in the afternoon sky, trying its best to warm the cool world below it. The songs of the few remaining birds were carried through the air on a crisp autumn breeze as it wound its way through the suburbs. Occasionally a few leaves would be plucked from trees cast in fall colors, blanketing the land in a red, and orange quilt.

The steady thwack of hammer on nail could be heard over the constant breeze. As the last nail was driven into the wood, and the last floorboard secured in place the worker stood, and wiped the sweat from her brow, admiring her work.

She was a young woman in her late twenties, though their were still some places that asked to see her card now and then, to which she would always give a mental fist pump.

As she brushed the brown hair that she kept cut in a short bob out of her eyes she took a moment to pull her coverall tighter against the breeze, and survey her workplace. With the floorboards, and most of the support structure in place work could soon start on the stairs,and second floor. If she, and her crew, kept up this place the house would be nearly done by the time the first snows fell.

That was all work for another day though. It was getting late, and at this time of year that meant daylight would start fading pretty soon.
Most of the other workers had already packed it in, and as she turned to join them she considered herself lucky. It had been another average day for an average girl. Some people might find routine boring, but she found it comforting. You could lose your self in routine, and let your mind wander onto whatever it wanted, from the philosophical, to the practical. She preferred the latter. 

For instance, now she was focusing on how good it was going to feel to get a hot bath, and wrap her skinny behind in a thick fluffy robe. 
Okay maybe skinny wasn't the right word, but thanks to being one of those people who are blessed with a high metabolism, and a physically active occupation her figure was definitely on the trimmer side of average. 

Average, that word pretty much summed her up, now that she thought about it. An average girl, working an average job, in an average town. Nothing really stuck out about her. Except maybe...

"Hey, Longshanks!"

Ah yes, that was it.

The call had come from one of her coworkers, and it drew attention to the one big thing that did make her a little less than average. At six foot five she was easy to pick out of a crowd, and he loved to point it out.

She was half-way to her truck when he called out to her, and as she turned to greet him she smiled and said, "Are you ever going to get tired of that one?"

"Probably not," he replied with a smile "you know it's my favorite".

It was true, he had tried every nickname he could think of, from Amazon to Stretch, but Longshanks was easily his favorite. He said he had gotten it out of one of those fantasy novels that he loved so much.

As she considered her comeback she took in her friends appearance. Being short of stature, and rather pudgy, he made her look even taller by comparison. This coupled with the fact that he didn't have a wisp of hair on his head above the ears, and sported a thick well trimmed raven mustache, led her back to her favorite title for him.

"Alright, Spacely," she said,with a flat look on her face.

They stood there for a moment, neither one moving, until slowly the corners of his mouth began to quiver, followed by hers, and they both started to laugh.

"I don't know what's more surprising, the fact that you came up with that nickname, or the fact that I had never heard it before," he said, giving her a shove as he walked up beside her.

"What can I say, I'm a child of the eighties, and it was a great show. At least it was better than most of the stuff kids watch nowadays," she replied.

As the two walked towards their cars, she piped up, "So, what are you up to tonight?"

"Oh you know, just spending the evening with the wife, and kids. You feel like joining us tonight?" he asked.

"Sorry, but I have to get home ,and get some laundry done. I'm almost out of clean shirts," she said.

"Well your loss, the wife's making meatloaf tonight," he said with a lick of his lips.

"Oh, how I would hate to miss that," she said, although to be honest his wife actually made a pretty good meatloaf. However she really hated the idea of hamper diving for clothes in the middle of the week, so laundry it was.

The two shared a brief hug before climbing into their respective vehicles, he into his sedan, and she into her old pickup.

"Take care, Longshanks."

"You too, Spacely."

With that the two friends parted ways to head home. 

The drive home was one of her favorite parts of the day. It was a chance to unwind with the help of some good music, so she took out her ipod, pressed a few buttons, and proceeded to 'let the good times roll' as she sang along.

As she drove, and the minutes passed, the houses began to get sparser while the trees grew thicker. Before long she was nearing her home in that delightful area between civilization, and wilderness that most people refer to as the boonies. 

In all honesty her little house wasn't all that far from the beaten path, but it was far enough to be private, and that was what she liked about it. Ten minutes of walking in any direction, and she would be in the deep woods with only her thoughts if she wanted.

But that was for later, right now she had things to do. Getting out of her truck, and heading for the front door, she had her keys in hand when she thought she heard something peculiar. It sounded almost like laughter coming from behind her house. Were some kids playing back there?

"Is somebody back there?" she called, sticking her head around the side of the house.

When no answer came she decided have a look. As she headed around back anybody watching from the driveway might of heard a short gasp, followed by a brief flash, and just like that the young woman was gone.
> 1. A day in paradise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun shown high in the sky over Ponyville, doing its best to fight the chill in the air. Winter was in full swing in Equestria, and snow had blanketed the land in white. In fact the last blanket had been particularly thick. While the pegusi of the local weather team were usually in complete control of the weather over Ponyville they were not in control of it over its neighbor, the Everfree forest. 


The Everfree was one of the few places in all Equestria where wild weather was common. No amount of pegasus cloud wrangling, or unicorn spell casting had ever managed to bring the sky over the forest to heel. To everyponys great annoyance, this wild weather occasionally spilled out over Ponyville. Such had been the case last night, when rogue snow clouds had rolled over the town, and preceded to dump their payload all over the place. 


Needless to say, the citizens of Ponyville were quite surprised when they woke up to find two feet of snow on the ground. While this did not mean much to the pegasus ponies, everypony else was suddenly chest deep in snow. It was so deep in fact that the local school, and most businesses, had remained closed for the day. 


The children of Ponyville, as well as some of the adults, were initially ecstatic. That lasted only long enough far the mayor to issue a public announcement requesting that all able bodied ponies help in the cleanup.  


So it was that the citizens of Ponyville set about the task of unburying their town. The earth ponies strapped on their small plowing harnesses, and began cutting pathways through the streets, the pegasi were busy clearing out the remaining snow clouds, and the unicorns were using their levitation spells to pile the snow into large mounds for later transport out of town. 


All the citizens of Ponyville were busy at their traditional winter rolls. All except for one. 


Bellerophon Michealides, or Lero to his friends, was not a typical citizen of Ponyville, or Equestria in general.  


He was a human, the only one in the world, and as such was at something of a disadvantage when it came time to clean up after the blizzard. Being neither as strong as an earth pony, nor capable of magic, or flight, the ponies had at first been unsure of just how he could help. Their uncertainty was dispelled, however, when he picked up one of the extra long shovels that they usually used to push snow off of roofs, and began throwing around scoops of snow as fast, if not faster, than most unicorns could by using their magic. 


So, shovel in hand, and bundled up in a thick winter coat, Lero was now busily clearing the snow from the walkway of one of the towns private houses. The main streets, and town square, had already been cleared, and now all that was left was the personal residents. In truth, the work had progressed faster than he had expected. The ponies were nothing if not efficient, and all thanks to one pony in particular. 


"Hi, Lero," came a familiar voice. 


Lero turned, and smiled at the approaching pony, who was decked out for winter in a light blue scarf, fuzzy pink ear muffs, and those adorable wool booties that ponies wore on their hooves when it got particularly cold.   


"Hey, Twilight," he said, while taking a knee so that they were roughly eye level. 


"How's it going over here?" she asked. 


"Just about done with this one," he replied, "I was about to start on the next." 


"Maybe I can help with that," she said. 


Twilight closed her eyes, and focused her magic. Her horn was immediately enveloped in a bright pink glow, and the faint tinkling sound caused by active magic in the air.  


As Lero watched, the snow in the walkway of the house next door was bathed in a similar light and, starting at the door, began to rise into the air in large clumps. They then floated towards the side of the road where they were added to one of the larger piles awaiting disposal. 


What had taken Lero a good twenty minuets of shoveling, Twilight had just accomplished in as many seconds. 


"Sheesh, do you really need the rest of us for this?" said Lero as he wiped the sweat from his brow. 


Twilight blushed. No matter how often she heard it, getting praise from him always made her as giddy as a school filly. It was one of the many reasons that she had courted, then joined his herd. 


"Don't worry," she said, as she rested her head on his shoulder. "You'll have plenty of time to shine during winter wrap-up."  


"What's winter wrap-up?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around her neck to gently scratch behind her ears. 


"It's, oh, that feels good. It's an a tradition here in town that goes all the way back to Ponyville's earth pony settlers," she explained. 


"Ok, but why would I shine at something like that?" Lero asked, as he stood up. 


"Because," she explained, "it's a lot of the same work we're doing today, but magic is not allowed." 


Arching his eyebrow, Lero asked, "If magic isn't allowed, then what do the unicorns do? They don't just sit on the sidelines do they?" 


Twilight had just opened her mouth to answer when a soft, familiar tittering caught both their attention. 


"Oh, come on, Fingers, I know we unicorns use our magic for a lot of things, but give us a little credit." 


That soft, whimsical voice could only belong to one pony. 


Lyra Heartstrings came trotting up to her herd mates with her ever-present grin on her face, and a thick winter cloak draped over her. Pausing to nuzzle Twilight's cheek, she turned and looked up to Lero expectantly.  


Lero knelt down, and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace, stealing a quick smooch from her lips as he pulled away. 


"Ok, Horny," he jibed, "enlighten me." 


Lyra smirked before saying, "There is a lot more to winter wrap-up than moving snow. For starters all the local animals that are still hibernating need to be woken up. Plus the ice on the ponds, and lakes has to be broken up, and next year's seeds have to be planted on all the farms." 


"And you do this all without the use of magic?" Lero asked. 


"Sure do," she responded, puffing out her chest. 


"How long dose that usually take?" he asked, a hint of concern evident in his voice. 


Lyra visibly deflated a bit at this question. In truth, winter wrap-ups of the past where something of a sore spot for Ponyville's residents. For all her charm, and public speaking skills, the mayor seemed to be quite unaccustomed to directing multiple groups of ponies to do multiple tasks at the same time. As a result it was usually a mad scramble to get everything done simultaneously, and they usually ended up finishing a week or two behind schedule.  


Lyra wracked her brain, trying to find a way to explain all this, that didn't make the town sound like a bunch of disorganized ninnies. Then she noticed Twilight out of the corner of her eye looking at the ground, and kicking at the snow. Most likely because a coveted chance to explain something had been snatched out from under her, and a smile crept back onto Lyra's face. 


"Well it doesn’t take any time at all thanks to Twilight here," she said, wrapping a foreleg around her herd-mate, and pulling her close. 


"Oh, what do you do, Twilight?" Lero asked, looking back to her, much to Lyra's relief.  


At this Twilight's ears perked up, and her eyes started doing that sparkly thing that Lero still couldn't quite explain. 


"Well you see I-" 


"Look out!" came a scream from above. 


The three looked up just in time to catch a blur of oncoming motion. Lyra quickly cast a levitation spell, while her herd took the blow head on. Of the three only Lyra was still standing, her assailant having been intercepted and held aloft in a light green field of magic. Lero, and Twilight on the other hand had taken the full brunt of the impact, and where now sprawled out unceremoniously in the snow that Lero had just finished piling on the side of the walkway.  


Lyra regarded the object currently held in her magical grip. It was a very familiar orange pegasus filly by the name of Scootaloo, eyes still covered with her hooves , and wings beating furiously in anticipation of impact. That left little doubt as to the identities of the other two. Sure enough, when Twilight stood and shook the snow from herself, she had the telltale yellow, and red form of Apple Bloom on her back. As Lero  sat up, and shook the stars from his head, he noticed two white hind legs sticking out of the snowbank beside him. The legs where kicking in the air, and struggling to dislodge the other half of their owner. Lero took hold of the small hooves, and with a firm tug, managed to pluck the small form of Sweetie Belle from the snow like an oversized white carrot.  


Setting the three fillies down, and taking a moment to make sure they weren’t seriously hurt, the three adults leveled some very unhappy looks at the children. For their part the fillies did their best to look anywhere but the eyes of the grown-ups. 


Lero was the first to break the silence. 


"Okay, girls, dare I ask what you were trying to get them for this time?" Lero was, of course, referring to the cutie marks that the three girls had been questing for since the day the met. 


"Bobsledding," the three sheepishly said in unison. 


"Girls, what was the one thing we asked you to do, before trying something dangerous?" Twilight asked after an exaggerated sigh.  


"Make sure we have adult supervision," Scootaloo answered. 


"And what was the one thing you didn't do, before trying something dangerous?" Lyra continued. 


"Make sure we had adult supervision," Apple Bloom answered. 


"And what did we say we were going to do, if you did not do this one thing?" Lero finished. 


"Tell our sisters, and let them decide our fate?" Sweetie Belle asked, with a slight cringe. 


"That's right," the adults all said in unison, as if they had plenty of practice with this little routine. 


Scootaloo didn't like the sound of that one bit. Then she remembered something Rainbow Dash had told her a while back, when in doubt, plea-bargain. 


"Aw, come on, we didn't know it was going to be dangerous," she said in her best half-whine, half-complain voice. 


"How could you not think flying through the air, on a sled, would be dangerous?" Twilight asked, with a huff.  


"We didn't know we where going to get that much air," Scootaloo retorted. 


"Yeah," said Apple Bloom, "the plan was to use that snowbank to stop us before we hit anypony." 


"How were we supposed to know there was a weird-shaped rock hiding in it?" Sweetie Belle griped. 


Looking over at the hill the three girls were pointing at, Lero, and his herd, could see that the snowbank that the fillies had been aiming for did indeed contain a rather steeply angled small boulder. Buried in the snow like that it would have been pretty easy to miss. 


"Well," Twilight said while exchanging glances with her herd-mates, who's features were starting to soften just as much as her own, "I guess we can call this one an accident. I mean you were just sledding after all." 


The fillies were smiling at each other, figuring they had dodged a bullet, when Lero spoke up again. 


"Speaking of sleds, where is yours?" he asked. 


"Oh, well it's kinda up there," said Apple Bloom, pointing up.  


A quick glance up reveled that the sled in question had landed on, and then slid down, the roof of the house they were all standing in front of, only to catch on the gutter by the hooked end of one of its runs. 


With an agitated groan, Twilight walked up to the front door of the house, and gave it a few firm knocks. The pony that answered turned out to be on of Ponyville's many florists, a pretty earth pony mare with a pale beige coat and beep maroon mane by the name of Rose. 


"Oh, hello, Twilight", she greeted with a smile, "what brings you by?" 


"Um, hi, this may sound kinda strange, but can we have our sled back?" Twilight replied, pointing up with a nervous chuckle.  


Rose stepped out in front of her house, and glanced up. She then glanced at Twilight, then up, then back at Twilight. 


"How in the-!" 



*****
 


With the day drawing to a close, and the sun setting in the distance, the sky over Ponyville was cast in a brilliant shade of pink. The sole blemish to the otherwise picturesque scene, being a small dark cloud floating lazily in the sky.  


Out of the upper reaches of the stratosphere, rainbow trailing her like a comet's tail, came the unmistakable form of a pegasus. Lancing through the cloud like a lightning bolt, and pulling up just in time to avoid a head-on collision with the ground, Rainbow Dash spared a glance over her shoulder just in time to see the cloud dissipate behind her. 


"Thunderlane!" Rainbow barked. 


"Yeah, boss?" the black pegasus replied, with a wince. 


"Get your head out of the clouds, and get back on that perimeter. We don't need any stragglers getting left behind," she instructed.  


Rainbow Dash, and her team had been at this all day, and it was beginning to show in their work. The basic plan for getting rid of the snow clouds was surprisingly simple. It involved having all the pegasi in town who weren’t part of the weather team form a semicircle around a large chunk of cloud, and use the combined force of their wing beats to create enough wind to blow the cloud mass back over the Everfree. Meanwhile the weather team would circle the perimeter, and disperse, or redirect any chunks that split off from the main body of clouds. 


While the plan seemed easy, at first, she hadn't realized just how long it was going to take. Most of her team had been in the air for hours with no break. Dash didn't like pushing them quite this hard, but she was determined to get this done before the sun set completely. They were on the last of the snow clouds, and in the home stretch. She'd probably give her team tomorrow off to rest, but right now she needed them. 


"Come on, everypony, this is the last one. Cloud Kicker, Flitter, you're on the bottom. Thunderlane, Blossomforth, you're on top with me. Everypony else, push!" she yelled.  


With a last burst of energy all the pegasus ponies in Ponyville began flapping their wings as fast as they could. The wind quickly picked up to a strength that even Dash would have had trouble navigating.  


"This is good," thought Dash. "We must be close to four hundred wing power by now." 


The clouds were quickly speeding up, and before long, passing over the border into the Everfree from witch they came. 


"Alright, everypony, break," Dash ordered.  


With that the pegasi all backed off, and slowed the beating of their wings. Some even descended, rather quickly, to the ground below. All were exhausted, their wings beats barely keeping them in the air, but still they made time to thank and congratulate each other. 


Dash, meanwhile, was still hovering over the edge of the Everfree, watching the clouds. They were drifting at a good clip, and hopefully the crazy air currents of that forest would keep it that way. 


As she surveyed the forest below her Dash shivered.  


"I don't know if that forest looks creepier with, or without leaves on the trees," she muttered to herself. 


Dash would never admit it, but despite how intimidating the Everfree was during the warmer months, in the dead of winter it looked downright sinister. Even now the bare branches seemed to be reaching out like hands, eager to grab her and pull her in. 


Dash pushed those thoughts from her head. It had already been a long day, and if she kept this up she would just end up giving herself nightmares.  


"Alright, everypony, that’s all for today. Go home and get some rest, you all earned it," she said as she turned her back on the forest. 


With the day's job done, Dash headed back towards the recently expanded town library that was the home of her herd. 


"Maybe there'll be some hands there waiting to reach out and grab me," Rainbow mused to herself. 


As she left she didn't even notice the brief flash of light in the depths of the forest. 

> 2. A stranger
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Night was beginning to fall on the primordial forest known as the Everfree. It's gnarled, leafless branches intertwined to shield the forest floor from direct sunlight. Coupled with the regions ever-present wild weather, the Everfree had few visitors and fewer permanent residents, but there was one. 


A light carpet of snow cushioned the hoof falls of the forest's most peculiar resident. Zecora, the only zebra to be found anywhere near Ponyville, trudged through the forest.  


"Oh, thank the powers that be, the snow fell after the clouds were out of the Everfree," she said to no one in particular. 


Dragging a large sled, piled high with firewood, was tiring enough on just a thin blanket of snow. If the forest had been hit with the kind of blizzard that Ponyville had just endured, then this task would have been downright exhausting. 


"Just a few more pieces for my sled, then back to home I can head." A slight shiver ran through her body, even with a thick winter cloak and leg wrappings, with the sun setting it was getting cold fast.  


Gathering firewood in winter was easily Zecora's least favorite chore. She had been at it most of the day, not because she had to look very hard to find firewood, but because of the extra caution she had to exercise during the winter months. While most of the large predators were either hibernating like bears, or dormant like timber wolves, the ones that were still active were usually quite hungry.  


The sudden snapping of multiple branches jolted Zecora onto high alert. Something had just fallen out of a nearby tree. Zecora stood rigid, whatever that was had fallen close by. She was about to bolt when she noticed something. Silence.  


No roars of aggression, no heavy footfalls incoming, not even the brief struggle of a small animal being brought down. All that could be heard was the absolute stillness of the forest.  


Emboldened by the lack of aggressive noises, Zecora began moving forward. Eyes scanning the trees, and ears pivoting back and forth, she made her way forward. Perhaps the forest is being nice, and a few large branches were brought down by ice. As she crested a small rise in the earth, the sight before her made her eyes go wide as fear shot through her. There on the ground was a familiar looking naked hairless figure, covered in red.  


"Lero, is that you?" she yelled, galloping up to the prone figure, only for realization to dawn, "No, you are new." 




***** 




It had been a long, and tiresome day for the physicians at Ponyville General Hospital. While the rest of the town had been out helping to clean up the recent snowfall, the doctors and nurses had spent all day dealing with the injuries that inevitably followed.  


Most of them had been minor, an ankle twisted while ice skating, a bonk on the head from a dropped roof shovel, and one unfortunate earth stallion who had gotten caught up in the music of harmony and momentarily forgotten that he couldn't fly. Fortunately, after dancing off of his roof, he had landed in a sizable snowdrift and sustained only minor injuries. His herd however had insisted that he go to the doctor and get checked out. 


Doctor Vital Signs, having finally assured the two mares that their stallion was fine, had just walked past the front desk and was heading towards his office. It was getting late, and he was looking forward to going home before too much longer. 


A sudden crash, and the sound of yelling snapped his attention back around. Charging back around the corner he saw the unmistakable form of Zecora. She was shouting in that bizarre native language of hers, and pulling what looked like a loaded toboggan behind her. Her eyes were frantic, and she seemed to be having trouble catching her breath.  


"Miss Zecora, what is the matter?" He asked, trying to get her to focus on him. 


In response to his question, Zecora grabbed the cloak she had used to cover whatever it was she had on her sled, and pulled with all her remaining strength.  


As the object on the sled came into view, Vital's heart nearly stopped. A thousand thoughts flew through his mind at once, threating to overwhelm him. Just as he was about to stagger though, his medical training kicked in.  


Priorities, what are the priorities? 


"Nurse, get an extra-large stretcher out here, and tell them to prep the E.R.!" he shouted. 


Within moments a team of medics was in the hospital's foyer, with a stretcher designed for a minotaur, and preparing to move the one thing they had all hoped that they would never see like this... a human. 


"On three!" yelled Vital Signs, "One, two, three!" 


With that the five ponies pulled the blanket that they had managed to get under the patient, and lift her onto the stretcher. With a quick flic of a hoof the stretcher was raised, and they were mobile. Vital Signs paused just long enough to look over his shoulder, and bark a command.  


"Somepony, detain, and get some answers out of her," he exclaimed, gesturing to Zecora, "I want to know everything!" 


With that the team of ponies was off. Racing through the hospital halls they quickly found themselves in the waiting emergency room, and got the patient onto the operating table. 


"Sterilize!" Signs shouted.  


All the ponies in the room closed their eyes, as Signs and the other two unicorns focused magical energy through their horns, and a bright white light engulfed the room. As the light faded the ponies could feel its effect washing over them. All the dust and sweat that had they had accumulated over the course of the day was washed away, while the room and everything in it was purged of microscopic life.  


The patient was also cleaned. A thick layer of dirt, grime, and dried blood having been instantly wiped away, only to be replaced by new streams of red. 


With a clear view of his patient, Vital Signs could finally asses the damage.  


"Alright ponies, we have multiple lacerations across the body including one on the side that looks very bad, what looks like a broken arm, and from the looks of the chest area, fractured ribs as well. Your first priority is the bleeding, we don't know how much blood the patient has lost. Nurse I need to see inside the abdomen," he instructed.  


As the other ponies in the room set about trying to stanch the bleeding of the less serious wounds, and hooking up monitoring equipment, a pale blue unicorn mare came around to Vital's side of the table. 


"Where at doctor?"  


Signs motioned to the large gash on the patients side, and the nurse went to work casting a very special spell. While Vital did his best to stop the bleeding of the wound with his magic, a second magical aura appeared around his. As the nurse beside him concentrated, the skin that was engulfed in the glow of her magic started to become transparent.  


"Thank you nurse See Through, but we need to go deeper," Signs instructed.  


At the doctors urging, See Through focused more magic into her spell. The human's skin vanished entirely, followed by fat, and muscle, until finally she reached the organs. 


Vital Signs let out a deep sigh. This was what he had been afraid of, organ damage. Specifically, it looked like the patients liver had been slashed.  


"Hold it there See, let me see what I can do," Signs instructed.  


As his magic flowed into the patient's body, Signs let years of practice guide his actions. As his magic worked deeper into the body flesh was knitted back together, and blood vessels reattached, until the outer wound was all but gone. Now for the hard part. Repairing a liver was always arduous, the organ was so complex that even a small mistake could do irreparable damage. Fortunately, I don't make mistakes.  


With sweat beading on his brow, Signs blocked out his surroundings and focused on his task. With the kind of concentration that most ponies never experience, he felt his way through the damaged tissue. Weaving strands back together, and repairing damaged structures, Vital didn't even notice the nurse who was yelling at him until she passed a hoof in front of his eyes.  


"What, what is it?" he snapped.  


Then Vital saw what she was motioning too. The heart monitor had flat-lined.  


"Defib!"              

> 3. The bad news
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Lero came to with a start, as he was walking down the street towards his house. A moment ago he had been completely oblivious to his surroundings. The cars on the side of the street hadn't bothered him, nor had the kids, playing on the swing set as he walked by. It wasn't until just now that he realized that he was, in fact, walking down his old street. That could only mean one thing. 


"Alright, where are you?" he whispered to himself.  


This was not the first time that he had found himself walking around in some part of the world he had left behind. The first time it had happened he had been nearly overwhelmed, as joy warred with sorrow at the thought of being back home. That is, until he saw her out of the corner of his eye.  


She was an alicorn, similar to Celestia, but not as large as the princess. She had come out of the woods around his house, just as he was about to start crying. Despite her small size, she carried herself with an almost palpable aura of authority. She had seemed mildly curious about him until he turned to regard her, and reached out his hand. Her expression had turned from curiosity, to one of surprise and shock, as she backpedaled away from him. 


Lero had woken up in bed shortly thereafter, with no small number of questions. Twilight had explained to him that what he had seen, was none other than the princess of the night, Luna. Apparently, this princess had the ability to enter, and observe the dreams of others. It would seem that she was not used to being detected, while she did so.  


Lero had thought he had scared her off for good but, a few weeks later, the same thing had happened again. Third time's the charm. This time he was determined to spot her, before she spotted him.  


Lero darted to the nearest car to him, and got into the back seat as quietly as he could. Keeping low, he proceeded to scan the area. She wasn't in the field behind him, and he hadn't seen her come out of any houses across the street, that left only two directions. Glancing left then right, he spotter her out the front-left window. She was making her way towards him down the center of the street, when she paused and squinted at one of the cars on her right, and started straitening her hair. 


"Huh, what do you know? She can see herself in that cars wax job. Oh no, don't touch it. Do not touch it, that guy has a vary sensitive-" the sound of sirens, and a blaring horn filled the air "-car alarm." 


As Lero watched, the princess reared up on her hind legs and gave a powerful flap of her wings, sending her strait into the car behind her, on the other side of the street. The impact of her backside on the sedan caused a second alarm to ring out into the air. The princess was looking around, franticly trying to find a way to stop the noise. Lero was about to get out to confront her, when he noticed her horn starting to glow. Darn it, so close. 



**** 



Lero opened his eyes to find himself in bed, with Twilight trying to get out of it as gently as she could. Upon seeing that he was awake, she blushed, and grinned sheepishly.  


"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up," she apologized.  


"You didn't," he replied. 


Feeling around in the dark, Lero was suddenly very aware that, aside from himself, the large bed they all slept in was empty. Glancing up at the clock on the wall, and squinting through the darkness, Lero was surprised by the time.  


"It's six in the morning, where is everyone?" he said, as he rubbed his eyes. 


"Rainbow is out checking the sky, to make sure none of those snow clouds drifted back over town. As for Lyra, she said she was going to help Bonbon clean up the rest of the snow around her shop before it opens," said Twilight. 


"Okay, but how did they get out of bed without waking me up?" Lero asked. 


"One, you're a heavier sleeper than you think, and two, Rainbow can fly and Lyra is, well, Lyra," replied Twilight.  


"Fair enough," he said with a yawn and a stretch ",so what has you up and about so early?"  


"Oh, I just couldn't get back to sleep after they left," she said as she made her way over to the dresser, where her hairbrush lay. "What about you, what has you awake so early?" 


"She showed up in my dreams again," he said with a sigh. 


"Who, Princess Luna?" Twilight asked as she finished up her hair. 


"Yep, I don't know why she keeps running off though," he said, as he groggily got to his feet. 


"Well she probably isn't ready to join modern society yet, or maybe she's worried that she'll embarrass herself," Twilight offered. 


"Gee, I can't imagine where she got that idea," Lero was doing his best to stifle a laugh as he said it, but he couldn't help the grin that was spreading across his face. "Oh well, what do you say we get some breakfast?" 


"Sounds good," Twilight agreed.  


As they made their way downstairs, Lero spared a glance out one of the windows. Sure enough it was still dark out there. At this time of year the sun didn't start to rise until almost nine in the morning, he figured that winter was when Celestia got to catch up on her sleep. Still he had to wonder just how this Princess Luna ruled the night, if she was off poking around in everyone's dreams. At the thought of it he shook his head, when it came to the princesses, it was usually best not to think too hard about the things they did. Besides, breakfast was waiting. 


Breakfast consisted of oatmeal, eggs, toast, grapefruit, and milk. They were almost halfway through it when a knock came from the door.  


"I'll get it," Lero said, getting up and taking a piece of toast with him. 


At the door, Lero was surprised to find one of the ponies that he knew worked at the hospital. The earth pony stallion, with the brown coat and short cropped grey mane, looked more like a drill sergeant than a hospital attendant.  


"Mr. Michealides," the stallion stated, rather than asked. 


"Yes," Lero replied, as fear started to seep into him at the thought of why this particular pony was here. 


"Doctor Vital Signs requests your presence at the hospital," He stated curtly. 


"Has something happened to one of my herd members?" Lero asked, his voice starting to rise. 


"No sir, but he says it's very important," with that the stallion, Lero never did get his name, turned and began trudging back into the dark winter morning. 


Twilight was just finishing off her toast, when Lero came back into the kitchen. The look of concern on his face did nothing for her appetite, nor did the fact that he was pulling on his coat and gloves.  


"Whoa, where are you going, and who was at the door?" Twilight exclaimed. 


"One of the ponies from the hospital, said that Doc Vital wants to talk to me," said Lero , as he made his way to the door, and his boots. 


In a sudden flash of purple light, Twilight was in front of him. 


"Omygosh, did something happen?" worry was painted across her face. 


Lero knelt down, and put his hand on her shoulder.  


"No, Twilight, nothing bad has happened, he just said the doc wants to see me," he assured. 


Twilight let out an exasperated groan. 


"Lero, if a doctor wants to see you, and says it's urgent, that’s almost always bad," she huffed. "Now lets get going." 


"So, you want to come too?" Lero asked. 


"Of coarse I'm coming! I'm not going to let you go off to be diagnosed with some horrible illness, and not be there for emotional support," she replied, while pulling on her hoof covers. 


"Twilight, remember the talk we had about jumping to conclusions?" Lero folded his arms. 


"I'm not jumping to conclusions, I'm preparing for the worst case scenario, now lets go!"  


Twilight's horn suddenly flared with a familiar magical energy. An energy Lero recognized, from the way it made his skin crawl. 


"Hey now, your not about to tele-" 



**** 



The receptionist at Ponyville General Hospital, blinked a few times as she looked at the clock.  


"Six thirty, and all's well," she muttered to nopony in particular. 


The early shift at the hospital was usually the most boring, unless they fell out of bed most ponies weren't active enough at this hour to get hurt. Although there were occasional exceptions, most mornings her only companions where her coffee, the latest news paper, and the hum of the light bulb overhead.  


The room was suddenly filled with a bright flash, and loud bang. As coffee sprayed from her mouth, she was startled back in her chair, which wobbled a few times before tipping back, and dumping her, unceremoniously, onto the floor.  


"-Port are yoaack!" Lero jumped at the sudden change in scenery.  


"Of course I'm teleporting, what did you think we were going to do?" Twilight retorted. "Now where is everypony?" 


A slight scuffling behind the front desk caught their attention, as the receptionist got to her hooves. 


"I'm right here. Who may I ask is... Oh it's you, mister Lero," she said with a smile upon seeing the tall, bipedal form of the human, "Doctor Signs is expecting you. Wait right here, and I'll go get him." 


"There, see how calm she is Twilight? I told you there was nothing to worry about," Lero gestured after the mare. 


"Fine, but if there's nothing wrong, then why did the messenger make it sound so urgent," asked twilight. 


"Because, it is." 


Twilight and Lero both turned to the sound of the voice. There in the doorway, was the familiar form of Doctor Vital Signs. His appearance, however, struck them as a bit off. The usually well groomed stallion's mane was frazzled, his tie was undone, and if the bags under his eyes were any indication, he had been awake for quite some time. 


"Doctor, is everything alright?" Twilight asked. 


Vital Signs rubbed his eyes before speaking, "I'm afraid I have something quite important to discus with the two of you, please follow me." 


Lero and Twilight shared a concerned glance at each other before following. Vital Signs led the couple through the halls of the hospital, and eventually to the stairs. As they climbed one flight, and then started on the second, Lero's patience finally started to wear down. 


"So Doc, you wanna tell us why we're here?" Lero tried to sound firm without being pushy. He knew it was early, and the doctor had obviously had a long night, but he didn't like being led around like this without knowing what was going on. 


Signs stopped on the next landing they came to. He hadn't been looking forward to this talk, and had hoped to put it off just a little bit longer, but he realized that he was just fooling himself by thinking that there would be a better time. So, waiting until they were all off the stairs and on the landing, he turned and steeled himself. 


"Okay, Lero, something happened last night," as he began he could see the concern wash over Lero, and Twilight's face. "A patient was brought in, in a very bad state, we only recently managed to get her out of critical condition."  


"Who is it, Doctor, somepony we know?" asked Twilight. 


Lero couldn't help but notice that the doctor seemed to be speaking to him specifically. Why is he looking at me like that?  


"That's just it," Signs continued, "It isn't a pony." 


"Excuse me," Lero's words were barely a whisper. 


"Lero..." Signs took a deep breath, "We have found another human." 


The words were slow, soft, and deliberate, but they seemed to hit Lero like a hammer to the back of the head. His knees nearly buckled on the spot, as his breathing started coming in short gasps, and his eyes looked like they were trying to go in two directions at once. Finally it was too much, his legs gave out and he felt himself falling. Fortunately, Signs was ready, and a pale green aura enveloped Lero and gently lowered him to his knees. As he stepped back to give Lero a little time to catch his breath he turned his attention to Twilight, whom hadn't fared much better. Her hind legs had slipped out from under her, and while her mouth was moving, the only sounds coming from it were small gasping noises. Vital Signs was beginning to wonder who would recover first, when Lero finally managed to speak. 


"Where... how..." the words came between deep breaths. 


"The same place they found you, Lero, the Everfree," Signs said calmly. "That zebra mare, Zecora, brought her in last night at about nine o'clock. 


"And you didn't tell us sooner!?" yelled Twilight, having finally regained her composure.  


"No, I did not," replied Signs. 


"Why not, don't you think that's important news!?" Twilight blared. 


"Miss Sparkle, please calm down," Signs said raising his own voice a little, "I made sure that you were not informed before now because until recently we weren't sure if she would make it. Mister Lero is one of my patients, I was hopping to spare him the heartache if the worsts were to happen." 


"She?" 


Both ponies turned to see Lero getting back to his feet, apparently having gotten over his near-fainting. 


"Yes, Lero, I'm fairly certain it is a mare of your species," Signs replied. 


"Take me to her," Lero stated flatly. 


Vital Signs didn't move, "Lero, are you sure you are ready?" In response to the confused look Lero gave him he continued, "She is still in intensive care, I can only imagine what you must be feeling right now, and I can't let you near her if that is going to be a problem." 


Lero was angry, at first, but it quickly gave way to common sense. Signs was right, Signs always seemed to be right, it was a fact for which Lero was suddenly immensely grateful. So Lero closed his eyes, and for a few moments practiced one of the breathing exercises he had picked up from Lyra. Deep in, deep out, find the point of balance. He doubted that he would ever be as good at it as she was, but he still managed to drive away the last vestiges of panic. The only problem was that now they were being replaced by a deep-seated longing that he thought he had been getting over, but was now rushing right back to seize his heart in a grip so tight, it nearly took his breath from him. 


Lero spoke as evenly as he could, "Please Doctor"- he opened his eyes, only to feel them fill with tears -"please let me see her." 


Both Vital Signs, and Twilight Sparkle, felt something catch in their throats. Neither one of them could imagine the turmoil that the man in front of them must be enduring, but that did not mean that they could not sympathize, and signs could tell that Lero had reined in anything that might have been dangerous. 


"Alright, Lero, this way." Signs turned and motioned for them to follow him.   


The trio finished climbing the final staircase, and arrived on the third and topmost floor of the hospital. The bulk of the floor was taken up by the intensive care units, private rooms, filled with magically powered life support equipment. Despite its importance, the floor had a distinct air of loneliness about it. Between the skill of the staff, and the general safety of Ponyville, the third floor of the hospital sat mostly empty much of the time. 


As Signs led he and Twilight down the main hall, Lero quickly noticed a pattern. Each door they passed was flanked by a large window on the right side, presumably to allow whoever was on duty to check on the patients as they walked by, and in every case the blinds on the inside of the room were shut. Each door also had a small sign affixed to it, at pony-eye level, that read unoccupied. It continued like this all the way down the hall, on either side of them, until they reached the final door on the right.  


The blinds were closed, there was no sound coming from inside, and the sign simply read: Unknown. 


For a moment they just stood in the hallway, in front of the window, until Lero took one last deep breath, then nodded to Vital. Vital Signs' horn lit up, as did the blind on the window, and in a moment it was raised from view.  Lero's breath left him in a sort of half-gasp cough, as his hand came up to cover his mouth. I thought I'd never see another. 


There on the bed lay a young woman, no older than himself. Her brunette locks hung to her shoulders in loose curls, framing a soft  face, a wool blanket was pulled up to her chest, and a cannula wound over her ears and attached to her nose. From where Lero was looking her left side was facing him, and on the wall across the room a single window looked out into the still dark winter morning. The only light in the room came from a tall standing lamp on the right side of her bed. She appeared to be asleep.  


Twilights' eyes lit up, as countless questions raced through her head she found herself asking the most obvious one. 


"So that's a human... woman?" she asked, pausing to remember the word. 


"Yes, that's a woman," Lero replied.   


Remembering his own arrival into Equestria, in bloodstained tattered clothing, Lero could not stop the next question from escaping his lips.  


"How bad was it when she got here?" he said turning once again to Vital Signs. 


"Bad." The word fell flatly from Signs' mouth as he turned to regard his latest patient. "One broken arm, several fractured ribs, and multiple lacerations, one on the side deep enough to cause organ damage." 


"What did this to her?" Twilight asked. 


"We haven't the slightest idea," Signs replied. 


"How did she get into town?" Lero asked. 


"Your zebra friend, Zecora, found her laying in the forest," Signs explained. 


"When do you think she'll wake up?" Lero, and Twilight asked simultaneously.  


"That's the thing," Signs began hesitantly, "we don’t know." 


"Can you give us a ball park?" asked Twilight. 


"No, I'm afraid I can't." Signs was starting to look nervous, and neither of them liked it. 


"What is that supposed to mean?" Lero was getting frustrated, it was obvious the doctor was beating around the bush about something again. 


"You have to understand, we did everything we could for her. But between the trauma, and the amount of blood she lost-" 


"What are you saying, Doctor!" Lero snapped. 


Vital Signs let out a long sigh before continuing, "She is not just unconscious, Lero, she is in a coma." 

> 4. Royal care
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ponyville General Hospital was about as cheerful as a hospital could be most days. With a upbeat staff, and well cared for facilities, most ponies didn't mind going to the doctor. Lero was not most ponies. As it was, he now found himself sitting in a provided chair next to Equestria's newest citizen. 

"So, are the Sea Hawks doing any better than they were when I left?" 

"How's the economy?" 

"Have aliens invaded yet?" 

The one-sided conversation had been going on for most of the hour, since Vital Signs had hit Lero with the news. They weren't sure when, or if, this woman was going to wake up, and Lero was doing everything he could to keep himself from thinking about the latter. He sat there, talking about nothing in particular, hoping with all his might that some of what he was saying might be getting through. 

The sound of hooves galloping down the hall told him that he had visitors. The door was kicked open and a multicolored blur zoomed in and embraced him. 

"There you are!" Rainbow cried, "I thought you were hurt." 

"Easy, love, I'm fine. Who told you I was hurt?" he asked, as he ran his fingers through her mane. 

"The Doctor and Twilight, said you were up in the intensive care unit-" 

"-With another human," Lyra finished from the doorway. 

"What, whoa!" Rainbow leapt into Lero's lap, forelegs wrapped around his neck. 

"So, this is the new human?" Lyra asked, concern evident in her voice. 

"Yeah," Lero replied with a sigh, "that's her." 

"That's a mare?" Rainbow exclaimed, "It's even bigger than you are." She clutched Lero a little bit tighter. 

"She, Rainbow, not it," Lero corrected. Although, with her feet nearly hanging off the end of the bed, this woman was probably taller than him. 

"Wait a minute, how did you two get here so fast?" Lero asked, looking at his mares, "I thought you were on opposite sides of Ponyville." 

"Twilight, teleported to Bonbon's store and grabbed me, then the two of us managed to flag down Rainbow Dash. After that she teleported us all back here," Lyra explained. 

"Flagged down?" Rainbow asked indignantly. "More like, shot down." 

"Oh, we didn't even come close to hitting you." 

"Your bolt almost grazed my flank." 

"I knew exactly where you would be when the bolt got there." 

"Girls," Lero interrupted, "you all teleported back here, and then..." 

Both mares looked at Lero sheepishly. 

"Doctor Signs, said you were in intensive care," Rainbow said. 

"With another human, though Dash didn't stick around to hear that part," Lyra finished. 

"I was worried, sue me," Dash said, getting down from Lero's lap and trotting to the bedside. "So, what's wrong with her anyways?" 

Lero's voice caught in his throat. Nobody told them? 

"She was pretty beat up when she came in, Zecora found her in the Everfree," he said, choosing to omit the details. "The doctors don't know when she'll wake up." 

Lyra's ears twitched at the last of Lero's words. The slight quiver in his voice had apparently gotten past Rainbow Dash, but not her. She now looked at her stallion with renewed concern. 

"Lero," she began, "what do you mean, they don't know?" As she finished Dash turned to regard her, suddenly serious, herd-mate. 

Lero cleared his throat, to try and prepare himself for the words, but it didn't help much. 

"They don't know when she'll wake up-," he took a deep breath, "-because she's in a coma." 

Both mare's eyes widened in sudden realization. Lyra was the first one to reach him, crossing half the room so quickly that Lero missed most of it in the span of a blink. Her forelegs wrapped around his neck as she pulled him into a hug. 

"I'm sorry." 

The words hit Lero harder than he could have imagined. All the thoughts he had been trying to keep at bay suddenly came rushing to the front of his mind. All Lero could do was hold onto his mare, as the tears finally broke through. 

For her part Dash wasn't quite sure how to react to what Lero had just told her. It wasn't until she heard the soft sobbing coming from her stallion that the true weight of his words hit her. Rearing up on the side of the chair Lero was sitting in she did her best to wrap her wings around her herd-mates, and nuzzle Lero's cheek. 

"Hey, come on big guy," she began, as reassuringly as she could, "a big strong girl like her, why she'll probably be up in no time." 

Lero wrapped his arm around her, pulling her in as close as he could. 

"Thanks you two," he managed to croak out. 

Rainbow opened her eyes to see the motionless form of the woman on the bed. Please don't make me a liar. 



**** 



Doctor Vital Signs sat in the waiting room of the hospital doing his best to stay awake. With any luck his night would soon be over, and he could finally get some sleep. The nurses had asked him several times now if he wanted to hand the reins over to another doctor, but he had refused. He was going to see this through to the end, no matter how long it took. 

A sudden bang, and flash of purple, caused the receptionist to fall backwards out of her chair spewing coffee, and announced the re-arrival of Twilight Sparkle. Signs barely filched, he was too tired to be scared at the moment. 

"Ah, miss Sparkle, I trust you were successful in sending your letter?" his words came out in monotone. 

"Yes, Princess Celestia has been made aware of the situation, and should be here shortly," she replied. "I'm sorry I took so long, I had to wake up Spike." 

"How long do you think it will take her to get here?" he asked. 

Before Twilight could respond the room was bathed in a brilliant golden light, and low rumble, causing Twilight and Signs to shield their eyes, and once more sending the receptionist tumbling from her chair. Before them stood the magnanimous form of Princess Celestia. 

"Princess," Twilight cried in greeting, before trotting over to nuzzle her teacher. 

"It is good to see you again, Twilight," Celestia replied, as she brought her wings down to wrap Twilight in a brief embrace. "But, I'm afraid we have little time for small talk. Who is in charge here?" 

"That would be me, ma'am," Signs said, stepping forward. 

"Are you also the one who treated this newest patient?" 

"I am," he replied, somewhat curtly. 

"Then I must ask, why was I not informed of this sooner?" Her voice was as soft as ever, but the glare she leveled at him left no doubt in Sign's mind as to the Princess's mood. 

"I see miss Sparkle was quite thorough in her report, and as I told her, I did not want to tell Lero that we had found another of his kind only to have to tell him, moments later, that they had passed away." The last words came out with an edge of finality that might have made a random listener think that the doctor was arguing with the princess. 

"Why then, did you not simply contact Twilight Sparkle, and have her relay the message to me?" The doctor's tone was not lost to Celestia, but she decided to let it go. Judging by the bloodshot eyes and ragged appearance, the doctor had not slept in some time. 

"It's well known around town that miss Sparkle is not very good with secrets," he stated, matter-of-factly. 

"Thank you, Pinky Pie," Twilight grumbled. 

Upon hearing her student, Celestia's features softened a bit. 

"I understand your desire to protect your patients, Doctor Signs, but there are forces at work here that you do not understand. Please, in the future, inform me immediately if this happens again." The look of concern in the princess's eyes managed to pierce the layer of exhaustion surrounding Vital Signs, and in that moment he relented. 

"Alright, Your Majesty, alright. If you feel it is that important." 

"It is, Doctor, I would not ask you to do so otherwise," she said with a look of relief. "But we have talked here long enough already. Where is she, Doctor?" 

"She's in intensive care, third floor, down the hall last door on the right," he instructed. 

"Thank you, Doctor, now why don't you go home and get some rest, I'll handle this one from here," she urged. 

"Thank you, Princess, I think I'll do that," Signs said with a smile, as the princess and Twilight made their way toward the stairs. 

As the two ponies made their way up the stairs Celestia was the first to break the silence. 

"How is he taking it?" 

"Fairly well, all things considered," Twilight replied. 

"What about the rest of your herd?" Celestia continued. 

"They got here shortly before you did, and I just got back from the library. I haven't had a chance to check on them yet," Twilight explained. 

"Just a moment," said Celestia, as they reached the last flight of stairs. Closing her eyes, the princess seemed to be focusing on a spell, though her horn radiated no magic. Their was a slight dimming of the light around them, and as Twilight watched the multi-colored aurora that made up the princess's mane dulled to a single rosy hue. With the minor transformation complete Twilight couldn't help but stare. Without her ever-flowing locks the princess actually managed to look younger than she usually did. 

"Shall we go, Twilight?" 

"Princess, you know he won't get better without practice." 

"I am aware, Twilight, but I'm afraid time is of the essence at the moment," said Celestia, as she continued climbing the stairs. 

As they approached the end of the hall, Twilight was the first to enter the room. There she found her herd. Lyra was standing at the bedside, a forlorn gaze cast upon its occupant, Rainbow sitting in Lero's lap with their arms and wings wrapped around each other, her chin resting atop his head. Twilight hated seeing her herd so despondent. Hopefully the princess will be able to help. 

"Hey, everyone, we have a visitor," Twilight said, in her best attempt at a cheery tone. 

As Princess Celestia entered the room, Lyra turned to bow, and Dash began untangling herself from Lero, but was stopped when she realized he had not let go of her. In fact she could feel his grip tightening around her as Lero glanced quickly between Celestia, and the woman on the bed. 

"Come on, Big Guy, we've been over this, she's not going to hurt you," Dash assured. "Or her," she continued, motioning toward the woman. 

Lero forced his eyes shut, and took a deep breath. His grip on Dash gradually loosened until she was able to slip out of his arms. 

"There, you see?" she asked, resting her chin on his knee. 

"I'm sorry, do I really still frighten you so, Lero?" the princess asked, with a frown. 

"It's my problem, Princess, I'll deal with it," Lero replied. 

Celestia wanted, with all her heart, to help him do so there and then, but sadly she had much more pressing matters to attend to. 

"I realize that this must be a difficult time for all of you, especially you, Lero, but I'm afraid I must ask for some time alone with the patient." As she finished Celestia stepped away from the door, and further into the room. 

"Why do you need to be alone?" Rainbow was the first to ask. 

"The doctors have done their best to heal her body, now I must make sure that no other forms of harm linger upon her," Celestia replied, a sad gaze falling over the woman. 

With that, the herd made their way out of the room, each pausing to give Celestia a slight bow. Lero was the last one to make his way out, walking briskly and keeping his gaze away from the princess. He was half way past her when Celestia realized that he had stopped. In one slow, deliberate motion Lero extended his arm. Celestia's eyes shot wide as she felt a trembling hand come to rest on her right shoulder, though she dared not turn to regard it for fear of scaring it off. 

"Please, help her." 

The words were little more than a whisper, but they moved Celestia almost to tears. 

"I'll do everything I can, Lero." She spoke the words as softly as she could, but Lero could feel the conviction behind them. So, with the brief exchange over, Lero removed his hand just as slowly as he had placed it, and joined his herd in the hallway. 

"Come on, Big Guy," said Rainbow, "lets head down to the mess hall. Maybe you'll feel better if you get something in your stomach." 

"Yeah," Twilight piped in, "we did kind of leave in the middle of breakfast. Besides, this may take a while." Twilight turned to look through the window into the room. Sure enough, Celestia was sitting with her back to the window. She seemed to be simply staring at the woman. 

"Alright," said Lero, "I guess it couldn't hurt." 



**** 



With Lero, and his herd, out of the room Celestia was able to work in peace. She began by pulling aside the quilt covering the patient, and folding it neatly in the chair next to the bed. Underneath the cover the woman was unclothed, apparently the staff had been unable to find a hospital gown big enough to fit her. Still, that made the cursory examination easy. The woman possessed a somewhat wide, surprisingly soft-looking frame. Celestia gently lifted the woman into the air with her magic, and slowly rotated her form over the bed, so she could examine her front and back. The medical staff had done an excellent job, as always, any minor cuts or bruises had been completely healed over, and the broken right arm now rested in a snug splint. The only marks left on the woman were the large wound on her right side, which was now little more that a thin pink scar, and the two marks that circled her wrists, which almost looked like the skin had been seared. Apparently, the marks on her wrists were too old to have anything done about them. 

"Well, nothing seems amiss on the outside," Celestia said, as she lowered the woman back down to the bed. "Lets look a little... deeper." 

Celestia lowered her head, closed her eyes, and inhaled deeply, steadying herself for what was to come. When her eyes opened the pupils and iris were no longer visible, engulfed in the brilliant white light emanating from within. As Celestia's gaze focused, the material world fell away, and was replaced by something that few ponies would ever see. 

Since time began, all sentient creatures had struggled to describe what made them, them. To find a word for that inner part of themselves had been the focus of many a pony's life. They had tried, bless them, giving it names like the heart, the soul, chi, ki, and the center. These, however, were all vain attempts to describe the indescribable. 

Celestia simply called it the light, as that was what it appeared to be to her. A glowing radiance in roughly the shape of the physical body that contained it, and of a seemingly random color that Celestia still had not determined the significance of, despite centuries of trying. She could see many of them now, floating in the darkness that was left behind when the physical world was removed. On the floor below her she could see the lights of the hospital staff and patients going about their business. On the floor below that, she could see the bright purple light of Twilight Sparkle and her herd, the fiery red of Rainbow Dash, and the brilliant gold that Lero and Lyra shared. 

As her vision once more came to rest upon the woman, Celestia was taken aback. She rarely used this sight for two big reasons, firstly it placed serious strain on her eyes, and second it involved looking into what was quite possibly the most personal part of any living creature, something she did not like doing without permission. This meant that even after all her many years of life, she could still be surprised when using it. And surprised she was, for in all her years she had never seen a multi-colored light. 

The colors that formed this woman's light were a beautiful sterling silver, the likes of which she had not seen since she last looked at her sister Luna like this, and a striking verdant green that she was more used to seeing in earth ponies. The two colors worked their way up the woman's body in alternating bands, starting at her feet and ending at the very top of her head. 

Celestia was so taken in by the nearly hypnotic display, that she almost forgot what she was doing. Shaking her head, to get it back on track, Celestia looked closer at the woman's light, scanning for any irregularities. She did not have to look for long. 

She spotted it in the chest area. A slight dimming in the otherwise constant radiance. Pushing through the glare and alternating pattern, Celestia found what she was looking for. There it was, in approximately the same place as the woman's physical heart would be, the mark. 

Crafted from that primordial filth that the world called black magic, the mark writhed like a worm coiling around itself. It was ever-eager to be near the ones who had made it, and cried out to them constantly. Even as she watched, it seemed to be trying to burrow beeper into the light, as if seeking refuge from her gaze. 

"If it is more light you seek, then perhaps I can oblige." 

Placing her hoof upon the woman's hand, Celestia opened herself up. Letting some small part of her own light flow into and mingle with the woman's, the multi-colored light began to glow much more brightly. Before long the glow became a blaze, and Celestia could see a dark shape pushing it's way toward the surface. Within moments the mark breached and was free floating, an oily stain in the darkness. It lasted all of three seconds, before the tip of Celestia's horn found it. Celestia ceased channeling her light through the woman, and instead diverted it to her horn. The mark swelled, strained, and eventually burst, it's remains scattered into the void. 

With her task finished, Celestia let her vision shift back to the mortal spectrum. As the hospital reappeared around her Celestia looked once again to the woman on the bed. 

"That should help, they will not trouble you again," She comforted, as she used her magic to pull the blanket back over the woman. 

"Princess, are you all right?'' 

Celestia turned to the door to find Twilight standing there, a plate with a sandwich on it held aloft in her magic. 

"Yes, Twilight, I'm quite alright," she said with a smile 

"Are you sure? You look like you've been crying," Twilight continued, concern covering her face. 

Celestia reached up with her foreleg brushed underneath her eyes. Sure enough tears had been streaming down her cheeks. 

"Its alright, Twilight, its just a side effect of the procedure that I had to perform," she explained. 

"Oh, are you finished? You've been up here for hours," Twilight said, as a look of relief washed over her. 

"Yes, Twilight, I have complet- wait, did you say hours?" Celestia's eyes widened in shock as they snapped to the small clock on the wall. 

"Ten twenty two!? I still have to raise the-," as the curtains on the lone window were thrown to the side, Celestia was nearly blinded by the light that came pouring into the room. 

"It looks like your sister decided to cover for you, Princess," Twilight said with a smirk. 

"Oh, thank you Luna," Celestia whispered. "I did not realize how much time had passed," She said, turning back to Twilight. 

