> A Person of Her Own
>  by Elu
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: A Wish Fulfilled
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"You should start thinking about having a family, dear."

Maria couldn't help but groan and roll her eyes to the point where it physically hurt. It wasn't the first time her mother insisted on her finding a boyfriend, moving out, and starting a family. Week by week, her mother's demands became more and more incessant to the point where not a single conversation could happen between the two without her bringing this 'issue' up. Not that Maria didn't want a boyfriend, but her mother's constant, unending nagging about it made her wish she liked girls instead just to spite her.

"Now, dear, that's not a good way to answer your mother," she said in her sweet yet stern voice, "As a young lady, you should think about your own future, especially now that you're becoming eighteen."

"Mom..." Maria sighed, "I don't want to start a family yet. I'm not even out of school."

"By the time your grandma was your age, she already had me," her mother reminded in the same way she did it countless times before, "So what if you've not finished school yet? God willing, everything will work out."

"But I don't want kids either," the girl said in the same tired tone, "You know how I was, and I don't want a young me."

"But everything worked out in the end, didn't it?" her mother insisted.

Maria couldn't help but groan and roll her eyes once more. Her mother was divorced, and the two were living in a two-room apartment in an old typical soviet housing block that hasn't seen repairs since the day it was built. Not only that, but they lived on the outskirts of a small city. The girl shuddered thinking about the awful-smelling and bumpy public transport ride she had to take for no less than twenty minutes - which was far more than she ever hoped to spend there - to get to an underfunded overcrowded district public school. 

"But it didn't..." Maria almost growled, "We live in... in crap!"

"Language!" her mother said strictly as her frown deepened, "I've worked long and hard for us to afford it, and I will not have you disrespect my efforts."

Something in that tone and in the words of her mother made Maria's eye twitch as a wave of anger came to her.

"You know what, mom?" the girl snapped, standing up from the dining table in the tiny kitchen, her eyes afire, "I don't care about having a family, much less having kids! I don't want a husband, I don't want to be a housewife, and I, I don't want to hear any more of this crap!"

Shocked, her mother went completely silent, and the girl took this moment to storm back into her room, leaving her meal unfinished. She almost made her way there when her mother stood up.

"Now you come back here this instant!" she bellowed after she came to her senses, but by then Maria had opened the door to her room.

"Shut up!" she shouted back, slamming the door shut behind her and sliding the deadbolt, an addition she made herself despite her mother's protests a few months back, to the locked position. Then she sighed heavily and shakily, tears of anger streaming down her cheeks. She put her back against the door and slid down.

"You won't have breakfast tomorrow if you don't come right back out and apologize!" her mother continued, her voice barely muffled by the old wooden door. 

"I don't care!" Maria yelled back, making her mother choke on her words, completely flabbergasted. 

The girl put her head between her knees and hung her head, shaking from the adrenaline. It was the most she had ever talked back to her mother, and she felt both scared and proud of herself. Finally, she let at least some of her steam out, yet she knew something bad was going to happen next time she opened that door. No matter how much she shouted, no matter how hard she tried to convince her mother to change her mind about something, nothing worked, and she knew nothing would work.

Tomorrow, she would wake up and receive her punishment. Maybe her mother would forgive her on the account that it would be her birthday, but she wasn't going to count on that. Even worse, she would still have to go to school - a place she loathed with all her mind. Girls gossiping annoyingly about anything and everything, horny idiot boys hitting on her and other girls, and uninterested teachers just collecting their meager paycheck. She knew where it would end, too - she would graduate, but no one would care about her diploma. Her future was simple - she would likely end up as a cashier in one of the supermarkets around the city or in the service industry somewhere. She would then rent an overpriced apartment which she would only sleep in, and then it would be eight-hour workday for the rest of her life. 

Day in, day out, her life was all the same, even making months and years feel like they never changed. Sure, the seasons changed, her classmates and herself grew up, but the rest was so monotonous she sometimes wondered whether it would - or could - ever end. 

Sometimes, when she was feeling down, she imagined she was somewhere else. She could never properly imagine what it was, but she thought it would be a nice place where she could just be herself and, most importantly, be free. She wanted a place where no one demanded anything of her, where she could choose for herself who she wanted to be, where what she wanted actually mattered. 

Unfortunately, she also knew it would never happen. So far, her only glimpse into that world was the online - her father, as distant as he usually was, gifted her a personal computer on her fifteenth birthday and paid monthly for the internet for the apartment. This allowed her, however briefly, to escape into a place where many other people existed, people she would have never met otherwise. Of course, not all of them were nice to her - there were plenty who wanted nothing more than to upset others. There were also people that were simply assholes - for that reason alone, she rarely used voice chat in the games she played. 

However, her escape into that different reality was always temporary - she always had to return to her boring and predictable life at the end of the day. And, many times, she wished she didn't have to.

"My dear, don't look so down," someone said in perfect English from her bed. She swiftly raised her head and then stood up, startled. Right on her bed, a man in his forties sat, dressed in an impeccable blue suit and, most weirdly, a top hat. His eyes twinkled from under thin rectangular glasses, and a smirk played on his bearded face. 

"Who are you and why do you say English?" she said, her Russian accent still thick after years of learning English.

"It is 'speak English', not 'say English'," the mysterious man calmly corrected, "As for me, it doesn't matter who I am, it matters what I do, as cliche as it may sound."

The girl slowly moved to sit on a swivel chair at her table, keeping her eyes on the stranger. 

"Don't be afraid," he said reassuringly, "I didn't come here to harm you. In fact, quite the opposite. I am granting you one wish and one wish only."

"Is it... some sort of joke?" Maria said cautiously, her hand slowly inching towards a pepper spray she stored behind her monitor when she wasn't carrying it outside. 

"Please, that won't be necessary," the man pointed at the can, "I am not some burglar or robber. Besides, think about it - how would I have entered your room? Your mother certainly wouldn't have let me in. You live on the fifth floor, and the window is closed from the inside. This should prove my supernatural authenticity."

"...Alright," the girl nodded, admitting he had a point. However, she decided she still had to be careful despite the seeming honesty of the stranger, "So... you grant wishes?"

"Certainly," the man nodded, the smile never leaving his face, the defining characteristics of which seemed to never register in the girl's mind, "One wish. Of course, it goes without saying you can't wish for more wishes in any way nor can you ask to be granted the ability to grant wishes. And one another important rule as well - you can make only personal wishes, so no 'world peace' or other such things. I'm terribly sorry, but they are... out of my expertise, shall we say."

"But what if I wished to be rich or become a president?"

"I would certainly be able to fulfill such a wish," the man nodded, "However, let me ask you this - what do you truly desire, young miss? What is it that you want more than anything else?"

"Who are you, really?" she blurted out.

"Is that your wish?" he raised his eyebrows.

"No, just asking."

"Well, in that case, the important answer is that, as I said to you initially, I grant wishes," the man chuckled, "I understand your curiosity, but I can't satisfy it. Oh, I can say one thing, an answer to a question certain people behind a watcher's wall might ask. The answer to that is no, I'm not him. That mismatched creature can stay where it does."

"Uh..." the girl blinked slowly in confusion.

"No need to concern yourself with that, my dear," the stranger said softly, "Now, I believe I asked you a question."

Maria nodded, then swallowed. Was it her chance? Was it... real? She pinched herself to make sure, and there the pain was. 

"Yes, it is all quite real," the man confirmed with a nod, "However, did you know dreams can trick you into believing you feel pain in your dream when you actually don't? It's quite fascinating. But I do assure you it's not the case here."

She nodded nervously, unsure of how to reply to that. However, it wasn't important - what was important was her wish. Was it really about to be fulfilled? Despite her excitement, she still decided to be careful.

"How do I know you won't trick me?" she asked.

"Would you believe me if I said I won't trick you?" the man raised his brow, "Well, there's simply no guarantee. However, if you do wish for me to be gone, just say so, and you won't see me again."

She bit her upper lip nervously - if she were to decline the offer, she would never know whether it was true or not. However, she would remain relatively safe - provided her mother didn't shout her ears off the following morning. If the offer was true, then perhaps she would finally be able to make a name for herself, to be out of her mother's influence, out of this city, out of this country. At this point, she was ready to go anywhere that wasn't as crappy as where she was now. It's not like there was much keeping her there - a couple acquaintances, some personal belongings, and a sense of familiarity. However, if she was simply able to have a new life... that would change everything.

"I... I wish I had a different life," she said slowly, "I want to have choices, I want to be away from... my life."

