World Tossed Wanderer

Chapters

Chapter 1: Arrivals
Chapter 2: Departures
Chapter 3: Journeys
Chapter 4: Settling in
Chapter 5: Looking Around
Chapter 6: Day's End
Chapter 7: New day, New problems
Chapter 8: Parties
Chapter 9: Mistakes and misgivings.
Chapter 10: Housecleaning
Chapter 11: Meetings and Pledges
Chapter 12: Pool Hustlers and Princesses.
Chapter 13: Returning Home
Chapter 14: Looking for Trouble
Prologue
Interlude 1: Blitzen

Chapter 1: Arrivals

Chapter One: Arrivals
“It’s closing time Blitzen. Ya know the drill, ya don’t have to go home but ya can’t stay here.” The gruff stallion tending the bar said to the mare at the end of it.

“Alright, I hear you. Just gimme one for the road and I’ll be out of your mane,” Blitzen replied.

“Ya know I can’t do that,” said the bartender.

“Stupid bucking laws. A mare ought to be able to get drunk at any hour of the night," she said, pushing her glass and the empty salt bowl back across the bar.

“Ya say the same thing every night Blitz. Doesn’t change a thing.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’m going. See you at the usual time tomorrow."

Blitzen took a moment to look at herself in the bar mirror. Her dark blue coat looked a bit ragged, her light blue mane more so. Her electric blue eyes were bloodshot and had a weary look to them.

Meh, good enough, not like I'm trying to pick anypony up at this hour anyway.

She walked out of the Salt Cove and onto the empty streets. As busy as the city could be, at 2 am, the only ones out were the guards and the few barflies like her that stayed till last call.

Despite her drunken state, she had no problem navigating the maze of streets in Fillydelphia, and soon she was near her home. Another turn and the duplex she lived in came into view. Blitzen squinted at the window to her living room, seeing a faint blue light coming from inside.

"The buck? Somepony burgling the place? Not like I've got anything worth stealing," she said to herself.

Cautiously she approached the front door, and with a quick kick from her forehoof, knocked it open.

Her jaw dropped open at the sight before her. A glowing blue pattern of gears and wires was emanating from a figure on her floor. Her living room floor had been changed to have a circle of some kind of blue crystal in the center of it, wiping out what had been there before.

Finally rid of that ugly rug. Pity about the coffee table though.

The figure on the floor tried to stand, and she saw that it clearly wasn't a pony. In fact she had just seen a picture of a similar form in the recent newspaper.

A human? But I thought they only lived in in Ponyville?

The human looked to be having trouble standing, and something was evidently happening to it, because as Blitzen stared she saw bits of wire and metal move on the human's skin. Then the human opened its eyes and Blitzen's world stopped.

There are moments in life that one knows will change everything. Blitzen had one when she woke up in the hospital and was told there was nothing the doctors could do to save her wings. Every night she tried with diminishing success to drink away the memory of the accident that brought her there.

Now looking into the glowing eyes of the human in her living room, she knew somehow that this was another such moment, though she couldn't tell if the change to come would be for good or ill. All she knew is that whatever she decided to do would mark the rest of her life.

"H-help me," came the voice of the strange glowing human. Her voice (it was a her, she decided) had a weird mechanical tone to it.

Blitzen stood stunned, her salt addled brain trying to process everything going through it. The human fell to the floor unconscious and the glow subsided, though some of the wires in her skin still had a faint luminescence.

So here was the point of decision. She could just let this go, get someone to take the human to the hospital and wash her hooves of the matter. Nopony would blame her for not wanting to get involved. After all, she didn't know anything about humans. But that would just be running away from things again. Just like she had run away from her life after the accident. And she felt a sickening certainty that if she ran from this, she'd keep running from life until she found her grave.

Her mind made up, she turned away from the human.

"I'll get help, just stay there. I'll be right back," she told the unconscious human.

A moment later she was knocking on the other door of the duplex.

"Blitzen, do you have any idea what time it is? This better be important or by Celestia I don't know what I'll do," said the dark gray unicorn that answered the door.

"I know it's late, Nightingale, but I need your help," Blitzen pleaded.

Nightingale sighed, "What is it?"

"You'll have to see it. Come on." Blitzen turned to go.

Another exasperated sigh and Nightingale stepped out and followed Blitzen.

Once on her side of the duplex, Blitzen threw open the door and stepped aside, taking a look at Nightingale so she could relish the stunned expression on the unicorn’s face.

"Th-thats one of those Humans, like in the papers! But I thought they were a Ponyville thing?" Nightingale said after a few seconds of shock.

"That's what I thought too. But here she is. I just need your help getting her to the hospital. Something seems to be wrong with her, and I can't carry her by myself." Blitzen told her neighbor.

"Well, I'm always glad to help. As I've told you several times before," Nightingale replied with a pointed look at Blitzen.

"Yeah, I know, no need to bust my chops over it, let's just get my friend here to the hospital before she gets any worse," Blitzen grumbled as she picked up her saddlebags and put the items that appeared with the human into them.

Nightingale nodded and her horn lit with orange light. A similar hued light appeared around the human lifting her body from the crystalline floor.

Matthew Brennan paced back and forth in the hallway, "She's a Borg. We have to put her down before she wakes up. One bolt right between the eyes. Quick and painless.”

Alex Roberts grimaced "I agree, she sure looks like a Borg, or one on the way to that end. But, I have a rebuttal made up of three words: Seven Of Nine."

Matt stopped pacing and thought for a moment, "... okay, maybe. But do we want to take that chance?"

"If we're lucky, the Enterprise is someplace close. I mean the original series or Next Gen, not the last-" Alex started to say as Emerald gave them both an unamused look.

"Gentlemen, if you're both quite finished. And Matthew, I will assume you're jesting in poor taste. Now let me see," Emerald said as he looked over the medical records, "They call themselves doctors, this is scant and paltry information at best. Well, when you want the job done right, eh?" He continued to scan the chart, one note pad making written notes, the other drawing very detailed diagrams. "By Luna! Machines implanted into a body for purposes of maintaining and/or enhancing functioning!” He was wide eyed as he continued to read. “Hm... this is not good. It would seem none of the implants can be safely removed. They are quite integrated into her system, and not just physically."

"I noticed that too, the field of magic around her runs through those implants. In fact it seems to be what's making them grow through her like that." Trace added. "It looks like some kind of magitek, but it's beyond anything I'm familiar with."

"I think the main concern should be what state her mind is in. If she's still human, we've got to help her. If she isn't..." Alex let that thought trail off, with a look to Matt.

"Until she wakes up, the state of her mind is a moot point. But I do believe her metamorphosis is near completion, perhaps that will rouse her. I think it might be best if we had her things with us, give her something familiar to focus on. We do want to try to make her comfortable if we're expecting to find out anything. Waking up restrained and surrounded by strangers is likely going to alarm her." With that, Emerald turned to go to the room the human's things had been taken to.

The first thing I noticed was light behind my eyelids. The second thing I noticed by its absence. I'd broken my knee as a child and even though long since healed, it still had a dull ache in the joint that had become a kind background noise I'd grown accustomed to, along with a couple other small aches and pains. But now they were gone. I felt better than I have in my life, and if it weren't for the memory of why that is I would have been happy. But I remembered all too well.

The third thing I noticed was another absence. Since I'd been tossed through the cosmos I'd had a sense, like a pressure somewhere behind my eyes that would give me an idea of when the next time I'd be tossed somewhere. It was gone. Whatever gods forsaken hell I was in, I'd likely spend the rest of my life here.

Deciding to get up, I turned my focus outward, and realized I was in a bed. And I had restraints on my arms and legs. And to make things more fun, someone has chained me to the bed. Wonderful... Given what I must have looked like, I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised, but the rapid beating of my heart, and the sudden chill down my spine reminded me how much I hated being restrained. I knew I had to stay calm, try to be reasonable...