"Yeah, I thought you might be getting hungry." Twilight lifted the sandwich up in offering. "Egg-salad," she said, in response to the princess's inquisitive look. "I know it's not you favorite, but it was either this, green mashed potatoes, or white jello." 

Celestia chuckled and let out a sigh. "Egg-salad sounds wonderful, right about now." 

> 5. Luna's counsel
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Winter-time in Canterlot was, generally, a mild affair. Between the already chilly temperature of the altitude, and the threat of avalanches, snow was rarely allowed to fall directly on the city. In fact, an entire brigade of weather ponies was employed for just this reason. Canterlot, and other mountain strongholds like it, was one of the few cities that actually had a night shift weather patrol. Between the pegasi, and their lesser-seen bat pony cousins, there was always somepony in the sky over Equestria's capitol. What many of the nocturnal flyers had yet to realize was that they had recently acquired an audience. 

From the balcony of one of the highest rooms in the upper reaches of the royal palace of Canterlot, Princess Luna surveyed her kingdom. Casting her gaze out to the limit of its considerable range, she took in the sights of the Canterlot nightlife. In the sky above, the nocturnal weather team was still busily beating back snow clouds. On the ground below, pubs and night clubs catered to the large number of ponies who favored the night as their time to socialize. A number that Luna was pleased to see had grown, considerably, in her absence. 

As she was about to take flight, to examine the rest of the city that curved around the mountain, she was stopped by the sudden sound of rapidly approaching hooves upon stone.Stepping back inside, and folding her wings, she spared a glance at the clock. 

"Tis almost eleven, we wonder what hath detained her," she said, in the classical speech, that she had yet to give up. 

As the doors to her private quarters opened, without a knock, Luna turned to regard her guest. 

"Sister, thou art up awfully late this evening," she said, by way of greeting. 

"Has there been any change, Luna?" Celestia looked weary. Usually, after lowering the sun, Celestia would be by for a quick good-night hug, and tucked into bed shortly thereafter. At this time of year that should have happened hours ago. 

"It would seem your last conference dragged on a bit, did it not?" Luna asked, as she made her way back to her balcony. 

"Luna." It left Celestia's lips with an edge that was not lost to her sister, clearly she was not in the mood for small talk. 

With an exaggerated huff, and a roll of her eyes, Luna turned back to her sister. 

"Nay, sister. As we have told thee every night for the last fortnight, the alien mare shows no sign of stirring, and we are beginning to fear that she never will." 

"Don't say that, Luna!" Celestia snapped. 

With a slight turn of her head, Luna magically closed the doors behind her sister. 

"Tia, tis high time we discussed this matter," she said, taking a few steps toward her sister. 

The look of annoyance did not leave Celestia's face. 

"What do we need to discuss, sister?" 

"The fate of this new human, and the excessive attitude you have taken toward her," Luna stated, matter-of-factly. 

"I am not being excessive, I'm just concerned for her," Celstia protested. 

"Sister, we have seen thee concerned before, and this tis not concerned." 

"How do you know?" 

"Because, there are many of our citizens in hospitals, some of whom you know personally, and yet none of which occupy a place as far forward in thy mind as this human!" she finished, with a stomp of her hoof. 

Celestia opened her mouth, but no words were forthcoming. Realization suddenly dawned on her, just the other day Sun Mantle, one of her personal guards, had been injured in a training exercise, and she had yet to even send him a get well card. 

Luna could see the look of resignation working its way across Celestia's face. It was clear that she had won the argument, but she could tell that whatever was on her sister's mind weighed heavily upon it indeed. So, rather than marehandle the truth out of her sister, she decided to try the celestial approach. 

Walking over to her bed, Luna took a seat on it and fixed Celestia with a knowing stare and soft smile. As Celestia watched, Luna began slowly patting the sheets next to her, and after a few moments hesitation relented and joined Luna on the bed. As Celestia lay down, Luna draped a wing over the larger mare and, once she was comfy, began with the obvious question. 

"So, sister, what has thee vexed?" 

Celestia was quiet for a moment before answering, "Tell me, Luna, how many friends have you made since your return?" 

It was certainly not the response Luna had expected. 

"Well," she began, hesitantly, "our personal aid hath proven quite likable, as have our guards, of course. Why doth thou ask?" 

"I don't have many friends, Luna." 

Despite her best efforts, a snort escaped Luna's nose at her sisters response. 

"Surely thou jest, sister, why ever pony in Equestria likely calls themselves your friends, and we are sure any one of our subjects would go to great lengths to prove it," Luna said, with a laugh. 

"That's just it, Luna, that's all most of my little ponies are, is subjects." Celestia's voice was tinged with a sadness that Luna had rarely heard. "All of my ponies love their Princess, they would move mountains for their Princess, They would fight and die for their Princess. But, that is all I will ever be to most of them, a princess." 

"Come now, sister, surly you make too much of this. What of thy attendants?" Luna asked, hoping to brighten her sister's mood. 

"I have many. They are all nice, of course, but the number of them that dispense with my title, even in private, can be counted on the hooves of one pony." Celestia let her head sink down to rest on her forelegs. 

"What of thy guards?" Luna offered. 

"Trained from the moment they join the service to look at me the same way they might a national monument," Celestia mumbled, morosely. 

"The Elements of Harmony?" Luna was running out of ideas. 

Celestia raised her head once more. "It is true I have made headway with them, but even they rarely speak to me in a personal manner, with the exception of Twilight, of course. And as for the rest of our subjects, most of them I have watched grow up, either around me, or from afar. Some of them I've even had a hoof in raising, but even these look at me more as a mother figure than as a true friend," she finished, with a resounding sigh. 

Luna was at a loss for words. True, being a ruler meant that one was, by necessity, set apart from one's people. But, even so, she had never dreamed that Celestia, of all ponies, could be feeling this ostracized. 

"Tis truly a sad plight that thou describe, sister," she said, as she nuzzled her sister's cheek. Perchance, when we re-enter greater equestrian society, thou can take some time to thyself and get re-acquainted with thy subjects?" 

"Thank you, Luna, I think I would like that," Celestia said, nuzzling her sister back. 

"Tell us something, sister?" 

"Yes?" 

"Tis indeed a sad plight thou endures, sister, but we still fail to see what it has to do with the human mare." Luna started to get up as she finished. It was getting late, and she was beginning to fear that her sister might just fall asleep if they lay on her bed much longer. 

"She would have been perfect, Luna," Celestia said, as she rose to join her sister in heading to the balcony. "An individual with no prior knowledge of me, no preconceived notions, somepony that I can just talk to. She knows nothing of me, Luna, nor I of her. Do you realize how few creatures in Equestria can make such a boast? And I do not wish to squander this chance the way I did with Lero." 

"How didst thou squander thy chance with Lero?" Luna asked, as they reached the edge of the balcony. 

"Come now, Luna, how do you think?" Celestia's tone was pleading. "That primitive posturing that I used to give weight to the warnings I was forced to give him when we first met. I didn't even realize what I was doing, and now he will likely forever keep me at arms length." Celestia's head once again hung low, and Luna could swear that she saw tears forming at the corners of her sister's eyes. "A golden opportunity likely ruined, because of my bungling." 

Luna grasped Celestia's chin with her magic, and turned her sister's head to face her. Clestia had seen Luna upset before, but not like this, not since her return anyway. With furrowed brow, and bared teeth, Luna pulled Celestia in until their muzzles were within an inch of each others. 

"Nopony calls our sister a bungler, least of all herself." 

Her voice was like ice, and sent a chill down Celestia's spine. All Celestia could do was stare at her sister through wide eyes, and try to nod. Upon seeing this, Luna's features softened, her magic dissipated, and she quickly pulled her sister into a hug. 

"Thou art no bungler, sister. We are sorry for the way events hath played out, but thou did not act in the wrong upon meeting Lero. When dealing with a complete unknown, one doth not act from a position of weakness, to do so is to court disaster," Luna spoke, in her most soothing voice. "Furthermore, thou could not have know the side effect that casting that spell would have, suppressing his subconscious fear of thy mane, only for it to drag his practical fear of punishment back to the forefront of his mind and lodge it there once it wore off." 

"Thank you, Luna," said Celestia, as she pulled back to look her sister in the eye once more. 

"Sister, thou really must stop blaming thyself so harshly for everything," Luna said, with a hint of mirth. 

"I know, Luna, I have been trying, but old habits are hard to break," Celestia sighed. 

"Perhaps thou now know what to do, the next time thou hast some spare time?" Luna suggested. 

"Yes, Luna, and I think I know just where to start," said Celestia, with a smile. 

"Wonderful," Luna exclaimed with a small bounce, "it will be so nice to see thee... mixing it up?" 

"I see you've been paying at least some attention to your modern speech instructor," Celestia jibed. 

Luna blushed. 

"It is still quite confusing, what they hath done with the language in our absence. So much of the poetry of conversation seems to have been lost, in favor of making up ever more terms for vulgarity," she said, as a scowl crept across her features. 

Luna was referring to an ill timed trip through the royal kitchens one night. She had happened upon a pair of young chefs, who had been discussing how much they would love to get a taste of her 'moon pie' only to become very quiet once they realized that she was there. The look on Celestia's face, when Luna expressed her confusion over the éclairs that were served for desert that night, was truly one to remember. 

"Oh, come now," Celestia tittered, bringing her sister back to the present, "it's not all bad." 

"If thou insist, sister." 

"Although, I must ask, when do you plan to take a more active role in Equestria? You have been back for over a year now," Celestia said, giving her sister a slight nudge. 

"We do not know, sister," Luna said , hanging her head. "Every time we think we are ready, something comes up to prove that we are not." 

"Oh, Luna, is it really so difficult? I mean, Lero knew very little about Equestrian culture, and he has adapted well. Maybe you could ask him for some pointers," Celestia suggested. 

Luna let out a groan. 

"Perhaps I would, sister, if I could speak to him without making a foal of myself," Luna complained. 

"What do you mean?" asked Celestia. 

"The first time we tried to speak to him, we were so surprised that he could see us that we slipped right out of his dream. At first, we thought it merely some fluke, until the same thing happened not a fortnight later. We still do not even understand how he keeps seeing us; were we in any pony's dream, we could trot right up to them without being detected, if we so chose. But, with this human, no sooner do we enter his dream then he becomes lucid, tis maddening." 

"Perhaps, you are trying a little too hard, Luna," Celestia said, with a smile. "Why don't you try letting him come to you, instead of seeking him out?" 

"We suppose it could not hurt, we certainly have no better ideas," Luna grumbled. 

"Wonderful,-" Celestia wrapping her sister in a hug, "-I look forward to hearing what you learn." 

As Celestia finished the embrace, her vision fell upon the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. 

"Gracious, is that the time? This has indeed been a long day," she said, with a yawn. 

"Indeed, sister, thou should probably look into getting some rest, thou only have a couple more months to enjoy the extra-long nights," Luna teased. 

"Yes, yes, you're right," Celestia said, as she made her way to the door, only to stop upon reaching it. Remembering the reason that she had come to her sister in the first place, Celestia couldn't help asking, "Still, Luna, will you please keep watch over-" 

"Sister, rest assured, when there is a change in her condition, thou shall be the first to know," Luna answered, before Celestia could even finish. 

"Thank you, sister, good night." 

"Sleep well, Celestia, thou hath earned it." 

As her sister left, Luna turned once more to the balcony. The night was already well and truly started, and she had yet to receive a single summon to her court. If this night played out like most, then she probably wouldn't receive any until early in the morning when ponies started showing up looking to start the day court, only to find that it would not be starting for another four or five hours. While this did depress her, somewhat, it was still not all bad. With her court not truly starting unlit halfway through the work night, it left her free to spend less time with the stuffy nobles, (even after a thousand years, some ponies never changed) and more time on the more enjoyable duties of a princess of the night. 

This night would, hopefully, prove interesting indeed. With a quick flap of her wings she took to the air, eager to see what kind of dreams her subjects were enjoying this evening. Hopefully, this time she would be able to make it through one particular subject's dreams without a bunch of metal chariots screaming at her. 




**** 



As she emerged from the thick fog that made up the borders of most dreams, Luna took a moment to brush the chocolate sprinkles from her mane. Honestly, doth the pink one never tire of sweets? Taking a moment to get her bearings, Luna was surprised to find herself in what she recognized as the center of Ponyville. 

"Well, this is unexpected," she muttered, aloud. 

Catching movement out of the corner of her eye, Luna was about to take cover until she realized that it was not the one she was seeking. The movement turned out to be a earth pony mare with a pink coat and blond mane. She was heading in Luna's direction, and the princess was about to call out to the pony when she suddenly stopped in her tracks. As Luna was moving to get a closer look at her, the mare suddenly did an about face and began trotting back the way she had come. Looking around, Luna could see many ponies going through similar motions. 

Ah, background characters. When a dreaming mind needed multiple ponies, but couldn't think of anything in particular for them to do, this was the usual result. Depending on what, exactly, they were doing it could be more than a little unnerving, but in cases like this, Luna actually found it rather humorous, especially when she bumped into a background character that she recognized. 

As if drawn to her thoughts, Luna was stunned to see the statuesque form of her sister come into view. There she was, Princess Celestia, trotting along with wings spread, head held high, and several guards in tow. They were apparently walking laps around town hall, never in all her life had Luna seen her sister relegated to the role of background character. 

While the situation brought a smile to he face, Luna had to remind herself that she was here for a reason. Taking to the air, she quickly began searching the streets below for any signs of movement that did not look static. It did not take her long to find what she was looking for. Below her, sitting at an open table outside of what she could only assume was a diner, was her target, the unmistakable form of the human, Lero. Luna quickly realized, however, that he was not alone. Sitting across from him was none other than the human mare, who had recently appeared. 

Luna set down about half a block from the two humans so that she was behind Lero and proceeded to wait. If this dream was anything like his others, then he should have been aware of her by now. From where Luna was standing, Lero appeared to be staring at the mare, his elbows were on the table and his head rested in his hands. For her part the mare didn't seem to be doing much of anything, Luna was easily within her field of vision, yet she hadn't moved in the slightest. Instead, the human mare just sat there with her arms hanging at her sides, and a blank expression on her face. As Luna watched, the minutes kept ticking by. Finally, after what felt like hours, but was probably closer to ten minutes, with no change she finally decided to take the initiative. 

With slow, deliberate steps Luna drew closer. At about fifteen paces she decided that she was close enough. 

"HAIL, GOOD HUMAN!" The royal Canterlot voice rang out. "WE WOULD HAVE A WORD WITH THEE!" 

As the nearby windows finished rattling Lero turned, wide eyed, and with a hand on his chest, to regard the princess and stood up. 

"Please don't yell like that," he asked, as he walked around the table, and propped up the woman who had begun to tilt to one side. "You're liable to shake her out of her chair." 

Luna put a hoof to her mouth and cleared her throat, then continued in a softer, but still commanding tone. 

"Forgive us, we did not realize that she was so precariously perched," said Luna, while examining the two humans. "You are the one called, Lero, are you not?" 

"Yeah, that's me," Lero replied, "and you must be Princess Luna?" 

"Yes, we are Luna, guardian of the night, and protector of dreams," she said, with pride. 

"Not to mention, provider of unwanted awareness," Lero muttered. 

"Unwanted awareness?" Luna repeated. 

Lero's eye widened as his gaze snapped back to the princess, he had spoken those words so softly that even he had barely heard them. Then again, if this princess could enter and manipulate dreams at will, she was probably aware of quite a few things going on around them that even he was not. He would have to be careful about what he said and did around her, the last thing he wanted was to offend royalty. 

"I'm sorry, Princess, that was rude of me," he admitted, "it's just that we were having a nice conversation, before I became lucid." Lero looked back at the woman with longing, then promptly walked over to a nearby table, grabbed one of its chairs, and pulled it back to the one he was sitting at. Holding the chair out, he beckoned for Luna to sit. Luna smiled at the gesture. 

"Tis customary for the mare to do that," she said, taking a step forward. 

"Not where I'm from, Princess, and if we're doing this in my dream, then we're doing it my way," Lero said, with a smile. 

"Fair enough, we suppose that... oh my." 

As she approached, Luna began to get a much better appreciation of the size of these humans. While not as imposing as her sister, Luna was still a good bit larger than the average pony. Yet, even she felt somewhat dwarfed by Lero's towering form, to which her head was roughly chest high. 

"Something wrong, Princess?" Lero asked. 

"Tis nothing, we were simply taken aback. We had heard rumors of thy intimidating stature, but had dismissed them as exaggeration. It would seem, however, that they were rooted in truth," Luna finished, as she took her seat. 

"Yeah, a lot of ponies have trouble with that at first." Once Luna was seated Lero did the same. "So, I hope your presence here means something has changed," he said, glancing at the woman across the table. 

Luna's smile faded before she spoke. "We are sorry, Lero, but her situation remains the same." 

Lero visibly deflated at those words. Though Luna could not read his expressions vary well, his lowered head, and sagging shoulders made it clear that his hopes had just been crushed. 

"There isn't anything you can do? I mean, you’re the princess of dreams, can't you go into her head and just wake her up?" Lero asked, in a defeated tone. 

"We have tried, Lero, multiple times, but the coma she is in is so deep that she doesn’t even appear to be dreaming. When we enter her dreaming mind, we find nothing but a black void. The most that we see manifest are the brief images of animals, and parts of rooms. None of which provide enough purchase for us to take hold of to guide her back to wakefulness." 

"So, we're stuck waiting?" Lero asked. 

"For the time being, yes." 

The two of them sat in silence for a while, Lero looking forlornly at the woman, and Luna unsure of what, if anything, she could say to comfort him. 

"Pray tell, why dose she not move?" Luna asked. 

"Pardon?" 

"Thou said before that the two of thee were having a conversation," Luna pointed out. 

"Yeah, we were talking about Equestria. I was explaining the ins and outs of your society, telling her what she would need to know to get by, and anything else that she might ask about." 

"And, then?" Luna prodded. 

"Well, then you showed up. As soon as I became aware that I was dreaming, I remembered that I don't actually know enough about her to know how she would talk. I don't know what her voice sounds like, what her mannerisms are; I don't even know what color her eyes are," he finished, gesturing towards her with his hands. 

"From here, they appear to be green," Luna commented. 

"That's because, until a few minuets ago, my imagination was filling in the blanks. Once I remembered that I don't know her, though, she just went limp. It was like somebody cut the strings of a puppet." 

"I am sorry for that, Lero, but take heart, thou are not the only one hoping that she awakens quickly, our sister is most eager to meet her as well, and pesters us constantly for news," Luna said, trying to brighten the mood. 

"I can relate," Lero replied. "I swing by the hospital after work each day for an update, by the time I get home Twilight is practically chomping at the bit for news." Lero smiled at the thought. 

"How is thy herd doing, by the way? We imagine this must be almost as much a shock for them as it is for thee." 

"Well, like I said, Twilight is eager for any kind of information. Especially now that she's banned from the hospital for trying to run tests on her without the doctor's permission." 

Luna's eyes went wide. 

"We had thought her wiser than that!" she exclaimed. 

"Now, now, it was really nothing harmful, she just wanted to help, but when Doc Signs walked in, and saw her trying to set up a brainwave scanner... Well, let's just say that the Doc can really raise his voice, when he wants to. Twilight has been banned from visiting our friend here, until Signs says otherwise." 

Luna did her best to stifle a laugh. She had heard of the eagerness with which Twilight Sparkle could pursue knowledge, hopefully this would convince her to rain it in a little. 

"As for Rainbow, and Lyra, sure they're concerned too, sometimes Lyra is right there at the door with Twilight, and Dash keeps asking if there's anything she can do to help, it kills me to keep telling her there isn't, almost as much as it kills me knowing that there's nothing I can really do." Lero was once again looking at the woman across the table, that same helpless expression on his face. "I hate feeling so useless." 

"We understand, Lero, but there are times when watching is all that thou can do. Take heart though, it has only been a fortnight since she arrived, tis still very possible that she will awaken." 

"But, what if she doesn’t?" 

"Do not think about that!" Luna ordered. "We realize that it may sound trite, but right now the best thing that thou can do is believe in her, Lero. Dwelling on what ifs will only sap thy spirit." Luna's voice was calm once again, though it still held a commanding tone. 

"Do you really think it's that easy?" Lero asked, "Just have faith and don't worry about it?" 

"Of course not, it will likely be very difficult, but that is what thy herd is for, Lero. Reassure them, let them reassure thee, and take comfort in each other, but do not let thyself slip into despair, it will only lead thee down a darker path." 

Lero knew she was right, weather he liked it or not, there was nothing else that he could do, but think positive. So, he would think positive. 

"Alright, Princess, if that's all we can do then that's what we'll do. Just gotta keep looking on the bright side, I can do that. Heck, that's pretty much what I've been doing since day one here," he said, straitening himself up. 

"We are glad to hear it," Luna replied, "With that, however, we believe it is time we took our leave." As she rose to leave, Lero held up his hand. 

"Hey, I thought you said there was something else you wanted to talk about." 

"Oh, it can wait," she said. "As we recall, thou were having a rather pleasant dream, and we should let thee get back to it. Do not worry though, we will speak again soon," she said, with a smile. 

"Well alright, if you really have to go," he said, with a wave. 

With one last wave good buy, Luna let herself slip through the walls of Lero's mind, and back into the waking world, fading from view as she did so. 

"You still with me over there?" 

"Huh?" Lero turned his attention back to his companion, scratching a sudden itch in the back of his head. "Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. Um, where were we?" 

Rolling her eyes, the woman said, "You were telling me about the princesses, then you kind of trailed off." 

"Right, that. Well it turns out the younger one can actually enter people's dreams, and talk to them." 

"That sounds a little creepy, if you ask me," she replied. 

"Yeah, but don't worry, I have a feeling that she's actually a really nice girl," he said, with a smile. 

> 6. Chimera
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Feeling lonely is something that nobody likes. Not alone, mind you, lonely. Being alone is easy, solitude can be a very calming thing, and everyone needs time to themselves. Feeling lonely is much more distressing, loneliness is a desire for companionship, either because your own company isn't very pleasant, a problem that many people share, or because the company of the ones you are with isn't very pleasant.  


Being alone, though, that was easy. It was the reason that she hadn't bothered trying to find a way out. The quiet, dark, isolation had been a pleasant change of pace. She might have just stayed there forever, if she hadn't noticed the sound. It was two sounds, actually, the first was a sort of mumbling, like somebody was talking on the other side of a wall, it had started almost as soon as she arrived. The second sound she had noticed much later, a rapid whooshing noise like an arm or a bat being swung through the air. This second sound had been as faint as the first to begin with, but now it was getting louder, and it didn't sound like it was on the other side of a wall. 


As the sound got closer, she suddenly felt very lonely. Turning towards the mumbling sound, she reached out, groping in the darkness, trying to find where the voice was coming from. Whoever was talking sounded nicer than that noise coming towards her, which she now recognized was the sound of wing beats, vary large wing beats.  


Her hands grasped, futilely, at the darkness, as fear started to creep into her heart with each beat of those wings. Just as she was about to give up, and prepare to ether hide or fight, her hand struck something. It was a wall in the darkness, and on the other side the mumbling could be heard, but something was wrong, the mumbling was getting softer.  


Let me out. Her fists fell upon the wall, while behind her the wings grew ever closer. Whatever those wings were attached to, obviously, knew where she was, and it was picking up speed. 


Let me out. Again her fists fell, but the wall held firm. Striking franticly, she beat against it with all her strength, punching, kicking, even scratching, until her nails caught on something. Looking close she could just make it out, a crack in the wall, and on the other side, a fading voice. 


Let me out! Blow after blow fell, and each time the crack spread and forked, until a web of fissures covered the wall, but it still didn't want to let her out. This stubborn wall was all that was keeping her here, she didn't ever care about the wings anymore, she just wanted out. She hated this place, she hated the dark, and those wings, but most of all she hated this stupid wall! 


I said, LET ME OUT! Her fist slammed into the wall so hard that she was sure she had broken her wrist, but her arm went though, and the wall crumbled. 




**** 




Her arm lashed out, as her eyes shot open, making contact with something and sending it crashing to the floor. Her eyes snapped shut almost as fast as they had opened when she realized how bright her surroundings were. Shaking the fuzziness from her eyes, she sat up in the bed she was in and tried to take stock of her surroundings. To her right was the source of the light, an open window, through which blue skies and green hills could be seen. On the floor below the window, she could see the broken remains of the drinking glass she had just knocked over. Finally, on her left, standing in a doorway, was an orange haired man with a neatly trimmed goatee, who looked like he had just seen a ghost. 


"Hi," she said. 


It was all her dazed mind could think to say, before exhaustion hit her like a ton of bricks, and sent her head plummeting back to the pillow it had just left. As she slipped into what she hoped would be some restful sleep, she thought she heard a voice calling for a doctor, and strangely, the beating of wings. 




**** 




The sound of steady footfalls filled the waiting room of Ponyville General Hospital. As Lero reached one side of the room, and turned to begin his return trip to the other side, he glanced at the clock on the wall and let out an annoyed sigh. He had been pacing for the better part of an hour.  


"Lero, will you please sit down, she'll be here as soon as she can." Twilight looked at Lero from her seat on one of the benches that lined the walls, giving him a small smile, and patted the spot beside her. 


"I'm sorry, Twi," he said, taking a seat next her. "But, you sent that letter two hours ago. What's taking so long?" 


"Lero, I know you're anxious, but she is a princess. Believe it or not, she can't always just drop whatever she's doing to come visit. Besides, even if she was here, what do you think she'd be doing?" 


"Well..." 


"She would be sitting here with us, waiting patiently, for the doctors to do their jobs. Honestly, I don't even know how you can be pacing after sprinting across Ponyville like you did," said Twilight, as she brought a hoof to rest on Lero's knee. 


"Well, what was I supposed to do? I mean, after I called the doctor, the very first thing he did was shoo me out of the room and tell me to go get you," said Lero, taking Twilight's hoof in his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. 


"Well, you could have sent a pegasus, though I doubt they would have gotten there much faster than you," Twilight said, as she recalled the scene from earlier that day. 


Twilight had just stepped out of the library to check the mailbox, when she had noticed Lero running down the street towards her at top speed, weaving around obstacles, and vaulting over any ponies who weren't fast enough to get out of his way. He had quickly informed she and Lyra about what had happened, and after a quick letter to Princess Celestia, Twilight had teleported herself and Lero back to the hospital, while Lyra had gone out to try and find Rainbow Dash. 


"Alright, Twilight, I'll be sure to stop and think rationally the next time I'm in a panic," he said, with a chuckle, while nudging her with his elbow. 


"You would probably be better off learning how to not panic in the first place," came a voice to their right. 


Lero, and Twilight, looked over to see Lyra entering the hospital, with Rainbow Dash in tow. Both mares walked over to take seats, after nuzzling their herd-mates. From her spot next to Lero, Rainbow was the first one to speak. 


"So, she finally woke up, huh?" she asked, looking at Lero expectantly. "Well, what is she like?" 


"I'm not sure, Love, she only said one word before passing out again," Lero explained, his expression going serious again.  


"So, why aren’t you up in her room with her, instead of down here?" Dash asked. 


"Because, Lero isn't a doctor, Rainbow," Twilight cut in. "Right now, those are the only ponies that they're allowing in her room." 


Rainbow Dash's gaze shifted to Twilight, as she raised an eyebrow. "Why, is something wrong?" 


"Not that we know of. I imagine they just want to work in peace," Twilight continued. 


Lyra gave her herd mate a concerned look. "Work on what, exactly," she asked. 


Lero beat Twilight to the punch. "Well, Doctor Signs said that they're using some kind of heavy duty rejuvenation spells on her to boost her body's energy. Hopefully, it will keep her from slipping back into another coma."  


"Don't worry, Lero, the doctors have been planning for this day for a long time." Twilight nuzzled his arm. "I'm sure she'll be up again in no time," she said with a smile. 


Lero wrapped his arm around her, and pulled her in close for a quick kiss. "Thanks, Twi, I hope your right," he said, as he reached his arms wide to pull all three of his mares into a hug. "And, thank all of you for being with me through all this, I know I've been spending a lot of time here." 


"Lero, we all know how much this means to you," said Lyra, as she felt his fingers begin gently scratching behind her ears. 


"Yeah, big guy, we know you'd do the same for us," Dash said, as one of her wings slowly wrapped around her stallion. 


"Thanks, girls, I hope you'll stick with me when it comes time to teach her about Ponyville." He leaned in to give Rainbow a quick kiss, which they held for several seconds. 


"You know it," said Dash. "I don’t think anypony has been looking forward to that as much as Twilight here." 


"Oh, don't worry, with the training regiment I've set up she'll be an expert on Equestria in no time. All I have to do is figure out where I want to start, " Twilight beamed. 


As Twilight began rattling off a, seemingly endless, list of subjects, her herd couldn't help share a quick laugh together.  




**** 




Upstairs, in the sole occupied intensive care unit, two unicorns stood on opposite sides of the bed. The first, a pale blue mare with a golden mane and tail, and dotted outline of a pony for a cutie mark, was pouring restorative magic into her patient. While she had only been at the task for twelve minutes, she was already starting to sweat. Sadly, while See Through knew several unique spells, her magical reservoir was not quite as deep as most unicorns.The other pony in the room was the doctor who had been treating this patient from the very beginning. 


"That's enough, nurse," said Vital Signs.  


See Through took a deep breath and relaxed, as she regarded the being on the bed in front of her. She still couldn't believe the amount of magic that they had pumped into her, if she were a pony she would probably have been glowing by now. 


"Shouldn't it be working by now, Doctor?" See Through asked, between breaths.  


"It is working," Signs replied, plainly. 


"Are you sure? I mean, between me and the three other unicorns that have emptied their magic into her shouldn't we be seeing a reaction by now?" 


Signs looked up at his co-worker, and smiled. 


"You have to keep in mind that humans don't have any inherent magic in them. As such, they can contain far more magic then any pony, with no ill effects. Why, when I managed to convince Lero to let me test his magical capacity, he was able to contain the magic of five unicorns and Twilight Sparkle. Granted, his eyes did glow for two days after that, but still it proved my theory," Signs finished, with a smile. 


See Through looked back at the human on the bed, with wide eyes. She had never formally met Twilight Sparkle, but she knew of the mares magical accomplishments. As bearer of the element of magic, Twilight Sparkle possessed a magical reserve that, to a pony like See Through, seemed limitless.  


"Besides, there has been a reaction; look a little closer See," Signs said, as he lowered his head closer to the woman's face. "Note the slight flushing of the cheeks, and how her breathing is much closer to normal, instead of those long deep breaths that she was taking." 


See Through wasn't sure if she could spot the differences that Signs was talking about, but decided to take his word for it. After all, Vital Signs was probably the closest thing Equestria had to an expert on human anatomy. 


"Well, Doctor, if it is working, should I send up the next unicorn?" See asked. 


"No, I don't think that will be necessary, these results are already promising. If you wouldn't mind heading downstairs, and letting Mr. Michealides know that it's okay for him to come up, I'd appreciate it," Signs asked. 


"Certainly, Doctor," See Through replied. 


As the nurse left, Vital Signs attention was drawn back to the patient on the bed. She had been out for so long that Signs had almost given up on her ever waking up, and now here he was just waiting for her to open her eyes. He had to admit, he was looking forward to meeting the patient that he and his staff had worked so hard to save. 


As the happy thought crossed his mind, Signs proceeded to cross the room to the lone window. Opening the curtain, then the window itself, he was about to turn to the blinds covering the observation window when he heard the bed creak and shift behind him. Turning around, as slowly as he could, Signs was met with the sight that he had been hoping to see since the day the patient had arrived. The woman was sitting up. 


She sat there, on the bed, rubbing her eyes with the palms of her hands, her shoulder length brunette locks covering the sides of her face, and the extra large hospital gown they had special ordered for her hanging loosely around her body. Before Signs realized what he was doing he had cleared his throat. This succeeded in getting the woman's attention, who turned to regard him with bright blue eyes. At first she just stared at him, a confused look playing across her face, until she began slowly scanning the room only to have her attention lock onto him again once she was finished. 


"Is this a dream?"  


Her voice was deeper than most mares, yet soft enough to be pleasing to the ear, Signs figured she would have a rich singing voice.  


"No, no it isn't," Signs answered, tearing his mind from the strange place it had just wandered to.  


"Then what are yoaack!" The woman reached up to clutch her head in her hands as pained gasps escaped her.     


"Miss, are you alright? What's happening?" Signs was beside her in an instant. 


"My head," she cried, "Feels like it's breaking!" 


With her last words the woman lurched violently backwards and, before Signs could react, tumbled over the other side of the bed. Signs was about to jump over after her, but stopped as her hand came back up onto the bed, and long, sharp, black nails easily tore beep furrows into the mattress.    




**** 




As the minutes ticked by in the waiting room, Lero's herd did their best to while away the time. Rainbow Dash was busy trying to balance a pencil on her nose, with varying degrees of success. Twilight Sparkle had found a magazine that was a mere two months old. Lero was cradling Lyra's head in his lap, while gently massaging her neck. Lyra seemed to be faring the best, she had swiped Dash's spot next to Lero when the other mare had gotten up to get a drink of water, laid her head down, and promptly fallen asleep. 


"Ugh, how long have we been waiting?" Rainbow groaned, after dropping her pencil for the tenth time. 


Twilight looked up at the clock for a moment before returning to her magazine. "Ten minutes," she replied, flatly. 


"This is taking forever," Rainbow griped. "When is something going to happen?" 


Before anybody could answer, the room was suddenly bathed in a brilliant golden radiance as a low rumble filled the ears of all who were present. As Rainbow and Twilight shielded their eyes, and Lyra was startled of the bench and onto the floor, Lero felt his entire body stiffen at the sight of the figure standing in the light. When the glare finally faded, standing in the room was none other than Princess Celestia. 


"Princess!" Twilight exclaimed, as she and the other ponies all gave a brief bow. 


"I'm sorry I'm late. The griffon ambassadors were rather adamant that we finishing our trade negotiations," said Celestia, with a smile. "So, what have I missed?" 


"Not much, to be honest," replied Twilight. "We've just been waiting for most of the past couple of hours." 


"How has everypony been holding u-" Celestia stopped when she noticed Lero. Sweat was beading on his brow, his eyes were unblinking, and he was gripping the edge of the bench he was sitting on so tightly that his knuckles had gone white. 


"Oh dear, I'm so sorry," she began, as she raised her horn into the air and focused her magic. Some of Celestia's divine grace seemed to drain out of her as her mane and tail ceased their eternal dance, and fell to the floor in a single rosy hue. 


Lero lurched forward, placing his hands on his knees, and let out the breath he had been holding. As his mares approached to make sure he was alright, Celestia's face fell at the realization that she had forgotten something so important.  


"Is this better?" she asked, in a surprisingly meek voice; one that was not lost on Lero. 


"Yes, Princess, that's... better. You know, we really need to set up a meeting to try and do something about that," he offered.  


Celestia's ears perked up as she looked wide-eyed at Lero, while a small smile crept across her lips. "I... I think I'd like that," she said, hopefully.   


Before anything further could be said, a gasp from one of the doorways caught everyone's attention. Turning to regard the sound, the herd spotted a pale-blue unicorn in a nurses hat staring at Celestia. Her mouth was open, but the only noise that managed to escape from it was a slight squeaking sound. 


"Ah, good day, my little pony." Celestia greeted the newcomer with a warm smile. "Has there been a change in the human mare's condition?"  


The Princess's words seemed to jolt See Through out of her stupor, and the nurse quickly fell into a deep bow. "Ye- yes, Your Highness," she managed to stammer out. "She's not awake yet, but doctor Signs says it's okay for her to receive visitors."   


"Wonderful," replied Celestia, as she gestured to the door with a wing. "Shall we?" 


As the group made it's way through the hospital, Celestia found herself flanked by Twilight Sparkle on her right and, surprisingly, Lero on her left. He kept her at arms length, and never took his eyes off of her, but he was still doing an admirable job of fighting through any lingering fears he may have had for her.  


"It pleases me that you're willing to get so close to me, Lero," she said, in as even a voice as she could manage.  


"Well, you have Twilight, and Rainbow, to thank for that," he said. "They've been helping me get over the fear, with the help of a little magic."  


At the sound of her name, Rainbow Dash moved up beside Lero, and nuzzled the back of his hand. He returned the gesture by caressing her cheek, and resting a hand on the back of her neck. Rainbow remembered those practice sessions well; Twilight had the brilliant idea to try using Lero's love for her to fight his fear of Celestia. It had taken Twilight some time to perfect the spell she was going to use, but when she was done she had managed to create a transmogrification spell that could give Rainbow the size and appearance of a rosy maned Princess Celestia.  


The change in form had been jarring for Rainbow, to say the least. On the one hoof, the extra-long legs, and high center of gravity, made keeping her balance a constant trial. On the other hoof, however, the massive increase in height, and very shapely rump she was suddenly sporting, had been an incredible confidence boost. She figured that she could get very used to walking around in that body... until she saw the way Lero was looking at her. That look of anxious fear plastered across his face was heartbreaking, but the way he recoiled from her approach was more than she could take. 


It had been weeks before Twilight had managed to convince them to try again, this time in a much more controlled setting, with Lero sitting on one side of the library while Dash sat on the other, and tried to get him to talk to her. It was slow going at first, but after several days Lero had managed to force himself to realize that the pony talking to him was not a threat, but the very one he loved most of all. Once that point had been reached, Lero had progressed at a surprising speed. By the end of the week he was able to have a conversation with her, without his teeth chattering. The week after that, he managed to approach to within arms length of her. The true culmination of their efforts came when he was able to hold still long enough for her to walk up to him, and wrap him in a gentle hug. 


As they entered the stairwell, a thought crossed Celestia's mind. "So, Twilight, how has the rest of Ponyville taken the news that another human is in their midst?" 


"Well, Princess, to be honest, I'm not sure if most of the townsfolk even believe it yet." Twilight cleared her throat. "At first, everypony was talking about it; what would she be like, where would she stay, what kind of job would she do? But, after the word got out about her condition, and so much time passed without an appearance, well, I think most ponies have assumed the worst." 


"That is unfortunate," Clestia replied. "I had hoped that-" 


A scream cut through the air just as they reached the top of the stairs. Celestia's head snapped up. The voice was one that she recognized, it belonged to Doctor Vital Signs, and had come from the room at the end of the hall. The thought of one of her ponies in danger galvanized Celestia into action, and in a brief flash of golden light she was at the door to the small room. What she saw, she almost couldn't comprehend. 


Standing in the room was the most bizarre creature she had seen since Discord's reign. Standing on two legs, it easily crested seven feet in height. Its head was that of one of the owls of the arctic north, and like them its entire body was covered in striking white feathers, save for a shock of red plumage at the base of its neck. Its body was lean and wiry, as were its arms and legs which all ended in long onyx talons. Finally, a pair of wings, matching her own in size and span, unfurled from its back. One of its hands was currently wrapped tightly around the throat of Doctor Vital Signs. 


"Unhand him, creature!" Celestia barked, as magic flowed to her horn. 


The thing turned and regarded her with large yellow eyes, before unleashing a shriek that was a fusion of a mare's scream and a falcons cry. Releasing its hold on Vital Signs, it cast him to the floor, where Celestia's eyes followed him. Too late did she realize her mistake, for with her attention momentarily distracted, the creatures next move took her by surprise. Drawing one of its hands across the empty bed next to it, its talons caught the pillow that lay there and sent it flying at Celestia, the makeshift projectile connecting squarely with her horn. As pain lanced through her head Celestia lost her hold on the magic gathered in her horn, causing it to flow into the pillow and detonate in a feathery explosion. Celestia managed to focus her vision in time to see black talons pierce the cloud of feathers and prepare to close around her face. 


As the acrid taste of fear began to seep into her throat, another spell was unleashed, but not by her. This spell had been crafted many, many years ago, by an old bearded friend, who had a knack for preparing for the unthinkable. Just as the creature's claws were about to make contact, the room was filled with blinding light, and the assailant was thrown against the far wall and held there. The beast struggled for just a moment before going limp, its mind forced into a magical sleep.    


"Thank you, Star Swirl," Celestia muttered, as she looked down at her regalia, which was still glowing with the power of the warding spell that the creature had just triggered. 


"Princess, what was that?" she heard Twilight yell, as the others came running down the hall. As they reached the door, they were all given pause by the sight of the creature, still floating in the warding spell's magical grip. 


"What in Equestria is that thing?" exclaimed Rainbow, pointing at the creature.  


"Never mind that, where's the human?" Lyra asked, looking at the torn remains of the hospital bed. 


"Everypony!" Celestia snapped, "we will find her soon enough, right now somepony check on Doctor Vital-" 


"Princess, look!" Lero yelled, pointing at the creature. 


As the ponies cast their gazes at it, the creature began to change before their very eyes. As they watched, white feathers fell in sheets to the floor, and the muscles underneath seemed to ripple and contort. Limbs shortened, and thickened, while zygodactyl talons reshaped into soft pink digits. As wings were absorbed into it, the body lost it's lean physique, and took on a much fuller, softer appearance. Finally, the head completely rearranged it's features; eyes shrunk, beak softened, and thick brown locks spouted from the scalp.  


When the transformation was complete, a very familiar form floated before them.  


"What?" Lero choked.        


"How?" Twilight gasped. 


These questions, and more, raced through Celestia's mind, each one leading to a dozen different answers that she wished she could believe. In the end, though, there was only one explanation that could answer all the questions. It forced its way through gritted teeth, and fell from Celestia's mouth as a single strained word. 


"Chimera."    

> 7. The beast within
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight Sparkle's mind was reeling. The woman that they had all been looking so forward to meeting had just transformed, before her very eyes, from some form of bird-creature. So many questions were flying through her head that she didn't even notice Doctor Signs struggling to his feet. 

"What, in Celestis's name, just happened?" he managed to cough out, throat still sore from the creature's grip. 

The same question could be seen in the eyes of all who were present, and for once Twilight was at a complete loss for answers. 

"Chimera." 

Turning to her teacher, Twilight cast Celestia a curious look. 

"Princess, did you say something?" she asked. 

"Twilight, listen to me carefully." Celestia's tone was one that could make even a dragon sit up and take note. "I need you and your herd to return to your library, and find any books that have any mention of chimeras in them." 

"What do chimeras have to do with this?" Twilight asked, not sure what the connection could be. 

"Now, Twilight, we don't have much time!" 

Twilight knew better than to keep asking questions when Celestia raised her voice. "Come on, everypony, you heard the princess," Twilight commanded, as magic gathered in her horn. Despite the stunned looks, and sputtered protests, Twilight's spell went of without a hitch, and in a bright purple flash she and her herd were gone. 

Celestia was impressed, she knew that Twilight's skill at teleportation had improved, since she first learned how to do it, but to transport four beings simultaneously. I'll have to remember to congratulate her, when she gets back. With her students herd gone, Celestia allowed herself to relax slightly. It was imperative that she be able to focus on the situation at hoof, without the distraction of constant questions. "Doctor, are you alright?" she asked, turning to Signs. 

Signs made his way over to her, still rubbing his throat. "I'll live, now can you please tell me what has happened to my patient?" he asked, glancing at the woman still floating against the wall. 

"Yes, Doctor, I can," Celestia explained, "however, I'm afraid that will have to wait, for the moment. Right now, I need you to make sure that nopony comes up to this floor, until I say otherwise. This patient may yet prove a danger to herself, or others." 

"Then shouldn't we get a medical team up here? I mean I've never heard of a condition like this," said Signs, motioning at the pile of feathers underneath the woman. 

"I assure you, Doctor, this is not something that your staff is prepared to handle." As Celestia spoke, magic began to flow through her horn, and out around the room. As Signs watched, the damage to the bed began to mend, and the torn remains of the hospital gown on the floor knitted back into one piece, before rising into the air and being resecured to the woman, who was then gently placed back into bed. "There is only one pony who can help me at the moment, and we will need privacy for the work that needs to be done." 

Signs considered pressing the argument further, but, looking back at his patient, thought better of it. "Very well, Your Highness, but when this is over I expect some answers. I do not like being kept in the dark about my patients," he said with a huff. 

"Do not worry, Doctor, I will explain everything, when we are not in the middle of a crisis," Celestia assured, as she watched Signs exit the room. 

Once she was certain that she was alone, Celestia went to work. Reaching out with her magic, she cast her thoughts across land and sky so that they may be heard in the mind of another. Luna, please come to me, I am in desperate need of your assistance. Though she doubted that her sister would appreciate being awoken at this hour, she needed Luna's powers if they were to have any chance of saving this soul. As it turned out, Celestia didn't have to wait long. 

As Celestia watched, the room was filled with a bright silvery glow that coalesced into the shape of an alicorn, before shattering into thousands of ethereal shards. Standing at the center of the little display was none other than her sister, Luna. As Celestia had expected, Luna looked like she had just crawled out of bed. The younger alicorn's constantly dancing mane seemed to be flowing at odd angles, her fur was unkempt, and she had not even bothered to don her regalia. 

"Sister... it is early," said Luna, as she regarded her sister, with bloodshot eyes. 

"I know, Luna, but this is an emergency," Celestia urged. 

"What hath happened this time," Luna asked, with a yawn. 

"Sister, they have done something terrible to this woman," said Celestia, glancing at the woman on the bed. 

"Tis quite unfortunate, sister, we thought that medical malpractice was a thing of the past. Still, we fail to see why this news could not wait until-" 

"The ones that she escaped from, Luna." Celestia's voice had gone as cold as a winter morning, and the effect was immediate. Her sister was snapped out of her half-asleep stupor, as her attention was suddenly focused completely upon Celestia. Scanning her features, hoping that it was all just some ill-conceived attempt at humor, and feeling the full weight of the situation upon realizing that it was not. 

"What has happened, sister?" Luna asked, her composure now reclaimed. 

"I'm afraid that we are not dealing with an ordinary human here, sister, she is a chimera." Celestia paused, letting the word hang in the air. As she watched, Luna's eyes widened. 

"Doth thou mean to suggest, one of the ancient variety?" Luna asked, concern growing in her voice. 

"Indeed, sister, a fusion of two creatures. Not born, but made using the dark arts," Celestia replied. 

"What other creature did they use?" 

"It looked like one of the great snowy owls, from the north." 

"We see none of the features of such a creature." Luna paused to examine the woman more closely. "Dose that mean she-" 

"Yes, Luna, I believe that, despite the amount of time that has passed, she is still in the formative phase. That is why I summoned you here." Celestia looked to her sister, hopefully. "Please, Luna, look inside her. Help her, if you can." 

Luna looked at her sister's pleading face with growing concern. "Sister, thou know the dangers of tampering with a mind in flux." 

"I know, Luna, but please try. If she should fall, like so many others did, then they win," Celestia pleaded. 

With a long sigh, Luna looked at the woman on the bed, then back to her sister. "We will try Celestia, but we make no promises as to the outcome." As Celestia watched, Luna crossed the short distance to the bedside, and took a seat. Closing her eyes, Luna allowed her mind to drift outwards until she felt it collide with the wall of an unconscious mind. With a quick push, Luna found the entrance that only she knew where to look for, and found herself falling. 



**** 



The sounds of falling books, and frantic hooves, filled the air of the main reading room of Golden Oaks Library. Purple and gold auras of magic seized books by the dozen, and brought them to the faces of their respective owners. Twilight and Lyra scanned the cover of each book before either dropping them into one of the ever-growing piles strewn around the area, or tossing them to the center of the room, to be hastily caught by Lero, and added to the stack on the center table. All the while Spike watched from halfway up the stairs, doing his best to fight back tears as the library, which he had spent most of the morning reorganizing, was torn apart in front of him. 

"Lero, think fast," Twilight called out. 

Lero got his hands up just in time to keep from getting smacked by a particularly thick tome entitled 'Rare Beasts of Equestria'. "Carful, Twi, you almost got me with that one," Lero called back. 

"Sorry, Lero, but we need to hurry. You're sure this isn't some kind of condition from your world right?" 

"For the last time, Twilight, I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as birditis where I come from. How about here though?" 

"Not that I'm aware of. The closest thing I can think of is the griffin-flu, but all that dose is cause a pegasus' feathers to turn brown," said Twilight, tossing another book Lero's way. 

Lero caught 'Natural Disasters' and gave Twilight a quizzical look. "Twilight, we're not dealing with an earthquake here," he said. 

"Not that kind of disaster," Twilight called. 

Lero quickly turned to a random page in the book. "Is that alligator made of rock!?" Lero asked, upon seeing the picture on the page. 

"Oh yeah, a cragodile," Lyra answered. "Mean things; no pressure points, as far as anypony can tell." 

Lero put the book on the table with the others. The pile that they had built up was beginning to get pretty tall. "Twilight, how much more do we have to go?" he asked. 

"Well, that should be the last of the natural history section, now we just have to get through literature and folklore," Twilight replied, dropping another trio of books. 

"Folklore?" asked Lero. "I thought these were real creatures here." 

"They are, but some of the more fantastic residents of equestria tent to pop up in legends, as much as they do in non-fiction," Twilight explained. 

As the trio continued to scour the library for anything they cold find on the creatures Celestia had asked for, the front door was suddenly kicked open. 

"Hey, guys, I finally found her." Rainbow Dash burst into the building, pulling a rather agitated looking Applejack by the tail behind her. 

"What in tarnation is goin' on here?" Applejack barked, yanking her tail from Rainbow's mouth. 

"I'd like to know as well." Everyone's attention was drawn back to the door to find Rarity, Pinky Pie, and Fluttershy standing there, all with confused looks on their faces. 

"Yeah," said Pinky. "We just finished hitting the market, when all of a sudden, whoosh, Rainbow Dash swooped in, nabbed Applejack by the tail and, zoom, took off for the library." 

As Pinky finished her explanation, with a few wild flails of her hooves, Fluttershy slowly poked her head through the door. "I-is everything ok?" she asked, her voice barley above a whisper. 

"No, Fluttershy, I'm afraid everything's not ok," Twilight replied. "There has been a serious change in the new human's condition." 

"Oh dear, the poor thing hasn't gotten worse, has she?" Fluttershy asked, suddenly pushing her way into the building, eyes wide with worry. 

"Depends on if you think turning into a giant bird-thing is worse," Rainbow answered. 

"Uh, pardon?" Applejack asked. 

"You heard me, giant feakin' bird," Dash said, holding her forelegs wide for emphasis. 

"Darling," Rarity began, "are you sure it's not simply a condition from-" 

"No, it's not a condition from my world!" Lero snapped, slamming the book he was holding down on its pile. All the ponies looked at him with wide eyes. Most of them had never heard him raise his voice before, and the few who had could count the number of times on the hooves of one pony. Lero stood there, eyes to the floor, hand still gripping the book he had just slammed down. His breathing was long and harsh, and it looked like moisture was forming in his eyes."We don't know what's wrong, and we don't know how to fix it," Lero said, the strain evident in the even tone of his voice. "All we know is that Celestia wants every book on chimeras, for some reason. I don’t know why, maybe it will help, but Twilight asked Rainbow to bring Applejack here because she's seen the things firsthand." 

As he finished, Lero felt a soft tug at his hand. Looking down, he saw Rainbow there, his right pinky finger clutched in her lips and worry written across her face. As he gazed into her eyes, Lero felt himself fall to his knees, before wrapping his arms around her neck and pulling her into a tight embrace. They sat like that far a moment before Lero felt a weight upon his other shoulder. Turning to get a better look, he saw that Twilight had come up behind him to rest her chin there. They were soon joined by Lyra, who did her best to wrap her forelegs around all three of them. 

"I'm sorry," Lero said, softly. "I just wasn't expecting things to turn out like this." 

"Lero, you couldn't have expected something like this to happen," Twilight comforted. 

"Yeah, big guy, and don't worry , we've gotten through weirder stuff than this," Rainbow said. 

"I'm sure Princess Celestia asked this of us for a reason," Lyra added. "Lets finish sorting through these books and then maybe we can get some answers." As she finished Lyra pulled her herd in even tighter. 

"Aww." 

The herd all looked up to see their friends looking at them. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinky Pie all had the same love-struck expression on their face, while Applejack was doing her best to avert her eyes while a deep blush spread across her cheeks. 

"Isn't it romantic?" Rarity asked. "The distraught stallion lovingly comforted by his mares. Why, it's something right out of a romance novel." 

"Uh-huh," said Pinky and Fluttershy, in unison. 

"It's down right mushy, if y'all ask me," Applejack complained. "So let me get this strait. Princess Celestia asked y'all to gather up every book ya could find on them chimathingies, and you sent Rainbow to get me instead? 

"Yes, Applejack, as the only pony in Ponyville with firsthoof knowledge of these creatures, I'd hoped that you could tell us anything that the books couldn't," Twilight explained, while disentangling herself from her herd. 

"Well shucks, Twi, aside from living in Fire Geyser Swamp, and being perpetually-ornery, I don't know what I can tell ya." 

"Still, I'd feel a lot better if you were there when we go back to the hospital," Twilight said, while giving Applejack her best pleading look. 

Applejack was hesitant for a moment, but relented in the wake of Lero's little outburst. Figuring that this whole mess was probably hitting him hardest, the least she could do was tag along. "Fine, lets get this over with," she said, with her best fake huff. 

"Great," Twilight exclaimed. "Now, we still have two whole sections of library to sort, so I was kind of hoping that you girls might..." Twilight trailed of, looking at her friends sheepishly. 

"Darling, of course we'll help," Rarity offered. 

"Yeah, I've been waiting forever to throw that welcome to Ponyville party, and that cake won't keep forever," chimed in Pinky. 

As the ponies all cringed at the idea of just how long Pinky had been saving that cake, Lero paused to look at one of the books that they had collected. 'Chimeras, a Reference Guide' had been one of the first books that they had found. Opening to the front page, Lero was greeted with a picture that looked exactly like what he had expected to see. The illustration showed a large animal with the forequarters of a lion, the hindquarters of a goat, the heads of both, and a long serpent for a tail. Twilight had given him a brief rundown on the creatures. Apparently, being composed of two parts carnivore and one part herbivore meant that the things didn't get along well with most other residents of Equestria, and they seemed to prefer living more like animals than people. 

Looking up from the book, Lero saw that the others were already hard at work again. Taking his position at the center of the room once more, Lero readied himself for the task at hand. As the books started flying at him again, Lero couldn't help but wonder, for the hundredth time, just what these bizarre creatures could have to do with helping the woman back at the hospital. 



**** 



The sound of hoof-falls upon tile echoed down the long hallway that Princess Luna currently found herself in. Pushing past a dream, to enter directly into an unconscious mind was always a gamble. Given the makeup of some dreams, seeing the minds that actually created them could be far more disturbing than any nightmare. Luna had been surprised by this one, however, there were no half-conceived ideas running around, nor were there the whispered voices of a thousand thoughts bombarding her ears, at least not yet. Instead, she found herself in a, seemingly endless, well-lit white hallway, not unlike the ones at the hospital. 