"That's quite an acceptable wish," the man said with a nod, "Now, my dear, be so kind and spin once around yourself then go to sleep. When you wake up, it will be fulfilled. Oh, and... happy birthday, young miss."

Without giving it much more thought, Maria spun around herself and stopped. She didn't feel anything change, but the man was completely gone without a single shred of evidence pointing towards him being there ever before. Her bed was perfectly done just like her mother always made her do it, the pillow was undisturbed, the window was closed, and everything else was in its respective place. It almost made the girl doubt the mysterious stranger was even real, yet there was a sense that he certainly was. 

She sighed - too late, she realized she should've made her wish more specific. Maybe she could've wished for a life of... and there, she had to stop. She didn't even know what life she wanted - all she knew was that she wanted a different life, but she had never quite thought about what it would actually be. A supermodel? She didn't feel like being lusted over by millions across the world, so that was out of the question. A scientist? She wasn't sure she had a brain for that, and what would she even study or learn? A sportswoman? That seemed fine, but surprisingly disappointing as a life goal. An actress? Considering what she heard about Hollywood and other big places, she shuddered. There was no way she wouldn't get into some sort of trouble or experience an 'asshole moment' with some man, which she was sure would happen. 

Maria hung her head again and opened her wardrobe to change into her much-hated yet very comfy plain pink pajamas. She decided not to bother with showering - the bathroom was across from her room, and her mother would surely catch her and... well, she didn't want to think about that even if the most she'd get would be a round of shouting. 

She tiredly flopped onto her bed, not even bothering to go under a blanket - she was too emotionally drained for the day. Slowly, she drifted off to sleep, not knowing what she would see once she woke up.




Her dreams were quite chaotic - at first, she was sliding down a giant snow slope, laughing like a maniac as she flew up on every bump. There she was in the air, and then she was back on the snow, racing to the bottom of the slide like it was the best thing one could ever have. Then she was dancing with the mysterious wish granted among the stars, having no care in the world. Planets went past them, stars blinked in and out of existence, and brightly-lit enormously vast cloud of dust went around them. Then it was a confusing mess of lights and motion until, finally, it all faded to low and gentle rumble that pulsed pleasantly around her. It wasn't quite music, yet it also wasn't a sound of nature, yet it was soothing and gentle nonetheless.

A crash woke Maria up all of a sudden, and she sat up. She wobbled in place, feeling like her body wasn't quite right. She blinked a few times, getting the blur out of her eyes. When she was finally able to see clearly, she was shocked - in front of her, a tall horse, easily twice her size, with an alabaster coat and a multicolored flowing mane sat, looking at her in surprise. That same horse also had a pair of wings growing from her back as well as a long horn growing out of her forehead.

Murmurs sounded from behind her, and Maria turned around. Her eyes widened even more, threatening to pop out of her eye sockets - staring straight at her, there were many smaller horses in outrageous colors, and they had horns and wings too, but not at the same time. The room she appeared in was colorful and huge with the ceiling way above her head. In fact, it was less of a room and more of a hall with tall columns and decorated stained glass windows, as well as marble tile floor. 

Before her brain completely overloaded, Maria managed to utter one word in her native Russian:

"Shto?"
> Chapter 1: Sorting Things Out
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After Maria said her word, the crowd in the Canterlot Throne Room exploded with loud shouts, yells, gasps, faints, and an overall chaos. The girl wildly looked around, sinking into her bed - for some reason, it was there as well - hoping something, anything would happen that will help her understand what just happened. 

"Everyone, the court is over for today," a strong yet gentle feminine voice spoke over the crowd, and the noise drastically went down, "Please, vacate the throne room."

Maria closed her eyes and put her arms over her head. She realized it felt weird - not only did she had to move her arms awkwardly to reach the position they were now in, there was something protruding from her forehead. On top of that, she felt some sort of weight on her shoulder blades, and she felt as if there was yet another pair of limbs. 

As she thought about her body, the crowd exited the room, making it grow quiet. Soon, Maria couldn't hear anything beyond her own breath and the heartbeat that made her think she would soon explode from the inside. She didn't want to open her eyes just yet, she didn't want to face this weird reality. All she wanted was to go back to sleep and to wake up in her old life, however bad it was.

"You don't have to be afraid," the same voice said to her in a gentle tone, "Who are you? Can you understand me?"

Maria slowly raised her head and opened her eyes. She realized there was something between the two of them, and she went cross-eyed trying to take a good look at what it was. Usually, it was her nose, but right now, it was longer, more square, with larger nostrils, and, most importantly, light-gray fur. She looked at her arms - they were no longer arms but legs, ending in hooves, all covered in the same light-gray fur as her... muzzle, she realized. She looked at her back and saw a pair of wings growing out of it, breaking out of her pink pajama top. Looking further down revealed a light-blue tail. 

Then it dawned upon her.

"Srabotalo..." she whispered to herself in native Russian.

"Sorry, I didn't quite get that," the big horse spoke to her softly, standing at a respectable distance in front of the girl.

"It worked, my wish worked," she spoke up in English, "I am now... a horse with wings. A-and horn."

"Pony, not a horse," came a gentle correction, "Can you please tell me who you are?"

"I'm Maria," the girl replied, finally looking up at the imposing figure of the horse in front of her, "And... I made a wish. Now I'm... here."

"What wish did you make?" 

"I wished to live a different life," she said slowly, "My gosh... it really is true..."

She tried to stand up but found herself immediately falling to the bed - a pony physique did not easily allow for a usual bipedal stance. Then she yelled into the mattress.

"I'm a pony..." she said, muffled, "This... merzavets! Of course he did this! Should've known to not trust a genie," she groaned, pushing her now pony face harder into the mattress.

"Can you tell me what happened?" the big horse came a bit closer and sat down.

Maria sighed and rose back up, feeling extremely uncomfortable being in the middle of the giant hall. However, she was soothed somewhat by the look the big horse was giving her - it was a soft, gentle look, one only a caring mother could give. It was not the look of expectation and hidden disappointment her own mother had, neither was it the bored look of her father or the blank look of her teachers. No, there was some genuine care in those purple eyes, making her want to trust the big ho- pony. 

"Um... who are you?" she asked, "And why do you speak English?"

"I'm Celestia, and we're speaking Equestrian," the mare tilted her head in confusion, "Do you know where you are?"

"No idea," Maria admitted, "I... uh... I was living in a city with my mom, and... um... I wished to have a different live, and a, uh, genie said he'd make my wish become real. And... I'm here now."

"Have you seen ponies before?" Celestia continued, carefully guiding the conversation without forcing it.

"Yeah, but they weren't like you or those," she vaguely gestured in the direction of where the crowd used to be just minutes ago, "None could talk. And I was... uh... like an ape, but without fur, and I walked only on two legs."

"Very interesting," the alicorn said, her tone unclear in whether she believed Maria or not, "So, you wished to have a different life and appeared here in the Throne Room?"

"It's a throne room?" Maria looked behind the alicorn and saw the throne, "Oh..."

"I can help you figure things out," Celestia offered, "Now, can you walk?"

"I can try," the girl said with an uncertain shrug, and then struggled for a solid minute to get down from her bed. Once she did, she stood up on her wobbly four legs, "Um, I never walked on four legs before."

"I'll catch you if you fall, don't worry," the mare assured her, "Just try it."

Maria thought about how to walk for a moment and came to a conclusion that, naturally, she had to do the same thing with both pairs of her legs in order to walk. So, if she wanted to go forward, she needed to raise both right legs, then tilt her body forward, and place the hooves on the ground. Which she, surprisingly for herself, managed to do without slipping and falling. Then she did the same with her left legs. Then again with the right legs. 

"You should pick up your wings," Celestia advised, "It wouldn't do them good being dragged on the floor."

Maria nodded and looked at her back. Moving her wings felt weird, although it wasn't unlike moving her arms. She looked at the alicorn and took note of how her wings were and then did her best to replicate it. Soon, her wings were more or less comfortably resting on her back in a folded position.

"You're doing well," the mare encouraged, "Can you please do a few more steps?"

The girl nodded with uncertainty, then walked forward. She seemed to get a hang of it, although she had to go slowly in order to control her walking. She felt she would mess up if she sped it up even a tiny bit.

"You should land your hind hooves before you land your front hooves," Celestia advised once more, "It would be easier, you'll see."

Maria nodded and then tried that. And indeed, it was easier and felt far more natural, although she almost stumbled on her own legs after a few steps. However, she was getting a hang of it. 

"So... where am I?" she asked while walking around her bed. 

