> Burnt Orange Juice
>  by Mike the Red
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> A Most Peculiar Surprise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     There are a great many things I regret having done in my life -- I have messed it up so badly, I wish I had another chance to redo it -- I want to redo everything from when I was eight years old.

Do I really want to go that far back?  Ugh, maybe not that far back...  How about from my 18th birthday?

Maybe I won't make the same mistakes twice.  Who knows?  Maybe I might...

There's a part of me that wishes to visit Ponyville -- I wonder if the ponies there are just as friendly as they appear on TV -- maybe even more so!  One could always hope, I guess...

Of course, there's a reason they call it the idiot box -- maybe I shouldn't -- but I still wanna go there!

I wonder what it would be like to wake up laying next to Twilight Sparkle -- wouldn't she be shocked?!

I wonder what she would think of humans for real-real...but maybe I'd like to be a pony instead.

I wish I could make up my mind what I really want...why can't I focus on just one thing?


These thoughts, among others, were ones that preoccupied my mind as I drove home from work.  It was yet another normal day for me, taking a bit longer than I had wanted it to, but all in all not a bad day.  I've had worse.

I turned on the radio to listen to something -- I flipped channels and hit the scan button, but found no music to my liking.  I considered turning on the CD player, but remembered that I've already listened to all my burned discs at least 20 times over, so I left the radio off and listened instead to the sound of the tires humming along the pavement.  I allowed myself to stew in my thoughts when the phone rang, the particular ringtone indicating that my wife was calling once again.

God, I hate that woman...

"Hello?  What do you want?" I asked rather brusquely.  I should have pulled off to the side of the road, but chose not to, considering my mood.  I was in a hurry to get home and didn't have time to be taking calls from anyone, especially her.

"Where you at?  Can you stop by Hardee's and get me a burger on the way in?"

"Ugh.  Yeah, I guess I can," I replied before she hung up on me.

God, I hate that woman...why did I ever marry her in the first place?  Oh, that's right -- her parents didn't want us living in sin and neither did mine...

It gets boring, taking the same route home every night.  It gets boring, having to answer my wife's calls when I'm on my way home.  It gets boring, the same routine, day after frustrating day.

I pulled into the fast-food joint's drive-thru and got my wife her food request and drove the rest of the way home -- she was waiting for me under the carport and didn't waste any time taking the food as soon as I shut off the car.  Some times I wished I could teleport home from work, but knew that such a thing was impossible.

"You're welcome," I called after her as she snatched the food from my hand after I got out of the car.

"Fuck you," she retorted and closed the door behind her.

God, I really hate that woman...

Brenda went upstairs into our room with the food.  I went downstairs to get on the computer and played a few games and checked out a few things before getting tired enough to go to bed.  I readied my work clothes for the following day and stripped down to my skivvies before getting into bed, silently wishing for a change of pace before trying to get some sleep.  Brenda let the TV blare until she fell asleep, then I turned it off.  I continued to silently repeat my wishes inside my head, my thoughts turning to what I might do if at least one of them was granted.  I had no idea of what lay in store for me, though...





Sunlight streamed in through what appeared to be an open window -- I was half-expecting my alarm clock to wake me, but that didn't happen.  As I allowed my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the light, I noticed something purple wrapped around me -- that wasn't what caused me to scream, though.  I was looking at what was supposed to be my body, but -- I had white fur!  I had hooves!  I was tiny!  What the fuck just happened to me?!

"AAAAAAAHH!!" I screamed.  I woke the mare next to me -- she turned over and cooed softly to me.

"It's okay, Sweetie Belle, I'll take you back home in a little bit.  Let me get freshened up first."

"WHAAAAT?  Did you -- just call me -- Sweetie Belle?!" I asked incredulously, giving the lavender mare a very worried look.  She returned my look of apprehension with one of mild curiosity as she got out of her bed and turned to look in the mirror.  I turned to look and saw her staring at me by way of her reflection as she levitated a brush and began straightening her mane and tail.

"Well, you look just like her -- if you're not her, who are you and what are you doing in my bed?" she asked as she continued her brushing, now addressing her coat.

I groaned and gave her an annoyed look.  "If I had known this was going to happen, I wouldn't have made my wishes last night -- looks like all of them were rolled into a single one and granted."

"What did you wish for?" Twilight asked me as the corners of her mouth turned upward in a smile -- it appeared to me as though she was trying to stifle a few giggles.

"I guess I should tell you -- my name is Michael Walker and last night I made several wishes -- I wanted to redo my life from my eighth birthday, I wanted to visit Ponyville, and you in particular.  I had no idea everything would be wrapped up into a tidy little package like this," I opined as I looked down at my body.  "I suppose it could be worse -- I could have ended up in Diamond Tiara's body.  At least I'm a unicorn and can work magic -- I think."  I tried to rise to my hooves but fell over, causing the librarian to chuckle.

"So, you had a male name?  It looks like you probably weren't a pony last night, were you?"

"Jeez, whatever could have led you to that conclusion? -- yeah, you're right -- I was a male human, living in a world full of humans -- what are you looking at me like that for?"

My explanation had caused the mare to give me a big grin as she readied ink and parchment to take notes.  "I have a lot of questions for you," she grinned.  I sighed heavily in response and told her to ask away, doing my best to explain my reasons, my origin, my life to that point, and other aspects of my home world that piqued her curiosity as my explanations became more tangential to the answers to her questions.  I lost track of how many sheets of parchment she went through before we stopped to take a break.

"You know, Michael, you have a fascinating history -- I'm surprised you wanted to come here -- your world sounds so interesting I want to go there!" she exclaimed cheerfully.  I responded by giving her my best are you serious? look, causing her expression to drop somewhat.  "Is it that bad?"

"I don't wanna have to see my wife again -- she'd be furious," I stated matter-of-factly.  Twilight nodded her head as she recollected my explanation.

"Well, perhaps you might be willing to tell me more about it -- I'm still curious to see it, though."  My stomach growled at its state of emptiness, causing the mare to giggle.  "I suppose I should ask you what you want for breakfast -- please, follow me to the kitchen, I'll have Spike cook something for us."

I followed her out of her room until we reached the stairs leading down.  Twilight headed down without a second thought as I remained standing at the staircase, looking down somewhat balefully.  She entered the kitchen without bothering to check behind her, and as I gingerly took a step forward, I lost my balance and tumbled down the stairs.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow," I grunted as my body impacted each step all the way down.  Twilight heard the thumping and came back into the main room to witness me falling down the stairs and giggled almost uncontrollably as I came to a very undignified stop at the base of the staircase.

"I'll have you know that hurt quite a bit," I declared, holding my horn with my right fore-hoof as she continued to giggle.  Spike popped his head from out of the kitchen.

"What was all that thumping?  Oh, hi, Sweetie Belle -- what brings you here?  Did Rarity kick you out of the house again?"

"Ugh!  I'm not really her!  I may look like her but --" I tried to explain before the drake was on top of me, an angry scowl on his face.

"You must be a changeling then!" he growled, poking a sharp claw in my neck.  Twilight saw this and used her telekinesis to pull him off me, fixing a stern gaze at her assistant.

"Spike, that was uncalled for!  If you had let ... um, do I call you a male or female?"

"Yeah, the gender thing has my mind all screwed up too, Twilight.  I suppose you probably could call me Michael, but -- I dunno.  I was not prepared for this!" I replied as I sat on my hocks and held my head in my forehooves.  "What am I supposed to do now?  I was hoping for something better than this!"

"I'll help you with that if I can, Michael -- but right now I suggest we eat.  Perhaps a visit to Carousel Boutique might be in order as well," the librarian mused as she trotted into the kitchen.  Spike stuck his tongue out at me and blew a raspberry before following the lavender unicorn.  I rubbed my horn again as the pain slowly subsided and trotted as best I could after them.

"Hey, Sweetie Belle, wanna try your hoof at cooking?" Spike grinned impishly.

"Ugh!  Just let me get a glass of orange juice, okay?  Can I have a couple of pancakes as well?" I asked, trying not to get too angry at the drake for his crass attempt at humor.  I tried lighting my horn to use levitation, but it didn't seem to work.  "Um, Twilight, why's my magic not working?"

"You're not doing it right, Michael -- you need to relax and concentrate, visualizing your aura wrapping around the glass and moving it with your mind," she replied, a grin on her face.  I scrunched up my face as I tried to concentrate, the librarian giggling at my feeble attempt to work magic.  "I said relax, Michael!  If you try too hard, it's not going to work!"

I renewed my concentration, foxusing exclusively on the empty glass, which I managed to succeed in levitating to the table.  Twilight fetched the orange juice from the fridge and gave me an opportunity to pour it.  As soon as I had poured the liquid into the glass, it promptly turned black and began issuing smoke from the top of the glass.

"What?!  How did that happen?!" I exclaimed in surprise.

     



   
> A Steep Learning Curve
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     I discovered the disturbing fact that anything I tried to cook would automatically burn -- my first attempt resulted in Twilight and Spike giggling and laughing at me, even after I had explained to them that I was able to cook stuff in my home world without it burning.  A second attempt was a failure, despite my serious attempt to control the heat level -- even the lowest setting still caused the food to burn.  The third time, I didn't even turn on the stove and the food still burned!  This caused Twilight and Spike to express their shock and surprise that this would happen.

"It's like I'm cursed or something," I mused aloud as the drake fanned the smoke out the kitchen window.

"I may have to consult with the Princess on this matter -- the same thing happens to Sweetie Belle at the boutique," Twilight added, though she continued to giggle at my frustration.

"I remember you mentioning something about that earlier -- I wonder how Sweetie Belle would react to seeing a duplicate of herself," I opined softly.  Twilight had poured me a glass of juice which I took a sip from at this point.

"She'd probably want you to help her pull a prank on Diamond Tiara," the librarian replied nonchalantly.  I raised my eyebrows at this and let out a soft chuckle.

"Yeah, but -- I've heard she's a meanie.  There's a part of me that wants to teach her a lesson in humility, but -- in my home world, there've been people like that, and it doesn't matter how hard you beat them over the head with an object lesson, they remain set in their ways, their minds closed to new ideas or new information," I explained.  "People can change -- perhaps ponies can, too."

"Did I just hear that come out of your mouth, Sweetie Belle?" Spike asked, his face showing extreme surprise.

"You missed out on our earlier conversation, Spike -- Michael may look like Sweetie Belle, but -- he's almost 50 years old!  Do I have to explain to you what happened to him last night?" asked Twilight, showing a bit of exasperation at the drake.

"It's gonna take me awhile to wrap my head around the idea that -- this Sweetie Belle -- is from -- where did you say you were from again?"

"Where I came from, we called it Earth -- in other places, it's called by other names, depending on the language," I replied nonchalantly, smiling softly at the drake.  "I must admit to some curiosity to see Sweetie's reaction to seeing me."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Michael -- what if you get mistaken for her?  Keep in mind that some ponies still remember the changeling invasion -- that's why Spike mistook you for one -- so we need to be careful," Twilight advised, though she wore a smile as well as she hypothesized the reaction not only of Sweetie Belle but Rarity as well.

"I wonder what Scootaloo and Apple Bloom would think of two Sweetie Belles," I chuckled as my mood seemed to be improving.  "Besides, I don't think even Chrysalis herself could scare me as far as the changelings go."

"Don't joke about that!  What if she were to show up right now?  How would you defeat her?" Twilight asked in exasperation.

"I'd put her on the stove and try to cook her," I replied, giggling a little.  "She wouldn't be able to do much if she were burnt to a crisp."

"I hadn't thought of that -- it might actually work -- it might also make her very angry," the librarian offered, chuckling slightly.

"I'd pay good money to see that, though!" Spike laughed.

"Yeah, no.  Let's not tempt fate any more than we have to," Twilight responded.  I finished my juice at this point.

"I'm too short in this body to rinse out and clean the glass," I observed, giving Spike an almost apologetic look.

"Yeah, yeah, I've got it, Sweetie -- I mean, Michael -- hey, do you prefer to be called Mike?"

I snorted in mild amusement.  "Yeah, I guess you can call me Mike, if you feel like it.  Most people in my home world called me that, and I don't see why it shouldn't be the same here, except that I'm in a filly's body...I don't know how long it's gonna take me to get used to trotting around like this -- I hate being two feet tall," I grumbled.

"Perhaps Princess Celestia can work a little magic on you, Mike," Twilight offered, grinning broadly at me.

"Don't get my hopes up, Twilight," I replied glumly as I sat on my hocks again and rubbed my temples in frustration.  The mare trotted over to me slowly and sat beside me, giving me a soft smile.

"Don't let it get you down, Mike -- you wanted to come here and now you are.  What did you plan on doing when you got here?"

"I dunno -- I was kinda hoping I'd be returned to my eighth birthday in my home world -- it was a happier time for me and I wanted to enjoy being young again.  But -- I was torn -- and I couldn't decide on what I really wanted.  Now that I'm here, I don't know what I should do.  I'm open to suggestions," I replied.

"How much do you know about Equestria?  About Ponyville?  I know I had to teach you a little for you to use magic ... Perhaps I should take you to the school?  If you know as much about Equestria as you did about magic, you have much to learn about our world," the librarian offered.

"That means I'd have to interact with the other colts and fillies in the school -- and because I have no cutie mark, I'd get called a blank flank -- I've been called worse, to be sure.  The only problem I see with that is how would my classmates react to seeing two Sweetie Belles?  And considering how old I already am, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea.  Perhaps you could be my personal tutor, Twilight?" I asked, flashing her a big toothy grin, my eyes wide and bright.

"Hmmmm.  I don't think I've been given the opportunity to be a teacher -- I've sat in on a few classes as an observer, but -- let me think on it awhile, Mike," she replied softly, returning my grin with a demure smile.  "I'm pleased to know you regard me so highly, though."

"You're the mare with the answers, Twi -- back in my home world, my co-workers sometimes called me the Answer Man because I knew so much stuff.  Now that I'm here, I know next to nothing -- and I'll have to learn everything all over again."

"Aren't you insterested in learning everything you can about a place you've only dreamed of?  If I were in your hooves, I'd be excited to learn as much as I could about your home world!  You have the chance of a lifetime here!  Tell you what -- you teach me what you can about your home world and I can be your personal tutor!"

I gave the librarian a sincere smile and raised my right forehoof.  "You've got a deal, Twilight!  Hoofbump!" I exclaimed gleefully.

"What's that for?  I'm your tutor now, and the first rule is this -- I don't do hoofbumps with my students!" she admonished.
> It's a Big, Big World -- Maybe
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Twilight's sudden change in attitude towards me was a bit unnerving -- after a bit of bickering back and forth, we came to a mutual understanding.  I believe it was because she saw me in the filly's body that she had a tendency to disregard my age somewhat, causing me to occasionally remind her of that fact.  She would respond by apologizing to me, then catching herself and rebuking me for reminding her of my age.

"Y'know, Twilight, things would go a lot smoother if you simply loosen up a little -- please forgive my ignorance -- it looks like I'm gonna have to learn everything about being a pony as well as everything about Equestria," I observed.

"It cuts into my studying time -- maybe my earlier idea of having you go to school and having Miss Cheerilee as your teacher was a better one," the librarian grumbled.

"And I already told you that a 50 year old has no place among fillies and colts," I retorted.  The words coming out of my mouth in Sweetie Belle's high-pitched voice made her chuckle at the seeming ridiculousness of the situation.  "Besides, you requested I teach you what I can of my home world -- perhaps Princess Celestia can send us there or something."

"From what you were telling me earlier about that place, it sounded to me as though you didn't want to go back -- have you changed your mind already?" she asked, flashing me a grin.

"I still wanna explore this world and see everything it has to offer," I replied.  "I haven't been here long enough yet to make a decision of that sort -- I haven't even been outside the library yet and you're asking me if I wanna go home -- I'm not ready to go home just yet, Twilight," I answered matter-of-factly.

"As your teacher, I insist you call me Miss Twilight," she opined, fixing me with a firm gaze.

"Yes, Miss Twilight," I responded, rolling my eyes at the irony of a 50 year old calling somepony half his age Miss.

"Don't roll your eyes at me, young lady!" she giggled, fully cognizant of the ludicrous situation.  I rolled my eyes at her again.

"Yes, Miss Twilight," I offered half-heartedly as I began trotting towards the door leading outside.

"Where do you think you're going, young lady?" she asked sternly.

"I wanna go outside and see what's what," I replied.  "I think we've spent enough time in the library today and I need to get out and stretch my legs a little."

"You're not going anywhere looking like that," she admonished, glaring at me again.

"Aww, c'mon, Twi, let me do it," I protested, giving her my most petulant look.  She giggled at my expression for a moment before she caught herself, mentally rebuking herself for having let me slip up.

"As my student, you are not permitted to call me by my nickname -- only my friends are allowed to call me that, do I make myself clear?" she asked, her words sounding somewhat harsh to my ears, which I lowered involuntarily.

"Yes, Miss Twilight," I replied glumly, eliciting a few more giggles before I turned my head around and glared at the librarian in disapproval.  "Must I keep reminding you I'm not the filly you see before you?" I asked as my exasperation wandered into the territory of bewilderment.  "And when are you going to let me check out the great outdoors?"

"You have more to learn before we can go outside, Michael -- and before we even get started on that, you're going to have to learn how to trot like a pony and go up and down stairs.  I apologize for laughing at you earlier, but I couldn't help myself."

I groaned in disappointment at having to learn how to walk all over again, this time as a pony as opposed to a human.  This task proved to be quite time-consuming and it seemed like it took me forever to acclimate myself to climbing and descending the staircase so I could navigate it without too much trouble.  After about three hours of practicing, we took a break for dinner.  A plate with a dandelion sandwich was placed before me, courtesy of Twilight's levitation.  I stared at it disdainfully.

"Don't you like dandelion sandwiches, Sweetie?" asked Twilight as she gauged my reaction.  I didn't bother to answer her as I continued to stare at the sandwich as though it were a plate of liver I had cooked -- burnt to a crisp.  About a minute of silence ensued before the librarian repeated her question, though worded somewhat differently.

I paused for dramatic effect and pushed the plate away from me with my right fore-hoof, not with enough force to slide it off the table, but with enough so that it rested in the center.  "I don't eat dandelions, Twilight," I muttered softly as I returned to my sitting position.

"As my student, you will have to learn the ways of the pony, and that includes your diet as well -- perhaps you might not have noticed this, Michael, but -- you're not exactly slender.  That's one difference you have that separates you from the real Sweetie Belle.  If you were to meet your doppelganger -- well, in this case, you're the doppelganger -- you're a bit pudgier than her.  So -- you can stare at that sandwich all you want, but you're not getting anything else to eat until tomorrow morning."

I groaned and sighed in resignation, using my freshly learned ability to telekinetically slide the plate back over to me, then levitate the sandwich before me.  I took a bite out of the sandwich, simply out of frustration before I was rewarded with a rather rich acidic flavor of the dandelion greens and flower.  A smile crept across my face as I savored the intensity of the flavor.

"Oh, you like that, huh?  I thought you might," the librarian grinned.  "When you finish, we have some more studying to do."

"Awww, c'mon, Twi, do I hafta?" I asked, giving her the adorable petulant puppy-dog eyes look again.

"Yes, you hafta," she replied firmly, glaring at me again for having used her nickname.  "You don't want me to ground you now, do you?"

I gave her a wide-eyed look of fear.  "You -- you -- wouldn't do that, would you?" I asked almost fearfully.

"Try me," she replied curtly.
> A New Day Awaits, Promising Fun and Excitement
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Her words sounded a bit more harsh than I think she had intended them to -- but perhaps I needed such a jolt to my system, even though what she said sounded an awful lot like something my wife might have said to me; I let her know my displeasure, though perhaps I should have taken a more respectful tone.

"Miss Twilight, I would appreciate it if you would not act like my wife," I declared, my words colored by my state of annoyance.  I was truly starting to wonder if making a wish to visit Equestria and Twilight was such a good idea.  Sure, I was thrilled to meet the one pony I favored over all others, but -- to be in Sweetie Belle's body and have my idol treat me like I was her daughter was something that got my back up.

"Hmph, you already told me all about her and all the awful things she did to you -- I used fifteen sheets of parchment writing down everything you told me about her," the mare observed casually.  "And I remember telling you I wouldn't act like that -- well, I'm sorry if my words sting, but you're my student now and you still have much to learn.  That's the point of these study lessons I'm going to give you!  Please don't waste my time -- I don't like that very much."

"Yes, Miss Twilight," I muttered in resignation.  She grinned and fetched several books with her magic and we began our studies -- or rather, I began as she taught me various things about being a pony and Equestrian history.  After three hours or so of studying, it was time to go to bed.

"Um, Miss Twilight, where will I be sleeping tonight?" I asked.  I silently hoped she might let me sleep with her again, though I wouldn't have been surprised had she not.  My hopeful expression fell when she answered.

"I will fix you a bed in the guest room, Sweetie," she replied as she trotted up the stairs.  She hadn't even bothered to look at me when she answered, though had she done so, she would have noticed a rather dour expression on my face.  I decided not to correct her and trotted up the stairs behind her, though my diminutive size afforded me a look at a certain part of her anatomy I should not have chosen to stare at, pretty though it was.

"Um, my eyes are up here, Michael," she stated in a rather annoyed tone of voice.  "You should be careful about staring at me -- I don't care what you think of me, or how highly you regard me -- as your teacher, I demand you treat me with respect and not try to peek under my tail!"

I involuntarily lowered my ears and hung my head in shame.  "Yes, Miss Twilight.  I'm sorry, Miss Twilight, I won't let it happen again," I offered in my best attempt at a reverent tone of voice.

"You'd better not, or you'll be sleeping in Spike's basket!"

"And where will he sleep?"

"In your bed, of course," the mare chuckled darkly as she entered the guest room and prepared a bed for me.  There was a part of me that wanted to ask something of her -- she must have noticed this, or my facial expression gave it away.  "Something you wish to ask, Michael?"

"Um -- well, uhhh," I began as I tried to formulate an answer.  My eyes spoke more than my words did, though.

"If you're thinking about joining me in my bed, forget about it.  Unless you were a handsome stallion, I wouldn't even think of letting you sleep with me!"

"Perhaps Princess Celestia can remedy my current predicament?" I asked half-heartedly.

The mare paused to ponder my query before she answered.  "I'll have to think about it, Michael," she stated as she trotted into her room and closed the door.  "Sweet dreams, Sweetie Belle!" she called out to me from behind the door.  I groaned in annoyance before trotting to the bed she had prepared for me and climbed into it to lay down.  Sleep came fitfully for me that night.





"My, my, aren't you a new one here?" came a distinctly male voice.  Hearing this woke me immediately and I glanced around to see who it might have been -- it was still quite dark out and I couldn't make out anything.

"Who's there?" I asked as I nervously looked around the room.  There was something about that voice, something I should know...

"Oh, no one special," came the response before I heard a weird zipping noise, accompanied by what sounded like a typical villain's evil laughter.

I sat awake for a good half hour or so, waiting for him to return.  I was tempted to go to Twilight's room and tell her what happened, but after considering that possibility, I changed my mind.  I continued to sit up and wait for whomever it was to return, but fatigue overtook me and I fell back asleep.  My mysterious visitor didn't return, but I found myself being shaken awake by a rather irritated librarian.

"Sweetie Belle, wake up!  It's half past nine and you were supposed to be up two hours ago!" Twilight declared in exasperation.  I sat up and gave her a very bleary eyed look.

"Something or someone or somepony came in here last night and woke me up -- when I asked who it was, he responded by saying he was no one special," I offered.  The mare glared at me and narrowed her eyes.

"Don't try to lie to me, young filly, you were up too late last night, weren't you?"

"I didn't think you'd believe me," I replied sullenly.  "I hope he doesn't show up again tonight."

"Whatever.  We have to get you ready -- I'm taking you to the school today!" she beamed, thrilled by the prospect of being rid of me.

"Would have been nice if you had chosen to tell me this last night, Miss Twilight," I replied sullenly.  "I thought I told you --"

"That's immaterial, Michael -- you're going to school and that's that!  Besides, you said you wanted to see the great outdoors, so here's your chance!  Now follow me into the bathroom, you need to freshen up."

I grumbled again and followed the mare into her bathroom and watched as she turned on the water in the tub.  Using her telekinesis, she lifted me and placed me in the tub under the flow of water, which was too cold for my liking.

"Miss Twilight, you could have made the water warmer, please," I complained.  Without answering me, she increased the flow of hot water, eliciting a grunt of approval from me when the water reached the desired temperature.  She shampooed my coat, mane and tail using a bunch of brushes and a couple of loofahs, making short work of cleaning my body thoroughly and rinsed me off just as quickly.

"You impress me with your skills, Miss Twilight," I observed cheerfully, beaming a big smile at her.

"You should be careful about flattering me, Michael, but thanks for the compliment!" she smiled in return.  "Now to fix you up so you don't look like your doppelganger."

She used a few more brushes to straighten out my mane and tail so it more closely resembled hers, then my coat to make it look presentable.  She placed a set of saddlebags on my back and beckoned me to follow her downstairs.  I had to focus my mind on the practice from yesterday and managed to make it down the staircase without falling.  She was waiting by the front door for me by the time I reached the base of the stairs.

"Come on, Michael, it's late enough as it is -- I should have woken you sooner, but -- let's just go, okay?"

"Yes, Miss Twilight," I offered almost dejectedly as I trotted to her side.  She opened the door and I got my first taste or whiff of Ponyville air -- a bit different and a lot fresher than the stale stuffy atmosphere of the library.  How the library managed to maintain its particular scent despite having open windows all day long baffled me as I silently trotted beside Twilight.

"So, you ready for your first day at Ponyville Elementary?" the mare grinned, lightly nudging me into acknowledging her presence.

"As ready as I'll ever be, Miss Twilight," I responded.  My mood should have been one of eager anticipation, but I was silently dreading the reaction I would receive, considering the fact that I looked almost like Sweetie Belle, the only difference being the style of my mane and tail.  I was already garnering looks of puzzlement from some of the ponies who watched us trot towards the school.

"Shouldn't you already be in school, little filly?" one pony asked.

"That's where I'm taking her," Twilight responded as I remained silent, though I shot a glare at the pony who had had the temerity to ask such a pointed question.  Said pony shrunk back from my harsh stare of disapproval.

"S-sorry I asked," she offered timidly before turning away.  I chuckled darkly at her reaction, earning a sidelong glance from the lavender unicorn.

"... Perhaps you should be careful about that, Michael," she said softly.  "I don't want to see you get in trouble."

I raised an eyebrow and gave a mischievous grin before catching myself.  "I won't cause any trouble if nopony causes me any trouble, Miss Twilight," I responded matter-of-factly, though my tone indicated I was annoyed at being treated in such a patronizing manner.  She's still treating you like you're the filly she sees, I silently thought to myself, causing my frown to deepen.


> A New Student is Introduced
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     We managed to make it all the way to the schoolhouse without further incident, whereupon I heaved a sigh of relief at not having to address any other excessively curious ponies who should know better than to ask stupid questions.  I followed Twilight to the school's office and watched as paperwork was filled out for me.  During a recess break, Miss Cheerilee entered and struck up a conversation with the librarian, though she also acknowledged my presence as well.  Upon seeing me, she did a double-take.

"Sweetie Belle?  I thought you were supposed to be in class!" the young teacher exclaimed in near exasperation.  I grinned at her, thought Twilight glared at me in disapproval upon seeing my reaction.

"Actually, I'm not Sweetie Belle, Miss Cheerilee," I replied matter-of-factly, drawing a gasp from a secretary who was filling out paperwork for me.

"Then who are you?" she asked, her gaze narrowing at me.

"I'm her twin sister, Aurora Belle -- we were separated at birth and I've been living in Trottingham for the past nine years," I replied, my grin widening.

"That's not true, Michael," the librarian retorted coldly.  I glanced over my left side and rolled my eyes at the lavender unicorn.

"Oh, come on, Miss Twilight, can't I at least be allowed to have a little fun?" I asked.  The burgundy mare gave me a look of shock, her mouth agape.  "Miss Cheerilee, my story is one you won't believe," I announced.  "But maybe you'd need Miss Twilight to explain the details to you."

"Who were you staying with in Trottingham?" asked the teacher.

"I was with an aunt of mine -- she raised chickens for a living, and we affectionately named her Cluckin' Belle," I replied, my grin nearly splitting my face.  My explanation earned a light growl of annoyance from the librarian and a bemused grin on the teacher's face.

"Did you have an uncle living with you as well?" the teacher pried further.

"Yeah, we named him Taco Belle," I giggled before Twilight shot me a very dirty look and growled a bit louder at me.  "Awwww, come on, Miss Twilight!  Let me have some fun!  Pinkie Pie wouldn't do that!"

"Do I look like Pinkie Pie?  I'm not her, so don't expect me to act like her, Michael!" Twilight grumped.

"Twilight, why are you calling her Michael?  That's a male name, is it not?" asked Cheerilee.

"Well, she was male before she arrived in my bed yesterday morning -- told me she was originally named Michael.  She woke up as Sweetie Belle --"

"Excuse me -- Michael, is it?  If you're trotting around looking like Sweetie Belle -- you can't have the same name as her!  What would you prefer to be called?" asked the teacher, a look of extreme curiosity on her face.

"Well -- I suppose you could call me Aurora -- I don't think I'd mind that," I replied, giving the mare a hopeful look.  The secretary who had been filling out paperwork groaned audibly and the sound of ripping paper could be heard in the background.

"Now I'm going to have to fill out all this paperwork again.  Twilight, you should have told me this before I started," she stated in great annoyance.  She sighed heavily in exasperation to emphasize her point.

"Sorry," the librarian offered sheepishly.  "So, Michael, you prefer to be called Aurora?  Very well then, I'll try to remember that."

"I think that's a very pretty name," Cheerilee noted brightly.  "So, Aurora, are you ready for your first day of classes?  The year's close to over, so I won't call on you to answer any questions.  I assume you know to raise your hoof if you need anything?"