Each side of the hallway was lined with nondescript white doors, and as Luna walked by them she saw that most were labeled. Memories, hopes, dreams, fears, and regrets made up most of the doors that she passed. She was tempted to look into some, if only to learn something about the mare whose mind she was currently inside, but quickly dismissed the foalish thought. 

One door, however, did give her pause. Luna stopped, as she passed, to regard the thing. Unlike the other doors, which were merely closed, this one had been secured shut. Thick boards had been nailed across it, and chains crisscrossed its length before being driven deep into the wall by large bolts. 

"It would seem that our guest hath gone to considerable length to repress something," Luna thought, aloud.Giving the door one last look, Luna continued down the hallway. She had a job to do, and could hardly afford delays. Despite the mare's surprisingly collected thoughts, this place was not where Luna needed to be. As she picked up the pace, Luna began scanning the walls and floor. She did not have to wait long, before finding what she was searching for... a hole. Gouged into the floor, and stretching from wall to wall, Luna could not see the bottom of it, but knew where it lead. "Finally, perhaps it is not too late to help this mare." As Luna finished the last word, she held her breath and took the final step over the edge. 

For a moment, all was darkness and the whistling of the air as it rushed past her ears. But, as she fell, Luna could make out a dark glow beneath her, and as she continued her decent the glow crept up to meet her. Finally, the barrier that concealed the source of the light was pierced, and Luna found herself plummeting through the air toward a vast plain of barren ground. 

Instinctively, Luna's wings unfurled to catch the wind and bring herself back under control. Surveying her surroundings, Luna found herself in a very different part of the mind than the one she had just left. Above her, a thick blanket of dark clouds roiled across the entire sky, the only light penetrating them being an oppressive red glow. Below her, the lifeless earth was crisscrossed by jagged canyons that ran from one end of the horizon to the other, creating a vast labyrinth. To call the place desolate was a brutal understatement, yet she was not surprised by the appearance of the place. 

Luna knew this part of a mind very well. It was the primal part that most ponies tried to keep bottled up, or hidden. A place where instinct, and violent impulse held sway. This was the id, and it was a dangerous place to linger. Luna knew, however, that what she had come to stop would be here, if she could find it. 

The sudden crash of crumbling rock caught her attention. Turning her gaze in the direction of the sound, Luna spotted a large cloud of dust rising from one of the canyons. Figuring that it was as good a place as any to begin, Luna banked right and made for the canyon. 

The chasms turned out to be much larger than she anticipated. The one she had landed in was easily fifty body lengths from one wall to the other, and over a hundred in height. The source of the dust cloud turned out to be a large pillar of rock, near the center of a slightly narrow section of the canyon, that had toppled over. Luna was about to take fight again when something caught her eye. Four, very large, furrows had been dug into the floor of the chasm near what had been the base of the pillar. 

Before Luna could contemplate their meaning, the ground beneath her shook for a moment. Luna was still as a stone, eyes fixed on the ground, waiting to see if any more tremors would come. Sure enough, a few moments later, the ground shook again. This tremor was stronger than the last, but was gone just as quickly. It was followed by another, and another, each one a little stronger than the last, until Luna realized that they were not earthquakes, but footfalls. 

Luna looked up just as their source became apparent.Rounding a bend in the canyon, easily ten body lengths in height, was the unmistakable form of an owl. Immense wings were folded at its sides, talons the size of swords dug into the ground with each step it took, and from beak to toe the creature was covered in striking white feathers. Luna's attention was drawn to its face, where two huge yellow eyes sat above a midnight black beak, eyes that were now focused directly upon her. 

This was the reason Luna had come into the human mare's mind. This second persona, which had been forced into her when she and the owl had been made one, now attempted to exert its bestial will upon the mind. A will that, if left unchecked, could very well extinguish the human's mind, and replace it with its own. While Luna disliked the thought of ending a creature that had done nothing to deserve it, the thought of what they would likely have to do to the woman's body ,if this second persona were successful, was enough to steel her resolve. 

Squaring her shoulders, and spreading her wings, Luna called upon all of her considerable might for the test to come. "Forgive us, noble creature, but we cannot let thee usurp this mind!" Luna bellowed. In response to her display, titanic wings unfurled as the owl's head lowered and let loose a deep rumbling growl, that might have been a hiss if the creature were the correct size. 

With the challenge made, Luna wasted no time. Gathering power into her horn, Luna unleashed a cascading beam of energy, the likes of which was usually reserved for combating dragons. The blast struck the owl squarely in the face, and washed over half of its body, leaving a thick cloud of smoke behind. A sly smile crossed Luna's face as the smoke cloud billowed into the air. "Well, that proved remarkably easy to-" Luna's words caught in her throat, as the smoke dissipated. There, standing not a foot from where it had been, was the owl. Some of the creatures feathers had been singed, but beyond that, it appeared unharmed. 

How? We hit it, full force, and it barely flinched. With that thought, fear began to creep into Luna, and she realized her mistake; she had regretted having to do it. Despite her considerable power in the real world, in this place of emotion and instinct made manifest a troubled mind would be at a severe disadvantage against a being unburdened by sentience or morality. 

As if sensing weakness in its prey, the owls head drew back as its wings were raised and in one fluid motion came down with enough force to blast the air out from under it. Luna was caught in the sudden gale and thrown from her hooves, landing hard on her side, the air was knocked from her lungs. Struggling to get her bearings, Luna managed to turn her head skyward just in time for her vision to be darkened by a massive shadow. Realizing what was coming, before her eyes even finished focusing, Luna hauled herself upright and threw herself in the direction that the owl had been. She barely cleared the blast radius, as ten tones of raptor impacted the ground behind her. 

Luna, once more, found herself airborne against her will. Doing her best to roll with the impact, she hit the ground tumbling, and managed to regain her footing behind her opponent. To her relief the owl seemed to have lost her, it was short lived, however, as the mighty bird's head suddenly spun around backwards to fix its gaze upon her once again. Realizing how slim her chances were of stopping this entity, Luna turned and bolted. As she ran, Luna prepared to take flight, only to feel stabbing pain in the base of her wing. Trying again, only to get the same result, it quickly became apparent that something had been pulled when she had hit the ground. 

Barely a moment after learning this, Luna suddenly felt the ground shaking underneath her. Sparing a glance behind her, she saw that the owl had given chase, and its massive legs were rapidly closing the gap between them. With a single flap of its great wings, the owl closed the rest of the distance, its talons coming down just behind her as it swung its head in sideways, and Luna felt the side of the creatures massive head slam into her. The impact had her seeing stars as she was thrown through the air, only to feel something break inside of her when she collided with the canyon wall. 

Momentum carried the owl further down the canyon, but it quickly slowed and reoriented itself. Seeing that its prey was no longer moving, it stalked towards Luna with mouth agape, that low rumbling growl emanating from within. For her part, pain lanced up and down Luna's right foreleg, her vision was beginning to blur as well, and she could no longer raise her wings. With each passing moment the ground rumbled as the owl continued its relentless march toward her. It would seem that this cause is lost. Forgive us, sister, it would seem that you, and Lero won't have the new friend that you were looking forward to. As the owl closed the last few steps between them and lowered its head to strike, Luna began gathering what little energy she had in preparation of abandoning the human mare's mind. 

All of Luna's focus was torn from her by a massive impact in the ground behind her, and the feeling of wind upon her back as something big sped through the air above her. Luna's ears popped as a sudden thunder like clap tore through the air, and before she new what was happening the owl was on its back and sliding away from her. 

"What was tha- huh?" Wiping the dust from her eyes, Luna could scarcely believe them. Looming over her, a full twelve body lengths in height, was the unmistakable form of a human mare. It stood on legs as thick as tree trunks, its towering frame was covered in corded muscle, not an inch of it given over to fat. Its long arms ended in fists the size of boulders, one of which was smeared with blood and white feathers. Despite all of this, Luna found its most frightening aspect was its face, for while it looked like that of the human mare, it was twisted in an obvious state of fury. 

As Luna was taking this in the owl managed to get back to its feet, now with a deep red river flowing from it's left nostril. Seeing the new challenger, it spread its wings and let loose a piercing cry that was more roar than screech. In response, the human behemoth's lips curled back before issuing forth a bellow that caused the small stones around Luna to rattle. As she watched, Luna didn't know if she should be grateful or terrified by this sudden manifestation. While she had expected to see some form of representation of the human's survival instinct, she had thought that it would be trying to get as far from danger as possible, not seeking it out. Then Luna remembered something that Celestia had told her shortly after Lero's arrival in Equestria, human beings were descended from hunters, not prey. 

With a another great howl the human charged, her legs pushing her forward with the force of a locomotive, she slammed into the owl's chest with enough force to level a building. Giant talons carved rifts in the stone floor as the owl did its best to resist the push, but to no avail. The titanic combatants continued down the canyon, until they could go no further. Slamming into the rock wall at a bend in the chasm, the contest began in earnest. As boulders fell all around them, the bird lunged forward, its beak closing around the woman's arm, only to be knocked away by the other fist. The woman raised both arms and brought them down with all her strength, but the momentum was lost as the bird threw all its weight into her torso, pushing her back. Instead of striking, the woman's arms wrapped around the owl and pulled as she spun on her heels, lifting the great bird fully of the ground and swinging it back into the cliff face. 

As the massive contest of wills unfolded in front of her, Luna managed, with great effort, to pull herself to her feet. Taking a moment to make certain that she wouldn't topple, she began making her way toward the colossal battle. Luna knew that she would not be of much help to the human directly, but she had noticed something that had apparently been missed by the two engaged in battle. As they fought, the cliff face above them was becoming less and less stable. Gathering what remained of her power, Luna stepped forth with conviction. Now, she just had to hope that an opportunity would present itself. 

Two-hundred pound fists connected on either side of the owl's neck. Throwing its head back in pain, the bird let out a shriek, only to push forward and bring its beak down on the woman's shoulder. As the bird's jaws clamped shut, the woman roared in pain, bringing her hands up to seize the bird by the neck. Before she could pry the beak off, pain exploded through her abdomen as the owl's leg reached up and grasped her belly, talons taking hold just below the ribs. With its back against the stone wall, the owl pushed with its leg as it released its hold on the woman's shoulder. The sudden force sent the woman flying off her feet. 

As Luna hobbled down the canyon, doing her best to keep to the side and out of sight, she was nearly thrown from her feet as the human mare hit the ground not a dozen paces from her. The giant form of the human lay before her, battered and bloody, but unbroken as it began getting to its feet. Before either of them could make it very far, they were both cast in shadow. From above, with wings spread and talons outstretched, the owl descended upon the woman, who had barely enough time to roll before the talons connected. Though it missed with its first strike, the giant raptor quickly raised and brought its foot down on the woman's chest. 

With the human pinned in front of her, Luna began to despair. She had little energy left, and could not fly, but if the tables didn't turn again soon she feared that the human's will might be extinguished. With the combatants now too far away from the canyon wall for her original plan, Luna deciding to gamble her hopes on the human, as she refocused the energy in her horn for a different kind of effect. As the human shielded her face from the beak that was poised to descend, Luna unleashed her spell.Aiming her horn at the owl once more, a bead of pure silver light the size of a grape sped from its tip towards the creature. 

Within seconds, the spell reached its destination in front of the owl's head. With a ear-splitting bang, the bead detonated in a blinding flash of silver light that brightened the entire canyon. The owl's pupils were reduced to pinpoints, before its eyes snapped shut. Rearing back it let out a shriek of rage and pain as it took a step back. Feeling the weight lift from her chest, the woman peered out from behind her arms to see the enemy above her distracted. Rolling to her left side, the woman drew her right leg back as far as she could before letting it snap strait again. Her foot connected squarely with the owls chest like a battering ram, lifting the bird off its feet and sending it hurtling through the air. 

Luna watched as the mighty bird was propelled through the air, and impacted on the canyon wall with the force of ten wrecking balls. Her eyes widened as the rocks, which hung so precariously on the upper cliffs, finally lost their grip and began tumbling down. The owl had just gotten to its feet, much to Luna's amazement, when the first boulders hit. Stones the size of bowling balls peppered the creature, causing it to look up just as the avalanche hit. Luna heard one last shriek of protest, before the creature disappeared under a billowing cloud of rock and dust. Before she could celebrate, Luna realized that the dust cloud was not stopping. Throwing herself against the canyon wall, she braced herself as the cloud enveloped her. Her entire body stung as she was bombarded by tiny rocks and biting sand, and it was all she could do to keep her mouth and nose covered as she weathered the storm. 

As the dust finally began to settle, Luna did her best to clear the stuff from her eyes. Peering out into the thick brown cloud, Luna could barely see ten paces in front of her; all was quiet. As Luna tried to survey the area, the ground suddenly shook. Not daring to move, Luna waited to see if perhaps a second rockslide was forthcoming. The ground shook, again only for a moment, then shook again. With growing realization, Luna looked up to see a shadow moving in the dust. As the cloud began to settle, the shadow became more defined. Two long legs supported a tall bipedal body whose arms hung at the sides, yet remained tensed. As the dust finally settled, the towering form of the human came fully into view. 

Though she bled from many wounds, she still stood tall before the destruction that had been wrought. Almost half of the canyon side had crumbled down into the chasm she now stood in. Where the owl had stood, there was now nothing but a small mountain of loose rock. With the challenger gone she voiced her triumph in a cry that shook the remaining walls of the canyon. 

Luna watched the scene unfold with a mixture of relief and awe. The few times she had met the human, Lero, she had never imagined that something so primal could lurk within his kind. That creatures with such savage potential could come as far as his kind had was both inspiring and terrifying. She was suddenly very interested to see just what fate had in store for these strange creatures, that had come to her world. 

Deciding not to risk overstaying her welcome, Luna quickly gathered the energy needed to sever her connection with the human mare's mind. As she began to fade from the human's mind and back into her own, Luna looked up to see the towering form of the woman looming over her. With curious eyes, the giant regarded her, before reaching out with one massive hand only to fade into nothingness. 



**** 



Celestia sat by the lone window in the intensive care unit, looking out over the town of Ponyville. As always, it never ceased to amaze her that such a unassuming town could be the focal point of so many great events and still retain its pleasant nature. Though, with the elements of harmony watching over it, she figured that if any place could manage it, it would be this one. A sudden gasp caught her attention. Turning around she saw that Luna had finally come to. 

"Luna, you're finally awake. I was beginning to worry." 

Luna was sweating and her breathing was heavy, but otherwise appeared fine. "Fear not, sister, though the task may have been arduous, we were successful none the less." 

Clelestia's features grew serious. "So, the animal persona?" 

"Buried, deep in her subconscious. With any luck it shall remain there for the rest of her days, or at least until we can find a way to undo what has been done to her." 

"Thank you, Luna, for everything you have done," said Celestia, her features softening once again. 

"Do not thank me, sister, she did most of the work," said Luna, gesturing to the woman on the bed. "If not for this human's will to survive, we doubt that we could have done much to stop the encroachment of the animal's mind." 

Joining her sister by the bed, Celestia looked at the sleeping human once more with worried eyes. "I hope that Equestria can offer her a happy life," she said, a hint of melancholy creeping into her voice. 

"Do not fear for her, sister, this one is strong indeed. We have a feeling that she is going to be just fine." 

> 8. Waking up
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The scent of clean sheets, and a soft bed underneath her were the first things she noticed. As sleep slowly left her, the next thing to come to her was the soreness. Everything ached, her arms, legs and back were stiff as boards, as if she had just been sitting on them for hours. The worst part was her eyes. Opening them, even slightly, stung horribly and her vision blurred into a swirling mix of white and gold. As she stirred, she felt a slight pain in her right arm. As she reached for the point of discomfort with her left hand, a sudden gasp caught her attention; she was not alone. 

Jolting upright, she forced her eyes open to take in her surroundings. She was in what looked like a hospital room. The white walls and ceiling glowed in the light of the midday sun streaming through the window to her right. Turning that way, she could see that the pain in her arm was being caused by an I.V. needle, but she ignored it for the time being. Turning to her left, she came face to face with a man sitting in a chair against the wall next to an open door. He was a young man, dressed in a button-up shirt and slacks, he was of average height and athletic build, his reddish hair was slightly long and pulled back in a ponytail, save for a small braid on the side into which was woven a sky-blue feather, and he sported a well trimmed goatee. He was currently staring at her with wide eyes. 

"Where am I?" she asked, fixing him with a look that could cut stone. 

"You're in the hospital. How do you feel?" he asked. 

"Lousy. Who are you?" Her words were short and forceful. 

"My name is Lero, and I'm here to help," he said, raising his hands into plain view and slowly getting up from his seat. 

"You don't look like a doctor," she said plainly. 

"I'm not. But, they thought it would be best if I spoke to you first," said Lero, as he took a step forward. 

The woman quickly reached to her right, grasped the I.V. in her arm, and pulled it out. She held the needle point down, and brought her fist up so that it was pointing straight at Lero. "That's close enough," she ordered, her voice a low growl. 

"Okay, Oh-Kay," said Lero, as his hands went higher, and he stepped back to his chair. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you." 

"Damn right, you're not. You want to talk, you can talk from right there." The woman lowered the syringe, but kept a firm grip on it. 

"Alright, just let me start by bringing you up to speed on a few things," he said, in the calmest voice he could muster. "You've been unconscious for a long time." 

"How long?" she demanded. Lero paused, as if trying to find the right words. Either that or he was stalling. "How... Long?" she repeated, with a threatening tone. 

"About eight weeks," Lero said, with a sigh. 

The words hit her like a boot to the head. She had been laying there for the better part of two months. As she tried to remember what had happened, pain suddenly shot through her head. Dropping the needle in her hand, she reached up to grasp her skull as her mind suddenly was bombarded by half formed images of strange places and bizarre creatures. They whirled around in her head, causing a wave of nausea to wash over her, before finally fading. As she came back to reality, she found herself leaning over the bed, trying to retch but nothing was forthcoming. She also realized that Lero was holding her hair back for her. 

"Don't touch me!" she snapped, batting his hands away. The effort of swatting him was arduous, her arm felt like it was made of lead. As she continued looking down and clutching her stomach, her eyes went wide. Looking up to see that he had once again returned to his side of the room, she fixed him with another glare. "Alright, if you're not a doctor then who are you and why are you here?" 

"Like I said, my name is Lero, and I'm here to help. I'm sure you must have a lot of questions, so I'll do my best to answer them." Lowering his hands, Lero slowly took a seat in his chair again. 

"Okay then, first question, what the hell was in that I.V.?" she asked. 

"A basic vitamin/mineral solution?" Lero offered, unsure why that would be her first question. 

"Really? then how did I get like this?" she asked, gesturing to herself. 

"I'm not quite sure what you mean," Lero replied. 

"Last time I checked, I was not a plus size, and I did not have these things hanging off the front of me!" she snapped, gesturing at her full figure and pointing her thumb at her chest, and the ample breasts that rested upon it. 

"That's probably a side effect of the other things that have happened." Lero spoke hesitantly, as if trying to pick his words while speaking them. 

"What other things?" she asked, clearly getting annoyed. 

"Well, I'm not sure how best to say this, but you're not on Earth anymore." Lero cursed himself in his head. Two months he had been rehearsing this conversation with himself, and that was the best he could come up with. 

The two were silent for a moment, as the woman's eyebrow rose steadily higher. "Pardon?" was all she offered In response."Okay, you better start making sense real fast, or I'm going to leave and find someone who will," she said, edging to the side of the bed, away from Lero. 

"Alright, but brace yourself, this is going to be kind of hard to believe," Lero warned, as he turned to the door. "Okay, Twilight, you can come in now." 

"Coming," a young woman's voice called from outside the door. 

As she watched the door, a strange double tapping sound could be heard from just down the hall. Is this girl wearing stilettos or something? And, what kind of name is Twilight? As these and other questions were going through her head, she was not prepared for what she saw next. Through the door walked what was easily the strangest looking creature that she had ever seen. It resembled a horse, but it was tiny, probably no more than three feet at the shoulder. Its head was also wrong, the muzzle was too short, the cranium overly large with what looked like a horn sticking out of it, and its eyes were enormous and set on the front of its face and not the sides. To top it all off, its fur was purple and someone had apparently taken the time to dye a pink star on its hip. To be honest, she probably would have thought the thing was adorable... if it wasn't smiling at her. Horses couldn't smile. 

"Hi, my name's Twilight Sparkle," it said. 

The words hung in the air as the room went quiet. The little horse had just spoken to her, and the implications of that were nothing short of staggering. So many questions flooded her mind that she was unsure where to start, and so she sat there, eyes wide, staring at the little creature, who's smile was becoming more, and more, nervous. 

"And, you are?" Twilight asked, hesitantly. 

"Rebecca... Rebecca Lancaster." The words were little more than a whisper. 

"Well, Rebecca, it's very nice to meet you." Twilight's expression shifted from joyful to serious. "Now, we have a lot to discuss." 



**** 



About an hour earlier.
 

Princess Celestia sat at the lone window of the intensive care unit. Her sister, Luna, had just departed, after assuring her that the internal conflict going on inside the human had been resolved for the time being. This had been a immense relief to Celestia, as it meant that truly drastic measures would not have to be taken. So, with the immediate crisis averted, her gaze had once more returned to the daily goings on of Ponyville. How, she wondered, would her little ponies react to this new human, especially if word got out of her condition. In her haste to be left alone she had neglected to instruct Doctor Vital Signs to remain silent on the matter. It was likely that he had already informed his staff of what had happened, and even if she were to gather all the hospital workers together and order their silence it was entirely possible that some had already left the hospital, for one reason or another, and proceeded to start gossiping about their day at work. 

Celestia let out a deep sigh. She could only hope that the ponies of Ponyville would be as excepting of this human as they had been of Lero. Still, precautions would have to be taken until what had been done to her could be undone. She wondered if guardsmare Heartstrings would be willing to take on another charge, or if she should call upon somepony new for the task, perhaps Pinky Pie. While she was not a member of the guard, her ability to keep tabs on ponies had been well documented in Twilight's letters. Then again, Celestia doubted her ability to keep a cool head in the face of an emergency. So, Ms. Heartstrings it was. 

The sound of hooves thundering down the hallway brought Celestia's attention back to the present. As she turned from the window, the door to the room was kicked open to reveal Twilight Sparkle carrying a large saddlebag that was bursting with books. 

"Princess, (huff) we're (Gasp) back," Twilight panted, as sweat ran down her brow. 

"Sheesh, Twi, we only ran, like, half a mile. You are seriously out of shape," said Rainbow Dash as she and the rest of the elements of harmony, as well as Lero and Lyra, made their way into the room. 

"I didn't (pant) see you running," said Twilight, still trying to catch her breath. 

"Oh, oh, is that a challenge to a race I hear?" Dash retorted. 

"Ahem, I trust your endeavor was successful?" Given that each of the ponies before her was carrying a pack similar to Twilight's, Celestia figured that she already knew the answer. 

"Yes, Princess," Twilight piped up. "Every single book with any mention of chimeras in it." 

"Did you find any mention of a condition similar to that of our friend's here?" Celestia motioned to the woman. 

"No, Princess, I'm sorry to say we didn't," Twilight said, with a bow of apology. 

"Good." 

All of those present cast the princess bewildered looks, except for Twilight who nearly toppled forward. 

"E-excuse me, Princess," Twilight sputtered. 

In response to the question, Celestia quickly lifted several books from Twilight's pack with her magic, and began swiftly perusing them. Some of the books she recognized, some she did not, and some she had even written, all of them had one thing in common, though. Throughout the books Celestia found pictures, references, and even diagrams, all of which were of one creature; the terrible three-headed beasts that roamed the most dismal places of Equestria. 

"Yes, Twilight, good," Celestia repeated. 

"Princess, I thought you wanted us to find some way to help this woman." 

"I do, Twilight, but first I needed to know that the bureau of magical study's censorship branch has been doing their job. If all the books you found are like these then it would seem that they are," Celestia explained. 

"What does the censorship board have to do with this?" Twilight asked. 

In response to the questioning stares she was getting, Celestia reached out with her magic and closed the door to the, now somewhat crowded, room. "First off, why don't you all put those packs down and get comfortable? It's a bit of a long story." 

"Oh boy, story time!" Pinky cheered, zipping up and taking a seat in front of Celestia, an expectant smile painted on her face. 

"Princess, is this really the place for this?" Lero turned to regard the woman as he pulled the pack from his back. 

"Do not worry, Lero, she is perfectly safe now, my sister saw to that before you arrived," Celestia assured. 

"Huh, so that's the mare y'all been talkin' bout all winter?" Applejack asked. So far, the only pony present who had seen the woman, aside from Lero's herd and the Princess, was Rarity. She had stopped by one day to take the woman's measurements in preparation of making her some clothes at Lero's request. 

"Yeah, that's her," Lero replied, depression creeping into his voice. 

"Gosh, she's a biggin isn't she? I thought you said mares were smaller than stallions where you're from," she said, turning to Lero. 

"Well, most are, but there are exceptions," Lero answered. 

"Oh, my, she doesn’t look like she's half owl," Fluttershy said, hovering over Applejack for a better look. 

"Yeah, one minute she was, then she just changed." Rainbow Dash flew up behind Lero to place her forelegs on his shoulders. "It was really creepy to watch." 

"Aww, is she going to be okay? I still haven't thrown her that welcome party yet," Pinky Pie groaned from the foot of the bed. 

"Please, everypony, I know you all have questions, perhaps I can answer a few of them," said Celestia, as she took a seat to one side of the room. 

While the ponies got as comfortable as they could in the small room, Celestia did her best to clear her thoughts, trying to figure out where to begin. 

"All right, I'm sure that by now you are all at least marginally familiar with the creatures known as chimeras." In response to nodding heads she continued. "What you are not aware of, is that they are not the first creatures to bear that name. You see, long before Nightmare Moon, before the rein of chaos, before the unification of the tribes, before even my own birth, Equestria was a very different place. I will assume that I need not go into detail about the many conflicts between the three tribes, but among the many problems of the ancient past was a near complete lack of restriction on the practice of, and experimentation with, magic. 

"As now, every tribe had its own practitioners of magic then, be they unicorn wizards, earth pony alchemists, or pegasus weather shapers. Also, like today, many of them possessed an unquenchable thirst for knowledge, and in their quest for it they managed to create many wondrous things. Some of Equestria's most common items, from simple spells of teleportation to enchanted fruit, are far older than many ponies think. Indeed, it was a time of great innovation and discovery back then. Sadly, it was also a time when morals and decency were far harder to come by, and with no overarching organization to keep ponies from delving into its darker aspects , the practitioners of magic were able to create some truly reprehensible thing." 

"Like what?" Twilight asked, regretting the question even before she finished it. 

Celestia searched her memories for a suitable example. "You are familiar with timber wolves, are you not?" 

"Are you sayin' that a pony made those things?" Applejack asked, unable to believe her ears. 

"Yes, Applejack, I'm afraid that is exactly what I'm saying," Celestia answered. 

"But, I don't remember reading about anything like that in school," Twilight interrupted. "Wouldn't something like that be mentioned in history?" 

Looking at her student, with a sad smile, Celestia shook her head. "Twilight, I think you underestimate how quickly history can be forgotten. Why, in less than a hundred years the deeds of Nightmare Moon were no longer fresh in the minds of even the oldest ponies. By the time a thousand had passed, all that was left of her were a few musty old tomes and a children's holiday." 

Twilight had no counter for that. Truth be told, it had taken even her a considerable amount of digging though the royal library to find the book that had tipped her off to the mare in the moon's return, and even then she had stumbled upon it quite by accident. If that was any indication then finding any reliable information on the period of time that Celestia was referring to would be almost impossible. 

"If I may ask a question," chimed Rarity, "why would anypony create such a horrid creature as a timber wolf?" 

"Because they could, and nopony was stopping them," Celestia answered. "You see, back then, magical might often went hoof in hoof with leadership and one of the more popular pursuits of powerful magic users was the acquisition of servants to carry out their will and help them with their research. As you can imagine though, most ponies did not wish to be anywhere near something as dangerous as a powerful mage. So, eventually, some of them decided that if good help was so hard to find then they would make it instead. So, the creation of magical servants came into practice. Everything from living constructs of wood or metal, to wild animals, and even other ponies magically compelled to service were employed. 

"It is not known who first stumbled upon the idea, but at some point during this time period somepony decided that crafting golems was either too expensive or arduous, and the existing creatures of nature were inadequate as servants. This unknown practitioner of magic decided to try something else. If all the current creatures of the world were unsatisfactory, then they would create a new one. Using arcane techniques, that are still poorly understood, they were able to take many animals, and combined them into one, giving the resulting creature the ability to assume the form of any of its component creatures, or even take traits from many of them at once. So it was, that the first chimeras came to be." 

"And you think that's what's been done to her?" Lero asked, looking at the woman. 

"Yes, Lero, I believe so." 

"Then why did she try to attack you, Princess?" Twilight asked. 

"Because, Twilight, she was still in what is known as the fugue state," Celestia replied. 

"The fuwhat state?" asked Rainbow Dash. 

"The fugue, or formative state," Celestia clarified, "Is a period following a chimera's creation in which the minds of its component creatures via for dominance. How it behaves, and which form it is most comfortable in, depends on which mind emerges as dominant." 

"So, dose that mean that her human side is the one callin' the shots?" Applejack asked. 

"Yes, I believe so." Looking over her subjects, Celestia could see the worry in their eyes, not only for the woman's safety, but also their own if the situation changed. "Fortunately, my sister was able to see to it that the other mind currently sharing her body was buried deep in her subconscious. With any luck it will remain there until we can find a way to undo what has been done to her. Still, some precautions will have to be taken." Celestia turned her gaze to Lyra and gave her a small smile. 

"Would you like me to keep an eye on her, Princess?" Lyra asked, with a smile. 

"I would indeed, Lyra, you're about as well versed in the ways of humans as a pony can be, hopefully you will be able to spot anything out of the ordinary, before it becomes a problem." 

"Celestia?" 

She turned to find Lero looking at her with utmost concern in his eyes. "Yes, Lero?" she asked, as her own face darkened with worry. 

"You make it sound like she's going to be like this for a while, can't you just use your magic to change her back?" 

Celestia's head lowered a bit at his words. "I'm sorry, Lero, but this is no mere transmogrification spell, it is a blending of two creatures through the use of dark magic. We need to know more about what's been done before we can try to undo it." 

"Princess?" Twilight asked, taking a tentative step forward. "If I may, it sounds like you already know quite a bit about this. I thought you said that this was all taking place before your time." 

"It did, Twilight, but just because Luna and I took the reins of Equestria does not mean that it stopped overnight. The creation of chimeras was one of many practices that were made illegal upon our taking the throne, that does not mean, however, that it ceased immediately. Indeed, stopping practitioners of the dark arts was a full time job during the early days of our rule. And, while some knowledge of this particular practice was gained, I am afraid that between the passage of time, and the occasional disaster, little of it survives in the present day. I shall have the royal archive searched for what remains of it, but I fear that much of the work will have to be done from the ground up." 

"So, what are we supposed to do with her in the mean time?" Twilight asked. 

Celestia was quiet for a moment, as she looked upon the sleeping human, before turning back to Twilight with a smile. "I would recommend, friendship." 

"Huh?" came the unanimous response from her audience. 

"Friendship, Princess?" Twilight asked. 

"Yes, Twilight, friendship. You see, despite everything that has been done to her, this woman is still, for all intents and purposes, human. Aside from Ms. Heartstrings' care and observance, I would like for you all to treat her as well as you did Lero here." Celestia gave Lero a warm smile as she spoke, and while some of the concern had left his face, enough of it remained that his next question didn't surprise her. 

"But, Princess, what if the situation changes? What if she changes?" Lero's expression left little doubt as to the nature of the outcomes that were running through his head. 

"That is precisely why I want you all to help her get along in Ponyville. If she has friends looking out for her-" 

"Then somepony will notice if anything happens to her," Twilight finished, with a smile. 

Celestia's smile only widened as she saw the wheels in Twilight's head start to turn. "Indeed, Twilight, that's why I would like all of you to help her find a place here in Ponyville." 

"You can count on us, Princess," said Twilight, as she squared her shoulders. "Right, everypony?" 

"Oh, oh, I love making new friends," cried Pinky. 

"I wouldn't mind getting some fashion tips from the mare's side of human culture," Rarity offered. 

"Well, if there's one thing we Apples like, it's makin' new friends," said Applejack. 

"Yeah," said Rainbow Dash, as she landed next to Applejack and rested a foreleg on her shoulder, "and you can count on us to help Lyra keep an eye on her, just in case." 

"I'd appreciate it Rainbow. Humans can be surprisingly stealthy when they want to be," said Lyra, as she bumped Lero's led with her hip. 

"Hey, you're not still sore about that game of hide and seek are you?" Lero asked, enjoying the blush that crept across the mare's face. 

"I still owe you for that stunt," she replied. 

"Well, I guess I could introduce her to some of the animals around Ponyville," said Fluttershy, from behind her mane. 

"Wonderful, my little ponies." Celestia stood as she spoke. "But for now, I believe the sleep spell that she triggered earlier will be wearing off soon. So, Lero, I think it would be best if you were to greet her first." 

"Yeah, it probably would be best if we eased her into this, but I doubt that she's going to take it well." Lero replied. 

"Hey, do you want some backup?" Rainbow asked. "Don't want you getting hurt if she decides to do something crazy." 

"That's not a bad idea, love, but I was kind of thinking it might be better if Twilight were to help with this one," Lero said, sheepishly. 

"Twilight?" asked Dash, looking at her herd mate. 

"Well, you know how you get when it comes to... social encounters." 

Rainbow cheeks flushed at the reminder of her aggressive streak, and the problems it had caused on their first date with Twilight. "Oh, yeah, she probably would be a better bet, huh?" 

"Just a little." Lero paused to run his fingers through Dash's mane. "Maybe next time okay?" 

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, while leaning into him, before turning to Twilight. "You keep an eye on him, okay Twi?" 

"Of course, Rainbow," Twilight replied, giving Rainbow a reassuring smile. 

"Well, if it's all settled, shall the rest of us head to the waiting room?" Celestia suggested. 

As everyone filed out of the room, Lyra and Dash paused to give their herd mates one last hug, before leaving Twilight and Lero alone with their, hopefully, soon to be new friend. 

"So, Lero, how do think we should do this?" Twilight asked, as she turned to look at the woman on the bed. 

"Well..." 



**** 



"And that's where we stand now," Twilight finished. Throughout the story that she had just told the woman, Rebecca, had remained mostly quiet. She now sat with her legs pulled up against her body with her arms wrapped around her knees. 

"We realize what a shock this must be, but we're here to help you get through this," Lero added. 

Rebecca was silent, the only noise she made was the sound of her breathing, which came in quick deep breaths."I don't believe this," she said, covering her eyes with her hand.

"Miss, are you alright?" Twilight asked. 

"Oh, I'm fine, little horse..." 

"I'm a pony." 

"I mean, I've only just woken up to find that I've been abducted by aliens and turned into some kind of bird creature, only to wind up in a hospital thirty pounds heavier then when I last checked, and talking to something that looks like it jumped out of a children's story, but other than that I'm... just... fine." Rebecca's head was buried in her knees as she finished the last words, only to have them be replaced by gasping sobs. 

Lero and Twilight sat there for a moment, looking at each other, wondering how best to proceed. To their surprise, however, Rebecca recovered quite quickly. 

"You said that this extra weight might be a side effect of what happened to me"- Rebecca dried her eyes with her blanket- "how does that work?" 

"Well," began Twilight, "this is just a hypothesis, but your body now has the potential to take on features of another creature, however it would seem that those features don't come from nowhere. When we saw you change the first time you had the wings, claws, and head of an owl. Yet, when you changed back into a human those features didn't just vanish, they seemed to meld back into you. I can only surmise that these potential features are converted into some other form of body mass when not in use. It's actualy quite fascinating, why I've never heard of this kind of adapta-" Twilight was silenced when Lero's hand made its way over her mouth. 

"I think she gets it, Twilight," he said, motioning to Rebecca, who had apparently stopped listening, in favor of staring out the window. She at least seemed to have relaxed a little. 

"Oh, sorry," said Twilight. 

"Miss, I realize this must all come as quite a shock," said Lero. "Is there anything we can do to make this easier for you?" 

Before an answer could be given a low growl cut through the silence. Both Lero and Twilight looked at Rebecca, who looked down and gave a humorless laugh. "Well, something to eat would be nice. I guess I'm eating for two now, after all." 

> 9. A new world
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The tapping of hooves on tile filled the hospital waiting room. As Rainbow Dash made it to one side of the room, only to promptly turn and head for the other, she failed to notice the annoyed looks she was getting from the other ponies in the room. 


"Rainbow, will you please stop that insufferable pacing?" griped Rarity, from the bench she was sitting on. 


"Argh, but this is taking forever, I though we were done with all this waiting," replied Rainbow, with a snort. 


"Well, darling, Twilight and Lero have a lot to talk about with this new girl."  


Sitting up in the spot next to Rarity, and closing the magazine she had been trying to read in a vain attempt to distract herself from the situation, Fluttershy spoke up. "Oh, it must be so hard for her. I hope they're able to break it to her gently." 


"Well, I hope they get it sorted out soon, one way or another. I don't know about y'all, but I was kinda in the middle of somethin' when Rainbow grabbed me." Applejack had been eyeing the door on and off for a while, and wondering if she should take the time to make a quick trip home to ask Big Macintosh if he would mind taking care of the grocery shopping this week. 


"Applejack, dear, I'm sure nopony will mind if you step out for a moment. Even if you do miss the first introduction it's not like she's going anywhere," said Rarity. 


"I know, but I hate to not be here when they get back, especially after the princess left to get things rolling in Canterlot." 


Rainbow's ears perked up, as she turned to Applejack. "Hey, if you want, I could zip over to Sweet Apple Acres and let them know what's going on." 


"Don't you want to be here when Twilight and Lero get back?" asked Applejack. 


"Ah, it'll only take me a second. Besides, it'll give me something to do besides just sitting here," Rainbow offered.  


"Well, I guess, if you don't mind..." Applejack began. 


"ThanksI'llberightbackby." Before anything else could be said a sudden gust of wind shot through the room and Dash was gone, leaving only a trail of multicolored light in her wake. 


Applejack let out a defeated sigh. "Well, there goes another one," she said, glancing around at the steadily shrinking group. "Hey, where'd Pinkie Pie get to?" she asked. 


Lyra looked up from her book at the mention of Pinkie. "She said something about needing to get something ready then she just took off." 


"What do you think it is?" Fluttershy asked. 


"Knowing Pinkie, its probably her party cannon, dear," replied Rarity. 


"Oh, silly, they won't let me bring that in here anymore." 


"Eek," screamed Rarity, at the sudden voice behind her. "Pinkie! Don't sneak up on me like that." 


"But I wasn't sneaking," chimed Pinkie, with a grin.  


"Nonetheless, I wish you wouldn't... what in the world is that?"  


Hanging around Pinkie's neck was what looked like a small wooden barrel, painted in pink and white stripes, with a big blue ribbon wrapped around the center and tied into a bow on the front. "This is a barrel of fun, Rarity. It's the perfect gift for making somepony feel welcome," exclaimed Pinkie. 


"Well, what's inside it?" Applejack asked. 


"Silly Applejack, I can't tell you that, it would spoil the surprise. 


Before anypony could ask further, the sound of a door opening caught their attention. They all looked up to see Twilight and Lero enter the waiting room.  


"There you are," said Lyra, trotting up to her herd and giving them both a quick nuzzle. "So, how is she?" 


"Oh, oh, is she awake yet, is she awake yet?" asked Pinkie. 


"Indeed, please do fill us in," said Rarity, as she and the rest of the ponies gathered around. 


"Hold on," said Twilight, noticing the absence of her herd-mate and the princess, "where is everypony?" 


"The princess said she'd be back later and Rainbow went on a quick errand," explained Applejack.  


Twilight let out an exaggerated huff. She knew Rainbow had a hard time sitting still, but she had been hoping to have a few more words with Celestia before she left. "Well, her name is Rebecca Lancaster, and she seems to be taking the situation fairly well." 


"Sheesh, you humans really do have some funny names don't ya?" asked Applejack, giving Lero a quizzical look. 


"Actually it's pretty common where I'm from," he replied. 


"So, can we see her now?" asked Pinkie. 


"Well, right now she's in the cafeteria. We told her we'd be back in a moment, but I don't know if..." began Twilight. 


"Oh, boy!" beamed Pinkie, before speeding off. 


"Pinkie, wait," called Twilight, as her friend ran down the hall.  



 **** 



The cafeteria of Ponyville General Hospital was a bit nicer than most. With thick beige carpeting and round wooden tables it had a much more pleasant feel to it than most would expect to find in a hospital. Rebecca sat alone at one of the tables in the far corner of the room. One of the first things that she had noticed about the place, upon getting out of bed, was that most of the furniture was very low to the ground. The table she was sitting at was so low in fact that it didn't even have any chairs, and was instead surrounded by several soft pillows.  


Another thing she had noticed was the ponies. The little things were everywhere, and every one of them seemed to be staring at her. As she scanned the room, each time her gaze fell on a pony the little creatures would quickly avert their eyes and try to pretend that they hadn't been looking at her. Lero and Twilight had excused themselves a moment ago, saying that they needed to talk to someone, but that they would be back in a few minutes.  


"Here, this might help." A voice beside her suddenly jolted Rebecca out of her little survey. One of the ponies had managed to sneak up beside her and place something on the table. The pony was male, his voice made that obvious, and of all the ones she had seen so far probably came the closest to having a normal coat color, his being light brown with darker mane and tail. Also, out of all of them, he was the first one she had seen wearing clothing, in this case what looked like a doctors coat complete with tie and even glasses. "I wouldn't start with anything too heavy, you've been off solid food for quite some time," he said, motioning to the table.  


Looking down Rebecca saw what looked like a bowl of tomato soup and glass of water. Ignoring the food she bought her eyes back up to meet his; for some reason she couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu that was creeping over her. "Have we met?" she asked, continuing to stare into him. 


"My name is Vital Signs, and I'm the doctor who has been looking after you while you've been here, we met briefly before your... episode." Despite the stern face he was trying to put on, Rebecca could tell by his voice that he was nervous.  


"Thank you," she said, flatly. 


"You're welcome," he replied, hesitantly. "Look, I realize that you have already been through a lot today..." 


"You think?" 


"… but I was hoping you would be willing to allow me to perform a quick physical, just to make sure everything is in order." 


Closing her eyes Rebecca took a deep breath, her head was starting to hurt. "Sure." 


"Very good, the room is just down that hall, third door on the left. I'll meet you there shortly." Signs pointed to one of the halls leading out of the cafeteria before turning to head down it.  


As she watched him go, Rebecca noticed the picture on his hip was a heart monitor. "He seems nice enough." Turning to the bowl of soup in front of her she noticed that he had neglected to leave any silverware. Do they even use silverware? Picking the bowl up she gave the soup an experimental sip, and was pleasantly surprised. The soup was rich, creamy, and most of all filling; she made short work of it. 


"HI!" A voice suddenly cried out beside her, causing her to sputter out her last sip of soup. Looking to her left, Rebecca found another pony. This one was the brightest she had seen yet, with a pink coat and even pinker mane. "I'm Pinkie Pie, and it's so nice to finally meet you, we were worried that you weren't going to wake up, but now you are awake and I can finally throw you that welcome to Ponyville party I've been planning, and we're going to be the best of friends."  


Scooting away from the creature, Rebecca grabbed the water off the table and drained the glass. With her throat cleared of soup, Rebecca was finally able to muster a response. "Maybe some other time, the doctor wanted to see me after I finished eating," Rebecca said, giving the pony a wary eye.  


"Oh, okay, How about after?" Pinkie asked, giving the biggest smile she could. 


Despite the attempt at cuteness, Rebecca's headache was getting worse and her patience was wearing thin. "Listen, maybe when I'm not in the hospital we'll do this party thing. Until then, the doctor is waiting for me." As she got up to leave, Rebecca suddenly felt something on her arm causing her entire body to shudder. 


"Well, will you at least take you barrel of..." Pinkie began, as she reached out and took Rebecca's arm. 


"Don't touch me!" Rebecca snapped. 


Pinkie stumbled backward at the sudden outburst. "I-I'm sorry," she whimpered. 


Noticing all eyes in the room upon her including those of Lero and Twilight, who had just entered the room, Rebecca lowered her voice. "Look, when I'm ready to start making friends you will be the first to know. Until then, leave me alone." The last words were little more than a growl, and Pinkie's mane deflated at the sound of them. With that, Rebecca turned on her heels and headed for the door that Vital Signs had left through, exiting the room just as Twilight and the others reached the table. 



 **** 


Rebecca sat on the padded table of the examination room looking around at the various medical supplies. Jars of tongue depressors, gauze, and other medical accoutrements coupled with the sterile feel of the place made it almost familiar enough for her to forget where she was. However, between the furniture all being half size, even sitting on the examination table her feet still touched the floor, and the one performing the examination, any illusion of familiarity was quickly dispelled.  


As Rebecca watched, Vital Signs stood at a table going over the notes that he had taken so far. "Well, Miss Lancaster, as far as I can tell you seem to be in fair health. Although, I must admit, I don't have a whole lot to compare you to. Still, your statistics are close enough to Lero's that I think we can say with some certainty that everything is in order." 


"You checked Lero too?" Rebecca asked. 


"Oh, yes," Signs said, perking up. "Why, I've been Mr.Michaelides physician since he first came to Ponyville." 


"Really? Well, that's comforting," she said, though Signs could tell by her voice that she didn't mean it. 


"Ma'am, I assure you, I am quite adept in the medical field. And, despite my lack of experience with your people, I have managed to keep at least one of you healthy for as long as he's been a patient of mine," Signs explained. 


Rebecca cocked an eyebrow. "Okay then, Doc, how do I check out so far?" She asked, a hint of challenge in her voice. 


"Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory system checks out; they would have been easier to check if you would have let me apply the stethoscope myself. We tried to keep your muscles exercised while you were out, but some deterioration has occurred, so I would recommend regular exercise to get you back up to speed. Still, as is, I'd put you on about equal terms, physically, with a young unicorn mare, so you shouldn't have to remain in the hospital for very long," Signs finished, with a smile. 


Rebecca couldn't help but let a small smile creep across her lips. Despite his appearance, the doctor's confident nature was actually rather comforting; at least he seemed to know what he was doing. "Alright, Doc, is their anything else we need to check?" 


Happy that he was making at least some progress with his patient, Signs smiled. "Well, an eye exam probably wouldn't hurt, I can't help but notice that you seem to be squinting a bit," he finished. 


"Well, this place is awfully bright," she replied, as Signs opened a nearby drawer and levitated a eye chart out and over to the wall opposite Rebecca. When he turned around Signs noticed the wide eyed stare that Rebecca was giving him. 


"Oh my, I'm sorry," he said, with a frown, "I forgot you haven't had a chance to get used to magic yet." 


"Yeah, still trying to wrap my head around that one," she said, still scarcely believing her eyes. That is going to take some getting used to. 


"Well, shall we begin?" Signs asked, eager to change the subject. 


"Yeah, let's do that," she replied, trying to get comfortable in her seat once more. 


"Excellent, now just read as far down the chart as you can," Signs instructed. 


"Alright, lets see here." Rebecca did her best to focus on the rows of letters across the room starting at the top.  


"E,F,P,T,O,Z,P,E,D,P,F,C,E,D,E,D,F,C,Z,P,F,E,L,O, Approved by the Equestrian Medical Association." 


Signs walked over to the chart and squinted at the bottom corner. "Wow, that's good," he said, slowly. "That's... very, very good. I wasn't aware that humans could see that well." 


"We can't." 



 **** 



Rebecca lay in her new bed staring at the ceiling. After her physical, Signs had informed her that she was being transferred out of her intensive care unit, and into the first floor recovery wing. While it was not a private room, she was the sole occupant for the time being, and Signs had told her that he would do his best to keep it that way for her. As she lay there, she did her best not to think about her situation. Unfortunately, trying not to think about it only made her think about it more, and brought with it a growing certainty that she was not just going to wake up from it all.  


A soft knock at the door drew her attention, to which she responded by rolling onto her side and doing her best to ignore it. A few moments later though the door opened, and the sound of feet as well as many hooves filled the room.  


"I told the doctor I didn't want anymore visitors," she said, not even turning to see them, though she had a pretty good idea as to who it was. 


"Yeah, but he said that you could probably use some company." She recognized the voice as Lero's. 


Realizing that he wasn't going away, Rebecca sat up and turned to face him. Lero stood there with three ponies around him, the one in front she recognized as Twilight while the other two were new. On Lero's left stood another unicorn pony; Rebecca thought she looked a lot like Twilight, except this one was mint green in color with golden eyes and had a surprisingly cheerful smile on her face. To Lero's right stood a new kind of pony Rebecca hadn't seen before. This one was, if anything, even smaller than the other two and was the most colorful one she had seen yet, with sky-blue fur and a rainbow mane. Most surprising of all was the fact that this third pony had what looked like wings.  


"What's all this?" Rebecca asked. 


"These are a couple more well-wishers," said Lero, motioning to his sides. "This is Lyra Heartstrings." 


"Hello." Lyra waved.  


"And, this is Rainbow Dash." Lero ran his hand down Rainbow's mane. 


Rainbow leaned into the touch but, between her bored expression and the way she kept glancing at the clock, didn't seem too interested in introductions. "Sup," she offered. 


"Charmed," replied Rebecca, with the same lack of interest. The room was silent for a moment, as Lero and Twilight's smiles became more and more strained. "Well, it was nice meeting you, but if there's nothing else..." 


"Actually," Twilight piped-up, "we were just wondering how you're holding up?" 


"You did sort of startle some ponies back in the cafeteria," Lyra offered, concern evident in her voice. 


"Well, some ponies could stand to learn how to take a hint." As Rebecca spoke the strained smiles finally broke into depressed frowns. 


"Aaugh," exclaimed Rainbow. "Okay, I think we're about done here."  


"Rainbow!" Twilight and the rest of her herd turned to glare at her. 


"No! Look, Twi, It was a good idea, A for effort and all, but it's obvious she wants to be left alone; and after the way she yelled at Pinkie I'm all for it." Rainbow took to the air and hovered in front of Twilight as she spoke, causing Twilight to take a step back, and Rebecca to nearly back out of her bed. 


"I'm going to have to agree with Rainbow on this one," said Lyra. 


"You too, Lyra?" asked Twilight.  


"Look, Twilight, she clearly wants to be alone right now, maybe we can introduce her to the herd later," Lyra offered. 


"What's the herd?" All eyes turned to Rebecca, who was looking at Lero, as Lyra brought a hoof up to her mouth. 


"Uh, well..." Lero's eyes darted to the sides as he tried to find the words he was looking for. "It's something we were going to explain after you got a little more settled in," he said. 


"Well, it sounds like something I should know about, so why don't you explain it now?" said Rebecca. 


"Hey, why don't you try asking nicely, and maybe we will," Rainbow shot back.  


Before Rainbow could continue she suddenly found Lero between herself and Rebecca. His furrowed brow and pursed lips left no question as to his mood. "Rainbow, that's enough," he said, sternly. 


Rainbow's ears suddenly flattened, and she fell to the ground. "But, she..." 


"Rainbow, not helping." Lero said, more forcefully. 


At this, Rainbow took a few steps back. "Fine," she said, sourly while turning her gaze to the corner of the room. 


Lero turned back to Rebecca, who was still looking at him. He cleared his throat before beginning. "Okay, you remember how we told you that the citizens of Equestria are mostly ponies?" 


"Yes," Rebecca replied. 


"Well, the thing is, when it comes to ponies, the females actually outnumber the males." 


"By how much?" she asked, wondering where he was going with this. 


"About five to one, maybe more in some areas. Now, with such a big gender imbalance it's pretty much impossible for every mare to find a stallion of her own. So, ponies form herds, instead of couples. A typical herd consists of one or two stallions, and between three to six mares," Lero finished. 


As he spoke, Rebecca noticed Lero was beginning to sweat. "So, I take it these three are part of one of these herds?" she asked. 


"Yes," Lero replied, "and something else you should know is that ponies are not the only sentient species in Equestria, and interspecies relationships do exist." 


"Well, that's an interesting piece of culture, but why would you have a problem telling me about..." Rebecca's eyes suddenly widened as realization sank in. The way Lero kept glancing at the ponies and back to her with that nervous look in his eye, the way he spoke to Twilight and Rainbow Dash in such a familiar manner, and the way he had been hesitant to explain this in the first place made Rebecca's next question obvious. "Lero, are you in one of these herds?" 


Lero took a deep breath. "Yes, I am. Twilight, Lyra, and Rainbow here are my herd, and I love them very much," he said, looking at each of his mares in turn before facing Rebecca again, his nervousness having been replaced with new resolve.  


They sat in silence for a moment as Rebecca's face went through a number of expressions, ranging from confusion to disgust, before she closed her eyes and forced herself to take a deep breath. When she opened her eyes again she was more bewildered than anything. "Well, that's… something." 


Lero let out a sigh, and Twilight and Lyra seemed to relax as well. "Thanks," said Lero, "I was worried about how you might react to that." 


"Well, when in Rome, I guess." As she spoke, Rebecca noticed Rainbow still staring at the wall with a miffed expression on her face, and a sly smile crept onto her face. "But, I have to ask, does the rainbow one taste like skittles?"  


As the entire herd went red, Rainbow turned wide-eyed to the woman. "Excuse me!" she shouted, as she took to the air and made a beeline for Rebecca, only to be stopped by two auras of magic gripping her lower half. "Where do you get off lady? I've got half a mind to..." 


As Twilight and Lyra did their best to restrain their herd-mate, Lero made his way to Dash's side and was about to join his lead mare in her tirade when he noticed something that made him stop; Rebecca was laughing. 


As Rainbow did her best to get her hooves on her, Rebecca held up her hands defensively. "I'm sorry," she said, between laughs, "I'm sorry, but I couldn't help myself." 


As Rebecca's giggling died down, Lero placed a hand on Rainbow's shoulder. "Alright, Love, calm down," he said, with a smile. 


"What!?" Rainbow glared at him then back at Rebecca. 


"She didn't mean anything by it," he said, as he worked his hand up the back of her neck to rub the spot behind her ears.  


As Lero's hands worked their magic, Rainbow felt the anger drain out of her. No matter how mad she was about something, once Lero got his hands on her it all just seemed to fade away, and she felt herself being lowered gently to the ground.  


"Well now, if there are no more jokes..." Twilight began, pleased at the sudden change in Rebecca's mood. 


"Just one more?"  


"Excuse me?" Twilight asked. 