"You're in the city of Canterlot, more specifically in the Canterlot Castle. This city is in the country called Equestria on the Equus continent on the planet Vita."

The eyes of the girl widened - Canterlot, Equestria... it seemed awfully familiar. Then it struck her - it was the name of the world in one of the cartoon shows, specifically My Little Pony. She had seen some older boys being weirdly obsessed with it although she never watched it herself. At this revelation, she couldn't help but stop and laugh uncontrollably for a few minutes. Tears streamed down her face as her body shook with laughter, her face becoming strained from the constant smiling, and her throat becoming dry because of laughing so hard. Celestia looked at her in confusion, unsure of how to react.

"That... genie," the girl said, huffing, "I can't believe this..."

"What can't you believe, Maria?" the alicorn asked cautiously.

"He... he... oh gosh..." she caught her breath, "He put me in a little girls' show!"

And there went another round of laughter, making her face strain even more. She even rolled on the ground belly-up, unable to contain her laughter at all. Sure, the genie granted her wish, but he also played an unbelievably huge joke on her, one nobody would ever be able to top. She was now a pony, an alicorn - she finally remembered one of the terms she had heard the boys say - in the magical country of Equestria made by some people in order to sell toys to young girls. And, for some reason, this very same thing attracted grown-up guys. 

After the last of her laughter escaped her lips, she rolled over on her belly and stood back up, awkwardly wiping the tears of laughter from her face. 

Meanwhile, Celestia had not a single idea of what to say - there she was in the morning court listening to nobles and common ponies alike asking for one thing after another when, out of nowhere, a bed with an alicorn, of all things, crashed straight at the foot of the throne. The mare - who was around fourteen years old at best, barely into adulthood - claimed to be from some other world and said a genie granted her wish to live a different life. And now she was laughing, and Celestia couldn't understand why. In fact, she felt sorry for her - undeniably, the genie tricked her into accepting what she would've at least thought over otherwise. However, she certainly intended to help the young alicorn, especially since the law says each alicorn, upon their ascension, becomes a princess or a prince of Equestria. Maria would need to learn many things if she were to truly live up to her title. 

"I'm sorry," Maria said after she calmed down, "Um... I, uh... have to go to toilet."

"Very well, I'll show you the closest one," Celestia nodded, deciding that it would be best not to question the young mare too much. She obviously needed time to deal with her predicament, to truly understand what it entailed. Despite the oddity of the situation, the princess decided it would be best to let Maria adjust to her situation slowly, not in a rush.

The closest bathroom was hidden between the two pillars a little way behind the throne itself. First, Maria slowly but surely managed to descend the steps from the throne under the watchful gaze of the bigger alicorn, who was ready to catch her if she fell, although the girl didn't know how she'd do it without falling herself. Thankfully, they reached the entrance to the bathroom without incident despite the girl's slowness.

"Um, I'll go alone," she said.

"Call me if you have trouble with anything, Maria," Celestia nodded understandingly, using her magic to open the door, startling the girl. She glanced at the door handle enveloped in a golden aura, then at the princess' horn, which was wrapped in the same aura. 

"Uh, magic?" she asked.

"Yes, it is," Celestia nodded, hiding her surprise. Had Maria never used any sort of magic before? Obviously she knew the concept of it, but what about usage? The princess decided to reserve these questions for later, "You'll be able to use it the same way if you learn. After all, you have a horn just like I do."

The girl nodded nervously and then entered the bathroom. It was quite big, featuring a couple showers that could easily fit at least two ponies the size of Celestia, as well as a couple dedicated toilet rooms almost as big as the shower rooms. There were sinks installed in the floor, and a large mirror took the entirety of the wall behind the sinks. Finally, Maria was able to look at herself in full.

She didn't know just how tall she was, but likely not taller than a meter and a half. The length of her horn added to that as well, making her total height uncertain. Her entire body was covered in light-gray fur, her mane was light-blue just like her tail, and she had a pair of big emerald eyes. Her wings were also quite big, the tips of the feathers extending past her backside. Her pink pajamas were still on her, but the top was ripped where her wings grew, and the pants had an uneven hole for her tail. Obviously, she would have to throw both of them out. But then, she'd have to go around with just her underwear, and that didn't seem like a good idea. However, she did have to note that Celestia was almost completely nude, and it didn't make her feel weird. Horses - and ponies - were always nude, and she was never bothered by that. However, when it came to herself, she wasn't sure.

In any case, she needed to relieve herself, and for that, she needed to take off her pants and underwear. Without fingers, it would definitely prove to be hard. She did her best wiggling her hind legs to loosen the pants and, after a few minutes, they finally came off. She awkwardly picked them up with her forehoof and hung them on one of the wall hooks present. She then carefully took off her underwear, but at the last moment, her pad dropped out of them. She swore under her breath and carefully picked it up. Unfortunately, it was already stained - of course, her birthday couldn't go without her period. She threw the pad into a trash bin, then walked to the door with uncertainty. She opened it slightly and peeked out.

"Um..." she said, getting the attention of Celestia, "Can I, uh, have a menstrual pad?"

"A menstrual pad?" Celestia blinked in confusion, "We ponies don't need them. We don't have external menstruation."

"Uh, okay," the girl blushed and quickly disappeared behind the door. 

No external menstruation? No more pads or tampons? She couldn't help but jump in excitement at the news once she realized what it meant. No more would she have to deal with that gross stuff, no more would she have to buy any of those things she needed before, and no more would she stain her clothes on accident. However, if ponies didn't have external menstruation, then what did they have? She wasn't looking forward to feeling weird during her time of the month. She could do without it as well. 

In any case, she was happy to get rid of what was her last pad. Despite her weird situation overall, she now had a reason to feel at least a bit better. With that in mind, she made her way to one of the toilet rooms, closed the door, and relieved herself. It did take some time because of how she needed to position herself, but she managed to do it anyway. However, now came the question of toilet paper. There was no toilet paper - instead, there were shower heads installed next to the toilets, and she had no idea how to use them. If she knew how to use magic, maybe she could move them telekinetically, but otherwise, she didn't know. Maybe she could just take a full shower at this point, especially knowing that she went to bed without one.

She walked out of the toilet room, got rid of her top in an extremely awkward and slow way, and then there was the issue of her bra. There was no way she'd be able to finesse her way out of it. However, thankfully, she realized she wouldn't need to put it back on - her bosom was, as she learned, in another place entirely, hidden between her legs. That explained why her underwear felt so uncomfortable - it simply wasn't shaped right.

In any case, Maria needed some help with taking her bra off. She peeked out of the room again and got the attention of Celestia.

"Um, I..." she blushed, "I need to take something off."

"Very well," the older alicorn nodded, entering the room with Maria. The girl didn't look her in the eyes, still blushing hard, "The one on your chest?"

"Yes, please," she said in a tiny voice. Effortlessly, Celestia undid the hook and eye closure that kept the bra in place, and then slid it off Maria's body. The girl then said, "Um, can I get... clothes?"

"We ponies usually don't wear clothes unless it's for a special occasion," Celestia said, hanging the bra on the same hook as the pants and top, "But, if it makes you comfortable, I'll make sure you get a robe. However, you'll have to learn to go without clothes. It's only natural."

"Okay..." the girl replied in the same tiny voice, "Um, can I be alone now?"

"Of course, my dear," the older alicorn nodded and headed out of the room, "I'll make sure you'll have a robe by the time you're done."

After the door closed, Maria sighed and sat down in front of the mirror. It obviously wasn't the first time she was nude, but this one felt different. Having fur didn't feel like being nude without it. She felt a bit more comfortable with it, even if she still wasn't anywhere near ready to appear in front of other ponies nude. What if they stare? And what about the boys, wouldn't it give them more opportunities to hit on her? What about being nude in public? There would be so many people there, it would just be so uncomfortable.

She covered her eyes with her hooves and sighed yet again. If anything was clear to her, it was that this new life was not how she would wish it to go, but it felt surprisingly liberating. In the short time she spent here, she was treated well and with a certain degree of decency. Of course, Celestia asked questions - who wouldn't, in her situation? But she didn't hound Maria, she didn't dump all the questions on her without consideration, and she even respected her need for privacy. 

Despite how weird of a start this was, Maria felt surprisingly good about it. It wasn't what she expected, but it had a good potential to become what she wanted indeed. 

However, standing there nude in front of the mirror, she couldn't decide whether she should call the genie an asshole for thrusting her in this situation or thank him for giving this to her. 