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee," I replied.

"Don't cause any trouble, Michael," Twilight intoned, glaring at me again.

"Please don't call me that, Miss Twilight -- not unless I'm in my human body again," I requested, earning a shocked look from the teacher and the secretary.  "What?" I asked, annoyance evident in my tone.  "Miss Twilight, I promise not to cause any trouble -- as long as nopony makes any trouble for me.  I make no guarantees then."

"Aurora, how old are you?" asked Cheerilee.  Twilight grinned.

"Says she's 50 years old, Cheerilee," the librarian chuckled.

"Ugh!  Miss Twilight, that was my human age!" I exclaimed in exasperation, exhaling sharply through my mouth.

"Seems I know how to annoy you," she giggled.

"I never thought the pony I idolized would act this way!" I exclaimed as my exasperation gave way to annoyance.

"I can't let you have all the fun now, can I?" she asked, flashing a mischievous grin at me.  "You want to have fun?  Go ahead, but don't take it too far -- or I might send you to stay with Rarity instead."

"What, so I can stay with my doppelganger?  I think Rarity would have enough trouble with her sister alone without adding me into it as well," I responded.  "Such a possibility does pique my curiosity though..."

"Don't get any ideas, Michael," Twilight admonished, glaring at me again.  The briefest grin crossed my lips before disappearing under her withering gaze.

"Yes, Miss Twilight," I sighed.

"Miss Twilight, I will need for you to sign these papers.  Aurora, if that is what you wish to be called, I will need your signature as well," the secretary stated after signing her copies.  She had stamped them with a pre-inked stamp pad bearing the principal's signature, something which amazed me.

"I had no idea you had those here," I commented before grasping the ink quill in my aura.  My hornwriting was atrocious, requiring me to use my right forehoof to sign the papers manually, though even that proved to be rather difficult.

"Aurora, I cannot read this," Cheerilee noted as she turned the paper over in three different directions.

"I signed it in the language I was taught, Miss Cheerilee," I replied.  Twilight snatched the paper with her aura and examined it.

"Um, what language is this, Michael?"

"Ugh!  It's English, the language I grew up reading, writing, and speaking, Miss Twilight," I groaned in disgust.

"I'm going to have to teach you Equish," the librarian stated cheerfully.  "When you get done here, please come straight back to the library so we can begin!"

"I'm the teacher here, Twilight -- I will teach her Equish," Cheerilee responded.

"Wouldn't that interrupt the curriculum for this time of the school year?" asked Twilight, her grin widening as the burgundy mare grumbled in disappointment.

"Yes, that's right, Twilight -- it's too late in the year for Aurora to learn Equish at this point, so teach her what you can.  Please try to be quick about it.  Aurora, I hope you're a fast learner," she noted, flashing me a smile.

"Indeed I am, Miss Cheerilee.  I promised to teach Twilight about my origin and customs, but I guess I'll have to teach her English as well.  Truthfully, I look forward to discovering the contrast between the two languages, though the spoken form is virtually identical," I opined.

"You sound like you already have a good deal of education behind you," the teacher noted brightly.

"Miss Twilight told you I experienced 50 years of life as a human, and the first 20 or so was spent on education," I replied, causing both mares to give me looks of surprise.

"I thought you had no education," the secretary half-said, half-asked.

"Perhaps because this is the first time you've seen me -- and since I look like a filly, I'm sure that's what you thought when you first saw me.  There's more to me than meets the eye, Miss Stenna Grapher," I proclaimed almost proudly.

"Stop showing off, Aurora!  Miss Twilight, I will escort her to the classroom," Cheerilee offered, flashing a grin.  "Miss Aurora, I am quite interested to know more about you and your origin.  Perhaps you can tell the class some of your personal history."

"You mean my Trottingham history or human history?" I asked, flashing a wicked grin.

"Michael!" Twilight hissed, glaring angrily at me, causing me to grin sheepishly and shrug.  The teacher beckoned me to follow her as she opened the door to the hallway, though she flashed me a grin and a soft chuckle.  "Don't make me repeat myself, Aurora!" the librarian scolded before leaving for her home.

"If you don't mind, Aurora, I would like to hear both stories -- I'm willing to bet both of them will be quite entertaining.  Here's your new classroom -- I will assign you a seat next to Sweetie Belle," offered Cheerilee.  As she opened the door for me, all the fillies and colts rushed back to their seats.  Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon sat near the front, both of them gasping when they saw me, before they regained their composure and shot me a wicked grin.  Sweetie Belle's jaw dropped, as did Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.  I trotted over to the three fillies, a cheesy grin on my face.

"Class, I would like to introduce a new student -- her name is Aurora Belle, twin sister of Sweetie Belle," Cheerliee stated loudly, so that even Snips and Snails, who were sitting in the back could hear her.  I received some friendly greetings from some, and a few stares from others, and looks of glowering disapproval from the bullies.  I narrowed my eyes at them, returning their death gazes with one of my own.  "I hope you'll treat her with respect and friendship -- that goes for you too, Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon!"

"Yes, Miss Cheerilee," they responded, though a very condescending tone was quite evident in their response.

"Say it like you mean it!" I blurted out at them, drawing a gasp from the rest of the class and a harsh glare from the teacher.  "Sorry, Miss Cheerilee, but I heard the way they acknowledged your request -- no sincerity at all behind it," I declared in an attempt at contrition.

"Your apology is accepted, Aurora.  Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon -- I would strongly suggest you treat your new classmate with respect," she stated, fixing the two fillies with a stern gaze.  They turned to me for just a second and stuck their tongues out at me.  "Aurora, why not tell your classmates about your origin?  Where you came from?"

I trotted to the front of the class and stood directly in front of the teacher's desk, facing my classmates.  They seemed to stare at me attentively as I cleared my throat in order to tell my tale.
> The Curious Tale of Aurora Belle
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     I stood before the class, taking note of their reaction.  Most seemed to be attentive, though Snips and Snails were talking to each other about something or other -- I couldn't quite hear them, but paid them no mind.  I knew they wouldn't be interested in what I had to say, anyway.  Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon wore looks of mild bemusement, perhaps waiting for me to reveal something they could taunt me with later.  Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo seemed to be on the edge of their seats, waiting for me to speak.  A few others were equally attentive -- upon seeing Twist, I had to stifle a giggle.  In a way, she reminded me of myself at that age.

"Right.  As Miss Cheerilee stated, I am Aurora Belle, twin sister of Sweetie -- wait, wait -- we were separated at birth, and I was sent to live with my Aunt and Uncle on a chicken farm.  We raised chickens, selling the eggs to ponies and some of the chickens to griffons," I began.  I waited for a response or a question.

"How come Mom and Dad didn't tell me about you?" asked Sweetie Belle, still somewhat shocked by my presence.

"You might want to ask them yourself, but -- I'd be careful about that, unless I'm there with you.  Truthfully, Auntie Cluckin' never told me why we were -- and Uncle Taco would always dodge the question.  If I may continue?"

"How many chickens did your family raise?" asked Apple Bloom.

"Usually about three hundred or so -- feeding them became a bit of a chore, as did cleaning up after them.  I went around gathering the eggs in the morning, though some would be saved for new chicks.  There was one day when a particularly sharp dressed griffon came around and bought a hundred chickens from us all at once -- we ate real good after that for quite awhile," I grinned.

"Is that why you're so fat?" asked Diamond Tiara, sensing an opening.

"Auntie Cluckin' told me I'm not fat, just big-boned," I replied, glaring sternly at the pink filly.  "Why not let me see your tiara to see if it's real or not?"

"Hmph.  Of course it's real!  My daddy wouldn't dream of buying me a fake one!" she retorted.  Using my magic, I snatched it off her head and brought it to me so I could examine it.  "HEY!  GIVE THAT BACK!" she shrieked as I turned it over and examined it.  I drew loud laughs from the Cutie Mark Crusaders upon doing that, though a harsh glare from Silver Spoon and a couple of other classmates.  A look of shock was on Cheerilee's face before she managed to regain some composure.

"Hmmm.  Made in Griffonia.  I shouldn't wonder," I mused as I returned it to the distraught filly, who snatched it out of my aura before whimpering lightly.  "Those stones aren't real, either -- they're rhinestones.  They're set in plastic which resembles silver -- I think your daddy bought a box of those for five bits and sells them in his store for ten bits apiece."

"Miss Aurora, please -- that was uncalled for!" the teacher admonished, giving me a look of disappointment.  The pink filly whimpered a little as she took the opportunity to examine her tiara more closely.  She scowled at me.

"My tiara IS real!" she shouted at me.  "Sterling Silver!  Made in Canterlot!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever.  If I may continue?" I grinned, earning a few more giggles from the other fillies.  A hint of a smile crossed the teacher's face, though it disappeared just as quickly.

"Right.  As I was saying --" I began before Twilight entered the room, interrupting my flow.

"I've been listening," she scowled.  "Tell them the truth, Michael!"

I rolled my eyes at her.  "A-hem.  As I was saying, things were going pretty well for us in Trottingham -- Auntie Cluckin' and Uncle Taco were planning to take me and my cousin Silver Belle to Dismareland.  They had saved up enough money for a long vacation, and we were all set to go when lightning struck the house, setting it on fire," I said, tears beginning to well up in my eyes.  I sniffled for effect.  "I was the only one who made it out alive.  A fire brigade pony found me and took me to the orphanage.  It was only when I heard about the exploits of one Twilight Sparkle that I requested that I be entrusted to her care."

The librarian sniffled a moment at my explanation, as I had been particularly convincing with my story.  I even saw Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom and Scootaloo tear up as well.

"Miss Twilight is the best pony I've met so far -- even nicer than Auntie Cluckin' -- she's even been kind enough to teach me some of the basics of magic use and elementary language skills," I commented, drawing a smile from some of my classmates and a big grin on the lavender unicorn's face.  "I sincerely hope she will be kind enough to allow me to remain in her custody, as she is my favorite pony."

"Michael, I am touched by your sincerity," Twilight offered.  "Though I was hoping you'd tell your classmates your human story."

"I'm getting to that, Miss Twilight -- give me a moment to prepare, please," I responded as I drew myself to stand as best I could, something which nearly stunned the class.  "As you may have noticed, Miss Twilight has referred to me by a name I used to carry as a human.  As you can probably tell, I am standing in the fashion most humans do.  Trust me when I say that this position is actually quite painful for me to maintain for any length of time," I stated matter-of-factly as I returned to standing on all fours.  "And as Miss Twilight has said, I have a long history as a human -- one which spans nearly 50 years.  Miss Cheerilee, I might suggest a break for the class -- and I would like a glass of water.  This story is a long one."

"All right.  Class, we will break for ten minutes," Cheerilee stated as she trotted over to me.  "I don't know what to call you," she opined, half in awe, half in curiosity.

"You may continue to call me Aurora, until such time as I may be returned to my human form -- if that's even possible.  Miss Twilight, I might request you refrain from calling me by my human name, if you would be so kind," I requested as I stared at the mare.  She nodded her head, though her smile bespoke of mischief.  Sweetie Belle trotted up to me, a big grin on her face.

"I've always wanted to meet myself," she chirped.  "Where did you come from?"

"Sweetie, I'm about to tell you and everypony else in the class my story -- this one's real, not made-up like the one I just told you.  I apologize for lying to you about a possible Aunt and Uncle," I said.  Her expression dropped when I told her this.  "Cheer up, Sweetie, I'm sorry for that -- what, are you disappointed?  Perhaps there may be some truth to my story -- but we'd have to ask your parents about it," I offered.

"Oooh, I sure hope so!  Even if it's not -- it's still a really interesting story!  I wonder what they'd think if they met you," she mused.

"I think they might be a little confused by seeing two of us, but -- my guess is they'd be pretty cool about it.  Your big sister, on the other hoof -- well, I don't really know how she'll react to seeing two of us."

"Well, why not come to my house when school's over?  I wanna see what she does when she sees two of us!" the filly giggled.

"Miss Twilight?  May I accompany my doppelganger to the boutique?" I asked.

"Well -- I guess so -- but come straight back to the library when you're done over there," she replied, adding a stern look to punctuate her request.

"What if Miss Rarity wants me to stay over there?" I asked.

"Tell you what -- I will give you one hour after school to meet Rarity -- and another half-hour after that to get to the library.  If you're not home by then, I'll come get you -- but I won't be happy about it."

The teacher returned with a glass of water for me, which I took with my telekinesis.  My magic seemed to be improving as I took a sip from it and placed it on the desk.  "Aaaah, much better.  Thanks!" I exclaimed cheerfully.  Cheerilee nodded and smiled before going outside and calling the class back in.  It took a few minutes for everypony to return to their seats as I returned to my position from before.

"Are we ready?" I asked, once again taking stock of the fillies and colts.  "Very well then.  My human name is Michael Walker -- I spent nearly 50 years living on a world where the only sapient species is human.  There are other animals on the planet -- too many to list, too numerous to mention -- save for the fact that none of them have been able to communicate with humans on anything other than a very rudimentary level," I stated.

"What does that mean?" asked Apple Bloom.  "Do the ponies on your home world talk?"

"Perhaps they do, Apple Bloom -- but if they do, no human can understand what they talk about.  Scientists were trying to find ways of determining animal thought, analyzing animal behavior, perhaps in an attempt to finally engage in intelligent conversations with them.  As far as I know, very little progress has been made in that attempt.  Miss Twilight, a question?"

"I must have forgotten to ask you this yesterday, Aurora, but -- didn't you tell me about a movie you had seen where certain animals were able to communicate with humans?"

"The 'Planet of the Apes' movies -- that's a subject for another time -- that was just fiction, a story depicting an alternate future universe where apes developed super-human intelligence and enslaved what few humans remained after a nuclear war," I replied.

"If you spent so much time living on a world filled with humans, what made you want to come here?" asked Cheerilee.

"Um, well -- there are too many reasons to list for that, but -- truthfully, ever since I became aware that such a place existed, I silently expressed a desire to visit, if only for a short period of time.  I had no idea that a bunch of wishes I made the night before last would be granted -- I have made so many wishes in my life that I simply accepted it as fate that they would never be granted."

"You -- you actually -- wished to come here?  And -- that wish was granted?" the teacher asked, her incredulity growing.

I hung my head and sighed.  "Yes, Miss Cheerilee -- and now that I'm here, and in the body of Sweetie Belle, no less -- I'm a little disappointed to discover that things were not as I had hoped."

"Then why not wish to go back home?" asked Diamond Tiara.  "You wished to come here and now you wanna go back home?  What, are you a crybaby?"

I narrowed my eyes at the filly and growled.  "I might look like a filly, but I have the mind of a 50 year old man in here.  To hear you even countenance the thought of referring to be by such a moniker -- you're a rotten little brat, you know that, don't you?"

"Aurora!  Control yourself!" Cheerilee admonished.

"Then tell Miss Tiara to behave herself -- in the world where I came from, there are many instances of those who were bullied bringing weapons to school to exact revenge upon their tormentors -- to the point where quite a few children were killed in those schools and lawsuits were brought against those school districts for tolerating the presence of bullies and doing nothing to correct the behavior, which led to a hostile learning environment," I commented.  "I don't want to see the same sort of thing happen here."

The teacher and librarian stared at me in shock -- Diamond Tiara gave me a worried look.

'Um, you're not going to, uh, try to take revenge, are you?" she asked almost fearfully.

"No -- I went through twelve years of schooling on my home world.  I have only discovered that what I learned there doesn't necessarily apply to this world -- meaning, I'll have to learn just about everything all over again, including how to read and write Equish.  I only speak a language which is compatible by sheer luck," I replied.  "It is not my desire to make enemies -- and I would hope you would seek to make friends instead of enemies yourself," I advised.  I saw quite a few of the fillies and colts nod their heads in approval.

"Why would I want to make friends with these ... losers?  I have enough friends of my own as it is," the pink filly replied haughtily.

"Because these "losers" as you call them might one day be able to help you when you might actually need it -- and if they remember you as being one of the meanest little ponies to treat them with such disrespect, contempt, and derision, you will find yourself alone with nopony to help you in your darkest hour," I replied firmly, narrowing my gaze at her.  "I've seen your type before, Miss Tiara -- they went on to lead absolutely miserable lives when they reached my age -- or worse, they committed suicide."  That last bit drew gasps from everypony, and even Diamond Tiara hesitated for a moment before she regained a little composure.

"Hmph.  We shall see when that day comes -- but I'm willing to bet it won't," she huffed contemptibly before turning her back to me.

"It disappoints me to see this sort of behavior coming from you," I noted sullenly.

"Don't patronize me!" she shouted at me.  "You think you're better than me just because you're older than me?  What do you know?" she asked angrily.  "You didn't even think my tiara was real!"

"That's because I was trying to get a rise out of you -- it worked, of course -- but mark my words, little filly -- I'm just trying to save you from yourself.  If you choose to ignore my advice, don't come crying to me when I tell you I told you so."

"Aurora, I think that's quite enough.  Class is dismissed for the rest of the day.  Miss Aurora, I need to speak to you," Cheerilee declared quite sternly.  The rest of the class exited rather hurriedly, happy to get out of there.  I think my mood might have soured them a little as I trotted over to the teacher.

'My apologies, Miss Cheerilee -- I don't like seeing bullies do what they do -- it bothers me tremendously.  That's why I was trying to shame her into acting a bit more friendly -- perhaps I shouldn't have beaten her over the head with my advice, but in some cases, that's what's needed to get bullies to see the damage they do to those they torment.  I've always wanted to tell one off, but --"

"Spare me your explanations, Michael -- I suggest you accompany Twilight back to the library.  I was hoping your story would be amusing for the class -- I must have been mistaken.  Please, do not return tomorrow.  I'll take care of the paperwork for you.  Twilight, if there's any instruction she needs, please see to it yourself.  I think she's a bit overqualified for my classes."

"I apologize for troubling you, Cheerilee -- come on, Michael, I guess I'm stuck with you for right now," the librarian sighed.

"Sorry," I offered as I trotted to follow Twilight out.

"Your explanations are quite interesting, but -- they're more for mares and stallions, not fillies and colts.  Perhaps I might pay you a visit later on to learn more about you.  You seem quite intelligent," the teacher noted as I left, but not before giving her a sincere thank-you.
> Meeting Rarity
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     "Michael, I'm very disappointed in you," Twilight admonished as we trotted back toward the library.  I  hung my head as I followed her, scuffing the ground with my hooves.

"I'm sorry, Miss Twilight -- I guess I forgot where I was," I replied sullenly as I kicked a stray rock aside.

"Hey!  Aurora!  Hey!" Sweetie Belle shouted as she galloped to meet us.  "I thought you were coming to my house!  I want you to meet my big sister!  I wanna see how she's gonna react to meeting you!" she grinned.  "You wanna hang out with me and my friends?  You'll have so much fun!"

I turned to the librarian, giving her an expectant glance.  "Is it okay with you, Miss Twilight?" I asked.

"Well -- Sweetie Belle, you realize that this filly has the mind of a 50 year old human inside?"

"So what?  That doesn't mean she can't have some fun with us!"

"Michael, you may do so, on one condition -- you must treat the fillies with respect -- do not hurt them in any way.  Do I make myself clear?"

"Miss Twilight, they're young enough to be my grandchildren -- of course I'll treat them with respect," I replied flatly.  "I'm curious to see what you guys do as far as trying to get cutie marks goes," I mused.

"Why does Twilight keep calling you Michael?" she asked as I trotted with her towards the boutique.

"It's because that's my human name -- I think she's trying to annoy me by calling me by that name.  I can't get her to call me Aurora unless she feels like doing so -- to make matters worse, when I woke up laying next to her yesterday, she thought I was you!  She even went so far as to call me by your name to further annoy me," I replied.

"So whaddaya wanna be called?"

"You can call me Aurora -- until things change for me," I grinned.

"What things?"

"I'm hoping to meet with Princess Celestia and see if something can be done to help me."

"Don't you like being me?" she grinned.

"Well -- now that I've gotten a chance to get used to it, it's not bad -- but being so small bothers me a little."

"How big were you as a human?"

"About 3 times as big as you, or about twice Twilight's size," I noted, drawing an astonished gasp from the filly.  I chuckled at her reaction.  "Yeah, I actually was pretty big as a human, but I was on the short side -- there were quite a lot of guys who were bigger than me, some of them nearly 4 times your size or even larger."

"Wow!  I'd like to see what you looked like as a human," she mused as we reached the boutique.  She opened the door and called out to her sister.  'Hey, Rarity, I'm home -- and I brought a friend!"

The fashionista trotted downstairs, but called out, "That's nice, Sweetie.  Who is she?" before she caught sight of me.  "GAAAH!  What -- how -- but -- Sweetie Belle, why -- why are there -- two of you?  Wait -- one of you -- why is your mane styled like Twilight's, darling?  That simply will not do!" she chirped as she scooped me up in her aura and carried me upstairs.

"Miss Rarity, please wait!" I protested as my doppelganger followed me up, giggling at my plight.  I struggled in the fashionista's magic grip, flailing my legs around in a futile attempt to escape.  She turned her head toward me and rolled her eyes, chuckling lightly.

"I'm not sure who you are, but if you're going to go trotting around looking like my sister, you should at least be willing to give it the proper look darling!  Perhaps you can tell me about yourself while I dress you up," she offered.  My eyes went wide as saucers upon hearing that, a look of sheer terror on my face.

"Sweetie Belle!  Help me!  Pleeeeeeeese!" I called out after her.  I saw her break out into full laughter at this point as I was unceremoniously placed on a stool as Rarity levitated a bunch of brushes, combs, spray, and other objects I couldn't identify in her direction, then began brushing out my mane, curling it in front, then spraying it to keep it in place.  She went to work on my tail at this point, doing the same thing.

"Ah, looking much better, darling!  Now, what did you say your name was?" she asked as she paused to examine her work.  I caught sight of myself in the mirror and grumbled.

"I call myself Aurora, Sweetie Belle's twin sister, separated at birth," I stated, giving the fashionista as serious a look as I could muster.

"Well, darling, the name Aurora can stay -- but tell me, where did you come up with the idea that my little sister had a twin that was separated at birth?  Who did you say you were staying with?"

"With an aunt and uncle in Trottingham," I replied, the corners of my mouth working their way upward towards a grin.

"And what were their names, dear?"

"Auntie Cluckin' and Uncle Taco," I said, trying to stifle giggles.

"You have a terrible sense of humor, dear -- I would never admit to having relations with such terrible names," she opined dismissively as she trotted to a closet and pulled out some dresses which looked too small for her.  She trotted back over to me with the dresses and began sizing me up for them.  "Darling, you seem to have put on some extra weight -- these dresses are ones I made for Sweetie Belle, but -- even though you look like her, you are, umm, quite a bit heavier than her."

"Auntie Cluckin' used to tell me I was big-boned, not fat," I responded.

"I'll be the judge of that, darling," the fashionista stated nonchalantly as she hefted me in her aura again.

"Sis, Twilight kept calling Aurora Michael -- she says she used to be a human and is 50 years old," Sweetie offered.  The fashionista dropped me as her aura disappeared and I hit the floor pretty hard with a loud thump.

"OWW!  Did you have to do that?" I asked sharply, tears welling up at the corners of my eyes.  The fashionista still stood in shocked silence, her mouth agape as she tried to process her sister's statement.  "Miss Rarity, please be more careful when you levitate me!  That HURT!" I exclaimed indignantly, favoring my left foreleg.

"Uh, sorry about that, dear -- it's just that -- Sweetie, did you say -- your double -- is 50 years old?"

"That's what Twilight said," the filly deadpanned as she turned to me.  'Aurora -- tell me the truth -- are you really a human inside my body?  Are you really 50 years old?"

I nodded my head.  "Yeah, it's true -- day before yesterday, I was a human -- and yeah, I'm 50," I noted sullenly.

"So why do you look like me?" she asked as she trotted over to me and poked my belly.  "And how did you get so fat?"

"Ugh!  Stop teasing me about that!  As a human, I was somewhat overweight -- okay, call me fat, I guess I was and still am," I groaned.  I then proceeded to tell them a little more about my human history and how I had made a few wishes that got rolled into one.

"Darling, what you say sounds too good to be true!  Your wishes got granted, but all at once?"

'That's about the size of it -- but --"

"You like Twilight that much?" asked the filly.  I giggled in response and nodded my head, a light blush coloring my cheeks.  "Oooh, what would happen if you were to be turned back into a human?"

"Um, it would probably scare everypony," I replied, giving the filly a nervous glance.

"I wonder what it's like to be that old," the fashionista mused.  "You must have a great deal of wisdom -- but to wish to come here?  What about your home world?"

"Ugh!  The less said about it the better!" I groaned.  "And as for being 50 -- well, when your body aches all the time and your joints hurt all the time and you're constantly hungry because your body's metabolism slows down but your hunger grows anyway, and your teeth hurt all the time, and your eyesight is bad, and --"

"Such a fate sounds terrible, um -- do I call you Michael or Aurora?" the fashionista asked, an expression of deep sympathy on her face.  The filly hugged me, a smile on her face.

"You may call me Aurora until such time as I might be returned to my human form, or perhaps choose to be transformed into a unicorn stallion," I replied, eliciting a big smile from Rarity.

"Oooh, darling!  I can hardly wait to see what you might look like as a stallion!" she chirped.  "Let's go back to the library so Twilight can send a letter to the Princess immediately!"

"Rarity, I wanna play with her!  I want her to meet Apple Bloom and Scootaloo!  Please?"

"But, Sweetie!  What about, um --"

"I would look after them like my grand-children, Miss Rarity," I replied softly.  "What harm could it do?"

"Very well then, Aurora, I guess you may.  Sweetie, make sure you and your friends don't get into trouble -- and Aurora, please don't get into trouble with them.  I would still like to have you try on some dresses as well!"

I turned my attention to the filly, tilting my head as if to beckon her to leave as soon as possible.  She grinned in response and trotted to the door, pausing momentarily to let me catch up to her.  "Seeya later, Rarity!" she called out as I got close to the door and she trotted out and down the stairs.  I had to concentrate again to keep from losing my balance before leaving the boutique and trotting towards the library.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we trotted at a relatively brisk pace.

"To the clubhouse, of course," she replied confidently, grinning at me.  "We're gonna have some fun!"

"What, another quest to get your cutie mark?" I asked, returning her grin.

"Yeah!  How did you know?"

"Just a guess on my part," I replied nonchalantly.  Quite a few ponies gawked at us, muttering something about seeing two Sweetie Belles trotting somewhere.  Suddenly I was tackled by a bouncing pink earth pony, who grinned from ear to ear at me.

"Why didn't you tackle her?" I asked, scowling at the party pony.

"My Pinkie Sense told me you're new here!  I was hoping to catch you at Twiley's library, but you got away from me before I could invite you to a party!"

"Ugh!  Not now, Pinkie!  Sweetie and I are headed to the clubhouse to meet with the other crusaders," I responded, huffing in protest.

"Okie dokie loki, I'll be waiting for you!" she chirped and bounced her way to the bakery.

"What do you think of her, Aurora?" the filly giggled at me.  "Don't you like having fun?"

"That's too much fun in one package, Sweetie -- I like to have fun, but in my own way -- and her idea of fun doesn't match mine very well," I responded, glancing over my left shoulder to make sure she wasn't following us as we continued to trot, getting close to the library at this point.

"But -- oh, I keep forgetting!  You said you were 50, but -- every time I look at you, I keep thinking you're my age!"

"I guess I'm gonna get that a lot," I muttered loud enough for her to hear me.  "How much further to the clubhouse?  My hooves are beginning to ache," I complained, elicitng light giggling from the filly.

"Oh, not much further -- we're almost there!  I can hardly wait to see their faces!"

"I'm curious to meet them as well -- what I've seen on TV and the internet probably won't match up with how they really are," I mused as the treehouse came into view at this point.  It looked like it was too far up the tree, but my attention was shatterred when the filly whistled very loudly, alerting the other two fillies to her presence.  They poked their heads out the door and saw us as we trotted closer to them.  The two showed great shock and surprise at seeing two of us before slamming the door shut.
> Cutie Marks in WHAT?!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     "What'd they do that for?  Didn't they already see me in school earlier?" I asked the filly as we neared the clubhouse.

"Well -- your mane and tail were styled differently -- but now you look just like me!  Hang on a minute, I'll go talk to them," she replied nonchalantly, though a giggle escaped her lips at their reaction.  She climbed the steps to the door and opened it, then disappeared inside.  I waited a few moments, though I heard some laughter coming from inside before the door opened and the three fillies made their way down to meet me.  The pale yellow one with the red ribbon in her mane greeted me first.

"Ummm, hi!  Yer Aurora, right?" she asked.  "Sorry about earlier -- I thought ya looked different."

"Hey, Apple Bloom, that's cool -- I'm probably gonna get that a lot," I chuckled.

"I think it's cool to meet you, Aurora!  I had no idea Sweetie had a twin sister!" Scootaloo exclaimed excitedly.  "I was worried you might be a changeling when you came trotting alongside Sweetie -- you look just like her!"

"I've heard there's been some trouble with changelings around here lately -- I hope they're gone and won't be back anytime soon," I said, glancing around nervously, a worried look on my face.

"Twilight and the others got rid of them -- they won't be back soon at all!" Sweetie chuckled.  "Okay, now that we're all here, we can go crusading for our cutie marks!  Since you're new here, Aurora, do you have any suggestions?"

"Hmm.  Haven't you tried asking Twilight or Pinkie Pie or some of the others for some advice?" I asked.

"Yeah, but they're always busy!  They hardly have time for us and they tell us our cutie marks will come naturally when we discover our special talents!" Apple Bloom replied, mentally recalling their previous attempts, annoyance evident in her tone.

"Well, what do you usually do to have some fun around here?" I asked.  The fillies grinned at me in response and put me on Scootaloo's scooter.  The pegasus filly rode me towards the back of the barn at the farm.