"Get me out of this!" I screamed as I open my eyes.

Quickly I took in details of where I was. It seemed I was in a hospital room with three men. They didn't look like government types. Old guy looked like some kind of hard case, but something in his eyes told me if I didn't look like a Borg I might have been able to pull the innocent girl act and get him on my side. The next one was younger, near the age I was when I was first tossed from world to world. His bearing and high tech armor just screamed soldier, and I've no doubt he'd use that gun if he thought I was a threat. The third one reminded me a bit of the elves I met on Krynn, especially with that long hair. He was wearing a long dark coat and had a pointed hat resting on a chair near him. I’d bet some kind of mage. Which told me nothing about where I was. I just hoped that since they didn’t look like doctors meant that I wasn’t the guest of honor at a vivisection. In an idle moment I realized I was gathering these impressions and processing them faster than I could before. As if being chained to a bed with roomful of strangers wasn’t bad enough, I couldn’t trust my own brain.

"That'll depend on the answers to a few questions ma'am," the old guy said.

I let out a heavy sigh and prepared to resort to my old standby, snarkiness.

I feel my throat tingling as I open my larynx to sound as deep voiced as possible and with a bad Austrian accent I said "I need your clothes, your boots, and your motorcycle."

I grinned inwardly at the look of shock, and pondered what seemed to be recognition on the faces of two of the men. Could they actually have recognized the line? I'd been to alternate versions of Earth, but there were usually major differences, especially in popular culture. Time to experiment.

I tried my best monotone. "You will be assimilated. Resistance is Futile." More of that recognition. Though not from the elf. Hardly a surprise I supposed.

I finished with an even deeper voice, which caused my throat to feel like something was changing inside it. "We are your salvation through destruction. You exist because we allow it, you will end because we demand it." That was weird, I could hear my voice making that weird layered voice effect that I remembered from the original source of that quote. I knew I was supposed to have nifty awesome powers now, but I had no idea how I was doing this.

"If you're done joking around?" growled the armored guy. Spoilsport.

"I figured you guys were expecting me to say something like that. Figured I shouldn't disappoint. Now get me out of these damned restraints. I hate being tied up," I snarled.

"In good time. We're not going to hurt you, but we do need to be sure you're not a threat to us or our friends," said the elf. That sounded reasonable, but I wasn’t interested in reason.

"Screw that. In the name of Luna, Incarna of the Moon, I invoke her blessing, and redeem her boon." It seemed a bit wasteful to use Luna's gift so soon on arriving in a new world after holding on to it for so long, but I was really starting to lose it being restrained like that.

From my wrist came a flash of silver light, and light started to move around the room, swirling into a multicolored pattern and forming into the semblance of a human child with green skin and pink hair. She wore a red and white dress, patent leather buckle shoes, and had pink antennae poking out of her hair. Her eyes glowed with soft bluish silver light. I felt the blood drain from my face at the sight of her.

-'Spect appears-

"'Spect? What the? Luna's gift was you!?" Incoherence my old friend, how've you been?

"Yep yep yep! Miss Luna said I was supposed to help you when you called, Aren't you happy to see me?" the childlike spirit said, bouncing with every other word like a manic pixie.

Now the guys in the room seemed disturbed. The armored one put his hand his hand on his gun, the old guy was fingering a knife handle, and the elf had a brow raised as though mildly surprised. Still at this point none of them were as dangerous as what I'd summoned.

"The last time I saw you, you were trying to crush me with a giant hammer!" I accused.

"Only because I ran out of marshmallows for the mallow cannon. And besides, you were trying to break into Miss Luna's facility without authorization," she replied innocently.

"I had authorization. I showed it to you. Twice. You said it looked good." In my defense, 'Spect scares the crap out of me, so three armed men in the room had become an afterthought.

"Looked good isn't the same as being good. Besides I said I was sorry. And Miss Luna said we're friends now, so shouldn't you let that little mistake go?" 'Spect said while trying to look like an angelic green cherub.

“Argh, whatever, just get me out of these restraints,” I demanded.

‘Spect reached behind herself and pulled out a running chainsaw.

“Not with that!” I cried in alarm.

She put the chainsaw back from wherever she got it from. “Want me to try some C-4?”

“No!” I shot a pleading look at the soldier. “I’ve changed my mind. Just shoot me, please.”

“I wouldn’t recommend that,” ‘Spect said as she reached behind herself again. “Miss Luna said if anyone tries to hurt you I’m supposed to eliminate them with extreme prejudice.” She pulled out a hammer more massive than her own childlike form. Along the side of the hammer's head the words ‘Extreme Prejudice’ were written in multicolored crayon.

The guy in the armor pulled out his gun and seemed to be trying to decide whether to point it at 'Spect or me.

I had to say something before somebody got squashed or shot. “Shining Lunar Aspect! Put that away right now. Look, just go find Luna and tell her what’s going on. She’ll get me out of this.”

‘Spect and her hammer vanished with a popping sound and I looked at my captors with a small sigh of relief. “That should keep her busy for a while since Luna’s in a different universe."

The three men look at each other, a small hint of worry evident. The younger man said, with trepidation, "You don't suppose..."

The older man answered with confidence, "Don't worry. The Princess is a grade A badass. She can take care of herself." A look of worry returned as soon as he faced away from the younger man.

"I suppose I'm stuck till she gets back, so... introductions? I'm Eleanor. Eleanor Asher, of Earth. Please don't kill me." Oh yes, this situation is going ever so well, now I'm begging for my life.

"We're not going to kill you. We're a bit more concerned about it being the other way around. From your little joke earlier, I gather you know what you look like," the old guy said.

"I know what Alchemical Exalted tend to look like, and I can see enough even with the blanket to tell I look like some kind of cyborg. I'm guessing I was still changing when I was brought here, which must have looked really bad. Look, I'm sorry, I just got betrayed by people I trusted, and had this done to me, and I let my mouth run away with me," I said sheepishly.

"It's ok ma'am, I've been known to let my mouth do the same. Now, you were wanting introductions. My name's Alex Roberts. I'm also known as one of Luna's Paladins of Redemption," Replied Alex. I was a bit confused. The Luna I knew had little interest in redemption. Maybe this world had a Luna too?

"I'm Matt," the soldier said gruffly as he holstered his gun.

"And I am Trace Reinhart. And perhaps we should start our questions with some more details about how you came by such... modifications?" the elf asked.

I let out a sigh. "Long story. Short version is, I started a damn war, then when time came for me to leave, my own side decided to stab me in the back and use me as a guinea pig. Lucky for me the thing worked. You'd have liked me a lot less if I turned into one of the biomech monstrosities that are the usual result of the process." I shuddered, remembering the one failed Alchemical I saw. I'd pray for a bullet if that were me.

“Thinking of my arrival here, there was someone, a woman dressed in blue with bright blue hair. I asked her for help. Is she ok? I wouldn’t want her to be in trouble because of me,” I said after a flash of memory.

“A woman?" Matt said looking puzzled for a moment. "Oh, yeah she’s just sleeping in the waiting room.”

“That’s good, I suppose. I just...” Why was I concerned about her? I mean I just saw a glimpse of her when I arrived, but she was somehow stuck in my mind.

Just then my train of thought derailed as the door opened, and in flew the most colorful thing I'd seen so far. And I realized what had been ticking at the back of my mind about the room, that even for a hospital room, it was too clean and bright. And now I knew why. This universe was one that echoed an animated program back home. I'd been in a few animated universes, and I recognized the look. Thankfully the new arrival at least reassured me this one wasn't one of the freaky ones with the tentacle monsters. Meanwhile I'd zoned out and my mouth took over again...

"Rainbow Dash!" I squeed.

"Are you bucking kidding me?" The rainbow maned pegasus asked, giving an annoyed look at Alex. "Has every human from your world watched that stupid creepy show?"