Maybe a lot of the former and a moderate amount of the latter.
> Chapter 2: The Beginning
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria received a robe - it was a white fuzzy one with golden embroidery, slightly bigger than necessary. Celestia assured her they'll see a tailor about it as soon as the girl was comfortable with it. Then the princess offered to show her where she would be staying. 

"How long can I stay?" Maria asked as she followed the princess to the Throne Room entrance. 

"As long as you have to," Celestia replied, "Don't worry about it."

The girl nodded, feeling quite happy - like many other girls, she had once dreamed of being a princess and having her own castle. Of course, those were childish dreams she had long since grown out of, but she thought it would be good to live in a castle for a while. Not in those dingy old gray castles, but in a colorful, welcoming, and warm one. This one already seemed to fit just right.

She had never visited a castle before and wondered what it looked like from both inside and out and what it had to offer. She had seen some old castle ruins as well as more modern palaces on some photos, but actually being present in one was so much more different. She could see the scale, she could see the effort that went into building it, and she could feel the entire atmosphere surrounding it. However, she had to focus on other things for the moment.

Maria had to be conscious of how her legs moved, but she seemed to improve with every step. Her previous method of walking worked, but it was also tiring and made her wobble a bit from side to side. Instead, Celestia advised her to keep one hoof off the ground for as long as possible in between steps for better stability. With that method, the girl's speed severely decreased for quite a few long minutes as she tried to figure out how not to forget to move a certain leg so that it wouldn't simply drag behind and make her trip and fall. A few times, Celestia had to catch her in her magic, and it felt unusual - it was a warm, tingly grip distributed all around her midsection and chest. It wasn't unpleasant, however, only weird. She felt embarrassed she couldn't even walk right, but the older alicorn was patient and had never shown a hit of irritability, which mitigated that feeling somewhat. She had never been more comfortable in the presence of authority, and her respect for Celestia grew ever more the longer she was in her company. Unlike many other adults, Celestia didn't try to force the girl to meet seemingly impossible expectations way before she was ready to, she didn't ignore her words, she didn't act dismissive or even rude towards her, and she was overall quite considerate. 

Once Maria figured out how to walk the proper way without tripping every few steps, the two alicorns continued on their way through the hallway. The girl didn't have to keep her walking in check as much anymore, which allowed her to look around. She was immediately amazed at the intricate mosaic on the vaulted ceiling, perfectly polished marble floors, a thick decorated carpet longer than some roads she had seen, and beautiful columns as tall as street lamp posts. Each window started from the floor and ended in a sharp arch, and every second window was stained glass, featuring one design or the other, mostly centered around day and night. It wasn't unlike the stained glass of a church Maria once visited with her mother, but smoother and more colorful, and certainly bigger in scale. The tapestries hanging on the walls were likewise elaborate, featuring different flags and emblems Maria didn't know anything about yet. 

"Just how big is this castle?" she asked aloud, her voice echoing across the hall, yet it was in a way that didn't drown out the original words.

"I'm not quite sure myself, to be honest," Celestia said with a smile, glad to break the silence, "We have never considered measuring the entire castle. Let's just say that, while the Throne Room and this hallway are the biggest in the castle, there are far more rooms and hallways in other parts of it. I've never kept the count, yet I seem to know where to go each time."

"This is enormous," Maria continued, walking up to a window and looking outside. Before her gaze were towers, walls, turrets, and arches, as well as a seemingly artificial waterfall. And beyond them, was the most breathtaking view she had ever seen - forests, fields, rivers, and villages were before her very eyes, stretching far into the horizon,  "Bozhe moi..." she whispered, "Kak krasivo..."

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked, uncertain of what she even heard.

"It's so beautiful," the girl translated, "Just... where are we? How high are we?"

"We're on the side of the Alicorn Peak, the tallest mountain in Equestria," the princess said proudly, "We're roughly one thousand meters above the sea level, around a third of the mountain's height."

"You use meters?" Maria blinked, "And... doesn't it mean the mountain is three thousand meters?"

"It may not be the tallest mountain in the world, but it's still the tallest in Equestria," Celestia nodded in confirmation, noting the bit about the measurement system, "It has taken many years to build Canterlot here, and no one is quite sure exactly how many. The records are, unfortunately, lost."

"It's a marvel," the girl said, still completely awed, "In Spain, there's a cathedral that has been, uh, construction... ing... for, um, over a hundred years," she blushed in embarrassment at having forgotten how to properly word her sentence there, but continued anyway, "It's beautiful, but it's not as amazing as this."

"I'm happy to hear your appreciation," the older alicorn smiled, noting for herself Maria would need to be tutored to iron out the kinks in her speech, "Are you interested in architecture?"

"A little bit..." the girl admitted with some uncertainty, not used to talking about her passion with others. The only one that truly listened to her about it was her father, and even he was more interested in various handy work that didn't scrape the scale of what she wanted to do, "I just think building things is neat, and, uh, I want to build something myself."

"It's quite a fine goal," Celestia replied, "Maybe you'll have opportunities to realize it here if that's what you want."

"I'd..." she almost jumped but managed to suppress her enthusiasm, "I'd really like that!"

"It's my pleasure," the princess nodded. She could see it could have potential, even though it was clear Maria hadn't found her true calling yet - despite being technically adult, she didn't have her special mark. Judging by what Celestia had heard from her so far, she had no idea such a concept even existed. Wherever she was from, people didn't have special marks, and they also had a place called "Spain", which sounded unpleasant. But maybe it had a better meaning than just 'pains' with the 's' being in front rather than the back. 

In any case, perhaps one day Maria would be in charge of constructing another marvel of architecture and engineering like Canterlot. It would certainly be a fine idea for a palace for the new princess.

The two continued on their way while Maria didn't stop looking at all the various details of her surroundings. The plaster was perfectly applied to the walls and the columns, making the paint on top of it look smooth even when the light shone along the surface - it should easily show any irregularities or bumps, but there were none to be found. All the windows were identical in structure, their furniture straight and level. The tiles were perfectly cut to suit the width and length of the hall, making every tile the same size. The color of the decorative floor molding was the same as the furniture of the windows, making them blend together seamlessly.  The paint color was picked perfectly as well, making the already big hallway feel even more open. The flower pots hanging on the walls were at the same height and distance from the windows, having no irregularities either. For all intents and purposes, the hallway was perfect from the perspective of interior design as well as implementation. The architects and the construction workers were clearly very skilled and worked together since before the construction even began.

At the end of the hallway, two guards stood. Their armor was golden, polished to reflect their surroundings perfectly. They looked almost identical, with only the most trained eye being able to distinguish the difference. Maria let her gaze linger on them - she had never seen any kind of royal guards before. In a way, they reminded her of Roman soldiers of the antiquity, but she couldn't really point out why without referencing the images of the said soldiers. They stood at attention as the two alicorns approached, and then opened the big doors without saying a word. The doors opened effortlessly without a single squeak or any unnecessary sound at all. Maria also noticed how the doors were set against each other and the door frame - as far as she could see, everything was simply perfect.

"Are you a queen?" she asked Celestia as the two walked into an intersection of the halls. There were steps leading down from where we were, and thankfully they were wide enough Maria didn't have much of a difficulty descending them.

"No, I'm a princess," the older alicorn replied, "Equestria hadn't had a queen for a long time."

"I... don't think that makes sense," Maria said slowly, "Shouldn't you be the queen?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that," Celestia softly replied, a tinge of pain in her voice, "I'll tell you some other time."

That put an awkward end to the conversation. Thankfully, it wasn't long until the two reached a guest room. Celestia opened the door to it, and what was revealed surprised the girl. For once, the guest room was bigger than the entire apartment she used to live in. Half of the wall in front of her features floor to ceiling windows, one of which acting as a door to a balcony. The other half had a large bed against it with the windows only starting from halfway up. Next to the bed, there was a sizeable nightstand. However, that corner of the room wasn't the main attraction by far: it was a fireplace in the center of a wall, a true brick fireplace that looked extremely cozy, and it would look even better with fire burning inside of it. Adding to the coziness, a sofa was placed in front of the fireplace, and it was big enough to host at least two ponies the size of Maria at the same time. Further away from the fireplace, there was a wide carpet, not too fuzzy but good enough to muffle the sounds of the hoofsteps, and it covered at least two thirds of the entire room. A small dining table with three chairs was present next to the big windows, allowing the guest to look outside while eating. And another corner of the room was taken by a beanbag chair surrounded by bookshelves. It reminded Maria of the personal library her grandparents had in their apartment. She'd likely delve into it once she had the time.