"Just one more, and I promise I'll be done," Rebecca pleaded. 


Twilight cocked an eyebrow at her but was distracted by Lero placing a hand on her withers. "Shoot," Lero said. 


"Lero," Twilight scolded.  


"Come on, Twi, if that's all she asks then let her get it out of her system. After all, it could be a lot worse," he reasoned. 


Twilight was about to object when she saw the pleading look in Lero's eyes, then it hit her; this was the most progress they had made with Rebecca since she woke up. "Fine," she said flatly. 


Rebecca's smile widened. "Why did the man cross the road?" she asked twilight. 


"Why?"  


"Because he was invited to some... pony play," she answered, before breaking into another fit of laughter. 


"Oh, come on, that doesn't even make sense, does it Lero?"  


"Y-yeah," Lero stuttered, his face turning a bright crimson. 


"Well, what does it mean?" asked Lyra, as she and the other mares looked at him in confusion. 


As Lero was trying to find the best way to start a very awkward conversation, Rebecca's laughter suddenly stopped as all the mirth seemed to drain out of her. "Seriously though, it's good that you found someone who makes you happy," she said, turning once more to face the group. 


"Um, thanks," said Lero, concern creeping into his voice at the sudden change in mood. 


"Miss Rebecca, are you alright?" Lyra stepped up to the bed, worried as to what could cause such a drastic change.  


"Just a little drained I guess," Rebecca replied. "Look, it's been... interesting talking to you all, but I think I could use a nap." 


"Okay, if you're sure?" Twilight asked. 


"Yeah, I think some sleep will do me good." 


"Well, okay then." As she and her herd started to make their way to the door, Twilight paused. "Just one more thing. Our princess said she would like to meet you." 


"I'll be right here when she's ready," Rebecca replied.  


As the light was turned off and the door closed, Rebecca lay back down and tried to get comfortable in the strange bed. 



 **** 


The load was heavy, was it stone? it pressed down hard on the shoulder that she carried it on. The hard stairs she was climbing were cold, made even worse by the drizzle coming from above, her bare feet were numb. Worst of all were the shackles, heavy and loose on her wrists, they rubbed her arms raw but she dared not try to take them off. There were others around her, people maybe, but she couldn't make them out through the mist. The mist was thick and cold and it left everything damp; she couldn't see more than a few feet in any direction. But, despite how thick it was, the mist did nothing to hide the shadows.  


They flitted through the mist, watching and waiting, their bodies little more than wisps of black smoke given arms and legs, all except their hair. Some of them seemed to have black tentacles writhing atop their heads. Others had water, flowing from their tops down their backs. Still others had fire or streamers of multicolored light dancing in the wind. 


As she climbed the steps she tried to wipe the sweat from her brow on what remained of her sleeve, only to miss the next step. She came down hard on her knee, hissing in pain as the load she carried fell from her shoulder and clattered away from her. She tried to get back to her feet but it was to late, the shadows had sprung.  


They weaved through the air around her, the first to arrive at her side grunting and hooting at the others, as if gloating, before reaching out with a long spindly hand and touching her shoulder. The shackles suddenly tightened around her wrists and froze in the air, holding her in place. She had only a second to brace herself, then the shackles burst into flames. Rebecca screamed. 



 **** 



Rebecca came to with a start, sweat dripping down her brow. She was lying in her bed in the hospital, and as she blinked the last traces of sleep away realized that she was not alone. Standing by the window was another pony, but this one was unlike any other she had seen. This pony towered over the others, and possessed an incredibly pure white coat that seemed to turn into gold as it caught the rays of the sun, which was just peaking over the horizon. In addition to her gleaming coat, the mare also had a pair of majestic wings folded at her sides, and a lance-like horn upon her brow which was giving off a soft golden glow of its own. Most of all, though, Rebecca's eyes were drawn to the multicolored mane that seemed to dance in some unseen wind. For a moment it reminded her of the nightmare she had just awoken from, sending a chill down her spine, but like the nightmare itself the feeling was fleeting.  


"Well, you're a big one aren’t you?" Rebecca asked. 


"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you." The mares voice was soft and motherly. 


"You didn't." As she examined the mare more closely, Rebecca noticed that she was wearing what looked like a crown. "I'm guessing you're the princess that Twilight mentioned?" 


"Indeed, I am Princess Celestia, and I..." Celestia's eyes suddenly widened in realization, her horn lit up again, and as Rebecca watched, her mane changed to a single rosy hue and ceased its constant flowing. Rebecca sat there for a moment, wondering what had just happened, as Celestia took a few tentative steps toward her, confusion clearly visible in her eyes. "Were you... were you not frightened of me just now?"  


"Should I be?" Rebecca asked, suddenly aware of just how big the princess's horn was. 


"If you came to be in Equestria in the same manner as Lero then yes." As Celestia spoke, a thought entered her mind that chilled her to her very core. "Rebecca, do you remember what happened before you arrived in Equestria?" 


"Remember is a strong word," Rebecca replied. "Whenever I try to think about it my head starts to spin and everything just sort of goes blank. But, when I was asleep just now, I saw... something." 


"What did you see?" Celestia's worry was growing. 


"Blurry flashes of places, and things." 


"Do you remember anything specific?"  


"Not really. Like I said, the more I try to focus on it the blurrier it gets." 


Celestia let out a sigh. "I would suggest that you stop trying to focus on it," she said, as some of the tension left her voice. 


"Why, do you know how I got here?" Rebecca looked like she was ready to leap off the bed. 


"Yes I do, and believe me when I say that it is best if you do not know many more details."  


"What do you mean it's best if I don't know? Tell me how I got here, right now!"  


Rebecca seemed ready to cross the room and strangle her, and Celestia suspected that she possessed just the right combination of ignorance and anger to try. Rather then allow her regalia's defensive wards to be triggered twice in as many days, Celestia took a deep breath and tried to find the best place to start. "You were abducted," she said, finally. 


"By who?" Rebecca asked, easing herself back into the bed. 


"By creatures that I shall not describe further." The finality with which Celestia spoke made it clear to Rebecca that there was no point in arguing. "Suffice to say, they are capricious and sadistic beyond measure, and that they posses magic that is wholly different from that of Equestria. Why they took you, and why they did what they did to you, I do not know, but you are fortunate indeed to no longer be in their grasp." 


"So, they're the ones who turned me into a..." 


"A chimera, yes. But hopefully, with time, we will be able to undo this." 


Rebecca's head sank. "How long?" 


"I do not know. The process of creating a chimera is still poorly understood in Equestria, but in time I am sure we will find a way," Celestia comforted, walking up and taking a seat at the side of the bed. Rebecca didn't even turn to look at her. "In the meantime, you are more than welcome in Equestria. Lero has made a very good impression during his time here and, as long as you are willing to do the same, I'm sure my little ponies will be happy to have you among them." Celestia smiled, though Rebecca didn't see it.  


They were quiet for a moment, before Rebecca spoke. "I can't go back, cant I?" her voice was little more than a whisper, and she still kept her eyes forward. 


Sorrow took hold of Celestia's heart as her smile faded. "I am sorry, but we do not posses the means to leap across worlds as the ones that took you did." As she spoke, Celestia could feel tears forming at the corners of her eyes, but did her best to fight them back. She wanted to do something to help the woman before her. Almost unconsciously, Celestia spread a wing over Rebbeca. 


"Don't... touch me." The words came out, quiet and filled with venom, before Celestia even made contact. "Just-" Rebecca let out a defeated sigh "-just leave me alone." 


Celestia withdrew her wing and stood up. "Very well," she said, forlornly before getting up. As she made her way back to the window, Celestia turned one last time to Rebbeca. "Please remember, Rebecca, we are here to help." Rebecca lay back down on the bed, her back to Celestia. With one final sigh Celestia gathered her magic around herself, and in a bright flash the princess disappeared as soft sobbing filled the room. 



 **** 


As the ponies of Ponyville began to rise and greet a new day, the town could hardly have seemed more idyllic. Thanks to the efforts of the local weather team, the sky was free of all but the smallest clouds, and the local songbirds were doing their best to fill the air with music. As the citizens went about their business, none of them noticed the three shadows making their way slowly but steadily toward Ponyville General Hospital. 


They moved from cover to cover, always wary of any who might be watching. As they neared their destination the leader motioned for the others to stop, before creeping forward to peek though an open window, and motion the other two forward. "Alright, this is the one, do you remember your jobs?" The others nodded. "Good, we only have one shot at this, and you know the price of failure. Now on my mark, three... two... one... NOW!" 


The three leapt through the air, confident that with this task fulfilled their quest would finally be at an end, only to realize a fatal flaw in their plan; the window was only big enough for two. The three suddenly found themselves stuck, pressed together in the window frame, before sliding forward and collapsing on the floor in a pile. 


As Rebecca poked at the bowl of oatmeal that the nurse had dropped off earlier, she was nearly jolted out of the bed as something leaped though the window. Turning to the intruder, she was surprised to find not one, but three ponies. As the three of them tried to get untangled, any fear of the intruders Rebecca might have had quickly washed away as she got a better look at them. Between the orange, yellow, and white coats and the fact that they were even smaller then the other ponies she had seen, Rebecca was confident that they were no threat. 


"Um, can I help you?" Rebecca asked, setting down the bowl of oatmeal. 


As if noticing her for the first time, the three ponies quickly got to their feet, sporting rather sheepish grins, before one of them spoke, "Oh, uh, you must be the new human that everypony's talking about?" the little white one said. 


At the sound of the pony's voice, Rebecca's eyes widened. Children... they're children. "Yeah?" Rebecca asked, unsure what to make of the kid. 


"Well then," the foal began. 


"Allow us to officially welcome you to Ponyville!" the three cheered in unison, as the yellow and orange ones quickly reached to the packs on their sides and pulled a pair of strings. A loud pop filled the room as the little pony's saddlebags spewed out a fountain of confetti. 


"Alright, girls, mission accomplished," the little orange one said, "dose anypony see anything?" 


As Rebecca began dusting of the confetti she had just been sprayed with, she was thrown for yet another loop as the foals suddenly started to check out each other's backsides. "Okay, kids, this is getting real weird real fast. Now, would you mind telling me who you are and why you're in my hospital room?"  


Looking up, the little yellow pony straightened up to answer, "Oh, sorry about that, I'm Apple Bloom, and this is, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo; we were trying to get our cutie marks." 


"Cutie what now?" Rebecca asked. 


The three fillies looked shocked, "Nopony's told you about cutie marks?" Scootaloo asked. 


Rebecca slowly shook her head as confusion once more spread across her face. 


"A cutie mark appears on a pony's flank when they discover their special talent," Sweetie Belle explained, with a smile.  


"Haven't ya noticed the symbols on everypony's flanks?" Apple Bloom asked. 


"I figured those were dyed on," Rebecca replied. 


Oh, silly, you can't fake a cutie mark," Sweetie Belle said. 


"So, these marks just appear out of nowhere?" 


"Yep, there's this bright flash and then poof there it is." Scootaloo jumped into the air and managed to hover for a moment before plopping back on the ground.  


"Uh-huh." It made about as much sense as anything else Rebecca had seen so far. 


"So, uh, what's your name?" Apple Bloom asked, realizing that she didn't even know the name of the one that they had just welcomed to their town. 


"My name's Rebecca," she said. 


"Wow, you humans have some funny na-oof!" Scootaloo was cut off by Apple Bloom's knee to her ribs. "I mean, how exotic," she strained to finish. 


"Well, I think it's pretty," Sweetie Belle said, "and I really like your mane." 


"I guess some people can make any style look good, even bedhead," Rebecca said, with a chuckle. 


"Not to mention the cool color," Scootaloo added. 


"The color?" Rebecca asked. 


"Yeah, I thought only stallions could have brown manes, and even then you don't see it very often," Apple Bloom remarked. 


Rebecca thought back to the ponies she had come across so far, and sure enough, aside from Doctor Signs, she couldn't recall seeing a single brunette among them. Rebecca chuckled, "Maybe I should get it styled, see how many how many heads I can turn," she joked, pulling her hair up into a makeshift bun, and turning so the fillies could see. "What do you think?"  


The three fillies stood eyes wide and mouths agape, "Y-you... you got," Apple Bloom stuttered.  


Rebbeca let her hair fall as her smile faded, "You kids okay?" she asked. 


"You've got a cutie mark!" they all squealed, and quickly ran up to the bed, causing Rebecca to back up with a start. 


"Whoa, whoa, I have what?" Rebecca asked. 


"There, on your neck, Scootaloo pointed." As Rebecca lifted her hair, and felt the back of her neck, the fillies eyes were drawn to the image that lay hidden underneath it- a bright red heart with white feathered wings spreading out from behind it. 


"What, you mean this?" Rebecca circled the image with her finger. 


"When did you get it?" Apple Bloom asked. 


"What's your special talent?" Scootaloo chimed. 


"It's a heart, I bet she's a love expert," Sweetie Belle squealed. 


"No way, it has wings, I bet she loves flying," Scootaloo argued. 


"Why is it on your neck?" Apple Bloom asked. 


"Girls, please," Rebecca said, getting the filly's attention. "This isn't a cutie mark, this is a tattoo." 


"A what?" the three asked in unison. 


"A tattoo," Rebecca repeated. 


"What's a tattoo?" Scootaloo asked. 


"You don't have tattoos here?" In response to shaking heads she continued, "Well, it's kind of like a painting that's under your skin." 


For a moment the fillies looked horrified. "Under your skin?" Sweetie Belle asked, covering her mouth with her hoof. 


"How did you get it in there?" Scootaloo asked. 


"Basically, one drop at a time, with a needle." 


"Eew, didn't that hurt?" Sweetie asked, turning slightly green. 


"Ah, no worse than a bee sting," Rebecca replied. 


"Can... can we see it?" Apple bloom asked, hesitantly. 


Rebecca leaned back from the fillies and was about to say no, but stopped. As she looked at them, Rebecca noticed something- there was no fear in their eyes. Almost all the other ponies had looked at her the way they might a wolf, with caution, suspicion, and even disgust. Yet when she looked at the fillies in front of her, Rebecca saw none of those things, only innocent curiosity. Finally, with a deep breath, she pulled the covers aside and stood up.The three fillies took a few steps back, as Rebecca  got to her feet, and craned their necks to try and look her in the eye. 


"Golly, you're even taller that Lero," Apple Bloom exclaimed. 


"Are you sure you're a mare?" Scootaloo blurted out, only to be jabbed in the side again by Apple Bloom. 


Rebecca gave the filly a sour look before glancing  down at her chest. "Yeah, pretty sure," she replied. With the awkward moment out of the way, Rebecca turned around and slowly lowered herself to the floor. "You can look, but don't touch," she said over her shoulder.  


The three trotted over and examined the strange mark. "You say you did this one drop at a time?" Apple Bloom asked. 


"I didn't, a artist did," Rebecca corrected.  


"That must have taken forever," Scootaloo remarked. 


"Not really, they use a machine that can do it really fast," Rebecca said. 


"It's still really pretty," Sweetie offered. 


"Well, thanks, I kind of like it to," Rebecca admitted, even though she had actually been surprised to find it the day after her twenty first birthday. "Alright, I think that's enough show and tell," she said, getting to her feet. "Don't you think it's about time you three got back to... whatever you ponies do?"  


"Aww," came the unanimous reply. 


Rebecca rolled her eyes at the display. "Come on, I hate to think what the nurse would say if she caught the three of you in here without permission." 


The fillies had to agree. They knew how touchy the nurses could be about the hospital rules. "Okay," they said, dejectedly. 


"But could you give us a boost?" Sweetie asked pointing at the window. 


Rebecca looked at the window and back to Sweetie. "Can't you just use the door?" 


"But then the nurses will catch us for sure," Scootaloo pleaded. 


"Please," the three said, in unison, giving their best puppy-dog eyes. 


Rebecca slowly made her way over to the window, and looked down at the fillies. They were still smiling, and as she looked at them Rebecca found herself breathing harder. Kneeling down she slowly reached out to Sweetie Belle, who had turned to face the window. Rebecca's hands trembled as they came closer to the little pony until finally her finger tips brushed Sweetie's coat, only to recoil as if they had touched a hot stove.  


"Um, are you okay?" asked Scootaloo. 


Rebecca turned to the other two fillies and saw the concern in their eyes. "Just... give me a minute," she said, taking a deep breath. Slowly, she once again reached out, hands quivering, before shutting her eyes and leaning forward. Her hands made contact and her eyes shot open. Rebecca's hands were on Sweetie's sides, and it was all she could do to keep them their. Closing her eyes again she quickly hoisted the young filly up and out the window, barely lowering her before letting go. Sweetie Belle landed on her hooves as Rebecca's hands clenched the window seal, arms shaking. 


"Uh, Miss Rebecca, are you sure you're alright?" Apple Bloom asked taking a few hesitant steps forward. 


"That was... the first time I've touched a pony," She responded, through gasping breathes. 


A few tries later and Apple Bloom and Scootaloo found themselves outside the window as well. Rebecca once again clung to the open window, her entire body shaking. 


"Well, thanks, Rebecca," Apple Bloom offered, unsure if they should just leave her as she was. 


"No... problem," Rebecca replied, gasping. 


"You sure you don't want us to go get a nurse for you," Scootaloo asked, no longer concerned about getting into trouble. 


"No, no, I'll be fine. I just need to sit down for a minute." 


As Rebecca disappeared from the window the three friends shared concerned looks. "What do you think that was all about?" Scootaloo asked. 


"I don't know, but maybe we should get the nurse anyway," Sweetie said. 


"Well, she said she was fine. Maybe it's a human thing," offered Apple Bloom. 


"Why don't we ask Lero? Maybe he'll know what it was," Scootaloo suggested. 


"Hey, that's not a bad idea," said Apple Bloom. "Come on, lets go find him." 


As the tree friends galloped off Rebecca stood in her room, staring at her hands. Her breathing had calmed down, but her fingers were still twitching. Slowly she clenched and unclenched her hands before balling them into fists, and gritting her teeth. 



 **** 



"Aah, what a lovely day," Lily said to herself, as she raised her watering can over her latest batch of culinary carnations. The small garden next to her house was her pride and joy because, unlike the many beds she tended in the fields around town, they were her personal stock. The powder white petals had been her favorite ever since she was a filly, and the first harvest of the year was right around the corner. Lily could almost taste them as she turned to head back inside... and froze. 


Barreling down the street toward her, moving as fast as his long backward-bending legs could carry him, was none other than the strange creature that had come to live in ponyville not a year earlier, Lero. His eyes were wide and his breath came in deep gasps, and as Lily watched him draw near he sprang into the air above her. Realizing that she was no doubt about to be made a meal of, Lily reacted the way any right-minded pony would. 


"The horror, the horror," Lily cried, covering her eyes with her foreleg before collapsing backwards. 


Lero vaulted over the prone pony, the same way he had the last one that hadn't gotten out of the way in time, barely breaking his stride as he hit the ground. "Lero, will you stop doing that?" a voice called from behind him. Glancing back Lero saw twilight struggling to keep up with him, and slowed his pace just long enough for her to catch up. 


"Come on, Twi, you heard the kids, we need to get to the hospital," lero said, between breathes. 


"Yes, Lero, I know. I also know that, if you would just stop running, I could just teleport us there." 


Lero skidded to a stop in the middle of the street, narrowly avoiding a collision with a unicorn stallion with a safety pin cutie mark, before turning back to Twilight. "Well, why didn't you say so?" he asked. 


"I did, just as you bolted out the door," she replied with a huff. 


Lero's cheeks flushed red. "Oh, sorry," he said, sheepishly. 


Twilight rolled her eyes before giving him a sly smile. "You know, Lero, if you weren't so adorable I'd never put up with you." 


Despite the tension in his nerves, Lero managed to crack a smile. "Isn't that supposed to be my-" The two of them vanished in a flash of purple light. 



 ****
 


"Lineaahg," Lero exclaimed, as he and Twilight appeared outside the front door of Ponyville General Hospital. "Twilight! Warning!" Lero blustered, as he began trying to rub away the strange tingling sensation coursing through his body. 


"That was for running me half-way through Ponyville," Twilight retorted, with a smirk. 


Before they could get any further into their lovers spat, the boor to the hospital burst open. Twilight and Lero both turned to see Doctor Signs standing in the doorway. "Thank goodness, you're both here," he exclaimed. 


"Doctor? How did you know we were here?" Twilight asked. 


"I saw your flash from inside," he explained. 


"Doc, is everything alright?" Lero asked. 


Signs looked up at Lero with growing concern in his eyes. "It's Rebecca... she's gone."  

> 10. Save me from myself
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sky above Ponyville was as pristine as anypony could hope; the brilliant blue interrupted only by the occasional puffy white cloud. The mid-day sun cast its light down upon Ponyville's residents, warming them with its gentle glow. Indeed, most of the ponies couldn't imagine a more perfect day. 

A multicolored blur streaked across the sky, leaving a rainbow trail behind it. Clouds were vaporized as the pony-sized bullet shot through them without even a pause. Gentle breezes were whipped into heavy winds as the object dipped low enough for the odd passerby to get a glimpse of it, before it was out of sight again. One little orange filly actually had the gumption to try and make contact with it. 

"Hi, Rainbow-" the blur whizzed past the filly, leaving her spinning in place, before continuing on its way "-Dash?" 

"Sorry, squirt, can't talk," Rainbow called over her shoulder. Climbing higher into the air Rainbow Dash continued to scan the streets below her. Come on, come on, where are you? 

"Rainbow Dash!" 

Recognizing the voice Rainbow veered into a tight spin and came back around. Catching sight of a familiar purple unicorn below her she quickly made for the ground. 

Twilight Sparkle trotted up to meet her herd mate. "Any sign of her?" she asked. 

"No," Rainbow said, with a huff. "This is getting ridiculous, Twilight, I mean, I've swept Ponyville three times now and still haven't spotted her." 

"Yeah, we haven't had any luck down here either; nopony we've asked has seen her." Twilight paused to scratch her chin, "Is it possible that we just missed her somewhere?" she asked. 

"Come on, Twilight, she's a human; it's not like you can lose her in the crowd," Rainbow replied, rolling her eyes. 

"Well then, we've got to keep looking. I don't want to think about what might happen if we don't find her." Twilight took off running, before even saying goodbye. 

Rainbow took to the air again. Great, this is exactly what he needs right now. I swear, if she does anything stupid I'm gonna… I'm gonna... "Darn it, where are you!" 



**** 


Lero was oblivious to the call ringing out over town, despite the familiar voice. His focus was on the street that he was currently jogging down; slowing only to glace down any side streets, or allies, he came across. It was mid-afternoon and Lero was doing his best not to panic, despite his efforts, however, he couldn't keep his mind from wandering. What if she's lost? What if she's hurt? What if she's been kidnapped? As each new image forced its way into his head Lero's pace quickened, first from a jog, then to a run, and finally to a sprint. 

A sudden pull on the back of his shirt stopped Lero in his tracks, and almost sent him sprawling onto the dirt road. Just before he hit the street a sudden pressure on his shoulder, as well as his ankle, spun him back upright and had him facing the opposite direction he had been heading, as well as a pair of impatient looking golden eyes. "Lero, will you please stop trying to run off on your own like that?" Lyra pleaded. 

"Sorry, Lyra," he offered, as he adjusted his shirt. 

"That’s the third time, Lero. I know you're nervous, but running around in a panic isn't going to help things." As she caught up with him, Lyra could see the tension in Lero, the heavy breathing and darting eyes were a dead giveaway in any species, and she hated seeing her stallion looking so frantic. 

"But, what if something happened to her, Lyra, what if she's hurt." 

"All the more reason for us to find her quickly, but you're not going to get anywhere if you're trying to go in every direction at once." Lyra moved to stand next to Lero, "Now, take a moment to calm yourself," she instructed. 

Lero forced his eyes shut and tried to slow his breathing, but his mind kept racing to the worst possible scenarios. "I'm trying, Lyra, but it's not working." 

"Place your hand on me." 

Glancing down at his mare, who had closed her own eyes, Lero slowly reached out and placed his right hand on the top of her head, before closing his eyes once more. 

"Now, what do you feel?" 

Lero let his hand roam over the top of Lyra's head, feeling her hair pass under and between his fingers, and her ear twitch as they brushed past it. Finally, reaching the front of her forehead, Lero's hand stopped as it bumped her horn, his thumb and index finger wrapping partially around it. Then he felt it, it was faint but it was there, her pulse. 

"I can feel your pulse around your horn," he offered. 

"Good, focus on that. Push everything else to the back of your mind and focus on the rhythm." 

As he stood there, Lero tightened his grip around the horn and tried to match his breathing to the pulse he felt. It took a minute, but he managed to get the timing right- quick breath in, quick breath out. 

"Good, now listen to me, Lero, you can't keep letting your imagination lead you on like this, you need a clear goal in mind. Now what do we know so far?" Lyra consoled. 

"We know that Apple Bloom and her friends were the last ones to see her, and they came to get me after they left the hospital." 

"Good what else?" 

"It's about a half-hour walk from the library to the hospital, so she can't have more that an hour lead on us." 

"So, that narrows the search area down to a few streets of Ponyville, which are..." 

"Back the way...we...came..." Lero looked down at the smiling face of his mare, before moving his fingers to scratch behind her ears. "What would I do without you, horny?" 

"Probably run through town all day," she replied, leaning into his hand. 

As one the two of them took off back in the direction of the hospital; Lero with a renewed sense of determination, and Lyra pleased to have her stallion thinking straight again. 



**** 



The sound of galloping hooves echoed of the narrow side street as Applejack made her way between buildings. She had been searching the back alleys of Ponyville for the wayward woman for the better part of an hour, after getting fed up with asking the populace if they had seen her. Three times. Three, dadgum, times they pointed me right back to Lero before they realized I was saying 'human mare', then they just looked at me like I dun sprouted a second head. 

As she came to the end of the alley, Applejack's path was suddenly blocked by purple and white blur. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, as she dug her hooves into the ground and skidded to a halt. 

As a cloud of dust was kicked up, a familiar voice rang out, "Applejack, do you mind, I just visited the spa earlier today." There was little doubt in Applejack's mind as to who she had almost plowed into. 

"Rarity, ain't there more important things to be worryin' about right now?" Applejack asked, fanning the dust away with her hat. Once the cloud was gone, Applejack realized that Rarity was not the only pony in it. Crouched behind Rarity was a very startled looking Flutershy as well. "Hey there, Fluttershy, don't suppose you two have seen our missin' human have you?" 

"Oh, no, Rarity and I just bumped into each other a moment before you showed up," Fluttershy responded, getting to her hooves. 

"Indeed, she's still on the run, it would seem," added Rarity, continuing to dust herself off. 

"Well, where have y'all looked so far?" Applejack asked. 

"Well," began Rarity, "I've checked the spa, my boutique, even Patchwork's Coveralls." 

"Rarity, why in the hay did you check the spa, and the only two clothing stores in town?" Applejack asked, bemused. 

"Well, darling, you know how dear Lero gets when it comes to clothing. Who's to say she won't seek out something to cover herself with on this little outing of hers, especially if she's still wearing one of those hideous hospital gowns," Rarity finished, with a shudder. 

Applejack sat for a moment, rubbing the bridge of her nose and shaking her head, before turning to Fluttershy. "Honey, please tell me you've been looking someplace a little more... practical for our missing friend." 

"Oh, well, Twilight asked me to circle the outskirts of Ponyville, and ask all the animals if they had seen her leave town," Fluttershy offered. "I was about halfway done when I bumped into Rarity." 

"Good, keep on it, Rarity, why don't you come with me to the marketplace? There ought to be plenty of ponies there by now, maybe one of them has seen her." 

"Got it." Rarity and Fluttershy nodded. 

As her friends departed Fluttershy took to the air and headed back toward the edge of town, keeping low to the ground. Once back on the outskirts of Ponyville she spotted a pair of squirrels, as well as several ducks, and a badger. 

"Oh, excuse me, but have any of you seen a human come by here recently?" The animals shared confused stares before turning back to Fluttershy and shaking their heads. "Oh, okay, thanks anyways." As she prepared to take flight once again, something small and soft bumped into her left hind leg. Turning around she was surprised to see her pet bunny Angel laying on the ground panting. "Oh, Angel, what are you doing here?" In response angel let out a series of short squeaks. "You found her?" Fluttershy asked. Angel nodded. "Well, quick, we need to tell the others," she exclaimed, getting ready to take off once again, only to feel a slight tug on her tail. Looking back she saw that Angel had grabbed her tail, and was doing his best to keep her from flying off. 

"Um, Angel, we really should get going," Fluttershy began, only to be cut off by another round of squeaking from her rabbit. "What, you saw her where?" more squeaking, "She was doing what?" Panic began to grip Fluttershy as Angel's words sank in. She knew she didn't have time to gather her friends, but the thought of what she might find held her in place until, finally, a light thumping on her leg pulled her back to her senses. Looking down, she saw angel pounding his foot against her hoof. Come on, Fluttershy, you can do this. No time to be scared. "Alright, Angel, hop on," she said, as Angel jumped onto her back. As they rose into the air, Fluttershy couldn't stop herself from trembling as they headed to the northwestern edge of Ponyville. "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay," she chanted as she flew. 



**** 



Ponyville was a popular town. Between the elements of harmony's recovery, and the discovery of sentient alien life, many ponies who would have gone their whole lives without even hearing about the place were suddenly paying attention to it. This fact was still rather strange to some of the residents, who were used to living in quiet anonymity, as was the sudden appearance of tourists in their town. Many of these tourists had been surprised to find that, despite being located in south central Equestria, there were few ways to actually reach Ponyville, aside from the main railway. 

Having been settled only a few generations ago by pioneers heading south from Canterlot, there were few other towns nearby; the nearest settlement of any size was Appleloosa, which was several days away by train. The land around Ponyville was still quite wild as well. To the west, the town was bordered by the primordial forest known as Everfree, while to the east and north the town was surrounded by the milder, but still quite dense Whitetail Wood. The woods were not the only natural border to the north of Ponyville, however. Heading out of town in that direction, on would quickly find the ground falling out from under one's feet, as they came to what was arguably Ponyvilles most impressive natural border; Ghastly Gorge. 

Stretching from one end of the horizon to the other, and spanning over two-hundred body lengths in some places, the gorge was an effective barrier to all but those who could fly. Even some who could fly disliked crossing the windy canyon, especially if they already had trouble staying in the air. So it was that Fluttershy cruised along the lip of the canyon, doing her best to not look over the edge, as Angel urged her onward. 

"Oh, Angel, are you sure you saw her around here? I mean, why would she even come out here?" As these and many other questions spilled from Fluttershy's mouth, Angel continued steadily taping his foot against her shoulder to indicate that she should keep going. As they flew, Fluttershy scanned the woods for anything out of the ordinary before spotting a break in the undergrowth, as if something had cut a path through the plant life. Checking the area, she soon came upon a stout branch, covered in sap and stained green, laying to the left of the recently broken trail. Realizing that she was on the right track, Fluttershy picked up speed as she gained altitude. Surveying the area below her, Futtershy's attention was grabbed by the unmistakable color of furless skin. 

Coming to a halt in the air, Fluttershy let out a breath of relief as she spotted the one that she and her friends had been looking for, and was even more pleased when she saw that she was not standing at the edge of the gorge like Angel had said she was. Instead, she was sitting at the base of a tree a few dozen feet from the edge of the gorge. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, which were folded up in front of her, and she had her face buried in her knees. 

Landing some distance away, Fluttershy made her way to within a few body lengths before making her presence known. "Um, excuse me?" The words were barely a whisper, but they did the trick. The woman stirred just enough to glance over her arm at Fluttershy before going back to her original position. Taking a few steps closer, Fluttershy cleared her throat and glanced at Angel before motioning toward the woods. Taking the hint, Angel hopped off her back and headed into the woods as Fluttershy turned her attention back to the woman in front of her. 

"Um, are you okay? You're not hurt are you?" Fluttershy asked. 

"I'm fine," Rebecca mumbled. 

Fluttershy didn't believe it. Between the tattered hospital gown she was wearing, and the fresh cuts and scrapes on her arms and legs, Rebecca didn't look anywhere near fine. "Are you sure? I mean, you've been out here for hours, maybe we should get you back to the hospital so they can get you cleaned up... if you don't mind, that is." Fluttershy did her best to sound reassuring, and even managed a small smile, but her words didn't seem to have any effect. 

"What's the difference?" The words were little more than a whisper. 

"I'm sorry?" Fluttershy asked, concern growing in her voice. 

"Here, there, what's it matter?" 

"Well, you must be getting cold out here by this windy gorge," Fluttershy offered, noting the early spring chill still in the air. 

"Don't you get it!?" Rebecca snapped, turning to finally face Fluttershy, "It doesn’t matter where I go, I can't get home!" 

Fluttershy stumbled backwards, shaking. She was suddenly very aware of how alone she was with this human, and even more so of the fact that, even when sitting down, Rebecca was still as tall as she was. She also noticed something else. It was only fore a moment, before Rebecca buried her face back into her arms, but Fluttershy had seen the tears. It suddenly dawned on Fluttershy just how little of Lero's initial arrival into Equestria she had been privy to. Despite being the pony that found Lero, tattered and bloody, at the edge of the Everfree, Fluttershy had not actually been able to spend much time with him. No sooner had she gotten him to Twilight then a letter had been sent and a squad of guards had shown up to whisk him away to Canterlot; with Twilight in hot pursuit. 

The next time she had seen Lero he was nothing but sunshine and smiles. It had simply never occurred to her, until now, just how hard the initial transfer from his world to her own must have been. She also realized that she had no idea how to console somepony going through such a loss, and so decided to try falling back on what she knew best. 

"I'm sorry that this happened, is there anything that I can do to help?" she asked, as she moved closer and sat down in front of the woman. 

Rebecca didn't say anything for a for a few moments. Truth be told she wasn't sure she had heard the little pony right. "Help?" she said, looking Fluttershy in the eye. "Can you get me back to my world?" 

"Well, maybe not me but..." Fluttershy began. 

"Can you get all the other ponies to stop staring at me?" Rebecca's words were getting harder. 

"I'm sure they don't mean too..." Fluttershy's ears folded back. 

"Can you get rid of the thirty-odd pounds of bird I've apparently put on?" Rebecca snapped. 

"N-no." Fluttershy did her best to hide behind her mane. 

"Then tell me, what exactly can you do to help?" Rebecca asked, in exasperation. 

"I-I don't know, but there has to be something," Fluttershy offered, fighting back sniffles as the familiar feelings of shame and inadequacy crept back into her. 

"Maybe you can do something for me?" Rebecca asked, causing Fluttershy to look up. "If I go stand at the edge of that canyon, maybe you can do me a favor and give me a push." The words fell out of her mouth with such little sarcasm that it surprised even her, though not as much as what came next. 

The blur of motion in front of her didn't even give Rebecca time to turn her head before a pair of hooves struck her shoulders, and pushed her back against the tree behind her. Rebecca's whole body felt like it was twisting. As the contact was made, all the anger and sorrow that had been stewing inside her came to a boil, "Don't touch me-huh," and died in an instant. Staring back at her was Fluttershy, but something had changed. The tears and meekness were gone; replaced by a cold stare that drew Rebecca in, tore away any desire for confrontation, and left a strange longing for submission; as well as a subtle chilling fear of what would happen if she did not. 

"Don't ever joke about that again. Do you understand me?" The words barely registered with Rebecca, but they didn't have to. As long as those eyes were upon her it didn't matter what Fluttershy asked, Rebecca would do it. She tried to reply, but her voice caught in her throat, so with great effort she did her best to nod her head. 

Fluttershy removed her hooves and took a step back, then blinked. As eye contact was broken, the world seemed to spin out from under Rebecca as she planted both hands on the ground, her breath coming in short gasps. "What... what was that?" she asked, turning to Fluttershy, only to find that the hard visage she had been wearing had disappeared just as fast as it had arrived. 

"That was the stare," Fluttershy offered, rubbing the top of her nose. "It happens to me sometimes, but its never worked on anything but animals before, are you alright?" 

Rebecca didn't know what to make of the pony in front of her. Just seconds ago she had been all but terrified of her, but suddenly she seemed as gentle as a lamb. "I'm fine." It was all Rebecca could think to say after almost being floored by a stare. 

"Oh, that's a relief, but I mean it, don't even joke about something like that," Fluttershy stated, having recovered some of her fleeing confidence. 

"Why not?" asked Rebecca, laying back against the tree once more as the shock of what had just happened began to wear off. 

"Because, all that would do is hurt everypony who cares about you," Fluttershy retorted. 

"Like who?" Rebecca asked, puzzled. 

"Everypony! Twilight has been waiting for you to wake up sense winter. Why, you're practically all she and her herd have talked about. Pinkie really wanted to meet you too, she's been looking forward to throwing you a party for months. And of coarse there are the doctors that took care of you all winter while you were asleep. But, most of all, there's Lero." Fluttershy paused at the mention of his name. "Before you showed up, I doubt he thought that he would ever see another one of his kind again. You have no idea what you being here means to him; he visited you in the hospital almost every day you were there, and now that you're awake he doesn’t have to live with the thought of being the only one of his kind anymore." Fluttershy stopped to catch her breath, searching Rebecca's eyes for any hint that what she was saying was getting through. "Please, please don't take that from him." 

"Alright." The word rolled out of her mouth so quickly that even Rebecca was surprised by it. 

"Pardon?" Fluttershy asked. 

"Alright, I won't do it," Rebecca said, again. 

"Oh, thank goodness." Fluttershy breathed a sigh of relief at Rebecca's words. 

"But, what am I supposed to do now though? I've got no money, no home, and no job. What do I do now?" Rebecca asked, as the weight of the situation she was getting into started to sink in. 

"Don't worry about those right now, we'll help you deal with that when the time comes," Fluttershy assured. "For now, why don't we get you back to the hospital and get you cleaned up. I'm sure everypony is worried about you." 

Rebecca couldn't explain it, but there was something about this pony that made her want to believe her. Whatever it was, the more she talked to Fluttershy, the more she could feel herself pulling back from the edge she had almost been ready to leap from, and wondering if it would really be so bad to live in Equestria. 

"Alright," Rebecca said, getting to her feet. 



**** 



"Look! There they are!" Rainbow Dash's voice rang out over the ponies assembled in front of the hospital. She, Lero, and the rest of their herd, as well as the remainder of the elements of harmony, all looked to the north to see two figures approaching from Whitetail Wood. As one the group rushed toward the two, closing in with a barrage of questions. 

"Are you all right?" Lero asked. 

"Where have you been?" Twilight added. 

"How in Equestria did you get so filthy," Rarity demanded. 

Looking down at Fluttershy, who only offered a reassuring smile, Rebecca turned to face the group. "Alright, alright, look, I'm sorry I worried all of you, but I needed some time to myself to do some thinking." 

"Well, you've have been gone for hours, what was so important that you needed to run off into the woods to think about?" Applejack asked. 

As she was about to respond, Rebecca noticed one pony in particular. Pinkie Pie stood toward the back of the group, mane still deflated and what looked like a small barrel with a big blue bow on the front still hanging from her neck. "Pinkie," she said, getting the glum pony's attention, "I think I'm ready." 

Pinkie's eyes slowly widened, as realization took hold, before her mane burst back to its normal volume. "Finally!" she cried, putting the small barrel on the ground and pulling the bow until it came undone. A low rumble shook the barrel before the top blew off in a shower of pieces as the contents took of into the air, leaving a trail of smoke and sparks. A deafening boom ripped through the air as a cascade of fireworks ignited in a series of colorful blasts, each one forming a different letter until they spelled out the words 'Welcome To Ponyville' in a multicolored lights. 

As her friends stared at the spectacle in amazement, Pinkie was the only one to say anything, "Maybe it's best that that didn't go off in the hospital." 

> 11. Home away from home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The door opened and Rebecca walked in. The sizeable room before her contained some of the most lovingly crafted furniture she had ever seen. Everything from the four poster bed to the couch and dresser, all the way down to the nightstand, seemed to have been hand-carved from cedar and was accented by beautifully embroidered throws and mantels. The thick tan carpet under her feet was pleasing to the touch, and through an open door the pearly white of a private bathroom could be seen. 


"I hope you like it, dear."  


Rebecca turned back to the doorway she had entered from, and found Mayor Mare and her assistant Ink Well standing there. "Ma'am, are you sure it's okay for me to stay here?" Rebecca asked.  


"Why, of course it is dear. When I heard from Twilight Sparkle that you were growing concerned about where you would stay after you got out of the hospital I figured it was the perfect chance to finally get some use out of this place," The Mayor answered, gesturing around her. 


"Speaking of which," Rebecca began, putting her suitcase down, "What is this place? When you said you had a spare room in town hall that I could use I was expecting maybe a ten-by-ten room with a bed and dresser, not a small apartment." As she spoke Rebecca walked over to one of the windows and gazed out over the town of Ponyville. It was quite a view, considering she was on the third floor of town hall, and the setting sun lent the entire town a beautiful golden cast. 


"Well, you see, when town hall was first being built this suite was added incase Ponyville ever had to entertain guests who required the royal treatment," The Mayor said, glancing out the window that faced Canterlot. 


"They built this room for the Princess?" Rebecca asked. 


"Well, her or any other dignitaries who might have reason to visit Ponyville," Ink Well offered from the doorway, with a smile so large that Rebecca could almost smell the fake coming off of it. 


Rebecca turned back to the Mayor, her eyes wide. "Again, you're sure it's okay for me to stay here?" 


"Don't worry about it, dear," the Mayor said, with a chuckle. "I dare say that the whole 'visiting dignitaries' thing was something of a fantasy for the architect who designed this building. Truth be told, the only pony of authority who has ever visited Ponyville is Princess Celestia herself, and she's never actually had cause to spend the night. In fact, this room has sat empty for who knows how long. So, I figure, if there are no local dignitaries that require lodging, then why not open it up to a foreign one?" 


Rebecca could hardly believe her ears. "Uh, Your Honor-" 


"Oh, you don't have to call me that, heh, heh... Ever. Just Mayor will do."  


"Well, Mayor, I'm hardly a dignitary. I mean, I don't even have a job," Rebecca said, looking around the room and feeling like a leech just for thinking about staying in it without offering something in return. 


"Oh, don't worry, Ms. Rebecca, I don't think that will be a problem for very long." With that, Mayor Mare turned to leave. "I'll let you go ahead and get settled in, there's a stocked kitchen on the first floor that you may make use of while you're here, and if you need anything just ask me or one of the staff and we'll see what we can do." 


"Um... thank you." Was all that Rebecca could think to say as she watched the two ponies leave the room. As she began unpacking her few possessions, Rebecca let her mind wander back over her brief time in Equestria. 


The last two weeks were mostly a blur for Rebecca. When she wasn't engaged in physical therapy and exercise, she was usually listening to Twilight Sparkle lecture about anything and everything concerning Equestrian culture. Of the two pastimes, she greatly preferred the former since, aside from rebuilding her muscles, it also helped her get used to her new body; the change in her physique had been more than a little jarring. 


Fortunately Rebecca seldom had time to dwell on her change in appearance. When she wasn't with the doctors, or Twilight, Rebecca's time was usually taken up by Lero. The man had been by to visit almost daily since she had woken up and the small sense of familiarity he brought with him was something she truly appreciated.  The two of them could spend hours talking about nothing in particular, but mostly ended up discussing what Lero had missed and what Rebecca could expect, and while some of what he had told her did sound a little bizarre he managed to keep the prospect of fitting into Equestrian society from sounding too daunting. 


Once she had finished unpacking her clothes, all of which came from a white unicorn she had met named Rarity, all that was left were the various books that Twilight had given her to read, and once again Rebecca could only marvel at how generous these ponies seemed to be. With everything they had given her, Rebecca was starting to wonder just how she was going to pay them all back, and not for the first time her thoughts turned to her financial state. Lero had told her that computers didn't exist, so she could only hope that these ponies had want adds and then pray that one of them would hire her. Lero, and the Mayor, had said that finding work in Ponyville shouldn't be too difficult, but given how the ponies on the street had been looking at her on her walk from the hospital to town hall she wasn't sure she believed them. Doing her best to push those thoughts from her mind until tomorrow, Rebecca set her books on the dresser and decided to make for the shower.  


The bathroom proved just as well made as the bedroom. With white tile flooring and what looked like a marble washing basin, complete with silver faucet, as well as a fresco of the sun on a brilliant blue and white backdrop covering the walls, Rebecca felt as if she was wasting a thousand dollars just standing in the room, much less using it. Turning to the bathtub, she found it to be a claw-foot design, and more than big enough for her; though given who the bathroom was originally intended for it came as no surprise.   


After disrobing Rebecca folded and set her clothes down off to the side of the tub. First the tan skirt, then the cream colored sweater, and finally the men's briefs. Going to have to explain that one to Rarity next time I see her. Turning on the faucet, and adjusting the temperature, Rebecca waited for the tub to fill, only for her attention to be drawn to the mirror on the wall.  


As she stood there she began to examine the woman staring back at her. Bringing her hands up, she let them cup the smooth round cheeks on her face for a moment before letting them slide down her chest, and over the soft ample breasts that now rested upon it before continuing on to her noticeably wider waist, flaring out again as they passed over her hips, and finally coming to rest on her generous backside.  


Glancing back at where her hands now rested, Rebecca let out a defeated sigh before turning back to the mirror. While she could admit that the weight she had suddenly gained could have gone to worse places, Rebecca wondered if she would ever see anything other than a stranger in the mirror again. She could only hope that the ponies really could find a way to fix what had been done to her. 


Pushing that unpleasant thought form her mind, Rebecca turned back to the tub. "Oh, crap!" she exclaimed, rushing to the faucet. She managed to reach the knob just before the tub began to overflow. Phew, that was a close one.  


Once her bath was out of the way, Rebecca settled into the soft bed. After two weeks of trying to fall asleep on a hospital bed the downy mattress and silken sheets wrapped around her in a warm embrace, and Rebecca quickly found herself drifting off to sleep. Man, I wonder how much this bed cost, it's going to be hard to give it up when I find my own place... assuming I manage to get my own place.  




**** 




As the morning sun peeked through the windows of town hall, the soft tapping of hooves could be heard. Their owner moved with as much speed and composure as she could muster, however most of it was being swallowed by trepidation. As she walked, Ink Well wished for the hundredth time that the halls of the building could have been carpeted like the offices were. With each step she swore that the sound of her hooves could be heard through the entire building, even though she took pains to place them on the floor as gently as possible. When her glasses slipped down her nose for the twelfth time, she paused to wipe her face with her foreleg. She was sweating so badly that it was seeping through her beige coat, and the forelock of her brown mane was sticking to her brow.  


"Why did she have to pick me to do this?"  


The first task the Mayor had given her for the day, and Ink Well was already wishing she had stayed home for the day. On the surface it seemed like the easiest task in the world, just inform a guest that the Mayor wanted to speak with them. Now, however, the situation seemed daunting; she had never thought that she would have to be alone with one of... them. Though Ink Well had seen the one called Lero around town, she had made sure not to get too close to him. Ignoring his beady eyes and sharp teeth; the way he towered over everypony made her feel even smaller than she did next to the Mayor, and this new one was even bigger than he was.   


Unfortunately, dragging her hooves could only delay the inevitable, and before long she had arrived at her destination. She stood before the door to the private suite, still unable to believe what now occupied it. Steeling herself, Ink Well raised a hoof to knock... only to have it stop mere millimeters from the door. 


"Come on, Ink Well, you can do this," she said, shaking her head.Pulling back her hoof again, Ink Well made another try at knocking, only to fall short once again. "Ink Well, you're not listening!" she hissed. Trying several more times, with no success, she let loose an aggravated snort. "Darn it, Ink Well, what are you going to tell the Mayor when you get back to her office, 'Sorry ma'am I got lost on the way?'" As she was scolding herself, a sudden click froze Ink Well in place. Before her eyes the door slowly swung open with the loud creak of hinges that had gone too long without oil. Ink Well couldn't move. Panic gripped her stomach as a pair of legs appeared in front of her. 


"Can I help you?" a tired mare's voice asked. 


With a audible gulp, Ink Well forced her head to move upward, past the long legs, past the ramrod-straight torso, and past the bizarrely places teats, to finally look the creature in the face. Through bleary eyes it regarded her with scorn as its blunt claws ran through its tangled mane. "I-I'm sorry, were you asleep?" The words quivered out of Ink Well's mouth as little more than a whisper.  


Glancing back into the suit, it turned back to her before grumbling, "Yes, I frequently am at six in the morning." As the alien finished, she let out a long yawn, giving Ink Well a full view of those glistening sharp teeth. Finally, instinct overpowered reason, and Ink Well bolted.  


"I'm sorry, but the Mayor wanted to speak with you!" Ink Well blurted out, as she ran.  




**** 




The sound of pen against paper was the only thing that could be heard in the Mayor's office. As her lips worked the pen across the form in front of her, Mayor Mare paused to glance at the mountain of paperwork that still sat in her in box and then to the small hill that she had managed to move to the out box. The Mayor sighed, "Six a.m. and it's already shaping up to be a long day," she groaned around the pen in her mouth.  


A knock at the door brought her head up from her work, "Come in." As she watched, Her personal assistant, Ink Well, made her way in looking at the floor. "There you are, Ink Well, I was beginning to think you had skipped out for the day," she said, jokingly. When Ink Well didn't respond the Mayor put her pen down. "Inky, is everything alright? Did you let Ms. Lancaster know we have something for her?" she asked. 


This was it, Ink Well knew her time as the Mayor's assistant was at an end; forgetting the cream for her coffee was one thing, but being unable to deliver a personal message was inexcusable. The only thing left was to face the music and hope the Mayor would be lenient. Raising her head, Ink Well prepared to explain herself. 


"She did, but she was a bit vague on what it was." 


Ink Well visibly jumped from her place at the door as she scurried over to the Mayor's side. "Oh, h-here she is now," she stammered, once some distance had been placed between her and their guest.  


"Sorry I'm not better dressed," Rebecca began, ignoring the overly jumpy pony, "But, she made it sound urgent." As she stepped into the office proper, Rebecca adjusted the yellow sundress she had thrown on.  


"Well, I don't know I would call it urgent," the Mayor said, glancing at Ink Well in confusion, "We just wanted to let you know that your mail is here." Mayor mare gestured to the corner of the room, where what looked like a small gunny sack leaned against the wall. 


Making her way over to the bag, Rebecca picked it up and looked inside. The bag was filled to the brim with envelopes and rolled up scrolls. "What's all this?"  


"Well, you tell us, dear, they're all addressed to you," the Mayor replied with a smile. 


Pulling out one of the scrolls, Rebecca began to read. "To whom it may concern. With regards to your post in town square, we have recently had a spot in maintenance and repair open up, and would like to extend a offer for possible employment. A working knowledge of fine furniture is preferable, but on the job training is available. Sincerely, Goose Down's Quills and Sofas." Rebecca blinked at the paper for a moment. "It’s a job offer." Pulling out another letter, she found it contained a similar message from a day spa. "Are these all job offers?" she asked, looking at the sack and back to the ponies. 


"I hope you don't mind," the Mayor began, "But, when you agreed to stay here, I took the liberty of having a job search flyer put up on the public bulletin board for you." 


"That was less than two days ago," Rebecca exclaimed. 


"And these have been coming in ever since," the Mayor replied, jovially. "I think you'll find that news travels fast in a town this size, and once word hit the street that another human was in town and looking for gainful employment, well..." she glanced at the sack of letters. 


Once again Rebecca could scarcely believe the behavior of the ponies. The writers of the letters she was holding knew nothing about her, and they were still willing to offer her employment; whether that made them generous, foolish, or something else she wasn't sure, but given what she had seen so far, she was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt. And here I thought I wouldn't have anything to do today.

> 12. Another day in paradise- Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The sun shone through the windows of Carousel Boutique as it reached the half way point on its trip across the sky. The main foyer, usually alive with activity by this time of day, had fallen oddly silent as the owner regarded the drawing board in front of her with a mixture of confusion and skepticism. The only other soul in the room stood behind her, pencil in hand, hoping that her crude scrawling would be enough to get the point across without having to resort to visual aid. 


"So, one more time, darling, what is the purpose of this garment?" Rarity asked. 


"Again, to lift and restrain," Rebecca replied, motioning upward with her hands. 


"And you say you need this because?" 


"Because, my job is hard enough without having to worry about popping out of my top every time I raise a hammer," Rebecca said, exasperated. 


"You know, you could always just do without the shirt, dear." 


"Like I told the last ten ponies, not going to happen," replied Rebecca, as her cheeks reddened. 


"But, Rebecca..." 


"Look, Rarity, its been a long week and I don't feel like having this conversation again. Now, can you make one, or not?" Rebecca asked, folding her arms. 


"Of coarse I can make one, there's no need to get snippy," Rarity replied. "Just let me get a few measurements." 


Rebecca's cheeks flushed brighter, "Measurements? I thought you already had those?" she asked, nervously. 


"Well, I have your basic measurements, but if this thing is supposed to be as form-fitting as you say, then I'm going to need some that are a bit more precise," Rarity explained, levitating a measuring tape over from her main fitting pedestal. "Now, if you would kindly remove your shirt, we'll get started." 


"You want to do it right here? Do boutiques in this world not have dressing rooms?" Rebecca asked, looking around the room. 


"Of course they do, dear, but my shop is closed today, and this will only take a moment," said Rarity, encouragingly. 


"Yeah, a moment in which someone could walk in and see my knockers hanging out," Rebecca retorted. 


"Rebecca, dear, I assure you, nopony is going to care if they see your... knockers," said Rarity, forcing out the last word with a grimace. "Honestly, I don't see why this is so embarrassing for you, Lero poses shirtless all the time." 


"Yeah, well, Lero doesn’t have these hanging off the front of him." Rebecca jabbed a thumb at her chest. 


"Fine, fine, if it means that much to you, we'll go into one of the dressing booths," Rarity finally relented. 


"Thank you," Rebecca replied, as calmly as she could. 


Once in the dressing room, Rebecca turned to Rarity, "So, what exactly do you need to measure here?" she asked. 


"I just need to get the circumference of your lower chest, across your teats, and over your shoulders; it shouldn't take but a moment." Rarity pulled the measuring tape tight as she looked up at Rebecca. 


Sighing, Rebecca began slowly pulling her shirt up and over her head, and tossing it to the side as she waited for Rarity to begin. Rarity, however, seemed to just be standing there eyes, wide. "Ahem!"  


"Huh? Oh, sorry, darling, my mind was elsewhere," said Rarity, doing her best to regain her composure. Okay, perhaps they could use a little restraining. "Now, if you'll just hold your arms out, this will only take a moment." Rarity smiled as she levitated a pencil and notepad up from seemingly nowhere. 