"I didn't know we were so close to the farm," I mused as we scootered along, the other two fillies galloping to keep pace.  "Um, why are we going here?"

"You said you wanted to see what we do for fun -- we're gonna show you!" Scootaloo chirped as she brought the scooter to a stop.  The other two trotted slowly to catch their breath, though the wide smiles on their faces gave me a sense that something was up.  I glanced to my left to see what they were looking at and noticed a rather large mud puddle not far from where we stopped.  As soon as I noticed it and saw the malevolent intent in their eyes, I expressed shock and surprise.

"No!  You're not gonna put me in that!" I protested vehemently before they picked me up and carried me to the puddle, dropping me unceremoniously into it.  My body splashed heavily as the fillies giggled and joined me in the mud puddle -- which seemed to be a lot bigger than I had initially thought.  "Um, why are you doing this?" I asked meekly as they surrounded me and closed the distance.  Without saying a word, each of them grabbed hoof-fulls of mud and began smearing it on my body, my sides, my back, my mane, my tail, my ears -- they circled me as they smeared the mud on my body, giggling and laughing loudly.

"Oh, it's like that, is it?" I asked as I grabbed a couple of hoof-fulls of mud and tried to smear it on the nearest filly to me -- Apple Bloom was the closest and my hooves made contact with her left side.  She shrieked in mock terror and giggled and laughed  as my hooves smeared mud on her sides and slipped to her flanks before I lost contact with her.  She giggled uncontrollably as she grabbed more mud in her hooves and smeared it on my right side before she lunged at me and pinned me under her belly.

"HAH!  Now I've gotcha!" she giggled as she straddled my back and pushed my head down, getting my neck and chin coated in mud.  Her attempt to do this caused her to slide forward a little on my back, the mud squooshing beneath me.

"Hey, AB, let me ride her!" Sweetie Belle giggled as the two exchanged places.  My hind legs had slid out behind me, my forelegs splayed out in front of me, my belly practically buried in the mud as the muddy unicorn filly now straddled my back.  Her hind legs rested against my flanks and she began to bounce up and down on me, her weight causing mud to squoosh between my hind legs.  The sound made by this activity caused the filly to giggle and laugh and the other two goaded her to bounce faster on me.  Each time I tried to rise to my hooves as she bounced up, the force of gravity pulled her back down on me, the mud squooshing and squelching loudly between my haunches as she pushed me back down.  I had no traction in the mud, my hind hooves still trapped behind me as she continued to bounce.  I felt a tingling sensation in my gut and the faint stirrings of warmth beginning to build in my loins as I felt the coolness  and wetness of the mud against the insides of my haunches.

"Uh, Sweetie Belle, don't you think you should stop?" I asked meekly.  My breathing became a little more shallow as I tried to resist the almost instinctive sensation of pleasure building inside me.  The sensation of the mud squooshing between my haunches added to the intensity of the pleasure my brain was recording.  She maintained her rhythm, a regular interval of about a second between each bounce.  Squoosha squoosha squoosha squoosha squoosha went the mud as she bounced on me, the mud splattering out from my sides and between my hind legs.

"Mmmh, not yet, Aurora!  Let me bounce on you a little bit longer!" she replied, her breathing coming almost in ragged gasps as she continued to bounce on my back, the mud squooshing loudly as she seemed to speed up her movement.  The squooshing noises got louder as she bounced faster, perhaps because my weight pressing down against the mud caused the air trapped between my belly and the mud itself to be forced out more swiftly, which amplified the sound.  This seemed to excite the filly as much as it did me, but I was helpless to stop her as she bounced.

"Come on, SB!  Go faster!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, further goading the filly, who seemed to comply with the request.  I could feel a forbidden excitement welling up inside me -- instinctively I knew what was going on was wrong and that I should stop her before it went too far.  There was a part of me that wanted to cry out to stop her, but another part of me that was beginning to enjoy this -- it felt weird, but good as well.  I could not control the animal side of my mind which was telling me to let her keep going.

"Unh, Sweetie, unh, please, unh -- I'm not, unh, supposed to be, unh --" I began as my body began tensing up in anticipation of something.  I wanted to stop this -- I knew it was wrong -- but I was trapped under her weight and could not regain my poise as she bounced a little bit faster.  I silently cursed myself for having thought I could join them without getting muddy.

"Oooh, not just yet!" she said as she started bouncing up and down on me even faster, the squooshing and squelching noises of the mud as it splattered out from my sides and my hindquarters only intensifying the sensation building up within my loins.  I sensed her body stiffening up in anticipation of her climax, something which messed with my mind at this point -- it seemed to short-circuit on me as I almost involuntarily moaned in response.

"Oooooooooooooooooh," I moaned, the low tone seeming to push the filly over her edge as well.  I succumbed to the intensity of the pleasure, my body shuddering as it took me.  "Mmmmmh, I'm sorry, I wasn't supposed to enjoy that," I stated between gasps for breath.  I felt the filly's body tense and shudder on my back before she fell off and into the puddle on her back, moaning in pleasure and gasping for breath herself as she took a few moments to ride out her climax.

"But you did, didn't you, Aurora?" the filly giggled, the others also giggling at my reaction.  I could only nod my head dumbly in response, eliciting more giggles.

"You don't do that all the time, do you?" I asked as I tried to regain some of my composure.  "What are we going to tell Rarity or Twilight?  They're going to be furious!"

"Tell them you helped us try to get our cutie marks in making mud pies," Sweetie Belle replied nonchalantly.  "That was fun!  We should totally do that again some time!"

"Um, I don't think that's such a good idea, Sweetie," I replied as I noticed a certain tawny orange mare with a Stetson hat atop her head and a grim scowl on her face approach us.

"Now what in tarnation are y'all doin' in there?" she asked, glaring daggers at us.

"We was tryin' t' get our cutie marks in makin' mud pies, sis," Apple Bloom replied, giggling softly.  I glanced up at the mare to see her chuckle and shake her head in disbelief at us.

"C'mon, y'all, looks like Ah've gotta hose y'all off now," she stated.  "Follow me, Ah've gotta clean y'all up before y'all can go home.  Who's the new filly?  This part of your initiation of a new member?"

"Her name's Aurora, sis -- and yeah, we initiate new members to our group like that!"

"Well, if'n ya say so.  C'mon, let's get'cha all hosed off now," Applejack insisted, nodding her head to indicate where to follow her.  We all trotted slowly, leaving muddy hoofprints on the grass as we followed her to the back of the house.  I caught sight of Big Mac out in the field -- he turned his head to take note of us and returned to his plowing.  Granny Smith was sleeping in her rocker and we saw fit to let her get her rest.  Once we got to the back of the house, Applejack turned on the water for the hose and began spraying us down with it.  The water was fiercely cold, causing us to shiver.

"Sorry about that, it always comes out cold like that," the mare offered as she continued to wash us off.  It wasn't until I was almost completely washed off that the others gasped upon seeing me.

"What's wrong?" I asked, completely oblivious to the fact that they were staring directly at my flanks.

"You -- you got your cutie mark!" Sweetie exclaimed.  "Not fair!"

"Umm, Sweetie, ya mind explainin' ta me why there are two o' ya?" asked Applejack, who dropped the hose, letting the water spray uncontrollably from it.  The spray knocked her Stetson off her head, which she immediately fetched, then turned off the water.

"Applejack, I'm the one called Aurora, Sweetie's twin sister," I offered, grinning sheepishly.  The mare scowled at me, noting my dishonesty, which then caused me to glance around nervously.

I hope she doesn't get too angry with me, I silently thought as I tried to formulate a strategy of one sort or another.

"That's not yer name, is it?" she asked, glaring harshly at me.  "Somethin' tells me yer not who ya say ya are."
> Fun or Trouble
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Staring into the emerald green eyes of the farm pony caused me to freeze up as my mind raced -- What is she going to think of me?  What will Twilight think of me?  I wasn't supposed to do this!

"Are ya gonna just stand there starin' at me, or are ya gonna answer me?  Who are ya?  Why d'ya look like Sweetie Belle?"

I sighed heavily and hung my head.  "I dunno if you're gonna believe this or not, but -- up until a couple of days ago, I used to be a human -- if you doubt me, you can ask Miss Twilight -- I simply tagged along with the Crusaders because I wanted to see what they did for fun -- I had no idea I'd end up getting coated in mud like that," I replied.

"That still doesn't answer mah question -- who are ya?" she asked, a bit more forcefully this time.

"Ya need ta ask Miss Twilight," I replied, imitating her accent, something which elicited giggles from the fillies and seemed to anger Applejack even further.  "Uhh, sorry about that, Miss Applejack -- even though I go by the name of Aurora Belle while in this form, as a human, my name was Michael.  Miss Twilight seems to take great pleasure in calling me by my human name, perhaps to annoy me or something like that."

"What is it about Twilight -- why d'ya keep mentionin' her?" she asked, still glaring at me, though it had softened a little.

"C'mon, sis, stop pesterin' her!  We only wanted to have a little fun!"

"That's beside the point, Apple Bloom.  Ya don't even know who this filly is!"

"Yes we do!  She visited us at our school today!  She even poked a little fun at Diamond Tiara, embarrassing her!" added Schootaloo.

"Hmm.  Ah don't know much about humans, aside from the silly ramblings of Lyra -- and Twi hardly ever talks about 'em.  So, if'n what'cha say is true, tell me -- what's it like where ya came from?  Humans don't come from around here, from what Lyra has said about 'em in the past."

"Well -- that's one of the reasons I wished to leave the place -- aside from the fact I wanted to redo everything from my eighth birthday forward -- but I also wanted to come here and visit Twilight -- and there was another part of me that wanted to be a pony as well.  My home life -- that was the primary reason for my wanting to leave.  I have worked so hard for so long, I wanted a break from all that.  But now that I'm here, it looks like I have a lot more hard work in store for me," I offered, hanging my head again, my tone of voice heavy with dejection.

"What sorta work did'ja do?  Cain't be as hard as farmin' -- an' how old are ya?"

"I was a package courier -- or at least, that's what I did up until I woke up next to Miss Twilight a couple of days ago -- and as a human, I was 50 years old," I replied, eliciting a gasp of shock on the farm pony's face.

"Ya sure yer 50?  Ah cain't believe that!  Wait -- ya woke up layin' next to Twilight?!" Applejack exclaimed incredulously.  I slowly nodded my head in response before my attention was diverted by the fillies bouncing around me excitedly again.

"C'mon, sis, let us play with her some more!  Hey, Aurora, why not let me ride ya this time?" asked Apple Bloom, grinning at me.

"We just got washed off!  And you wanna go back into that mud puddle?" I asked the filly in disbelief.

"Aurora, how'd ya wake up in Twilight's bed?  What happened?" asked the farm pony.  I noticed her gaze harden at me again.

"Ummm, well -- I know you're not gonna believe this but -- sometimes folks should be careful what they wish for," I noted.

"Why'd ya wish for that?"

"It wasn't just one wish -- it was about three or four that got bundled into a single wish -- what, you want me to explain further to you?  What else is there to say?  I'm sorry if I misled you," I replied sullenly, hanging my head as an apologetic gesture.

"Hey, SB, how much fun was it to do what you did?" asked Scootaloo, also grinning broadly.

"You have to ask?" the filly replied, matching grins with the others.  I shook my head slowly, chuckling softly.

"Y'all cain't be doin' that all the dang time!  Aurora or Michael or -- what d'ya want me ta call ya?" asked Applejack as she seemed to scratch her head in an attempt to make some sense of what I had told her.

"Like I said before, Miss Applejack, when I'm in this form, I go by the name of Aurora -- the story I told the class was that I grew up on a chicken farm in Trottingham with my aunt and uncle," I replied, a grin starting to make its way onto my face.

"Likely story.  If'n ya grew up on a chicken farm, show me what'cha know!  We've got a chicken hutch on the farm here, and if'n what'cha say is true -"

"I'm sorry I lied about that, Miss Applejack," I said in a dejected tone of voice.  "I should have known better than to tell a fake story about myself."

"Well, at least ya came clean about it, Aurora.  So, ya like playin' with the fillies?  They weren't too much trouble, were they?"

"I wasn't expecting to get coated in mud or have any of them ride my back like that -- but -- I just hope Miss Twilight will understand -- I wasn't expecting to get a cutie mark, either," I commented as I noticed the fillies almost start sneaking their way back to the mud puddle.  "Hey, where do you think you're going?" I asked them.

"C'mon, Aurora!  Let's get muddy again!" the yellow filly exclaimed excitedly.

"Mmmh, well -- maybe tomorrow? -- It's getting kinda late already, don't you think?" I asked.

"Apple Bloom, supper's gonna be ready soon, so Ah think ya better come inside the house.  Aurora, Ah hope ta meet ya again soon -- Ah'll bet'cha have lots to talk about.  By the way, can ya take Scootaloo and Sweetie back with ya?"

"Yeah, I guess," I replied before turning my attention to the other two fillies.  "You two ready to go back to town?"

"Awww," they intoned dejectedly as they turned towards me and trotted slowly.  The pegasus filly grabbed her scooter and rode off on it and I lost sight of her after just a few minutes.  "Sweetie, where does she stay?  And why did she take off like that?"

"Scoots usually stays with Rainbow Dash, so I'm sure she's gone off to meet up with her.  Hey, you wanna sleep over at my house?  I'm sure Rarity wouldn't mind," she offered, smiling warmly.

"Umm, I might wanna check with Miss Twilight to make sure it'll be okay with her first -- don't wanna get into too much trouble, y'know!" I chuckled.

"Okay, that sounds good -- let's go!" the filly chirped excitedly, nearly bouncing with anticipation.  I chuckled at her reaction and began trotting towards the library, noticing the filly calm down a little as she trotted beside me, a big grin on her face.  As we trotted, she asked me a bunch of questions about my home world as her curiosity had been piqued by my mentioning it.  She seemed to be impressed by some of the answers I gave her, though I wasn't sure if she really was or not.  Presently we reached the library and I knocked on the front door.

"Uhhh -- TWO Sweetie Belles?" asked Spike in amazement.  I chuckled at his reaction and Sweetie giggled.

"Um, I'm Michael, or Aurora, or -- is Miss Twilight here?" I asked, almost annoyed by the fact that even I couldn't decide completely on my name, depending on whomever it was who asked.  The librarian trotted downstairs upon hearing me call her name, a grin on her face as she noticed the drake's reaction to seeing me and Sweetie standing side by side.  It was upon closer inspection she noticed I still was somewhat muddy, as was the filly.

"And what exactly have you been doing?" she asked, gazing directly at me.  "Ooh, you got your cutie mark!  Let me see it!" she grinned as she trotted out the door to check it out.

"I was hoping I'd get my cutie mark," Sweetie opined almost glumly.  "How did you get yours so quickly, Aurora?"

"Might have something to do with my age, I think -- I dunno," I replied matter-of-factly as Twilight continued to inspect my cutie mark.

"Hmm, interesting -- I'm not sure what to make of it.  Part of it seems to indicate -- you really like me, don't you, Aurora?"

I blushed in embarrassment before answering her.  "Well -- uhhh, I guess you could say that," I replied softly, averting my gaze from her.

"I must admit, I'm amazed you got your cutie mark as quickly as you did.  So, what were you doing when you got it?"

I explained how I had been taken to the mud puddle and the events that followed, eliciting giggles from the librarian.  She shook her head in disbelief and rolled her eyes at Apple Bloom's explanation.

"Sounds to me as though you enjoyed yourself, despite your concerns!" she laughed.

"Well, uhh, kinda," I offered.  "I was worried you'd be upset with me for getting muddy."  She chuckled softly.

"A-heh, you were just having fun with them, Aurora!  I have no problem with that, as long as they enjoy themselves and don't get into trouble.  You did respect them enough to keep them from getting into trouble, I hope," she half-said, half-asked.

"We had lots of fun!  I want her to play with us every day!" Sweetie exclaimed cheerfully, grinning broadly.

"As long as I don't end up getting covered in mud every day, I guess it's okay with me -- Miss Twilight?"

She chuckled at my question.  "Just be sure you stay out of trouble -- and if you get muddy or messy, be sure to clean yourself up before coming home.  You said Applejack hosed you all off?  She didn't get all the mud off you -- come on, you two, I'll let you finish cleaning up in my bathroom," she offered as she levitated both of us in her aura upstairs to the bathroom and cleaned us off the rest of the way and toweled us off as well.

"Miss Twilight, I could have done that myself, you know," I opined.

"I keep forgetting you're as old -- I still can't believe you're that old, Michael," the mare declared, her voice still sounding of amazement at the fact.

"I would have liked her to help me clean up, Twilight," Sweetie added, causing the librarian to scoff at the notion.  "Can she come with me to my place to stay the night?"

"You need to check with your sister before that can be decided -- I'll be right back," the librarian stated as she teleported away.  She returned less than a minute later.  "Rarity says it's okay with her -- Aurora, behave yourself while you're over there."

"Miss Twilight, Miss Rarity tried to dress me up in --" I began as I noticed Sweetie glare at me.  "Sweetie, sometimes I don't wanna be dressed up in lacy and frilly pink dresses, you know."  I heard the mare begin chuckling loudly upon hearing this confession.  I rolled my eyes at her in response.

"I was worried you might call them ugly or horrible," the filly deadpanned, before giggling again.  "C'mon, let's go before it gets dark on us!"
> Return to the Boutique
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     We said our good-byes to Twilight and Spike and left for the boutique.  I was feeling rather happy after having been cleaned up, not to mention not having to deal with Twilight's particular idiosyncrasies.  Truthfully, I still deeply admired the librarian -- it's just that certain aspects of her behavior didn't jibe with my preconceived notions of how she should act.  The filly beside me began humming a rather catchy tune, which reminded me of a certain song I heard every so often on the radio from my home world.

"You and I must make a pact, We must bring salvation back," I sang, earning a quizzical glance from the filly.

"Where did you hear that?  I've never heard a song like that before," she opined, flashing me a soft smile.  "Whatever it is, it sounds very pretty!"

"It's a song I first heard when I was about your age, Sweetie -- and I must admit, to sing it in your voice sounds quite pleasant to my ears.  I'm awfully tempted to sing the chorus," I replied, returning the filly's smile with one of my own.

"I'd like to hear it," she offered, her grin widening.  I responded by singing the chorus, but my voice cracked on the high notes.  I saw her grimace a couple of times at my attempt as we continued to trot to the boutique.  To show me her singing ability, she sang a different song, one I had never heard before.  I was amazed to hear her sing with such beauty.

"You have a very lovely singing voice, Sweetie -- if you keep practicing, you'll be really good at that!" I beamed a big smile at her, truly impressed by her voice.

"You think so?  Maybe I'll even get my cutie mark by doing that!" she chirped, practically bouncing on the tips of her hooves.  It amused me to see her in such a state of excitement, which forced me to stifle a giggle.

"Maybe -- I dunno.  But it can't hurt to keep trying," I noted.  "So, are Apple Bloom and Scootaloo coming over for a sleepover?"

"I dunno -- we didn't plan anything like that for tonight -- but if you want, we can plan one for tomorrow night!  That'll be so much fun!"

"I wonder what you three do during your sleepovers," I mused, eliciting a big toothy grin on the filly's face.

"Oooh, you're in for a real treat!  We do all kinds of fun things!  If we have one tomorrow, I want you to join us in having fun!"

"Sounds cool -- I just hope I don't make a fool of myself with you girls."

"I think you're really cool, Aurora -- you've already shown me how much fun it is to be with you!  I can hardly wait for our sleepover!  We're gonna have so much fun!  Maybe you can even help us get our cutie marks!  That would be soooo awesome!" she chirped.

"You know it!  I'm amazed I got mine so quickly," I mused as I craned my neck around to look at it again.  I was struck by the fact that my admiration for Twilight would manifest itself as part of my cutie mark and silently wondered what the future held in store for me.

"Well, maybe you can help us get ours the same way you got yours," she offered, flashing me a sly grin.  I blushed in embarrassment at her suggestion.

"Sweetie Belle, I wasn't -- I -- uhhh..." I stammered as she gave me a quick hug, giggling at my reaction.

"You must be really shy -- why do you act like that?"

"Umm, I guess I'm still not completely familiar with pony customs -- Twilight told me a few things about them, but -- Sweetie, I'm 50 years old," I declared.

"Yeah, but you shouldn't let that stop you from having fun!" she laughed, playfully nudging me in my right side with a forehoof.  I tried to tickle her with my right forehoof, causing her to giggle again.  "You'd better be careful if you do that -- you don't want a tickle war now, do you?" she asked as she knocked me to the ground and climbed onto me, tickling me mercilessly, her hooves on my sides.

"I give!  I give!" I exclaimed through my giggles.  She continued to tickle me some more, her giggles and laughter matching mine.  "C'mon, Sweetie!  Stop!  Please!" I pleaded loudly.

"Okay, Aurora, because you asked me nicely," she replied, though a few more giggles escaped her lips.  "You are sooo ticklish!"

"I've always been that way -- even as a human," I averred, earning another curious glance from the filly.

"What's that like -- being a human?  Is it fun?"

"Well ... it can be -- but more often than not, it isn't," I replied.  "Sometimes it's a real pain, but sometimes it's quite rewarding.  It just depends on how you look at things and how you deal with stress," I added, noticing the filly nodding her head.

"Sounds kinda like being a grown-up pony if you ask me," she opined before adding, "I'm still curious to know what it's like, though."

"Would you like to know what it was like for me when I was your age?  What school was like for me?" I asked, offering a warm smile, which widened when I saw her face light up like a Christmas tree.  She nodded her head vigorously, causing me to chuckle.  I regaled her with some of my childhood experiences, which caused her to ask even more questions.  We hadn't gotten very far into it when we arrived at the front door of the boutique.

"Hey, sis, we're back," the filly called out upon entering the front door.  The sound of hurried hoof-steps reached my ears before the fashionista flashed me a big smile and gave me a big hug.

"Aurora, darling, so nice of you to come back!  I have some new fashions for you to try on!  You're going to positively love them!" she chirped before gathering me up and placing me on her back.

"Miss Rarity, don't I have a say in this?" I asked almost meekly as she rushed up the stairs to her work-room.  I was astonished by her speed, my mouth practically hanging open as I was then placed on the raised platform, the mare hurriedly but carefully placing a dress on me to check its appearance.

"No time for that, darling, I simply must see if these fit you correctly -- I used Sweetie Belle's measurements -- oh.  I forgot you were a little bigger than her," Rarity noted with a hint of disappointment in her tone.  I viewed my reflection in the three-way mirror, noticing the snug fit, but also the way the dress accentuated the curves of my body.  The pastel pink, yellow, and lavender hues were understated, though they also accentuated the beauty of the dress.

"Miss Rarity, it feels soft -- and I notice it sets off my curves rather nicely," I commented, drawing a smile of approval.

"Darling, I was hoping you'd like it -- but perhaps it needs to be taken out just a little," she offered.

"Umm, sis, why not let it stay the way it is?  I like it just like that," Sweetie stated.  I noticed she was grinning, though I couldn't decipher her mood.  I smiled in response.  "Aurora, you seem to like the dress -- you wanna keep it like that?"

"Well, Sweetie -- it is a little snug -- but I like the way it looks on me.  Miss Rarity, why not let it stay like this?  I'm probably going to lose some weight while I'm here anyway, so letting it out will end up having it fit too loosely on me if I do lose a few pounds."  I turned around to check out what it looked like from behind, causing me to smile a little wider.  "Actually, Miss Rarity, I'd prefer it to be this snug on me if you don't mind -- I had no idea it looked this good on me," I noted warmly.

"Aurora, darling, it looks a little too tight on you," she replied, using her magic to remove it from me.  She took it over to her work table and began fixing it.  "Sweetie, why not have Aurora join you in your room?  This will take me a little while."  She noticed my expression drop as she removed the dress, then gasped upon seeing my cutie mark.  "Aurora!  I hadn't noticed that earlier!  When did you get your cutie mark?"

"Well ..." I offered, hesitating to answer directly.  Her sister answered the rest of it for me, earning a puzzled look from the fashionista.

"Aurora, I hope she didn't cause you too much trouble -- but -- it looks like you have part of Twilight's cutie mark as yours!  Did she see it?  What does she think about it?"

"Well ..." I offered, still trying to formulate an acceptable answer.  I blushed, something the mare noticed, which earned an almost sly grin.

"You must really like her, I think -- if what you told me earlier is true, I think there might actually be a stallion inside that body you're in," she chortled.  "As for your earlier request, I believe I shall allow the dress to remain unchanged.  Please, I have a few more I'd like to see you in," she added, her grin widening a little.  I groaned in response before offering a half-hearted, "Okay."  It turned out that it wasn't just a few, but more like ten dresses she had made, either for her sister or me, I wasn't sure.  Each one fit just as snugly as the first and each time I turned around in a slow circle to admire the fit and the color choices, I smiled a little wider.  I was beginning to wonder how much longer I could stay in a copy of the filly's body -- the softness of the dresses did feel pretty nice.

"I believe that's the last of them, Aurora.  Thanks for being so patient and allowing me to try all of them on you!" Rarity chirped.  "Sweetie, why not have her join you in your room?  I'll make dinner for us."

"Sure thing, sis.  Aurora, follow me to my room," the filly instructed.  I followed her into her room, noticing the pictures she had made that were taped to the walls and admired them.

"You're pretty talented as an artist as well, I see," I commented, causing her to blush.

"Oh, it's just a hobby of mine -- I'm trying to get better at it and I need more practice."

"Do you use your magic to draw these or what?" I asked.

"I need more practice using magic -- every time I try to use my magic, it sputters out on me and leaves me with a nasty headache.  I use my hooves to draw instead.  I remember seeing you use your magic -- how do you do that?"

"Twilight gave me a few basic lessons yesterday -- I got to practice for a little while, simple stuff, but once I figured it out a little, she wanted to teach me some other stuff."

"Can you teach me how to use magic?" she asked, a big grin on her face.

"Sure, we've got a little time, I think," I replied warmly.  I tried to remember what Twilight had told me yesterday about using magic and she did her best to focus her attention on levitating objects.  I had to advise her to be cautious about how much effort she put into it, noting that using magic required a delicate touch, depending on the item to be lifted.  We continued practicing, with her watching me and then copying my example.  After about twenty minutes, she had succeeded in focusing her magic correctly and levitated small objects easily.  She hugged me tightly to express her happiness at having learned the basics of levitation before her sister opened the door and announced that dinner was ready.

"So, what were you two doing in here?" she asked as she had caught us in mid-hug.

"Aurora taught me how to use magic!" the filly exclaimed excitedly.

"What else did she teach you?  I thought you already knew how to use your magic," the fashionista commented.

"Aurora helped me improve my skill with magic -- you know how hard it's been for me to even try lifting things -- well, she helped me with that, and that's all we were doing."

"Thanks for helping my sister, Aurora -- I hope you can help her with her homework as well."

"Of course, Miss Rarity -- I'll do my best," I replied warmly.

"I would deeply appreciate it, darling!  I hope you like what we're having for dinner," she replied as we trotted downstairs to the kitchen dining area.  The food smelled delicious, but I waited for Rarity and Sweetie Belle to sit down first.  A setting had been provided for me to Sweetie's left and the sight and smell of the food had my mouth watering.

"If it tastes as good as it smells, I'm afraid I might put on more weight," I offered, chuckling softly.
> And Then the Morning Comes
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     We chatted some more over dinner, though after finishing my plate, Rarity used her magic to put more food on it.  I flashed a worried look at her, but she continued to smile at me.

"Darling, you must eat -- don't want you going to bed hungry now, you know!" she chortled as she filled my plate up.

"Miss Rarity!  Please!  I'm not trying to get even bigger!" I protested.  Sweetie turned to me and giggled.

"C'mon, Aurora!  You're going to be big and strong, you need to eat!" she goaded.

The food was quite tasty, but the fact that I had been given a second plate left me feeling depressed -- I wanted to eat, but I was also concerned about putting on more weight.  I was already feeling somewhat full and took a few more nibbles at my food.  "Um, I'm sorry, Miss Rarity, but I can't eat any more," I declared.  "Thanks for dinner, it was very tasty!"

"I'm glad you liked it, Aurora -- I'll try not to give you so much next time.  You two run along and go to bed now -- and if you would be a dear and help Sweetie with her homework, I'd deeply appreciate it," the fashionita stated, smiling warmly at me.  "To be honest, darling, there's a part of me that would be thrilled to have you as a twin to my little sister!"

"Thank you very much, Miss Rarity," I replied, flashing a grin at her.  Sweetie giggled at the mention.

"C'mon, Aurora, let's go back to my room -- I have a little homework you can help me with," she offered as she trotted toward the stairs.  I followed her up and she got her homework, though upon seeing it, I couldn't decipher it.  She noticed my look of puzzlement.  "What's wrong, Aurora?  Can't you read?"

"Um, I can't read Equish, Sweetie -- I'm familiar with a different language," I replied.  She giggled again in response.

"Here, let me teach you then," she offered as she pointed out each of the characters for me -- the Equish alphabet was similar in some respects and different in others and the way my brain translated the characters to an English equivalent gave me a bit of a headache.  Sweetie noticed my horn glowing as I read the paper and commented on it almost excitedly.

"Hmm, must be my magic trying to work while I'm concentrating on reading your homework," I mused.  The filly touched her hoof to my horn and giggled at the sensation.  "Oooh, you -- you should be careful -- ooh -- when you do that," I uttered breathily, her touch causing a tingling sensation to run through my body.  "Um, you -- you wouldn't want -- me -- touching your horn like that," I added.

"Oh, sorry, Aurora -- I just wanted to see what that felt like," she opined as she moved back a little to give me an opportunity to lay on my belly and stretch out so I could find a more comfortable position on the floor.  The filly laid down on the floor next to me in the same position and watched me intently, though she grinned at me as well.  "So, Aurora, can you read it now?"