"Rainbow Dash," I repeated in a darker tone as a realization hit me. "Rainbow. Dash. Rain. Bow. Dash."

"Uh, is there something wrong with her? She's starting to creep me out," the pegasus said, backing away from me.

"Here I am, chained to a bed with three creeps interrogating me, and I'm thinking we're waiting for the chief torturer to come, or some doctor to vivisect me, and I've been in Equestria this whole damn time??" I snarled.

Author's Note

I'd like to thank Techogre both for his wonderful story and the encouragement to make my own story. And the wonderful friends I've met in the memverse group who've helped with editing, suggestions, and encouragement. (and delightful helpings of random insanity. :) )
Tosety, Discord's Advocate, KMCA, Genosaber, and Warpd: Thank you so much for all the help you've been!

Alex Roberts is from The Memoirs of a Reality Jumper by Techogre
Matthew Brennan is from Jumper by KMCA
And Trace Reinhart is from The Mage's Jump by Genosaber
All used with permission. Their stories are great reads and I highly recommend them!

Chapter 2: Departures

"You mean you guys didn't tell her where she was?" asked Rainbow Dash, sounding both amazed and a little exasperated.

"To be fair, she hasn't really given us a chance to," Trace pointed out.

I felt a bit sheepish. I was going a bit fast there. Still you'd think they could have told me. "Sorry about that, please refer back to prior comments about my mouth running away with me. I don't like being restrained. I'm trying very hard to be understanding about it since it's obvious you see me as a possible danger," I explained carefully.

And not without reason

What the hell was that? A voice in my head? So now I'm going crazy too? With that surprise it was a few seconds before I realized someone was talking to me.

I rewound my memory a bit. Alex had been thanking me for being so understanding. The sarcasm in his tone was almost light enough to miss.

I was about to unleash snark cannons when something else came into the room. My eyes were tingling like my throat had been earlier, and I heard a gasp from Matt. Part of me noted that the lighting in the room had developed a bluish tinge, and I figured out it had to be coming from my eyes, which explained Matt's reaction. The rest of me focused on the new pony who entered the room.

The first thing I thought when I saw it was it looked like a ponified Xenomorph from the Aliens movies. I could see an overlay that looked like a fairly ordinary unicorn pony, but under that...

Despite what my memory stubbornly insists on telling me, I did not shriek like a B movie scream queen. It didn't happen. I don't care if everyone else remembers the screaming too, and my trying to go back through the wall behind the bed was a strategic maneuver to gain leverage.

The xenopony came all the way into the room, and I saw my bag and a few other items floating into the room with him held in a greenish glow similar to the glow from his horn. Another glow illuminated the door handle, and the door closed behind him. If my sight wasn't deceiving me, he seemed nearly as freaked out as I was.

"Wha-what in the nine hells is that?" I said in voice more high pitched than I'd have liked.

"What do you mean he's just a uni- oh crap, she can see through the illusion," Trace said, confirming for me that the layered image was the result of some kind of illusion.

"Doctor Emerald is a changeling and our dear friend. And I'd appreciate it if that didn't leave this room," Alex said, looking a bit perturbed at my reaction.

A changeling. That explained everything. Oh dear, I'd probably upset him, being able to see through their disguise does that, not to mention my poor reaction. I immediately relaxed and tried to speak in as refined a manner as I could. Changelings liked good manners, at least the ones I knew did.

"My deepest apologies for my outburst good sir. I was unaware the Gentry hunted these lands. I hope that I may offer amends with my oath.

“I swear upon my name and my title as Esquire of the Autumn Court, I shall keep thy confidence safe, and may I be stricken down by the wyrd if I fail in this, " I said after wracking my brain for the proper terms. It occurred to me that he may not be a changeling as I knew the term, but it seemed to fit what I could see. He seemed to calm down a little when I was done.

"Yes. Well, I'd like to examine you if you don't mind. It should be brief given how little I can do while you're chained like that, but I will want to perform a full examination when circumstances permit," said Doctor Emerald though he seemed a bit confused by my oath. I tried to figure out why he sounded so familiar but I couldn't place it.

"Certainly, doctor," I said cautiously.

He set down my bag near Alex and came closer. I made it as easy as I could manage for him to poke and prod where he needed.

"Very well, you seem alert and aware, your vitals are strong, and while I can't say I understand what is going on with your magic or the strange implants in your body, you seem well enough. However I don't have a baseline for a human female to compare your results to," Doctor Emerald said, stepping away from the bed.

"Can we move on with getting some answers? You mentioned starting a war, that the kinda thing you do often?" Matt asked impatiently.

It seemed that this was the day my mouth stopped running things by my brain because I answered, "Only every other week or so. Keeps me from getting bored."

Trace held a hand to his face and spoke in an irritated tone. "Ms. Asher, could you please knock off the games and just answer the question. All we want to do is help and all you're doing is making this process longer, and I thought you wanted out of the chains."

"Fine! I didn't want to start anything, but it was the only way I could see to survive. I knew things the people in power wanted kept quiet, and given that they were literal monsters in most cases, it was a matter of giving the information I had to people who could do something with it. The war just followed as a consequence. I didn't want it, I didn't want any of this. I just wanted to get through college and have a relatively normal life." I noticed I'd started crying during my rant but I was past caring. I'd been pushed to my breaking point a long time ago.

A quick glance showed uncomfortable expressions on every face in the room.

"Guys, different realities have different rules. You all know that. Where she was, those were the rules. If we forget that, we're all criminals and murderers by the local standards," commented Alex. Trace winced at Alex's words.

"I get it. I really do. I look like a sci-fi monster, here to crush all emotion and enslave everyone to the robot overlords. I read the books, watched the movies. The cyborg is the bad guy. You want to protect the ponies from me. But I can't stay chained to a bed forever," I said as I tried to calm down.

"No, but if I have to, having you chained down makes it faster and less painful to put you down... at least for you. I on the other hand will have to live with it," Matt growled.

"That's enough Matt," Alex said gently.

Whatever response I might have given was interrupted by 'Spect and a pony I recognized as Princess Luna teleporting into the room. There were two things about Luna I noticed immediately. First; she was much taller in person than I expected, though some of that may have been my perspective. Second; she had an aura that was at once similar to the Luna I knew, and yet ineffably different. And I wasn't feeling crushed or compelled as I had in prior encounters with such a presence. It wasn't that her presence was any less, but somehow I was insulated against it. Probably a benefit of my transformation, makes sense given I've got part of a god welded to my soul. Nice to have some benefits from being changed like this.

The reaction of the others was equally interesting. Doctor Emerald was nervous, ears flicking back on his illusion, before flicking forward again as he looked downward. Alex had gone rigid and dropped to his knees. Matt gave a terrified squeak before diving through the closed window. I winced. Well at least he had armor on most of his body, but as one who has experienced defenestration, I know broken glass can get everywhere. I gave his exit a 7.5, taking off points for his armor catching on the frame on the way out. Trace and Rainbow Dash seemed least affected, but Rainbow had taken a protective stance near Alex, giving him looks of concern. I may not know that much about pony body language, but I suspected I owed my old roommate five bucks. When I'd watched the cartoon I'd thought she was secretly gay, but it appeared she liked guys, or at least a certain human guy.

Huh, no accounting for taste.

After a moment Trace sighed and grabbed his hat off the chair behind him, "If you'll excuse me, I'll go make sure Matt doesn't hurt himself." He made quick bow to Luna and calmly walked out the door. I saw him a second later bolting by the window. Disturbingly for me, I wasn't facing the window when I saw him.

Rather than explore that new oddity, I looked at Luna, trying to avoid eye contact. "Hello your majesty. Please forgive me for not bowing, curtseying or whatever the protocol is. I seem to be a bit," chained to a goddamn bed, "immobile at the moment." Thank Cupyri for making me learn something of proper manners while I served in the Autumn Court. I at least had some idea of how to address royalty. Though I probably should have waited for her to speak first. And been a bit less of a smartass. At least unlike Queen Calyx she's not insane. I hoped.