Once she had taken in the main details, she shifted to smaller ones: the walls were covered by white wallpaper with simple neutral structure. The floors were genuine hard wood except around one meter around the fireplace - it was tile instead, the same one used in the halls. Floor molding was perfectly fitted and the color of the window and door frames, and she couldn't even spot the seams. The ceiling was reasonably high with a chandelier hanging in the center of the room. However, it would be completely unnecessary during daylight hours - the windows provided plenty enough light. Then there was a door next to the nightstand, and she reasoned it led to the guest bathroom. 

Overall, Maria couldn't be more satisfied with where she was going to stay - it was perfect and had everything she needed aside from, obviously, a computer and a kitchen. She silently sighed to herself - ponies probably didn't have computers and thus didn't have internet, and that sucked. However, maybe she could find other things to do than to browse endless memes, YouTube videos, or various other content that went into her head one day and then out of it the next. Although, she would certainly miss some of the games she played, namely Minecraft, Terraria, and Garry's Mod. The first was quite fun and allowed her to be creative when she had nothing else to do, the second was interesting and exciting when it came to exploration and progression, and the third was simply wacky and random. Unfortunately, the first and the third were also infested with many toxic players, and she would be glad to never have to deal with them again. 

However, that left one question hanging - if there was no kitchen, how would she get food? It was obvious she wouldn't be simply left without it, but she was very used to buying groceries and cooking for herself as well as her mom, and not having it would be unusual. 

"Where do I cook?" she asked Celestia.

"Oh, we have chefs who do that for us," the older alicorn explained, "But if you wish, I can make sure they allow you in the kitchen. Of course, only once you learn how to handle a knife like a pony. Safety first."

"Alright," she agreed easily, "So, um... I guess I'll just get comfortable and... think."

"It's fine," Celestia nodded encouragingly, "It must feel very odd having to face all these new things at once. It's good to be alone with your thoughts for a while, I know it well. However, would you like to eat something?"

"Yes, please," she nodded, realizing she was getting hungry.

"Do you have any allergies I should notify the chefs of?" 

"None that I know," Maria shook her head, "And, um... can I have no animal products?"

"We're ponies, we don't eat animals or their products," Celestia shook her head, noting for herself that Maria have come from omnivorous species originally, "In fact, you won't find any animals in anything we make."

"That's really good to know," the girl let out a sigh of relief - she might've been mocked for her stance on it from almost everyone around her back in Russia, but at least that wouldn't be the case anymore. 

"Very well, the food will be brought to you within half an hour," the older alicorn said, "A guard will be posted nearby, you can always ask him for any assistance or call me if necessary."

"Thank you," Maria nodded, and the princess left the room. 

The girl sighed in relief once more, feeling a weight slide off her shoulders. Not only had she just spent quite some time with an adult, the said adult was also a princess of a nation. Saying it made her feel under pressure would be an understatement of a century. However, despite Celestia's high position, she seemed reasonable and kind, as well as welcoming. Maria imagined royalty back on Earth would most likely immediately kick her out or issue orders to detain her for questioning on sight under the same circumstances. 

And now she was in a castle. A real castle, right from the pages of a fantasy novel or, in this case, a show for little girls. Maybe she should've watched it - this way, she'd know what to expect. 

For now, all she wanted was to eat and rest for a while, to think about her eighteenth birthday - it was, by far, the most intense, the most unusual, and the weirdest birthday of her entire life. She made a wish, a real wish, and it was granted to her in a way that was simply impossible. It opened a lot of ways in front of her, and she wondered which one she would end up taking.

Unbeknownst to her, however, different plans were brewing all around Canterlot. The nobility, the majority of which had witnessed her appearance in the morning court, as an alicorn no less, had already begun plotting how to get in her good graces. Many foals, who were as 'free' as Maria was when she was a human, were already set up to meet her one way or another. Adults were planning on giving her expensive gifts once the time was right, to make sure she ended up liking them. They didn't know her, and most didn't care - to them, she was an opportunity to get closer to the ruling princess, to grow in power above others, and to achieve things many deemed impossible before.

Celestia herself knew it was going to happen - there was no way she could contain the fallout from Maria's sudden, unannounced appearance in front of everyone. The girl would have to learn many things in order to stay independent, and she would, by law, have to learn what it takes to be a princess. Celestia had already been preparing a protege of hers for many years, yet she couldn't miss the opportunity to guide a new young mare, one that undoubtedly would, as all alicorns once had, change the world forever. Maria was a unique case in every way, and thus she held tremendous potential, one that had to be fulfilled one way or another, and Celestia intended to provide the help the girl would certainly need to do so properly.

Many things were set in motion that day...
> Chapter 3: Midday
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This isn't what I expected to get on my eighteenth birthday," Maria joked to herself in Russian once she was all alone in her new room. The excitement and anxiety of the day left her mentally exhausted, yet she still had more energy to burn, so she started pacing around the room. She circled the sofa, then went to take a glance at the outside through the panoramic windows. The view was once again breathtaking, and she struggled to think just how much she was able to see from up there in the castle. She wasn't really used to such heights - she was at the roof of a fourteen-story apartment complex once with her friends, but that's the highest she's ever been to. Of course, the view from there couldn't compare to what she was seeing now. It wasn't just flat fields and forests, but rolling hills, snowy mountains, rivers, as well as villages. The sky was so clear, so saturated with freshness and life. She fumbled with her hoof but managed to open the window, letting more of that mountain air in, and inhaled it deeply.

Truly, it was the beginning of something new for her. However, she still needed to deal with the basics, namely with pony nudity. It was certainly a norm, considering that even the ruler of the nation didn't wear more than four horse shoes, a golden chest piece, and a crown. From what Maria could recall about the other ponies she had briefly seen upon her arrival, many of them also wore no clothes. Those who did, however, only seemed to have jackets and other upper wear, leaving their behinds completely uncovered.

The girl decided to finally disrobe. She was slow, unsure of whether she really should - she had never gone around naked in her apartment. Not that her mother would've allowed it, of course, but that was besides the point. The girl obviously knew what it felt like to go around naked, but she had never done it so openly even in private. Even during her most intimate times with her door locked and her internet browser open on a peculiar website, she kept clothes on just in case. Now... she didn't even have underwear. She decided not to put on her old clothes, deeming them too uncomfortable, in the case of the bra unneeded, and in the case of her pajamas, torn too much to be comfortable. Now her old clothes lay in a pile on the floor near the entrance. 

"I'm not really nude, I have fur," she reasoned to herself as she looked at her body, "It's like... clothes I always have. But they're skin-tight. And... they don't hide my privates. My tail kinda does, but not too much."

Maria remembered that time when she decided to visit a nudist beach. She pictured it as an exciting new experience where she would be able to show off a bit and also get a nice tan. She expected to see at least a few well-toned guys, but instead she saw dried up old men as well as a couple more than a bit overweight and about just as old women with floppy breasts extending down past their waists. Naturally, she didn't stay there for any length of time. And now, she very much hoped she wouldn't have the same experience with ponies.

She decided to push those thoughts away for a time and spun around in place, feeling the air brush against her fur, which was quite an unusual sensation. However, it didn't make the sensation unwelcome. 

"Look mom, I'm a pretty pony," she joked to herself again, trying to relieve the tension she had felt since appearing this way, "I have a horn," she lightly shook her head to emphasize, "And a pair of wings," she flexed her wings a bit, "I'll be able to fly and cast magic."

For a moment, she wished she could sit down in front of her computer and message a couple people she knew about it. Maybe even the person she knew from the US, the one she had been practicing her English with for some time. Unfortunately, this new world didn't appear to have PCs so far, so she had to make do with what she had. Which, to her, wasn't much - she didn't want to read any books yet, but she also didn't feel like going anywhere either. Where would she even go? Undoubtedly it would be a huge mistake to go out of the castle into an unknown city. Go to Princess Celestia? That was an option, but she didn't really want to answer a bunch of questions the princess certainly had for her. 

Maria walked up to the sofa and finally sat down, now feeling a buzz in her entire body. The day had certainly taken its toll on her, yet she planned to stay awake for some time, at least until she could grab a bite to eat. For now, she decided to relax and lightly close her eyes for a little moment. She sighed deeply, nesting into the sofa comfortably. She didn't notice how she fell asleep.

When she dreamed, she saw herself floating among the stars, counting them one by one. Ten, twenty, fifty, a hundred. She never stopped, finding the process pleasant to do. Then, out of nowhere, a ripple went throughout the universe she was looking at, distorting all the stars, making them vague and undefined. A door opened in front of her.