"Well -- I think I can read some of it -- but it's gonna take a little while before I have all the characters memorized -- some of it doesn't seem to make any sense," I offered in response as I held the paper in my aura.  "Some of the terms used must be pony idioms or something like that -- I'm not sure what this means," I said as I pointed my hoof to a particular section.

"Let me get my book -- that part means I have to read a chapter of the history book we were assigned," Sweetie noted.  She used her magic to fetch the book and opened it for me to the particular section indicated in her homework.  She began reading and I followed along, noticing the further we went, the better my comprehension became.  After reading the section completely, I found I had become so interested in the history book that I continued reading, though I decided to start from the beginning.

"Aurora, we don't have time for you to read from the beginning -- but tell you what -- you can read it later -- but not tonight -- we gotta get up early for school tomorrow," she stated.  "Let's finish up my homework, okay?"

"Okay, Sweetie, sounds good -- this book is very interesting, nothing at all like history books when I was in school," I noted cheerfully.

"What were they like for you in your world?"

"They were very boring -- it's almost as though they didn't want us to learn about our history, or at least make it so tedious that we didn't want to learn about our history, other than certain parts which showed us in a positive light," I replied.  I thought about expounding further on the subject, but decided to hold back as the filly yawned briefly.  I yawned in response, almost involuntarily.

"Let's get some sleep, Aurora -- you can sleep in my bed with me if you want," she offered.  I raised my eyebrows.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?  You know what I am, don't you?"

"C'mon, Aurora, it'll be okay -- I don't mind if you don't," she replied warmly, a seemingly sincere smile on her face.

"I suppose so -- I just don't want to give the wrong impression, that's all," I said as I climbed into her bed.  She followed me in and snuggled close behind me, draping one of her forelegs over my barrel.

"I like having somepony to sleep with, Aurora -- mmm, you're warm!" she giggled as she hugged me tightly from behind.  I was silently hoping Rarity wouldn't come in and see us like this, though having the filly laying so close to me felt very nice, her warmth against my back giving me a feeling of contentment.  I drifted off to sleep quickly, given how comfortable the bed was and the filly's light breathing lulling me to sleep as well.





"Wake up you two, it's time to get up!" Rarity announced in a sing-song voice.  She had opened the door and was staring at the both of us, the filly having wrapped herself around me in a tight hug, a big smile on her face.  I tried to disentangle myself from her clutch, to no avail.

"Umm, Sweetie, you have to let me go -- it's time to get up," I said softly, nudging her with a hoof I managed to free up.

"Mmmh, just another fifteen minutes, Aurora," she moaned.  Upon opening her eyes, she saw her older sister tapping a hoof impatiently, a stern look on her face.

"Sweetie Belle, you mustn't keep me waiting!  I have breakfast waiting for both of you if you hurry," she offered.  She flashed me a smile.  "Aurora, I trust Sweetie didn't give you any trouble last night?"

"No, Miss Rarity -- but I was worried you might disapprove of me sharing her bed," I replied.  I managed to disentangle myself, largely because the filly released her vise-like grip on me, grinning sheepishly as she did so.  I hopped out of the bed, landing perfectly on all fours, flashing a grin as I accomplished the small feat.

"As long as you behave yourself and not cause her any trouble, I have no problem with that, dear," she opined before turning to go downstairs.

"Miss Rarity, if I may have a few minutes to freshen up?" I asked her retreating form.

"Don't take too long, darling, your breakfast will get cold," she advised, her voice seeming to reverberate from downstairs.  Presumably, she had already reached the table and was setting our plates for us.

"Let's help each other," Sweetie suggested as she trotted into the bathroom.  I followed her in and we quickly washed our faces, brushed our teeth, then combed out our manes to some degree.  "We can finish up after breakfast," she noted as she trotted towards the stairs.  Once again I followed her, but made sure not to stare at her as I listened to the sound of our hoofsteps.  I hoped we hadn't taken too long in the bathroom -- my stomach seemed to growl in eager anticipation of our breakfast, eliciting a few giggles from the filly and her sister.

"Aurora, dear, it sounds to me as though you didn't eat enough last night," Rarity opined, smiling warmly at me.

"Um, I appreciate your generosity, Miss Rarity -- but -- as I said last night, I'm not trying to get even fatter," I declared, my tone sounding a bit downbeat.  My ears drooped a little as well as I displayed some concern.

"You shouldn't really worry about that, dear -- you'll burn it off quickly enough -- I suggest you eat your fill so your stomach doesn't talk so loudly," she chortled, her smile widening a little.

"Come on, Aurora, you'll be okay!" the filly chirped, a giggle or two escaping her lips as she finished her statement.  She flashed a big toothy grin as well, a sight which made me smile.

"I appreciate your enthusiasm," I said as I tucked into my plate of pancakes.  The taste was quite intense, especially the sweetness of the syrup.  There seemed to be just a hint of saltiness to the food, something I commented on.

"Those are hay pancakes, Aurora -- what do you think?" asked the fashionista.

"Very tasty -- best I've ever had," I replied after taking a drink of my juice to wash it down.  I hadn't thought that mixing hay into the batter and topping it with syrup could taste so good -- but then again, pony taste buds were quite different from human ones.

"Glad you like them, dear -- eat up, there's plenty to go 'round," she stated warmly.  "By the way, Twilight told me your sleep was troubled the night before last," she noted.

"Yeah, I think Discord might have stopped by for a very quick visit," I replied glumly.  "But -- he didn't show up last night -- I wonder if that might be because I was with your sister," I mused.

"Hmm.  I think it might be a good idea to let Twilight know about that -- if Discord's causing trouble again, I'd be very worried about that."

"Discord?  I thought he'd been reformed!" Sweetie exclaimed in disbelief.

"Well, well, well!  Look who's bandying my name about!  You've already gotten your cutie mark?  How amusing!" the chaos entity chuckled.  I hadn't even heard him make his entrance.

"How'd you get in here?  I thought you were supposed to make some sort of noise before showing up," I said, making my annoyance evident.

"The super let me in the back door, little Aurora!  Or did you forget who or what I am so quickly?"

"Ugh.  What is it you want?  Why must you torment me like this?" I asked as my annoyance simmered further.

"Oh, how quickly you forget!  I couldn't help but have a little fun at your expense!"

"So visit me while I was trying to sleep?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk.  Of all ponies -- or humans, for that matter -- why must you be so ignorant?  Oh, how quickly I tire of this," he grumbled before teleporting away.

"Miss Rarity, I think a visit to the library is in order here," I suggested.  The alabaster mare nodded her head in agreement, as did the filly.  "But -- what about school?"

"What did Miss Cheerilee tell you yesterday, Aurora?  Didn't she tell you --" Sweetie began.

"Yeah, that's right -- but what about you?  Don't you have school today?" I asked.  She grinned sheepishly at my question before dashing upstairs to fetch her bags and headed out.

"Seeya later, sis -- you too, Aurora!  Let's meet up later for some more fun!" she giggled as she cantered out the front door, then broke into a gallop for the school.

"Okay, Aurora, let's get going -- I'm sure Twilight might have some suggestions on how to deal with Discord again -- such a trouble-maker," she mused as I followed her out the front door.  She locked the front door and hung a closed sign on it, then motioned for me to follow her as we made our way back to the library.
> Going All A-Flutter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     We met Twilight as she was about to leave her home, but her reaction to seeing me was to ask what I thought was a dumb question, one which caused me to narrow my eyes ever so slightly upon hearing it.  I forced myself to stifle a sigh of exasperation.

"Aren't you supposed to be in school, young lady?" she asked sternly.  I cleared my throat in an almost exaggerated fashion and turned my flank to her, pointing at my cutie mark in silent response.  "Oh.  Sorry about that, Michael -- so, what brings you and Rarity over here today?"

I winced a little at her mention of my human name but recovered quickly.  "We were visited by Discord -- and I was hoping you might be able to provide a suggestion or two on how to deal with him," I replied.  I flashed her a hopeful look, considering her to be the pony with all the answers, save for the Princesses.  I suppose I should have thought a little more carefully before making the decision to visit her, but I had also wanted to see her again.  Despite her almost stand-offish behavior, I still admired her deeply.

Perhaps it has something to do with your new cutie mark...

"Didn't you tell me two days ago that you were the one your co-workers considered to be the pony with all the answers?" she asked, grinning broadly at me.

"Well -- when it came to matters pertaining to my job as a human, yes, I was called the 'answer man' -- but here I'm at a bit of a disadvantage which is why I came to you first.  I'm sorry if that annoys you, Twilight, but I wasn't sure whom else to ask," I replied, a hint of weariness in my voice.  It still sounded rather weird to hear it in Sweetie Belle's voice, but at this point I was getting used to hearing it like that.

The librarian rolled her eyes at me before giving me a somewhat thoughtful answer of sorts.   "Why not talk with Fluttershy?  She was able to reform him -- perhaps she might be able to find out why he's been acting up again.  If nothing else, perhaps her staring ability might turn him back," she replied with a hint of a chuckle.  "Take care -- I hope you find your answer, Michael."

"Thanks, Twilight," I grumbled in response to her calling me by my human name again.

"That's Miss Twilight to you, young lady!" the librarian chided before chuckling.  "Sorry, Michael, I couldn't resist the temptation to do that."

I grumbled a little more loudly at her retort before we left to head for Fluttershy's cottage.  Rarity gave me a sympathetic look.

"Sorry, darling, she has a tendency to do that sometimes," she opined softly.

"It's all right, Rarity, I've dealt with worse -- but to hear it coming from her, though --" I began.

"She's a little stand-offish to be sure, but she means well.  Don't let it get you down, dear!"

"Just a little disappointing," I mumbled in response as we wended our way to the cottage.  The chirping of many birds grew louder as we approached and then I caught sight of her -- tending to her animals, her back to us as we arrived at our destination.  She hummed a happy tune as she performed her duties, seemingly oblivious to everything else around her.  I cleared my throat to get her attention, but upon hearing this noise, she meeped and retreated to the interior of her cottage.  I turned to the fashionista and grinned sheepishly before offering a soft, "Sorry," as an afterthought.

"Aurora, darling, I believe I should have warned you about startling her," Rarity chided gently.  "At least you should be more careful."

"Yes, Miss Rarity," I replied almost sullenly.

The butter-yellow pegasus returned to meet us, gasping silently when she caught sight of my cutie mark.  She came over to me and inspected me closely.  Rarity smiled in mild amusement at this before Fluttershy spoke up.

"Sweetie Belle, when did you get your cutie mark?"

"Well -- I kinda hate to say this, Fluttershy, but I'm not Sweetie Belle -- I just look like her.  I got my cutie mark yesterday when I was playing with her and her friends," I replied.  Her gaze hardened a little at me.

"If you're not Sweetie Belle, who are you?  Why do you look so much like her?  And why is part of Twilight's cutie mark part of yours?"

I began by telling her both my human and my pony names and about what had happened to me over the past few days and informed her that my affection for the librarian influenced my cutie mark to some extent.  I took another moment to examine it, noting the seeming emptiness of the red outline of a heart with the purple outline of the six-pointed star superimposed on it.  The bottom points of the star and heart appeared to intersect and the top point of the star poked out between the two upper halves of the heart.  The two lower points of the star just barely poked out of the lower part of the heart.  There also appeared to be a very small five-pointed gold star in the center of my cutie mark, something which baffled me.

"I think it's very cute, Aurora!" the pegasus offered, smiling softly at me.  "But I'm amazed you were lucky enough to have your wishes granted!  You must be very excited to be here!"

"I suppose so -- perhaps at first -- I dunno, Fluttershy -- I'm still very confused about a lot of things around here.  I'm trying to find out what we can do about Discord, though -- I'm worried he might be trying to go back to his old ways," I opined almost glumly.

"I'll have a talk with him -- he told me he was reformed -- but if I find out he's doing bad things again..."

"Are you talking about me again?  What have I told you about that?" asked the draconequus as he smiled mischievously at us.  He casually sipped on a cup of coffee or some other brownish liquid, which kept overflowing the cup.  What spilled on the ground made a sizzling sound and seemed to have a very corrosive effect on the soil, causing me to grimace a little.

"Discord, why do you keep pestering me?" I asked, my tone heavy with annoyance.  "And what are you drinking?" I added as I watched the liquid scorch and eat into the soil.

"Heavy coffee -- with a little nitric acid for an extra kick.  You bring me quite a bit of amusement -- and I'm glad I chose you to bring over here," he chuckled.

"Discord!  You should know better than to bring ponies from their home worlds to this one!  I suggest you send her back as soon as possible!" the pegasus demanded.  She appeared to ready her stare for good measure.

"Ah, no, I can't have that, my dear friend -- I believe I promised not to make mischief here in Equestria, but bringing him here hasn't caused any harm -- at least not to Equestria at any rate -- and after all, I believe I'm also entitled to a little fun for myself.  Little Aurora here has already proven to show me my decision wasn't wrong!" he chortled between sips of his coffee.

"Thanks for nothing," I groaned as I rolled my eyes at him.

"You should be careful about rolling your eyes at me, young lady -- they might come up snake-eyes if you do," he chuckled as he flashed me an almost menacing look.  My eyes went wide for a second upon recognizing his malicious intent.

"Discord!  Stop scaring her!" Fluttershy commanded.

"Oh, come on, I wasn't gonna hurt her ... much," he responded almost petulantly.  He seemed to wither a little bit from her as she readied her stare.  "Oh, all right, I'll be nice," he added, causing her to relax a little.  "Just -- let me have some fun -- please?" he asked, giving her a sad-eyed look.  I'll have to admit this sight caused me to chuckle a little before he returned his attention to me.  "And young lady -- be careful about expressing your amusement, especially at my expense!" he admonished as he appeared to splash his coffee in my direction.

"AAAAHH!!" I shrieked as I retreated behind the fashionista, the coffee landing in the spot where I'd been standing.  As it hit the ground, it evaporated before causing any corrosion to the grass.

"Discord, that was not very nice," the pegasus averred, casting her harshest stare at the draconequus.  I whimpered a little as my fear got the better of me.  Fluttershy came over and began comforting me.  "Sorry about that, Aurora -- I hope he didn't scare you too badly.  Discord!  You'd better not do that again!"

"Aaaahhh, you're no fun anymore," he grumbled before disappearing as suddenly as he arrived.  I was surprised he made no sound as he left.

"Um, well -- I hope you can talk some sense into him later, Miss Fluttershy," I offered almost meekly, giving the pegasus a hopeful glance.

"I'll have a little chat with him later on, Aurora -- and please, you don't have to call me Miss," she replied warmly before embracing me in a soft hug.  I'll have to admit it felt pretty nice to hug her -- her coat of fur so soft, her wings gently wrapped around me -- and I smiled broadly upon receiving her kindness.

"Thank you, Fluttershy -- I appreciate your kindness and hope to spend some more time with you soon," I said.

"Aurora, darling, please don't rush us -- there's another reason I came over here.  Fluttershy, I believe today is our spa day -- Aurora, would you like to join us?" the fashionista asked, addressing me with a warm smile.

"Miss Rarity, I would be honored to join both of you to the spa -- though I suppose as a filly, I don't know how much they'll do for me," I replied.  My expression was one of curiosity as I had never been to the spa before -- not even in all my years had I done so.  Almost inadvertently, I let this information escape my lips, drawing a gasp of surprise from my "sister," who scooped me up in her magic, her eyes wide with amazement, a big toothy grin on her face.

"Aurora, you're simply going to love it!  You're in for a real treat!  I can't believe you've never been to a spa before!"

"It's very nice, Aurora -- I find it quite relaxing and they know how to preen my wings properly," Fluttershy added, a light blush coloring her cheeks as she covered her mouth with a forehoof when I grinned slyly at her statement.

"Sounds like a little too much information there, Miss Fluttershy," I noted, mirth fully evident in my tone.  Her blush deepened a little further as she tried to hide her face behind her mane.  "Sorry about that -- I'll behave myself," I added as I saw Rarity glower at me a little and growl ever so softly.  "I said I'm sorry, Miss Rarity!  Please, I didn't mean any harm," I whined petulantly, my voice cracking as I tried to give her my best puppy-dog eyes look.

"Apology accepted, darling," she chuckled.  The pegasus giggled ever so softly at the exchange, which let me know things were okay.  "Now if you don't mind, let's get going!  Don't want to keep the pampering waiting!"

"Thank you, Miss Rarity," I said softly as I trotted behind the two mares, though I had to canter to keep up with them.  They discussed recent events which had occurred before my arrival, so I decided to pay little heed to what they were saying as we continued onward towards the town.  I was starting to get winded as we neared the bakery, the scents emanating from that building causing my mouth to water.

"Hey, Rarity, can we stop by here on the way back for some cupcakes or something?  It smells so good," I called out, interrupting their conversation.  I suppose I should have been more considerate of them, but -- the food smelled delicious and it caused me to get a little impatient.

"Aurora, darling, is food all you think about?  Is that why you're so pudgy?" Rarity asked almost mindlessly, not bothering to look back at me.  I must have involuntarily whined at that question before answering, because she then lowered her ears and head in response.

"Ugh, I could understand Diamond Tiara asking something like that -- but --" I began as I fell to my hocks, holding my head in my forehooves.  I don't know if it was because I was in a filly's body or what, but tears began to well up in the corners of my eyes.

"Oh, Aurora, darling, I am so sorry!  I -- look, we'll get something later, I promise," said Rarity as she tried to comfort me.  I didn't like how my mind was reacting to my being in this filly's body and I was starting to get a little worried about the subtle changes that seemed to be taking place.  She gave me a quick hug as well before returning her attention to Fluttershy, whose expression changed from surprise to compassion.

"Um, Rarity, was it necessary for you to ask her such a question?"

"Sorry, Fluttershy, I lost my head for a moment there -- I had no idea she was so sensitive about her weight."

I continued to follow the mares, who would occasionally take a look back over their withers to make sure I was still fairly close.  My short legs and small size forced me to continue cantering, my breath coming in gasps as I tried to keep up.  The extra weight I was carrying on my body didn't help either, causing me to stop and take a breather every few minutes.

"Aurora, darling, if you'd like, I can carry you on my back," Rarity offered, flashing me a sympathetic look.

"No, Miss Rarity -- I need the exercise," I answered, almost huffing in annoyance.  I knew we were close, but I couldn't give up yet -- I was determined to make it all the way there without resorting to riding on my "sister's" back.  I found myself wincing whenever she would talk to me in a patronizing tone and I was beginning to resent it.  Even her contrition didn't sound terribly convincing, but I chalked that up to her regarding me as a filly.  I silently hoped I could meet Princess Celestia soon and get that issue addressed.

"We're here," Rarity announced cheerfully as we trotted up to the entrance.  I looked up at the sign, but couldn't read it.
> A Little R 'n R
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Rarity showed me how to read the sign, eliciting a soft chuckle from Fluttershy.  I frowned a little in response, narrowing my eyes ever so slightly.

"You mean you can't read Equish?" she asked, still tittering giggles.  My frown deepened as I heaved a sigh of exasperation.

"Um, yeah -- I thought I told you where I came from -- and I'm familiar with a much different language in printed form," I commented.  "It's gonna take me awhile before I can actually read anything written or printed in Equish -- which is why I would like to spend more time with Twilight."

"Aurora, darling, I think there are other reasons why you'd like to spend more time over there --"

I cleared my throat loudly to interrupt my "sister" and glared at her.  She chortled at my reaction before opening the door to the spa.

"I believe my point may have hit a little close to home -- sorry, dear.  Let's get on with the pampering, shall we?"

"Yes, please," I grumbled as I followed the mares inside.  We were warmly greeted by a pair of earth pony mares who had identical color schemes, although one was the reverse of the other.

"Miss Rarity, Miss Fluttershy!  Welcome back!  And is this Sweetie Belle?" asked one of the sisters.  She spoke with an unusual accent, the sound of which caused me to smile, though not in response to her query.

"I am Sweetie's twin sister, Aurora," I replied, earning a glare from my "sister."  The fashionista cleared her throat as she glared at me.

"Actually, Aloe, this filly may look like my younger sister, but she has -- there's something unusual about her -- she's not what she seems," she declared as she tried to find the right words to explain my appearance.

"Very well then, Miss Rarity.  I assume you'd like your usual treatment?  You too, Miss Fluttershy?  And -- Aurora?"

"Does that include the full treatment?" I asked, giving my "sister" a hopeful look.

"Aurora, don't you think you're a little young to be asking for the full treatment?" she asked, answering my question with another question.

"Um, didn't I tell you I have the mind of a 50-year-old inside me?" I asked.  I wondered how many more times my appearance was going to prejudice the opinion of everypony who looked at me.  Aloe looked at me quizzically.

"Miss Rarity, does she speak truth?"

"Aurora, darling, I keep forgetting that fact -- Aloe, she is correct, even if she doesn't appear that way.  I suppose you may give her the full treatment as well.  Aurora, dear, I hope you enjoy this," she grinned.

"It'll be a first for me, Miss Rarity.  Thank you very much!" I beamed at her.  She smiled warmly in response and gave me a quick hug before we were escorted to different rooms.  I was taken to a small room with a table in the center and a step-ladder was brought to it so I could climb onto the table.  I laid on my belly and waited for my masseuse to begin.

"Well, now -- what have we here?  A filly to receive the de luxe spa treatment?  Rarity has told me about you," I heard a female voice announce.  I glanced over my left shoulder to see her, noticing it was neither Aloe nor Lotus to give me a massage.

"Um, I thought one of the Blossom Sisters might attend to me," I offered almost meekly as my masseuse trotted slowly up to me.  She giggled in response.

"Ah, no -- they get to serve the higher priority customers," she replied, a hint of amusement in her voice as she began to work on my muscles.  The sensation of her expertise caused me to moan involuntarily, earning a blush on the masseuse's face.

"Uh, sorry about that -- it feels so good -- it just slipped out," I said, flashing a sheepish grin before laying back down to wait for her to continue.  She giggled a little before resuming her ministrations, her hooves seemingly working miraculously on my muscles.  My approval continued to spill out of my mouth in a series of squeaks and squeals, the high pitch of my voice also causing me to giggle.  So infectious was my giggling that it caused my masseuse to giggle as well, her hooves continuing to slide all over my body and knead the muscles further.

"Mmmmm, that feels so nice," I cooed as I began to feel completely relaxed.  "Please keep going," I requested softly.

"Ah -- your time is up -- I shall escort you to the next station," she replied.  I groaned in disappointment at this.  "I'm sorry, miss, but I'm only allowed a certain amount of time per client.  Perhaps next week?"

"Okay -- but I'll have to see if Rarity will allow it," I answered as I followed the mare out of the massage room and into the sauna.  I was given a robe to wear, which I put on with some degree of difficulty.  As I entered the sauna, I saw both Rarity and Fluttershy sitting on the wooden bench.

"How was your massage, Aurora?" asked Rarity.  She smiled warmly at me as did the pegasus.

"Best one I've ever had, Miss Rarity -- I'm astonished by the skill of pony masseuses -- it felt so good I wanted more, but the time ran out," I noted.  Both mares giggled in response to my answer.  "I would like to come back next week and get another massage," I added.

"Well, darling, I shall see what I can do -- but are you sure you want to stay here that long?  Didn't you say something about wanting to go back to your home world?"

"I dunno, Miss Rarity -- as I was saying earlier, I wanted to redo my life -- but I'm afraid if I go back to my home world, the date will be the same and I don't know if I'll be changed back into a human or not -- and truthfully, there's a part of me that wants to stay here in Equestria, but maybe be transformed into a stallion so everypony stops treating me like a little filly," I replied.  My tone indicated a level of disappointment.

"Um, you look like a little filly," Fluttershy observed, eliciting a light chuckle from the fashionista.  My frown returned once again.

"And that's just the point, Miss Fluttershy -- I want to be taken seriously, not disregarded because of my appearance," I protested, my voice cracking on the words I chose to emphasize.  "It doesn't help that I'm trotting around in a copy of Sweetie Belle's body, despite getting a cutie mark -- I just hope Princess Celestia can fix this oversight -- or perhaps Discord could do it as well, but -- I don't wanna know what kind of price I'd have to pay for his assistance."

"Oh ho, talking about me again, are we?  Little Aurora, I'm having too much fun watching you like this!  You want to become a stallion?  Oh, I'm sorry, I can't do that for you!  Watching you take yourself oh so seriously is proving to be extremely amusing!  If you were to become a stallion, that would ruin all my fun!" the draconequus chuckled as he made another impromptu appearance.

"Well -- if you're not gonna help me -- then I'm gonna have to find some way of making you pay for doing this to me," I growled at him.  I tried to express my anger as best I could, but my facial expression proved to be so cute that both Rarity and Fluttershy giggled at me.

"How about ten thousand bits?" asked Discord as he produced a bag of coins from somewhere and dropped it on the floor in front of me.

"What, are you trying to bribe me?  I'd rather be a stallion than take your money," I declared matter-of-factly, my anger receding somewhat.

"Oh, you're no fun anymore," he groused as he made the bag of coin disappear before teleporting away.  The two mares stared at me in shock as I maintained a neutral expression.

"What?" I asked in exasperation.

"Aurora, darling, how could you turn down that kind of money?"

"That's easy, Miss Rarity -- I have no use for it -- at least, not yet anyway -- and there's no telling whether that money is real or not.  I don't want him to think I can be bought off that easily and his amusement at my expense costs more than that," I replied, my words tinged with anger.  "By the way, is it hot in here or is it just me?" I asked, earning a few light giggles from the mares.

"Aurora, darling, we are in a sauna if you hadn't noticed," Rarity chortled.  Fluttershy added another soft giggle in response.

"Miss Rarity, I think the heat's beginning to get to me," I stated as I loosened the robe somewhat.  Sweat dripped profusely from my body which made me feel particularly uncomfortable.  "Um, how much longer are we gonna be in here?"

As if to answer my question, the door opened to reveal Aloe, who smiled at us warmly.  "Are you ready for your beauty masks and hooficures?"

"Yes, please!" I chirped as I practically dashed out of the sauna to get away from the oppressive heat and humidity of the room.  Once again my actions were the subject of mirth between the three mares.

"Can't take a little heat, eh?" Rarity ribbed, her words punctuated by her attempt to stifle giggles.  Fluttershy smiled softly as did Aloe.

"Um, this is my first experience in a spa, y' know," I protested weakly.  "I know I'm new to this sort of experience, but -- please, can you lighten up on me a little?" I asked as I gave them an almost pleading look.  Their smiles disappeared immediately, replaced by concern and sympathy.

"I'm sorry, Aurora -- I didn't know you were so sensitive to that," Rarity offered softly.  She draped a foreleg over my withers, easing my discomfort.  I smiled at her in response to her gesture of compassion.

"Thank you, Miss Rarity," I uttered softly.

"Ladies, if you please," Aloe stated after clearing her throat, then turned and motioned for us to follow her.  We were led to another room where we were given a facial mask -- it felt weird to have the cool pasty-like substance smeared on my face and cucumber slices placed on my eyes, but the coolness of the scrub felt almost reinvigorating.  I chose to relax and wait for Aloe to return to wash off the scrub.  I was given the option of eating the cucumber slices, but I politely declined.  We were then escorted to mud baths, another odd sensation but not an unpleasant one.  Eventually we were escorted to a hot tub.

"Miss Rarity, this has been wonderful -- thank you so much for providing me with this experience!" I beamed.

"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, Aurora, darling!  I know I always feel refreshed after every visit!"

Fluttershy also offered her thanks and Rarity modestly showed her appreciation in response.  I swam around in the tub for a little bit, eliciting more giggling from the mares I was sharing the tub with.

"Aurora, darling, I don't think the tub is meant to be used as a swimming pool!" Rarity giggled.

"I'm just amazed by how big it is -- that, or perhaps because of how small I am -- but I couldn't resist the opportunity to indulge myself," I responded before returning to a sitting position.  I maneuvered myself to a position where the water jets pulsated against my back, giving me a small measure of a massage.  I was just starting to get into it before Aloe returned and requested us to exit the hot tub.

"Aww, come on, just a few more minutes!" I complained as Rarity levitated me out and set me down on the floor.  She failed in an attempt to stifle more giggles at my reaction.  "Well -- is there a swimming pool here in Ponyville?  I haven't gone swimming in such a long time," I opined, striking a wistful pose.

"Sounds to me as though you'd like to spend some more time with my sister and her friends, Aurora!  And yes, there is a public pool here in Ponyville!" chirped Rarity enthusiastically.  I flashed a big toothy grin and did a happy dance, eliciting some more giggling -- the prospect of going swimming again was one which filled me with joyful excitement, such that I paid no mind to the reactions I received.  There was a part of me which seemed to be enjoying this experience far more than I should, but I wasn't about to take it for granted.

"I'm glad I could make you happy, darling!" the fashionista grinned as we left the spa.  I trotted brightly with a spring in my step as I followed the mares once again.  We chatted for a little bit before reaching the bakery -- something else I was eagerly looking forward to.  Rarity opened the front door, the bell ringing to alert a certain bouncing pink earth pony to our presence.  I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, considering this the first time I'd met her.  Upon seeing me, she grinned broadly and gave me a bone-crushing hug.

"Ooooh, Sweetie!  I knew you'd get your cutie mark sooner or later!  Oh, look -- you've got part of Twiley's cutie mark as part of yours!  Does that mean you have a secret crush on her or what?" she grinned, bouncing in place excitedly.

"Um, I'm not Sweetie, Pinkie -- um, uh, Miss Rarity --?" I asked, turning my attention to my "sister" and giving her yet another hopeful look.  She sighed in resignation at my glance.

"Pinkie, darling, she calls herself Aurora -- but --"

"Oooh, she is so cute!  I have to throw her a big party, especially because she got her cutie mark!"