"Indeed we would not expect thee to do so given thy current state. We've come at the urging of thy... slave to see thee for ourselves." The distaste she used for the word slave was like a neon sign. This was a test. At least I hoped so. If she had jumped to conclusions already, I was in deep trouble.

I chose my words carefully, "I don't own slaves. I had no part of her being bound to me as such, and were it within my power to release 'Spect from that, I most certainly would," I said, perhaps a bit more harshly than was wise. Slavery is a sore spot for me, I had been under the lash before on a couple of worlds. And being tested by divine beings really gets old too. I was being honest though. I would never want 'Spect to be my slave. If I had my way I'd ship her back to the other Luna, by express mail.

"Well said. And if thou cannot release the moonbeam spirit from her bond, we most certainly can." She bent her head down and whispered something to 'Spect.

"Can I stay with Eleanor, Miss Luna?" 'Spect asked pleadingly.

"What?! No!," was my immediate response.

"Buh-but don't you like me Eleanor? I thought we were fuh-friends?" tears started to come from 'Spect's wide glowing eyes as she gave me a sorrowful look. Complete with quivering lip. Damn her, she knows how to get to me.

I looked to Luna for help, but she just glared back at me. I looked back to 'Spect. She terrified the life out of me on more than one occasion, but she has the most pathetic puppy dog look.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but, fine. You can stay with me. Assuming I get to stay somewhere other than this bed." I told the weeping godling.

"Yay!" 'Spect shouted as she jumped onto the bed and vanished back into the moonsilver mark on my wrist that evidently held her sanctum.

"Somepony want to tell me what the hay that was?" Rainbow Dash asked.

I looked at Luna. She was... chuckling. And I had a sneaking suspicion that I'd been set up. I looked back to Rainbow Dash.

"She's a spirit, a minor god from the world I was on last," I explained.

"And as 'Spect has offered to stand surety for thee, we shall hold thee responsible for her good behaviour. However, we have taken the precaution of relieving her of her 'toys'. She is also enjoined against using her powers without thy permission. And for as long as she remains as she is, she will heed thy instructions. Thou art permitted thy freedom Eleanor Asher, and we welcome thee to Equestria." Luna's horn lit up with blue light as the chains were removed from the bed, and the restraints undone.

I sat up and rubbed my wrists. It felt good to be out of restraints. "Thank you, your highness."

"Call me Luna, Eleanor Asher. If my sister can set aside ceremony so frequently, I could hardly do less," Luna said, giving me a smile.

I noticed she'd dropped the royal we, and the archaic speech. Which meant she was talking that way before... Because I'd started out being formal and a smartass. And she played along with it... Well played Luna, well played.

"Thank you, Eleanor. Incidentally, what manner of god were you thinking would damn a hospital bed?" she asked with a wink.

Great, she can read minds. I hoped it was just thoughts directed to her, and not general mind reading. Then again, if I'd had a powerful stranger dropped into my world I'd probably want to make sure they weren't planning on wreaking havoc. Princess Luna's nod confirmed my reasoning.

"If the Bible was any indication Yahweh has damned stranger things," I told Luna.

"As pleasant as this is, I have things I must return to. Please remind 'Spect about the letter she needs to write to my sister." I raised an eyebrow but she declined to elaborate. "And if you wouldn't mind a suggestion, perhaps you should return with my Paladin to Ponyville. Having other humans around may help you to adapt to life in this world as you see how they've adapted." She turned to leave, then stopped. "Oh, and be forgiving of Alex. He has seen more cruelty than even you might imagine, and yet he still has a kind, forgiving heart."

There was a flash of moonlight and Luna was gone. Alex had a grim expression on his face.

Taking a guess that it was about Luna reading my mind I said, "Beats being questioned by soldiers in some dark room. I probably would have done the same."

Alex nodded and relaxed a little. I noticed that he managed to put himself between me and my bag the moment Luna left, and he was trying to casually shove it back to the corner of the room.

"If you're worried about weapons, there shouldn't be any in there, but I'll be happy to identify anything odd in there so you can be sure." I was feeling a lot better now that I was unchained. I was still sitting on the bed, no sense alarming anyone. I even held my tongue and didn't demand they kneel before their new robot overlord.

"Time enough for that later ma'am, " Alex said.

"Alright, but I want to get a look at myself. I need to see what Autochthon did to me, " I told him.

I moved my legs over the side of the bed. It felt so weird, they were these plainly mechanical things, but they felt like my old flesh and blood legs. I did feel more solid than before, confirmed by the clunking sound when I set my feet on the floor.

Alex turned his back on me while he rubbed the back of his neck. If I didn't know better, it looked like he was blushing. "Dash, could you give her a hoof? I'm not sure it would be totally appropriate for me."

"No worries, I get it. That human nudity thing, right?" Dash looked up at me, with a friendly smile. "Is there anything I can do for you, Eleanor?” She glanced at Alex, “Anything we can do?"

"I should be alright. Whatever I look like, this still feels like my natural body. Which is a level of weird I'm trying not to think about too hard," I replied.

Wrapping the bedsheet around myself, I walked to what looked like the door to a bathroom. Once inside I took off the sheet. I noticed Rainbow Dash looking but Alex was still facing away from me, thankfully. I faced the mirror and got a good look at myself.

To start with my skin was a bit paler than it used to be, but also clearer. Every blemish was cleared away by my transformation though I still had my freckles. Softly glowing blue lines started from the sapphire gem embedded in my forehead. My hair was mostly unchanged, still medium length dirty blonde hair in a messy ponytail. My eyes were clearly artificial with their soft blue glow, but at least I didn't seem to need my contacts anymore, as a quick check showed they were gone. Going down from there my body was more dramatically modified though I was still my somewhat chubby, petite self. My right arm had the blue tracery of the embedded wiring. My other limbs were fully mechanical in appearance with a deep blue glow coming from various points. The same went for my torso from the neck down, white metal with starmetal highlights and small blue lights covered me. Most disturbing were the gaps where I could see inside my new body. To say it was highly unnerving is an understatement.

-El gets a look at herself-

I bit my lip a bit as I continued looking over myself. It wasn't as bad as I'd feared but I was still severely changed. Even if I had the charm that would let me hide this and look normal again, this would be my true shape from now on. I felt myself getting ready to cry again and told myself to stop it.

Once I recovered my composure, I covered myself and stepped back into the main room. Doctor Emerald and Rainbow Dash had left, and given the look Alex was giving me, I figured he must have asked them to step outside so he could say something in private.

"Ma'am, I've got a feeling you've been jumping between worlds for a while," He started.

"About twenty seven years give or take. I couldn't always keep track."

He nodded, "I've been jumping a little over twice as long. And I've been here longer than Matt or Trace. So I'd like to give you some advice."

"Shouldn't I have to climb a mountain or something for that, O ancient and wise one?"

He chuckled a little. "At least what you've been through hasn't cost you your sense of humor. However, I'm being serious here. These are things that'll save you a lot of trouble. Would have saved me some trouble had I known.

“First thing is that you should be careful about what you say around ponies. They aren't used to the kind of violence that we grew up seeing in movies and on TV everyday. Or what you may have witnessed since you started jumping. The second thing is forget whatever you may remember from the show. This is a real world, and it's not the same. Names and such are usually right, but the rest is broad strokes at best and inaccurate to the point of being insulting at worst."

His face lost the smile and became very cold and scary. "Third thing is that you don't hurt anypony. I'll admit I don't know what you are, or what you can do, but if I find out that you've hurt somepony, I will not let it stand. Neither will Trace or Matt. Do we have an understanding?"