"Good day, miss Vorobyova," a man said, dressed in an impeccable suit and a top hat. He entered her dream, a pleasant smile on his bearded face, "How are you enjoying your wish so far?"

"Uh, what?" she stammered for a moment as a realization dawned on her, "Oh, I'm dreaming," she looked around. It was the first time she had a lucid dream, and it felt interesting. She was looking at things, but they were uncertain, unreal in a way she couldn't quite describe. She felt things, but at the same time felt nothing at all, "Weird."

"Lucid dreaming is quite interesting if I say so myself," the man continued, "You can be rather creative with it if you wish, although not many ever do."

"...Right," Maria replied, feeling her voice inside her head in a way she hadn't felt before. It was like she was speaking without speaking physically, "But, uh... I was good. I guess. But couldn't you give me something not as weird?"

"Maybe, but that part of the deal was entirely on you," his eyes twinkled, "You vaguely defined your wish, and I fulfilled it with my own flourish. You didn't expect me to put you in My Little Pony, did you? Although, this place in itself is quite a bit different than what was shown on TV."

"Genies..." she grumbled.

"Well, I couldn't have known what you wanted in truth," he pointed out, raising his hands defensively, "So, I did what I could, which I knew would work. You humans really need to define your wishes better," he hummed for a moment, "I do, however, know a few that were quite smart about it..."

"So, um, what are you doing here?" Maria asked, still uncertain of what the purpose of his visit was.

"Why, to check on you, of course!" he replied, "I'd hate to hear if your wish came out the opposite of what you wanted, and I will gladly fix it if that's the case. So, did the wish fulfillment go well for you, my dear?"

"Um... I think the, uh, full-fill-ment is fine," she said slowly, "I guess it works? I do have a new life now. And I think I have a choice in what happens now, too."

"Wonderful!" he smiled, "In this case, my job here is done. I'm not sure if we'll be seeing each other again, but it was a pleasure," he bowed and simply disappeared. Before Maria could think too much about it, a knock came from her door, and she woke up.

"Miss Maria?" an unfamiliar female voice called from behind the entrance door, "Princess Celestia sent me to give you lunch."

"Um, yes," the girl replied as she yawned and stood up, "Enter."

The door was pulled open, and next thing Maria saw was a cart full of food being rolled into the room. For a moment, she panicked, realizing she had no clothes on. However, it subsided somewhat when the mare pushing the cart didn't comment or look at her in a weird way. In fact, a neutrally pleasant expression was on her face instead as she pushed the cart forward. 

"I'm sorry if I have disturbed you, ma'am," the earth pony mare said, she herself dressed in what Maria figured out was a maid outfit. It was a simple black dress with white trim and a white apron. The mare herself was white in fur, blue in mane that was done in a bun, and golden in her eyes, "I hope the food will prove to be satisfactory."

"Thanks," she replied somewhat nervously as the mare placed the meals on the eating table and revealed them, "Um, what's in them?"

"Whole wheat daisy sandwiches for an appetizer," the maid began, pointing at the meals one by one, "Buckwheat pasta with fried green beans, bell pepper, garlic, and ginger, with soy sauce as flavoring. Then there is a bowl of sliced apple, banana, and pear. To finish it off, there is a vanilla cake topped with fresh strawberries."

"What the cake is made of?" Maria asked carefully. She knew Celestia told her there were no animal products in the food, but she had to make sure just in case something went wrong.

"Flour, sugar, olive oil, vanilla, soy milk, baking soda, salt, and vinegar," the maid listed, "Do you have any other questions, ma'am?"

"Why is there a whole cake? That's mu- a lot of sugar."

"Sugar is an essential part of a pony diet, ma'am," the maid patiently explained, "Magic requires a lot of energy, and sugar is the best at providing it for this purpose."

"Aaalright," Maria said slowly, unsure. Did they really need sugar for that? How do they deal with teeth problems? The maid, when she spoke, revealed her teeth to be in perfect condition as far as Maria knew, "Um, but won't a lot of sugar cause teeth problems?"

"Our teeth have evolved to be quite resilient, ma'am," the maid replied, noting the question in the back of her mind, "However, we do brush our teeth after every meal."

"I think I don't have more questions," Maria finally said, eyeing the food. Her stomach grumbled in anticipation.

"Very well," the maid bowed, "I hope you enjoy the food, ma'am. I'll collect the empty dishes once you're done."

Then the maid left with the empty cart, and Maria pulled a chair to sit down in front of the table. The food smelled very good, even the daisy sandwiches. The girl had never before even heard of any food with flowers in them, so she was interested in seeing how it tasted. However, a question she didn't expect arose - how would she eat in the first place? She couldn't exactly use utensils even if they were provided. It was simple enough with sandwiches and fruit - she could probably pick them up with her hooves and teeth. But what about pasta? It would definitely get a bit messy. 

Deciding not to embarrass herself by asking others how to eat, she decided to dive right into the fruit bowl. She didn't realize just how hungry she was, so she didn't notice when she picked it completely clean. Then she used her hooves to awkwardly pick up a sandwich and take a bite out of it. The bread itself was good, and the daisies added some bitterness and spice to it. It was quite a nice sandwich overall as far as she was concerned, so she finished the two she was provided with quickly. Then came the turn of the pasta dish, and she simply dove right into it with her muzzle, slurping in a quite undignified way. The pasta was rich in flavor, had a certain kick thanks to garlic, as well as a bit of that specific ginger taste. After she finished gobbling up the meal, she licked both her muzzle and the plate clean and let out a burp, feeling quite good about herself. It wasn't proper table etiquette, of course, but it didn't really matter to her at that moment. Finally, there was the cake - thankfully, it was pre-cut into ten equal slices, and there was a small spatula to ease them out of each other.

Maria cautiously took the first bite and realized she was in heaven as a throaty moan escaped her maw. The cake was absolutely, undeniably, amazingly delicious! The flavor was rich, the texture was just right, and it all simply melted in her mouth. She hadn't had cake since forever - there were none that were sold without some kind of animal products in them anywhere near where she lived, and she was too lazy to even attempt to bake one herself. However, this one cake made her change her mind - it was imperative she learned to make one or even more different kinds of cakes if they're going to taste so good and, most importantly for her, be cruelty-free. 

Once she found nothing more to eat, she was disappointed - she felt like she spent a few minutes at most eating everything. Despite feeling physically satisfied, she'd really like to get more. But then wouldn't she get fat? Her mother always warned her about it despite being quite pudgy herself. Maria, thus, was thin her entire life, although not much skinnier than the other girls. She wasn't quite interested in sports, so she didn't have many body shapes to be proud of either. However, now, she felt like she should start eating more. The flavors of what she was given were rich without being artificial like a bag of chips or instant ramen so many people seemed to enjoy; nor was it bland like boiled barely seasoned potatoes and pasta her mother liked to make. Of course, Maria sometimes cooked for herself, and she did it reasonably well. However, the royal chefs had her beat by far, unsurprisingly.

Maria then decided to follow the advice of the maid and clean her teeth now that she had finished eating. But first, she carefully stacked the plates, from the biggest to the smallest, in one neat stack. Then she went to see what the bathroom in her room actually was.

She opened the door and gasped in amazement - it wasn't the kind of bathroom she was used to. It was a square room with a side at least five meters long, and the roof was domed, adding to the sense of grandiosity the expensive-looking decorations brought already. The floor tiles were made of marble and looked almost seamless, and the center of the floor was made out of shaped tiles that formed a perfect circle where a square bathtub sat, raised slightly above the floor. It was massive, enough to hold at least three ponies the size of Maria. Above the bathtub was a shower head, big and round, and a smaller one that could be detached and used to get into any angle the girl would want. On the corners, regular faucets were present, shining in their perfect gold form. A square curtain holder hung from the ceiling, allowing the bathtub's user to close the curtain to protect the rest of the room from splashes and sprays. 

Maria's amazement didn't end there - three out of four walls had alcoves in them: one of them hosted a toilet behind the curtain, another had a floor sink with shelves for various toiletries as well as clearly labeled dispensers for liquid soap and toothpaste, and the third one featured a closet full of bathrobes and towels. The fourth wall featured three floor to ceiling windows which were separated by exquisite columns, letting plenty of natural light in and opening into the same view visible from the main room. Each window also featured a curtain, allowing more privacy if needed.