Letting out one last sigh of embarrassment, Rebecca did as she was instructed. "Just make this quick, I still haven't gotten over Gah!" As the measuring tape made its way around her, Rebecca could feel her skin crawl along with it. It was as if a snake was slithering around her, and as her eyes and fists clenched shut it was all she could do not to bat the thing away. Fortunately, Rarity was true to her word and done almost as fast as she had started; leaving Rebecca panting in a cold sweat.  


"Are you alright, darling?" Rarity asked, concern in her eyes. 


"Fine," Rebecca replied, curtly as she retrieved her shirt, before turning around to put it back on. 


"I'm sorry, dear, I forgot you're not quite over the whole touching thing." 


"It's not your problem," Rebecca replied, still not turning around. "So, did you get what you needed?"  


Realizing that she had been cut off, Rarity held her note pad up to check the information she had gotten. "Yes, I believe I have everything I need... Oh, just one more thing; what exactly are these typically made out of?" 


"Cotton, mostly," Rebecca replied, turning back around. 


"And, how many did you want made?"  


Thinking it over for a moment, Rebecca responded, "How much would ten cost?" 


"Well, that depends on how hard they turn out to be to make, but off the top of my head, I'd say somewhere around sixty bits." 


"Alright, let's go with that," Rebecca replied, as she reached for the small pouch secured to her belt. 


"Oh, Rebecca, you don't have to pay for them now; I don't even know if that's going to be the final price yet. Once I get the first one made, I'll call you over and we'll make sure it works properly before we settle on a price tag," said Rarity, as she and Rebecca walked out of the dressing room. No sooner had they exited then they were greeted by the sound of the doorbell jingling; both turned to see a familiar yellow pegasus standing in the doorway. 


"Ha! See, she just walked in like she owned the place." Rebecca pointed a finger triumphantly at a very surprised looking Fluttershy. 


"Oh, I'm sorry, am I intruding?" Fluttershy asked, shrinking back from the outstretched appendage. 


"Not at all, Fluttershy, in fact you're just in time to prove my point," said Rebecca, leveling a knowing look at Rarity. 


"Oh, honestly, Rebecca, it's not as if she just barged in. Didn't you hear her knock?" Rarity retorted. 


"I didn't hear anything," said Rebecca, confused. 


"I'm sorry, did I not do it loud enough again?" Fluttershy asked. 


"Of course you did, darling, she just hasn't known you long enough to be able to notice it yet," Rarity assured, as she motioned to a still befuddled Rebecca. "Now then, Fluttershy, was there something I could help you with?" 


"Oh, I was just stopping by to see if you were ready to head over to the spa." As she spoke, Fluttershy visibly perked up. 


"My goodness, is it that time already?" Rarity asked, looking at the nearby clock. "Oh, so it is. Rebecca, dear, I'm afraid it's time for me to step out, Fluttershy and I have a spa appointment to get to." As she spoke, Rarity's eyes lit up the way they always did when inspiration struck, "Wait a moment, would you like to join us?" 


"Uh, me?" Rebecca asked, raising an eyebrow.  


"Of course you," Rarity replied. "You said its been a long week, so why not come along and relax a bit?" 


"Well, thanks, but I wouldn't want to be a third wheel." 


"Oh, it wouldn't be any bother, right, Fluttershy?" Rarity asked. 


"Why, not at all." Fluttershy turned to smile at Rebecca. "It's not like we never run into friends there, and there's nothing more relaxing than a nice soak in the hot tub," she said, dreamily remembering her favorite part of the spa. 


Rebecca thought for a moment. The offer did sound tempting after the week she had been through, however reality quickly creped back into her mind. "Thanks, girls, but I actually have some other things I have to get done today. I mean, I still have to hit the market after I'm done here." 


"Well, that's all the more reason for you to come with us, dear," Rarity practically squealed. 


Taken back for a moment, Rebecca let out a sigh, "Okay, Rarity, explain that one to me."  


"Tell me something," Rarity began, in a much more serious tone, "Have you actually been to the Ponyville market yet?"  


"This was actually going to be my first time," Rebecca answered. 


"And, I don't suppose Twilight has taught you the finer points of small town trade?" Rarity asked, taking a small step toward Rebecca. 


To her surprise, Rebecca found herself stepping back from the little pony, as thoughts of her days in the hospital came rushing back to her, as well as memories of Twilight's lectures; or at least parts of them. In all honesty, thanks to the bed she had been laying in, as well as Twilight's soothing voice, Rebecca had ended up nodding off on more than one occasion. "I think I got the gist of it," Rebecca offered weakly, as she reached up to scratch the back of her head; a gesture which Rarity knew, thanks to Lero, indicated nervousness. 


Rolling her eyes before taking another step forward, Rarity turned a suddenly stern gaze on Rebecca. "Well, trust me, darling, the gist of it is not going to help you when you run into an experienced haggler; poor Lero found that out the hard way. You should have seen the looks on Twilight and Rainbow Dash's faces when they found out that he had spent almost a hundred bits on two small bags of groceries; apparently somepony had told him that honeydews were endangered in Equestria." 


As Rarity finished her small rant, the faint sound of a throat being cleared caught both her and Rebecca's attention. Stepping forward, Fluttershy spoke up, "Um, Rebecca, if you don't mind, it probably is best if you have somepony go with you. I remember the first time my mother took me to market..." Fluttershy trailed off as images of flared wings and flattened ears filled her mind, as well as offers and counter-offers being slung back and forth with the kind of animosity that could only be matched by that of a mother grizzly defending her cubs. In the end, after a two hour confrontation, her mother had triumphed over her arch-rival, Mr. Zucchini, and walked away with a bundle of his namesake veggies for four bits instead of five. "It was horrible," Fluttershy said, with a shiver. 


Glancing between the ponies in front of her, Rebecca put her hands up defensively, "Alright, alright, you win. I'll go to the spa with you two, but only for a little while," said Rebecca, determined not to completely loose the argument. 


"Wonderful, darling. Now lets not keep Aloe and Lotus waiting," cheered Rarity, as she turned and exited the boutique.  


"Oh, that would be a tragedy," Rebecca sighed to herself. 


"I'm sorry, did you say something?" asked Fluttershy, as she to turned to leave. 


"Nothing, just thinking out loud," replied Rebecca, following the two ponies out.




 **** 




As Rarity and Fluttershy entered the spa the scent of beauty products greeted them almost as fast as the pony behind the counter. Looking up from her magazine, Lotus' eyes lit up as she greeted, "Ah, Ms. Rarity, Ms. Fluttershy, will the two of you be having the usual today?"  


"Why yes, thank you," replied Rarity. "Although, this time it's actually going to be three." 


"Three?" Lotus asked, just as a third figure entered. 


"Well, that depends on what 'the usual' is," said Rebecca, with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. 


"Sister, she's back!" Lotus suddenly shouted. 


"Here we go," groaned Rebecca. 


The sound of stampeding hooves filled the room as Aloe and several other spa workers appeared at the  nearby door. "Oh, Ms. Rebecca, have you reconsidered our offer," Aloe asked, breathlessly. 


"Sorry, Aloe," Rebecca replied. 


"Aw," came the unanimous reply of the spa staff. 


"Sorry, everypony, false alarm," Aloe apologized. With heads hung low the rest of the workers returned to their stations I the spa. "Now then, if you're not here for our offer, then what pray tell brings you by, Ms. Rebecca?" she asked. 


"Why, Fluttershy and I invited her along for a chance to unwind," Rarity answered. 


"Really?," asked Lotus.  


"Why, this is perfect," squealed Aloe. 


"What better way to show you the many things our spa offers," Lotus began. 


"Then to give you a sample of each one!" Aloe finished. 


"Well, we were just about to get our usual order," Rarity chimed in. 


"Why, that's just what we were about to suggest," said Aloe. 


"Yeah, about that, what exactly dose the usual involve?" asked Rebecca, trying to get back to her original question. 


"Oh, of course, how silly of us." Lotus pulled out a small pamphlet from behind the desk and handed it to Rebecca, before joining her sister on the other side. "Our spa offers a wide selection of activities, all designed to relieve stress and pent up tension; leaving you relaxed, refreshed, and raring to go. For example we offer some of the best rubdowns in Equestria." 


"Well, I'm afraid I'll have to pass on that," said Rebecca. "Still haven't gotten over the whole touching thing." 


"Of course, sorry about that. Well, we also offer wonderful hooficures," Lotus offered, hopefully. 


"Again, pass," Rebecca replied. 


"We also offer facials." 


"Pass." 


"Seaweed wraps?" 


"Pass" 


"Mane dyes?" 


"Pass." 


"Well, will you at least try the hot tub?," Lotus asked, her previously glowing smile replaced by pleading eyes and quivering lip. 


"Okay, that doesn’t sound half bad," Rebecca replied, turning to Rarity and Fluttershy. "Why don't you two do your thing, and I'll meet you in the tub?" 


"Oh, are you sure?" Fluttershy asked. 


"Yeah, Just because I can't enjoy it, doesn’t mean you two shouldn't have your fun," answered Rebecca. 


"Well, if you're sure," said Rarity, before throwing her head back, "The usual, please." Aloe and Lotus's mood quickly brightened at the familiar words of their best customer, and the three guests were quickly led into the spa proper. 




 **** 




A contented sigh escaped Rebecca as the warm water enveloped her. Sitting down on the small ledge that protruded from the side of the tub, about half way down, she let her head rest on the padded edge. "Would you like any oils or minerals added to the water?" Lotus asked, from the stairs that half-circled the giant tub. 


"Oils or minerals?" Rebecca asked, as she moved an arm to cover her chest. 


"Oh, yes, we offer a wide variety of combinations to sooth and revitalize a tired body. Here, have a look" Lotus quickly pulled a small card from her mane and held it down for Rebecca to see. 


Taking a moment to look over the various combos, and what they did, Rebecca finally pointed at one. "Alright let me try that one." 


"Excellent choice," Lotus said with a smile, as she trotted down the stairs, only to return a moment later with several jars of what looked like colored sand. As she emptied the jars into the water, the effect was almost immediate. A slight tingling began to wash over Rebecca, almost as if the water was fizzing around her. The odd feeling crept down her entire body, from chin to toe, lingering particularly strongly upon her legs. "There you are," said Lotus, placing the last jar into a nearby cupboard. "Now you just sit back and relax while I help my sister attend to your friends." 


Rebecca watched as Lotus trotted off and ducked behind a curtained off area of the spa, where the pleased groans of two ponies being pampered could be heard. Those curtains had proven a life saver when she had found out that the spa proper was contained in a single large room, and that she had completely forgotten that she didn't have a bathing suit. Fortunately, she had managed to find a towel big enough to wrap around herself in one of the small changing rooms that were tucked away behind the hot tub, and was now crumpled into a makeshift pillow under her head. 


As she lay there, Rebecca couldn't help but dwell on Lotus' last word; friends. As much as she might wish otherwise, she still wasn't sure she could call any of the ponies her friend. Sure they were nice enough, and they were obviously trying very hard to make her feel welcome, but between her stay in the hospital and her new job she hadn't really learned anything about them beyond what Lero and Twilight had told her.  


"Um, do you mind-" 


"Aagh!" Rebecca bolted upright so fast that she lost her seat in the tub and wound up under water. As she stood up, sputtering water, she turned to see were the voice had come from. Cringing at the top of the stairs was a very startled Fluttershy. "Geez, don't sneak up on me like that," Rebecca griped as she continued to cough up water. 


"I'm sorry, I didn't think I was sneaking," Fluttershy stammered. 


"Oh please, Fluttershy, ninjas make more noise than you..." Before she could finish, Rebecca suddenly noticed the crumpled up towel where her head had lay. Her cheeks flushed red as she realized that, when standing up, the water in the tub was about hip deep to her. "Gaah!" Rebecca dropped back into the water so fast that the splash was big enough to catch Fluttershy. Covering herself with her arms, she quickly made her way to the side of the tub and retrieved her towel. Once she had it securely wrapped around herself, she once again turned to regard her visitor. "Was their something you needed, Fluttershy?"  


"Um, I was just wondering if you would mind if I joined you?" Fluttershy asked. "But, I come back later if you want." 


"No, Fluttershy, it's fine if you get in. Besides, it's a public bath, you don't need my permission," Rebecca explained. 


"Well, yes, but I would hate to interrupt anything private," said Fulttershy, taking a tentative step forward. 


"It wasn't anything private, I was just thinking," explained Rebecca, as she sat back down on the opposite side of the tub, her towel still wrapped around her. 


"Oh, what about? Um, if you don't mind me asking," said Fluttershy, as she took a cautious step into the tub. 


"Don't worry about it, it's not your problem," replied Rebecca. 


"Oh, okay," Fluttershy responded, as she did her best to hide behind her mane. 


As the minutes passed in silence, Fluttershy found herself wondering if she should say something. Usually, when it got quiet, one of her friends was there to fill the silence, however Rebecca seemed content to simply lay there with her eyes closed. While Fluttershy hated to pry, Twilight had asked all of them to try and be friends with her, and she certainly wasn't making much progress just sitting there. Come on, Fluttershy, you can do this. You just need to find something to talk to her about. Maybe the weather... No, that's boring. Maybe she's found a special somepony... No, that's too personal. Maybe we could discuss the similarities and differences between mares of different genotypes... No, that's even more personal! 


"Fluttershy, are you alright? You look like you're starting to sweat." 


"What was the offer!?" Fluttershy blurted out, in surprise. 


"Excuse me?" asked Rebecca, eyes wide at the sudden outburst.  


Fluttershy gulped audibly as she realized what she had just said. "Oh, um, it's just that, earlier, Aloe mentioned an offer. I-I was just wondering what she meant."  


"Oh, that. She was talking about the job they offered me," answered Rebecca, as she relaxed back into her seat. 


Fluttershy's eyes lit up. "Oh, they offered you a job at the spa?" 


"Yes they did; three times, actually, seems they could really use a full time masseur around here," replied Rebecca. 


"Why didn't you take it? I bet you would be really good at... Oh, I'm sorry, I guess it would be a difficult job for somepony with haphephobia." Fluttershy did her best to look at the water as she realized the obvious. 


"Wow, you're the first one, besides Twilight, who didn't just call it the touching thing," Rebecca pointed out, bringing a small blush and smile to Fluttershy's face. "You know, as quiet as you are, I never would have pegged you as the wordy type." As Rebecca watched, Fluttershy's smile quickly began to fade, "Uh, not that there's anything wrong with that," she began, as she realized her mistake, "It just caught me off guard." 


To Rebecca's surprise, the attempt seemed to work, and Fluttershy's mood quickly brightened. "Well, I do remember some of the things I learned during my studies," Fluttershy offered. 


"Studies? Wait you mean like college? Wait, do they even have college here? Because, the only thing I've seen in town is that little school house up on the hill and, well no offense, but it doesn’t really look like the kind of place you would go to for higher learning." 


Fluttershy couldn't help but giggle at Rebecca's observation. "Well, no it's not the place you go to for higher learning. You see, here in Equestria the public school system only goes up to a certain point; I think Lero said 'it caps out at about the sixth grade' the last time we talked about it. At any rate, by that point most ponies have earned their cutie marks and begin looking to apprentice themselves to an older pony with a similar talent so that they can start learning the ins and outs of how to make a living doing what they do best." 


"Cutie mark? Wait, you mean those marks on your hips?" Rebecca asked. 


"That's them," Fluttershy answered with a smile. 


"Well, what if a pony doesn’t get one by the time they finish school, or they get one about something complex, like medicine?" 


"Well, if a pony wants to continue their education, after their basic schooling is done, they usually have to look into applying for enrollment in a university, or hire a private tutor." 


"Which did you go with?"  Rebecca asked. 


"Oh, well, once I learned that my special talent was being good with animals, I decided to study at a zoological academy." 


"That must have been interesting," said Rebecca, as she began moving around the tub to a proper conversation distance.  


"Oh, not really," Fluttershy replied, seeming to withdraw a bit as Rebecca drew closer. 


"Come on, Fluttershy, you can't tell me that you went to a place called an academy and didn't pick up anything noteworthy." As she spoke, Rebecca closed the distance between them until they were seated next to each other. 


Once again trying to hide behind her mane, Fluttershy said, "Really, it was just a few courses in advanced evolutionary theorem, behaviorism, and a touch of exobiology," she offered, before noticing Rebecca's blank stare, and coming out from behind her mane. "Um, you don't know what any of those are, do you?" 


"Not a clue," Rebecca admitted. "But it's still interesting that you know about all that stuff. Just how far did you get in your studies anyway?" she asked with a smile. 


"Um, a doctorate... or two," Fluttershy offered, looking at the water again. 


Rebecca was silent for a moment before speaking. "Two doctorates? You have two doctorates?" she asked, in utter disbelief. 


"I'm sorry, did I say you were interesting? Because that is freaking amazing," Rebecca said with a smile, still not quite able to believe it. "I mean just how old are you, anyway?" 


Before Fluttershy could answer, a second voice cut in, "Tut, tut, darling, a lady never tells." 


Turning to regard the newcomer, Rebecca and Fluttershy found Rarity making her way toward the hot tub. "Oh, Rarity, did you finish your horn filing?" Fluttershy asked. 


"I certainly did, and now I'm ready for a nice relaxing soak," Rarity replied, as she made her way up the stairs and into the water on the other side of Rebecca. "And you'll never guess who showed up to join us, darling." 


As Rarity spoke, a group of familiar figures came around one of the many blinds that served to separate the various sections of the spa. Rebecca noticed all of them; Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie all came into view. However, it was the last member of the group that really caught her attention. From around the blind came a rather nervous looking, towel-clad Lero; who quickly made eye contact with her. 


As Rarity watched, Lero jumped back behind the blind so fast that she almost didn't see it. Before she, or anypony else, could inquire about it though, a sudden splash of water hit her in the side of the face. Turning to her right, she found that Rebecca had apparently submerged completely in the tub with her arms folded, and seemed to be showing no signs of coming back up. Rarity sighed, "Well, this ought to be entertaining."

> 13. Another day in paradise- Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warmth and darkness enveloped her, and Rebecca did her best to embrace them as questions filled her head. Really? Here, now, of all places? Wait, did they plan this? I don't think they would, but I wouldn't put it past them. Then again, would they really go through the trouble? I guess it could just be coincidence that they all just happened to show up in the same place at the same time. Then again, Pinkie did try to peek up my skirt that one time, and- Oh crap, out of air.   


"Oh my, h-how long has she been down there?" asked Fluttershy. 


"Going on three minutes!" Rarity exclaimed, looking down at the still-submerged woman. 


"D-do you think we should-" A sudden spray of water and held breath shot up between them, cutting Fluttershy off, and catching them both in the face. 


"Whoa," Rebecca exclaimed with a cough, "I haven't done that since high school."  


As Rebecca was finding her seat in the tub again, her two companions were doing their best to wash the spray out of their eyes. "Eew, gross," Rarity squealed, dunking her face under the water of the tub for a moment, "My mouth was open!"  


"Sorry," Rebecca offered, as she wiped her hair from her face. "But I swear, if you guys set this up..." she gave the ponies next to her a suspicious look as she let the statement hang in the air. 


"Oh, we wouldn't do anything like that. This was just a happy coincidence." Fluttershy put on her best smile in an effort to divert any ire that might be coming from the woman seated next to her. 


"I'll bet," Rebecca grumbled, turning to see why the new arrivals hadn't made their way up to the tub yet. To her surprise, Lero and his friends were nowhere to be seen. However, she was able to make out their voices coming from behind a nearby blind; said voices were getting steadily louder. "What are they doing over there?" she asked. 


"Oh, they're probably trying to convince Lero to come into the tub; the poor dear is a little on the shy side," said Fluttershy. 


Unable to form a proper response to what she had just heard, coupled with who she had heard it from, Rebecca turned her attention to the blind between her and the newcomers.  


"Come on, big guy, I thought we were over this," said Rainbow Dash. 


"Nope," came the quick reply. 


"But, Lero, you made such good progress the last time," Twilight cooed, in her most reassuring tone. 


"Yeah, with close friends," replied Lero, crossing his arms. "And it was hard enough just doing that. Nobody said anything about getting in a tub with a woman I just met a month ago." 


"Aw, come on, handy, what are ya frettin' over. It ain't gonna disappear if she sees it," added Applejack. 


"Yeah," Pinkie chimed in, "You're just going to be standing there, naked, in front of a near-stranger while she silently judges you. Critiques you. Decides whether you measure up to her standards. Then when you're at your most vulnerable she'll start to laugh, softly at first, then louder and louder, until she's shredded  every last trace of your confidence, leaving you a whimpering emasculated wreck, incapable of ever showing his stalionhood in public again!"   


"Pinkie!" scolded Twilight, and Rainbow, as Lero prepared to bolt for the door. 


"Or!" Rebecca's voice rang out from the other side of the blind, catching their attention, "And I'm just throwing this out there. You could just keep your towel wrapped around you in the tub, like I did." 


"Oh yeah, that works to," Pinkie giggled. 


A few moments later, everyone had managed to find a seat in the tub. Lero sat opposite Rebecca with Rainbow Dash and Pinkie on his right and Twilight and Applejack on his left. While the Ponies immediately struck up conversations with each other, the two humans had fallen silent. This seemed odd to Rebecca, after all the talking she and Lero had done while she was still in the hospital. Another thing that seemed odd, was the fact that he seemed to be doing his best to look everywhere, except at her. As he added his thoughts to the conversations going on around them, each time his gaze landed on her he would seem to pause for a moment before quickly turning to face elsewhere. It wasn't until she noticed that he was starting to blush that realization hit her. 


While she had been in the changing room, Rebecca had to look high and low for a towel that was wide enough to cover herself with. The one she had found had worked, but just barely. In fact, she had had to pull the thing so far down to cover her nethers that she'd been worried it might just slip off her top when she traversed the stairs. Looking down now, Rebecca saw just what it was that Lero was trying to avoid looking at, and her eyes widened. If anything, the water had only made the towel slip lower, putting her ample cleavage on display for all to see. 


All the conversations in the tub immediately stopped, as Rebecca once more disappeared beneath the water. "How long do think she'll be under this time?" Rarity asked, backing up a bit as she remembered what had happened the last time. 


"What is she doing?" Rainbow asked, turning to Lero. 


"Not sure, love." From what they could see through the bubbling surface, Rebecca seemed to be twisting back and forth under the water. 


"She isn't stuck is she?" Twilight asked, concern rising in her voice. 


"Stuck on what?" Rainbow replied.  


Before Twilight could respond, the bubbles between Rarity and Fluttershy parted, as Rebecca poked her head back up through the water. 


"Uh, you okay there?" Applejack asked, with a nervous smile. 


"Fine, fine, just covering my shame," Rebecca replied. As she got back into her seat in the tub, it became obvious to all just what she had been doing under water. Rebecca's towel now sat much higher on her chest. 


"Wait, you mean you have to keep your teats covered too?" Rainbow asked, gesturing towards Rebecca's chest. 


"Yeah, those are another part that are generally kept covered," Lero answered.  


"Now hold on a sec," said Applejack, "I can understand wantin' to keep your dangly bits to yourself, especially if you can't pull 'em inside, but why would ya' need to keep them covered?" she asked, pointing a hoof at Rebecca's chest. 


"Look it's just the way we do things," Rebecca replied. "Now can we please stop talking about my boobs; I had more than enough people asking about them at work." 


"The ponies at Cedar Shaving's carpentry?" Twilight asked. 


"Ugh, every one of them. 'Why are they up there? Why are they so big? Are you expecting? Why do you keep them covered? Can we see them?' Jeez, you'd think they had never seen a pair of breasts before." 


Twilight did her best to stifle a giggle. "Well, given that most of them have probably never seen a female minotaur before, I kind of doubt it." 


"They have minotaurs here too?" Rebecca asked, a look of disbelief on her face. 


"Trust me, they have a lot more than that here," Lero replied. "But, at least most of it's harmless." 


"Anyway," Twilight interrupted, not wanting to dwell on where the conversation was about to head. "I hope you won't hold it against your coworkers. Some ponies are just overly curious." 


"Well, they did back off a bit after Cedar told them to knock it off, so I guess it wasn't that big a deal," Rebecca replied. 


"Oh yeah, what's it like workin' for Cedar Shavings anyway?" Applejack asked. 


"Not too bad, I suppose. A bit of a slave-driver at times, but other than that, it's pretty much the same work I was doing back... home." As the last word left her mouth, Rebecca's gaze shifted back to the surface of the water, where it lingered for several moments. 


"Err, sorry, I didn't mean to-" 


"It's fine," Rebecca replied. "Just something I still need to get used to. Anyway, I was actually pretty surprised how easily I got the job. There wasn't even much of an interview; I just told her that I did similar work back on earth and she hired me on the spot."  


"Well, you can thank Lero here for that," said Rainbow, as she nuzzled Lero's shoulder. "He does a lot of stuff like that to." 


"Well, I do what I can to help out," said Lero, with a smile. 


"Yeah, Cedar mentioned that, actually," said Rebecca. 


"Oh?" Lero looked up with a smile. 


"Yeah, something about business dropping off a bit when you moved into town," she answered, with a smirk. 


"Oh..." Lero's smile quickly faded, along with most of the others in the tub. "I take it I don't have many fans over there?"  


"I wouldn't expect her to invite you to dinner, no," she replied. 


"I guess I didn't really consider whether I'd be stepping on anyone's toes when I started doing those jobs," Lero admitter, now taking his turn to stare at the water. 


"Hey, don't go getting all mopey like that, big guy, you didn't do anything wrong." Rainbow did her best to reassure him. She knew how hard he worked to get ponies to like him. 


"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Rebecca agreed. "It's not like you're putting them out of business or anything. In fact, from what I've been told, this town's been growing so fast lately that they might just start looking for new hires before too much longer."  


"Oh, I don't know if I'd be cut out for that, I'm not a professional or anything. Most of the jobs I do are just basic repairs and maintenance," Lero replied, with a chuckle. 


"Hey, that's where half of my pay check used to come from," Rebecca said, with a smile. 


"I'll keep it in mind." Lero smiled back. 


"Well, it's good to hear that work is going well," Rarity chimed in. "Although, I must admit, I'm surprised that you chose such a physically demanding job. I mean, just a week ago you were still in the hospital." 


"Yeah, I'll admit I probably won't be running any marathons for a while yet, but between the physical rehab, and magic, I'm in good enough shape to handle the basic stuff," Rebecca replied. "Besides, the only way to get stronger is to stay active. If I can do that on the job, then I don't have to work out as much in my off time." 


"Oh, is that why you chose the rejuvenation bath, darling?" asked Rarity. 


"Rejuvenation bath?" 


"Why, this here mix of minerals," said Applejack. "Me and Big Mac sometimes swing by, after a rough day on the farm, for a soak in one of these." As she spoke, Applejack leaned back in the tub until the water was up to her chin. "Nothing like it, for helping with cuts, bruises, and sore muscles," she said, with a contented sigh. 


"Oh, well, that is part of it," Rebecca answered, with a nervous smile. 


"Only part?" asked Twilight. 


"There is another reason, besides work, that I chose this bath." As she spoke Rebecca's face started to redden. 


"Oh dear, you didn't hurt yourself did you?" asked Fluttershy, concern rising in her voice. 


"Well, that depends on your definition of hurt," replied Rebecca. 


"Well, don't keep us in the dark," Rainbow demanded. "Did you trip, or something?" 


"Well..." Rebecca slowly sank into the tub, until the water was just below her nose. Then, in response to questioning stares, slowly lifted her right leg out of the water in a way that might have been considered sexy, if it were not for the half-dozen semi-fresh cuts crisscrossing it. 


"Sweet Celestia." 


"Whoa nelly!" 


"Good heavens." 


"Oh my..." 


"Jeezy peezy!" 


"Holy crap! What happened?" Lero exclaimed. 


Once the initial shock had worn off, Rebecca lowered her leg and rose back to her sitting position. "Well, you try shaving your legs with a straight razor, and see how you turn out," she replied. 


Lero cringed at the thought. "No thank you, I had enough trouble just learning to do this," he said, motioning to his beard.  


"Wait a minute, so humans shave their legs to?" Rainbow asked, raising her eyebrow at Lero. 


"Some of them do, mostly women, but some men too," Lero explained. 


"Well, why? I mean what the hay's the point?" asked Applejack. 


"It's a cultural thing," replied Lero. "Excess body hair is generally considered unsightly in most countries; particularly on women." 


"Although, God knows, there are plenty of guys out there who could stand to read up on a little thing called 'manscaping'," Rebecca muttered. 


"Okay, so it's something y'all do back home; I can understand that. But, why bother doing it here? I mean, the whole no fur thing is already weird enough without ya making it worse," said Applejack. "Besides, ain't nopony gonna care if ya got a little fuzz on ya." 


"Oh, I don't know. Habit, I guess," replied Rebecca. "I've been doing it since I was thirteen; just feels normal now. And besides, if it's so weird, why have I seen some of you ponies walking around with extra-long fur around your hooves?" 


"Unshorn fetlocks?" asked Rarity. 


"Yeah, I think that's what they're called," replied Rebecca, trying to remember the names of a horse's body parts. 


"Well, that's more of a matter of fashion then culture, darling. Every few years they come back into style, usually for older stallions wanting to look a little more distinguished; or younger ones wanting to look more mature than they are. Although, there are some mares who manage to pull them off too. Why I remember one time, a few years ago, when Princess Celestia actually let hers grow out; she made them look stunning. Of course, she could probably dump paint on herself and make it look good, but that's beside the point. Unfortunately, practically every mare in Equestria decided to give it a try after that." 


"What's wrong with that?" asked Rebecca. 


"Well, nothing if you work indoors, or live in an area with paved roads. Sadly, many of the mares that I saw trying it, didn't. Do you realize just how much dirt a pony can pick up with in their fetlocks while walking around in a place like Ponyville?" 


"I'm guessing a lot?" Offered Lero. 


"More than a lot, darling, they looked filthy. And, not only was it a crime against fashion, it was also terribly unsanitary." As she finished, Rarity let out a shuddering groan at the memory. She had taken it upon herself to inform a few of the mares she had seen sporting the travesties around Ponyville of just what they were doing, and then left it to them to spread the word. It had still taken almost a month, before they had all come to their senses. 


"Well, even if I didn't shave, I doubt I'd ever get to that point," said Rebecca. "At least, not with my legs." 


"Here's hoping," replied Lero, as the two of them shared a chuckle; much to the confusion of the ponies around them.  


"Well, this has been fun, but I have some things that I need to get done before the day's out," said Rebecca. 


"Aw, I thought today was your day off. I was hoping I could throw you a 'congratulations on your first week at work' party," Pinkie said, with a frown. 


"Well, it is my day off, Pinkie, but I still need to hit the market, before it closes." 


"Oh, you're heading to the market after this?" asked Twilight. 


"Why, yes," answered Rarity. "Fluttershy and I were going to show her the ins and outs of bargaining, after we were finished here."  


"Would you like a little extra company?" asked Twilight. 


"Yeah, it helps to have a few friends with you the first couple of times," added Lero, with a blush. 


"So I've heard," replied Rebecca, as she did her best to ignore Lero's reddening face. "But, you guys just got here, you don't need to rush because of me." 


"Are you kiddin'?" asked Applejack. "We just swung by to chat with Rarity, and Fluttershy, here. If y'all are fixin' to go then we can take this talk on the road."  


"Well, if you guys are sure, then no time like the present," said Rebecca as she stood to leave the tub. 


"Oh my!" exclaimed Lero, as he quickly turned his head to the side. 


"What's wrong?" asked Rebecca. 


"Uh-oh, looks like you missed a spot," exclaimed Pinkie, pointing to Rebecca. 


As Pinkie's words registered inside her head, a sudden sinking feeling washed over Rebecca as she looked down to where the pony was pointing; and what her hiked up towel had left on display.  


A sudden splash caught all of the ponies in the face as Rebecca disappeared beneath the water in a flash. "How long ya recon she'll be down this time?" asked Applejack. 


"I'd say, at least five," offered Rarity. 




**** 




A gentle breeze blew through Ponyville as the group made it's way toward the center of town, and Rebecca quickly began to feel the eyes of more and more ponies upon her. So far her job had kept her away from any large gatherings of them. With her workday starting early, and most construction jobs taking place on the outskirts of town, it was easy for her to make it to work, put in her time, and make it back to town hall via the back streets without running into too many of them at once. Now, however, as she walked towards the center of town, on a busy day, in the middle of the afternoon, she was beginning to notice more and more of them; and they were beginning to notice her.  


Some of them tried to hide the fact that they were looking at her, others were far less subtle, some even went so far as to point. Rebecca did her best not to notice, focusing instead on keeping her breathing level, but let herself steal a couple of glances back when she noticed something strange. Most of the ones that were staring were afraid. 


Many of them tried to hide it, but Rebecca could see it. The way their eyes widened when she looked straight at them. The way their ears flattened when she smiled at them. Or, the way the stallions stepped behind the mares when they passed close by, that turned her smile into a grimace. 


"Is it always like this?" she asked, turning to Lero. 


"It'll get better once they get used to you. Just give them some time," he replied. "For now look sharp, we're coming up on a good one for you to warm up on." Lero motioned his head forward at a fairly small stand painted in various shades of orange.        


As Golden Harvest finished wrapping up a small bundle of carrots, she paused to take in the sight of the market. Virtually everypony in town had turned out for the first real market of the year. Mares and stallions mingled and weaved through a veritable maze of market stands that were piled high with every kind of fruit and veggie that the local farmers were able to coax from the earth. 


"Whatcha lookin' at, Carrot Top?"  


Golden nearly jumped as her train of thought was interrupted. Turning to once again regard her customer she said, "Oh, nothing, Lily, just admiring the view." 


As Golden finished wrapping up her carrots, a sly smile spread across Lily's face. "Admiring the view of anypony in particular?" Turning to see just what, or who, had brought the dreamy expression to her friend's face Lily froze as all the mirth drained from her in an instant. There, trotting right down the center of the main avenue of the market, were the six most famous ponies in Ponyville. Yet, Lily barely noticed them. Instead, her eyes were fixed on the two tall, bipedal, creatures walking in their midst.  


"Well, here you are, Lily. That'll be three bits for the-"  


"The horror, the horror!" 


Golden turned and watched as Lily sped off deeper into the market, wondering what had set the mare off this time. She didn't have much time to worry about it before the, rather deep, voice of a mare spoke up in front of her stall. 


"Excuse me, how much for a bundle of carrots?" 


Turning, Golden's gaze slowly rose higher, and higher, until it finally came to rest on the face of the tallest creature she had ever seen at such a close distance; with the possible exception of Princess Celestia. "A-another one?" 


"Hey, Carrot Top," greeted Applejack. "I see ya done noticed our new friend here." 


Golden's eyes quickly fell to the cluster of ponies standing around the strange creature, before she answered, "This is a friend of yours, Applejack?" 


"Sure is, this here's Rebecca; the new human that showed up last winter," Applejack explained. 


"We're showing her the ins and outs of the market," Twilight added. 


"I-I had heard that ponies had been seeing a new one around town recently. I wasn't expecting it to be so... big," Golden stammered, still taken back by the bizarre creatures sudden appearance. 


"Well, you try laying in bed all winter, and see how you turn out," said Rebecca, doing her best to make her voice sound playful, and ignore the pony's rather thoughtless comment. 


At that, Golden shook her head trying her best to clear it. "I'm so sorry, where are my manners? I'm Golden Harvest, but my friends call me Carrot Top," she said, putting on her best smile. 


"Rebecca Lancaster." 


"My, you humans have such exotic names," Golden mused. "So, what brings you to my stall, Rebecca?" 


"I hear you sell carrots," said Rebecca, looking at the many baskets of veggies behind the counter. 


"I sure do, would you like to try one; only ten bits per bundle." Golden pushed one of the smaller bundles of carrots, as well as a loose one, toward Rebecca.  


"Ten bits?!" barked Rainbow Dash. "Those had better be the best carrots she ever ate!" 


"Uh, yeah," said Rebecca, more than a little surprised by the sudden outburst. Picking up the lone carrot, she quickly bit into it and savored the sudden rush of juicy flavor that accompanied the crisp crunch between her teeth. "Alright then," she said, as she took the bundle of carrots and set down a fistful of bits and turning to leave. 


Golden stared, wide-eyed, at the small pile of coins on her counter for a moment. By the time she looked up again, Applejack and the others were already halfway down the lane hollering something at their new friend. "Uh, your welcome?" she called after them. 


"I can't believe you just did that!" Rainbow barked. 


"Did what?" Rebecca asked. 


"Ten bits for some carrots?" Rainbow asked. 


"Well, next time don't put words in my mouth," replied Rebecca, as she bit down on her second carrot. "Man these things are good." 


"Yeah, Harvest grows good stuff; that doesn’t mean you have to pay a foreleg for it though," said Dash. 


"Well, it would help if I had some measure of value to go on here," said Rebecca, as she fished a single bit out of her bag, and rolled the half-dollar sized coin around in her hand. "I mean, where I'm from a gold coin this size would have bought that entire carrot stand; never mind the veggies." 


"Lero said something like that, too, when he first arrived in Equestria," said Twilight, glancing up at her stallion. 


Lero blushed a bit at her words. "Yeah, before I got my first job here, they gave me an allowance of bits to get by on. When I first saw that bag of gold, I thought it was supposed to last me all year; boy, was I wrong. It wasn't until Twilight and Rainbow took me shopping that I managed to get a feel for haggling." Lero rested a hand on each of his mare's necks, causing them to lean into him with contented sighs. 


"Hey, room for one more in there?" called a familiar voice. 


Turning to regard the newcomer, the group was greeted by the sight of Lyra making her way through the crowd. 


"Lyra!" called out Twilight, as she and Rainbow trotted up to greet their herd-mate with a nuzzle. 


"Hey, horny," quipped Lero, as he came up beside the trio to wrap them all in hug. "What brings you to market today? I thought you were on patrol." 


"Well, I am, fingers. And, where else would I patrol on market day, than the market?" Lyra replied, as she gestured to her surroundings with a hoof. "What about you guys? I thought you were going to spend the afternoon at the spa." 


"Well, we spent part of it there," replied Rainbow Dash. "But, we ran into Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rebecca and found out that they were going to take Rebecca on her first real trip to market, so we decided to cut it short." 


"Really, her first trip to market, huh?" Lyra turned to speak to the rest of the group. "So what do you think of it so fa- where is she?" 


Looking amongst themselves, the friends quickly realized that Rebecca was no longer among them.  


"Hey, where'd she go?" asked Rainbow. 


"I don't know," answered Applejack. 


"I didn't even hear her leave," offered Fluttershy. 


Stomping her hoof to get her friend's attention, Twilight said, "Alright, everypony, don't panic. She couldn't have gone very fa-" 


"Hey, guys!" Rebecca's voice called out from behind Twilight, causing her to nearly jump out of her skin. Turning to see what had become of their newest human friend, the assembled ponies saw her coming toward them from one street over, carrying what looked like two large bags of groceries.  


"Rebecca!" Twilight called. "Where were you, and where did you get those," she asked, pointing to the bags of produce in Rebecca's hands. 


"Oh, I just hit that little mini-mart over there," said Rebecca, glancing behind her. 


"Mini-mart?" asked Lero. 




Moments earlier. 




"I can't believe you actually did this," Spring Breeze said, flatly. 


"Thank you, honey, I heard you the first five times." As he spoke, Wallflower finished hammering the last nail into the new sign on his market stall, then after levitating his hammer back into the toolbox on the ground, the navy-blue unicorn proceeded to make his way down the stepladder and turned to regard the light-green pegasus hovering in the air above him. "I keep telling you, it's a perfectly sound business strategy." 


"Yeah, on an alien planet," Breeze griped, as she folded her forelegs in front of her. 


"Look, just because he's an alien, doesn't mean Lero doesn't know what he's talking about. And he says that this, right here, is how some of the best businesses on his world got started." Wallflower tapped his stall's counter for emphases. 


"Going around to all the outlaying farms, buying one bag of their crop, then turning around and trying to resell it for next to no markup? Meanwhile, we have perfectly good alfalfa growing in our field that you didn't even touch." Spring Breeze rolled her eyes at her stallion's antics for what seemed like the hundredth time. 


"Oh, now simmer down breeze," came a voice from behind the two. 


"Thank you, Brook," replied Wallflower. As he watched the light-brown earth-pony mare approach, he noticed that she was carrying a rather large sack on her back.  


"Besides," Brook continued, flatly. "If it falls through, then all we've lost is one day at market." 


"Gee, it's nice to know that my herd has such faith in me," Wallflower deadpanned. "What's with the bag?" 


At that, Brook reached back and tossed the sack to the ground in front of him, where it opened to reveal it's contents. "Figured you can try to push some of this while you're at it," said Brook. 


"Alfalfa?" Wallflower asked. 


"Just in case," Brook replied, with her usual seriousness. 


"Yeah, maybe you can make a little money while you're out here," Breeze added. 


"I take it neither of you are going to stay and help me run the stall?" Wallflower asked. 


"Oh, no, this is all you, dear, we'll just be waiting at home with a heaping helping of I told you so. Come on, Babbles," said Spring Breeze, as she turned and flew off. 


"You know I don't like it when you call me that," Brook called, as she began trotting after her.  


Wallflower let out a snort of aggravation as he watched his mares depart. Picking up the sack in front of him, he made his way into his stall and deposited it, none too gently, behind the counter before giving his little pet project the final onceover. Inside, the stall was set up much like any other, save that the shelves lining the back and side walls were adorned with small clay plates, each of which held a single piece of one kind of produce or another, and all of which had a small label with a price written on it affixed to the shelf just below them. Various sacks and barrels of the same produce could be found stashed beneath the counter, and a simple cash register sat on top of it. 


Outside, the stall was painted in deep blue and gold stripes that matched its owners coat and mane. The most striking feature of the structure, however, was the new sign that had just been hammered into place above the counter. The sign read 'Wallflower's Mini Market. We Take Care Of The Haggling So You Don't Have To'. A much smaller sign in front of the register read 'Prices non-negotiable'. 


As Wallflower was checking to make sure his display produce was laid out as neatly as possible, the voice of a mare called out from the counter, "Hey, do you have any lettuce left?" 


Ha! no sooner do I put up the sign, then the customers start rolling in. Wallflower turned to greet his first customer of the day. "We sure doo-oh my!" Wallflower couldn't help but step back as he regarded the unmistakable shape of a human. While he had run into Lero around town often enough to become accustomed to him, never in his wildest dreams had Wallflower expected to encounter another of the bizarre creatures; and the one before him was even bigger than Lero. "Can I help you, um, miss?"  


"Yeah, like I said, I need some lettuce, tomatoes-" As the mare proceeded to rattle of items, Wallflower quickly snared a paper bag from the pile behind the counter with his magic, and began filling it with the requested items.  


In short order, two bags were filled and tallied. "That'll be thirty-seven bits, miss," said Wallflower, as he did his best to keep his smile steady as the human counted out her bits. 


"Thank you. You know, I really wasn't expecting to find a convenience store around here. This really saves me a lot of time," she said, as she pushed the pile of bits across the counter. 


Perking up a bit at the praise, Wallflower said, "Oh, why thank you. I actually got the idea from another human. Um, how does it compare to the ones where you're from, if you don't mind me asking." 


"Not too bad. Decent selection, good presentation," she replied, as she looked up at the sign above her. "Name is a little long-winded, but other than that not bad." 


"Well, thank you, it's nice to know I at least got part of it right," said Wallflower. 


"Yeah, just slim the name down and you'll be good to go." 


With that, Wallflower watched as his first customer gathered up her purchase and turned to leave. Once she was out of sight, he made his way around to the front of his stall and regarded the sign he had just put into place. Hmm, it is a bit of a mouth-full isn't it? Maybe something simpler like Wallflower's Market, or Wally's World.  




The present. 




"Yeah, the owner said something about it being your idea," replied Rebecca. 


"Wow, so Wallflower actually got his store up and running?" Lero asked. 


"Yep, had pretty much everything on my list too. All that's left is fish and milk, and the mayor already told me where to get those so, I think I'm pretty much done with my shopping," said Rebecca, with a smile. 


"Aww, but I was looking forward to explaining the intricacies of Equestrian economics," said Twilight, as she pawed at the ground, mirroring the looks of disappointment among the rest of the group  


"Yeah, and we were going to take you shopping too," Pinkie added, giving Rebecca her best puppy-dog eyes. 


As she watched the ponies, Rebecca couldn't help but feel the tug of her heartstrings, and let out a defeated sigh. "Okay, okay, next time I need groceries I'll be sure to track the lot of you down, and we'll do it your way, alright? In the mean time, I don't really have anything else on my plate today, so what do you guys do for fun around here?" 


At the mention of fun, the entire group perked up. "Ooh, ooh, we have tons of ways to have fun in Ponyville," Pinkie squealed.  


"Aww yeah, now you're talking," Rainbow piped up, as she leaped into the air. "Finally, some excitement."  


"Alright, alright, but can we at least swing by town hall so I can drop these off?" Rebecca asked, holding up the bags of groceries. 


"Okay, but then fun!" Pinkie cried. 




**** 




The thundering cacophony of balls rumbling down lanes and colliding with pins filled the air of the Ponyville bowling alley as thickly as the smell of flash-fried snacks and freshly waxed floors. Up and down the lanes, ponies laughed, cheered, and occasionally cursed the odd gutter ball. All in all, it was music to the ears one pony in particular. 


Allie Way surveyed her domain the way Celestia might survey her court. Not a difficult task, all things considered, being a full head taller than the average mare did have some advantages, and when Allie reared up and put her fore hooves on the counter by the cash register she could easily see over even the thickest crowd. Today, the beige unicorn liked what she saw. 


"Looks like another profitable day," came a familiar voice from beside her. 


"Yep, another winner, just like every one before it," Replied Allie, with a smile. "Hard to believe it's already been two years since we opened the place." 


"And still going as strong as day one." 


"And to think you didn't believe it would catch on in a little town like this. Maybe next time you'll have a little more faith in me, Kingpin." As she spoke, Allie Way quickly turned her head away from him, causing her long blue mane to gently swat the older stallion upside the head.  


As the two friends shared a laugh together, the sudden sound of the front doors opening caused Allie's ears to perk up. "And this is what we call a bowling alley!"  


Allie Way recognized the squeaky, upbeat voice immediately. "Sounds like Pinkie Pie is back," she said, as she turned to greet her favorite customer; and froze. 


Pinkie, she had expected. The other elements of harmony, she had expected. What Allie Way had not expected, were the two creatures that walked in behind them. One of them she recognized as Lero; the strange furless alien who had appeared a while back, and been living in Ponyville ever since. The other one was new, and while it was clearly the same species there was something different about it.  


"Bowling, you say? Well, you magical talking ponies will have to show me how it's done," said Rebecca, giving Lero a wink. 


Allie could hardly believe her ears, but the rich deep voice that came out of its mouth was definitely that of a mare.  


"Huh, so now there's two of them," she heard Kingpin say. "Well, aren’t you going to go greet them?" 


"Me?" Allie snapped back to her senses. 


"Yes, you. Or don't you remember? 'It'll be fun in Ponyville. There's lots of opportunity, and all kinds of interesting folks to meet'," Kingpin teased. 


"I didn't think I'd be meeting aliens," Allie retorted. 


"Well, somepony had better go meet them, because the rest of our customers are starting to notice them too," said Kingpin, his voice once again going serious.  


Allie Way glanced around, and sure enough the noise level in the building had dropped off considerably as many ponies started whispering amongst themselves at the sudden appearance of the two tall bipeds. "Okay, okay," she said, taking a deep breath and putting on her best smile before heading over to the group. 


As she approached, Allie quickly caught Pinkie's eyes. "Hi there, Allie, got any open lanes?"  


"Hey, Pinkie, you got a new, uh, friend with you?" Allie could feel her smile starting to slip as she got closer to the newcomers. Especially when Lero and the new one started coming towards her.  


"Sure do," Pinkie answered. "This is Rebecca, she's new in town, and she was wondering what we do for fun in Ponyville, so we took her to the park, the tea house, Sugar Cube Corner, and now we're here." 


"It's been a busy afternoon," said Rebecca. As she spoke, Rebecca couldn't help but notice how much taller this pony was than the others; its head reaching all the way up to her chest.  


"So, what do you say, can you show her the ropes?" Pinkie asked. 


"Well, I suppose I can give it a try," Allie offered. "Kingpin! Open the last couple of lanes will ya?" As Kingpin headed toward the back of the building to get the machines running, Allie led the group of friends to their prepared lanes, and was pleased to see most of the other customers relax as they passed. By the time they reached their lanes the first sets of pins were just being put into place. "Okay, everypony who already knows how to play can go ahead and start warming up on that lane," said Allie, gesturing to the second to last lane. "The rest of you, gather round and I'll show you how it's done." 


The group quickly split in two, with Twilight, Rarity, Lero, Rebecca, and Fluttershy all making their way towards her while their friends made for the other lane. "Alright, now, the object of the game is quite simple," Allie explained, as she seized one of the nearby house-balls in her magic. "Using either magic, or some part of your body, you want to throw, or push, the ball down the lane and knock over as many pins as you can." With a quick wave of her head, Allie spun the ball in a semicircle and sent it hurtling down the lane and into the pins with a resounding crash, leaving only a single pin standing.  


While the other ponies watched the display in awe, the two humans just stood with wide smiles on their faces, and Allie couldn't help but notice the sharp points of teeth peeking out from under their lips. Just as she felt herself beginning to sweat, Rarity's voice caught her attention.  


"It seems you missed one, dear." 


"Not to worry," Allie replied. "You get two throws per turn on the lane." As she spoke, Allie levitated another ball over and set it down behind her. Lifting her left hind leg, she spared a glance behind her before letting it snap back to connect squarely with the center of the ball. Once more the ball hurtled down the lane straight towards its target. Allie's ear twitched at the sound of the collision before a proud smile spread across her face.  


"Wow, you didn't spare a single one," said Rebecca. 


Allie's smile fell slightly at the comment. "Um, thanks," she said, figuring it was just a lucky guess. 


"I don't know, I think it'd be more impressive if she could strike them all at once," added Lero. 


Allie Way's smile was replaced by a bemused stare for a moment as the wheels in her head finished turning, and a knowing smirk spread across her face. "You guys have bowling where you're from, don't you?" she asked, pointing a hoof at the mischievous pair. 


"Maybe," said Rebecca, with a smile. 


"Well, why didn't you two say so?" asked Twilight. 


"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist," offered Rebecca. "I wanted to see if a pony teaching me how to bowl would be as cute as I thought it would be." 


"And I just wanted to see how far we could get, before someone caught us," added Lero. 


Allie's cheeks reddened a bit at the revelation. "Well, you could have just asked. Humph, cute indeed," she said turning her nose up from the two. 


"Aww, come on now, we didn't mean anything by it," offered Lero. 


"Yeah, Allie, it was just a little joke," called Pinkie, from the next lane. 


Turning to her friend, and then back to the two aliens, Allie let out a huff. "Fine, but if you guys really do have bowling where you're from, then why don't you show us ponies how it's done?" she said, with a challenging tone. 


Lero and Rebecca looked at each other for a moment. "Ladies first?" Lero asked. 


"Oh, great, throw me under the bus," Rebecca whispered back, as she stepped up to select a ball. 


The ponies, including those who had been playing in the next lane, all took seats behind her, eager to see how the game was played by such tall creatures. Twilight in particular was rapt with curiosity. "Oh, this is so exciting. Is she going to push it? How will she get down low enough? Maybe she's going to kick it, but won't that hurt her toes?" 


A soft shush filled her ear as Lero took a seat between her and Rainbow Dash. "Let's watch and see," he said softly, as he wrapped his arms around them. 


From her seat at the end of the group, Allie couldn't help but notice the interaction between Lero and the mares, and wonder where they found the courage to let him wrap his arms around their necks like that. Turning away from the display beside her, to focus on the one in front of her, Allie found herself wondering the same things Twilight had; how was the strange creature in front of her going to get a ball down the lane? 


Meanwhile, Rebecca had finished selecting her ball; a hefty twelve-pounder, but it was the only one she could fit her fingers into comfortably. Going to have to ask them just what these holes are for. With ball in hand, Rebecca took her place on the lane and did her best to line up the shot. Okay, here we go. Step up, swing arm back, cry of alarm behind me, bring it forward, and let her fly. Rebecca let go, and the ball was sent speeding down the lane to connect soundly with the pins, nocking over all but two.  


"Hey, not bad for my fist shot in years-" Rebecca trailed off as she turned to the ponies behind her, who all had their hooves up and eyes closed, except for Twilight, Rainbow, and Lyra who had thrown themselves on top of Lero. "Um, you guys can open your eyes now." 


"Sheesh, warn a pony before you do that," griped Applejack. 


"Yeah, you could have hurt somepony," added Rainbow Dash, as her wings tightened around Lero. 


"Oh, I had a perfectly good grip on it," Rebecca began. "And besides I-" 


"How did you do that?" Allie Way blurted out. 


"What?" asked Rebecca. 


"The ball looked like it just stuck to your hand." 


"Oh, did I go too quick for you?" asked Rebecca, as she walked over to the ball rack. "Like this." Rebecca proceeded to lift another of the house balls, and hold it up for the ponies to see. 


"Allie Way stepped forward to take a closer look. "You're using the shining slots?" 


"Shining slots?"  


"Yeah, the holes that the support pegs in the ball shining machine slide into." 


"Oh, is that what they’re for? I was wondering why ponies would put holes in bowling balls," said Rebecca. 


"But, aren’t you worried about breaking your fingers?" asked Allie. 


"Oh, there's no real danger of that, as long as you know what you're doing. Besides, these things are stronger than you might think." Rebecca held up her hand and wiggled her fingers.  


"Huh, you wouldn't think they could hold up something as heavy as a bowling ball," Allie thought out loud. "Too bad you ended up with a seven-ten split," she added, glancing down the lane. 


"Don't worry, I know of a trick to take care of that," Rebecca replied, picking up another ball and glaring at the two pins as the other ponies quickly got out from behind her. With another quick throw the ball headed down the lane towards the left pin, and right into the gutter without so much as skimming it. "Maybe one day I'll even learn how to do it," she said, with a sheepish grin. 


With the initial shock of human bowling techniques behind them, the rest of the ponies were able to begin practicing in earnest. With Allie Way's guidance, and a few bags of freshly ordered hay fries, all the ponies seemed to be getting the hang of the game. All but one. 


As she looked over the score cards that she had started keeping, Allie let out a frustrated snort. "Twilight: ninety-four, Rarity: hundred and five, Rebecca: one-thirty-four; not bad for a beginner, and Fluttershy with... ten." Never in all her years of bowling had Allie seen such an abysmal score. She had tried to help Fluttershy get a feel for the game, but the timid mare seemed bound and determined to do everything she could wrong. When she tried to push the ball with her hooves, she flinched at the last minute. When she tried to push it with her head, she kept her eyes closed the entire time. And when she tried to kick the ball, her legs seemed to freeze up and she barely tapped it. 