"Um, Pinkie, could I have a cupcake?" I asked.  I probably should have been a little more careful about how I asked that question as her immediate response was to shove one into my mouth.  I gulped it down in one bite, but was left feeling a bit disappointed.  "Um, if you don't mind, Pinkie, could I have another one -- but let me eat it slowly, please?"

"Oh, sorry about that, Aurora!  Here ya go!" she giggled, hoofing me another cupcake.  I took it in my pale green aura and began taking small bites of it.

"Oooh, these are good!" I chirped between bites of the confection.  The rich chocolate of the cake along with the intense chocolate of the frosting was exactly what I'd been craving for quite awhile.  Pinkie beamed happily in response to my observation.  Before I'd even finished eating the second one, she had brought out her party cannon and decorated the shop haphazardly with confetti and streamers.
> Return to the Boutique ... Again
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     I'm not going to discuss the party -- save to say that I enjoyed myself thoroughly.  I was surprised to see the CMC there, given the time of day -- or perhaps because we had spent enough time in the spa that school had let out.  Whatever the case, I allowed myself to indulge in all the fun, games, food, and punch made available to us.  Perhaps I consumed more than I should have, but I left with a full tummy and belched my approval, much to the chagrin of Rarity and amusement of Pinkie Pie.

"Hey, Aurora, can't you stay longer?  The party's not over yet!" Pinkie exclaimed as she saw me sauntering towards the door.  I had already gotten Rarity's attention and told her I was tired and wanted to get some rest.  I turned to the party pony and gave her a weary smile.

"I'd love to, Pinkie, but I think I've had enough for one day -- perhaps another time, okay?  No disrespect," I offered softly.

"Okie dokie loki," she chirped and bounced away to meet up with some other ponies --  I recognized a few, but many others not so much.  I was interrupted in my attempt to leave by Sweetie Belle trotting over to me, beaming a broad smile.

"Oooh, Aurora!  Great idea!  I hope we get to spend more time together!" she giggled, nearly bouncing on her hooves.  I smiled warmly at her, nearly giggling at her excitement.

"Sweetie, I think you should ask your sister about such a request," I noted.  I turned to the mare, giving her an almost expectant look, but her expression remained neutral.  "Miss Rarity, is her request too much to ask?"

She pondered my question as well as her sister's request, striking a somewhat pensive mood.  After a moment, she sighed in resignation.  "I don't see why not -- after all, you two seem to get along quite well together," she declared before narrowing her eyes at me.  "But don't you dare take advantage of her!"

"I'd never dream of it, Miss Rarity -- you have my word I'll behave myself," I stated solemnly, earning a soft smile from her.  She gave me a quick hug as well, causing my smile to widen in appreciation of her affection.  "Miss Rarity, you spoil me like that," I giggled.

"I thought the spa visit spoiled you, Aurora, darling!" she chortled.  I grinned but yawned involuntarily as my fatigue was starting to wear on me.  "Hmm, looks like you might need some rest -- Sweetie, let's get going -- you can play with your friends later."

"Okay, big sis, just gimme a second to let me tell them we're going," the filly said as she scampered off to meet up with them for a moment.  Their faces fell slightly upon hearing the news, but they perked back up when she told them about what they were going to do the following day.  She returned quickly to where we were and took a position beside her sister as we left the bakery.  We started trotting towards the boutique, the late afternoon glowing with the setting sun.  The few clouds in the sky glowed with pretty shades of pink, lavender, and cyan.

"Thanks for your generosity, Miss Rarity -- but I'm afraid of getting even fatter because of all this tasty food I've been getting," I observed, my words tinged with worry and perhaps a little regret.  I could feel my belly bulging as a result of indulging myself -- okay, I gorged myself, I'm not gonna lie -- but the food tasted so good!  I trotted slowly as my stomach continued its digestive process.

"Of course, Aurora!  I'm not the Element of Generosity for nothing!" she giggled.  She patted my belly affectionately as well, causing me to giggle at her touch.

"Miss Rarity!  Please, I'm very ticklish there!" I protested as I tried to protect my sensitive underside from her advance.  Telling her this must have been a mistake on my part as she took the initiative to begin tickling me mercilessly, causing me to laugh involuntarily and tears to stream from the corners of my eyes.  I pleaded with her to stop, but she continued until she finally chose to relent.

"Sorry, darling, I couldn't resist!  Sweetie Belle isn't that sensitive," the fashionista chortled.  I grumbled a little as I got back to my hooves -- my back had gotten a bit dirty from laying on it when Rarity had chosen that particular opportunity to tickle me.  "Oh, sorry, Aurora -- I'll help you clean up when we get back home," she offered warmly.

"Thanks, Miss Rarity," I offered almost mechanically.  I was a little miffed that she had gotten me dirty because she wanted to tickle me.  Sweetie Belle had giggled at my plight while I lay helpless on the ground and I turned to her.  "Um, Sweetie, couldn't you have said or done something to help me?" I asked.

"Well -- you looked like you were having so much fun, I didn't want to spoil it!  Perhaps I could tickle you again too!"

"Ugh!  Some help you are!" I groaned as we continued trotting to the boutique.  The sun had just set and the evening light cast long shadows everywhere before the streetlamps were lit.  We continued onward in relative silence and reached our destination in short order.

"Home sweet home," Rarity declared brightly upon opening the front door.  I followed the mare and her sister inside and took a seat on a cushion on the floor.   "Aurora, would you care for some tea before bed?"

"No thanks, Miss Rarity -- I've had my fill of cakes, cookies and punch for tonight," I replied.  "But I will take you up on the offer of helping me clean up," I grinned.

"Very well then, Aurora -- but I still don't understand why you don't like tea," she mused as she filled a kettle with water and put it on the stove.  "So, why not tell me why while I'm washing you up?" she smiled cheerfully.  "Okay, now, up the stairs -- you know where the bathroom is now!"

"Yes, of course, Miss Rarity," I responded.  I trotted up the stairs and made my way to the bathroom, the mare following me up.  Sweetie followed us up as well, though I wasn't really sure why.  I went to the bathtub and jumped in, though there was no water in it.

"Aurora, darling, you should at least let me turn on the water before you get in!" Rarity chided gently, tacking a soft giggle onto the end of her statement.  I saw a twinkling in her eyes, which I assumed was a result of the spectacle of me in the tub.  She lit her horn and turned on the tap, the water coming out rather cold.  I used my hooves to adjust the flow to get a temperature I liked.  Rarity used her telekinesis to pour some soap into the water, causing it to bubble up profusely.  Sweetie came into the bathroom to watch -- or perhaps join in as she decided to jump into the tub with me, giggling almost uncontrollably as she did so.  Water splashed onto the floor, causing Rarity to grouse a little.

"Sweetie, you should have waited your turn!  But -- since it appears there's enough room for both of you, I don't see why I can't bathe both of you at the same time," she noted warmly.

"And we can take turns washing each other off!" the filly giggled, earning a worried look from both of us.  My eyes went a little wide in surprise at that.

"I'll take care of that, Sweetie," Rarity stated firmly, glaring at her sister as she used her magic to wash me with a small towel she had already soaped up.  Despite this fact, the feeling of the soapy towel moving around my body elicited a high-pitched squeal of surprise from me, causing my doppelganger to giggle.

"Aww, it's not like we're gonna do anything," she protested.  "I'm not a little filly any more!"

"You don't have your cutie mark yet, Sweetie," Rarity chortled.  "You're not a big filly until you get one!"

"Ugh!  Stop reminding me of that!  I'll get my cutie mark, just like Aurora did!  So come on, Rarity, let us wash each other!" Sweetie exclaimed in mock-exasperation.  The faint sound of a kettle whistling alerted the fashionista that it was time to put the tea on.  Her facial expression seemed to indicate resignation on her part.

Rarity huffed in annoyance and glared at both of us, though it appeared to me as though she was staring a little more harshly at me.  "Fine.  I'll let you two wash each other off.  But -- Aurora, remember what I told you earlier about my sister!  Sweetie, tell me immediately if she does anything ... funny with you," she stated firmly before leaving us to ourselves.  A few seemingly tense moments passed before the filly broke the silence.  I exhaled a breath I didn't even know I was holding.

"Finally!  I thought she'd never leave!" the filly exclaimed in a loud whisper.  "Okay, now let me finish soaping you up and then you can do me!"

I flashed a nervous look at her before turning my back to her.  "I don't wanna get in trouble," I opined apprehensively.

"We're not gonna do anything that'll get us in trouble," she responded, a hint of annoyance in her words.  She began soaping me up, her hooves seeming to feel as good as a massage as she worked the soap into my coat.

"Umm, Sweetie, how many other ponies have you done this for?" I asked as she continued to work her hooves in small circles in various places.  I hummed and moaned softly at the sensation.  I had no idea she was this good!

"Well -- I've had a little practice," she chuckled.  This statement earned another look of surprise from me, though I also found myself vocalizing my pleasure in response to the touch of her hooves as she continued to soap up my coat.

I paused a moment before saying, "I'm not gonna ask."  She let a chuckle escape her lips at this before flashing me a somewhat stern look.

"Good," she replied tersely before breaking out into a fit of giggles.  She maneuvered the soapy towel all over my body a little bit longer before she was satisfied with my state of cleanliness.  "Okay, now rinse off and soap me up!"

We switched positions in the tub after I rinsed off, though Sweetie helped me with that as well.  I was surprised by her seeming skillfulness with her hooves, moaning just a little bit more.  Rarity poked her head into the bathroom to see what was going on, but noticed that I was the one emitting the moans, causing her to giggle.

"Aurora, darling, aren't you enjoying that just a little too much?" she asked through her giggles.  I blushed in embarrassment at her question.

"I had no idea your sister was this talented," I replied softly.  The filly beamed a big smile upon hearing me say that and I could have sworn I heard a faint squee of delight as well.  "I don't think I'm that talented in that respect," I added.

"Aww, come on, Aurora!  Soap me up like I did you!"

"I'll let you two get back to washing each other off.  I'll have some fresh tea waiting for you two when you get done," the fashionista declared before closing the door on us again.

"Thanks, big sis!" Sweetie called out to her retreating form before the soft click of the door closing announced her departure.  "Okay, Aurora, show me what you can do!" she grinned at me.  I used my magic in a similar fashion to Rarity to soap up the washcloth and run it over the filly's body, but this didn't seem to make her happy.  "Come on, Aurora, do me like I did you!" she implored almost stridently.  She seemed to be annoyed by the fact I was trying to avoid touching her, but hearing her goad me strengthened my resolve.  Taking the towel into my right fore-hoof, I began scrubbing the filly in earnest -- and I was a bit shocked by her reaction.  She cooed and moaned even more deeply than I had while I was under her ministrations.

"Come on, Sweetie, it doesn't fell that good, now does it?" I asked, my voice tinged with worry.  "Um, can you moan a little more softly?  I don't want your sister to think I'm doing something naughty with you, y'know?"

Almost as if to punctuate my question, my "sister" poked her head into the bathroom yet again, this time a scowl marred her features.  "Aurora, darling, try not to make her moan like that!  Sweetie, she isn't taking advantage of you, is she?"

"Aww, come on, sis, let me have some fun!  She's not hurting me at all -- it feels kinda nice, too!"

I blushed deeply as Rarity continued to stare at me.  "Umm, I'm sorry, Miss Rarity -- I'll try to be more careful," I replied softly.  My ears had involuntarily lowered while I withered under her gaze.

"Aurora, you're not doing anything I wasn't doing with you," Sweetie stated firmly in order to clarify her point.  She pouted a little as well and stomped a hoof for added emphasis, causing water to splash out of the tub.  "Let her finish washing me, okay, sis?"

Once again a sigh of resignation escaped the mare's lips before she wordlessly turned around and closed the door behind her.  Sweetie flashed me a wicked grin and motioned for me to continue washing her body.  I nodded in response and resumed my earlier task of soaping her body up with the towel, the filly doing her best to keep her voice as low as possible.  Despite this fact, she seemed particularly sensitive to my touch and continued vocalizing her pleasure -- and seemingly once again forgot about her sister as she let a loud moan escape her lips.  I blushed furiously upon hearing that, then Rarity tromped back into the bathroom.

"Aurora, darling, I think that's enough.  Sweetie, I will finish washing you.  Aurora, out of the tub with you!" she scolded, then used her magic to levitate me out of the tub, tossing a towel at me so I could dry off.  I gave another sheepish grin and shrugged my withers almost helplessly, tacking on a brief, "I'm sorry," as an afterthought.

"I can't believe I can't leave you two alone for five minutes," she grumbled as she washed off her sister and drained the tub.  The filly was levitated out of the tub and likewise given a towel to dry off with.  I used my telekinesis to dry myself off.  "Aurora, darling, I'm afraid I can't let you bathe with my sister any more."

"I'm sorry, Miss Rarity -- I promise I wasn't touching her in her sensitive areas," I responded.

"That may be so, dear, but I can't have her moaning like that -- you either, for that matter."  She provided us with toothbrushes at this point and we quickly brushed our teeth.  After that, Sweetie was sent to her room.  I turned to follow her, but Rarity stopped me.  "No, Aurora, you can't sleep with her tonight."

"So where am I supposed to sleep?" I asked, disappointment tinging my words.

"You will need to go back to Twilight's house, dear," she noted in response.

"Very well then," I sighed as I began trotting to the stairs.  Rarity followed me slowly as I descended the staircase and made my way to the front door.  Upon opening it, I was stunned to see how dark it was outside.  I closed the front door and turned to face the fashionista.  "Um, Miss Rarity -- I don't think it's safe out there for me to be trotting by myself all the way back to the library," I offered meekly.

"Then sleep on the couch, darling -- I can't have you sleeping with my sister," she declared.

"Um, if it's not too much trouble -- can I share your bed?" I asked.  I flashed her a hopeful look.  She pondered my request for a moment and then frowned at me.

"I'm sorry, darling, but I can't let you sleep with me either.  Here's a blanket and a pillow."  She produced the items from somewhere and laid them on the couch for me.  I climbed up onto it and laid down to try to get some sleep.  I curled up in the blanket for warmth as the mare silently made her way to her room.
> Bullies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     I found myself being nudged awake in the middle of the night by something soft and warm snuggling against me, wrapping legs around me.  I pondered the significance of this, but my state of fatigue was such that I gave it no further consideration and tried to go back to sleep.  It took a little while to adjust to this presence but eventually I drifted into a deep sleep.  I don't know how long I was out for, but sunlight streaming in through the windows woke me once again.  I heard hoofsteps on the staircase before a female voice stridently commanded me to wake up.

"Ugh, just five more minutes, please," I groaned.  I noticed I had been entangled in the embrace of a certain filly, a big smile plastered on her face.  Rarity came over and unwrapped me from my blanket, dumping her sister onto the floor.

"Ow, what was that for?" she asked in a hurtful tone.

"Sweetie Belle, how could you do this?  Why?" asked her sister.  She shot me a dirty glare, one I returned with equal fervor.

"I didn't wanna sleep alone," she replied, maintaining the wounded tone to her voice and giving her sister the big sad puppy-dog eyes look.

"Aurora, darling, why didn't you turn her away?"

"Um, I was too tired to protest, Miss Rarity -- and truthfully, I don't like sleeping alone, either," I replied softly.  I mimicked my doppelganger's sad puppy-dog eyes.

"Hmm.  I guess that can't be helped -- Sweetie Belle, please, don't do that again.  Aurora, I am going to prepare breakfast -- and after eating, I request you return to Twilight's house -- I think you're a bad influence on my sister," the fashionista stated matter-of-factly.  My face fell upon hearing this.  "It's for your own good, Aurora," she added as she noted my dour expression.  She left the room to get started on breakfast, leaving the both of us to have a brief conversation.

"Sorry about my sister, Aurora -- she can be like that.  Don't worry, I'm sure we can do more stuff together!" she chirped.

"I'd like that, Sweetie -- I'm just worried about giving the wrong impression, though," I said.  "I just wish there was some way I could convince your sister that I'm not some kind of pervert or something.  I'd like to think I have at least some honor, some sense of propriety, some sense of dignity, or -- or -- something," I added as exasperation began to creep into my voice.

"I know you're a good pony, Aurora -- I guess I'll have to talk to my sister some more -- perhaps I can get her to change her mind about you, that you really are a good pony -- and if nothing else, maybe she'll be nice enough to let me play with you more often!"

"I hope so, Sweetie -- I want to make more friends, I want to be happy more often -- I want to do so many things but I don't know where to start," I opined glumly.

"Well -- since today is Saturday, maybe you could help me and my friends get our cutie marks!" she beamed.  I could have sworn I saw her rear up onto her hind legs and gleefully rub her forehooves together as though she were plotting something sneaky.  I grinned at this display, then saw her stop as her sister returned.

"Breakfast is ready, you two," she offered cheerfully before turning around and going back into the kitchen.

"Thank you, Miss Rarity," I noted as I followed her in, the filly trotting by my side and adding a vocal thanks to her sister as well.  Once again, a large plate of hay pancakes had been set for me.  "Really, Miss Rarity, was it necessary for me to have five?"

"You need your strength, Aurora, darling!  Can't have you trotting around Ponyville on an empty stomach!" my "sister" chortled as she levitated the syrup over to me.  As if to answer her reply, my stomach growled loudly in anticipation of more food, causing the mare and the filly to giggle.  My face fell at this, as I knew I was going to finish the plate -- I know I didn't want to get fatter, but my hunger was such that I felt compelled to eat all five pancakes.  I poured a liberal amount of syrup on them to enhance the flavor further and tucked in heartily, my magic working the knife and fork almost effortlessly.  Upon finishing, Rarity set another three pancakes on the plate for me.  Those disappeared just as quickly as the first five.  I belched in approval again and apologized for doing so.  The mare and her sister finished eating about the same time, the three of us discussing the day's plans during our breakfast.

"Aurora, darling, I trust you know the way to Twilight's house from here?" asked the fashionista.

"Yeah, I guess -- I just need to look for the big oak tree," I replied.  "Thanks again for breakfast, Miss Rarity.  I hope I can come back and visit again some time."

"Of course, Aurora, darling -- you're welcome any time," she offered warmly.  I nodded my head, smiling warmly at the mare before turning away and trotting through the front door, closing it behind me.  I began trotting around in order to get my bearings, looking for the large oak tree I remembered.





"Do you think she'll be okay by herself?  The library's kinda far away from here," Sweetie noted, a look of concern on her face.

"She'll be fine, Sweetie -- we've already trotted back and forth at least twice since she's been here, so she should have no problem finding her way back," her sister stated confidently before returning to her work room.

"I'm gonna help her anyway," the filly replied before leaving out the front door herself.

"Try not to come back covered in tree sap this time," her sister called after her.





I must have gotten lost trying to find the library -- try as I could, I was having difficulty locating the large oak tree.  I continued trotting seemingly aimlessly, trying to find somepony who could point me in the right direction.  My reverie was rudely interrupted by a couple of fillies who called out to me.

"Hey, blank flank!" called out a pink filly with a tiara on her head.  I instantly recognized her and flashed her a scowl.

"I'm not a blank flank anymore, Diamond Tiara," I commented as I quickened my pace to try to get away from her and her grey friend.  They followed me and sped up their pace, succeeding in overtaking me.  The pink filly blocked my forward progress and the grey one blocked any attempt for me to turn around and go the other direction.  I tried turning around, but they moved with me, further frustrating my attempts to escape.

"Hey, I was talking to you, blank flank," she reiterated, a harsher tone to her voice.  I didn't realize she was so much bigger than me and now worried for my safety.  I tried to turn around yet again, but was rewarded by Diamond striking me upside my head with her right forehoof.  "Don't try to run away -- unless you really want me to beat you up," she hissed.

"What do you want?" I asked meekly, trying to shield myself from any further physical attacks.  My attempts to parry their attacks were brushed away almost effortlessly -- I mentally cursed myself for not having tried to get more practice in self-defense.

"I'm gonna make you pay for embarrassing me in class the other day," she replied venomously, her eyes narrowed and her ears pinned back.

"Yeah, nopony makes fun of my friend," Silver Spoon added, hitting my left flank with her left forehoof for added measure.  "Oh, so you do have a cutie mark!  Looks like you got it out of a cereal box," she sneered.

The sight of my cutie mark distracted Diamond Tiara long enough for me to make a break for it as I galloped as swiftly as my legs could carry me.  Unfortunately, my physical conditioning was sorely lacking as the two chased after me.  I stumbled and fell as I glanced over my shoulder.

"Running away isn't gonna help you," the pink filly shouted at me as she quickly caught up to me.  I was silently hoping somepony or other would see what was going on and step in to help -- I caught sight of a few ponies, but none seemed willing to intervene.

"Help!  Help me please!" I shouted in a vain attempt to attract attention to my plight.  I was rewarded with another right hook to the side of my head and stumbled briefly before losing my balance and hitting the ground hard on my right side.  The two fillies approached me slowly, grinning evilly.

"You know what we do to trouble-makers like you?" Diamond asked rhetorically.  I scrunched up my face, concentrating magic through my horn in an attempt to teleport away from them.  My spell failed, my horn emitting a small shower of sparks.  "What was that?  A feeble attempt to blind me?" she asked in a condescending tone of voice.  She struck me in the face again before punching me in my belly, with Silver Spoon joining in as well.  The two of them struck me several times, causing me to cry out in pain, which seemed to embolden them further.  They continued to pummel me with their forehooves, drawing blood from my muzzle and blacking my right eye, bruising me severely.  They also struck my horn several times, causing me to cry out sharply in pain.

"Somepony please help me!" I screeched, writhing on the ground as I tried to shield myself from their blows.  I whimpered in pain as they continued to beat me without mercy.

"Nopony's gonna help you, worm," the pink filly sneered before striking me in the face once more.  "You should be thankful that's all you're getting -- now get up and run home to mommy, I'm sure she's worried about you," she added, a mix of contempt and derision dripping from her words.  The two of them turned and left, laughing to each other about how what they had done and how easy it was.  I laid on the ground, moaning and crying in pain, my thoughts dark as I mentally swore revenge.  I don't know how long I stayed on the ground, but no pony came to my assistance until a certain white filly found me.

"Aurora!  What happened to you?" asked Sweetie Belle.  I saw her eyes go wide upon seeing me in my condition.  She tried to lift me but I was too heavy.  "Um, I'll see if I can get you some help," she offered as she galloped away as swiftly as she could.  I tried to rise to my hooves, finding it particularly difficult to do so -- the pain inflicted on me was almost too much for me to bear.  I spat out some blood which had pooled in my mouth and a couple of teeth went with it.

They're going to pay for this, I swear it! was the thought that ran through my mind immediately.  I gingerly tested my hooves, luckily finding that I could trot, albeit slowly.  I started making my way back towards Rarity's boutique, since it was relatively close and I could see it from where I was.  I noticed my "sisters" galloping towards me, looks of deep concern etching their faces.  They reached me just a couple of moments later.

"Aurora, darling, I'm so sorry this happened to you!  Who was the ruffian responsible for this?"

"Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," I replied wearily, still sniffling from my earlier tears.  My balance was unsteady, the pain I was in causing me to limp on my left foreleg.  Sweetie sidled against me, allowing me to use her body for support.

"I'll have a word with their fathers, Aurora -- I will see to it that those fillies are disciplined for their actions," Rarity noted solemnly.  "Sweetie, let's take her to the hospital -- I think she needs some medical attention."
> What Goes Around...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     As we trotted towards Ponyville General Hospital, Rarity asked me to explain to her exactly what had happened and how it had started.  We had a back-and-forth about possible strategies, but I insisted that the two of them got the drop on me and that given the fact there were two of them and one of me that I didn't have much of a chance against them.  Sweetie Belle was still helping me along and gave me a curious glance as I related my story.  She and her sister expressed sympathy for me, given the fact I was still limping along and my right eye had swollen shut.

"So what do you propose to do about it?" asked my "sister."  She meant it almost rhetorically, but I chose to answer anyway.

"I want revenge, Rarity -- I want them to suffer as much as I did," I replied darkly.  I crinkled my face for added emphasis, but this caused Rarity to chuckle at my expression before she realized I was trying to be serious.  Her smile disappeared as she tried to explain pony custom to me.  Sweetie Belle seemed to nod her head in agreement with my statement, even going so far as to softly say, "Mm-hmm."

"That's not the way we do things around here, Aurora -- if you seek revenge upon them, they'd want to return the favor.  Think about it like this -- you don't want to perpetuate a cycle of escalating violence --"

"But Miss Rarity!  They hurt me!  What should I do?  Where I came from, the only way to deal with ponies like that --"

"Is to what, darling?  You don't propose to kill them, do you?" she asked in exasperation.  I hung my head at this question.  "Aurora!  You shouldn't even think such things!  Killing them won't solve your problem -- and I'm sure you wouldn't want to be put to death for it, now would you?"

"No, Miss Rarity, I wouldn't," I replied glumly.  "But -- but -- how am I supposed to deal with them?  Telling their parents probably won't do any good, except to make them angrier with me."

"Why do you say that?  What makes you think so?" Rarity asked, worry evident on her face.  I was beginning to regret even broaching this subject, but the pain had angered me and I wanted justice -- or perhaps retribution -- they deserved it!

"They'd find out who snitched on them and try to get even -- thus perpetuating even more violence," I replied.  "Sometimes the only way a bully can understand the fact that they messed around with the wrong pony is for them to get a very strong taste of their own medicine," I intoned solemnly.  "And if that means they get hurt a little, then so be it."  My dark statement caused both Rarity and Sweetie Belle to gasp in shock before they shot me a very stern gaze.

"Aurora!  I'll not hear such talk any further!  We will address their parents and resolve the matter peaceably," the fashionista admonished.  We trotted a little further in relative silence, reaching the hospital in short order.  As we entered, a nurse spotted me immediately and trotted off to get a doctor.  I was amazed by how quickly they addressed my needs, placing me on a gurney and wheeling me to another room for examination.  My "sisters" accompanied me, asking if I was going to be all right.

"She'll be fine, Miss Rarity -- her condition is not serious enough to be considered life-threatening.  I'm sure just a little magic healing and she'll be good as new in just a few days," the doctor replied cheerfully.  He turned to me and scanned my body with his magic, humming and muttering to himself, writing a few notes down on a pad of paper.  Shortly he finished his initial evaluation and asked me a few questions.

"So, who did this to you?" he asked, his tone indicating a lack of emotion.  I was taken aback by his seeming lack of compassion, but went ahead with my explanation.  "Hmm, it's not like those two to do this sort of thing -- from what I've heard, they usually limit their actions to verbal assault, not physical blunt force trauma.  I'll be sure to inform our billing department to send the bill for your medical care directly to Filthy Rich and Silver Spoon's father," he commented, adding a dry chuckle to the end of his assessment.

"Can you  recommend a good lawyer for me?  I want them to pay more than just medical bills," I intoned almost stridently, my anger not having receded in the slightest.

"Aurora, darling, I know of a few good attorneys -- don't be too surprised if Mr. Rich hasn't already retained them for a defense," Rarity stated, preempting a response from the doctor.  I hung my head again in disappointment.

"It'd be just like him to do that, wouldn't it?" I asked rhetorically, the words dripping with venom as I pictured the wealthy stallion doing just that, noting that if I were in a similar situation, I'd do the same thing.  I tried to think of another strategy while the doctor returned to using some magic to stabilize my condition.  I felt the pain beginning to recede, then felt something placed against my right eye.

"Keep that patch in place for a few days, your eye should be healed by then.  Rarity, you should take her to see the dentist -- I'm believe she may be able to help her with her broken and missing teeth.  Miss Aurora, I'm sorry there isn't more I can do to help, but please feel free to return for a follow-up," he offered warmly.

"Thank you, doctor," I said as I got onto my hooves.  "Miss Rarity, I wonder if the dentist can fix my teeth," I added as I ran my tongue along the gap where the missing ones were.  My anger began to build again as I tasted the saltiness of the wound.

"She's quite talented, Aurora -- just trust me on that," the doctor stated with an air of confidence.  "I don't trust my dental care to anypony else."

"Thank you for putting my mind at ease, doctor," I stated much more cheerfully.  My "sisters" turned to leave at this point.

"Doctor Stable, thank you once again for your help," Rarity offered warmly.  "Aurora, darling, let's get going -- I'm sure we can catch Minuette if we hurry."

"I thought she was called Colgate," I noted softly, eliciting surprised looks from the others.  My eyes widened a little as I realized my mistake.  "Um, sorry, forget what I just said," I offered as I struck a sheepish grin.  The fashionista gave me a sidelong glance before motioning me to follow her.  As we entered the main hallway, another medical team rushed by us, wheeling a gurney very swiftly and shouting for everypony to give way.  A frazzled-looking stallion rushed by, but it was what he was wearing that caught my attention.  He appeared to be smartly dressed, his suit looking like something a serious designer would create.

"Um, Miss Rarity, is that who I think it is?" I asked as I did a double-take to make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.

"Filthy Rich, yes," she answered.  Another nurse trotted by swiftly, but I was able to catch her attention.  I just had to make sure.

"Um, nurse, who's on that gurney?" I asked.

"Diamond Tiara, I believe, why?" she asked in response, causing us to gasp.

"What happened to her?" I asked, my tone registering disbelief.  Before the answer could come, another medical team rushed by us, followed by a distraught mare.

"My baby!  Please help!" she practically wailed.

"What happened?" I asked aloud, perhaps rhetorically, perhaps not.  As if to answer before anypony else could, Silver Spoon's mother practically wailed the answer to any who cared to listen.  It broke my heart to hear such sadness in her voice, though.

"My baby!  A piano fell on top of my baby!" she cried as she hurriedly followed the team wheeling the gurney with said filly into the ICU.  This exclamation caused both me and my doppelganger to gasp audibly -- Rarity gasped as well, though more silently than us.  She recovered her composure quickly, much to my surprise.

"Are you happy, now, Aurora, darling?" Rarity asked coldly, glaring harshly at me, though my expression of shock was mute answer to that particular question.  It took me a moment or two to gather my wits enough to force out an answer.