Part of my mind bristled at that, and I wanted to ask how dare he presume to threaten me. Fortunately the rest of my mind told me to shut up. "I think we do. I'd never want to hurt anyone anyhow. I didn't always have a choice in the matter, but I try not to get in those situations."

Alex nodded and gave me a hopeful, kindly smile. "So long as we understand each other."

The door opened and a new pony came in. It took a second to realize why she looked familiar; this was the woman I'd remembered from my arrival. Only now I realized my addled mind must have made me think she was human. Her coat was dark blue, her mane was a bright blue, and her eyes were the most vivid electric blue I'd ever seen. On her flank was a white lightning bolt. I realized I was staring and shook my head to clear it. Now I saw more clearly, she looked sorely in need of a brush, her mane was mess and her beautiful eyes were bloodshot. She also smelled of booze, and had grains of salt around her muzzle. I suppose if an alien dropped into my home, I'd need a drink too. Though I'd go for a shot of rum rather than a margarita.

"So you are awake," she said nervously. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you." Not that I think I wouldn't have been fine, but she helped me as best she could.

I crouched down so she wouldn't have to look up at me. I noticed Alex had taken my bag out of the room.

"My name is Eleanor Asher. Pleased to meet you. Sorry about landing in your home," I said, holding out a hand.

She put a hoof in my hand, and it took a moment before I remembered we were supposed to be shaking hands.

"I'm Blitzen, and it's ok. Hated the rug anyway," she said looking no less nervous.

Why are we both so nervous? I feel like I did in high school with Beth. Heart racing, palms sweaty, mouth dry. This makes no sense. She's a pony and we don't even know each other, must just be nerves from everything that's happened. That has to be it.

My mind comforted by a rational explanation for my nerves, I tried to think of why she was nervous. The only reason I could come up with was a rather uncomfortable one. She was afraid of me. I was more alien than even the other humans. That made a painful kind of sense. I looked down at the ground so she wouldn't see my expression.

"It looks like I'll be going to Ponyville. Heh. I don't even know where I am now," I said after a moment.

"Fillydelphia," she said, her voice sounding like she was looking down at the floor too.

"Ah... So I guess I won't be seeing you again. At least for a while." I couldn't imagine why I felt like I was losing something important by leaving her behind.

"Actually, I was going to Ponyville. Um, I was wondering if you'd like to stay with me while you're there? I'd like us to be friends," she offered.

"That sounds great. I hadn't even thought about where I was going to stay. And I'd like us to be friends too. You're my first friend here." Given that the people and ponies I'd met so far have mostly been suspicious of me, it felt good to have an open offer of friendship. Even if she was scared of me.

I stood up. "I suppose I shouldn't keep everybody waiting. Time to check out and get the bill for this." Not that I had any way to pay for the hospital stay yet. I hoped they'd let me work it off or do a credit deal or something.

Blitzen nodded and relaxed, walking with me to the door. As she stepped in front of me I noticed two ridges on her back, behind her shoulders. Maybe some kind of congenital deformity? It was odd to think ponies might have such things, but as Alex said this was a real world even if it looked like a cartoon from Earth.

Anyhow, it was time to see more of this world outside a hospital room. I stepped beside Blitzen and opened the door, and Alex was in the hall with Rainbow Dash. Alex had my messenger bag slung over his shoulder. Rainbow shuddered a little as we came out of the room. Guess she's spooked by me too. I'll have to get used to that, I suppose. As long as ponies aren't running away at the sight of me I should be fine.

"Doctor Emerald is getting you signed out to his care. You should probably plan on getting regular checkups for a while. If you're feeling up to it, I'd like to catch the train today so we can be in Ponyville by this afternoon. After we find Trace and Matt, of course, " Alex told me.

"As long as I get out of here, I'm good. I'm not a fan of hospitals," I said as we walked toward the big door at the end of the hall.

Fortunately, we didn't have to hunt down Matt and Trace as they were waiting with Dr Emerald in the waiting area near the exit of the hospital. I could tell this would be fun, being the shortest in this group. Alex had about six inches on me, Matt was an inch or two taller, and Trace was a good foot taller than me. Still, with the ponies around, my height difference probably wouldn't be much of an issue.

When he saw me, Trace took off his long coat and held it out to me. "Here Miss Asher, this will serve better than a bedsheet. Besides, I'm sure the hospital would like their sheet back."

I gave him a grateful look and put on the coat, pulling the sheet out from under it. "Thank you. I'd have asked for my spare clothes from my bag, but they wouldn't fit any more."

"So we're letting the Borg girl walk around now? Guess Her Lunar Majesty said she was ok?" Matt asked.

"She did," Alex said simply.

"That is the second time you've referred to Miss Asher as 'Borg', I'm not familiar with the term. Is it something from your world? Does it explain why your initial reaction was to want to kill her?" Trace asked Matt.

"I confess to being curious about that myself. So far I haven't seen anything about Miss Eleanor that merits such an extreme reaction," Dr. Emerald added.

"Mind if I field this one? Being as I'm the borg in question?" I asked since I figured it was best to get this out of the way before everybody was calling me Borg Girl. Seeing no objection I continued to my explanation.

"Given that Matt and Alex likely come from the same world as I did, or one very close, they probably grew up with the same stories. When our technology reached a certain point we began thinking up scenarios where it turned against us," I started.

"One of the versions of this fear sprang from the idea that we might start replacing parts of ourselves with machines that operated more efficiently or otherwise in a fashion superior to the original parts. From there the idea was that having that kind of enhancement might make one less human, as their personality becomes more machine-like as more of the body was replaced. Or that some machine intelligence might take control of humans by making such modifications to them. A popular show had a race called the Borg, they'd replaced most of their bodies and their minds were a mechanized hive mind. And they took people of other races and converted them into more Borg," I continued.

"I don't look quite like they did, but I'm close enough that I see the concern," I added.

"As it is I know that I'll become less human as time goes by. Maybe four or five hundred years down the line. I'll be all efficient and logical. And I have to make sure when the time comes my goals are things that work with that mindset and won't harm anybody... anypony if I'm here that long, " I concluded, trying to keep my composure, and failing at the end.

After that we shared a somewhat somber walk through Fillydelphia to the train station. The city looked nice enough, though ponies seemed to vanish as we came down the street. The sunny sky was a contrast to my mood. I would have preferred a leaden overcast sky or even some rain. Nothing vanishes quite so well as tears in the rain.

Soon enough we were at the train station, the first stop on my way to Ponyville...

Chapter 3: Journeys

As we boarded the train, Matt turned to me and said "By the way, the jury is still out on the subject of putting you down... Nothing personal but if it has to be done, I’ll be the one to live with it."

Alex quickly stood between us, placing his hand on Matt's chest. "We need to relax. She's just as hurt and lost as any of us-"

Matt shoved him into an empty seat. Dash was right there to catch the stumbling Alex, wings flared and an angry scowl directed at Matt, "Watch it! You almost hurt him."

Alex waved her away and spoke calmly, "Matt, calm yourself. You're better than this. Anyway, we both know it was just some stupid show. She's not one-"

Matt snarled, a slight tone of fear in his voice, "You don’t get it do you? You of all people should know there is a very real chance she’s practically a Borg. Who has to deal with that, huh? We both know you can barely stand the guilt of killing in combat. That leaves me to manage the risks, you’ll act too late and worse comes to worse I can take the both of us out."

I'd had enough of this crap. I stepped in front of him and glared up at him.

"Alright, let me explain why that's a very bad idea," I growled. "I'm not a Borg, no matter how I look. These parts aren't true technology.”

Matt muttered, "I’m pretty sure any engineer would beg to disagree."

Alex, still keeping that friendly little smile on me, whispered back to Matt, "Shut up, kid."