Fluttershy's friends had told her that she suffered from stage fright, but this was ridiculous. Even now as she took her place on the lane for her next shot, Allie couldn't tell if she was more afraid of the crowd or her own ball. Allie watched as Fluttershy raised her fore hooves to push the ball, only for her to flinch and close her eyes, sending it swerving once again into the gutter.  


"Boy, she really needs help."  


Allie turned to Rebecca sitting beside her, "I've tried everything I can think of, short of throwing the ball for her, but she's so scared of everything going on around her that she can't focus on her shots. Heck, she's even scared of the ball she's using." 


As Fluttershy made her way back to the group, the rest of her friends tried to encourage her.  


"Come on, sugar cube, you can do better than that."  


"Indeed, darling, you must put more oomph into it." 


As Rebecca watched the ponies try get their friend into the game, a thought popped into her head. Hmm, scared of the ball huh?   


"Oh, thank you all for putting up with me," said Fluttershy, as she looked at the floor. 


"Oh, come on, Fluttershy, you'd like the game if you would just stop worrying about everything," said Rainbow. 


"I'm sorry, Rainbow, but I just can't stop thinking about the crowd, I mean what if they all laugh at me?" 


"Fluttershy, nopony is going to laugh at you," Twilight assured. 


"Yeah, nopony but us is even paying attention," piped in Pinkie. 


"I'm sorry, everypony, but I just don't think this game is for me," Fluttershy sighed. 


"Hey, Fluttershy?" Rebecca called. "If you don't want to play again that's fine, but you're on your last frame, are you sure you don't want to take your last shot? I bet it would mean a lot to Allie here if you at least got through you're first game for her," she said, in her most reassuring tone. 


Allie Way looked at Rebecca, wondering why she was being brought into this, but aside from a slight smile at the corners of her lips she just couldn't read Rebecca's features; the human's face was like a mask. Turning to Fluttershy she was about to tell the mare that it was okay if she didn't want to continue, but was cut off before she could say anything. 


"Oh, alright, if it means that much to her," said Fluttershy, as she headed for the lane one last time. 


Allie was about to protest before she noticed movement at the edge of her vision. Looking at Rebecca, she saw that the human had slipped her sandals off, and grabbed one of the empty hay fry bags sitting on the table they were gathered around before holding it up to her mouth and filling it with air. The others had noticed what she was doing as well, but before any of them could ask about it Rebecca held up a finger to her lips to quiet them, then in one fluid motion rose to her feet and began making her way towards Fluttershy so quietly that Allie almost couldn't believe it. 


"How can something that big be making no noise?" she whispered.  


"Oh, you'd be surprised how easily a human can sneak up on you." Allie turned to see Lyra give her a coy smile, before leaning into Lero's side.  


With her cheeks reddening at the bizarre images flowing through her mind, Allie turned back to the lane only to find that Rebecca had already closed the distance between her and Fluttershy, who was just lining up her shot. As Allie watched, Fluttershy raised her fore hooves and closed her eyes as Rebecca raised her arms and let a smile spread across her face. Rebecca's arms became a blur as they snapped closed, and a loud bang filled the air as her hand connected with the inflated paper bag. Fluttershy's eyes shot open as her hooves snapped out to strike the ball in front of her squarely in the center.  


Everyone held their breath as the ball hurtled down the lane and connected with the pins, sending them flying with a resounding crash. When it was over not a single one remained standing. "Now you're getting it," said Rebecca, as she knelt down next to Fluttershy, who had fallen to the floor covering her head with her fore hooves. 


At the sound of her friends cheering, Fluttershy peeked out from under her mane and saw the pile of pins being swept away. "I, I did it?" she asked nopony in particular.  


"Sure did, with a little help," Rebecca answered. 


Fluttershy turned to Rebecca as the elation of her first strike started filling up inside her. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"  


Fluttershy suddenly lunged at Rebecca, eyes closed and arms wide. Before she could stand up, Rebecca felt soft forelegs wrap around her neck and pull her into a tight hug. As her body began to shake, Rebecca bit down on her lip and drew in breath with a sharp hiss. Her fingers bent to resemble claws and as they made their way up toward Fluttershy's neck. Determined not to push the little pony down, Rebecca bit down harder on her lip in an attempt to muscle through the revulsion creeping under her skin. Her hands came to rest on Fluttershy's shoulders and, with great effort, began applying steady pressure. 


Fortunately, Fluttershy quickly realized what she was doing, and released her grip, causing Rebecca to fall backward onto her seat. "Oh, dear, I'm so sorry. Are you okay?" she asked, as the rest of her friends gathered around them.  


"What happened?" Allie Way asked, her face a mask of confusion. 


"She doesn’t like being touched," Rainbow Dash answered. 


"Rebecca, are you alright?" asked Lero. 


"Yeah, I'm fine," replied Rebecca, though she was still shivering. 


"We really need to do something about that," said Twilight. 


Rebecca paused to look at the ponies gathered around her. "That would make it a lot easier to make friends," she replied. 


"Don't worry, I think I have an idea that just might work," said Twilight, as a mischievous grin worked its way across her face. 


Rebecca cast a nervous look at Lero. "Why is she looking at me like that?"   

> 14. Good news
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The deep rumble of the bowling ball echoed through the ally as it flew down the lane, only to claim a single pin for its trouble. Looking at the score card in front of her, Allie Way marked off the point with a sour grimace. Seven frames in and a score of thirty would have most regular bowlers kicking and screaming by now. But, looking up at the player in front of her, the only thing she heard was the sharp tapping of fingernails on metal as she leaned on the return chute and waited for it to spit out her ball. 

"You know, Rebecca, if it's that frustrating, we can inflate the bumpers for you," Allie offered. 

"Frustrating?" Rebecca asked, calmly. "Frustrating is a woman who just wants to be able to shake someone's hand without breaking out in a cold sweat. So she lets a purple unicorn poke and prod at her for two weeks... two weeks! Just so that she can tell me that I need to practice being tactile. I mean, I could have thought of that!" As she spoke, Rebecca grabbed another ball and threw it down the lane, only to have it go wide once again. 

At that Allie set the score card aside, stood up, and took a step forward. "Okay, you don't need to get all shouty," she said, her own voice starting to rise. 

"I know!-" Rebecca took a deep breath "-I know," she finished, in a much more even tone. "I'm sorry, Allie." 

With the apology made, Allie Way once more took her seat at the scoring table, before motioning for Rebecca to join her. Allie generally made it a point not to get too personal with her customers, but since her first visit, Rebecca had been showing up almost every other day. Once the initial surprise of having an alien as a regular customer had worn off, Allie had actually found that she enjoyed playing with her. While not on the same level as Allie in terms of skill, Rebecca had shown steady improvement since she had started coming by; and whether they were talking about the weather or the current state of affaires in Equestria, a conversation with her was always interesting. So, as the weeks had passed, Allie had found herself growing closer to Rebecca until she came to think of her as a friend instead of a customer. And, while Rebecca still pulled back every time Allie tried to move in for a friendly bump or nuzzle, she was fairly sure that the feeling was mutual. 

"Look, Rebecca, I'm no doctor, but even I know that therapy takes time," said Allie, as her friend took a seat beside her.  

"I realize that it takes time, but why dose it have to take so much? I mean, I never had any trouble touching people before I came here." 

"Look, you can't explain an irrational fear; that's what makes it irrational," said Allie. 

"That's also what makes it so aggravating," replied Rebecca. "If I just knew what caused it, then maybe it wouldn't be such a trial to get over it." 

"Maybe. Or, you might just be better off not knowing what happened, if it was bad enough to give you a crippling phobia," Allie offered. 

The two sat in silence for a moment, both content to let that dark train of thought pass them by. 

"But, in all honesty, have you made any progress so far?" asked Allie. 

Turning to look at her friend, Rebecca slowly reached out and placed her hand on Allie's shoulder. Looking down at Rebecca's hand, Allie almost pulled away, but stopped when she noticed how gentle the touch was. Having seen the way Rebecca and Lero had thrown bowling balls around with them, Allie had expected their hands to be as hard as rock. Yet, as the hand rested upon her, she was amazed by how soft it felt.  

"And that," Rebecca began, pulling her hand away. "Is about as far as we've gotten. If I initiate it, then I can just barely handle light contact." 

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" asked Allie. 

"Two weeks of practicing, and I can just barely touch someone," Rebecca replied, with an angry huff. "At this rate it'll take years to get over this." 

"Oh, come on now, don't be like that," said Allie, scooting as close as she could to her friend without touching her. "At least you're making progress; and Twilight is right you know? The only way to get better at something is to practice." 

"I have been practicing, Allie," replied Rebecca, as an all too familiar feeling of anxiety began to creep up her spine at how close Allie was. Almost instinctively, Rebecca began inching away. 

"Well, if you're really progressing as slowly as you say, then you obviously need more. And you aren’t going to get it by moving away from the problem." Allie Way's voice was level, but firm, and despite her best efforts Rebecca had no counter for them. So, doing her best to ignore the butterflies in her stomach, Rebecca slowly forced herself to scoot back to her spot next to her friend.  

"Okay, now what?" Rebecca asked, through gritted teeth. 

"Now, tag me in," Allie replied, holding up her fore hoof with a confident smile. 

"Pardon?" 

"You've been throwing balls around left and right for the better part of an hour, let somepony else onto the lane for a while," Allie explained. 

Looking around, Rebecca noted that more than half of the lanes in the ally were empty. "Um, why don't you just use one of the other lanes?" 

"Because, somepony needs to keep score for me," Allie replied, with a smirk. 

With a roll of her eyes, Rebecca decided it was just easier to let Allie win the argument, and raised a fist up to tap against Allie's hoof. 

"Alright, now watch a pro at work," said Allie, as she cantered up to the lane. 

As Allie was racking up strike after strike, Rebecca once again noticed the strange lack of ponies in the building. "Hey, Allie, where is everyone? It's only a little after two, this place is usually jumping by now." 

Allie paused to look around the building before letting another ball fly. "Oh, that's probably because heat season is coming up in another week or so. Most mares are probably out stoking up for the long haul." 

"Heat season?" Rebecca wondered out loud. "I think Lero, or Twilight, mentioned that at some point. Something about all the girls suddenly going guy-crazy?"  

Allie Way let out a laugh at the words. "Well, that's one way to put it, I... Wait a minute, are you saying that you don't have heat?"   

"Nope, we humans don't work like that." 

"Huh, well, lucky you," said Allie, a hint of bitterness in her voice. 

Sensing the shift in her friend's mood, Rebecca asked, "Is it really that bad?" 

"Depends on if you have a friend to help you get through it. If you do, then it's not so bad. If you don't, well, that's not a place any mare wants to be." Allie released her levitation and let her current ball go flying only to have it clip a single pin. Allie let out agitated snort. 

"Uh, sorry, I didn't mean to-" 

"Don't worry about it, Becky, you didn't know." As she spoke, Allie turned to make her way back to her spot next to Rebecca. "But, seriously, you should make sure your kitchen is good and stocked before the season starts. Depending on how many mares it hits at once, the market and stores might be closed down for a while." 

"Well, it sounds like I know what I'm going to be doing for the next couple of days," replied Rebecca. 

The sound of doors being kicked open suddenly filled the building, and drew everyone's attention to the front door. Standing in the entryway was Twilight Sparkle, who, upon spotting Rebecca, came racing toward her at a full gallop. "There you are!" she cried, as she skidded to a halt in front of her. 

"Hey, Twilight, what's the hurry?" asked Rebecca. 

"Rebecca, we need to talk; a letter just arrived for you," said Twilight, panting. 

"I swear, if it's those spa sisters again-" Rebecca began. 

"Rebecca, it's from the Princess!" 



**** 


The sound of beating wings filled Golden Oaks Library as their owner paced in midair. Rainbow Dash hated waiting, almost as much as she hated loosing. "Shouldn't they be here by now? What's taking them so long?" she griped. 

Looking up from the book he was reading, Lero glanced at the nearest clock. "Love, Twilight's only been gone for five minutes," he said. 

"Yeah, and I could have gotten there and back by now." 

"Yes, but could Rebecca keep up with you?" A third voice chimed from the doorway to the living area. Both Lero and Rainbow turned to see Lyra stepping into the reading area. "Twilight can teleport both of them here in the blink of an eye," she said. 

"Then what's taking so long?" Rainbow threw her fore legs up in frustration. 

Before any answer could be given, the library was filled with a bright purple flash, and Twilight and Rebecca were standing in the center of the room. 

"Gah! How many times do I half to tell you; don't do that!" yelled Rebecca. 

"I'm sorry, but it was the fastest way to get us here," countered Twilight. 

"There you are," cried Rainbow. "I was starting to think you got lost." 

"We would have been here sooner, if somepony hadn't kept trying to dodge my teleportation spell," said Twilight, giving Rebecca a dirty look. 

"Remind me to tell you the story of The Fly sometime, Twilight," said Rebecca. "Now, where's this letter you mentioned?"  

"Got it right here," said Lyra, levitating the rolled up scroll over to Rebecca. 

"Wait, you didn't even read it?" she asked. 

"Rebecca!" Twilight gasped. "You do not read royal mail that is addressed to somepony else." 

Rolling her eyes, Rebecca unrolled the piece of paper and began to read out loud. "Dear, Rebecca. I hope this letter finds you well, as I have some very important news that you need to be made aware of. Recently, several breakthroughs have been made at the Department of Advanced Magics, and I believe we may be close to reversing what was done to you prior to your arrival in Equestria. I realize that this is likely a matter of great importance to you, and as such have taken the liberty of arranging transportation for you, so that you may arrive as soon as possible. I hope to see you soon. Sincerely, Princess Celestia of Equestria." 

The library was silent for a moment before, "WOOHOO!" cried Rainbow Dash, as she and the others all gathered around Rebecca. 

"Rebecca, that's wonderful news," said Twilight. 

"I'll say," added Lyra.  

"Rebecca are you alright?" asked Lero. 

Rebecca had slumped back against the center table, a stunned look painted across her face as her breath came in long deep gasps. "They can change me back." Her voice came out in a whisper, and before everyone's eyes she slowly slid to her seat on the floor. 

"Rebecca!" They all called. 

Holding up a reassuring hand, Rebecca cleared her throat before saying, "I'm okay, I'm okay. I just... thought she had forgotten about me or something." 

"Rebecca," Twilight said softly, as she took a seat beside her. "Princess Celestia wouldn't just forget about you." 

"Yeah, she doesn’t leave her friends hanging," added Rainbow. 

"She's probably had her people working on this since the day she met you," said Lero, as he sat down on her other side. "As someone who's spent a little more time with her I can assure you that, as trite as it might sound, she really does seem to care about every person she meets." 

"Wait, you've spent time with her?" Rebecca asked. 

"Well, more than most, anyway. Granted our first meeting didn't exactly go smoothly, but since then I think I've gotten a pretty good feel for her; and she doesn’t strike me as the type to stand by and do nothing when she sees someone in trouble." 

"Wow." Once again, Rebecca was at a loss as to how these ponies treated others. "Maybe I should offer to buy her dinner some time." 

"Why, I bet she'd love tha- WHAT!" cried Twilight, almost jumping to the ceiling. 

"Or, you know, maybe just a heartfelt thank you," Rebecca finished with a chuckle. 

Rebecca's laughter soon proved to be contagious as everyone in the room shared in the mirth. It wasn't until the sound of the door opening caught their attention that it finally died down, and they turned to see a familiar purple and green dragon regarding them with raised eyebrows.  

"Uh, what's going on?" Spike asked. "Did I miss something fun?" 

"Oh, Spike, you're back," greeted Twilight. "Did you get the supplies?"  

"Sure did," replied Spike, holding up a large sack. 

"Good, because I need you to take a letter." 

"Well, okay," replied Spike, as he reached into the bag and pulled out a vial of ink and a quill. "But, before we start, did you know that there's a palace chariot parked on the front lawn?" 

"Huh," came the unanimous reply. 

Once outside, the group was met by a sight that most ponies only ever dreamt of seeing. Sitting there on the lawn, drawn by two pure white pegusi in matching armor, was a gleaming golden chariot. 

"Aww yeah, now this is awesome!" cried Rainbow Dash, rushing over to admire the vehicle. "It's not everyday you get to see one of these babies." 

"I take it, this thing is important?" Rebecca asked. 

"I'll say," Twilight agreed. "Usually only the Princess's confidants, or the extremely wealthy are able to afford one." 

"To be lent one is a sure sign that you have the personal attention of the princess," Lyra added. 

"Really? Aww man, now I feel even worse," said Rebecca, with a hint of sorrow. 

"Huh, why's that," asked Lero. 

"Because there is no way that I am getting in that thing." 

> 15. Sundered statue
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The stone floor underneath her was smooth and surprisingly warm to the touch; though it brought little comfort to her bare knees. Light filled the room, if it was a room, though from what source she could not tell through the thick smoke that seemed to fill the place. She did not know why the shadows had brought her here, or why they had taken what remained of her clothes, only that they had forced her to kneel and the shackles around her wrists had become tight and unmovable so as to hold her in place. Now it was hard to tell just what they were doing. One of them, a thick roiling mass of darkness with what looked like flames burning atop its head, didn't seem to be doing much of anything except hovering off to the side and issuing the occasional low groan.  


The other one more than made up for its stoic companion. It danced around the room, its wispy black form leaving a trail on the floor wherever it went, and the streamers of multicolored light that sprang from its head lashed at the air as it moved, all the while squeaking and squawking in what might have been excitement. When it finally came to a stop in front of her, Rebecca dared to look up at the thing just in time to see it throw its head back and let loose a shrill, ululating cry. Then the room was filled with a blinding flash of light, and Rebecca could feel herself being torn apart. 



****  
 


"Rebecca!" 


Rebecca awoke with such a jolt that she almost slipped out of her seat. As she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, reality quickly replaced the rapidly fading dream. The soft cushion of her seat bounced in time with the steady clacking of the tracks as the Pony Express made its way down the railroad toward Canterlot.  


Glancing at her sole companion in the passenger car, Rebecca let out a tired groan. "What's up, Lyra, are we there yet?" 


"Not quite," she replied from her spot next to Rebecca. "But, you looked like you were having a bad dream, and it's already morning so..." 


"Morning?" Looking out the window, Rebecca could see in the early morning light that they had come quite a way since they had left Ponyville. The rolling fields and forests had given way to mounting crags and cliffs as the train made its way around, and up, the mountain towards their destination. 


"Yeah, you've been snoring away for almost twelve hours already." 


"Yeah, well, between work and Twilight, I haven't really been getting a lot of sleep lately," Rebecca mumbled. 


"Sorry," said Lyra, with a sheepish grin. "I know Twilight can be a little obsessive." 


"Heh, no kidding," sighed Rebecca, as she thought back to the previous day.  



 **** 


"Please?" 


"No." 


"Pretty please?" 


"Twilight." 


"But, I can help," pleaded Twilight, as she followed on Rebecca's heels towards the train station. 


"I thought you said you didn't know anything about chimeras," asked Rainbow Dash, hovering in the air alongside her herd-mate. 


"I'll learn!" begged Twilight. 


"Hon, even if she does change her mind, are you really going to go home, pack, and come back here before the train leaves?" asked Lero from behind them. 


"You seem to forget that I can teleport," countered Twilight. 


As the group made it to the station, Rebecca turned to once more try to console the distraught unicorn. "Look, Twilight, I appreciate everything you guys have done for me, but we've been getting together almost every day for the last two weeks. I could use a little bit of me time, and it sounds like you could stand to have some to." 


The feeling of a gentle hand upon her withers stopped Twilight before she could respond as Lero stepped forward. "Rebecca, I can understand if you want to take a break from Twilight's... therapy sessions, but are you really sure you don't want us to come with you?"  


The concern was evident in Lero's voice and, for just a moment, Rebecca considered giving in. But, reminding herself of why she was going in the first place was all it took to squash that thought. "Look, Lero, if you came with me, what would you do besides sit around and worry?"  


"Well, I'm afraid we're going to worry about you regardless. It's kind of what friends do," he replied. 


"Yes, but, the difference being, here you can try to do something to take your mind off of it. Whereas there, you'll probably just end up sitting in a waiting room for God knows how long." 


"She does have a point," Rainbow piped up at the mention of waiting rooms. 


"And, besides, it's not like she'll be going alone, fingers." The group turned to see Lyra coming towards them from the ticket counter, a pair of saddlebags on her back and a couple of tickets levitated in the air beside her; one of which she passed to Rebecca. 


"Lyra, you didn't have to buy me a ticket," said Rebecca, as she took the slip of paper. 


"Don't worry, it's actually the state that bought it. As the guardsmare escorting you, I can put it down as a duty expense and be reimbursed for it," said Lyra, as she slipped her ticket into her bag and made her way over to her herd. 


Moving in to nuzzle her herd-mate, Twilight said, "Take care of her, and yourself, Lyra." 


"I'll try to keep us safe in the wilds of Canterlot," replied Lyra, with a chuckle. 


"Just watch out for the snakes," said Rainbow, landing next to Twilight. 


"Oh, come on, it's not that bad," said Twilight, bumping Rainbow's flank with her own. 


"I know," said Rainbow apologetically, as she leaned into Lyra for a hug. "But, seriously, couldn't one of those other guards have taken her up there?" 


"Well, they could have," began Lyra, with a smile. "If they didn't have to return a chariot that somepony turned down."   


"Still can't believe you did that," said Rainbow, pointing an accusing hoof at Rebecca. 


"Well, we weren't all born with wing-"  


The shrill cry of the train whistle cut through the air, followed by the call of the conductor. "All aboard!"       


"Well, sounds like they're getting ready to leave." Lero walked up to Lyra and knelt down so they were closer to eye level, before wrapping his arms around her neck and pulling her into a hug. As they broke the embrace, their lips met in a light but lingering kiss. "You take care up there okay, horny?" 


"Come on, fingers, it's Canterlot. What could happen?" 



 **** 



As Rebecca sat and stared out the window, her reminiscing was abruptly interrupted as the train made its final turn around the mountain and the city of Canterlot came into view. Or, at least, the part she could see did, as the city seemed to climb higher and higher up the mountain it was built into. 


"Whoa, that's Canterlot?" she asked breathlessly. 


"That's Canterlot. The center of Equestria; depending on who you ask." As she spoke, Lyra leaned in close to Rebecca so that she could see out the window as well, and was pleased when her companion didn't flinch away. Both were startled, however, as the door at the back of the car was kicked open. 


"Ugh, that had to be the worst nights sleep I've ever had. What about you Diamond?" came a high pitched voice, dripping with condescension. 


"Hmph, tell me about it, Silver. Those beds felt like they were stuffed with rocks." Came a second voice which was, if anything, even more snide than the first. 


Turning to see who had just walked in, Rebecca was surprised to see two young fillies enter the car. "Hey, Lyra, aren’t those kids from Ponyville?" 


"Oh, yeah, I think they're in the same class as Apple Bloom, and her friends," replied Lyra. 


"I wonder if they're traveling alone?" said Rebecca, scarcely able to believe the idea. 


"Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon!" came a another, much more familiar, voice from the car the two fillies had just left. To Rebecca's surprise Cheerilee walked through the door, followed by half a dozen more children. "I told you two not to wander away from the group during this trip. You could very easily get lost."  


As the two fillies were being scolded, Rebecca did a quick head count of the other children and realized that she recognized some of them; and that three in particular recognized her.   


"Rebecca!" came the unanimous cry of Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo as they rushed over. 


"What are you doing here?" asked Apple Bloom. 


"That's supposed to be my line," replied Rebecca, as she got up from her seat and knelt down to talk to the fillies properly. "What are you kids doing on board? You're not trying to get your cutie marks as train robbers are you?" 


Scootaloo's ears suddenly perked up. "Hey, that's something we haven't-" 


"No," Rebecca replied, firmly. 


"Okay, okay, just kidding," Scootaloo said, sheepishly. 


"Yeah, we'd never try to get them form something like that," added Sweetie Belle. 


"I don't know," said Lyra, with a sly grin. "After you put that hole in the roof of the schoolhouse, I wouldn't put it past you." 


"A hole that I was hired to come fix, mind you," added Rebecca. 


"I told you trying to be bell-ringers was a bad idea," Apple Bloom whispered to Scootaloo.  


"I assure you, they're not here to do any train robbing," said Cheerilee, with a chuckle as she made her way toward the group. 


"Hello, Cheerilee," greeted Lyra. "Are you the one watching over these little rabble-rousers?" 


"Yes, they're with me," replied Cheerilee. 


"We're on a field trip to see Canterlot castle," Scootaloo interrupted. 


"Yeah, it's the longest class trip we've ever been on," added Apple Bloom. 


"Class trip?" Rebecca took another look at the children. In addition to the crusaders, she counted five others. "I thought your class was quite a bit bigger than this." 


"Uh, we're the only one's who's folks signed the permission slips," came a soft lispy voice from behind Cheerilee. 


Craning her neck to see around Cheerilee, Rebecca spotted a beige filly with curly red hair peeking out from behind her teacher. "Well, hello there," said Rebecca, with a warm smile. "Who might you be?" 


When the filly didn't move, Apple Bloom turned to her and said, "Come on Twist, it's Rebecca. We told you about her." 


"But, my mom told me to be careful around her," said Twist from behind Cheerilee. 


"I don't bite, honey, I promise," said Rebecca. 


"Come on, Twist, she's a human just like Lero, and you talk to him just fine," added Scootaloo. 


"Yeah, but, she's a lot bigger than Lero and..." Twist stopped as Rebecca stood up and took a step toward Cheerilee before rising onto her tiptoes and looking right over the mare and strait at the filly.  


"You know, you look kind of familiar, kiddo," said Rebecca, giving the somewhat startled Twist a quizzical look. "Have we met someplace?" 


"She helps out at Bonbon's store after school a couple of times a week," replied Lyra. 


"Is that right?" asked Rebecca, taking a step back from Cheerilee. "Well, Twist, do me a favor and tell Bonbon that whoever made those peppermint sticks last week deserves a raise." 


"R-really?" came Twist's reply as she poked her head out from behind Cheerilee, who took a step to the side so she was no longer between the two. 


"Oh, sure does, those things were delicious," said Rebecca, once more taking a knee. 


"Aww, s-shucks," said a blushing Twist, as she pawed at the floor. 


Giving the little filly one last smile, Rebecca turned back to Cheerilee. "So, you say you're all on a class trip? You really think you can keep an eye on all these kids by yourself, Cheer?" 


"Oh, heavens no," replied Cheerilee, looking at the foals around her. "It's not just going to be me, there'll be a local tour guide waiting for us at the station." 


"How long are you planning to stay in the city?" asked Lyra. 


"Oh, just for the day," replied Cheerilee. "Once we get off the train we'll make a quick stop for breakfast, then head to the castle for the day, be back on another train this evening, and arrive back in Ponyville tomorrow morning." 


"Well, it sounds like you've got your day planned," said Lyra. 


"Well, you have to stay on top of things on a trip like this," replied Cheerilee. "By the way, what brings you two to Canterlot?" 


"Doctor appointment," Rebecca answered. 


"Oh dear, I hope it's nothing serious," said Cheerilee. 


"Yeah, me too," muttered Rebecca. 


Before Cheerilee could ask anything else, the sound of a door opening at the front of the car caught their attention. Standing there was what could only be the conductor of the train. "Excuse me, folks, but we'll be arriving in Canterlot shortly. I'll have to ask you all to be seated," he said. 


As the group found their seats, the conductor made his way to the other end of the car and through the door that Cheerilee and the children had come through. Before long, more ponies began filing into the car. "I didn't think there were this many people on board. Where were they all hiding?" asked Rebecca. 


"Probably in their rooms," replied Lyra. 


"Wait a minute. This train has private rooms, and you had us sleep in the passenger car?" asked Rebecca. 


"Well, when you're the last ones to board that does tend to happen," said Lyra, giving Rebecca a shrug. 



**** 


From the glimpses of the city she'd had from the train, Rebecca thought that she had a pretty good idea of what to expect of Canterlot. All those expectations flew out the window, however, upon exiting the train. While most of her view was taken up by the train station, she could still see that the city did indeed seem to climb up the mountain straight into the sky. 


"Careful, you're liable to trip over somepony if you keep staring like that," said Lyra. 


"Sorry," said Rebecca. "This place is just so much bigger than I thought it would be." 


"It is big," commented Cheerilee, as she and the foals joined them. "And, it's very easy to get lost in so, class does everypony have their buddy?" 


"Yes," came the unanimous reply as the children quickly paired off.  


"Good, now where is our gui-" 


Before Cheerilee could finish, one of her students, a rather chubby blue unicorn colt that Rebecca still hadn't caught the name of, cried out, "Hey look, Snails, real Canterlot guards." 


"Wow, cool," replied Snails. "And look, Snips, they're coming right towards us too." 


Sure enough, from down the lane, the group could see a rapidly approaching trio of unicorn guards. Two of the guards looked practically identical to Rebecca, having matching grey coats and what looked like golden armor. Their leader, however, was even more striking; possessing a brilliant white coat, royal blue mane, and armor tinged purple with golden trims. What caught her eye most, though, was his chest piece and the very familiar pink star that adorned it.      


Upon seeing them, the leader called out, " You there, human!" 


"Guess they're here for us," muttered Lyra. 


"Yes," Rebecca called back to the guards. 


Once they had closed the gap to within talking distance, the leader continued, "You are the one known as Rebecca Lancaster." It was a statement rather than a question, and the harshness with which he spoke it was matched only by the look on his face. In fact, looking at them up close, all three of the guard's faces seemed to be stuck in permanent scowls. Until that moment Rebecca had never seen a pony that she would say looked intimidating, but the ones in front of her managed to pull it off; at least as much as pastel colored ponies could. 


"That's me," replied Rebecca, doing her best to stand up straight and maintain her composure; the last thing she wanted was to look weak in front of these ponies. 


"A guard was supposed to accompany you." Again, he stated rather than asked. 


"Yes, sir," said Lyra, stepping up to stand at attention beside Rebecca. 


"Identify yourself," he commanded. 


"Lyra Heartstrings, Ponyville reserve," responded Lyra. For the second time in as many minutes Rebecca was taken aback. Seeing the normally whimsical Lyra wearing the face of a soldier. "Captain Shining Armor, I was not expecting to meet you here." 


"Where is your armor, guardsmare?"  


"I-I..." Lyra stuttered as her eyes went wide, a sign that was not missed by the captain of the guard. 


"Am I to assume that you did not bring it?" he asked. 


After a moments hesitation, Lyra responded, "No, sir, I did not." 


For a moment Shining Armor just stared at her with a raised eyebrow. "Regardless, this human is now in the custody of the royal guard." 


"Am I under arrest?" asked Rebecca, a hint of concern working its way into her voice. 


"You are being escorted to the royal palace by order of Princess Celestia," he replied, curtly. "Guardsmare Heartstrings, your service is no longer required. You are free to do as you please within the city. Lancaster, you are to proceed with us to the castle." With that Shining Armor and his guards abruptly turned to leave. 


Lyra's ears drooped at what she was being told. "Um, Captain, I thought-" 


"You are dismissed, guardsmare," he called, without looking back. 


"Rebecca," Lyra began, the look on her face reminding Rebecca of a sad puppy. "I didn't think-" 


"Lancaster, with us!" Shining Armor called. 


At that moment the concern in Rebecca was quickly replaced by something else boiling up inside her. "Excuse me!" she called back, earning an immediate about-face from the captain. "Look, Captain, you are not my boss. May I have a moment to say goodbye to my friend please?"  


The stunned look on Shining's face was mirrored by his guards, and several passing ponies. However, it quickly changed to an even deeper scowl than the one he had originally worn; a scowl that was now being matched by Rebecca's. They sat there for a moment, neither one flinching, before Shining Armor's horn lit up with magic that coalesced into what looked like a stopwatch. "Ninety seconds," he spoke through gritted teeth, barely loud enough for her to hear. 


"Thank you," she replied, curtly. As she turned around to Lyra, whose face was still stuck on flabbergasted, Rebecca made sure that her back was to Shining Armor before letting out a long breath of relief. "Whew, I can't believe that worked." 


"No kidding," replied Lyra, with a gasping chuckle. "I've never heard of anypony snapping at the captain of the royal guard." 


"The royal-" 


"Rebecca, listen, we don't have much time. All you need to know is that he takes his orders directly from the royal family, has every guard in the city at his beck and call, and... happens to be Twilight's brother." 


"I'm sorry, did you just say-" 


"Time's up, Lancaster," called Shining Armor, impatiently. 


"Well, looks like that's your cue. Best not keep the captain waiting. I'll just join Cheerilee's little field trip and hopefully catch up with you at the castle. Bye!" No sooner had she blurted out her sentence than Lyra took off in the direction that Cheerilee's class had gone, leaving Rebecca grasping for words before turning to acknowledge Shining Armor. 


"Alright, alright, I'm coming," she said, as she hurried over to the waiting unicorns.  


Without another word, the three ponies turned and began walking. As they did so, they quickly fell into formation around Rebecca; Shining in front of her, and the other two at her sides as they began the trek towards Canterlot Castle. 



**** 



The journey through the city was, in a word, awe inspiring. As the group made their way higher, and higher, up the into the city, the buildings became ever more grand, ostentatious, or in some cases physics-defying. As they reached the highest levels of the city, the number of buildings that seemed to ignore gravity were beginning to outnumber the ones that didn't. The more Rebecca looked at the architecture, the more she wished that her escorts would pick up the pace, for fear that one of the buildings they were passing would start obeying gravity. 


As for her traveling companions, they hadn't said a word beyond the occasional 'make way' whenever a pony failed to clear a path for them quickly enough, and Rebecca was quite happy to leave them to do their job. Surprisingly, she had actually found herself glad that they were with her, as they kept the staring ponies at bay. 


The ponies of Canterlot followed a similar trend to the city they lived in. When they had first started out most of the ponies around them looked like they would fit right in back in Ponyville. As they had climbed higher into the city, though, the number of them that were wearing clothes steadily increased, and as they climbed higher, the clothes got fancier. Rebecca also noticed their demeanors begin to shift steadily from friendly, to downright pompous. But, they did all have one thing in common; they were all staring. 


As they walked, Rebecca could feel the eyes upon her. Many of the ponies around them didn't even try to hide it; some even pointed. Just as she was about to ask Shining if they could stop somewhere, in hopes that it would start an argument that she could focus on instead of her surroundings, a voice suddenly cut through the air that seemed to grab Shining Armor's attention. 


"Shining, old boy, there you are." 


Looking in the direction that the voice came from, Rebecca could see a small group of ponies heading toward them. At the front was a large white unicorn with what looked like the collar of a tuxedo around his neck; complete with purple bowtie and a red rose. His mane and tail were golden in color, and looked like they had recently been styled. He wore a confident smile and, to Rebecca's surprise, didn't seem to bat an eye upon seeing her. 


As he drew closer, Shining Armor let out a barely audible groan before saying, "Prince Blueblood, is there something you need?" 


"Oh, Shining, no need for the professional attitude among friends," said Blueblood, with a wave of his hoof. "Ah, I see you found Auntie's guest; my she's a bit bigger than I expected." 


"Blueblood, I'm in the middle of an escort, now if there is nothing you need then please stand aside so that I can get back to it," Shining snapped. 


The looks on the faces of Blueblood's entourage was priceless for Rebecca, and she wondered which of them was going to faint first. As for Blueblood himself, he looked like someone had slapped him across the face. 


"How dare you speak to a prince in such a manner! And after I came all the way out here just to deliver a message from Auntie," said Blueblood, turning his nose up with an exaggerated snort. 


"A message from the princess?" asked Shining Armor. 


"Humph," was Blueblood's only response. 


"Well, what did she say?" 


"Humph." 


"Blueblood." 


"Humph."    


"Behold, the wild ass in its natural habitat," Rebecca muttered under her breath; eliciting a stifled snort from the guard to her left. 


Shining's head snapped around at the noise. "Do one of you have something to add," he said, clearly loosing his patience. 


"Just wondering what the holdup here is?" said Rebecca, rather short on patience herself. 


Shining Armor's eyes narrowed. "I'll-" 


"I'll have you know," Blueblood interrupted, moving around Shining to face Rebecca directly, "That I was in the middle of delivering a very important message, before this lout decided to get snippy," he said, motioning to Shining with disdain. 


Before Shining could continue the argument, he was stopped in his tracks as Rebecca leaned down closer to Blueblood and, in a comforting tone said, "Aww, and after you came all the way out here too. Why this must have been just dreadful for you." 


Shining and his guards simply stood there, too stunned to respond. Blueblood, however, seemed more than willing to soak up the attention. "Why, yes it has been a bit of a chore," he said, fanning himself with his hoof. "It's nice to know that somepony sees the effort I go through for Auntie's sake." 


"And what thanks do you get?" Rebecca continued. "Tell you what, why don't you give me the message instead, and then you can go back to doing... your princely duties?" 


"Oh, very well," said Blueblood, having regained his usual air of superiority. "Auntie simply asked me to tell him that you are to be escorted to the Tea Leaf Café, instead of directly to the castle." 


"Thank you, now why don't you run along, and let me deal with that mean old guard?" 


"Yes, I think I'll leave you to it. It was a pleasure to meet you miss..." 


"Rebecca." 


"Miss Rebecca. It's nice to know that you humans know how to address royalty."  


With that Blueblood and his entourage headed off back into the crowd, and Rebecca was free to drop the fake smile, just as it was starting to hurt her cheeks. "Whew, thought my face was going to crack for a minute there." As she spoke, Rebecca suddenly realized that Shining and his guards were still staring at her. "What? Sometimes when people act like children you just have to talk to them like children." 



****    
 


As far as upper-canterlot establishments went, the Tea Leaf was fairly modest. The owner, one Gentle Simmer, prided herself on providing a relaxing environment for ponies to mingle, and enjoy a taste of serenity. The scent of burning incense and the soft classical music coming from the gramophone in the corner of the main dining area, not to mention the staggering number of teas and other herbal beverages that were served, combined with a professional courteous staff to create a soothing experience that would allow practically anypony to unwind. 


Needless to say more than a few stares were drawn when the front doors were pushed open and three guards escorting an alien creature walked in. As many wide eyes as she had seen since her arrival, Rebecca was pretty sure she could qualify as an optometrist, and hoped that their little trip would be over before too much longer.  


"Where is she?" commanded Shining Armor, as they reached the front counter. 


The pony behind the register, a tan pegasus mare, didn't seem to hear him. Her eyes were fixed upon Rebecca, who noticed that her irises were slightly different shades of green. 


"Where is the princess?" said Shining, grasping the mare's chin with his magic and turning her face to him. 


"U-upstairs, balcony seat," she stammered. 


Without another word they were off again, making their way up the nearby stairs, past more surprised ponies, and finally out a pair of glass double doors flanked by two more unicorn guards. Their on the balcony, sitting on a cushion at a table shaded by a large umbrella, and sipping some tea was Princess Celestia. 


"Well, Shining, is she everything you hoped she would be?" said Celestia, not even bothering to open her eyes. 


"Humph." 


"I see," said Celestia, her voice heavy with disappointment. "Regardless, I believe I can handle things from here." Celestia turned to face the group, a smile once more upon her face. "Welcome Rebecca, would you care to join me for tea?" 


With that, Shining Armor and his guards were quick to depart, leaving Rebecca alone with the princess. "Gotta' admit, I wasn't expecting brunch to be waiting for me," said Rebecca, looking at the various pastries and freshly cut fruit upon the table.  


"I thought you might be hungry after your trip, and this place is on the way to the castle," said Celestia, pulling a second cushion from under the table and fluffing it a few times. 


Taking the hint, and unable to ignore her grumbling stomach, Rebecca took a seat across from the princess. "Thank you," she said. 


"Not at all," said Celestia, as she poured a second cup of tea. "I hope your trip here wasn't too unpleasant." 


"Oh, not at all. That captain of the guard really knows how to make a total stranger fell like a total stranger," said Rebecca, taking a scone. 


Celestia's smile faded a bit. "I must apologize for that. When Captain Armor found out about your condition, he was rather against my decision to let you remain in Ponyville." 


"I didn't realize that many people knew about me." 


"Ms. Lancaster, I think you would be surprised at how many ponies know about you. Simply being in Equestria, makes you something of a celebrity. Although, your condition has been kept a secret from all but a select few." 


"I take it, Captain Shining was one of them." 


"Actually, no, he found out about it from his sister, Twilight Sparkle. She's been writing about you quite a bit lately." 


"Oh, and what, pray tell, does she say?" asked Rebecca, wondering just how much of her 'therapy sessions' her been disclosed. 


"That you've been getting on quite well in Ponyville; making friends, securing employment, and from what I understand, sleeping in my bedroom there," said Celestia, with a sly smile. 


"Oh, yeah, I guess I have." Rebecca's cheeks started to redden. "I've almost got enough money saved up to start house hunting, so I shouldn't be staying there much longer." 


"Don't worry," Celestia chuckled. "I'm always willing to provide for guests, wherever my accommodations may be." 


"Which I am truly grateful for," said Rebecca, her tone suddenly serious. "I mean, you ponies have done so much for me, and I'm sure Lero too, it still boggles my mind sometimes." 


"Lero said the same thing when he first arrived in Equestria. I am sorry that compassion seems so unfamiliar to you humans." Celestia's ears drooped at the notion. 


"It's not that it's unfamiliar... I mean I don't think it is..." Rebecca let out a sigh. "Wow, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to rain on the parade like this." 


"Perhaps a change of topic is in order," offered Celestia. "As I said in my letter, I believe we may be close to finding a way to reverse what was done to you." 


"Right, that is kind of the reason I'm here. But, define close," said Rebecca, trying not to let her hopes get too high. 


"I think it might be best if I left that to the expert," replied Celestia. 


"There's an expert, who?" asked Rebecca. 


"Well, if I know her, you should be meeting right about..." 


Before Celestia could finish, the doors to the balcony were thrown open as two unicorn guards were hurled through the air to land at Celestia's hooves sound asleep. "You will not stand in the way of science!"  


Standing in the doorway was light green unicorn mare with a curly pink mane and tail. She wore a long lab coat and thick rimmed glasses that did nothing to hide the manic look in her eyes, which Rebecca could see were focused squarely on her. "Um, hello?" she offered. 


In a blur of motion the pony pulled a camera from underneath her coat with her magic and Rebecca was blinded as flash after flash of bright light bombarded her. "oh my gosh, it's one of them!" squealed the pony. "I have officially made contact!"  


"Doctor, I do believe you're blinding the poor thing," said Celestia, as the pony continued to take photos. 


"Oh, Princess Celestia, I'm so sorry, I didn't see you there." The young mare quickly fell into a bow and closed her eyes, only to hear the clatter of her camera hitting the floor at the loss of concentration. "No! My posterity," she cried upon opening her eyes. 


When the spots cleared from her eyes, Rebecca was greeted by the sight of the new pony apparently mourning over her broken camera. "Sheesh, that's some entrance you've got there." 


At the sound of Rebecca's voice the pony's head shot up to face her. "Oh my gosh, it's true; fully articulate speech," she said, as she rushed over to Rebecca's seat until she was mere inches from her face, only to be stopped as Rebecca's hand reached out to land upon her chest. 


"Whoa there, that's close enough, hon," said Rebecca, doing her best to hold the, surprisingly strong, pony at bay. 


All of a sudden, a golden glow enveloped the newcomer as she was lifted into the air and set down next to Celestia. "Now, now. I believe proper introductions are in order," she began. "Rebecca, I would like to introduce Doctor Babble; the pony who has been working on your case." 


"Oh my, where are my manners? Dr. T. Babble, at your service. It's such a pleasure to finally meet one of you. I mean, I'd heard about you, of course, but I never thought I'd actually get the chance-"  


As Babble continued to talk, Rebecca turned a raised eyebrow to Celestia. "Um, this is the expert?" 


"Oh, well, I don't know if I'd say 'expert'" Babble chuckled, before noticing the concerned looks coming her way. "Ehem, what I mean to say is, that's what we're here to fix." 


"Fix?" Rebeca asked, flatly. 


"Dr. Babble is one of the bureau of magical research and development's brightest up and comers," said Celestia. "Since we discovered what you were, she has been working tirelessly to find a way to reverse what was done to you." 


"Really? As Rebecca looked at Babble, she couldn't help but notice the way she was looking back. Her bright pink eyes shone with unbridled curiosity, and a thirst for knowledge that reminded her of another unicorn she knew. "Well, how far have you gotten?"   


"Oh, so far I'm still just working in theories that I built off of the trace amounts of information and samples that I've been given. But, all that will change once I get to know you a little bit better," said Babble, with a smile. 


"How do you plan to do that?" asked Rebecca. 


From under her coat, Babble suddenly pulled a jumble of notepads, writing implements, and what looked like a combination medical tools and kitchen utensils. "With tests, of course!" she declared, looking very familiar, indeed.  



**** 



The sound of rustling leaves and bird songs filled the air as the group made their way through the immaculately tended gardens. "I want to start our field trip here, in the world famous Canterlot Sculpture Garden," said Cheerilee, as she and her class came to the first of many statues. "That one represents friendship." 


As she stopped to look at the statue, Apple Bloom felt the sudden impact of Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle,  bump into her. The three gave each other annoyed looks before continuing on. 


"Alright, my little ponies, this one represents victory," said Cheerilee, as they came to a statue of a triumphant looking mare holding a flag. 


"How cool would it be to have that for a cutie mark?" asked Scootaloo. 


"Cool," replied Apple Bloom, with a roll of her eyes. "If you were actually victoryful at something." 


"That's not a word," exclaimed Sweetie Belle. 


"What are you, a dictionary?" Scootaloo shot back. 


"Girls!" called Cheerilee, beckoning them over to the next sculpture. "Now this is a really interesting statue. What do you notice about it?" she asked, gesturing to the bizarre amalgam of animal parts. 


"Its got an eagle claw." 


"And, a lion's paw." 


"And, a snake tail."  


Once the crusaders were finished, Cheerilee continued. "This creature is called a draconequus. He has the head of a pony, and a body made up of all sorts of things. What do you suppose that represents?" 


"Confusion!" 


"Evil!" 


"Chaos!"  


"It's not chaos, you dodo," said Sweetie Belle. 


"Don't call me things I don't know the meaning of," Scootaloo snapped. "And, it is too chaos!" 


"Is not!" 


"You're both wrong!" called Apple Bloom, as the argument quickly devolved into a scuffle. 


Cheerilee simply shook her head, and smiled. "Actually, in a way, you're all right." 


"Huh?" came the collective response. 


"This statue represents discord. Which means, a lack of harmony between ponies," said Cheerilee, eyeing the three fillies. "In fact you three have demonstrated discord so well that you're each going to write me an essay explaining it." As the other children enjoyed a laugh at the three friends expense, Cheerilee began moving off toward the next statue. Now lets go, and I don't want anymore fighting." 


As they made their way further into the gardens, none of the ponies noticed the steadily growing crack in the strange looking statue. Or the deep chuckle that welled up from inside it.  

> 16. A world gone mad
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

With a long creak the massive oaken doors swung open before her, and Rebecca's ears were greeted by the sound of hooves upon marble as she was lead into the grand foyer. "Welcome to the Bureau of Magical Research and Development," said Celestia, as they entered. Rebecca's only response being a awed whistle as she took in the sight. 


The floor was polished to a mirror shine, and great columns of marble rose to support the ceiling high above. At the opposite end of the foyer two gently curving staircases allowed access to the second floor balcony that circled most of the room. All along the walls were hung portraits of various ponies dressed in what Rebecca could only assume was classic nobles attire set either above or to the sides of the many hallways that lead deeper into the building. The most striking feature, however, was the stained glass window above the stairs, which depicted a bearded stallion in flowing blue robes and pointed hat holding a thick tome to his chest.  


Rebecca also noticed the multitude of ponies in the room, all of which were now looking in her direction. Fortunately, every one of them quickly fell into a deep bow, allowing her to take some comfort in the knowledge that, for once, she was not the center of attention. As the ponies began to get to rise, one particularly elderly looking blue stallion with a bushy white mustache began making his way toward them. 


"Ah, Princess Celestia, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?" He said, taking another bow as he addressed her.  


"Please, Director Radium, rise," Celestia replied. "I'm just here to escort a friend." 


"A friend, you say?" asked Radium, raising his head.  


"Indeed, allow me to introduce, Rebecca Lancaster," said Celestia, stepping to the side to reveal the woman who had been trying to hide behind her. 


Upon seeing her, Radium's eyes visibly widened. "So, you're the one that little Babble has been so excited about," he said, as he stepped forward to get a closer look at Rebecca. 


"Um, yeah, I guess I am," Rebecca replied, glancing at Babble. 


"Yep, this is her. Finally, my very own human to study. So, is the lab ready yet? Has the team assembled? When can we start?" Babble asked, oblivious to the looks she was getting from Rebecca and the others. 


"Yes, yes, my dear, everything has been prepared," replied Radium, holding up his forehooves. "You can begin as soon as you are ready." 


"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go everypony." With that, Babble was heading toward the stairs. 


"Is she always like this?" Rebecca asked, as she passed by Radium. 


The old stallion sighed. "She's actually gotten better." 


By the time Rebecca and Celestia caught up with her, Babble was already up the stairs and heading down one of the long halls of the upper floor. As they walked, Rebecca couldn't help but ask, "So, Doctor Babble..." 


"Oh, you can just call me Techno," she said. 


"Okay... Techno. If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are we going to be doing when we get to wherever it is we're going?" 


"Oh, where to even begin?" Techno squealed. "There are so many things to look into, morphic resonance, astral stability, I don't even know if you have an arcane reservoir or void." 


"Reservoir or void?" Rebecca asked. 


"Oh, yes. You see, when Lero was studied here, they learned that Humans don't have a natural reserve of magic in them." 


"You studied Lero," Rebecca asked, her tone growing wary. 


Sensing Rebecca's concern, Celestia quickly cut in, "When Lero was first discovered he was brought here so that we could try to make some sense of what he was. The Director ran basic diagnostics tests to help determine if it was safe for ponies to interact with him without protective apparel."  


"Oh, yeah, I suppose that would be a smart thing to do when you discover an alien creature," Rebecca replied. 


"Oh yes," agreed Techno. "Fortunately, he didn't seem to bring anything with him that we didn't already have vaccines for, so it wasn't a serious issue. But, I sure wish I could have been here to see everypony walking around in hazmat suits," she finished with a giggle. 


"You weren't working here?" Rebecca asked. 


"Unfortunately no, Lero arrived just before I finished the entry requirements to join the bureau. That's why I've been so looking forward to meeting you; it's finally my turn to have a look at a real live alien, and a chimera at that. It's like a birthday and Hearth's Warming Eve all rolled into one!"  


As Techno began bouncing like a school filly, the three reached the end of the hall and came to a stout wooden door with a plaque above it which read 'Dr. T. Babble'. "Ah, here we are," Techno exclaimed. 


Even before she stepped into the room, Rebecca could smell the thick chemical odor hanging in the air. Once she entered the large room, the source became obvious. The place looked like it had been taken right out of Frankenstein. Several tables were arranged around the room, half of which were covered in glass tubes and beakers filled with strangely colored liquids bubbling away, while the rest were piled high with books and scrolls. A half dozen bizzar machines were set up around the room, some of which Rebecca thought she had seen before in a certain unicorn's basement. The cherry on top came in the form of a large examination table in the center of the room that was covered with a white cloth concealing something laying on top of it. 


"Um, is that supposed to be there?" asked Rebecca, pointing at the mass under the cover. 


"No, they're not," replied Techno, pulling a sports whistle out of her coat. 


As the shrill squeal of the whistle cut through the lab, the mass on the table suddenly lurched up in multiple directions as several voices began crying out. 


"What's happening?" 


"Which timer was that?" 


"I can't see, I can't see!" 


With a heavy thud, the mass rolled off the table on to the floor before laying still. Stowing her whistle, Techno trotted up to the pile and took the sheet in her teeth before pulling it away. Two mares and a stallion were sprawled out on the floor, and looking up at her with sheepish grins. 


"Uh, hey, boss, back already?" Asked the stallion. 


"Yes, Copper, I am. Now, what did I tell you three about taking naps between experiments?" 


"Uh, don't?" Asked one of the mares. 


"That's right," replied Techno. "We're not in the dorms anymore. You three can't keep nodding off after mixing up one dose of sleeping powder. We're professionals now, we have to start acting like it. Now get up off the floor, you're embarrassing yourselves in front of our specimen, I mean guest," she said, with a blush. 


As one, the ponies all shot upright and turned to Rebecca with wide eyes. "Sweet Celestia, it's her!" cried the stallion, as the three crossed the room in a multi-colored blur, only to slam face first into a glowing golden barrier and slide to the floor once again. 


"So sorry about that," said Celestia, as she lowered the field around Rebecca and herself. "But I'm afraid that Miss Lancaster has a slight problem with physical contact, and I know how excited you and your team can become Doctor Babble." 


"Heh-heh, yes I guess they can forget their manners now and then," replied Techno, smiling at the three ponies. "Speaking of manners, where are mine? Miss Lancaster, allow me to introduce my lab assistants," she said, as the ponies got back to their feet. "This is Copper Coil," she said, motioning to the chocolate brown unicorn stallion with the black mane; his cutie mark was a simple copper spiral on his flank. "He keeps all the machines in good working order." 


"Hello," he said, offering his forehoof. Looking at it for a moment, Rebecca slowly reached out to give it a quick shake. "Oh, my gosh, they really are more dexterous that a minotaur's," he whispered, as her fingers closed around his hoof. Rebecca did her best not to jerk her hand away. 


"This is Data Point, she makes sure everything important is recorded." 


"Smile!" A blinding flash went off in Rebecca's eyes as she turned to next pony. When the spots cleared from her vision, she saw a pale-yellow pegasus with a golden mane and tail, and a white quill with a drop of ink at the tip, holding a camera. "Alright, initial contact has been preserved for posterity," she declared. 


"Oh, thank goodness, I'm glad at least one of us managed to get it," said Techno, before turning to her last assistant; a pure white unicorn mare who barely came up to Rebecca's waist. "And this is Steam Hammer. She helps me collect and care for research materials." 


"Hello, I can't wait to work with you," she said, with a smile. 


"Steam Hammer?" Rebecca asked, tilting her head to try and get a look at the pony's cutie mark. 


Seeing what Rebecca was doing, Steam let out a sigh. "Mother was big into construction. Thought I would follow in her hoof steps. Guess what didn't happen," she said, turning to let Rebecca see the magnifying glass on her flank. 


"So, these are the people that are going to help me?" asked Rebecca, turning to Celestia. 