"Um, Miss Rarity, I wasn't expecting that -- and no, I'm not happy, even though I suppose I could take a small degree of comfort in the schadenfreude of the situation," I mumbled.  The fashionista's reaction to my statement told me all I needed to know.  "Um, I'm sorry to say that, but -- let me put it this way, Miss Rarity:  if they had attacked Sweetie Belle like that, how would you feel right about now?"

The mare heaved a deep sigh of resignation before striking a more pensive pose.  "Your point is taken, Aurora, darling.  If they had caused as much damage to my sister as they did you, I believe my anger would have gotten the better of me."

"So you see where I'm coming from, Miss Rarity -- though it gives me no pleasure to know they suffered from their bad karma," I opined matter-of-factly.

"I would hope you're willing to change your attitude towards them, dear," she answered.

"I think Aurora's got a point, though," Sweetie chimed in.  "Don't you remember how they used to tease us all the time?  You know they still do, don't you, Rarity?"

"It's still not right to wish harm to befall them, but since it would appear that fate has played its part this time, I guess I can't be too upset with you, Aurora.  Just don't rub it in -- now's not a good time for that."

"Agreed, Miss Rarity," I replied flatly.  More activity flurried past us as the condition of the two fillies seemed to be getting desperate.  "Jeez, I hope they don't die because of that," I offered.  "Anyway, let's get going to the dentist -- I want my teeth back," I added as I began to grow a little impatient.  Rarity held me back with a hoof and shushed me.

"My curiosity has gotten the better of me, Aurora -- we can go to the dentist later.  Let's stay and see what happens," she said softly.

"C'mon, sis, I don't wanna stay here any longer!  I don't wanna see either of them die!" Sweetie complained, the sadness in her voice quite telling.  She gave her best puppy-dog eyes look to her sister in an attempt to persuade her to leave.  My expression was one of worry while we continued to wait, listening to the sounds of the medical teams as they worked to save the lives of the fillies.

"I wonder just how badly they got hurt," I mused, almost under my breath as my morbid curiosity took hold.  I felt the situation eerily similar to that of watching a train wreck -- unable to look away, but horrified by the result.  I watched as Filthy Rich and Silver Spoon's mother came trotting slowly into the waiting room, though relief showed on their faces.

"Are they gonna be all right?" I asked of the two.  Both nodded their heads, though their expressions also showed how serious it was.  "Um, will they make a full recovery?" I added, receiving a questioning gaze from them.

"And who might you be, to ask such a personal question?" asked the stallion, his gaze hardening at me.

"Your daughter assaulted me without provocation, Mr. Rich," I replied firmly, returning his stare with one of my own.

"My little princess would never do such a horrible thing!  You take that back right now!" he demanded stridently.  Tears started to well up in the corners of his eyes, but I remained unflinching, hardening my gaze at him.

"It pains me to say this, sir, but yes, she did," I retorted almost angrily.  I lifted my eye patch with my right fore-hoof to illustrate my point, causing the stallion to flinch uncomfortably.  "I can't believe it myself -- I couldn't believe she would attack me -- sure, she insulted me, but --"

"Look -- I don't know who you are -- you look like her," he stated, pointing at my doppelganger.  "If you look so much like somepony else, perhaps she mistook you for her," he offered as I released my patch, letting it return to cover my right eye.  I glowered at him momentarily.

"She knows full well who I  am -- I am Aurora Belle, twin sister of Sweetie Belle.  Surely your daughter has told you about some ponies she might have called the 'Cutie Mark Losers' or something like that?" I asked, checking his expression, noting he chose not to answer.  I expounded a bit further with my explanation, drawing a shocked gasp from him.

"I'm -- I'm terribly sorry that happened -- but -- my daughter is in pain herself!  She and her friend were on their way back home when a piano fell from the sky and landed on top of them!  Please, show a little sympathy for them!"

"Indeed I am, sir -- and I am terribly sorry to hear about what happened to them.  As for me, I now need to go to the dentist to have my missing teeth restored, if such a thing is possible," I replied, trying to maintain a respectful tone towards the stallion.  "But how would a piano fall from the sky?"

"I don't know -- but I will find out -- and take them for every bit they own!" he growled.  He seemed to stare directly at me, though, almost insinuating I had something to do with it.  I returned his gaze with a look of shock, then shook my head quickly to answer his unspoken query.

"Miss Rarity, shall we be off now?" I asked as I turned my attention to her.  She nodded her head in response, as did Sweetie Belle.  "You have my sympathy, Mr. Rich -- I hope your daughter and her friend recover swiftly," I offered before bowing slightly to him.

"Thank you, Aurora -- if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to stop by my house and ask," he responded, flashing a warm smile.  I trotted over to my "sisters" and gave the stallion another glance over my shoulder before we left the waiting room and exited the hospital.

"I'm pleased with how you behaved yourself, darling," Rarity offered, flashing me a warm smile.  "I'm also pleased he seemed so genuinely interested in your well-being."

"I just hope his sincerity is as genuine as it appeared to be," I opined as a hint of disappointment crept into my voice.  My "sister" raised an eyebrow at me at this.

"I've known Filthy Rich for quite some time, Aurora -- and trust me, his word is as good as his bond.  He would never make a statement like that if he didn't mean it, darling!" she said, her words offering me a little relief.

The proof is in the pudding, Rarity...

I kept my thoughts to myself as we trotted a bit further to meet up with the dentist.  I wasn't exactly sure what to expect of pony dentists, but I hoped she'd be able to help me with my current predicament.
> Comes Back Around
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Our trot to Minuette's office took just five minutes -- I was a little surprised to find it so close to the hospital, but then again I guess I should have figured on such close proximity, given the profession.  I mentally postulated that it would lead to increased business for the dentist.  My reverie was interrupted by the door-chime as we entered, noticing a few ponies in the waiting area.  Rarity trotted to the receptionist and motioned for me to approach.  Sweetie took a seat on one of the benches provided for patients and others.

"Would it be possible for Minuette to see a patient immediately?" asked the fashionista.  I fidgeted nervously, dreading the thought of sitting in the chair.  Rarity turned toward me and flashed me a sympathetic smile.  "Minuette's very good at dentistry -- you won't feel a thing at all, darling!"

"I'm sorry, Rarity, but the patient will have to wait her turn like everypony else," the mare at the desk stated in a practiced monotone.  "What is her name?"

"Aurora Belle -- she's my sister's twin," the fashionista replied.

"She must be new here.  Please fill out this form and return it when you're finished -- then she will have to wait her turn."

I trudged over to a couch to wait, though Rarity joined me as well.  Sweetie joined us, though she seemed rather bored.  Rarity was nice enough to fill out the paperwork for me as we waited for the dentist to call on me.  My anxiety seemed to increase each time another patient either entered or left the office until I was the only one left.  My knees started knocking together as Rarity tried to comfort me again.

"Aurora, darling, is this because you're afraid?"

"Um, yes, Miss Rarity, it is -- I've never liked going to any dentist's office," I replied as I shakily got to my hooves to trot towards the office just after the receptionist called my name.

"If you're that nervous, perhaps I should accompany you," she offered warmly, flashing me a genuine smile.

"I'm sorry, miss, but the patient is not allowed to have company in Minuette's presence," the receptionist stated flatly.  This caused me to hang my head, my ears draped flat at the sides as I trotted more slowly.  "Miss Aurora, please hurry -- Minuette does not wish to be kept waiting."

"Ah, you must be Aurora!  Please, come with me!" Minuette offered cheerfully.  She noted my mood immediately and tried to reassure me, trotting over to me and wrapping a foreleg around my withers.  "Please, there's no need to fear -- I'm here to help you," she intoned warmly.  I trotted with her to  her office and was helped into the chair.

"Just relax, Aurora -- I promise not to hurt you," she stated.  "Now, open wide -- I need to see what we're looking at here," she added as she reclined me further back.  I opened my mouth dutifully, my eyes rolling to the back of my head.  The peripheral view messed with my mind -- I could see the wall behind me, the floor -- and began closely examining the pattern of the tile used, even going so far as to notice where the tiles didn't touch all the way.  My eyes drifted around further before my attention was brought back to Minuette's voice.

"Hmm, so you had a few teeth knocked out of your mouth -- hmm," she commented almost mechanically.  I couldn't respond as my mouth was still wide open -- I felt her prodding around with a metal pick, more closely examining my remaining teeth.   "How often do you brush?  Your teeth are a mess," she noted with great disappointment.  I felt a sweet and sticky paste-like substance being smeared on my teeth and into the space where my missing teeth had been.  "Okay, just let that sit for about fifteen minutes -- please wait here, but try not to swallow that stuff," she stated warmly, but her tone implied a command.  "Don't try to talk -- you may close your mouth until I return."

Gingerly, I closed my mouth, tasting a mix of saline and mint, letting it rest on my tongue and doing my best not to swallow the mix,  The sensation of the gauze made my mouth feel funny, then I felt my tongue going numb.  Presently Minuette returned, bearing a small metal tray in her magic aura.  My eyes spotted a few dental tools -- my surprise manifested itself in the widening of my eyes, but the dentist tried to reassure me.

"Relax, Aurora, I'm not using those on your teeth -- they're for other patients.  Here, let me remove the gauze," she offered warmly, taking it with her aura.  I felt the tingling of her magic as she gently removed it, though her magic seemed to linger in my mouth a little longer.  I felt something where my missing teeth had been.  I ran my tongue along it,  noting that it  felt like my real teeth.

"What did you do?" I asked as I continued to slide my tongue against the seemingly odd structure.

"Those are implants -- that's only temporary until your teeth grow back," she replied.  She helped me out of the chair and onto my hooves at this point.

"I thought they didn't -- I  thought those were the only teeth I got," I mused, a touch of confusion in my voice.  I trotted around to get some feeling back in my legs, which seemed to have fallen asleep while I was in the chair.

"What do you mean by that?  Is there something about you I should know?" she inquired, giving me an almost accusatory glare.  I shied back a little, intimidated by her looming presence.

"I don't know if you have time to listen to the full story, doc," I replied.  "I suppose Twilight could give you a better explanation.  Thanks for helping me."  She smiled in response, striking a wistful pose as she seemed to muse about the librarian.

"Ah, well -- I've been meaning to catch up with her -- and I'll make sure to ask her about you when I do see her.  Aurora, you're free to go now -- and as for helping you, it's no problem.  I get cases like yours every once in awhile and it makes me feel good to help other ponies.  Take care of those implants, now -- and be sure to brush at least three times a day!"

"Yes, Miss Minuette," I answered and saluted her, earning me a grin and a couple of giggles from the mare.

"Just take better care of yourself, Aurora.  I'd like to hear your story some time."

"I'll be sure to do that when I come back, Miss Minuette -- but my story is long and you might need to clear your schedule for a few hours if you wanna hear all of it," I giggled in response before being shown the way back to the waiting room and meeting up with my "sisters."

"Looking forward to it, Aurora!" she chuckled and closed the door behind her.  Rarity rose to meet me at this point.

"There, darling, that wasn't so bad was it?" she asked, a genuine smile gracing her features.  I consciously ran my tongue over my new implants.

"Well -- I guess -- but it looks like I'm going to have to come back fairly soon," I replied.

"Oooh, did she give you some new teeth?" asked Sweetie Belle as she caught a glimpse of the implants.

"Um, these are implants -- they're temporary -- I guess new teeth will grow in some time,"  I  answered before glancing around the waiting room.  Minuette returned, casting a curious glance at us as there were no other ponies waiting for her service.

"My office is closed now, so if you'd be kind enough to leave so I may clean up a little?" the blue mare half-said, half-asked.

"Terribly sorry about that, darling, I had no idea.  Aurora, Sweetie, let's go," Rarity sing-songed, leading the way to the exit.  "I'm sure you'd both like some ice cream," she added, earning a stern glare from the dentist, though the fashionista's back was turned so she couldn't see Minuette's disapproval.  I caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye and cantered a little more quickly, shivering ever so slightly.

"I don't think now's a good  time for ice cream, Miss Rarity," I opined as we trotted toward the boutique.  "I think I should wait for my implants to set before eating anything -- and I think it'd be even better if I stayed away from sugar for awhile."
> Ice Cream
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     We continued to trot along a path, earning a few curious stares from other ponies when they noticed what appeared to be two Sweetie Belles.  I cast a few nervous glances around while we trotted towards the boutique, discussing what was to be done next.  Our attention was diverted by a rather peculiar scene involving a certain blonde-maned grey pegasus, her voice sounding almost hurt as she tried to explain to her supervisor about not knowing what had gone wrong.

"Um, is that Derpy?" I asked as I stopped to watch her supervisor fire her on the spot, the mare sobbing about needing the job to buy food for her and her daughter Dinky.

"Aurora, darling, it's not polite to call her by that name," Rarity chided.

"Her name is Ditzy Doo, Aurora," Sweetie Belle added softly so as not to be heard by the pegasus.

"You lost a piano, Ditzy!  My company can't replace it!" the supervisor shouted at her, causing her to cry out in anguish and fly away.  "Don't come back!" he shouted at her retreating form.

"That's  kinda harsh," I noted as I glanced at the brown stallion before returning my attention to Rarity.  "I suppose I should thank Ditzy for helping me, but it came a bit too late to keep me from being bullied."

"What's done is done, Aurora -- and I would like to apologize for sending you out by yourself.  I had no idea something like this would happen," the fashionista opined softly, placing a hoof on my back in a gesture of comfort and compassion.  "If there's anything you would like, I will do what I can to help you."

"Thank you, Miss Rarity," I offered graciously.  "I'm kinda thirsty right now, though -- is there somewhere close by where I can get something to drink?"

"Of course, Aurora -- Sugarcube Corner isn't far from here," she replied brightly.  "How does a chocolate milkshake sound?"

"Um, Miss Rarity, I've never been one for milkshakes -- but perhaps a glass of milk would suffice," I answered.

"Ooh, ooh!  Can I get some ice cream?" asked Sweetie as she hopped up and down a few times excitedly, a big grin on her face.  The sight caused me to smile and a soft giggle escaped my lips.

"I suppose so, Sweetie," the fashionista sighed in resignation.  "I was under the impression that Aurora might like some ice cream as well, though."

"I would, but must I remind you about my weight?  I'm already feeling self-conscious enough as it is, Miss Rarity," I responded, my words tinged with exasperation.  "I need to lose some of this weight if I can."

"Nonsense, darling!  You're still growing, it'll fall right off once you get taller," the mare chirped mirthfully.  Sweetie nudged my pudgy belly with a hoof and giggled.  My belly jiggled a little at her touch, prompting her to  nudge it some more.  The sensation caused me to giggle in reflex, eliciting some giggles from my "sisters."  We continued on a little further, reaching the bakery after just a few more minutes.  Sweetie nudged my belly again, giggling as she did so.

"Ugh, isn't that enough, Sweetie?  Jeez," I groaned in protest.  Rarity opened the door to the bakery, the scent of food causing my stomach to grumble loudly in anticipation of more food.  It seemed almost cliche that my "sisters" giggled again in response before I was roughly grabbed by a pink pony and pulled into the establishment before I could register what was going on.

"Hiya, Rory!" Pinkie giggled.  "What can I getcha?  How about a vanilla milkshake?  Oooh, what happened to you?  What's the eyepatch for?  Are you dressing up for Nightmare Night as a pirate?  'Ahoy, mateys!  Swab the deck!  Raise the mizzenmast!  Yarrrr!'"

I sighed loudly, exhaling sharply through my nostrils.  Pinkie's expression changed as she sat on the floor facing me.  My "sisters" sat beside me as well.

"Something wrong, Rory?" asked Pinkie, her face showing concern.

"Yeah, I got attacked by Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," I muttered softly.  I lifted my eyepatch with my right forehoof to illustrate the damage done.

"Those two meanies!  I should have a word with them right now!" Pinkie exclaimed, a comedic show of steam whistling as it blew from her ears.

"Somepony dropped a piano on top of them -- they're in hospital right now," I stated flatly, taking some of the steam away from Pinkie.  "I've talked to Filthy Rich -- he's going to address my needs -- I think," I added, my words tinged with uncertainty.

"I hope he doesn't think you did that," Pinkie said.  We got up and  took seats at a nearby table, whereupon Pinkie disappeared swiftly, only to return with a milkshake, which she presented to me.

"Here ya go, Rory!  Drink up, it's on the house!" the party pony chirped merrily.  I took a look at it, noticing how frothy it was.  A straw was sticking out of it, beckoning me to take a sip, which I almost involuntarily did.  The taste was overwhelmingly sweet, a rush of vanilla and milk washing over my tongue as I continued to take bigger sips.  Presently, I ended up gulping the whole thing down, emitting a loud belch upon finishing the glass.  This merited a loud giggling from Pinkie, but a glare of disapproval from Rarity.

"Aurora, darling, haven't you any manners?"

"My apologies, Miss Rarity -- it tasted so good, I couldn't help myself," I replied meekly.  I noticed to my left that Sweetie Belle was attacking a bowl of ice cream, her face a mess of chocolate around her muzzle.  "Sweetie Belle, how's your ice cream?" I asked, tacking a giggle onto the end of my query.

"It's really good!" she exclaimed, smiling broadly.

"What flavor is it?" I asked.

"Boot to the head chocolate," she answered, giggling mirthfully.

"Pinkie, they don't really have that here, do they?" I asked, almost amazed by this fact.

"Yup, we sure do, Rory!  You want some?"

"Um, well -- chocolate's not my favorite when it comes to ice cream -- mint chocolate chip, or cookies and cream would work," I averred softly.  The words weren't even out of my mouth five seconds when Pinkie returned with a large bowl loaded with five scoops of mint chocolate chip ice cream.  She hoofed me a spoon and grinned broadly.  I  stared almost helplessly at the bowl, knowing full well I was going to eat all of it -- and began eating it anyway.  I don't know  what it is about Equestrian ice cream, but it tasted even better than what I could get at Baskin Robbins.  I was mindlessly scooping large chunks into my mouth -- not so much savoring the flavor, but practically racing  Sweetie Belle to see who could finish faster.  Pinkie refilled Sweetie's bowl with four more scoops, giggling at the sight of both of us dispensing with the spoons in favor of sticking our muzzles into the bowls and eating as much as quickly as we could.  I finished my bowl first, but Pinkie brought another bowl for me, this time with the other flavor I had mentioned.  I could feel my belly getting a little larger, but when I saw more ice cream, my stomach grumbled loudly in eager anticipation.

"Woo, looks like somepony's really hungry!" Pinkie giggled, causing Rarity to giggle as well.

"Aurora, darling, looks like you're not finished yet," she added playfully.  I groaned in protest at this -- I didn't want to get fatter!  But the ice cream -- it looked so good -- and before I knew it, I had mashed my muzzle deeply into the bowl, licking the scoops of ice cream with my tongue, taking large bites at the same time -- and very swiftly, the bowl was empty again.

"Hey, Rory, let me take care of that for you," Pinkie chortled as she took the empty bowl with her into the kitchen.

"I hope she doesn't bring some more out," I opined, my words tinged with regret.  I looked down to see my belly had gotten a little larger now, brushing up against the edge of the table.

"Hey, Rory!  I  gotcha some more ice cream!" Pinkie sing-songed as she sauntered over to my table.  On her back  was the largest bowl of ice cream I'd  ever seen -- it looked like an entire five gallon bucket had been emptied into the bowl, a mix of four or five different flavors.  Sweetie Belle gawped at the sight, as did Rarity.  My eyes went wide as saucers upon seeing this bowl placed on the table before me.

"Um, Pinkie -- I don't think I can eat all that," I declared.  My voice wavered with trepidation as I continued to stare at the mountainous bowl of ice cream.

"Don't worry, Rory!  I'll finish off what you don't eat!" the perky pink pony chirped gleefully as she rubbed my belly with her right forehoof.  "Besides, the weight won't stay on you for very long anyway!  I eat more than this every day, and look at me!  Do I look fat to you?"

"And how much exercise do you get?  You're always on the move, sometimes faster than the eye can follow -- of course you're not fat -- but I don't get the same level of exercise, and if I eat as much of this as I can, I'm not going to want to move anywhere at all -- I wouldn't be surprised if Rarity has to cart me out of here using her magic," I grumbled.

"That's okay, darling, I don't mind!" Rarity giggled.  She likewise rubbed my belly with a forehoof, giggling again at the touch and at my reaction.  I tried to bat her  hoof away from my belly, a low groan escaping my mouth as she giggled again.

I was torn -- do I eat or not?  I could discern strawberry, orange, chocolate mint, cookies and cream -- and chocolate.  I sighed in resignation -- even after eating as much as I already had, I still wasn't sated -- and this bowl of ice cream looked like enough to stuff six ponies.  Tentatively, I began at the top, tasting the strawberry flavor.  A crowd of ponies was starting to assemble to watch me devour this mountainous bowl -- I had to stand on the table in order to start, my belly hanging low -- and as I reared up to reach the top, my belly sank into the ice cream itself.

"Oooh, that's cold," I muttered as my belly made full contact.  I ended up resting my forehooves on the edge of the bowl as best I could, ice cream smearing on my neck and chest as I took large bites from the top.  I slowly worked my way down, though my body heat caused quite a bit of ice cream to melt -- the liquid ran down my barrel to my haunches, then down my hind legs and onto the table as I continued to eat.  My belly continued to sag against the ice cream as it expanded to hold more as I  ate, the crowd of ponies watching in amazement as more and more of it disappeared down my throat.

"Um, are you going to save any of that  for me?" asked Sweetie Belle.  I was about half-way done, the whole front of my body from my muzzle and neck all the way down my barrel to my stifles and hocks coated with a mix of melted ice cream flavors.  I turned to her and grinned sheepishly, my face a mess of pink, orange, green and brown.  The feeling of the liquefied ice cream running down my barrel and between my haunches sent an electrical thrill through my brain, activating my pleasure receptors.  It was all I could do to keep from hugging the mountainous pile -- I didn't want to make my pleasure that obvious -- the flavors mixing together added to my pleasure as well, the tingling in my body threatening to overwhelm me.  Even so, as I placed my hooves on the edge of the bowl, I lost my balance momentarily and my barrel and belly fell into the bowl, making a mess on the table as some of the mix of ice cream slid against my body and onto the table.  The sensation of sticky and slippery cold and wet ice cream smearing against me intensified the tingling sensation of pleasure I seemed to be enjoying.

"I dunno, Sweetie -- this  stuff's really good," I replied.  My belly sagged into the bowl now as I worked my way further down -- and now I was able to straddle the bowl on the table.  I was attacking what was left, though the bowl was large enough that my forelocks got melted ice cream on them -- which then dripped down my face.  I didn't care, though -- I knew I was going to finish the bowl.  I belched loudly, though there was still quite a bit of ice cream left -- but by this point, it was mostly liquid, and mostly brown from the chocolate flavor.  I stopped at this point, as the chocolate flavor didn't appeal to me.

"Pinkie, I guess you can have the rest," I offered as I backed away from the bowl.  My once-white coat was now a mix of colors and my belly rested on the table as I pushed the bowl forward with my right forehoof.  The pink pony giggled at the sight of me as I took a closer look at myself.  The crowd of ponies cheered me, as it had appeared I had eaten all of the ice cream.  Twilight had entered some time earlier and approached me.

"Michael, did you really eat all that ice cream?" she asked in amazement.  My response was another loud belch and a sheepish grin as I sat down on the table.  I felt a wetness against my hocks as I had unknowingly sat down in a puddle of melted ice cream which had slid down my belly while I was eating.  I felt sticky and gooey and ran a forehoof down my chest and barrel before licking off some of the melted ice cream, noting that the mixed flavors tasted good as well.  My belly rested on the table, the wetness along the bottom of it causing me a slight queasiness.

"I think I need a bath or a shower or something," I observed.  Pinkie came over to me and began licking me all over, causing me to giggle.  "Pinkie!  Stop!" I protested.  She continued to lick the ice cream off me, going from my neck down to my barrel.  She went further down before I booped her on her nose.  "I think that's enough, Pinkie -- I can wash the rest off either at Twilight's or Rarity's place," I stated firmly.

"C'mon, Rory, there's just a little left!  I want to finish the job!" she protested, pouting at me and flashing her big puppy-dog eyes look.  I glanced around the bakery, noting several patrons watching the activity rather intently.

"I think I know what you wanna do, Pinkie -- but with everypony here watching us, I don't think that's such a good  idea."

"We could go upstairs to my room," she giggled in a sing-song tone, her eyes bright with mischief.

"Bad idea, Pinkie," I averred, trying to inflect a hint of firmness to my voice.  "Rarity, I think we're finished here -- should we go back to your place or what?"

"Aurora, darling, I feel terrible about sending you out alone earlier -- you can come with me back to the boutique," she offered, a warm tone to her voice.  I hopped from the table onto a chair and then down to the floor, my belly making a splacking noise as it contacted each surface.  I tried to trot, but my belly dragged against the floor now.  A roll of fat had formed around my hips and a double chin had formed at the top of my neck, below my jowls.  My face had rounded out a little as well.  I developed a rhythm of walking taking into account my added bulk, which made progress a bit slower.  Rarity noticed this immediately.

"Aurora, it looks like your earlier prediction has been proven correct.  Sweetie Belle, could you fetch a cart?"

"Sure thing, sis!" she giggled as she cantered to the door and left.  She returned a moment later.  "Got it," she said before exiting the bakery again.

"We'll help you work it off," Rarity chortled as she enveloped me with her magic and carried me aloft, then out of the bakery.

"Come again soon, Rory!  That was fun!" Pinkie giggled as we left.  My only response to this was a groan as I settled onto the cart, resting on my hocks, my belly gurgling in protest at having been stuffed as full as it would go.
> Another Surprise
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     I'll have to admit to some degree of embarrassment as I was magically lifted and carried out of the bakery, then placed gently into a cart.  This cart appeared to be something similar to a taxi, though the cart also appeared to be quite rickety with no cover.  The driver was a stout dark grey earth pony stallion the cart was hitched to.  A grey cap adorned his brown mane.

"Where to, Ma'am?" he asked, his voice rather gravelly.  He craned his neck around to give us a once-over before returning his gaze forward.  I took note of his yellow eyes with red irises, but kept my thoughts to myself -- saying his name might jeopardize my current situation.

"Carousel Boutique," Rarity responded curtly before hopping into the cart with me, followed by Sweetie Belle.  I rested on my hocks, my belly forcing my hind legs to open very wide as I supported my somewhat upright sitting position with my forelegs beside me.  My belly seemed to have distended into a round ball, making me look quite pregnant -- or about to burst.  It gurgled loudly as I tried to let the ice cream digest.  Sweetie Belle took the opportunity to lick some of the ice cream sticking to my coat off, much to the consternation of her sister.

"Sweetie Belle!  Please control yourself!" Rarity admonished as the cart lurched forward.  She lost her balance and fell on her side, smooshing her sister against me and eliciting a loud "OOF!" from me as my doppelganger landed on me, her forelegs draped around my round belly, a sly smile creeping across her face before she licked me again.  Rarity's magic removed her before she could  go much further, though.

"Sweetie, dear, I think that's enough," the fashionista opined as she physically moved the filly to my left side.  The cart lurched again, the mare now falling onto my belly and forcing the air out of my lungs with yet another grunt of pain.  "Sorry about that, Aurora," she offered, though she took the opportunity to steal a taste of my sticky coat.  "Mmm, chocolate," she hummed in satisfaction.

"I knew you couldn't resist," I giggled as she stole another lick from my coat, my words causing her to blush.

"Aurora, darling, it has been some time since I last enjoyed some ice cream -- you don't mind if I have another taste or two, do you?"

"Uh, sure, Miss Rarity," I said as I gave her an almost curious look.  Sweetie had turned toward me and grinned before stealing another lick from my left side.  Rarity moved closer to me and took several licks off my fur, noting the different flavors.  The sensation of her tongue caused me to giggle as it tickled somewhat, but it also sent a shiver through my body as a faint stirring within me made itself known.  I managed to keep from showing it, though a soft moan escaped my lips before Rarity regained some composure and stopped licking me.

"Sorry about that, darling, it's just that the flavors are so good, I couldn't help myself!" the fashionista giggled.  My expression was one of mild bemusement before the cart lurched one more time before stopping rather abruptly.

"Your destination, Ma'am.  That will be fifteen bits," the driver stated stiffly.  He craned his neck around and stole a glance at me, his face contorted in a sneer.  "Looks like the little one got a little pudgy," he chortled in derision.

"Stop being such a ruffian," Rarity chided harshly, using her magic to levitate three coins to the driver.  "And for being so uncouth, you get no tip.  Come on, Sweetie, Aurora, we're home."

The driver grunted his disapproval and left, pulling the cart away quite suddenly, causing my doppelganger and I to fall onto the ground hard as we tried to exit.  I fell on my belly, knocking the wind out of me.  Sweetie groaned in pain as she had fallen on her right side, landing awkwardly on her right hind leg.

"Of all the nerve!" Rarity exclaimed as she rushed to her sister's side.  She cautiously bent down to check out the filly, who righted herself on all fours, favoring her injured leg a little.  "Sweetie, are you okay?"

"It hurts a little, but I think if I get a little rest, it'll be okay," she replied.  "Maybe Aurora can help me as well," she offered softly, giving me a hopeful glance.

"I need to wash this ice cream off," I noted dryly.  "And you should do something about that driver and his carelessness," I added, a hint of anger in my voice.

"I will see to it that ruffian is dealt with properly -- but that will have to wait until tomorrow.  Let's go inside and get you two cleaned up -- you both need it," Rarity noted as she escorted us inside the boutique, locking the door behind us.  "Aurora, you start the water -- I'll be up there shortly."

"Does that mean you're letting us wash each other?" I asked almost absent-mindedly, though a hint of hopefulness tinged my words.  I gave the mare a big puppy-dog eyes look to try to persuade her a little.  It's worth a try...