The bathroom she remembered - a space barely over three square meters - was completely nothing in comparison to this room. No rusted exposed pipes, no yellowed enamel on the bath, no dirty mirrors, no old cracked tiles, no washing machine that shocked her if she touched it wrong, no dust. This one was simply perfect in every way as far as she was concerned. She wouldn't miss the old bathroom not one bit.

Maria decided that she may as well take a long, relaxing bath to clear her head and to rest her body. She wouldn't dream of it in her old bathtub - it was small and couldn't fit her properly past age thirteen. This one was definitely big enough to submerge her body fully, leaving only the head above the water. First, however, she decided to close the curtains on the windows. Maybe ponies didn't really use them, but she hadn't felt comfortable exposing herself to everyone who would, by accident or purposefully, look inside through those windows. She closed the curtains, dimming the room into a perfect half-darkness. Then she went over to the bathtub, adjusted the temperature with one big lever between a pair of faucets, then turned it on. The water came out in a steady and reasonably strong stream from all four, and the temperature of it was already good, not requiring her to wait for it to go up. However, she had to adjust it in order to make it the perfect temperature she wanted. Then she waited.

She inhaled deeply - the bathroom smelled pleasantly, and the water was clear, and both looked and smelled fresh, likely filtered from the mountain streams. The entire feel of the bathroom made her comfortable with taking more time than she needed to, and she certainly planned to soak and relax for a while, to be lost in that feeling of relief for a subjective eternity. It was the least she deserved after the stressful evening and an even more stressful morning in this new world.




Celestia was by herself in her office, her frown deep, and a headache inside her. A blank piece of paper was in front of her, and a quill was ready, ink glistening on its end. For the last hour, she's been trying to come up with a speech to address Maria's appearance, to explain to her ponies what it meant and what would happen in the future. However, she had nothing, not a shred of thought came into her head. 

A gentle knock came from the door, yet it almost made the princess wince. Thankfully, she managed to keep her composure.

"Please enter," she said in a neutrally pleasant tone, smoothing her facial features and straightening her posture. As the door opened, she greeted, "Ah, hello, Bright Smile."

"Your Highness, miss Maria has received the meals and, considering the state of the plates after she finished, she greatly enjoyed it," the maid mare said, entering the office and closing the door behind her, "She's taking a bath right now, and she seems quite happy - I heard humming coming from the bathroom."

"That's good to hear," Celestia nodded, the corners of her mouth going up, her headache fading just a little bit.

"However, I personally think she needs to be fed more," Bright Smile continued, "She's quite thin. Not malnourished in any sense of the word, but she could certainly use some more food to grow healthily, especially as a young alicorn. I'll arrange it right away with your permission, Your Highness."

"Go right ahead," the princess nodded, "I think you two will work together greatly with time."

"I certainly hope so, Your Highness," the maid smiled, "She seems slightly apprehensive, but I think we'll smooth it out over the course of her life here."

"That's very good," Celestia nodded once more, "Has she asked any unusual questions?"

"She appears to know little about pony nutrition, Your Highness," Bright Smile pointed out, "Everyone knows sugar is good for you, but she holds a different opinion. However, considering what you've told me, it's not unusual about her. Well, it is hard to believe, but... well, she's either a perfect actress or she's telling the truth, and I'm more inclined to believe the latter."

"She will certainly have to spend quite a bit of time adjusting to our society and, most importantly, to her own body and its needs," Celestia said in confirmation, "And I would definitely like to know more about where she came from and who exactly brought her here and how. I hope you do recognize this is for your ears only because you will be her personal maid."

"My lips are sealed, Your Highness," the maid put a hoof to hear heart, "If no one else has to know, then no one else has to know."

"Very well," the princess nodded, "In this case, I want you to be ready in case Maria needs anything. Check up on her once in a while, but not too often. Make sure she feels comfortable around you, so don't be overbearing. Tomorrow, I'll give her some time of my own so that she can be eased into this new life."

The two exchanged goodbyes, and Bright Smile left the office. Celestia returned to planning what to write in her speech. She truly had no idea - Maria popped out of nowhere without any explanation or forewarning, and the word had already spread about it far beyond what could be controllable. Many letters have already piled on Celestia's desk just in the last half an hour, asking her all sorts of questions about Maria. The princess needed to write a compelling speech that would address both the questions and, of course, all the rumors that had already spread. Some believed Maria to be a changeling - a preposterous claim that wouldn't take long to debunk. Some believed she was a secret daughter of Celestia - which was even more ridiculous. There was absolutely no chance Celestia would be able to hide a relationship as important as this from the public for so long. 

Celestia sighed deeply - she saw no way out of this buzz for quite a long time. In a few weeks, the prophecy about Nightmare Moon would be fulfilled as well, making it paramount to solve everything by then so that she would be ready with the new Bearers of the Elements of Harmony to, hopefully, free Luna of her curse. 

This was going to be difficult.

A loud pop sounded as her office filled with a bright flash for a moment. In front of Celestia, with an overexcited expression on her face, Twilight Sparkle stood - the unicorn protege of the princess. She inhaled deeply, her eyes wide.

"A new alicorn?!"
> Chapter 4: Questions
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Maria was quite happy when she emerged from the bathtub. She had no idea how much time she spent just lying there in the warm water, without a thought in her mind, and she didn't really care. She hummed a made-up song as she dried herself off with a towel, and then put on a bathrobe. It was a simple white one, almost perfect in size, and also quite fluffy. She also found a brush she could slide on her hoof and then use to brush her mane. Once all was done, she thought about how it was a nice pause in her otherwise chaotic day. She exited the bathroom and went up to the sofa, then lay on top of it. She could spend a bit more time doing nothing. However, she had a sneaking suspicion this day wasn't over yet.

A few knocks came from the entrance door.

"Nakarkala..." she grumbled in Russian at her thoughts, stood up, and headed to the door. However, even this unexpected visit didn't sour her mood much - she was still quite relaxed, and her mind was clear. Once she was at the door, she used her hoof to pull down the U-shaped door handle and slightly opened the door. She saw Celestia standing in front of it, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you, but a student of mine wants to talk to you," the princess said in a pleasant voice, "May we come in?"

"Uh, okay, sure," Maria shrugged and opened the door fully. Princess Celestia walked in first, and then a lavender unicorn mare followed her, seemingly vibrating with endless energy as she did. The girl eyed her carefully, not knowing what to say yet. She debated for a moment with herself before taking the sofa, leaving both the princess and the unicorn standing. She quickly realized it was an awkward situation, but she wasn't sure how to remedy it, so the silence dragged on.

"Well, this is Twilight Sparkle, my student," Princess Celestia gestured at the unicorn, "She is very interested in what happened this morning."

"Hi!" the unicorn jumped forward, a quill, an inkwell, and a notebook appearing in front of her, "You really are an alicorn! How did you become one? What kind of pony were you before you did? How does it feel being an alicorn? And-"

"Slow down!" Maria raised her voice, making the unicorn stop, "You can't just... bomb me with questions like this!"

"She is right - we did talk about it, and you promised not to overwhelm her," Celestia pointed out as well.

"I'm very sorry, but I'm just so excited!" Twilight Sparkle said somewhat slower this time, looking a bit guilty.

"What if," the girl continued with a thoughtful expression, "What if... you ask a question, and I ask a question. You first, I'm second, then you third, you know?"

"A fair deal," the unicorn readily agreed, "So, how did you become an alicorn?"

"I made a wish," Maria answered, "I, uh, am an alien. Different world. Yeah."

"You are?!" Twilight inhaled deeply, ready to bombard the girl with countless questions regarding that moment.

"Twilight, please," Celestia softly said, and the unicorn's energy subsided immediately, "Maria gets to ask you a question now, too."

"Okay..." Maria thought for a moment, "Who are you? Not in name, but, uh... spe-ci-es? Kind?"

"I'm a pony of the unicorn tribe," Twilight Sparkle replied, speaking quickly in her excitement, "There are three major tribes of ponies: earth ponies, pegasi - they have wings, and unicorns - we have horns. There are a few smaller tribes like thestrals, and there are also alicorns like Princess Celestia."

Maria nodded, remembering some people talking about My Little Pony. She didn't really pay too much attention to them back then, but memories resurfaced to help her understand where she was. From what she knew, the show was about friendship and followed six girls on their adventures. If her memories were right, Twilight Sparkle was a name mentioned a few times. However, she decided not to talk about it yet, fearing it might set off the curious unicorn and drive her completely crazy. After all, she herself still had trouble accepting the fact that she was now living in the world of a little girls' show.

"So, if you are an alien, you weren't a pony, right?" Twilight inquired.