I kept my eyes on Matt, "Autochthon, the god of invention and machines, made me this way. What I am is an Alchemical Exalted. I've had a piece of Autochthon's divine soul grafted to my own." I held up my mechanical left hand. "This is my hand, changed into an expression of that soul. If you killed me, the divine soul shard in me would seek a new champion. Given the selection criteria, bets are, it'd be you. And these things have a high failure rate.”

"Failures get turned into monsters that run around trying to eat magic and anyone that uses it. They're hard to stop and harder to kill. And all that happens when you kill one is the Exaltation goes looking for another host to try again. So if you really want to start an endless cycle of death and misery, go right ahead. Shoot me and see what happens," I said, trying to keep up a brave front. Inwardly I was worried that he might take me up on that.

"Since I doubt there are many humans around for the Exaltation to use as potential hosts, how soon do you think it would be before it was trying to bond with a pony? It was designed for human hosts. It's entirely possible it would kill a pony, which means even more death and misery until it found a suitable host.” I shuddered at the thought, imagining that horror unleashed on innocent cartoon characters.

I calmed myself a bit before continuing, "and before you think it, you can't destroy an Exaltation. They've proven indestructible over thousands of years in a world filled with beings of all kinds that seem to have nothing better to do than find new ways to destroy things."

"I get that you don't trust me. I wouldn't trust me. But right now the burden of this is all mine. I just have to survive and try to become a better person than I have ever been before. Or hope this world is ready to welcome their new robot overlord," I finished, looking at my hands, one metal, one flesh, both changed.

"I watched what was happening, stuff like that. Honestly I almost put a bullet in you to end the torment," Matt replied.

Before I could comment, Dash called out from beside Alex, “Oh, I bet you would. Is that what you do? Think about ways of killing us all?”

Matt, glared at her, “Last time I didn’t plan on my allies turning on me it got someone I loved like a sister killed and almost got my leg blown off me. I don’t like the idea of killing anyone more than you like the idea of dying, but I can do it anytime, every time and without hesitation.”

Dash hovered up to him, nose to nose, “So? What about me? Any plans to take out the awesome Rainbow Dash?”

Matt shoved his nose into hers, “Only if I dealt with Alex first.”

Dash grinned, “Don't get your hopes up. I don't think you're his type.”

Matt opened his mouth and raised a finger to reply. In the end he settled for a smirk.

Alex’s very calm, kind smile never changed. I was fairly sure he had seen this before. Maybe… maybe they really are friends, and maybe they really want to help me. Maybe.

I took a deep breath and faced Matt, "Thank you for that. For being willing to do what might have been necessary. Really. I'm glad you didn't have to, but if I had become one of those monsters I mentioned, it would have been a mercy. I know you're worried about what I could do, but I don't even know what charms I have installed or how to use them. I'd just like to move on from the topic of what a threat I am. There's nothing I can do right now to prove I'm not dangerous," I told him.

Then he smiled at me, the sudden switch in demeanor left me a little concerned for his sanity. Did he just flip a switch in his mind to go from nice guy to someone willing to kill in cold blood?

Hypocrite. All concerned with another’s propensity for violence and mayhem with no thought of your own.

And again with the voice in my head. I was starting to get creeped out by it. Whatever it was seemed to have some kind of idea that I was a monster or something. I’d have to worry about it later when I had some time to myself.

"I for one would rather we stopped talking about killing my patient," Doctor Emerald interjected.

"I have to agree with Emerald. I believe now is as good a time as any to take a look at Miss Asher's bag," Trace commented before turning back to me. "If that is okay with you."

"Much as I'd like to get my stuff back, I'd rather find out more about you guys," I said as I turned toward Emerald. "Like you, Doctor Emerald, all I know is that you're a doctor... and the other business we're not talking about." Much as I wanted to ask about the Changeling thing, Blitzen wasn't in the room when I found out so she may not know. And I wasn't about to risk my oath. Fate or what they called 'The Wyrd' had a way of punishing those who broke an oath to a Changeling. And besides, oathbreaking is just a bad idea.

"Not that much to tell really, you've covered the basics and I left my curriculum vitae in Ponyville. As for the other topic, I will want to discuss that with you when you come in for your complete exam," Emerald said.

"Alright," I said as I looked up at Trace. "So what's your deal other than being tall and having a really comfortable coat?"

"I'm a half-elf, thirty four years old, and former Archmage of a group of magic users know as the Black Circle. I came here after Twilight accidentally got dragged into my world. I came back with her because I had fallen in love with her, I've been living here since the start of last winter. I could go into more detail about my life some other time if you'd like to know more, but I think that should do for now." Trace said, proving rather more forthcoming than I'd expected.

I looked over to Alex, but he'd already told me about himself, at least as much as I thought he'd be comfortable sharing at the moment. And I wasn't going to ask Matt anything. I was getting a bit annoyed with his attitude, and I didn't see the need to subject myself to more of it.

We sat down, and it looked like we had the car to ourselves. It was a fairly cozy looking train car, padded seats and all, even if they were a bit low for humans. Still it was a nice train and I was looking forward to a comfortable trip, other than the conversations.

"So how many other humans, elves, etcetera, are living in Ponyville?" I asked. I was expecting to hear that there was a small population, given that the town wasn't that large from what I remembered.

"Just the three of us, and you now," Alex said.

"So I rate a welcome from the entire human population on this world? Wow, if I'd known I was getting that kind of reception I'd have dressed up." I said surprised to hear that there were so few of us. I knew reality travelers were not common, but I'd have thought that there'd be more than just four of us in a world as pleasant in appearance as this one.

Alex sighed and held up my bag, "Moving on. Is there anything we should worry about with this bag Ma'am?"

"Only unusual thing about my bag is that the stuff in it doesn't show on scans for magic." I was hoping that being open about the bag's main secret might get me a little trust. It wasn't as if I had any weapons in there that they'd find.

Alex opened the bag. My spare clothes were at the top. Nothing fancy, just a sweater and shorts. I might be able to get the shorts over my new legs, but the sweater would get stuck on some of the new bits of my chest and arm. I always packed fairly loose clothing because sudden weight changes with world changes made tight clothing a bit risky. He set my clothes on the seat next to him.

Next came a compact, hairbrush, and a tube of lip gloss. I'm not a big fan of makeup, but sometimes you need a little extra something. But it'd take a lot of concealer to hide glowing wiring under my skin. Those went on top of the clothes.

Then he pulled out my tablet. Basic black slate, used to run android but now has some sort of limited AI. "That's my tablet, it's all I have left from Earth. Other than always coming back to me, and being darn near unbreakable, it's fairly standard for its kind. I suppose never needing to charge is also kinda weird, but it's still just a tablet."

I held out a hand for the tablet, but Alex just set it on the pile next to him. "Maybe later Ma'am."

I was getting heartily tired of being called 'Ma'am' when he pulled out the zippered pouch with my 'monthly supplies'. So I decided to be a smart aleck again, "Careful with that. Handle it wrong and it could go off with enough force to level a city block." Cue the shocked looks from everyone and everypony in the train car. "That was a joke, it's just garbage. You can throw it out, I won't be needing it anymore."

Trace spoke up, "hmm... I don't recall casting thunder." I looked and he was holding a ball of lightning in his hand. It dissipated a moment later and I decided to keep any other jokes to myself for now. I didn't know if I could take a lightning blast, but now was not the time to find out. I didn't think he'd hurt me, but he might have a taser setting for that spell and being tazed is no fun.

I spotted Blitzen with a panicked look on her face, and felt rotten about my little comment. I really did need to work on not mouthing off every time I get annoyed with something.

Glaring at me, Alex unzipped the pouch and looked inside. He gave me another look and then tossed it onto the pile without comment.

Then he pulled out something I hadn't expected. A ring of iridescent starmetal about a foot in diameter, with a ring of crystal set in the outer edge, and various etched circuits in the body. I gasped in wonder as I looked at it. "He actually made it... Autochthon used my design for an improved gyroscopic chakram. And it's made of Starmetal. I can't believe he did that... It was just an idle design I'd made."