"C'mon, sis, let her wash me!  I promise I'll behave!" Sweetie chirped brightly.

"Very well then, Sweetie -- Aurora, you'd better behave as well!  I'll be coming up to check  on you both in a little bit."

For having just injured her leg, the filly practically bounded up the stairs as fast as she could, eliciting a wide-eyed look of surprise on my face.  I trudged up after her, my extra weight causing me to huff with my exertion.  "Sweetie, wait up -- I need a moment here," I called out about half-way up.  I continued to trek up  the stairs, my belly wobbling as I waddled as best I could.  Rarity noticed what was happening and used her magic to lift me and deposit me at the top landing.

"Thanks, Miss Rarity," I declared as I looked down at her, a genuine smile on my face.  I was roughly grabbed by the filly who seemed to have developed super strength as she pulled me into the bathroom.  "Geez, Sweetie, when did you get so strong?" I asked in wonderment.

"Magic," she opined dismissively as she turned on the water, adjusting it to her liking.  She slowly climbed in and grinned at me to follow her.  I slowly placed my forehooves on the edge of the tub, but I was too slow for Sweetie.  Again she exerted her strength and pulled me in, my body splashing in the water, the sound causing her to giggle.  "C'mon, Aurora, turn around for me."

I couldn't decide what tone her voice indicated, although I thought maybe she was being playful.  I dutifully complied with her request, craning my neck around so I could see what she was planning on doing.  She used her magic to take a bottle of shampoo and dumped a fair amount on my back and worked it into a thick lather.  Her hooves felt nice on my back and I hummed softly in contentment.  She took that as a positive sign and continued, working her hooves all over my body.

"You're so soft," she noted as she continued to rinse the shampoo out of my fur, mane, and tail.  She ran her hooves up and down the sides of my belly, then reached under it to wash my underside as best she could.  It tickled and I giggled at the sensation.  Rarity entered the bathroom at this point.

"Are you almost finished?" she asked, causing both of us to give her a look of surprise.  "You weren't doing anything naughty, I hope?" she added, her gaze hardening a little.  We both shook our heads vigorously, uttering the word, "No," simultaneously.  Our response elicited a soft chuckle from the fashionista, who approached us and lifted me with her magic to ensure I was completely clean.

"Please, Miss Rarity!" I pleaded, my expression of fearfulness emphasizing my plea.  Every time she did this, a wave of nausea would wash over me as the sensation of gravity trying to pull me down caused her control over me to fluctuate ever so slightly.  She lowered me back down, outside the tub, and gave me a towel.  I dried off quickly, watching Rarity repeat the process with her sister, who also protested the levitation.  We finished by brushing our teeth before we were escorted to bed.

"Sis, can Aurora sleep with me tonight?" asked the filly, giving her best puppy-dog eyes look again.

I never get tired of seeing her do that, I silently mused, a wry smile working its way across my lips.

"Very well then, I guess you may.  Aurora, behave yourself," the fashionista advised, giving me another hard glare, though not as severe as the previous times.

"You have my word, Miss Rarity," I stated reverently, bowing slightly to her.  This caused her  to giggle before she turned and left us in Sweetie's room.  We waited for her to leave and close the door behind her and we listened to her hoofsteps until they became too soft to hear.

"You wanna have a pillow fight?" Sweetie asked mirthfully, flashing a wicked grin at me.  Without waiting for me to  reply, she grabbed a pillow off her bed and flung it at me.  My eyes widened in surprise before I lit my horn and stopped the projectile in mid-air with my magic, eliciting a loud groan from the filly.  "Why not?" she asked petulantly.

"I'm kinda tired and wanna get a little rest," I replied.  My belly gurgled as some of the ice cream tried to digest.  "And I wanna make sure I'm well rested before I do some exercises tomorrow to work off some of this," I added as I patted my bloated belly with my left fore-hoof.  My doppelganger approached me and likewise patted my belly, giggling as she did so.  "Okay, Sweetie, that's enough.  Let me get some sleep," I reiterated as I climbed into her bed.

"Oooh, I was hoping we'd get to sleep together!" she chirped as she excitedly hopped into the bed, bouncing on it a few times for good measure.  I watched her jump a few more times, my expression showing disapproval at her annoying behavior.

"Could you stop jumping and lay down?  I'm really tired," I groaned, turning over onto my left side.  "And turn out the light as well, please."

"Aww, you're no fun, Aurora!  C'mon, just a little pillow fight?" she pleaded, turning her puppy-dog eyes on me.  I tried to ignore her by keeping my back to her, but she persisted, even going so far as to poke my belly with a forehoof several times.  I groaned in disgust at this but finally relented -- and took a bunch of hits to my face with her barrage of pillows.

"C'mon, you're not fighting back!  C'mon, Aurora!  I  wanna have some fun!"

"That's enough, young lady," Rarity admonished as she opened the door.  "Lights out!  Good night, sleep tight!" she chirped as she turned off the light and closed the door again.

"Thanks, Miss Rarity," I called out after her.  Sweetie glared at me as we lay beside each other, then she turned her back to me.  "Sorry, Sweetie, it's just that I'm really tired.  Maybe tomorrow night we can have a proper pillow fight," I offered warmly.  She turned back over to face me.

"Okay, deal!" she grinned and poked my belly again before laying her head down.  I giggled a little at her poking my belly and returned her pokes with one of my own, which made her giggle as well.

"Okay, that's enough, Sweetie -- don't wanna make your sister come back in here," I said just barely above a whisper.  She grinned at me and nodded her head as I tried once again to fall asleep.  She snuggled against me, wrapping her forelegs around my belly.  I laid my right foreleg over her barrel, but made sure not to move it at all.

"Mmmh, feels nice to be close to you like this," she said softly, snuggling even closer to me.

Okay, Sweetie, not too close now, you don't want Rarity to get the wrong idea, I silently mused.  Truthfully, it felt quite nice to hold her as well as having the filly wrap herself around my belly.  We drifted off to sleep rather quickly after that, our bodies snuggled closely together.





I awoke to find the filly still wrapped around my body, but something told me I was in a little trouble.  Firstly, I noticed how much larger I was than the filly -- my guess was that I had experienced a growth spurt overnight, a thought which made my head spin.  The early morning light shining through the window illustrated this fact.  I didn't have much time to ponder the circumstance as Rarity entered the room.
> Return to the Library
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     "Who are you and what are you doing in my sister's bed?!" the fashionista shrieked.  Said sister woke to see me and started screaming.  I covered my ears with my hooves to block some of the noise, but then I also noted how much longer my forelegs were.  Rarity noticed my mane was still pink and lavender like her sister's, but was longer and curlier as well.

"Calm down, calm down, calm down!" I shouted to get them to stop.  "It's me, Aurora, remember?" I asked, exasperation coloring my words.  Rarity used her magic to rip the cover off us, now seeing for herself just how much bigger I had gotten.  Her eyes went wide with surprise as did Sweetie's.  I got a better look at myself as well, a smile crossing my lips upon seeing the changes which had taken place.  I couldn't quite believe I had grown so much taller -- and more slender as well.  It looked as though my bloated belly had flattened out to make way for my increased height and length.

"What happened to you, Aurora?" asked the fashionista.  Sweetie simply ogled my increased size, though she now sported a big grin.

"Must have been the ice cream -- that or Discord's been busy again," I mused as I tried to get accustomed to my new size.  It took a little trial and error before I was able to regain my balance and stand on all fours -- and now at the same eye level as Rarity.  It was now her turn to smile.

"Aurora, darling, I simply must craft a new ensemble for you!" she chirped.

"So, that's what I'll look like when I grow up?" asked Sweetie as she continued to check me out.  "Wow, cool!  You look awesome!  I hope I look as awesome as you!" she chirped happily.  My smile widened a bit at this.

"I think you might look even better than me," I opined, eliciting a squeal of delight from the filly and a chortle from her sister.

"You know how to make a mare feel good about herself, Aurora," Rarity noted, turning her attention back to me.  "Please, darling, let's go to my workroom!"

"Very well then, Miss Rarity," I stated in resignation, my hoofsteps a dull trod as I knew this was going to take some time.  I followed her with Sweetie following me, still checking me out; perhaps she was satisfying her curiosity to see what she might look like from the back when she matures.  I felt the weight of her eyes on my backside and I kept my tail down to keep her from seeing anything she shouldn't.  I turned my head to glance over my shoulder and gave my "sister" a look to indicate she should stop staring at me.  Her face turned a shade of puce and she uttered a barely audible, "Sorry," before turning her gaze away from me.  Rarity gave me a curious glance and I flashed her a sheepish smile.

"We don't have all day, darling," she chided mirthfully as she entered the workroom.  We followed her in and I was once again instructed to stand on a platform, Rarity swiftly taking my measurements and writing the numbers down.  I was amazed by the flurry of activity she flew into, sketching a design for me and using her ability to multi-task her magic as she cut fabric, pulled thread, readied her sewing machine, and told me to wait on the couch.

Fifteen minutes later, she presented me with the finished item -- it was a larger version of an earlier dress she had made, but a little more ornate.  I tried it on, noting a perfect fit, with just enough extra material to allow for ease of movement but not so much as to detract from the overall aesthetic design.  I particularly liked the pastel pale blue and yellow to offset my lavender and pink mane and tail, and also the way the dress draped over my flanks, though my cutie mark was left uncovered.  I examined myself in a mirror, smiling broadly at her work.

"Um, are you going to let me wear this right now?  Outside?" I asked, a little apprehension in my tone.

"Of course, darling!  I can hardly wait to see Twilight's reaction when she sees you!"

"Wait, we're going to the library?" I asked, my words sounding even more fearful.

"You simply have to show her what has happened, Aurora!  Can't have you trotting around Ponyville looking like a mystery mare!" Rarity grinned.  Her statement caused me to chuckle, but then my stomach grumbled to express my hunger.

"I believe we can't be trotting around on an empty stomach, either!" the fashionista giggled.  "Come on, Aurora, let me fix breakfast for us."

"Thank you, Miss Rarity,"  I said as I took another glance at the dress I was wearing.  "I'm fairly sure you don't want me wearing this while we eat -- I think I should take it off and set it aside for a more appropriate occasion," I added.

"That sounds like a good idea, Aurora -- but I would still like Twilight to see you wearing it," Rarity opined before trotting downstairs.  Sweetie Belle followed but I remained at the top of the  staircase, glancing first at the steps leading down and then at the base.  I continued to weigh my options, but decided to light my horn and try to teleport.  My horn sparked a few times and fizzled as my attempt failed.  I heard my "sisters" talking to each other as I continued to look down, a seemingly baleful expression on my face.  I gathered up my courage and took a tentative step down, gingerly taking them one at a time until I familiarized myself with the process.  It seemed to take me forever to make it down, though Rarity came back to check on me.

"So sorry to have left you behind, Aurora.  Breakfast is ready now," she said, her smile returning.  I grumbled at her negligence but followed her to the dining area for breakfast.  I ate four pancakes, two eggs, and a helping of fried hay potatoes and washed it down with a glass of orange juice.  Sweetie and I helped Rarity with the cleanup before leaving for the library.  The fashionista insisted I wear the dress she made for me now, so I obliged her.  She also brushed up my mane and tail to make me look more presentable.  We then left the boutique, Rarity closing and locking the door behind us as well as hanging a closed sign on the door.

We began our trek but hadn't made it two houses down the street when Pinkie met us.  The moment she laid eyes on me, she gasped with all her breath and leaped five feet into the air before disappearing as though she had teleported.

"Pinkie, it's me, Aurora!" I shouted after her, though I doubt she heard my words.  As we continued, I noticed several ponies staring at me, looks of surprise on their faces.  Rainbow Dash noticed me as well and swooped down to meet us.

"Ooh, who's the new pony?" she asked, a big smile on her face.

"Um, my name's Aurora, Miss Rainbow Dash," I stated matter-of-factly, a soft smile gracing my lips.

"Rarity, I've never seen her before -- but she looks kinda like Sweetie -- who are you?" she asked as she stared hard at me.

"Ugh, do you want the short story or the long one?  We're on our way to the library to meet Twilight -- and I suppose I can tell you while we go," I  replied, though more than a little annoyance colored my tone.

"Sounds cool," the aviatrix chuckled as she resumed her hovering around us.  "Tell me your story, Aurora!" she chuckled as she flew lazy circles around us while we continued our relatively short trek to the library.  I could see the giant oak tree off in the distance, though why it was I couldn't see it yesterday was a mystery to me.  I tried to relate the details of my story to the cyan pegasus, occasionally wincing whenever she found a particular point amusing to the point of laughter -- until I told her about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon attacking me.  We reached the library at this point, Twilight having heard us approach and opened the door as well.  A look of shock crossed her face when she spotted me, though it seemed to deepen when I mentioned the two fillies by name.

"What's this about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?" asked Twilight.  "And who are you?  I don't recognize you," she added, flashing curiosity.  Rainbow Dash was equally curious as I began to recount the tale, including details about meeting Filthy Rich at the hospital and eating a massive quantity of ice cream, eliciting a few giggles from the mares.

"So, I guess eating all that ice cream worked some magic on me -- or maybe it's Discord again -- and if it is, I'd like to thank him for this," I stated, a hint of pride in my voice.

"No need to thank me," the  draconequus chuckled as he materialized in front of us, chuckling loudly then disappearing just as silently as he had arrived.  The pegasus scowled at him -- or at the spot he had occupied before she turned her attention back to me, seemingly noticing my cutie mark for the first time.

"Huh?  You have part of Twiley's cutie mark as your own?" she asked in amazement.  The librarian took a moment to take another look at it, noticing the fuschia colored six-pointed star had filled in, leaving the heart still outlined.  The gold star in the center appeared to be a little larger, though I couldn't tell or remember its exact size yesterday.

"Yeah, I guess my affection for Twilight is stronger than I thought," I offered mirthfully.  I craned my neck around to take another glance at it as well.  My "sisters" only took a moment to glance my way before returning their attention to what they'd previously been doing.

"Twilight, who are you talking to?" I heard another voice from inside call out.  This voice seemed to have more authority to it, an almost matronly quality as well.  I could have sworn I'd heard the voice before, but I couldn't place it exactly.  The pony in question finally appeared in my line of sight and my jaw comically fell to the ground.

"Princess, this is -- do I call you by your human name?" asked Twilight as she gave me an almost helpless grin.  I frowned at her.

"As long as I'm trotting around as a pony, I'd request you use my pony name," I replied firmly before bowing to the alicorn.  I noticed a smile cross her lips as she addressed me personally.

"And what is your pony name?" she asked, her smile widening.

"Um, my pony name is Aurora Belle, your Majesty," I replied, bowing more deeply.
> A Royal Meeting
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

     "So, do you have another name?  I must admit, I'm quite curious to know more about you if you specify a pony name -- what other sort of name do you have?" asked the alicorn, her smile never faltering.  I was about to explain, but Twilight cut me off first, earning a bit of a glare from me.

"Aurora told me she used to be a male human named Michael before he came here -- and woke up in a copy of Sweetie Belle's body a few days ago," Twilight declared, drawing a gasp of surprise from Rarity and Rainbow Dash and a raised eyebrow from Celestia.

"A human, you say?  So how did you get here?" she asked, turning her gaze to me.  Her smile never faltered in the least, though I saw the corners of her mouth turn upward ever so slightly, a hint of a twinkle in her eyes.

I proceeded to tell her my story and this time Rainbow paid serious attention to my words.  My "sisters" seemed intent on paying close attention as well, though I could have sworn I'd already told my tale to them twice over.  Discord decided to show up and munch on some popcorn upon my mentioning his name, though I scowled at him as well.

"What's the matter, Aurora?  Are you not pleased by your new appearance?" he chortled.

I softened my expression a little, but still maintained an expression of seriousness before addressing the draconequus.  "Well -- I like the look -- and trotting around with a belly full of ice cream would be troublesome enough -- but if you're going to transform me, why not finish the job?  Am I not supposed to be a stallion?" I queried, now sporting a mischievous grin.

"I'm just curious to see how you'll handle this little challenge, Aurora," he quipped before disappearing once again.

"Aurora, do you really wish to be a stallion?" asked the solar princess, her smile widening ever so slightly.

"You mean -- you can do that for me?" I asked, surprised by her candor.  I turned to look at Twilight, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, and Rainbow Dash, whose expressions ranged from open curiosity to keen interest to what appeared to be hopefulness on Rarity's face.  The thought of another transformation, this time into a stallion intrigued me as well as filling me with anticipation.  Said optimism had crept into my voice, seemingly infectious to the other ponies present.

"Of course I can, my little pony," Celestia noted softly, still smiling warmly at me.  "But I'd like to know more about you before I proceed."

"What would you like to know?  Didn't I cover all the details in what I've told you already?"

"That may be true, but there is more to you than meets the eye -- there is much more I would like to discuss with you -- and as of yet, I don't know if you would prefer to be called by your pony name or your human one," the alicorn answered.  "And before I transform you, I will need to know everything about you."

"I'll do my best, Princess," I said before finding myself enveloped in a golden glow.  Celestia was using her magic on me, which tingled a bit, and then I felt my body changing yet again.  I wasn't sure what she was doing, but felt certain changes taking place.  When she finished, I took note of the fact that I was now looking down a little instead of being at eye-level with Rarity and Twilight -- though I still had to look up a little towards the alicorn.

"You need not tell me more, Aurora, as I have taken the opportunity to delve into your mind.  You are welcome to stay here in Equestria as long as you like," she stated warmly, smiling serenely at me.  I took a moment to trot around to test my new size yet again.

"May I have a mirror so I may see what you've done for me?" I asked.  "Why did my colors not change?"

"You did say you wanted to be a stallion," the alicorn offered, a hint of mirthfulness in her voice.  Discord flashed a wicked grin at that.

The others stood in stunned silence at my new form, amazed by yet another transformation.  As with the previous one, my cutie mark had changed once more, but what astonished me was that I now looked like a male version of a grown-up Sweetie Belle.  My cutie mark still contained the three elements of a red heart with a fuchsia-colored six-pointed star superimposed on the heart, and a gold five-pointed star superimposed on the six-pointed star.  The gold star was fairly large now, but its significance escaped me.

"Thank you, Princess, but I would have liked a different color," I complained.  If nothing else, my voice now had a masculine tone to it, though it sounded like my normal human voice.  "Perhaps Twilight can teach me how to improve my magic," I mumbled as I continued to trot around in circles.  I saw the librarian's face light up when she heard me say that.  Sweetie Belle gave me a curious look before trotting up to me and checking me out.  Rarity called her back to her side.

"Darling, are you going to change your name now that you're a stallion?  I must say, your colors may cause some confusion," Rarity noted.

"I think I'll keep the name of Aurora, no sense in causing even more confusion," I replied as I trotted back over to the mirror to continue to examine my new form.

"I think he looks pretty cool like that," Rainbow offered, though I sensed a bit of sarcasm from her words.  Discord snickered a little, earning another glare from me.

"I'm afraid that is all I can do for you now, Aurora -- I have other matters of state to return to, and must make my way back to Canterlot.  Please keep me informed of events around here while you explore.  Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow Dash -- look after him and make sure he doesn't get into any trouble," the alicorn added, chuckling softly as she left the library.

"We will, Princess," the three nearly replied in unison.

"What does she mean by that?  I'm not looking to cause trouble or create it, or -- or -- something like that.  I try to avoid trouble as much as possible!" I protested almost stridently.

"Well, darling, what about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon?" Rarity asked, grinning.

"I never intended for that to happen!  It was an accident!  But I need to check on them and see if they're okay," I replied sullenly, my ears laying flat against my head.  "I'll admit, I wanted to give Diamond Tiara a taste of her own medicine, which was wrong of me.  I never wanted to see them get hurt like that -- okay, maybe just a little," I mumbled as I saw the mares glare at me a little.  "Sorry," I added, hanging my head.

"Well, Aurora, I guess we should accompany you to the hospital," Twilight offered.
> They've Gone Home
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We left the library, though Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to fly way up into the sky and kick a few stray clouds out of existence before landing on one of the few remaining clouds to watch the activities of the ponies as they made their way to and fro around town.  I found myself having to slow my pace to allow Twilight, Rarity, and Sweetie Belle to trot alongside me.  Truthfully, I still hadn't gotten a good grasp of the layout of Ponyville, so I decided to hang back a little and let the lavender unicorn lead the way.

"Hey, Twilight, I think I'm gonna have to spend some more time trotting around town to get the layout memorized," I offered optimistically.  I glanced at her, noting a soft smile on her face.  "Maybe you could give me a tour of Ponyville?" I added.

"I'd be happy to, Aurora -- but if you're so concerned about Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, that tour will have to wait," she replied softly.

"I could show you around town, Aurora!" Sweetie Belle offered brightly.  "Maybe I could get my cutie mark that way!"

"What, as a tour guide?  You'd have to be quite knowledgeable about just about everything and everypony in town," I commented, chuckling softly at her pouting expression.  "I've lived most of my life in my hometown and still don't know everything about it."

"How big is your hometown?" Sweetie asked.

"Has about 12,000 people," I replied.  "About six square miles or so."  The filly let a whistle escape her lips at my mention.

"What was it called?" the filly asked, seemingly more inquisitive than I would have thought.

"Taylorville," I replied dully, the name of the place causing me to wrinkle my nose in disgust.  "It's a nice enough town, but not enough to do there," I added.  "If you wanted more to do, at least Decatur and Springfield were relatively close."

"Those are funny names, but Taylorville -- that sounds like ponies who made clothing named the town," Sweetie mused.

"I don't know the exact origin of the name -- my guess would be that the founder who gave the town its name carried the surname of Taylor," I mused thoughtfully.  "Though given its location in my home state, many towns and cities were incorporated around the same time."

"What does that mean?" asked the filly.  Rarity and Twilight were listening intently as we continued our trek to the hospital, which was now coming in to view.

"I don't know the exact process -- but I do know the town was established about a hundred years before I was born," I replied.

"I'd like to know more about your home world," Sweetie commented.  "What other towns or cities are there?"

"Too many names to mention, but the biggest ones carry names like Tokyo, London, Paris, New York..." I began but let my words trail off as we reached the hospital.  "Looks like we've arrived," I noted.

We entered and checked at the reception desk in the emergency room.  A chubby lavender mare wearing a nurse's outfit trotted by.  I called out to her to get her attention.

"Um, excuse me, nurse?" I asked loudly enough to get her attention.  She trotted over to us, smiling softly.

"Can I help you?  Oh, wait -- you -- you look like -- hmm.  I recognize Sweetie Belle, but you," she said, pointing a hoof at me.  "I recognize your cutie mark, but it's changed -- and so have you!   You were not a stallion when you came in yesterday," she observed.   "So -- who are you?"

"Um, my name is Aurora Belle," I replied with some hesitancy in my voice.  I was still trying to decide whether or not I should continue to use that name given my transformation into a stallion.  She gave me a quizzical look before trying to read the expressions on my companions' faces.

"He was looking like me yesterday," Sweetie stated.  "But then we went and got ice cream, she got real fat, then woke up big, then we went to the library where we met Princess Celestia and she turned him into what he is now," she added, though she said it so fast that it came out a jumble.

"I'm sorry, I didn't quite catch that -- you said Princess Celestia changed him or her or ... Aurora, could you explain it to me?" asked the nurse.

"Sure -- but we were here to check on Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon," I commented.  "I suppose I can fill you in on the details while we go to their rooms."

"You don't have to do that -- those two fillies made a complete recovery and were discharged earlier today," the nurse replied, her tone a bit more cheerful.

"You mean -- they've already gone home?  Wow, I didn't think they'd recover that quickly," I mused.  "They had a piano dropped on top of them!"

"They got better -- and our doctors are quite good at working healing magic on ponies," the nurse offered brightly.

"Well, if that's settled, I guess I should go pay Mr. Rich a visit," I suggested.  Rarity, Twilight, and Sweetie all shook their heads in disapproval.

"Aurora, darling, I doubt Filthy Rich would recognize you like that," the fashionista averred.

"Besides, why would you want to see him?  You're better, they're better, so let's just let the matter rest.  Weren't you saying something about wanting a tour of Ponyville?" Twilight asked, flashing me a grin.

"Hey, I was supposed to be doing that!  I wanna get my cutie mark!" Sweetie exclaimed petulantly, causing Rarity and the nurse to giggle.

"Aurora, if you don't mind, I have a bill for your health care," another nurse called out to us as she trotted up.  I recognized the white mare as Nurse Redheart.

"Um, Nurse Redheart, I don't have any money to pay the bill -- and I recall Filthy Rich saying yesterday he'd address any financial matters regarding my recovery," I stated.

"Yes, well about that -- he came in earlier to pick up his daughter and stated that he wouldn't be paying any more bills for anypony," she responded.

"WHAT?  But -- he said he would!" I exclaimed indignantly.  A few other ponies heard my shout and turned their heads my way before returning to what they were doing before my outburst.  "Am I going to have to go to his house and make a scene?"

"Don't worry about it, darling, I've got you covered," Rarity offered warmly.  "So, Nurse Redheart, how much is the bill?"

The nurse hoofed Rarity the bill, causing the fashionista's jaw to drop.  "Surely you must be joking, darling!  This is an outrage!"
> A Trip to the Rich Mansion
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Regardless of the amount, it has to be paid," Nurse Redheart insisted, her tone showing a level of impatience as she furrowed her brow.

"Oh, come on!  That's ridiculous!  Twilight, can you send a letter to Princess Celestia?  See if we can get some reasonable resolution to this crisis?" I asked, my voice having risen an octave as a result of the distress.  I glanced nervously at the librarian and my "sisters."  The nurse tapped a hoof impatiently and cleared her throat, lifting the hoof she was tapping and pointed at the bill, which Rarity was still holding.

"Okay, Aurora, I'll give it a shot," the librarian replied somewhat tersely.  She magicked ink, quill, and parchment and scribbled something very quickly before using her magic to dispel the items, rolling the parchment into a scroll, and sending the missive to the princess.

"Could you hurry it up, I have other patients to attend to," Redheart noted, her annoyance becoming quite evident at this point.  I flashed her a worried look before glancing back at Sweetie, Rarity, and Twilight, who was impatiently tapping a hoof herself.  Another moment of waiting and the reply appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Let me read  it," I announced eagerly.  I was practically prancing in place on the tips of my hooves in anticipation of the response.

"I'll read it," Twilight groused.  "Dear Twilight, I regret to inform you that such matters are to be dealt with on a local basis -- and although your guest was treated unfairly, he will have to seek redress by other means.  The crown is not obligated to pay for medical assistance, regardless of the pony involved in whatever medical treatment necessary.  I apologize for the inconvenience.  Signed, Princess Celestia."

"Give me that!" I retorted angrily, trying to grab the letter in my magic.  Twilight used her magic to push mine away, then folded the letter before teleporting it somewhere.  "Ugh!  How am I supposed to pay that bill!" I shouted.

"Aurora, I will pay it -- and we will all take a short trot to Filthy Rich's mansion to seek reimbursement," Rarity stated coldly, giving the nurse a death glare.  Redheart harrumphed loudly and led the way to the front desk, behind which was yet another nurse, this one a cool blue mare.

"Cold Heart, these ponies are here to pay their bill," Redheart announced stiffly, hoofing the bill to the other nurse.

"I thought you were supposed to be checking on your patients," I said, noting the seeming nonchalance of the nursing staff.

"We do our rounds, sir, and in a timely fashion as well.  Please pay your bill and leave, before we decide to add more charges to it."

I opened my mouth to say something, but Twilight used her magic to silence me, shooting me a rather dirty look in the process.  Rarity's expression seemed somewhat pained as she fished out her coin purse and paid the exorbitant sum of fifty bits for my medical care.  I turned to Rarity and whispered, "Back where I came from, medical care was much more expensive."

"That's irrelevant, darling," she retorted.  "Now let's go to Filthy Rich's mansion, I need to have some words with him."

"If you know the way, please lead," I said, a bright and optimistic tone to my voice.  I was hoping to have words with that stallion as well.  Twilight grumbled something under her breath and Sweetie flashed a look of indifference mixed with some degree of boredom before heaving a sigh and falling in line with us.  As we left the hospital, I turned my gaze back towards the nurses who were chatting almost animatedly with each other.  I narrowed my eyes at them, then turned with my companions as we finally left the hospital.  As soon as we were far enough away, Twilight let me have it.

"What in Celestia's name were you thinking?" she practically exploded.  "You need to exercise restraint!"

"I was restrained -- you have no idea just how much I wanted to use my magic for something more than just trying to grab that letter from you," I growled.  "Filthy had better have a change of mind regarding that payment," I added darkly.

"What's that supposed to mean?  Do you intend to threaten him?" the librarian asked, her tone even more venomous than a moment ago.

"I don't make threats -- I make promises," I retorted, tacking a dark chuckle onto the end of my statement.

"I don't like the sound of that -- and I don't want you causing any trouble!" Twilight shot back, her voice increasing in pitch and amplitude.

"Aurora, darling, let's deal with this like civilized ponies, shall we?" Rarity nearly pleaded as we continued towards a rather large and ostentatious mansion which was now coming into view.  As we neared the entry gate, the size of the manse was something to behold -- that, or my somewhat lower visual perspective made it appear more imposing.  I suspect if I were to look at it from my formerly human level, it wouldn't be some impressive.  I allowed a low whistle to escape my lips as we approached the front door.

"I had no idea this place was that big," I observed.

"Give me a little room, darling; I shall ring the bell."

Rarity pushed a button by the front door and we waited what seemed to be an interminable length of time before the front door opened to reveal a salmon-colored mare with purple mane and tail, her muzzle seemed to be upturned, giving her an appearance of a permanent sneer.

"Is your husband home, Mrs. Rich?" asked Rarity.  The earth pony mare frowned up at us before responding.

"No, he's at his store.  You can find him there," she replied tersely.  She caught sight of me and the corners of her mouth turned upwards just a tiny little bit.  "And who might you be?  You look familiar," she observed, her tone a little softer.