"I wasn't," Maria nodded, "I was a human. Uh... mostly hairless monkey standing on back legs?"

"Fascinating..." the unicorn scribbled in her notebook at the speed of light.

"When will I... be able to learn magic?" the girl asked her own question.

"Usually, foals - pony children - naturally gain magical abilities soon after they're born," Twilight said, her quill never stopping, "However, you were never a foal, so I don't know. But I think it is entirely possible your magic will show itself naturally in a few days if not tomorrow."

Maria was all giddy on the inside - a dream from when she was but a little girl would come true. After all, what kind of person never wanted to be able to use magic? She remembered reading Harry Potter books and, naive as she was then, she waited for her Hogwarts letter on her eleventh birthday, counting months, weeks, and days. She was, of course, immensely disappointed when it didn't come. However, now she had a chance to learn magic in a way she didn't expect. Instead of using wands and words to cast magic, she had a horn, which she would be able to use to cast magic. She couldn't wait to begin studying - as long as it didn't involve the ways she was taught in the school she attended. She didn't doubt for a moment Russian public education could make even magic boring and unbearable.

"Do you humans have magic?" the unicorn asked, breaking the girl out of her thoughts.

"Only in books, movies, shows," Maria replied, "In old legends and myths, too. But no one can do magic - we can do, uh, tricks, but they're not magic."

"Very, very interesting," Twilight's writing increased in speed, as impossible as it sounded. During the pause, she also summoned a small knife and quickly sharpened the quill before teleporting the knife away. The girl could only blink at that display of magic.

"Uh... do women have periods?" Maria asked slowly.

"Pony females have an estrus period when we can get pregnant," the unicorn began, "It involves secreting..."

The following was a number of quite explicit details Maria was absolutely not ready to hear, especially because it concerned the anatomy of ponies' privates, as well as the behavior of stallions during that period. Considering that the ponies were nude most of the time and, when they weren't, they never covered their privates, it necessitated another explicit description of how a stallion would look. By the end of the explanation, Maria's face was so red Celestia had to stifle a giggle. 

"To summarize, mares become aroused, and the surrounding stallions become aroused as well," Twilight continued without a single sign of blush on her face, "The majority of the mares, around seventy percent, have estrus cycles starting after Winter Wrap Up and ending with the Falling of Leaves while thirty percent of mares have estrus cycles all year round. Considering that you're an alien unfamiliar with us ponies, I think this should cover everything for you."

"Okay, yeah, that... covers everything," Maria was finally able to squeeze out the words as her mind struggled to keep the explicit images of nude ponies out of her mind. She regretted ever asking this question and wished she could go back in time simply so that she would ask something else instead.

"You said you made a wish," Twilight continued as if nothing had happened, "What did you wish for?"

"I wished to have a new life," the girl said, her blush slowly going away. As long as she thought about anything else, it worked, "There was a... genie, he offered a wish on my birthday. I went to sleep, then woke up like an alicorn, and I was in throne room," she thought for a moment about her next question, "Um, being an alicorn is important, right?"

"It really is," Twilight nodded, "Ponies only become alicorns after achieving something great. There are currently three alicorns in existence - Princess Celestia, Princess Cadance, and yourself."

"Oh," Maria simply voiced, her ears drooping, "Oh. I... didn't do anything great. I just made a wish."

"We can talk about it later if you want to," Celestia chimed in, her voice gentle, "I can promise you I will not shame you for becoming an alicorn the way you did. You didn't know anything about it, so don't feel like you haven't earned to be who you are."

"...Thank you," the girl nodded in appreciation, somewhat relieved, "A-anyway, um, next question?"

"Can you describe your world?" Twilight inquired, her quill trembling with anticipation.

"That's... a big question," Maria begun uncertainly, "Our world is called Earth, and it has land and oceans, rivers, lakes, mountains, fields, and other things. We humans live in almost everywhere, we have invented technology and things, uh... I can't really tell more without details. I think it will take hours."

"Alright, we can explore the topic in depth later," the unicorn agreed.




The discussion continued late into the evening, and soon it was time to lower the sun. Maria yawned, and it was clearly time for the princess and the unicorn to leave. Celestia gently suggested it and Twilight Sparkle, with quite a sigh of disappointment for not having more time to ask questions, teleported her notes, a now shorter quill, and an almost empty inkwell away.

"Wait..." Maria said to Celestia, "You control the sun?"

"For the last two thousand years, I have," she nodded, "Is it different in your world?"

"Two thousand years?" the girl said, shock evident on her face, "You're... more than two thousand years old? Bozhe moi..."

She stared at nothing, contemplating whether she would live to such an age because she was now an alicorn. Two thousand years is more than she could ever think possible for a human to live. If she lived for two thousand years, she would've seen the rise of Christianity, the fall of the Roman Empire, the entirety of the Medieval period, the entirety of renaissance, many revolutions, the rise and fall of Russian Empire and the Soviet Union. She would've personally witnessed an impossible amount of history that spanned two entire millennia, and she would still be there during the Age of Information. It seemed absurd, unreal, but if what Celestia said was true, then... 

"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to shock you with this revelation," the princess said gently, "Everyone in Equestria knows how old I am, so I falsely assumed you would not be surprised either."

"I, uh... I don't know what to say," Maria replied slowly, "No one has ever lived two thousand years. If someone did, they would know so much. I-I'm just eighteen, and... Two thousand years?"

Celestia tactfully decided not to mention that while alicorns are ageless, they're not immortal. There was no need to scare her with the prospect of dying, which was something the older alicorn still struggled with herself. 

"And... you control the sun?" Maria returned to her original question, "How?"

"Unicorns were once able to control the sun and moon before I took on that duty," Celestia said, "We don't know if it was always the case, however. But now, without our magic, neither the sun nor the moon can move on their own. So, each morning, it is my duty to raise the sun and lower the moon. And each evening, I do the opposite."

"Wuh..." Maria was completely dumbfounded. If the sun was of the same size as the one Earth circled around, that would mean... she didn't even know what to think about it. 

"Would you like to see me demonstrate?" Celestia suggested, and the girl weakly nodded, "Very well, come with me."




During the short walk through the castle, Maria was completely withdrawn, trying to deal with all the implications of what she had learned. Not only was she now in a different world, in a different body, with the possibility of learning magic, she now knew just how different Equestria and Vita as a whole was compared to Earth. She wouldn't think twice about it if it were fictional, but it was very, very real, and she was personally experiencing it. It was no longer just a fantasy of a writer, it was a real thing that was happening. Some would think having all sorts of fiction describing all kinds of impossibilities would prepare a human for this, but Maria now knew it was not the case. 

She would never be in this position if she hadn't made a wish to a stranger who appeared in her room out of nowhere during that fateful day. Which was scary to think about - was this world specifically created for her? Did the genie have that sort of power? Or was My Little Pony always a different world, one that existed even without her? The many possibilities boggled her mind, and she spent her time thinking about it until Celestia told her that they have arrived.

It was a wide balcony with the view of the lands down below, as well as the sun up above. Maria stood aside and watched as the older alicorn ignited her horn and, right in front of her eyes, the sun descended. Twilight came within the first minute, and the moon begun to rise as well. In five minutes, it was nighttime, with the full moon high above the darkened lands. It was so magical, so unusual, making Maria stare at it with her jaw on the floor. By the time Celestia finished, the girl was completely dumbfounded and could only blink, her mind grinding to a solid halt. 

"This... this is... I don't know a word," she said in a hushed tone, "I... It's..."

Celestia patiently waited for the girl to take in what she saw, calm down, and come back to reality.

"This is amazing," Maria finally said, then yawned. She looked around and noticed something, "Where is Twilight Sparkle?"

"We separated during our walk here, she went to do some studies," the older alicorn replied, "I'd say she's quite excited at having met you, and this is going to keep her up all night."

"And I..." Maria let out a huge yawn, "Even with all these things happening... I want to sleep."

"Very well, let me escort you back to your room," Celestia suggested, "You've had a long and eventful day, it is only fair for you to get plenty of rest."

Once again, she tactfully decided not to mention what kind of a mess her appearance caused. There was no way to avoid ponies from wanting to meet or at least see Maria with their own eyes sooner or later, this was certain. However, it wasn't a reason to stress the poor girl even more than she already was.

Celestia silently groaned at the prospect of having to address it all. Her speech was still not ready, and no doubt more rumors had appeared since she last checked. She fully expected to be unable to enter her office due to the amount of letters ponies had sent her from all over Equestria.

The next day was going to be quite busy for Princess Celestia indeed.