"Don't let their antics throw you," Celestia replied, as she began to walk around group. "These ponies are all very good at what they do, and Doctor Babble is one of the most skilled practitioners of transformative magic. I assure you, you're in good hooves here." 


As Celestia made her way back to Rebecca's side, there was a quick knock at the door before it was pushed open and one of her unicorn guards entered. He quickly made his way over to Celestia and whispered something in her ear. "Really? How odd. I'm sorry, everypony, but I'm afraid royal duty calls." 


"Wait, you're leaving?" Rebecca asked. 


"Yes, I'm afraid a princess's work is never done. Don't worry though, Rebecca, if I haven't returned by the time you're finished Onyx here will show you to your quarters." The guard gave Rebecca a salute before Celestia continued. "As for the rest of you, I'm placing my trust in your hooves; please find a way to help our new friend." 


As one, Techno and her team bowed. "We won't let you down Princess," she replied. With that, a golden glow surrounded Celestia's horn, and in a brief flash of radiant light she was gone. 


"Now what?" asked Rebecca, as the ponies slowly turned to eye her. 


"Well, the first thing we should probably do is make sure that all the data that we have on you is still accurate," Techno explained. 


"How do we do that?"  


"Why, by taking samples of course!" cheered Techno, as she and her assistants produced a number of, rather pointy,  medical instruments.  


Rebecca spared a glance at the door, only to find that the guard had stepped in front of it, before turning back to the grinning ponies in front of her. "Please be gentle."   




**** 




As the early morning sun cast it's light upon Canterlot Castle, the many spires that stretched into the sky seemed to turn from ivory to gold. Few ponies were fortunate enough to view the spectacle, and even fewer got to see it up close. So, as she made her way up the staircase that spiraled around the easternmost tower of the guest wing, Lyra couldn't help but pause to take in the sight of the gleaming palace. Sigh, I'd give anything to have him wrap his arms around me right now. Lyra basked in the pleasant thought for a few moments before continuing her climb. When she finally came to the landing of the topmost floor, she took one more look at the castle below before giving the door a firm knock. After a few moments with no answer she knocked again, only to be met with more silence. Gosh, I hope I'm not too early. Just as she was about to leave, the slight thumping of feet against floor caught her attention and the door slowly opened.  


"Good morning, Rebecca," said Lyra, cheerfully. Rebecca regarded her guest with baggy, sleep encrusted eyes that were barely visible beneath a tangled mess of hair. She wore a loose robe that hung partially open as she scratched her backside while letting out a low groan. "You look like Tartarus."  


"Lyra, it's early." Rebecca's voice was low and gravely. 


"Sorry, were you asleep?" Lyra asked, sheepishly. 


"Well, I was trying," replied Rebecca, as she adjusted her robe and stepped aside to let Lyra in. 


"Trying?" 


"Had a bit of a rough night." 


"Oh, what happened? Did they do tests? Are you alright? Can they help you- Hey!" 


Lyra was cut off as the robe that Rebecca had been wearing was suddenly thrown over her head. She managed to get it off just in time to see Rebecca vanish behind a dressing screen. "Lyra, I'll give you the lowdown later. Right now, coffee," she said, as she came back out in a set of khaki pants and button-up white blouse. Grabbing a hair brush of the dresser as she walked, Rebecca headed through one of the doorways in the room. 


Before following, Lyra couldn't help but spare a glance around the room. Between the four poster bed, freshly polished furniture, plush carpeting, and even a small chandelier the place definitely lived up to expectations for a 'Royal' guest room. 


"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" came Rebecca's voice, from the next room. 


"Something wrong?" asked Lyra, making her way into what she was surprised to find was a fully stocked kitchen, and small dining area, with an irate Rebecca digging through the cupboards. 


"Of all the things they could leave out, it had to be that didn't it." Rebecca moved to the last of three cabinets with an short huff. "Look at this! There's, like, ten different kinds of tea in here, but no freaking coffee." Rebecca closed the cupboard and turned to Lyra. "Do Canterlot ponies not drink coffee?" 


Lyra couldn't help but giggle. "Well, most of the ponies that would usually stay in these rooms probably have slightly more refined tastes." 


"Well, they still need caffeine, don't they?" asked Rebecca, a look of desperation growing on her face. 


"Alright, alright, if you need a cup of joe that bad then follow me," said Lyra, turning to leave. "I know a great place for breakfast." 


After what felt like days navigating the halls and gardens of the palace grounds, the two friends were finally making  their way through the main gates of Canterlot Castle, and into the city beyond. In their haste, neither one really noticed the beautifully clear sky; or the golden chariot bearing six very familiar ponies toward the castle. 




**** 




The sweet smell of baking bread filled Rebecca's nose, along with the rich aroma of fresh brewed coffee. She slowly sipped at her second cup, having downed the first one with gusto, and was pleased to finally feel herself waking up. 


"Feeling better?" asked Lyra, around a mouthful of cinnamon roll. 


"Yes, thank you," replied Rebecca, taking another sip from her cup. "Man, this is good stuff." 


"Yeah, Donut Joe is definitely good at what he does," said Lyra, glancing at the burly unicorn behind the counter. "My friends and I used to eat here all the time, before I moved to Ponyville." 


"You lived in Canterlot?" 


"Yep, born and raised." 


"Huh, you certainly don't act like most of the ponies I've seen around here. "Rebecca looked out one of the nearby windows at the well dressed ponies on the street, and the way they all seemed to be walking around with their noses in the air. "Boy, they really like to ham it up, don't they?" 


"Well, not all the ponies who live in Canterlot are like that. Take Twilight for example." 


"Oh, yeah, she did mention that. Ha, can you imagine if she acted like that," said Rebecca, motioning to the ponies on the street. 


Lyra visibly shuddered. "Thanks for putting that image of her in my mind," she said. "But, enough what-ifs for now. Don't you think it's time you told me how it went yesterday?"  


Rebecca put her coffee down, and let out a sigh. "I was wondering when you were going to ask about that." 


"Well, it is kind of the whole reason we came up here," replied Lyra, her tone going serious. 


"Yeah, I guess it is. Which is why it's so disappointing that I really don't have much to tell yet. I mean, most of the day was just them taking samples and comparing them to files they had on Lero to see how close we matched." 


"What kind of samples?" asked Lyra. 


"You name it," replied Rebecca. "Hair, skin, urine, blood... marrow." 


"Ouch." Lyra winced. 


"Yeah," Rebecca agreed. "All that just so they could tell me that I seem to be 'almost completely human'." 


"Almost?" 


"Yeah, apparently, I have an arcane reservoir." 


"That's definitely different from Lero," said Lyra, leaning in close. 


"That's what they said," replied Rebecca. "It's not very big, but it is there." 


"Now that's something I'm sure Twilight would love to hear about," said Lyra, with a chuckle. 


"Well, if she comes up here, I'm sure Techno will be happy to tell her all about it," said Rebecca. 


"Techno?" 


"The head scientist working on my case. Imagine somebody painting Twilight green and you've pretty much got her," Rebecca answered, rubbing her temple. 


"She sounds cute," said Lyra, as she finished off her snack. 


"Oh, yeah, she's adorable." Rebecca's voice dripped with sarcasm. "And best of all, I'm supposed to go back for more tomorrow. The only reason I got today off was so that they could compile data, and decide what they want to do to me next." 


"Well, it sounds like we should make the most of today then. Let me hit the little filly's room and then I'll show you around the fun parts of Canterlot." With that, Lyra got up and made her way to the back of the shop, leaving Rebecca to finish off her coffee.  


With Lyra gone Rebecca leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of silence for a change. Having arrived just after the breakfast rush, there hadn't been many ponies in the store when she and Lyra had gotten there. What few ponies had been there had made it a point to vacate shortly after she had entered, so she and Lyra had the place to themselves. If the proprietor had any issue with it, he certainly didn't show it. In fact, Rebecca could hear him snoring at the counter. Guess I'm not the only one who has trouble waking up. 


A low rumble caught Rebecca's attention and her eyes shot open when she heard the silverware start to rattle. Tensing up in preparation for a mad dash out the front door, she was relieved when the tremor stopped as quickly as it started, and soon settled back into her chair.  


The tapping of hooves at her side told her that someone was approaching. No doubt Pony Joe had been roused by the tremor and was looking to see if his sole customer was all right. "Pardone me, madam, but eez everyzing in order over eer?" 


Rebecca turned to regard the stranger with the over the top accent, only to find Joe standing beside her. His baker's apron and cap had been replaced by a tuxedo jacket and red tie, his unkempt mane was slicked back, and he had apparently grown a thin mustache in the last five minutes. "Uh, yeah, I-I'm good. Everything's fine over here," she stuttered. 


"Very good, madam. Eef you need me, I shall be in zee kitchen preparing a fresh batch of crescents," he replied, before heading for the back room, and leaving Rebecca scratching her head. 


Okaaay, that was weird, but I guess it's not the strangest thing I've seen since coming here... 


Rebecca was jolted out of her thoughts by the sudden crash of breaking glass. Turning to see what had just happened, she was shocked to see that the display window at the front of the store had been shattered, and a pony was laying amid the pastries that had been set out. Rebecca rushed to the window, hoping that the pony wasn't hurt, but stopped short when she saw what was going on.  


The pony was a white unicorn mare with a light pink mane and three fleur-de-lis symbols for a cutie mark; miraculously she didn't seem to be hurt. The mare's eyes were closed and she had a big grin on her face that was stretched thin by her bulging cheeks. As Rebecca watched, the mare swallowed whatever she was munching on before seizing a chocolate covered donut in her magic and shoving the whole thing into her mouth. 


"Um, miss, are you okay?" Rebecca asked, warily. 


As if noticing Rebecca for the first time, the mare looked at her with heavy lidded eyes and let out a pleasured moan. "Mmm, I love donuts," she said, with a loud gulp. "But I can't eat them or I'll get fat. But they're sooo goood." With that the mare chomped down on another pastry, before leaning back and wallowing in the ones she had landed on. 


Rebecca glanced around the shop. Okay, am I on some sort of hidden camera show, or something? When she didn't see anything out of place, she turned back to the donut-crazed mare. "Okay, hun, what do you say we get you to a table, and I'll see if I can't find you some coffee or something?" The mare resisted at first, until Rebecca grabbed a tray of undamaged donuts and used it to lead her to a table, and away from the broken window. Once the mare was happily chewing, Rebecca let out a sigh. "Okay, now you just sit tight. I'm going to go find someone who may be able to help you a little better than I can." 


Rebecca almost jogged to the restrooms, while doing her best to push back the feeling that something was very wrong. Easy, Becky, it's just a couple of ponies having psychosomatic episodes... At the same time... In the same place... Lyra had better be done in there. She reached the mare's room door just as sweat was beginning to bead on her forehead, and gave it a firm knock. "Hey, Lyra, you almost done? I think there's something you need to see out here." A moment passed. "Lyra?"  


Placing her ear to the door, Rebecca thought she heard soft mumbling on the other side. Slowly turning the knob, she pulled the door open an inch at a time until she could peek inside. The feeling inside her suddenly got a lot worse at the sight before her. The lights had been put out, casting the room in darkness, save for a single candle that had been lit and placed at the bottom of the sink. The dim light was just bright enough for Rebecca to see that something had been drawn on the mirror. There on the glass, drawn using soap, was the unmistakable image of a human hand. 


As she stared, dumbfounded, at the makeshift shrine, a soft giggle snapped her back to attention. Sitting on the floor in front of the sink was Lyra. Her back was to Rebecca, but she could see her face in the mirror. Her pupils had shrunk to pinpoints, and a manic grin was plastered on her face. Worst of all, Rebecca could see that the mare was looking at her in the mirror, and a single quivering word slipped out of Lyra's lips. "Hands?" 


Rebecca slammed the door as fast as she could, then reached for a nearby chair and wedged it under the door knob. Okay, Becky, you can start worrying now! Rebecca's stomach began to twist as panic started to set in. Maybe there's something in the food here. The thought only made her stomach turn more. Okay, come on, deep breaths. There has to be a police station, or something, somewhere in this city. Breaking into a full sprint, Rebecca threw the front doors of the bakery open, and almost screamed at the sight of a world turned upside down.   

> 17. Reign of chaos
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Confusion. Evil. Chaos. These were just a few of the thoughts that came to mind as Rebecca stood in slack jawed bewilderment at the sight that her mind was trying to process. The sky had changed from its usual clear blue to a sickly shade of mauve, and was cluttered with pink clouds. The buildings around her, who's architecture she already found hard to believe, were starting to bend and twist in directions that made even less sense. Looking at her feet, she saw that instead of pavement she was standing on thick, green and gold checkered shag carpeting.  


Even worse were the ponies. Half of them seemed to have completely lost their minds; dancing in place or breaking out into tuneless songs. Others seemed to be going about their business completely oblivious to what was happening. They all, however, had a slight gray tinge to their otherwise vibrant colors.  


Spotting something out of the corner of her eye, Rebecca stepped back just in time to avoid being plowed into by a large white unicorn stallion with a royal blue mane, finely trimmed mustache, and three crowns for a cutie mark.  


"Woohoo! I'm nekkid!" he cried, as he continued down the street. 


Rebecca was about to call after him when her face suddenly reddened and she averted her eyes. Okay, I guess a pony's fur isn't the only part of them that can be a bright primary color. Looking up, she spotted a unicorn mare in a fancy dress being walked by a poodle. Across the street, an earth pony stallion was playing a flute and leading a string of floating pastries down the road. And, looking up, she thought she could see a group of royal guards doing the macarena on a rooftop. 


As pandemonium raged all around her, Rebecca could feel fear start to fade as frustration steadily welled up inside her. "WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!?"  


"Well, since you asked so nicely." 


Rebecca nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of the voice behind her. Turning to  see who had spoken, she was once again at a loss at the sight before her. The thing, for there was no better word to describe it, looked like something out of a children's story; a long serpentine body with a jumble of mismatched limbs and wings tacked on, and a head that looked half-way between a donkey and a goat complete with two different horns. But, the part that caught Rebecca's attention the most was the eyes. Beyond their strange color, there was something about its eyes that made her skin crawl. 


"I was just on my way out of town, and thought I might spruce the place up a bit before I left," said the creature, gesturing to the town around them. "When what do I spy, but another one of you adorable little alien hominids." As he spoke, the thing slowly slithered through the air towards her, and Rebecca couldn't help but take a step back. While the creature looked more comical than carnivorous, it was still a good ten feet in length. "And you're even one of the lucky hundreds, too." 


"One of the what?" 


"Oh, one of every hundred or so citizens who aren’t affected by my little spell. After all, what's the point of a masterpiece if there's no one left who can really appreciate it?"  


Backing up again, Rebecca raised her hands defensively. "Alright, buddy, I don't know who you are or what your deal is but-". 


"Oh, of course, where are my manners?" It said, looping over in the air to stand on its tiny legs. "The name's Discord, Spirit of Chaos," he said, with an exaggerated bow as a tuxedo jacket and top hat appeared on him with a flash. "But, enough about me, who might you be, I wonder." 


"Rebecca," she said, not liking the look he was giving her. 


"Really? Well I wonder if you got here the same way as that other fellow. What was his name, Leroy, Lobo? Oh well, doesn’t matter now. Anyway, let's have a look at what we've got here." Pulling a magnifying glass out of nowhere, Discord proceeded to look her up and down before throwing it away. To Rebecca's disgust his eye remained bulbous, despite the glass no longer being in front of it. "My, my, my, you're an even better piece of work than he was. Why, I haven't seen something like you in quite some time." 


"He... was?" Said Rebecca, noticing his choice of word. "What's that supposed to mean?" 


"Oh, nothing much. He just mentioned how desperately he's been trying to fit in here in Equestria, so I decided to help him blend in a little bit," said Discord, with a cruel grin. "Say, maybe I could help you too?"  


"I'll pass, thanks," said Rebecca, backing up again as Discord began moving in closer. 


"Oh, but it'll be loads of fun," he said, slithering through the air around her, cutting off Rebecca's retreat. "Why, I could introduce you to the famous Canterlot cuisine." Several bouquets of flowers rained down on Rebecca. "Bring you up to date on current events." A nearby trash can suddenly transformed into a television showing Discord in front of a weather map. "Good day, Equestria, today's forecast includes chaos, chaos, chaos, and, oh yes, some chaos. Back to you Discord." Rebecca looked at the original Discord in disbelief. "Oh, but how silly of me. Of course, the most important thing to any mare in Canterlot can only be fashion!" With a snap of Discord's fingers, a brilliant white light flared up all around Rebecca, and she found herself momentarily blinded. When the spots cleared Discord was still standing there, apparently unchanged. "I do hope I got the size right, I've never worked with these proportions before," he said, with a coy smile. 


Looking down, Rebecca found that she was wearing a beautiful, gem studded, red satin trimmed saddle the likes of which most mares would give their left hind leg to own. She barely noticed it, however, when she realized that it was the only thing she was wearing. A scream of shock and embarrassment rang down the street as Rebecca's hands went to cover herself, before fixing Discord with a baleful glare. 


"There, now we're really dressed for success, aren’t we?" Discord threw his head back as his mocking laughter filled the air, fanning the flames of anger and humiliation burning inside Rebecca. "You, you should see the look on your face! Ha Ha Ha, oof!" Discord's laughter was cut off as his body went ramrod straight and a large lump ran up it to connect with his head, causing it to ring like a bell, before running back down. Doubling over, eyes wide, Discord's hands quickly moved between his legs to the spot Rebecca's foot had just made contact with, before muttering in a chipmunk-like voice, "That's it, no more Mr. Nice Guy." 


After giving her assailant a piece of her mind, Rebecca ran back to Donut Joe's shop and pulled one of the large curtains out of the display window. As she wrapped it around herself, she called back angrily, "Look, goatsnake, I don't know what your problem is, but this is getting real old real fast!" 


"Very well then, how's this for a change of pace?" he asked. Rebecca turned to find herself face to face with Discord, his eyes mere inches from her own. Eyes that she was suddenly having a hard time looking away from as they seemed to swirl around, drawing her into them. "You know, when you get right down to it, I'm a free spirit, and I can tell there's something you've been holding back for a while now. Why not let it all out? Revel in it for a while. I think you'll find it to be quite... liberating." As discord spoke, Rebecca found the anger she had felt moments before draining away to be replaced with something else. Something she had been doing her best to deny. "Now, with that out of the way, I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere. Try not to have too much fun now. Tata." With his final words, Discord burst into a cloud of foul smelling green smoke that enveloped Rebecca before rising into the air and flitting off in the direction of Ponyville.  


As the cloud dissipated around her, Rebecca was left trying to cough up the last of the vapors that had worked their way up her nose. She didn't even notice that her skin had taken on a slight gray tinge. She also didn't notice the sound of hoofsteps approaching from behind her until a stallion's voice called out, "Madam, are you alright?" 


At the sound of the words, something took hold of Rebecca. A powerful urge that she could not deny as she slowly turned to face the one who had spoken to her. When she saw him her eyes widened, her breath quickened, and she found she could not hold herself back any longer. "Aww, look at da cute widdle pony!" Before the stallion could react, Rebecca's arms were around his neck and pulling his face into her chest as she squeezed him into her tightest hug. "Aren’t you just the cutest widdle thing? I just want to hug you, and squeeze you, and pet you, and... and..."  


Lost as she was in her newfound feeling adoration, Rebecca didn't notice it at first, but as she stood there with the pony locked in her arms another feeling began to creep up from inside her. A feeling, born of forcefully repressed memories and half remembered night terrors, that crawled under her skin, and into the forefront of her mind. "Don't touch me!" As she pushed the stallion away, a wave of vertigo washed over her, and Rebecca found herself reeling as the world seemed to suddenly come back into focus. 


Rubbing her head to try and ward off the sudden ache pounding in it, she was startled by the sound of an exasperated, yet strangely familiar voice. "Madam, are you quite finished!?"  


"What happened? I blacked out for a minute there." As the dizziness finally began to fade, Rebecca turned to regard the pony she had just accosted only to find that she recognized him. Even with his coat tinged gray, his immaculately styled mane and tail, tuxedo collar, and compass rose cutie mark were unmistakable. "Hey, aren't you, uh... Price Bluebell?"  


"It's Blueblood, but never mind that now. Are you intact madam?"  


"Yeah, I think so," replied Rebecca, still rubbing her head. "What just happened?" 


"You just had a close encounter with one of the most dangerous beings in Equestria," said Blueblood, eyeing her up and down. "And yet, you seem to have come away from it, more or less, unfazed." 


"Wait, you mean the guy with the mismatched parts? Who, and what, was he supposed to be?" 


"I'll explain later. For now-." Blueblood's horn lit up with a brilliant golden light who's radiance grew with each passing second until Rebecca had to turn away to avoid being blinded. Raising his horn skyward, Blueblood released his hold on the bundle of magic and let it rocket into the air, above the buildings surrounding them, to explode in a dazzling pyrotechnic display that formed the unmistakable shape of Celestia's own cutie mark. 


"Jeez, how about a little warning next time?" exclaimed Rebecca, looking up at the display. "What's with the fireworks?" 


"It's a call to arms," said Blueblood, flatly. 


"A what?" 


"From what I heard of your conversation, it sounded like Discord has left some of the citizens unaffected by his spell. Celestia willing, some of the city guards will see that signal and be in a sound enough state of mind to respond."  


"Wait, you were watching us?"  


"From the teahouse across the street, yes." 


"And you couldn't have maybe jumped in a little sooner, say before he took my clothes?" Rebecca asked, indignantly. 


"Madam, what would you have had me do? In case it was not obvious, that creature possesses magical might several orders of magnitude above my own." 


Rebecca was about to continue but, looking around herself, realized that he was right. If this Discord guy was able to turn an entire city into a madhouse, she could only guess at what else he was capable of. As they stood there, waiting to see if anyone responded to Blueblood's signal, something occurred to Rebecca. "Say, how are you feeling, by the way?" 


"Pardon?" asked Blueblood, glancing back at her. 


"Well, aren't you being affected by Discord's spell too?" 


"Whatever are you talking about, madam. I am Blueblood, prince and protector of the land of Equestria. The safety and wellbeing of this land and its ponies has always been at the forefront of my mind, and I will not stand idly by and watch them be made the playthings of an ancient lunatic." Blueblood spoke with such certainty and conviction that Rebecca could hardly believe that she was listening to the same snobbish fop she had met the day before. 


Before Rebecca could inquire further thought, a bright flash of light caused her to nearly jump out of her skin. Across the street two unicorns in matching suits of armor had appeared. They were soon joined by a pegasus in similar armor descending from the sky. "Thank goodness," muttered Blueblood, as he made his way over to them. "Ten-Hut!"  


The guard's fell into formation immediately as their training kicked in. Their stoic expressions quickly turned to ones of confusion, however, when they realized who had just ordered them to attention. "Oh, Prince Blueblood, there you are," said one of the unicorns. "Are you alright-"  


"Soldier, did I give you permission to speak!?" Barked Blueblood. 


"N-no, sir?" The guard replied, as all their eyes went wide. 


"Then zip it, and listen up! We are currently in the middle of the greatest crisis we have ever faced, and we need to act now if we are going to keep it from tearing this city apart."  


"But, sir, there are only three of us," said the pegasus. 


"Then we have our work cut out for us don't we!?" yelled Blueblood.  


"Yes, sir!" 


"Now that we have that cleared up, pay attention! Right now, our priorities are reinforcements, and damage control. Begin scanning the streets, and recruit any right-minded ponies you come across. Keep your eyes peeled for any ponies that are about to hurt themselves, or any signs of fire breaking out. We can't stop everything that's happening, but hopefully we can keep the city from tearing itself apart long enough to find a way to stop all this." 


"But, sir, what about you?" asked one of the guards. 


"Madam Lancaster, and I, will make our way to the castle," replied Blueblood. 


"Me?" asked Rebecca. "What can I do? I can't fly, or use magic." 


"No, but you were able to shake off Discord's influence. We need to get you to the castle, and figure out how you did it," replied Blueblood, before turning back to the guards. "Stallions, you have your orders!" 


With that, the three guards were off to carry out their prince's commands, and Rebecca found herself alone with Blueblood once more. "Do you really think we'll be able to figure out how to undo all of this?" Rebecca asked, looking at the state of the city around them. 


"You, and I? I doubt it, but hopefully Aunt Celestia will be another story. Now, come on, it's a long walk to the castle," said Blueblood, as they set off into the crazed city.  



Some time later. 



While not the most imposing of defensive structures in Equestria, the Canterlot gatehouse still possessed an air of authority that few who passed through it could dismiss. Its location on the far side of a fast-flowing mountain river, on the relatively narrow path that led around the side of the mountain to the castle grounds, ensured that any force seeking to assault the castle by land had its work cut out for it. Fortunately for the two figures making their way across the drawbridge, Celestia rarely ordered the gates closed. 


"Alright, we're here. Let us never speak of that ordeal again," said Blueblood, pulling off the wedding dress he was wearing, as he went. 


"Honestly, I still can't believe they had one of these in my size," replied Rebecca, gesturing to her new tuxedo.  


"Yes, this has been quite the day for surprises hasn't it? Speaking of which, where is everypony?"  


As the two neared the end of the drawbridge, Blueblood stopped. Following his gaze, Rebecca realized that he was right; the gatehouse appeared deserted. "Maybe they all wandered off. I mean, most folks don't seem too worried about their jobs right now," she offered. 


"Still, I find it hard to believe that they would all just vanish," said Blueblood, scanning the building for any sign of life. 


"Well, the door's open, maybe we should go in and see what's up?" said Rebecca, motioning to the main gate, which sat ajar. 


"Be careful," said Blueblood, as they leaned into the door. "We don't know what's waiting on the other side." 


"Okay," replied Rebecca. "One, two, three, push!" 


As the two grunted and pushed, the massive door groaned, and creaked, but steadily opened until there was enough space for them to peek around. Rebecca let out a sigh of relief at the site that greeted them; several dozen royal unicorn guards milling about in the field beyond, including one she recognized from the day before. 


"Well, I never thought I'd be happy to see Captain Tightwad again," she muttered. 


"Shh!" Blueblood hissed. 


Before Rebecca could ask what was wrong, something caught her eye. She hadn't noticed it on the other guards, with their matching coats, but on Shining Armor it was plain as day. His mane and coat were tinged gray... and he was looking right at her.  


"Blast, he's seen us," said Blueblood. As blueblood spoke, Shining Armor's head lowered as his ears flattened, and a low growl issued from his throat that was followed by a chorus snarls as the other guards did the same. "Close the door, quick!" Blueblood cried. 


Rebecca grabbed the edge of the door as Blueblood's horn lit up. Pulling with all their might, Rebecca could hear what sounded like a pack of bloodhounds on the other side of the gate. With fear spurring them on, the pair pulled even harder as the door slid closed. Rebecca fell back as the first of many bodies slammed into the gate, and the barking reached its height.  


"Okay, now what?" Rebecca gasped. 


"Plan B," replied Blueblood, heading back out onto the drawbridge. 


"What's plan B?" asked Rebecca, when they were about half-way across. 


"Do you see that window above the gateway?" 


Following his gaze, Rebecca could see that there was, indeed, a large decorative window above the main archway. "Yeah." 


"That's plan B, now you might want to step back." As he spoke Blueblood's horn began to glow with a faint golden light which slowly spread over his entire body. As Rebecca watched, the glow seemed to grow brighter around Blueblood's hooves until it looked like he was standing in a pool of sunlight.  


Well, this doesn't look like something I want to be at ground zero for. Rebecca turned on her heels and made her way across the rest of the bridge. Just as she reached the far-side, a brilliant flash of light erupted behind her, followed by a powerful blast of wind that almost knocked her off her feet. Turning to see what had happened, she was shocked to see Blueblood rocketing through the air toward the window over a hundred feet above, only to land half-way through it. Rebecca's breath caught in her throat as she watched his legs scrambling for purchase. Oh no, come on, come on, please don't fall. A moment later, Blueblood managed to pull himself the rest of the way through, and Rebecca let out the breath she had been holding. Running back across the drawbridge, she called up after him, "Hey, are you alright up there?" 


"Yes, just... give me a moment," called Blueblood, with a wheeze. A few minutes later, he appeared at the window. "Wait there, this is the main sentry station. If memory serves, there should be a supply room near here- Ah, there it is." Blueblood disappeared back into the building for a few moments before reappearing with a length of rope looped around his neck. "Heads up," he called before throwing it out the window.  


The line uncoiled in the air, and came to a halt just a couple of feet from the ground. At the end, the rope was tied into a simple harness that was just big enough for Rebecca to slip her legs through. "What am I supposed to do with this?" Rebecca asked, hesitantly. 


"Just pull it tight around your legs and waist, and I'll haul you up." 


Rebecca looked at the thin cord hanging in front of her. It looked strong enough, and the harness, though simple, was tied well. "And you're sure you can get me up there without dropping me?"  


"Don't worry, it's attached to a winch. I'm sure it will manage. Now please hurry, I have a plan to get rid of the guards and I'm going to need your help." 


"What kind of plan?" Rebecca asked, as she pulled the harness on. The loud groaning of hinges suddenly caught her attention; the castle gate was opening. "Uh, Blueblood?" As the giant door opened, a crowd of royal guards all looked up and began to growl. "Blueblood?!" The mass of angry guards surged forward, howling as they came. "BLUEBLOOD!" Just as the first guard leaped to attack, Rebecca lurched upward mere inches ahead of the stallion. His teeth closed on air and he fell to the ground along with several of his comrades. The rest of the hoard gathered under her, a sea of snapping teeth and bared horns, as Rebecca clung to the rope that was quickly pulling her upwards. 


A moment later, Rebecca was over the arch and through the window. She landed on the stone floor just in time to feel the gatehouse tremble as a deafening crash of metal on stone rang through the air. "There, that should keep them out," Blueblood declared. 


Looking up, Rebecca could see Blueblood examining something through a window on the opposite side of the room they were in. She also saw that the other end of the rope she was tied to was wound around a winch that was bigger that she was. A familiar fire was stoked as she put two and two together. "You ass!"  


"I beg your par-" Blueblood turned just in time to catch a rope harness with his face. 


"That was your plan: use me as bait for the guards, then get me up by dropping the gate?" Rebecca spat. 


"Madam, it was the only way I could think of to get the guards out of the main castle grounds." Blueblood shook the harness off his horn. "Or, would you have preferred to try and outrun them all the way to the palace?" 


"And, what if you had guessed wrong on the rope, huh? A little shorter and I could have been eaten alive by that thing," Rebecca snapped, pointing at the gear now holding her rope. 


"Ms. Lancaster, I assure you I measured the rope before selecting it. Really, what kind of fool do you take me for?" Blueblood snapped back. 


Rebecca let out a frustrated grunt, before turning her back on Blueblood, and leaned on the window she had just come through. Her grip on the stone was tight, and her breathing short. Despite her best efforts she was starting to shiver as her anger started to give way to the realization that this would likely not be the last time she was in danger today.  


Seeing the state that his companion was in, Blueblood cleared his throat, before continuing in a softer tone. "Ms. Lancaster... Rebecca, I realize that this is a difficult situation, but you must realize that we are in the middle of a crisis that could threaten the entire world. And, if we are going to stop it, we are going to have to be able to take certain risks. Now, if you don't feel that you are up to that, then I can barricade the door behind me and continue on my own, but I would greatly appreciate having another sane mind with me when-" 


"Where's Shining Armor?"  


"Pardon?"  


Rebecca turned to Blueblood, concern rising in her voice. "He's not down there," she cried, pointing out the window. 


What do you mean he's not down there?" Asked Blueblood, racing over to the window. "Where else could he be?" 


A sudden crash from the lone doorway caused the two of them to whip around. Standing over the broken door was Shining Armor. His armor was scratched and dented, and he had lost his helmet, but he still cut an imposing figure. His lips curled in a snarl as he eyed the two of them from under his disheveled mane. 


"Okay, don't make any sudden movements," whispered Blueblood. 


"What do we do now?" asked Rebecca, as Shining took another threatening step into the room. 


"Maybe I can get through to him," suggested Blueblood, taking a step forward. "Easy now, Captain. It's me, Blueblood, you remember me, don't you-" 


A blue and white blur slammed into Blueblood. Shining had crossed the gap between them so fast that Rebecca hadn't even had time to cry a warning before the two stallions were rolling on the floor in a tangle of flailing hooves and gnashing teeth. Fear and panic surged inside her, and for a moment all she could do was watch as the ponies fought. Then her eyes settled on the doorway. 


Blueblood barely had time to wrap a protective shield around himself before Shining Armor made contact. And, while it may have shattered on impact, it did manage to turn Shining's head enough to keep Blueblood from being skewered on his horn. Shining still plowed into him at a full gallop, and Blueblood felt his hooves leave the floor, momentarily, before the two of them hit the floor. The air left Blueblood's lungs as he came down flat on his back. Shining landed better, and was the first to recover, leaping onto Blueblood and pinning him to the ground.  


"Captain, please, you have to fight it- Aagh!"  


Shining Armor's teeth clamped down hard on Blueblood's foreleg. Blueblood brought his other hoof up to connect squarely with Shining's jaw, causing him to yelp and release his grip. Seizing the moment, Blueblood managed to get both hooves under Shining's chest and lift his mouth away from his face as his rear legs fought with Armor's in a desperate attempt to deny the other stallion a decent footing to leverage himself on. All the while Shining continued to bark and snap at Blueblood. 


"Blast it, Armor, think of Celestia." Blueblood could feel his forelegs beginning to tire under the weight of the armored stallion. "Think of your sister." Shining pressed further down. "Think of Cad-" 


A sudden crack filled Blueblood's ears. Shining Armor's eyes bulged in their sockets for a moment before closing as he went limp in Blueblood's hooves. Looking up past his opponent, Blueblood saw Rebecca holding one of the stout wooden planks that used to make up the door Shining Armor had come through. "Think about the girl you pissed off yesterday," she spat. 


Crawling out from under the unconscious Shining Armor, Blueblood eyed Rebecca warilly. "Madam, are you alright?" 


"I'm alright," replied Rebecca, taking a few deep breaths. "What about you?" 


"I'll live," said Blueblood, still keeping an eye on the plank in Rebecca's hands. 


Looking down at Shining again, Rebecca dropped her makeshift weapon as the adrenaline began to subside and realization crept in. "Oh, man, is he alright? Please don't tell me I just killed Twilight's brother." 


"Relax, he's not quite the delicate flower he appears to be," said Blueblood, with a smirk. After taking a moment to check Shining Armor's vitals, and ensuring that he was properly hogtied, Blueblood turned back to Rebecca, who had taken a seat on the floor. "Now then, Ms. Lancaster, are you sure you're alright?" 


"Yeah, yeah, I think I'm okay now. That was just... just weird," she said, looking up at Blueblood. 


"Do you think you could handle a little more weird?" asked Blueblood, with a raised eyebrow. 


"Yeah, sure, why not? I mean, what other options do I have; sit here and wait for Rin Tin Tin to wake up?" she asked, getting to her feet. 


Blueblood smiled, "You'll have to explain that reference, I'm afraid, but for now, come on, we've still got some ground to cover." 


As they left, Rebecca paused to pick up another plank from the door. Just in case. 



****    



The grounds of Canterlot Castle were well known as some of the most exquisitely cared for in all of Equestria. From the immaculately trimmed grass and hedges, to the marble walkways and fountains that were cleaned and polished daily, it was clear to anyone  that the ponies responsible for their care were willing to settle for nothing short of perfection.  


So, Rebecca couldn't help but balk at the state that the place was in. Many of the buildings they passed sported broken windows and doors, various bits and pieces of debris lay scattered all around them, and they passed by more than one flower bed that looked like it had been eaten. But, what bothered her most was the utter silence of the place. She and Blueblood hadn't seen or heard a single pony since they had entered.    


"You know, I never thought I'd see the day that I'd actually miss all the stares, but here it is."  


"Well, hopefully, we can do something about it before too much longer. We're here," said Blueblood, as they arrived at the grand doorway of the royal palace. "Mind giving me a hoof getting these open?" 


As they pushed, Rebecca was relieved to find that the doors were not only unlocked, but also opened with surprising ease. The feeling quickly faded, however, as they stepped into the main foyer. The castle seemed just as deserted as the grounds outside and, without the friendly faces of its inhabitants, the ancient stone hallways took on a much more sinister air. 


"Okay, outside was kinda' eerie, but this is just plain spooky." As Rebecca spoke, the doors swung closed behind them. The sound of the large doors slamming shut echoed down the halls in all directions. Rebecca nearly jumped out of her skin. "Could have done without that!" 


"Come on, we should keep moving," said Blueblood, taking off into the castle. 


"Where to?" asked Rebecca, hurrying to catch up to him. 


"The throne room. If Celestia is still here that's where she'll likely be." 


Once they were out of the entryway, it quickly became apparent that the lack of ponies was not the only thing wrong with the castle. Many pieces of furniture that they passed by had been knocked over or smashed, several curtains had been pulled down, and more than one door had been knocked off its hinges.  


"What did all this?" Rebecca whispered. 


"Shh, I don't know, but I'd rather not attract it, if it's still around," replied Blueblood. 


The rest of the trip passed in silence, until they reached the throne room. The doors sat ajar, and opened with the slightest push. Both their hearts sank when they saw that the room was empty.  


"Plan B?" asked Rebecca, trying not to let worry show in her voice. 


"We keep searching," Blueblood replied, curtly. 


As they searched, their pace steadily quickened as they made their way from one empty room to another. Before long they found themselves moving into the higher portions of the palace, and Rebecca found herself wondering if it was limited technology or plain spite that had kept the architects from installing elevators.  


Making their way toward one of the royal dining halls, the silence was finally broken. "That's it, don't worry. I'm sure help will be here soon." 


The soft voice had come from the open door ahead of them. Looking at each other, Blueblood quickly motioned for Rebecca to be quiet, as they slowly crept toward the door; Blueblood's horn lighting up as Rebecca gripped her makeshift club. Once they were next to the entryway, Blueblood pushed out with his magic, throwing the doors open. 


"Who goes there!?" he yelled. 


Both Blueblood and Rebecca's eyes lit up at the sight before them. Standing at the long dining table, mane and tail flowing in some unfelt breeze, was Princess Celestia. Standing next to her was a beige unicorn with a dark brown mane done up in a bun, and a pair of thick-rimmed glasses. She was staring, mouth agape, directly at Rebecca. 


"Ink Well?" 


The mare let out a shriek. "Run, Princess, I'll try to hold it off!" Seizing a nearby chair in the pink glow of her magic, the mare charged.  


"Woah!" Was all Rebecca could say before she found herself fending off a floating chair with a two by four.  


"I don't know what pit of Tartarus he pulled you out of, but you won't take our Princess," the mare cried  defiantly, as she jabbed the chair at Rebecca as if she was a lion. 


"I'm not trying to take your Princess, I'm trying to- Hey!" Rebecca brought her club up just in time to block a wide swing aimed at her head. Batting the chair away, she spared a glance at Blueblood; he had a hoof over his mouth, and seemed to be doing his best not to laugh. "Feel free to jump in anytime!" she cried. 


"Alright, alright, Ms. Raven, that's quite enough," said Blueblood, stepping forward. "Our friend here is just trying to- Gah!" Blueblood managed to duck just as the chair came around for another wild swing. "Ms. Raven, that's enough!" he commanded, seizing the chair in his own magic. 


Raven continued to pull on the chair for a moment, before opening her eyes to finally look at the prince. "Oh, Prince Blueblood, is that you?" she asked, sheepishly. 


"Yes. Now, if you're quite finished, can we put the furniture down?"  


"But, Your Highness, what about that creature?" she asked, pointing a hoof at Rebecca. 


"That 'creature' is Madam Lancaster, the new human that arrived recently."  


"Oh! Oh my, I'm so sorry, I was expecting something... well, that is... " 


"Something smaller," Rebecca finished. "Yeah, I get that a lot." 


Blushing, Raven's gaze fell to the floor, before turning back to Blueblood. "Well, thank goodness you're both alright, but how did you get here?"  


"Oh, it was nothing," answered Rebecca. "Just had to defy death a couple of times, and maybe give the captain of the guard a concussion." 


"I'm sorry did you say-" 


"We'll explain later, Raven, right now we need to speak to Celest-" The word died on his tongue as Blueblood finally turned to regard the princess, only to see that she hadn't moved an inch since they had entered the room. "Celestia?" 


"Oh, my, Your Highness, please she's not-"  


Blueblood wasn't listening. All he could focus on was the mare in front of him; and the slight tinge of gray that now colored her flowing mane. "Princess are you well?" As he moved around to face her, his breath caught in his throat. Gone was the picture of serenity and grace, instead Celestia's face was slack and her eyes unfocused as she loudly munched on a plate of carrots in front of her. "Aunt Celestia, say something," said Blueblood, taking hold of her cheeks and turning her head to face him.  


"Moo." 


Blueblood almost fell over as he stumbled backward. "What happened here?" he asked, not taking his eyes off Celestia. 


"I don't know," said Raven, apologetically. "Everything was fine this morning, until just after breakfast, then all of a sudden it was like everypony just lost their minds. I was worried that they were going to tear the palace apart, but then the guards started running around barking like dogs and chased everypony out." 


"How'd they miss you?" asked Rebecca. 


"I... I hid in a pantry," said Raven, her ears folding back as she looked once more to floor. "When the commotion died down, I came out to see if there was anypony sane left in the castle. But, the only one I've been able to find is the Princess, and she's... well..." Another drawn out mooing filled the room as Celestia continued to munch on the food in front of her. "I've tried to make her as comfortable as I can." 


Rebecca moved to a nearby chair and took a seat. Letting out a sigh, she began to rubbing her temples as the situation began to sink in. "Well, so much for our plan." 


"Wait a moment, what are you two doing here?" Raven asked. 


"We came here to find her" -Rebecca jabbed a thumb at Celestia- "thought she might be able to do something about all this."  


"You brought Prince Blueblood all the way here through a crazed city?" Raven couldn't believe her ears. 


"Yeah, I brought him, that's a good one, hun. If it wasn't for him I wouldn't have made it passed the front gate." 


The look on Raven's face was priceless as she turned to Blueblood. "My Prince, is this true? Shouldn't you be in a shelter or one of your private safe houses?" 


"Do not speak to me like some foal in need of coddling." Blueblood finally turned from Celestia, and the fire in his eyes forced Raven back a step. "I am a prince of this land, and I will not sit idly by and watch as some all powerful lunatic tears it apart!" 


"P-prince, are you.. feeling alright?" Raven couldn't bring herself to say anything else. And Rebecca thought she saw a slight reddening in the mare's cheeks. 


"Well, that's very inspiring and all," said Rebecca, as she got up. "But, what exactly can we do about it now?" 


"With Princess Celestia incapacitated, our only real option left is the Elements of Harmony. We need to find out what their status is," replied Blueblood. 


"Okay, how do we do that?" asked Rebecca. 


"I have something in my personal quarters that might help. Ms. Raven, you stay here and see to it that the Princess doesn’t wander too far." With that, Blueblood turned to leave. 


"I'll do my best, your Highness," replied Raven. 


"Let me guess, were going up more stairs?" asked Rebecca. 


"To the highest reaches of the castle," answered Blueblood. 


Gathering up her trusty two by four, Rebecca groaned, "Of course we are." 



**** 



As they made their way higher into the castle, the décor only grew more lavish. The halls grew larger and sported stained glass windows or immense tapestries hanging from the high ceiling, the floors were thickly carpeted rather than stone, and the rooms grew further apart but much more opulent.  


"I'm guessing we've reached the royal quarters?" asked Rebecca.  


"Indeed, it's not much further," replied Blueblood. 


"I gotta' say, this place looks like it's handled the disaster better than the rest of the castle." Looking around, Rebecca couldn't see any of the broken furniture or smashed windows that had littered the lower halls of the castle. 


"This area generally doesn’t see many visitors, and the servants try to keep their presence to a minimum," said Blueblood. 


"Why's that?" Rebecca asked. 


"Believe it or not, the royalty doesn't get a whole lot of free time, and we appreciate it if we can get through it without being bothered. So, these floors see significantly less hoof traffic than the rest of the castle. I doubt there were even any ponies up her when this whole thing started." 


"Well, that's comforting. At least we don’t have to worry about running into anymore crazy-" A low hissing noise cut her off. Looking up, Rebecca could see something big clinging to a large tapestry that depicted a moonlit sky. A moment later it spread it's wings and dropped from it's perch; strait toward her.  


"Move!"  


A hard shove sent Rebecca sprawling on the floor. She looked up just in time to see the thing slam into Bluebood. By the time she got to her feet, Blueblood was on the floor with the thing on top of him. It looked like a smaller version of Princess Celestia with a dark coat and a mane that looked like a piece of the night sky. Despite it's delicate build, it barely seemed to notice Blueblood's struggling as it bit into his shoulder. 


"No!"  


Fear gripped her heart as she ran at the thing. Lifting her two by four, she brought the makeshift club down squarely on the madmare's back. It barely grunted as it's wing snapped out to connect with her stomach. Rebecca staggered backward before falling to her knees as the air left her lungs. Through tear-filled eyes she could see Blueblood still struggling under the mare, but despite his best efforts he could not break her hold. 


"Let him go!" 


Rebecca charged the mare again. Again it's wing snapped out, but Rebecca had her club up before it made contact, and though the shock of the impact almost numbed her arm, she managed to grab the wing before it could be drawn back for another strike. "I said"- Rebecca raised her club as high as she could- "let"- and brought it down on the back of the mare's neck- "him"- again- "Go!"- and again.  


After the third blow, the mare finally released her hold on Blueblood. Rebecca was bowled over as it took to the air, shrieking as it went. As Rebecca got to her feet, the mare circled around and swooped back toward them, still shrieking. Rebecca knew who the mare's target was going to be this time, and braced herself as best she could. Just as the mare was preparing to dive, the hall was filled blinding light and a deafening boom. 


For a moment the world was nothing but ringing whiteness. Rubbing her eyes, Rebecca thought she could hear someone calling her name; though it sounded like they were shouting through a wall. As her vision came back into focus, she could see the mare lying in a heap against a wall. She was about to raise her club again when she felt herself being pulled in the opposite direction. Turning, she saw Blueblood standing in one of the nearby doorways. His horn was glowing, and looking down, so was her arm. Taking the hint, she ran for the door, just as the mare was getting to her feet. Once she was though, Rebecca slammed the door behind her, before slumping against it to catch her breath. A moment later the tip of a dark blue horn pierced the door an inch from her head. 


"Jesus!" she cried, jumping from the door. Rebecca quickly wedged her two by four under the doorknob as several more heavy blows rattled the door on its hinges before finally ceasing. "What the hell was that?" Rebeca gasped. 


"That, would by aunt Luna. I was wondering what had become of her," answered Blueblood. "Although, now she seems to think she's a giant bat." 


"Seriously? What is it with this Discord guy and turning people into animal- Oh my god, you're bleeding!" A crimson spot was slowly spreading on Blueblood's shoulder. 


"Oh, so I am," replied Blueblood, nonchalantly. "We should probably take care of this." 


"Will you get something on that!" commanded Rebecca, pulling a handkerchief from her pocket and tossing it to him. "We need to find a bathroom or something, now where are we?"  


Taking stock of their surroundings, the pair found themselves in the single most ostentatious bedrooms that Rebecca had ever seen. From the gleaming chandelier all the way down to the thick carpet, everything in the room seemed to be made of, trimmed with, or dyed the color of glittering gold.  


"Ah, I do believe this is cousin Pyrite's room," said Blueblood. 


"Sheesh, how much money do you people have?"  


"Enough," replied Blueblood. "Although, Pyrite always did have trouble telling the difference between decorative and gaudy. Come on, the washroom is this way." 


Once inside the, equally shiny, bathroom, Rebecca quickly prepared a washcloth before turning to Blueblood. "Alright, let me see." 


"Madam, I assure you, I can-" 


"Move the handkerchief, and let me see," said Rebecca, firmly. 


Blueblood rolled his eyes before removing the reddening cloth from his shoulder. Once it was out of the way Rebecca went to work cleaning the area. "Thanks for hitting her with that fireworks spell, by the way." 


"Well, thank you for getting her off me, I don't know if I could have gotten out of that by myself," Blueblood replied. The two were quiet for a long moment before he continued, "So, how does it look?" 


"Not as bad as I thought it would be, she broke the skin but didn't dig in too deep; good thing you ponies have flat teeth. There'll probably be a major bruise though."  


When Blueblood didn't respond, Rebecca spared a glance up at him only to find him staring, slack-jawed into the mirror. "Uh, you alright there?" 


"O-oh, yes I just noticed how disheveled I've let my mane get," he replied, grasping a nearby brush with his magic and pulling it through his mane a few times. "There, that's better. Looking good if I do say so myself," he said, smiling at the mirror. 


"Uh, sure, I suppose-" 


"Celestia, Luna, and Cadence, I am a handsome stallion." Before she could ask, Rebecca was startled by a shimmering light around Blueblood's hooves. Slowly, it crept up his legs and over his body. Where it passed, the gray tinge that had marred his coat was swept away until the light reached the very tip of his horn, where it finally faded.  


"Oh, no." 


"I'm sorry, did you say something- AH! Where did you come from?" cried Blueblood. 


"Oh, please no." 


Blueblood's scanned the room, frantically, as he took in his surroundings. "When did I get back to the castle, why am I in cousin Pyrite's bathroom, and-" his eyes came to rest on the bloodied handkerchief sitting by the sink before slowly making their way to his shoulder "-is... is that blood?" Blueblood's legs wobbled, as his eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the bathroom floor. 


"Why me?" 


Rebecca quickly finished cleaning Blueblood's shoulder before finding a nearby glass and filling it with water. "Okay, sleeping beauty, rise and shine," she said, splashing the water in his face. 


"Acpthdonthurtme," Blueblood sputtered. "What? Where am I? What's going- OW!" he cried, clutching his bandaged shoulder.  


"Easy, I just got that cleaned up," said Rebecca. 


"How in the world did this happen?" cried Blueblood, poking at the bandage, only to wince. 


"Are you telling me that you really don't remember anything that happened?" asked Rebecca, not wanting to believe what was happening. 


"The last thing I remember was having breakfast with a few personal admirers, and then I woke up in a bathroom with you and-" Blueblood gasped "-Oh my goodness, I've been abducted haven't I? You're planning to hold me for ransom aren’t you?" Blueblood pointed an accusing hoof at Rebecca. 


"What?" Rebecca balked. 


"Well, your nefarious scheme shall not come to fruition." With that Blueblood turned and bolted from the bathroom. 


"Hey wait!?" cried Rebecca. 


Blueblood sprinted for the door, kicking aside the beam holding it shut, before throwing it open. "Ah, aunty Luna, thank goodness you've come to rescue me." 


From across the hall, Luna turned a hungry glare at Blueblood before issuing a low hiss.  


"Er, aunty?"  


Luna charged, teeth bared, her eyes manic. Blueblood froze as fear gripped his heart. A sudden impact from the side sent him sprawling to the floor as Rebecca slammed the door shut. Another chorus of banging, accompanied by the high pitched shrieks of the princess, assaulted the door as Rebecca wedged the two by four back into place. She then turned to Blueblood. 


"What's going on? Was that aunty Luna? Has she gone crazy again? Where's aunty Celestia? Aunty! Hurk." Blueblood's frantic questions were cut off as Rebecca's hands took hold of the suit collar around his neck. With a hard yank, she pulled the stallion up until he was standing on the tips of his hind hooves, and looking her in the eyes. 


"Hey, you need to get a hold of yourself, right now." Rebecca's voice was soft, but the threat it contained made Blueblood quiver. It was the same voice that his mother had used when he had misbehaved as a foal.  


"Okay," Blueblood squeaked. 


Slowly, Rebecca lowered him to the ground. Blueblood adjusted his collar, trying to regain some of his composure, but never took his eyes off her. "Now then, do you know somebody named Discord?" 


Confusion spread across Blueblood's face. "The fairytale monster that mothers use to scare their foals, what about him?" 


"Well, he's real," said Rebecca, as she walked over to a window and threw the curtains open. "And, he's been busy." 


Gazing out over the city, Blueblood's face twisted from confusion to shock as his hind legs fell out from under him. "What? Wha- what?"  


"Yeah, that's pretty much where I've been all day," said Rebecca. "As you can see, we need to do something." 


"I should say. We need to get down to the vault," replied Blueblood. 


"Yes, we need to- wait what?"  


"Well, it's standard procedure. In case of an emergency, all members of the royal families are to proceed to the safety vaults beneath the castle until the situation is dealt with. What in the world are we doing all the way up here?" asked Blueblood. 


"We are trying to find out if there is anyone dealing with this," replied Rebecca, trying to keep her temper. 


"Well, who's bright idea was that?" asked Blueblood, indignation creeping into his voice. 


"That would be you," replied Rebecca, rubbing the bridge of her nose. 


"That doesn’t sound like me at all," said Blueblood, scratching his head. 


"No kidding," Rebecca muttered. "Look, we came up here because you said that there was something in your room that would let us check on the elements of harmony." 


"What? W-why, I'm not sure what you're talking about," said Blueblood, glancing around the room nervously. 


Rebecca's eyes narrowed. "Well, you had better figure it out, because if you've led me on a wild goose chase then I swear to God, Celestia, or what have you, that your 'aunty Luna' is about to become the least of your worries." By the time she finished, Rebecca had leaned so far forward that their noses were nearly touching. 


Blueblood gulped. "Eh heh, well, I suppose there might be something we can use, but how are we going to get to it? My room is on the next floor up, and aunty luna is still outside." 


"Are you telling me that there's no other way to get up there? Come on, aren't castles supposed to have secret passages or something?" asked Rebecca, looking around the room. 


Blueblood scratched his chin. "Well, maybe you could use the dumbwaiter," he offered. 


"Dumbwaiter?"  


"Well, yes, most of the upper bedrooms have one." As he spoke, Blueblood walked over to a large portrait of a golden maned mare and grasped it in his magic. With almost no effort, the picture slid to the side revealing a small cubby hole behind it. "Ah, there we are." 


Rebecca gave the small elevator a critical look. "Uh, you sure this thing can hold me?" 


"Oh, don't worry, finest crafters money can buy," said Blueblood, with a smile. 


"Well, in that case, stallions first," said Rebecca. 


"Me? Why do I have to go?" asked Blueblood, putting on a shocked expression. 


"Because, you're the one who knows what we're looking for, you know your way around the castle, and you can at least try to catch us with your magic if this thing gives out, " Rebecca answered, letting a little edge back into her voice. 


Blueblood looked at the dumbwaiter, nervously, before squeezing into the tight compartment. "Oof, why me?" he asked, as his horn lit up along with one of the two ropes hanging in the center of the contraption and he slowly rose out of sight. 