"Ma'am, I am Aurora Belle, and your husband assured me he would be willing to help me with a particular financial obligation," I replied, trying to maintain a diplomatic tone to my voice.

"And what would that be?"

"Your daughter and her friend attacked me yesterday, resulting in my having to visit the hospital and the dentist's office -- your husband informed me he was willing to cover those medical expenses," I replied.  I watched her expression darken somewhat.

"Why would my daughter attack a stallion?  What would she benefit from that?"

"Because yesterday, I wasn't a stallion -- that happened earlier.  Yesterday, I looked like her," I said, pointing at Sweetie.  The mare laughed at me at this point.

"That's impossible!" she chortled.  I heard somepony trotting towards the front door and caught a glimpse of Diamond Tiara as she approached.

"Mom, what's going on?" she asked before she saw us.  When she saw me, she gasped audibly.  "YOU!  You have some nerve coming here after what you did to me!" she shouted.

"You attacked me, along with your sycophantic friend -- you knocked out my teeth and blacked my eye -- and you're upset with ME?!"

"One of your friends dropped a piano on top of us!" she wailed.

"Not my fault -- karma's a bitch," I retorted sharply before adding a half-hearted, "Oops, sorry," onto the end of my careless utterance.

"Language, Aurora!" Rarity scolded, glaring harshly at me.

"I can't help but think it's partially your fault as well, considering you forced me to leave your house yesterday morning," I averred, narrowing my gaze ever so slightly at the fashionista.  Twilight was motioning to me, silently telling me to zip it before I got into any further trouble.  Apparently, not soon enough.

"You have offended me and my daughter -- you'll be hearing from my attorney," announced Diamond's mother.

"Words, words, words," I responded.  "I'm going to  see your husband," I added.
> Filthy Isn't So Rich
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We began to trot away from the Rich mansion but hadn't made it very far when I felt something sharp hit the back of my head.  I turned around to see the pink filly grinning before her mother roughly grabbed her.  I cantered over to meet them.

"So, you wanna tell me what possessed you to throw this rock at me?" I asked, holding the offending object in my aura.  I glowered at the filly, waving the rock around rather menacingly.  The others had returned to my vicinity and all of them had shocked expressions on their faces.  I turned my attention to the mare at this point.  "And you might want to reconsider hiring an attorney, considering your daughter assaulted me not once, but twice now.  By all rights, I'm the one who's entitled to compensation for my injuries."

"Well, I will think about it.  I'm going to have a serious discussion with little Diamond here, and I can assure you she will not trouble you any further," the mare replied.  "But she has also informed me of how you embarrassed her a few days ago and I think you owe her an apology."

I bristled at this.  "Ma'am, I was in a filly's body when your daughter savagely attacked me -- anything I might have done to embarrass her in front of her class pales in comparison to her engaging in retributive violence against me.  At the very least, she owes me not only an apology, but financial compensation as well!"

"One of your friends dropped a piano on me!" the filly wailed again, tears leaking from her eyes as she began crying for real at this point.  Her pained cries filled me with a deep sorrow and my ears lay flat against my head.  The filly's mother glowered at me angrily, a low growl escaping her mouth.

"Aurora, darling, I was going to tell you this was a bad idea," Rarity announced, though her tone had softened as well.

"Look, I had no control over that -- I remember seeing a grey pegasus mare being chewed out by her boss earlier, but I don't know her very well.  I cannot call her a friend, given that we haven't even met.  I'm sorry you suffered such pain, but that doesn't excuse you throwing rocks at ponies."  I turned my attention to her mother at this point.  "Ma'am, my request still stands -- your husband promised to address my needs," I averred.

"I don't care about that!  You hurt my baby!" she shouted at me.  "And you insulted me as well!" she added for good measure.

"For that, I apologize.  Let me just give you some advice -- make sure your daughter refrains from assaulting other ponies, otherwise the trouble she causes may have more serious consequences," I stated firmly, returning the mare's glare with one of my own.  "Now if you don't mind, we'll be off to meet up with your husband."

"Good luck with that -- he never has any money," she replied, flashing a smug grin at me.

"With a name like Filthy Rich, he ought to have plenty to spare," I commented, eliciting a bitter laugh from the mare.

"You have no idea -- I don't know what he spends it on, but he never has any for me...he used to be so nice and generous," she responded, her words falling into a near-whisper at the end.  Tears started to well up in the corners of her eyes as she reflected on her marriage, memories of happier times flashing through her mind.

"I'm sorry about that -- I'm still going to see him -- where is he now, do you know?" I asked.  My expression still showed some hope, though I was still somewhat concerned.

"Most likely at his store -- Barnyard Bargains -- Rarity knows where it is, let her guide you there," she replied.  I glanced at the filly, who stuck her tongue out at me.

"Tell me, Diamond, does he spoil you with gifts every day?" I asked her.  She nodded her head, and like her mother, gave me a smug grin.  "Do you know how much money he spends on you?" I asked as a follow-up question.  She shook her head before replying.

"He doesn't get me the nice gifts anymore, if that's what you want to know," she said.

"He doesn't get me anything anymore!" her mother stated stridently.  "What makes you think he's going to  cover your medical bill?  He has no money!"

"Well, I'm still going to check it out and see for myself," I announced.  "Oh, and Diamond -- don't throw any more rocks," I growled at the filly, narrowing my eyes to slits at her.  She responded with a Bronx cheer.  "I mean it," I added darkly.





At this point, we turned and left the Rich mansion behind, and this time no rocks were tossed at us as we trotted back towards the town center.  Rarity informed me that Barnyard Bargains wasn't too far from her boutique and that we'd make it there in about fifteen minutes.  I tried to strike a conversation with Twilight, but she refused to talk to me as we trotted.  Sweetie Belle broke off from us, announcing that she was headed back home as we continued onward.  Twilight likewise headed back to her house, informing me that she would wait for me there.

"I apologize for my behavior earlier," I said.  I flashed a hopeful look at the librarian.

"We're going to have a talk when you get back," she answered, then trotted away.

"Aurora, darling, you need to be more careful with what you say and do," Rarity chided gently.

We trotted a few more minutes before finally reaching Filthy Rich's store.  I noted that the store looked like an actual barn and commented on it.

"Seems so odd for a barn to be here, of all places," I observed.  "If Filthy Rich runs a store out of a barn, I seriously doubt he makes much money from it."

"He inherited his money from his father, who inherited it from his father," Rarity answered my unspoken query.  We entered at this point, and I'll have to admit to being a bit underwhelmed by the interior of the store.  Towards one end was the stallion I was looking for and we trotted up to him at this point.

"Mr. Rich, I presume?" I asked, almost hesitantly.

"Yes, and who might you be?  A paying customer, I hope?" he asked brightly.

"I am Aurora Belle -- I believe we met at the hospital yesterday," I replied.  He shook his head.  "I was in the body of a chubby filly who looked like Rarity's sister," I added.  "Your daughter and her friend attacked me, and you told me you'd address my needs."

"Hmm.  I believe I may have spoken out of turn," he noted.  "And trust me, when I picked up my little princess from the hospital, the bill they gave me nearly caused me to go into cardiac arrest," he said.  "I don't have that kind of money," he added.

"But your name's Filthy Rich!  You should have money to burn!" I retorted.  "Surely fifty bits is nothing to you!"

"They charged me quite a bit more than that, Aurora.  That's why I intend to find out who dropped that piano on my little princess and take them for every bit they have!"

"She got fired from her job -- I doubt she has any money at all," I commented dryly.

"Oh, so you know who it is, eh?  I think I may be able to cover fifty bits if you tell me who she is," he chortled.  Rarity turned to me and flashed me a worried look to try to keep me from answering his statement.

"I think such information is worth more than fifty bits," I said, a hint of indignation coloring my tone.

"Yes, yes, I know it is -- but that's all I can spare you.  I don't have the kind of money you think I do."

"So what do you spend it on?  With a name like Filthy Rich, shouldn't you actually be filthy rich?" I asked, tacking an ironic chuckle to the end of my question.

"I can't tell you that!" he shouted angrily.  "Don't tell me you talked to Spoiled earlier!"

"Is that your wife?  We went to your house earlier to see if we could meet you there -- she complained about you not giving her any gifts anymore," I replied frankly.

"You had no business talking to her!  Get out of my store now!  You're not getting anything from me!" he roared, leaping at me as if to strike me.  I lit my horn and teleported out of his shop, leaving Rarity behind.  She freaked out and galloped out of the entrance we came in, and found me outside trying to catch my breath.  I had sat down on my hocks and was holding my head in my forehooves after having cast the teleport for the first time.

"Aurora!  You teleported?" asked Rarity.

"Twilight let me read up on that -- I wasn't sure if it would work," I responded weakly.  "Oooh, my head," I added.

"You're not getting away from me that easily!" Filthy Rich shouted as he charged towards us.

"Aurora, darling, I think we need to leave," Rarity observed.
> Round and Round We Go
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Filthy Rich shouted something incoherent at me as he charged at a full gallop.  Rarity tried to hoist me up as I was still somewhat disoriented from having performed a teleport just a few moments earlier.  Somehow or other, I was able to erect a magic barrier just before he reached us and he slammed into it and fell to the ground.  He rose to his hooves groggily and tried to shake the cobwebs loose.  The sight caused me to chuckle, but Rarity wasn't so easily amused.

"Aurora, when did you learn how to do that?" asked a perplexed Rarity.  I grinned at her and flashed her a quick wink.  My composure faltered as the stallion readied himself for another charge.  The scowl on his face caused my composure to weaken further, but I continued to maintain the barrier.

"That was something Twilight taught me how to do a couple of days ago," I replied as Filthy tried to attack again.  He pounded a hoof against the barrier a few times before giving up on trying to attack us.  "Oh, and Filthy -- I'm not helpless anymore.  You'd do well to fork over that fifty bits you owe me," I addressed him.  He scoffed at me.

"I owe you nothing!" he exclaimed indignantly before turning tail and going back into his store, muttering to himself about crazy ponies.  I dropped my magic barrier at this point before turning my attention to my "sister."  I flashed her a sheepish grin at this point, practically shrugging my shoulders.

"Should we head back to your boutique or should I return to the library?  I'm not sure I want to face Twilight's wrath," I opined, my words tinged with worry.

"That's entirely up to you, darling -- what would you like to do?" she asked.  It took me a moment to formulate a response and an awkward silence fell upon us before the fashionista cleared her throat again, giving me an expectant look.  The ambient sounds of several ponies doing various and sundry things intruded upon the silence.

"I'm not sure -- but maybe we could stop by the bakery and get a bite to eat?  I'm feeling kinda hungry.  Using all that magic works up an appetite, y'know?" I grinned.  I then realized something, my ears instinctively lowering.  "Um, I guess I kinda forgot I don't have any money," I added glumly.

"Not to worry, darling, I have it covered.  Perhaps I can design a new outfit for you," the fashionista mused wistfully as I collected myself and trotted around in a small circle to get my bearings back.  I shook the cobwebs loose and did a quick look-around to see if any ponies were staring at us.  I saw a stray pegasus smirking and flashed a glare at her before she flew off in some random direction.

"Okay, that sounds cool.  Thanks, Rarity," I said, smiling warmly at her.  We began to trot towards the bakery at this point.

"It's no problem, darling," she replied, returning a soft smile.  Seeing her smile made me smile as well, the sound of her voice quite pleasant to my ears.

We trotted a bit further towards the bakery when Twilight suddenly teleported to us.  Her expression seemed somewhat neutral, but I couldn't decipher it.

"Amethyst, I believe you have some more studies ahead of you," she announced matter-of-factly.  "I need you to come with me back to the library."

"I'm kinda hungry right now," I protested weakly.  She rolled her eyes at me and gave a dry chuckle.

"You can eat when we get back to the library.  Rarity, he didn't cause any trouble did he?"

"No, darling, but Filthy's still a bit on edge over what happened yesterday," the fashionista replied.  "He's been so obsessed over his money ever since that failed venture over that university of his," she added.  "He lost a lot of money over that."

"He wasn't trying to scam ponies out of their money to attend classes on how to be successful, was he?" I asked.  Rarity nodded her head, causing me to chuckle in irony.  "Hmm, no wonder he's broke," I mused.  "So much for me getting that fifty bits for you."

"Don't worry about it, Aurora darling, it's no big deal -- Twilight, is he going with you?  I have to get caught up on my orders," Rarity noted and departed before Twilight could get a word out.  The librarian turned to me and glowered in disapproval.  I fidgeted nervously as her gaze seemed to bore into me.

"I'm still upset with you for what you did earlier," she said, her glower causing me to hang my head shamefully.

"I'm sorry," I offered meekly, averting my gaze from her.  She used her magic to turn my head back towards her.  The sudden movement of my head against my will caused me to flash an angry look at her, which she dismissed with a chuckle.

"Sorry's not good enough -- now, we're going into Mr. Rich's store, and you're going to apologize to him," she commanded.  "And we're not done after that, either!"

"He's going to attack me if we go back in there, Twilight," I retorted, fear evident in my voice.  "He got mad at me because I mentioned the fact that I had talked to his wife earlier!"

"We're going to have this out," she said and nudged me towards the door.  She opened the door with her magic, then shoved me forward again.  The stallion saw the door open and ventured out to see what was going on.

"You've got a lot of nerve coming back here," he stated coldly, giving me his best death-glare.  He approached us at this point, my blood going cold because my magic hadn't recovered fully.

"Tell him, Michael," Twilight nearly growled at me.  Upon hearing her use my human name, I whirled around on her, a look of utter fury on my face.

"How DARE YOU!" I roared at her, causing her to back away from me fearfully.  The brown stallion raised his eyebrows and lost his anger at this display, but continued to watch.  "How dare you use my human name!  Did I not tell you about that?" I shouted at her, advancing on her and tapping my right fore-hoof against her chest.  The look of apprehension on her face was somewhat satisfying but I wasn't done yet.  "Answer me!  What did I tell you about using my human name?"

"Sorry," she squeaked almost pitifully, as she hung her head in shame.

"My boy, here's that fifty bits," the other stallion stated proudly as he hoofed me a small bag and turned around and trotted back into his store.
> The Student Becomes the Teacher
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Now I need you to apologize to me," I addressed the librarian directly.  It was my turn to give her a harsh stare as she hung her head.  "Look at me when I'm talking to you," I added sternly.  She slowly turned her head toward me and looked up at me.  I had to remind myself that as a stallion, I was now a fair piece taller than her.  "Okay, good -- I don't know how many times I told you that calling me by my human name in the presence of other ponies is highly disrespectful," I began.  She nodded her head silently.  "So I need to know why you chose now as a perfect time to do that in front of Mr. Rich."

"You -- you upset me!  You embarrassed me in front of his wife!" she shot back.

"I find that hard to believe," I retorted.  "And at any rate, it still upsets me when you do it -- so I have one simple request of you -- please don't do it again.  Especially when it's in front of a fairly large number of ponies -- I noticed how many were watching us when you did it.  Now they're probably going to call me by that name as well."

She continued to hang her head in shame and uttered a just barely audible "I'm sorry" before turning tail and heading back to the library.  I chose to follow her at this point.

"I'm coming along with you, Twilight," I stated loudly enough not only for her to hear, but any nearby ponies as well.  Considering how busy Ponyville was at this time of day, there were quite a few to witness this exchange.  Several ponies turned their heads my way in curiosity, then looked away when I glanced at them.   Serves them right I thought as I continued to follow the librarian.  I was somewhat surprised to see that she chose to ignore my statement, but continued her brisk trot towards her home.  I continued to match her pace, though my long strides made it an easy walk for me.  I heard her mutter under her breath, but maintained my silence.  Other ponies would glance in our direction as I continued to follow the librarian but would turn away from my gaze when I caught sight of them.  It wasn't until we reached the library that she finally noticed that I had followed her the entire way.

"Why did you follow me?" she asked, almost indignantly.  "Haven't you embarrassed me enough?"

"It was not my intention to embarrass you -- but rather that I still want to talk to you some more," I replied.  My expression was unreadable to her, though I tried to remain respectful.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked, annoyance evident in her tone.  "I have studies to get caught up on!"

"I'm still looking for a place to stay right now, since I'm still new here," I stated.  I gave her an almost expectant look.

"You're still welcome to stay here with me, Aurora," she said, her tone softening a little.  I smiled at her response, which elicited a smile from her.

"What are you studying?" I asked.

"Thaumaturgical principles regarding temporal foci and locus," she responded brightly, expecting me to understand the finer points of magic use regarding time travel.

"Time travel magic?" I asked, giving her a puzzled look.

"You're smarter than I gave you credit for," she giggled and entered her house.  I followed her in to join her in studying these finer principles.  She went down to her basement and left the door open for me to follow her.  As I cleared the doorway, she magically closed and locked the door behind me.  The steps were still dark and I tumbled down, crashing into her before we both landed on the floor rather hard.

"Ouch!  Why did you do that?" she asked angrily.  Her horn sparked to life, flashing red.

"Firstly, you closed the door behind me so I couldn't see -- and you already know I have some difficulty going downstairs as it is.  With it being so dark that I couldn't see, I stumbled and fell.  I'm sorry, Twilight, but this one's on you," I replied, grinning sheepishly but rubbing my left foreleg with my right to rub off some of the pain.  Her horn flared brighter at this point.

"That's the last time I invite you to study with me," she growled, enveloping me with her aura and lifting me to the door, opening the door and depositing me on the other side, then slamming the door shut and locking it in front of me.

"Damn," I interjected before turning around and making my way to the front door of the library, exiting the tree and closing the door behind me.  I decided to make my way back to Carousel Boutique at this point and began slowly trotting in that direction.  At this point, I was pretty upset and tried to avoid talking to or bumping into any other ponies that were between me and my destination.  Perhaps I should have been paying attention to where I was going, because I bumped into another pony before realizing what had happened.  Said pony was a grey pegasus mare with an unkempt blonde mane and tail, but the feature that stole my attention was the fact that her eyes seemed to be out of focus.

"Oh, excuse me," she offered softly, her right eye meeting my gaze.  Her left seemed to stare off into space somewhere.

"No, it's my fault, I should have been paying attention," I replied warmly.  I couldn't help but notice that her eyes continued to try to focus, her left, then her right.  She gave me a sheepish grin.

"You look like the pony who cried for help a couple of days ago," she said.  "But, weren't you a bit smaller?  And ... I think ... you were ... a filly?" she asked, her confusion becoming obvious as she struck a pensive pose.

"Yeah, but magic can do strange things to ponies," I replied.  "And thanks again for your help, even if it came a bit too late to help me."

"Well, I tried to help but I was busy doing my job -- which I lost," she responded, hanging her head for a moment.  "But I got a new job!" she added brightly, smiling a bit.

I took a moment to realize she was wearing a brown uniform and matching cap, along with a satchel around her body.  "You're a mail carrier now?" I asked.

"Yep!" she proclaimed, nodding her head, and smiling brightly at me.  She approached me and gave me a hug, which I reciprocated.  We held each other for a few moments before she released me, blushing a bit.  "Ooh, sorry about that," she said as she lowered her ears and gazed down from me.

"No, no, it's quite all right," I said, smiling warmly at her.  "I could use a few good hugs right now," I added.  Without hesitation, she was back in my forelegs again, a big smile on her face as she wrapped her forelegs around my barrel.  "Pretty enthusiastic, aren't you?" I chuckled as she closed her eyes and hugged me a little tighter.
> Hey Jealousy
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I don't think I caught your name," I said softly as I continued to hold her in my forelegs.  The softness of her fur against mine, along with the warmth she was radiating felt nice.  I couldn't help but be transfixed by her gaze, though it seemed a little disconcerting to see one eye focus on mine before losing focus only for the other eye to meet mine.  She continued to smile at me, a light blush coloring her cheeks.  A few passing ponies giggled at the sight of us in the embrace.

"My name's Ditzy, but everyone calls me Derpy," she responded, her ears drooping when she said the second name.  "I'm always messing something up, I never get anything right, I'm always making mistakes," she added, her gaze downcast as we broke from our hug.

"You have a good heart, Ditzy, and I admire that," I opined.  I smiled softly at her and lifted her chin with a forehoof so her eyes could meet mine, even though they lost focus from time to time.  "You're very pretty and it hurts to see you sad like this," I added.  I glanced at her satchel which still appeared to have quite a bit of mail in it.  "Hmm, shouldn't you be getting back to your rounds?" I asked.

"I get all the time I want to deliver the mail," she giggled.  "There's not that many ponies who get mail, so I can take my time.  I just wanted to see you again and see if you were okay after what those mean fillies did to you," she noted.  "But it looks like you're doing okay now!" she giggled again before hugging me once more.  I reciprocated her hug, smiling softly at her.

"What are you doing, Aurora?" shouted Twilight as she saw me hugging the mail-mare.  She approached me at a quick canter, a scowl marring her features.  I couldn't believe she would actually get jealous over me hugging the mail-mare.

"What's it look like?" I retorted, tightening my grip on said mail-mare, causing her to involuntarily squeak -- I released her at this point, but she blushed and turned to meet my gaze, offered a grin, took up her satchel and flew off to make more deliveries.  "Seeya later, Ditzy!" I called after her.

"I can't leave you alone for five minutes, and you're off flirting with other mares," Twilight growled at me, stamping a forehoof for added emphasis.  I watched the mail-mare fly away, but Twilight cleared her throat to get my attention.  "Look at me when I'm talking to you!" she nearly shouted at me.

"I wasn't flirting with her, I was talking to her -- and I gave her a hug, that's all.  Jeez, I can't believe you'd get jealous over that -- what, does that mean you have an interest in me?" I asked, giving her a somewhat bemused grin.  "Don't tell me you have feelings for me, Twilight," I added, though my tone remained neutral.

"Rrrrrgh, I don't know what to feel right now!  You tell me I'm your favorite pony -- your cutie mark would indicate as such -- but -- why do you do these things?"

"Maybe it's because I don't really know how to feel about you, Twilight -- I guess I had preconceived notions of how you might act based on what I knew of you from my home world -- I guess I should have known better than to expect you to act the same way, especially when it comes to strange ponies who come from other worlds, ones who are ignorant of this world's customs and cultures.  I would like to get to know you better, but we just seem to fail to connect on a personal level," I stated, a hint of sadness in my tone.

"It doesn't help that you still look a lot like Sweetie Belle, even though you're a stallion version of her," she commented.  "And I apologize if it seemed like I was being unfair to you.  It's just that seeing you with another mare makes me feel a touch of jealousy," she added, her tone softening.

"I'm sorry about that, Twilight -- and it's true, you are my favorite pony -- you always will be --" I replied but was cut off by her putting a hoof to my mouth.

"I'm not right for you, am I?" she asked, her tone sounding quite hurt and tears starting to well up at the corners of her eyes.  "I know you think I'm somepony special, I can see it in your eyes, I can sense it within you -- you even have it as your cutie mark!  But I know there's something in you, something that prevents you from being able to give yourself completely to any pony, myself included.  You told me so much about yourself, I should have paid more attention to what you were saying several days ago when you first got here."

She grabbed hold of me with both forelegs and wrapped me in a tight hug, her tears starting to flow down her cheeks at this point.  "I want you, Aurora, I want you so badly -- and yet I know I can't have you," she said softly.  I held her tightly in my forelegs and rested my head against her neck.  Tears were trickling down my cheeks as well.

"We are too different, there's too much that separates us, Twilight -- I would be happy to have you as my special somepony, but I know it just wouldn't work out between us," I responded.  I heard what sounded like a zipper opening behind me, a sound I had heard before when a certain draconequus makes his presence known.

"Well, well, well, don't you two make a cute couple?" he chortled.  We broke off the embrace at that moment and turned to face the chaos entity.  I glared daggers at him while Twilight seemed a bit apprehensive.  "Now, now, there's no need to be angry with me," he chortled as he addressed me.  I maintained my thousand-yard stare.  He scoffed, then exhaled, a heavy sigh escaping his mouth.  "Now honestly, there's no need to be upset, seriously," he continued as he tried to mollify us.

"Aurora, why are you so upset with him?" asked Twilight.

"He ripped me from my home world, Twilight -- and turned me into a copy of Sweetie Belle," I replied, more than a little anger creeping into my voice.  I glanced over my right shoulder at him.  "Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad if he had left me a human, but to turn me into such a diminutive pony..."

"You're not that little," Discord chuckled.

"You didn't have a couple of mean-ass fillies beat the snot out of you, you know!" I shouted at him.  He cast his gaze downward as an admission of guilt.

"Um, is there anything I can do to make up for it?" he asked, almost meekly.

"Yes, you can stop pestering us," I replied firmly, still glaring at him.

"Now, how am I going to have my fun?" he asked petulantly.  He once again poured coffee into a cup, producing said items from somewhere.  He sipped lightly from the cup, though a cloud of yellow smoke seemed to roil from the surface of the cup he was drinking from.

"You have enough fun as it is pestering us ponies," Twilight stated.  "Why don't you pester the Changelings for once, and have some fun at their expense?"

The draconequus cackled gleefully at the suggestion.  "Since you mention it, yes, it has been quite some time since I did so!  Excellent suggestion!" he cackled again and vanished as suddenly as he arrived.  I flashed a smile at the librarian at her deftness.

"Maybe you and I have more in common than you think," I offered softly.  "And I'm still interested in discovering more about magic, if you're willing to be a little more patient with me," I added.  "And perhaps there might be hope for us yet."
> Ironing Out the Differences
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

We turned towards the library at this point, Twilight leading the way with me following relatively closely behind her.  She turned her head to glance at me and smiled before motioning me to trot beside her.  The ponies who had witnessed our exchange with Discord returned to their business and left us to ours at this point.  This sudden change in attitude from her seemed to puzzle me but I chalked it up to emotions getting the better of both of us.  I continued to trot by her side as we headed back into the library.

"I'm sorry about that, Aurora, but I think I may have become attached to you," Twilight opined softly, a genuine smile on her face.  She brushed her hip aside me and giggled at my reaction, but maintained her smile.  Something about this change brought a smile to my lips as well.

"My attraction for you has always been strong," I replied, tacking on a short chuckle at the end.  She giggled at the mention.

"I know, you've already told me so many times, Aurora," she noted mirthfully.  "I can't go five minutes without you telling me as much."

"Sorry about that, Twilight, I guess I want too much too soon," I responded almost glumly.  I found myself recalling the times I had confessed my admiration for her, too many to count, too numerous to mention.  She was right, I was obsessed with her and I needed to correct that oversight.

"That's okay, it makes me feel happy to know somepony really likes me for who I am and not what I am," she said before sidling against me and smiling at me again.  We entered her house at this point and she guided me downstairs, this time ensuring that I did not fall.  She turned on the lights using her magic, this time lighting the way completely.  

To see her basement in its entirety was quite interesting, though once my eyes adjusted to the light levels and I got a chance to see what was down there, my interest flagged a bit.  The center of the room was dominated by a large table, reminding me of the table in her castle that I had seen in various episodes of the show.  Despite that, the one item on the table was a large book, remaining open to the last thing she had been studying before tracking me down.

"So, Twilight, what do we have here?" I asked, trying to peek over her shoulders.  I could see some arcane writings but could not decipher them.

"I was going to teach you the basics of magic use, how to use it properly, and maintaining control of your magic," she stated in a matter-of-fact fashion.  "You're competent enough at using magic, but you need to be able to control it so you don't waste mana while using magic."

"Sounds fair, and considering how accomplished you are at using magic, I think some pointers would be a great idea," I responded, my admiration for the librarian having renewed in full.  She smiled in response, and used her magic to flip the book to a particular page.

"Okay, Aurora, since you've already shown me how much you know (and I'm quite impressed by the way), I will train you on improving your levitation skills," she said, though when she smiled at me, my heart melted just a little, eliciting a very broad smile on my face.  My smile seemed to be just as infectious as hers because she giggled ever so slightly.  "To be honest, Aurora, I never thought I'd find a pony like you," she added warmly.

"I had been dreaming about meeting you for such a long time, and hoping that I might be able to impress you enough to show some admiration for me," I replied, my tone just as warm and as soft as hers.  She smiled demurely at my statement, but chose not to respond, then returned her attention to the book.

"You've said that to me so many times, Aurora!" she giggled.  "But you have to understand that I don't just simply give my love to any pony who professes their love to me!" she added almost firmly.  "So let's return to the task at hoof!" she declared as she lit her horn.  "Follow my example."

She used her magic to lift several items simultaneously and commanded me to follow her lead.  I tried using my magic, but found I could only levitate two items before my horn started hurting from the effort.  She frowned in disapproval.

"You're going to have to do better than that," she chided.  "Don't make me send you to Magic Kindergarten, this is elementary level magic here."

I sat on my haunches, holding my horn with both forehooves.  I groaned in pain.  "My apologies, Miss Twilight," I replied out of rote memory.  Too often I had been forced to say this to her whenever I did something to displease her.  I felt as though I had already failed her at this point.

"No, it's okay, Aurora, you don't have to treat my like a mistress," she said softly.  "I know you're still trying to get used to using magic, I apologize for trying to force you to do too much too soon -- tell you what, I'll help you learn at your pace, that way you can improve your skill without feeling like you're failing me," she added as she sidled next to me and gave me a quick peck on the cheek.  "Aurora, I like you, and I want you to reach your full potential with your magic."

I was tempted to take her into an embrace, but I forced that temptation down.  I smiled her instead.  "Thank you, Miss Twilight, that means a lot to me," I said reverently.  She chuckled at my formality.

"Please, Aurora, you don't need to call me that any more," she grinned.  "I want to help you, and I want you to consider me an equal now instead of a mistress!"

"Please forgive me, Twilight, but I would love to give you a hug to show my appreciation, if that's not too much to ask," I stated apprehensively.  She smiled warmly at me, and embraced me in a hug.

"Of course, Aurora, we ponies love to hug!" she giggled.