"So what is it exactly, and what is Starmetal? I can see the same kind of metal on you and other than the odd reflections off it I'm not sure I see what's special about it," Alex said.

I decided to answer the second question first. "Starmetal is a magical metal for manipulating and working with fate. It's made from the bodies of dead gods. It's my primary magical material, and determines what kind of Alchemical Exalted I am. And the chakram is an artifact weapon that Alchemicals use. At least those who aren't into guns. And I'm not."

I waited while that sunk in. Evidently one of my visual enhancements allowed me to see in all directions, like having eyes in the back of my head... I really hoped that wasn't literal. So I had a good view of everyone and everypony.

Alex just raised an eyebrow. Matt snorted like he didn't believe me. Trace didn't even seem surprised, but if he was a mage he might have had some idea of what the metal was. Rainbow Dash looked horrified, and then she paused to think and looked even more horrified. Blitzen and Emerald seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"You mean gods like that 'Spect child? You're made out of them?" Rainbow Dash asked in a shocked tone.

I turned to face her. "Yes. And that has occurred to me. It's not something I had any choice in, though. At least it's not Soulsteel. And Incarna like Autochthon can make Starmetal from divine energy, so what I have may never have been sentient." Rainbow Dash didn't seem particularly comforted, but she looked less horrified.

I turned back to Alex, "because the chakram is made of Starmetal, I never have to worry about it hitting anyone I don't explicitly intend it to. Fate keeps it from hurting anything but its target. If it works like I planned, it'll be a sight to see. Unlike other designs, this doesn't use metal blades. Instead, it generates a ring of plasma energy as a cutting edge. The plasma also provides lift, propulsion, and control. Not as clumsy or random as a gun and better range than a beamklaive." I was getting a bit excited. I never thought I'd actually see the design made, much less have one of my own. As a human it would have been useless for me to have one. But now I could actually attune an artifact.

"So it's a weapon then," Alex asked pointedly.

"It can be. But you'd have to be an Exalted to use it, at least as something more than a blunt object or slightly heavy frisbee. I won't even be able to use it until I can attune to it. Ooh, it's going to need a name. Artifact weapons have to have names. I'll call it... Zippy. Zippy the wonder disc!" I said cheerfully.

Alex blinked at me, Matt unsuccessfully fought a grin and Trace facepalmed.

"Why?" Trace asked with a hint of resignation to his tone.

"One reason is, if I ever figure out how to use my powers, sooner or later some idiot will get the idea in their head to worship me. If that happens I want to make sure such worship will be as absurd as possible. The other reason, I like the idea of calling a weapon something silly," I explained.

"Well, we'll hold onto this for now Ma'am. Ponyville's a fairly peaceful place, you shouldn't need it." Alex told me. The others looked at him as though he'd told a bold faced lie.

Next came a simple metal box. It seemed to be sealed by some odd shaped screws, and there was a logo of a gear on the front. I shrugged, it didn't look familiar to me, then my glasses in their case. Alex held them toward me but I held up a hand to indicate I didn't need them. He pulled out my scrollcase, looked inside, closed it and set it down too.

The last thing to come from my bag was a golden ring with a comet and L logo on the front. "This looks familiar... Have you been to the DC universe? Maybe around the 30th century?" Alex asked as he looked at the ring.

"Yeah, ran into some bozo named Booster Gold, his robot Skeets said I wasn't from the 52, whatever that is. I told them my story and found out he knew something about time travel. Skeets thought maybe going to a different time might stop whatever keeps tossing me from universe to universe. So Booster got me in touch with some friends of his and I got a trip to the 30th century," I explained.

I sighed. "The annoying thing was I didn't get to meet any of the people I'd wanted to."

"Like who? Superman?" Alex asked.

"Got to meet him, and he’s really cool to meet in person, but I was hoping to find The Spectre. Or John Constantine," I said.

Alex looked at the ponies evidently making sure they were out of earshot and dropped his voice to a harsh whisper, “Ok, I hate to ask this, but... Do you have a death wish or something? Because I think we should find out now. From what I remember the Spectre was all about killing people in bizarre and gruesome ways. And John Constantine had a bad problem with getting everyone around him killed and just walking away from it."

“No, I don’t have a death wish. The Spectre was the literal Wrath of God last time I read one of his comics. If he could make contact with the Almighty, maybe I could be sent home. Or at least ask why this was happening to me. Besides, the Spectre only went after murderers, and I’ve never killed anyone.” I told him in a similarly harsh whisper.

Are you sure about that?

Screw you, voice in my head. Great, now I was talking back to the voice.

Putting the freaky voice out of my thoughts I continued. “And as for Constantine, if anyone was likely to know some hidden way back to my Earth, I figured it’d be him.”

"Sounds like an interesting pair," Trace muttered absently.

“So anyhow, I got sent to the 30th century. The Legion were great, Brainiac 5 did everything he could to try to find some way I could go home or at least stop getting thrown from world to world. Didn’t work out, but I got the nifty ring.” I decided not to mention my time in another, darker version of the DCU, where I'd picked up a more dangerous red ring.

While I was explaining this, Rainbow Dash tried to talk to Blitzen.

"Hey Blitzen, what made you decide to come back with us?" Rainbow Dash asked, evidently trying to be quiet about it, but I could hear her clearly.

"I've got my reasons," was Blitzen's reply.

"Yeah, but are you going to be ok going back to where... you know... 'That' happened?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I'll be fine. I've gotta do this sometime. Now's as good a time as any. Can't run away forever. Besides, Miss Eleanor Asher is going to Ponyville," replied Blitzen.

I was a bit stunned when I overheard that. This mare just met me and she was uprooting her life and following me to Ponyville. And from the sound of things she had reasons to not want to go there. Was she feeling the same weirdness I did whenever I thought about her? What was going on?

Part of what was going on was that I'd zoned out on Alex. He was holding the ring and it looked like he'd asked me something. "Sorry about that, my brain's trying to keep up with everything. You'd think I'd be used to this kinda thing by now."

"I was just asking if you were serious that this is one of their flight rings," Alex said.

"It is. Made of some funky supermetal that responds to thought and makes you able to fly by will alone. I try not to cringe whenever I think of how many laws of physics it violates." I explain.

Blitzen walked over to us and Rainbow Dash flew over to land near Alex. It looked like she wanted a closer look at the ring.

"So that little ring can make you fly? Just by thinking about it? Can I try it?" Rainbow Dash asked.

I looked at Alex and nodded. He handed the ring to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow looked at the ring and grunted, staggering. She dropped the ring and flew back up and away from it hovering at the top of the car.

"Sorry, but I think it's broken. It felt like I was suddenly carrying a big weight." She said, not coming down.

Alex picked it up and hovered a foot above his seat. "Seems to work fine, maybe some kind of interference with magic?"

"That could well be, perhaps it nullified Miss Dash's natural magic... That would explain the sudden feeling of weight," Emerald replied thoughtfully.

I saw a disappointed look on Blitzen's face. Concerned I put a hand on her shoulder. She stiffened for a second and then relaxed, leaning towards me a bit.

"Still, it can make Alex fly..." Rainbow Dash trailed off. "Do you mind if we borrow it for a while when we get back to Ponyville? I want to... show Alex some cloud stuff."

"Really, you can have it. I'm not going to need it here, and I haven't used it in years." And somehow, though I wasn't sure why, I knew that it wouldn't be right for me to use the ring. Maybe it was something to do with the look of disappointment I saw on Blitzen's face.

"Ok, now you've seen everything I've got." Well, other than the hidden compartment of the bag I wasn't telling them about. The one with the really dangerous stuff. I'd have to figure out what to do with that later.

I decided it would be safe enough for now. "Well if you don't mind putting my stuff back in my bag, you can hang onto the chakram and anything else you don't trust me with, but I'd like my things back."