A few long minutes passed before the elevator came back down. Well, I guess he made it. Okay, my turn. Good thing I'm not claustrophobic. The dumbwaiter was even tighter than she had expected, and Rebecca had to take a deep breath to get all the way in. "Alright, mind giving me a pull!?" she called up, once she was inside. To her relief, the dumbwaiter began slowly moving up.  


By the time she made it to the next floor, Rebecca was already sweating. The tiny compartment had heated up very quickly, and between that and the way it shook the entire way up she practically leaped out of it when it finally reached the next floor. Alright, never doing that again. Looking around, she was amazed to find that the room they were in was, if anything, even more grand than the one they had just left. Exquisitely crafted furniture lined the walls, sparkling crystal glassware decorated a small bar in the corner, the thick soft carpeting seemed to fluff itself up prior to being stepped on, and the massive four poster bed was big enough to fit ten people into.  


"Wow, quite the setup you've got here," Rebecca commented. 


"Oh, how ever did you know it was mine?" asked Blueblood. 


Rebecca glanced at the ceiling, and the profile portrait of a grinning Blueblood that covered it entirely. "Just a hunch." 


"Well, that's quite the keen intuition you've got there," said Blueblood, as he surveyed the grand bedroom. "Yes, it's not much, but it's mine." 


"Right... Anyway, about the thing we're looking for, mind showing me where it is?" Rebecca asked. 


Blueblood's ears fell flat as the smile on his face became much less sincere. "Er, right, and you're sure that this is necessary? I mean, suppose aunty Celestia is already working on the problem." 


"You're  aunt Celestia thinks she's a cow, and not the intelligent kind," Rebecca said, flatly. 


"I... see," said Blueblood, defeatedly. "Alright then, if I must, I must, but first I want your word that you'll keep this between us," he said, with sudden forcefulness. 


"Why's that?" Rebecca asked, surprised by the sudden demand. 


"Just promise, alright?"  


For a moment, Rebecca thought she heard a bit of pleading in Blueblood's voice. "Alright, fine, I promise. Now can we do this, please?"  


Once he was satisfied, Blueblood trotted over to the bar in the corner and began looking at the wine rack. After a moment's hesitation he pulled one of the bottles halfway out, gave it a quarter turn to the left, and pushed it back into its slot. With a slight rumble, the section of wall the rack was attached to slowly slid to the side revealing a very solid looking iron door. Once the wall stopped moving, Blueblood slowly began unfolding the blue bowtie around his neck. As the last folds of silk fell away, he held up a small gold key. 


"Well, aren't you just full of surprises?" said Rebecca, looking from the key to the door and back to Blueblood. 


"What, do the wealthy not like to protect their valuables where you come from?" Blueblood asked, as he stepped forward and inserted the key. 


"Touche," replied Rebecca, as the heavy door swung open with a low creek, and the two walked in. 


The smell of mothballs and parchment filled Rebecca's nose as they entered the secret room. The place was much smaller than she had expected; little more than a walk in closet, complete with racks of clothing lining one of the walls. The other two were covered with cubby holes of various sizes, containing a wide range of items from framed pictures of ponies, to model ships, and all manner of knick knacks and ornaments one would typically find scattered around a home. The only other things in the room were three large chests stacked in the corner, and a short pedestal that squatted in the middle of the room. 


"Huh, and here I was expecting the family jewels," said Rebecca, eyeing the bits and bobs. 


"Oh, goodness no, those are kept someplace much more secure. These are just a few of my personal effects," replied Blueblood, as he walked over to one of the chests and threw it open. "Now, let's see, where is it? Ah ha!"  


Blueblood trotted over to the pedestal and set his prize upon it. Whatever it was it was wrapped in a deep purple silk covering. Stepping forward to get a better look, Rebecca was surprised to find that underneath the silk was what looked like a ball of transparent green glass about the size of a bowling ball. 


"And, that would be?" asked Rebecca, unsure what to make of the thing. 


"They go by many names; seeing stones, dragon eyes, palantir, but the commoners would call it a crystal ball," replied Blueblood. 


"Please, don't tell me your plan is to tell the future." Rebecca looked between Blueblood and the stone nervously. 


"Don't be ridiculous! This isn't some street performers trinket; this is the jenuine article," said Blueblood, looking deep into the stone. 


"Okay, then how does it work?" asked Rebecca. 


"It’s quite simple, really, all you do is touch the crystal, think of a place you want to see, and the ball will show it to you," Blueblood explained.   


"Just like that?" asked Rebecca, eyeing the stone. 


"Observe," replied Blueblood, as he placed his hoof on the stone.  


The crystal seemed to fill with swirling clouds that quickly coalesced into rough shapes, before forming into a sharp image. Rebecca watched in amazement as an image of Princess Celestia came into view. She still stood in the royal dining hall, her expression blank as she slowly munched on whatever Raven placed in front of her while the smaller mare sat beside her slowly petting her mane, and occasionally wiping her mouth for her. 


Blueblood took his hoof away and the image promptly vanished. "I see you weren't joking about aunty," he said, a slight quiver in his voice. 


Looking at Blueblood, Rebecca could see that he was starting to shiver. "Hey, you okay there?" 


"I-I'll be fine," said Blueblood, taking a deep breath. "It's just a bit jarring to see her reduced to... that." 


"Believe me, this day's been weird for everybody. That's why we need to figure out if there's anything we can do about it." Rebecca tried her best to sound confident. 


"Right, right... why don't you try this time? You know the Ponyville better than I do," offered Blueblood. 


Rebecca looked at the crystal for moment, its surface seemed to glow slightly as she watched. Slowly she reached out and placed her hand on the smooth stone. Okay, let's see here. Ponyville, Ponyville, Ponyville. Her jaw dropped as the image that formed in the crystal came into focus. The town that she had come to call home had literally been torn apart. Buildings and large chunks of land floated haphazardly through the air, blue and purple checkered hills had sprung up in the center of town, and all throughout the place chaos ran rampant. 


"Oh my, and I thought Canterlot was bad," said Blueblood. "I'm afraid I don't see the Element Bearers, try looking someplace more specific." 


"Alright, let's try the library," said Rebecca. A moment later, the Golden Oaks library came into focus. To her surprise it seemed mostly untouched by the madness raging all around it. "Is that a horse tied up out back?" In response to her question the image zoomed in and, sure enough, a full grown mustang with a reddish-blonde mane and coat stood tied to a post in the back of the building. Before she could investigate further, Rebecca was surprised to hear voices. They were slightly warbly through the stone but still familiar, and were coming from inside the library. 


"Now, let's go defeat Discord so we don't ever have to talk to each other again!"  


Amidst a chorus of cheers, Twilight and most of her friends, as well as a large boulder, came charging out of the library.  


Rebecca's heart sank when she saw that every pony, except Twilight, had turned a dull gray, and it only got worse when a familiar mocking voice suddenly chimed in. 


"Well, well, well, I see you've found the Elements of Harmony. How terrifying." Discord's voice dripped with fake concern. 


"Discord! I've figured out your lame riddle. You're in for it now!" cried Twilight. 


"I certainly am, you've clearly out dueled me, and now it's time to meet my fate. I'm prepared to be defeated now, ladies, fire when ready." Discord made no move to defend himself; even going so far as to put a large bullseye on his stomach. 


"Formation, now!" barked Twilight. Her friends slowly lined up beside her with bored groans. "Rainbow Dash, get over here!" To Rebecca's growing bewilderment, spike hurried up beside Twilight. "Alright, let's get this over with." 


Rebecca had to shield her eyes as a sudden blinding light filled the crystal. It didn't last long, however, and when she looked back the ponies were all lying on the ground, while Discord simply stood there smiling. 


"What's going on?" Twilight asked, getting to her hooves. 


"Mine's working. There must be something wrong with yours," Applejack answered. 


"I hate the Elements of Harmony!" declared Pinkie Pie. 


"Garbage," Fluttershy stated flatly, throwing her element away. 


"Mine!" cried Rarity, as she snached up the discarded trinket. 


"Sorry, Twilight, guess I better get back upstairs and clean up the library. Good luck with all- Woah!" Spike was tripped by Fluttershy, as he tried to make a run for the tree. 


"Oops, sorry, Rainbow Crash," Fluttershy mocked. 


"Bravo, ponies, bravo," cheered Discord, as he made his way toward the group. "Harmony in Equestria is officially dead. Discord rules, Celestia drools," he finished, booping Twilight's nose, before skating off on a river of soap suds, laughing as he went. 


"It's your fault it didn't work," Pinkie accused. 


"Who are you talking to?" Twilight asked. 


Any of you, all of you! I'm outta here!" she cried, as she bounced off. 


"I'd better go too. I've got new better friends waiting for me back at the farm," declared Applejack. 


"Yeah, I'm sick of you losers," agreed Fluttershy. 


As her friends scattered, Twilight began shouting after them. "Fine! Leave! See if I care. I don't need you guys either. With friends like you who needs... enemies?" With her final word, the color began draining from Twilight's body until she was as gray as her friends. With her head hanging, she slowly wandered off into Ponyville with tears in her eyes.  


The image faded as Rebecca took her hand away from the crystal. "Well, that's just... perfect." 


"So, that's it then," said Blueblood. "They were our last hope. Oh, this is terrible, what am I supposed to do now?" he cried, as panic took hold of him. 


"Okay, Becky, think. Think, think, think. There has to be something else we can do." As Rebecca did her best to fight back the wave of fear that was building inside her she reached out and put her hand back on the crystal. Images of Twilight and her friends flashed within it. "There's got to be a way to fix this." 


"Are you blind?" Blueblood asked, with a scoff. "You saw what happened to them, they're under his spell, just like everypony else." 


"Alright, then we need to figure out how to break that spell. I mean, if you and I could do it then it can't be that hard," Rebecca reasoned. 


"Oh, well, I'm all ears then. By all means, do tell me how we proceed," said Blueblood, not even trying to hide the pretension in his voice. 


"Well, I don't know, Your Worship. You were the last one to do it, you tell me." Blueblood's tone was starting to get on her nerves. 


"I don't know. It was like waking up from a dream; I don't remember any of what happened. One moment I was eating breakfast, the next I'm looking in mirror in my cousin's bathroom." 


"Wait, so, the first thing you remember after you woke up was looking into the mirror?" asked Rebecca. 


"Yes, and I still managed to look good despite my dishevelement, if I do say so myself."  


Blueblood puffed out his chest a little bit at his self praise, and some of the tension seemed to leave him. Rebecca didn't notice, however. She was busy sorting through her head, trying to remember. Okay, we were in the street, he took my clothes, I gave him the old nut shot... probably not the smartest move, now that I think about it. Then everything went black and... Somebody touched me. 


"Somebody touched me."  


"I beg your pardon?" Blueblood asked, looking around the room. 


"No, that was when I woke up. Somebody touched me, or I touched somebody, look it doesn't matter, the point is I remembered that I didn't like being touched. And, you woke up when you looked in a mirror and remembered how vain you are." 


"Excuse me! Forgive me for taking a little pride in my appearance," Blueblood snorted. 


"Don't you get it?" asked Rebecca, excitement rising in her voice. "We remembered  something about ourselves. Could that be it, could it be that simple?" 


Blueblood paused to scratch his chin. "Well, I suppose it's possible. But, even if that is the case, how are we supposed to remind the Element Bearers about themselves?" 


Rebecca visibly deflated. "I don't suppose you know if Twilight keeps a diary, do you?" 


"Well, no, but she has sent aunty plenty of letters," Blueblood offered. 


"Letters?" 


"Yes, the 'friendship reports' that she sends aunty Celestia whenever she and her friends so much as step out of the house. I swear, aunty gets them at all hours of the day."  


"Wait, so, you know where they are?" asked Rebecca. 


"Well, they're likely in aunty's study," replied Blueblood. 


"And you know a way we could get them to Twilight?" 


"Well, it's been a while since I had to use a sending spell, but I think I remember how they go." 


"Well, alright, I think we have a plan. Which way to Celestia's room?" Rebecca said, smiling. 


"Follow me," replied Blueblood. 


As they left, Rebecca scooped up the crystal in its covering, tied the silken cloth into a makeshift satchel, and slung it over her shoulder. 


"Pardon me, but what do you think you're doing?" Blueblood asked, stepping between her and the door. 


"What? I'm bringing the crystal ball, so we can check on Twilight again," explained Rebecca. 


"Absolutely not!" Blueblood barked. "That device is to remain here." 


"Why, is it radioactive or something?" 


"No, it just needs to stay where it is," said Blueblood. 


Glancing at the ball, then to Blueblood, Rebecca's curiosity was piqued. "Okay, blue, you've been acting sketchy about this thing for a while now. What's the deal?" 


The two stared at each other for a long minute before Blueblood let out a long sigh. "Alright, if you must know, I don't want any other ponies to know that I have that thing." 


"Because?" prompted Rebecca. 


"Because, privately owning one is not technically legal."  


As the words sunk in, Rebecca's mind suddenly filled with thoughts of how the wrong kind of people might use something like a crystal ball. Pushing the thoughts aside, she did her best to give Blueblood the benefit of the doubt.  


"Look, Blueblood, this is kind of an emergency. Do you really want to come all the way back  here just to see if this plan works, especially with Luna wandering the halls?" Blueblood opened his mouth, but paused at the mention of his aunt. Seeing that her scare tactic had worked, Rebecca continued. "Come on, if anyone catches us with it I'll say that it's mine, okay?" 


"Fine," Blueblood said, through gritted teeth, as he stepped aside to let her into the main bedroom. 


"Alright, now, let's get to those letters before-" Rebecca had the door to the hallway halfway open before she saw the dark blue shape on the other side.  


Slowly making her way down the hall, pausing every now and then to sniff the air, was Luna. The princess had just passed their door, and too Rebecca's amazement had not seen her. Heart racing, Rebecca slowly closed the door.  


"Are you alright- umph!" Rebecca's hand shot out to close around Blueblood's mouth. 


"Shh, we've got company," whispered Rebecca. 


Blueblood pried her hand off his snout. "Please, don't tell me she's out there." His voice was barely audible. 


"Where did you say Celestia's room was?" asked Rebecca, as she tried to steady her breathing. 


"To the right. Last door at the end of the hall." 


"Of course it's the way she went," Rebecca hissed. "How far?" 


"A hundred paces, maybe, why?"  


"That's not bad," Rebecca muttered to herself. "Okay, listen, let's make a run for it." 


"Pardon me!- umph" Blueblood's mouth was covered again. 


"Shh!" 


"I am not going out there with her around," Blueblood hissed. "Let's just wait for her to go away." 


"We don't know how long that's going to take. Besides, just how much time do you think Ponyville has to spare; you saw what it looked like," Rebecca pleaded. 


"And, how exactly are we supposed to get past her?" asked Blueblood. 


"We need something to distract her." Rebecca looked around the room before her eyes settled on the bar. Walking over, she picked up a small bottle of brandy. "Le Voyage de Delamane. Is this expensive?" 


"Considerably," Blueblood said, with a scowl. 


"Well, good, only the best for a princess, right?" Rebecca smiled. "Now on the count of three." 


"Wait!" exclaimed Blueblood, grabbing the bottle in his magic, and taking a  couple of long draws from it. "If you think I'm doing this sober, you're crazy." 


Rebecca shrugged before taking a swig herself. "Mmm, good stuff," she said with a grimace. "Okay, on three. One... two... three." 


Opening the door just wide enough to get her hand through, Rebecca hurled the small bottle as far down the opposite hall from Luna as she could. A moment later, the sound of breaking glass filled the hall, followed quickly by the sound of galloping hooves passing the door. 


"Now!" 


Bursting through the door, the two made for the end of the hall. Sure enough, a large wooden door bearing Celestia's cutie mark sat at the end. It was little comfort though as an animalistic shriek erupted behind them. Running as fast as they could, the pair reached the door just as the sound of beating wings closed in on them. Slamming the door behind them, and pressing their backs against it, the impact from the other side nearly knocked them off their feet. To their relief, no further assaults came. 


"I think I've had enough close calls for one day," said Rebecca, as she tried to catch her breath. "Now, where are those letters?" 


The room, while spacious, was surprisingly sparse compared to the other royal living quarters that Rebecca had seen. A large purple and gold cushion lay next to an ornate fireplace, with only a few small tables and bookshelves rounding out the room. Heading through a nearby door, they found themselves in the bedroom proper. Again, the room was fairly modest by royal standards; a large round bed covered in soft golden sheets decorated with a sun motif dominated the center of the room, while a sizable vanity dresser and a large writing desk were the only other notable pieces of furniture. The easternmost wall was entirely glass, complete with a door leading out to a large balcony. Another door on the opposite wall lead to what Rebecca assumed was the bathroom. 


"Cozy," said Rebecca. 


"That's one word for it," replied Blueblood. "I keep offering to help her spruce the place up, but she just won't have it. Now then, let's see what we have here." Walking over to the desk, Blueblood opened one of the larger side cabinets. Inside were dozens of neatly stacked scrolls. "Ah, here they are." 


"Good, and you can send these back to Twilight?" Rebecca asked. 


"Well, not exactly, that would take even more magical finesse than I posses. Bot, a simple return to sender spell should get them back to that young servant of hers. What's his name... Spork?" 


"That would be Spike," said Rebecca, letting a little edge into her voice. 


"Eh, right, Spike," Blueblood repeated, with a nervous grin. "So, which letter shall we send?" 


"Why don't you go ahead and send them all. Better safe than sorry," replied Rebecca, after skimming through a few letters. 


Gathering the letters into a pile on the desk, Blueblood pointed his horn at them and closed his eyes. The air was filled with a familiar tinkling sound as Blueblood's horn lit up. One of the scrolls suddenly burst into green flames turning it into nothing but a faint wisp of smoke which quickly snaked its way out a nearby window. 


"One down," said Blueblood, as another scroll lit up to follow the first. 


As Blueblood worked, Rebecca pulled out the crystal ball, and held it in front of her. "Okay, inside the library."  


Once more the interior of the crystal filled with clouds that soon took familiar shapes. This time the main entry way of the Golden Oaks Library could be seen, as well as a small purple dragon who was trying his best to clean up the mess that had been left by the, recently disbanded, element bearers.  


"How long will it take those things to get there?" Rebecca asked. 


"The first one should be hitting him any second," replied Blueblood. 


Looking into the crystal, Rebecca saw that Spike had just finished shelving a stack of books when his cheeks bulged out, and he belched forth a green flame that quickly transformed into a neatly rolled scroll. 


"Oh, thank goodness, a letter from the princess!" cried Spike, as he unrolled the note. "Maybe she knows a way to fix all this- huh? Hey, wait a minute, this is the letter we sent her the day we met Zecora. Why would she send this- BURP." Another flash of green, followed by another letter, and another, and another. "What's happening- BURP! I gotta find someplace to put all these- BURP! Oh, I don't feel so good-BURP!"  


As Rebecca watched, Spike gathered up growing pile of scrolls and made his way upstairs. "Sorry about this, little guy," she muttered. Stowing the ball once more, she turned to Blueblood. "Well, the letters are getting there, now we just have to hope one of them works." 


"And, what exactly do we do if they don't?" Blueblood asked. 


"I hear the griffon kingdom is nice this time of year," replied Rebecca, as she leaned against the bed. 


"That's not funny." 


"Do you see anyone laughing?" 


The two sat in silence for a while, until Blueblood was nearly finished with the letters. Just as he was preparing to send the last few, they both let out cries of alarm as the room suddenly went dark.  


"What's going on? cried Rebecca. 


"I don't know," Blueblood answered. "Hold on a moment." The tip of his horn lit up with a soft golden glow, just bright enough for the two to see. "Ah, that's better. Now, what in the world happened?" 


Before anyone could answer, another soft light began to fill the room with a silver radiance. Looking out the window, the two were stunned to see the full moon high in the sky. In a mere instant day had turned into night.   


"Well, that's just perfect, now the cretin is messing with day and night," said Blueblood, walking up to the window. 


"He... he can do that?" Rebecca stood motionless, staring at the moon, unable to believe her eyes. The fact that heavenly bodies could be consciously controlled had been hard enough for her to believe when she had seen Celestia do it. Now, the thought of a madman with that same power was enough to make her knees buckle, and she slumped against the bed. 


"Ms, Lancaster, are you quite alright?" asked Blueblood, trotting over to her.  


"Yeah... sure... I-I just need a minute," Rebecca replied, in a shaking voice. 


"Right... listen, I'm going to send the rest of these letters. Why don’t you check on Ponyville again, and see how things are going?" As he spoke Blueblood took a cautious step back; the last thing he wanted was to be within reach if the crazy alien decided to snap. 


"Right, Ponyville," Rebecca repeated, fumbling for the crystal ball. 


Once more, the town of Ponyville appeared in the crystal, at least as much as could be viewed in the dead of night. Fortunately, lights could still be seen in many of the houses, including the library. Focusing on the great tree, Rebecca spotted a familiar looking unicorn walking through the large hole where the front door used to be. Twilight. To her surprise, the image in the crystal started to follow the unicorn as she focused on her; even as Twilight made her way upstairs the image stayed with her. 


"Hitch up Lero, and pack your things, Spike, we're leaving," Twilight ordered. "Don't ask where we're going cause... I don't know yet. Just not here." As she spoke, Twilight began packing her suitcase. Meanwhile, Spike lay curled up on the floor, groaning. 


"Uhg, can't... move. The princess has been sending these since I came back upstairs." As if on que, Spike belched up another scroll onto the pile on the floor. "Make it stop!" 


Twilight grasped one of the letters with her magic, and quickly skimmed through it. "These are all the letters I've written to the princess since I've lived in Ponyville. But, why would she send them back?" Twilight quickly read the letter and dropped it to the floor, before picking up another. 


As Twilight continued to read, Rebecca felt a distinct sinking feeling inside her. Twilight didn't seem to be changing. Well, maybe I can at least figure out where she'll be going and try to meet her there. She was about to stow the crystal when strange noise came out of it. It sounded almost like static. 


Looking back, Rebecca saw that the image in the ball looked slightly cloudy, but she could still hear Twilight reading. "Real friends don't care what your cover is. Friendship is a wondrous and powerful thing." With a loud buzz, the image suddenly scrambled as if it was on an old television, only to pop back up a moment later. "And, like a path cut through the orchard, there will always be a way through-" Bzzt "-The best thing to do is stay true to yourself-" Bzzt "-Everypony, everywhere, has a special magical connection with her friends; maybe even before she's met them-" Bzzzzzt "- Spike! Spike, it's all so clear!"  


As Rebecca watched the image flicker in and out of sight, the image of Twilight's smiling purple face filled the crystal for a brief moment before being blocked out by a shining white light that nearly blinded her before the crystal suddenly went dark. "What the!?" exclaimed Rebecca.  


"What happened?" Blueblood demanded, snatching the ball from her with his magic.  


"I don't know," replied Rebecca, getting to her feet. She hadn't even noticed that she had slumped to the floor. 


"Oh, no, I think you shorted it out," cried Blueblood, rolling the crystal over in his magic. 


"How did I short it out?" Rebecca walked over to try and get a better look at the crystal, only for Blueblood to pull it away from her. 


"Probably some sort of backlash from viewing such powerful magic. Blast, do you have any idea how hard it's going to be to replace this thing?" Blueblood griped. 


"Look, you can pine over your spy cam later, didn't you see what just happened? It worked, Twilight's back!" cried Rebecca. 


"Yes, now we just have to hope that it makes a difference," Blueblood replied, dismissively as he continued to examine his crystal.  


"You know, you could try being a little more optimistic." As Rebecca spoke, a golden light came pouring through the balcony window as the sun quickly rose back into the sky. "There, see, sun's up. That's a good sign at least, right?"  


Blueblood didn't respond. The only noise that came from him was a sharp hissing through clenched teeth, as his breath came in rapid-fire bursts, and his entire body shook. His eyes were fixed on the window.  


Following his gaze, Rebecca turned to the wall of glass. And the dark shape hurtling toward it. "Oh, shi-"  


The two of them leapt in opposite directions as Princess Luna came crashing through the glass wall. For a brief moment it was as if the room were filled with miniature suns as innumerable shards of glass caught the light, before falling to the floor. Luna landed in the center of the bed, kicking and shrieking, as she tried to recover from the unexpected impact of the glass. As she thrashed, her horn and hooves quickly caught on the silken sheets, leaving her thoroughly tangled.  


As Rebecca got to her feet, she found herself on the opposite side of the bed from Blueblood. "Run for it!" he cried, before racing through the bathroom door and slamming it behind him.  


Rebecca didn't have time to think, Luna was quickly tearing free of the bed sheets. Turning on her heels, Rebecca ran for the door just as Luna managed to get free. Sprinting through the sitting room, she threw the door shut behind her as she entered the main hallway. The door had not latched before Luna burst through, and leapt. Rebecca hadn't made it ten paces down the hall before the impact knocked her to the floor.  


The two hit the floor rolling; a tangle of limbs and flapping wings. Rebecca ended up on her back, with luna bearing down on her. Rebecca managed to get her arm up just as Luna lunged for her neck. Pain shot through her left wrist as the princess's teeth clamped down. Her other hand beat and clawed at Luna's snout, but the princess only bit harder.  


"Get off me!" Rebecca cried, as she took hold of Luna's horn. Curling her legs as tightly as she could, she managed to get both feet onto Luna's stomach before pushing as hard as she could. Despite her great strength, Luna was not the heaviest pony in Equestria, and she let out a shriek of alarm as she was lifted into the air. As Luna went up, Rebecca pulled down, shifting the princess's weight forward until she turned over in the air. Luna came down on her back just above Rebecca's head.  


With Luna off of her, Rebecca scrambled to her feet, and ran for the nearest door she could see. The double doors opened easily, and she slammed them shut behind her, just as Luna was getting to her feet, and pushed against them. For several long moments she waited. Then, several more passed. After a solid minute crept by, Rebecca let out the breath she had been holding and placed an ear against the door. To her surprise, she heard no sign of the princess; no shrieks, no hisses, not even the pacing of hooves. 


"Great, now where did she go?" Rebecca whispered to herself. "And why didn't she try to break in here-" Turning around, Rebecca's eyes widened. She was in a sitting room much like Celestia's, only with a much darker décor of blue and silver, rather than purple and gold. Sitting in front of the fireplace was a deep purple divan, surrounded by piles of books.  


As she moved to investigate, a sharp pain raced through her arm. Grasping her wrist in pain, Rebecca realized that it felt sticky. Keeping pressure on her arm, she headed through a nearby doorway, and into a bedroom that left no question as to who the owner was. Sitting in the center of the room, was a large bed built to look like a crescent moon. 


"Into the lair of the beast," she muttered to herself.  


Looking around the room, Rebecca saw that it shared the same layout as Celestia's; including a glass wall opening out to a balcony. To her relief, the curtains were drawn. Hopefully, she won't come crashing through this one. Now then, if I were a bathroom where would I be? Spotting a door on the opposite side of the room, Rebecca headed through it. Bingo! 


More than half the room she was standing in was taken up by a pool, the size of the Ponyville Spa's hot tub, built directly into the black marble floor. All along the walls were shelves of personal cleaning products, and the silver wash basin was big enough for four people to share. Heading over to it, Rebecca turned on the faucet and let the sink begin filling, while she worked on removing her jacket. The right sleeve was easy enough, but each  tug at the left one brought a new hiss of pain. With the jacket off, her fears were confirmed; a large red splotch was spreading on her white dress shirt where Luna had bitten her.  


Discarding the shirt as well, Rebecca turned off the faucet and slowly lowered her forearm into the warm water. Gritting her teeth at the stinging pain, she gently rinsed the area before pulling it out of the water to look at it. Sure enough, her wrist bore the distinct markings of teeth; some of which had broken the skin. Well, it doesn't look like it needs stitches, at least. It's going to leave one hell of a bruise though. Now, let's see just how prepared this princess is for the unexpected. Searching through a few cupboards, she found what she was looking for. 


"Well, what do you know?" Rebecca said to herself, as she pulled out a small white box with a red cross emblazoned on it. Inside she found a roll of bandages, basic medical tools, and a small bottle labeled iodine. "Oh, this is going to suck," she groaned, as she picked up the bottle and wad of cotton swabs. 


With her arm cleaned and bandaged, Rebecca spent the next half hour at the sink with a bar of soap and a washcloth; an entire day spent running through a crazy city would make anyone work up a sweat. As she finished redressing, minus the dress shirt, she headed back out into the main bedroom. As she entered, she was surprised by a slight breeze. Looking around, her eyes fell upon the curtain drawn across the balcony window, swaying slowly in the wind.  


Panic gripped Rebecca's heart, as she rushed over to the curtains and pulled them open, only to find the balcony door wide open. Why didn't I check it-. A low hiss froze her in place. Turning her head as slowly as she could, Rebecca looked behind her. Luna was stepping off of her bed, as she stalked toward her. The princess flared her wings and shrieked, causing Rebecca to stumble backward onto the balcony. Rebecca crawled backwards as fast as she could, before scrambling to her feet as Luna emerged from the doorway, continuing her steady advance. 


"Come on now, honey, you already had a taste, I can't have been that good," Rebecca pleaded, as she slowly backed away. Luna crouched low, her shoulders tensed, preparing to spring. "Fine then, come and get it!" Rebecca cried, as reason gave way to panic. 


Luna sprang, wings spread and teeth bared, she slammed into Rebecca with enough force to send the two of them sliding across the balcony floor. Rebecca's vision went black for a moment when her head hit the floor. When it cleared, Luna was on top of her, her head pulled back ready to lunge. Just as Luna struck, Rebecca's hands shot forward, wrapping around the princess's throat, as she tried to lock her elbows. She may as well have tried to hold up a boulder as Luna continued to push forward, slowly forcing her arms down. Rebecca's feet kicked underneath Luna, trying to push her off, but the two bodies were too close to gain any leverage.  


As the strength was giving out in her arms, Rebecca pulled one hand away from Luna's throat, as fast as she could, and raked her nails down the princess's face, across her eyes. Luna pulled back with a shriek, shaking her head. There you go, one last shot from me to you. As Rebecca watched, Luna lunged again. She could just feel the warmth of the princess's breath upon her neck, when her eyes were filled with a brilliant white light. 


As the glare slowly faded, Rebecca found herself face to face with a very confused looking Luna. "Lady Lancaster?" It was all Luna said before her eyes widened in shock, and she disappeared in a flash of silver light.  


Rebecca's head fell back as she let out a long breath of relief. She lay there for a few moments, letting what had just happened sink in, before getting to her feet and heading back to Celestia's room. Once there, she made for the bathroom door and gave it a knock. "Blueblood, are you still in there?"  


For a moment, there was no answer. She was about to knock again when the doorknob slowly turned, and out stepped Blueblood. His fur was damp, and he had his mane wrapped up in a towel. "Ms. Lancaster, You made it?" he asked, in disbelief. 


"Yeah, I think it's over now." 


"Over? You mean they did it?" Blueblood rushed over to a window and pulled the threw the curtains open. Outside the sun was shining, and the sky had returned to a brilliant shade of blue. "They did, I mean, of course they did. Never doubted them for a moment," he said, with his usual confident smile. 


"Uh-huh, what do you say we head down stairs? I'm sure Celestia will want to know you're alright," Rebecca offered. 




**** 




The throne room was abuzz with activity as guards ran in and out. From her throne, Celestia commanded the storm of ponies with Raven at her side. "I want emergency services mobilized immediately, call in all reserve guardsmares to aid in relief efforts, and somepony get me a quill and some paper!" The two were halfway across the room before Celestia spotted them. "Blueblood, Rebecca!" The entire room froze as Celestia glided across the room, and wrapped her nephew in a hug. "Thank goodness you're safe." Her voice was barely a whisper as relief washed over her. 


"Oh, aunty, it was dreadful, simply dreadful. I doubt I'll ever truly recover," Blueblood cried, as he and Celestia held each other.  


After a long moment, Celestia broke the embrace. "We'll talk about it later. For now, get yourself to the infirmary and get yourself checked out," she said, in her most reassuring tone. As Blueblood made his way out of the room, with a couple of guards in tow, Celestia turned to Rebecca. "Thank goodness you're alright, as well, Ms. Lancaster." 


"Yeah, it's been a hell of a day," Rebecca replied. 


"I'm sure it has," said Celestia, with a smile. "Why don't you follow Blueblood, and let the doctors take a look at you. I'll be down as soon as I get things organized here-" 


Celestia was cut off as a pegasus guard came galloping up. "My princess!" he cried. 


"Yes, Stormwatch, what is it?" she asked.  


"It's the bureau of magical research and development. It's on fire!" 


"What?!"  


Celestia ran to the nearest window, with Rebecca hot on her heels. Looking out over the castle grounds, a thick pillar of smoke rose from the bureau building, as pegasi frantically kicked at rain clouds above it. For a moment Rebecca thought that they had it under control. Then her ears popped, as half the building exploded.  




Elsewhere 




The wind howled as it made it's way through the winding canyons, and over the towering  mesas. The barren earth baked in the oppressive heat of the dull red light that managed to push it's way through the thick roiling clouds that blanketed the sky. In the midst of the desolation, a wisp of sickly green vapor wormed it's way out of the clouds. Lingering in the air for a moment, it soon began snaking it's way toward one of the deepest canyons... and the remains of a landslide, that had barely finished settling.   


> 18. Aftermath
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The soft murmur of voices, and hooves clopping on tile filled the air of the mess hall as the castle servants, and guards, enjoyed their meals. For most of those present, lunch was a very quick affair; get in, eat, and get back to work. One individual, however, had been sitting at their table for over an hour. 


Rebecca sat at a small side table, idly picking at the remains of the salad she had barely touched while staring vapidly out the window. Almost of it's own volition, her hand slid into her pocket. As her fingers wrapped around it's contents, the events of the past few days raced through her mind. The evil god-monster was defeated, the ponies who had vanquished it were praised, and a state of post-disaster panic had settled over Equestria in the wake of what had come to be known as the Day of Discord. All that was left was picking up the pieces, and who knew how long that was going to take. 


Rebecca was jolted back into the present by an unmistakably cheery voice. "There she is! I found her, I found her, I found her!" 


Rebecca turned to see Pinkie Pie bouncing in the doorway, along with the rest of the Elements of Harmony, as well Lero and Lyra. "Hail, the conquering heroes!" she called, trying to keep her voice cheerful.  


"Hear, hear!" came the unanimous reply of all the seated ponies, causing more than one member of the group to blush. 


"So, this is where ya been hiding, eh sugarcube?" Applejack piped up, as the group made it's way to Rebecca's table.  


"Yep, you got me. Guess you can tell the guards to take those roadblocks down," replied Rebecca, with a quiet chuckle. "So, what brings you guys to this neck of the castle? I figured you'd all still be busy fighting off the press." 


"We were hoping to catch up with you," answered Lero. "We haven't seen much of you over the past couple of days and... well." 


"We were kinda' starting to worry about you," blurted Rainbow Dash. 


"What Rainbow means," said Twilight, giving her herd-sister a nudge. "Is that you've been very quiet since everything happened. We just wanted to make sure that you're alright." 


Twilight did her best to put on a reassuring smile, but the concern showed through in her eyes. Concern that was mirrored by the rest of the group as Rebecca looked at each of them in turn. Sheesh, guys, you'd think I was on suicide watch or someth-. Her eyes finally came to rest on Fluttershy. Oh. 


Letting out a long sigh, Rebecca let her false cheer fall by the wayside before looking at the group again. "Look, everyone, I appreciate your concern, really I do, but I don't think there's anything you can do to help with this." She pulled the thing she had been holding from her pocket. In her hand was the heat-warped  remains of a pair of glasses.  


A sudden warmth enveloped Rebecca's other hand, pulling her attention away from the glasses. Turning, she saw that Lyra had sat down next to her; her hoof was resting on Rebecca's hand, a gentle smile played across her face. "Try us." 


The urge to pull her hand away flashed through Rebecca for just a moment before she shoved it back out of her mind. Gesturing at the seats around the table, she waited for the rest of the group to sit before she spoke. "I guess I'm just surprised. I mean, I barely knew Babble, so why does it hurt so much that she's gone?" 


"Darling, I'd be more concerned if you didn't feel sad after losing a friend like that," offered Rarity. 


"But we barely spent a day together," said Rebecca. 


"Well, that's longer than I knew the girls here before we were taking on Nightmare Moon together," Twilight said, with a smile. 


"Heh, yeah, that was a pretty crazy night," added Rainbow. "Not as crazy as the Day of Discord, but still pretty epic."  


The element bearers shared a chuckle as they remembered the fateful day that had brought them all together. The appearance of Nightmare Moon, their trials in the Everfree, even Twilight's ill conceived plan to go into the forest alone rather than put anypony else in danger. An idea that surely would have ended in disaster, if her friends hadn't been there for her. 


A tiny gasp caught Rebecca's attention, and she turned to see Fluttershy looking up at her. "Rebecca, um, you know it wasn't your fault, right?" 


Rebecca felt the words cut straight to her core. Opening her mouth, she tried to respond, but found nothing forthcoming. It wasn't until a familiar warmth ran down her cheek that she finally spoke. "Isn't it?" 


Fluttershy's hooves snapped over her mouth when she saw the tears well up in Rebecca's eyes. "Oh, no, I didn't mean to suggest-" 


"Well, of course it wasn't your fault!" declared Rainbow Dash, rising into the air. "Everything that happened that day happened because of one person, Discord." As she spoke, Rainbow wrapped her forelegs around Lero's neck, pulling him into a tight hug. "Everything." 


Sensing the defensive tone in her voice, Lero reached up to return the hug, before gently pulling Dash out of the air and sitting her on his lap, and let his fingers brush through her mane. "They're right, Rebecca, you can't blame yourself for this," he said, once he felt his wife start to calm down. 


"But, she wouldn't have been there if it weren’t for me." Rebecca tried to keep herself from choking on the words as she dried her eyes, only to find herself forcibly turned to face Lyra again. 


"Stop that, right now." Lyra's face was neutral, and her voice was soft, but the command in it was one that would brook no argument. "Those thoughts are going to take you to a very dark place, if you let them." 


"But." 


"You could not have known what was going to happen. Nopony could have known what was going to happen that day." Lyra finally released Rebecca from her magic. "Mourn her passing, but do not blame yourself for it." 


"Her family will be coming to collect her things-" Rebecca glanced down at the glasses in her hand. "-what am I supposed to say to them?" 


"You can tell them the truth, sugar cube," Applejack piped in. "The filly went out doing her best to help somepony who needed it. Ain't no pony that wouldn't appreciate hearing that about a loved one." 


Rebecca took a deep breath as she let her friends words sink in, drying her eyes once more before she spoke. "Thanks guys," she said, giving them a small smile. 


"Hey, that's what friends are for," said Lyra, her serene smile finally returning.   


"Absolutely, darling, and we're not finished yet. Now that the drama is out of the way, we can finally give you the good news," said Rarity. 


"Good news?" Rebecca asked, arching an eyebrow. 


"Oh, yes, dear. You see, we have all been invited by none other than Princess Celestia herself to be her guests in attending... Fashion Week!" Rarity cheered. 


"Fashion what now?" Rebecca asked, blankly. 


Rarity visibly deflated, and brought a hoof up to her forehead. "Ugh, why am I not surprised? It's Fashion Week, darling, one of the most important fashion events in Equestria. Attending is a dream come true for anypony with even a modicum of interest in couture, and this year it's being held right here in Canterlot." 


"They're throwing a beauty pageant right after a national disaster?" Rebecca could hardly believe her ears. 


"Rebecca, Fashion Week is no mere beauty pageant. Why, the designs featured there could impact the lives of ponies like myself for years to come," said Rarity, defensively. 


At that point, Twilight cleared her throat. "It will also serve to reassure ponies that the danger is well and truly passed. Discord may be stone again, but there are still a lot of frightened ponies out there. This event will let at least some of them know that it's alright for things to start going back to normal."  


"Okay, I follow you," Rebecca agreed. "But, I'm really not sure if a fashion show in my scene." 


"Shucks, it ain't mine either, but I'm still going," said Applejack. "Heck, ya got anything else to do while you wait for the train station to clear out?" 


Applejack was right, of course. In the aftermath of the Day of Discord, every means of entering, or exiting, the city had been flooded by concerned ponies trying to reach their loved ones. Rebecca had to face the fact that it would probably be a few days yet before she could look into getting back to Ponyville.  


"Okay, you've got me there, but this thing sounds like it's going to be a pretty high class event. I don't know about you, but I didn't bring any formal wear with me." 


"Then we haven't a moment to lose!" Rarity exclaimed. "The first night of the event is tomorrow, and we have a lot of work to do if we're going to make you presentable." Before she could respond, Rebecca was being herded out the door by the enthusiastic mare. 


"Heh, heh, have fun sugar cube," Applejack called after them, seconds before a blue glow enveloped her ear, and began tugging it toward the door after them. 


"You too, Applejack," came rarity's sing-song voice. 


"Aw, ponyfeathers!" 




**** 




Rebecca had to admit, whatever else could be said about Rarity, she was certainly a master of her craft. While the other ponies had been easy enough to dress, a few alterations to some spare dresses whose owners had been generous enough to lend for a night or two had seen to that, her outfit had to be made from scratch. That Rarity had been able to put together something in such a short amount of time was impressive enough, but Rebecca could still scarcely believe that what she was wearing had been made in less than a day. 


From bust to knee, the navy-blue satin garment fit her like a glove, hugging her just tightly enough to accentuate her curves without making her look chubby. A single strap, decorated with silk flowers of the same color, rested on her right shoulder, ensuring that the dress stayed in place. The high heels that Rarity had managed to cobble together had struck Rebecca as completely unnecessary, given how much she already towered over those around her, but Rarity had insisted that they were essential. Finally, a pair of ribbons kept her hair up, leaving her winged heart on display for all to see.    


She would have turned more than a few heads back home, and likely even more in Equestria, though probably not for the same reasons. Fortunately, sitting with royalty meant sitting away from the crowd, and from the raised platform where she was seated, Rebecca had a perfect view of the spectacle spread out below her. 


When Rarity had said that Fashion Week was taking place in Canterlot, Rebecca had not expected an outdoor event. The stage had been built right in the middle of the Canterlot gardens, flanked by a full orchestra on one side, and a massive set of speakers connected to a modern turntable on the other. The few hundred ponies clambering around the stage were an odd mixture of the high nobility, eager to be part of any event that a princess was attending, and the fashionistas and artists who hoped to get a head start on the competition in the coming year; not to mention the press who were waiting with cameras ready, for the first models to make their way down the stage. Looking out over the jarring combination of classic high culture, and cutting edge modern design, Rebecca was grateful for the seclusion that the private booth afforded her. 


"Isn't the view up here to die for?" asked Rarity, from the seat to her left. 


"It's not bad," Rebecca replied. "But, I was kind of expecting there to be more people here." Looking around, Rebecca had expected to have to rub shoulders with a bunch of pony politicians, but the seating area only contained two rows of very comfortable seat pillows, followed by a pair of miniature thrones; all at incremental heights. Currently, she was sharing the second row of seats with Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. 


"Do not worry, Rebecca. As this is not official royal business, I was able to keep the seating down to friends and confidants." 


Rebecca nearly fell from her seat as she spun around to see Princess Celestia sitting in one of the previously empty thrones. "I swear, one of these days, that is going to give me a heart attack." 


"Princess, you made it!" cried Twilight, from the front row. She, Rainbow Dash, Lyra, and Lero all turned to greet Celestia with a bow, along with everyone else. Lero even managed to avoid shuddering. 


"Good evening, Twilight. Good evening everypony," replied Celestia. "I do hope the evening has been pleasant so far." 


"Why, everything's been delightful, your highness," answered Rarity.  


"Yeah, everything's been great," Rebecca added, as she eyed the empty throne next to Celestia. "Was your... sister planning to join us?" 


Celestia's smile cracked a bit at the hesitant tone of Rebecca's voice. "I'm afraid Luna will not be joining us tonight," she said, evenly. 


"Oh, whoever is the other chair for, your highness?" Rarity asked. 


"So sorry I'm late, Aunty." Came a familiar voice from the stairs. A voice that made Rarity cringe.  


"Oh, no." 


As everyone watched, Prince Blueblood crested the final stair with a dramatic flourish before regarding his audience; only for his eyes to go wide upon seeing Rebecca. "Ms. Lancaster?" 


"Blueblood?" replied Rebecca. 


"Er, I must admit, I was not expecting to see you again so soon," said Blueblood, quickly regaining his composure. 


"Likewise. I see the shoulder's all better," Rebecca replied, glancing at the spot where he had been bitten. 


"Yes, well, despite the severity of the wound, the royal doctors are very good at what they do." As he spoke, Blueblood gently rubbed his shoulder as if it were still tender. 


"Hey, I didn't get to see any royal doctor," said Rebecca, shooting a mock-accusing glare at Celestia before turning back to Blueblood. "Some medic-pony just threw a fresh bandage on my arm and told me to mare up." Pulling down her dress glove, she revealed the nearly faded bite mark on her arm. A sly grin spread across her, and Rarity's, face as Blueblood's signature dashing smile twisted into a grimace. 


"Urk, really, Ms. Lancaster, in the presence of royalty," said Blueblood, averting his eyes. 


Through the ensuing snickers, Celestia spoke up. "Alright, my little ponies, that's enough teasing for now. Blueblood, dear, I'm so happy you could make it. You're usually early for these kind of events, I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't show." 


"Oh, Aunty, you know I wouldn't miss Fashion Week," said Blueblood, making his way to the throne next to Celestia's. "But, I must confess, even I can lose track of time when working on my memoirs. Fortunately, I just finished putting the final touches on this last chapter, regarding my daring exploits during the recent turmoil, only to once again be denied my own stained glass window in Canterlot Tower," he said, with a dramatic sigh. "Alas, it seems that I am destined to go down in history as another unsung hero." 


"Welcome to my world," muttered Lyra. 


"I beg your pardon?" 


"Oh, just wondering when the show is supposed to start," she said, a bit more clearly.  


As if on cue, the lights around the stage suddenly switched on, bathing the stage in brilliant golden light as music filled the air to the cheers of the crowd below them.  


"Fillies, and gentlecolts," came the voice of the announcer on the stage. "Thank you all for coming out in these trying times. Thank you to the nobles, who's patronage helped make this event possible. Thank you to the artists, without whom fashion would not exist. And, of course, thank you to our Princess and our heros, for being there for us in our time of need. And now, without further ado, let Fashion Week begin!" 


With his final words, the music kicked up and the curtains drew back to reveal the first lineup of models. The crowd exploded with the cheers of fans, and the flashes of cameras, as some of the most beautiful ponies in all of Equestria made their way down the stage. The ponies around her gasped with oohs and awes, and even Rebecca had to marvel at the Equestrian models; even if they looked more cute than beautiful in her eyes. That was until she saw the last mare in the lineup.  


The unicorn was easily one of the most stunning ponies that Rebecca had ever seen. Her flowing pink mane rested lightly on her shoulder, and the white ballroom gown that she wore matched her coat so closely that for a moment it looked as if a sculpture of the purest marble had come to life. Wow, does Celestia have another sister that I don't know about. She cantered down the runway with an almost unearthly grace, before dropping into an elegant curtsy, and making her way back to the curtain just as smoothly. 


"Oh, my, those were exquisite," sighed Rarity. 


"Um, they looked... nice," replied Fluttershy. 


"Nice, are you kiddin'?" Applejack asked. "I haven't seen a bunch of ponies that gussied up since the Grand Galloping Gala." 


"The what?" Rebecca asked. 


"Why, Rebecca, the Grand Galloping Gala is one of the most prestigious social events in Equestria. Everypony who's anypony attends," said Rarity. "Even if some of them don't know what common courtesy is," she continued, in a much lower voice as she glanced at Blueblood.  


Fortunately, the prince was too busy conversing with Celestia to pay her any heed. "Oh, Aunty, you'd look ravishing in that last one!" he exclaimed. "Would you like me to look into procuring the designers services for your next gown?" 


"Thank you, Blueblood, but why don't we wait and see what else they have lined up first," Celestia replied, motioning to the stage as the curtain parted to reveal the next line up of models. 


As the show wore on, everything from ballroom dresses and tuxedos, to cutting edge casual wear, to elegant evening attire was brought out on display. Eventually, as minutes melted into hours, the sun began to sink behind the horizon, and the curtains closed behind the models one final time to the ecstatic cheers of the crowd. 


"I say, that was marvelous," exclaimed Blueblood. 


"It was good to see such a turn out," Celestia agreed. 


"Wait, it's over? What happens next?" asked Rainbow Dash. 


"Why now comes the best part, darling," replied Rarity. "Mingling with the Canterlot elite." 


"Uh, you mean go down there, with all those ponies?" Rebecca asked, hesitantly. 


"Oh, do we have to?" added Fluttershy. 


Aw, come on, girls, some of the most interesting ponies in Equestria are down there," urged Twilight. 


"Yeah, I'm gonna have to side with Fluttershy on this one," said Applejack. "I remember the gala, and these here fancy get togethers aren't really my kind of party." 


"Don't worry, my little ponies," Celestia chimed. "Blueblood, and I, will go down first and draw their attention. Once we do, those of you who wish to can slip back to the castle." With that, she rose and made her way to the stairs, pausing at the top step. "It was a joy to spend time with all of you tonight. I hope we can do so again before long."  


With that, Celestia and Blueblood descended the stairs; followed quickly by Rarity, as well as Twilight and her herd. As the friends were saying goodnight, Lero paused and turned to Rebecca. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us? Believe it or not, hobnobbing with the nobles can be kind of fun." 


"Thanks, Lero, but you and I both know how ponies get when they're trying to be friendly. And the last thing I need is a bunch of paparazzi getting all touchy feely." 


"Well, alright, have a nice night then, you guys," he said, before following after the Princess. 


Sure enough, between the princess of the sun, a tall bipedal alien, and most of the elements of harmony, the crowds attention was quickly secured. "Welp, looks like this is the best shot we're gonna get," said Applejack, as she made her way down the stairs with Rebecca and Fluttershy close behind. 


As the three reached the bottom of the stairs, Rebecca peeked around the corner of the stand, and was relieved to see that Celestia and the others were slowly moving away from them, with the majority of the crowd following on their heels. Scanning the grounds around them, she didn't see any other ponies around. "Okay, girls, it looks like we're in the clear," she said, stepping out from behind the stand. "Now, we'll just make our way through the gardens to the castle, with nobody the wise-" 


"Hey, it's the other one!" Came a shout from above them. 


Looking up, Rebecca was momentarily blinded as a pegasus with a camera around her neck began snapping photos. Blinking away the spots, she saw that a number of ponies had broken off from the main crowd, and were quickly making their way towards them. "Okay, do we have a plan B?" 


"Hoof it!" yelled Applejack, as she and Fluttershy immediately bolted. Rebecca paused just long enough to kick off the heels she was wearing before taking off after them. 


"So, what's the plan?" Rebecca asked, doing her best to keep up with the two ponies. Behind her the rumble of pursuing hooves told her that the paparazzi of Equestria were just as tenacious as the ones back home. 


"Once we get deeper into the gardens, we split up and try to ditch them. We'll make our way back to the castle after that," replied Applejack, as they were coming up on the first statue of the sculpture garden. "Now!" she cried, as they passed marble figure, and vaulted a shrub wall before galloping off with several of the pursuers on her tail. 


Rebecca glanced down at Fluttershy. "Well, you heard her." 


"But, what if we get lost?" Fluttershy gasped. 


"Between the mountain sized castle and the power of flight I'm sure you'll be fine. Now go, I'll see you back at the castle."   


Giving her friend a firm push, Rebecca sent Fluttershy racing through the entrance of a large hedge maze. Looking back, she saw some a few ponies break off after her, but as she expected most of them kept chasing her. Okay, time for some evasive maneuvers. Gritting her teeth, and putting on as much speed as she could, Rebecca plowed through a large stand of bushes, looped around several statues, and pulled a sharp turn around another wall of hedges before finally breaking away from the ponies chasing her, and taking cover in a large flower patch.  


As she lay amongst the lilies, Rebecca could hear exasperated cries of alarm and disappointment breaking out nearby, followed by the fading sound of galloping ponies. Well, that takes care of them. Standing up, she started to dust herself off before cringing at the state of her dress. Not only was it covered in small tears, and green stains, but also thoroughly soaked in the sweat she had worked up on her little jog.  


"Well, I'm never going to hear the end of this from Rarity," she said, to no one in particular. "Now where the heck am I?"  Looking up at Canterlot Castle, she was surprised at how much ground she had covered. Welp, better get a move on.  


As she walked the garden paths, Rebecca was once again impressed by the immaculate care that went into the castle gardens; she hadn't stepped on a single branch or rock since she had kicked off her shoes. The statues especially were so well maintained that many of them seemed to glow in the pale moonlight. She also seemed to be passing them more and more frequently, until it was clear that she had found the royal sculpture garden. 


"Huh, friendship... victory... let me guess the next ones going to be harmo-"  


Rebecca nearly jumped out of her skin as she rounded the next bend in the path, only to find herself facing an all too familiar figure. Even stuck in it's ridiculous pose, the statue of Discord sent a chill down her spine as it loomed over her.  


"Well, hello again goatsnake. Looks like Celestia decided not to go with my bottom of the ocean suggestion. Still, I guess you can't be too much of a pain in the ass like this."  


A startled cry snapped Rebecca out of her little monologue. Turning to see who had managed to find her, she was surprised to find a familiar looking white unicorn staring back at her. The mare's eyes were wide with panic as they darted between Rebecca and the draconequus statue. Her breath came in short strained bursts, and for a moment her entire body shook like a leaf before her eyes rolled back and she toppled to the ground. 


"I blame you for this," Rebecca called to the statue, as she rushed to the pony's side. Up close she realized that she recognized the mare as one of the models from the show. Even without any clothes on the pony's slender frame, flawless white coat, and fleur-de-lis cutie mark made her stand out. Taking a closer look, Rebecca noticed that slender might not be the right word. The mare was downright skinny, her ribs clearly defined under her coat. 


"Hey, honey, are you okay?" The mare didn't respond. Placing her hand on the pony's neck, Rebecca tried to check for a pulse. To her surprise she actually managed to find it, and while it didn't feel to slow or fast, as far as she could tell, the mare's breathing was still short and harsh. Think fast, Becky, um... doctor! Blueblood said something about a castle doctor! 


Biting her lip, Rebecca did her best to steel herself for what she was about to do. Grasping the mare's fore and rear hooves in her hands, she let out a grunt of exertion and hoisted the unconscious pony onto her shoulders. Rebecca immediately began shuddering as she felt the warm body come into contact with her bare skin. As chills shot through her, she almost let go of the pony's legs before she heard something. A faint whimper escaped the mare's lips as she lay slung over Rebecca's shoulders. Hearing the sound, Rebecca's eyes snapped shut and she grit her teeth harder as she forced her legs to start moving, one step at a time, towards the castle.