Alex put my stuff back in the bag. He considered the odd box for a moment and then put it in the bag with the rest of my things.

"Thank you." I said as I took the bag.

"I'm going to try something so I can maybe wear my own clothes. Don't be alarmed if I start to glow or change shape. I should be able to banish my Exaltation to Elsewhere, so I can be human for a while. At least if I can figure out the trick to it." I told the group.

I closed my eyes and tried concentrating on various commands to try make things happen. Getting no result, I tried visualizing the robotic changes reversing themselves and the machine parts going away. Seeing my body shift and reshape, metal becoming flesh. Given the gasps I heard, it seemed to be working though I didn't really feel that different. And then I felt it, a sense of lessening. I was stepping back to a nearly mortal form, and I could feel the difference.

How could I have been crazy enough to try to provoke the guy who had a gun? I was so lucky that Matt hadn't decided to shoot me. And then there was Trace's magic and that knife Alex had. I suddenly realized I was very alone, and very vulnerable with three armed men in a train car. I think if it hadn't been for the ponies I might have lost myself to panic right then. Instead I took several deep breaths to calm myself as I felt Trace's coat settle over my changed frame.

"So... that worked." I pulled my shorts and sweater out of my bag. "Nobody peek." I went over to a corner behind a partion and set Trace's coat over one of the seat. Thankfully I was fully human again, no funky wires in my skin, no soul gem stuck into my forehead, and most importantly no mechanical bits to get caught on my clothes. The moonsilver rivets on my left wrist had changed back to the bracelet that Luna had given me. I slid on my sweater and shorts. Once I had those on, I pulled out my glasses and put them on. Apparently 20/20 vision was part of the upgrade package, so I'd need the glasses to see anything more than blurs if I were going to use my human form.

[Eleanor's human form]

I walked back to the middle of the train car, holding the coat out to Trace. "Thanks for the coat Mr. Reinhart," I said. "And I'm sorry for being such a smart aleck earlier. I really don't know why I was acting that way."

"It's alright, I'm sure you're dealing with a lot right now Miss Asher." Trace replied.

"Just a bit." I admitted.

"I must say, that is a remarkable transformation! Are you biologically human now? What happened to the implants you had?" Doctor Emerald asked excitedly.

"If it worked right, I am human now. Except for the no aging thing, faster healing, and I probably can't get sick unless a disease is really strong. My charms are Elsewhere, some kind of extradimensional storage." I replied.

"Fascinating. I will have to make sure to give you full examinations with and without your 'charms'." Emerald said.

Just then my stomach decided to remind me that I hadn't eaten in a day or so. Loudly. I was actually somewhat surprised I hadn't noticed how hungry I was sooner. “Sorry about that, I didn’t eat before I came to this world.”

"We're not that far from Ponyville, we'll get you something to eat when we get there," said Alex.

"Thank you. I hope I can find work soon so I can repay what I owe. I don't usually end racking up hospital bills right as I arrive somewhere." I said, feeling a bit guilty. Here I was without any idea of what to do to even make a living in this world, and I'm already indebted.

"Don't worry about the hospital, the Princess took care of that." Alex told me.

I felt sick. I don't know why I was even surprised anymore. Gods are the same in any world. And for some reason I seem to fit the profile of the perfect pawn for their games.

I gave Alex a sour look. "It just figures. I'm resistant to direct divine manipulation for a day and already a deity is trying to find some other lever to use on me. I don't know why I expected any different here."

"Now wait just a moment, Luna didn't do that to try and manipulate you." Alex started to say.

"And I should trust her Paladin on that?" I snarled. "Forget it. I'm done being some god's plaything. I'll find a way to repay what I owe and then I'll go find someplace out of the reach of gods, if I have to build it myself."

"No? How about you trust me when I say that while they do sometimes let their curiosity get the better of them they aren’t some stupid chess gaming gods... Well Celestia and I have a chess game going but you know what I mean." Matt didn’t seem like he was under their control... but he also seemed like the kind of person who would be an unwitting pawn.

I stomped to the rear of the car and flopped down on the bench. As I did I felt a sudden rush of energy. My body shimmered with light and I heard tearing fabric. My mechanical form had reasserted itself, destroying the only clothes I had. The bench creaked a bit with the sudden change in my weight. My vision went blurry till I took off my glasses. I pulled off the torn scraps of fabric and yarn that used to be my clothes. I'd have been upset about being naked, but I was too annoyed with the situation. Also, there really wasn't anything showing in this form.

I felt a light smack on the back of my head. I looked and saw Trace standing just behind me.

"Do not assume the Princesses are the same as every other deity you've come across, they are actually very similar to their mortal subjects. Luna did this out of generosity, not so she could gain your debt," he said.

"Look, Mr. Reinhart. I've been chained up, interrogated, and threatened. I've just wrecked the only clothes I have. My mood is kinda shot right now. I'm trying not to snap at you here." I said bluntly. I left out the weird voice in my head. Didn't need anyone thinking that I'm crazy. At least not more than they already thought so.

"The Luna I knew in the other world, she was a real piece of work. I arranged the rescue of her siblings. I helped heal her. And she kept me like a damned pet for months till she got bored with me." I said, my voice descending to a growl. "And that was nice compared to what I've dealt with from other gods. So I have some trust issues where divinity is concerned, OK?"

Trace shook his head, "you've dealt with an entirely different Luna," he said gently before going back to his seat.

I focused my attention on the world outside the window. I entertained a brief fantasy of kicking out the window and just running away from all of this. But I couldn't run forever and my situation would hardly be helped by running. No matter how pleasant the idea was, to just run away and keep running.

Maybe the Luna here was on the level, but I didn't want to risk that. I was so tired of being manipulated by gods. Princess Luna seemed nice enough. I really hoped she was as nice as she seemed. But I wasn't going to bank on it.

At this point there wasn't much I could do about it though. If she wanted me controlled, I wasn't yet in a position to stand on my own. So I abandoned that train of thought for now and let my wander.

Annoyingly my mind kept wandering to Blitzen. I barely knew her, but I found myself wishing she were closer. There was something comforting about having her near me. But she was on the other end of the train car, looking as miserable as I felt.

I kept trying to puzzle out why I was feeling this way. Why it bothered me so much to see her looking unhappy. However, my questioning was interrupted by the train slowing as it pulled into the station. I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn't noticed that we had arrived at Ponyville.

Looking out the window I saw a small crowd of ponies at the station. I sank down on the bench so they wouldn't see me. I wasn't feeling up to being the center of attention.

I watched Trace leave the train first. As he stepped off the train, I heard a female voice greeting him. I couldn't be sure, but she sounded familiar and given what he said earlier I suspected it was Twilight Sparkle.

"Trace! I think I've found something that explains the gender disparity among the jumpers. I've developed a theory that whatever force is behind these world jumps is somehow unable to affect females. I brought my notes with me if you want to have a look," Twilight said excitedly.

"There's a slight problem with that theory," Trace started to say before I hopped up to go to the ramp leading off the train.

"Just a small one, but a problem nonetheless." I said as I stepped over to where the lavender mare could see me.

Twilight looked like I remembered from the show, other than not being a flat cartoon image. She was holding a small stack of papers in her magical field. As soon as I spoke her right eye started twitching.

A moment later she threw the papers into the air. "Argh! So much for that theory," she growled as the papers fluttered to the ground.

Just then I heard a strange sound like some kind of electronic buzzing hum. Suddenly a brown coated stallion with an hourglass cutie-mark jumped in front of me. He was holding some odd shaped instrument with a blue light at the tip. Whatever it was it seemed to be the source of the noise.

"Run everypony! I'll hold it off!" He shouted. Great, I'm not in town a whole minute before someone thinks I'm here to cause trouble. He seemed oddly familiar, but I couldn't place the resemblance. Maybe the messy hairstyle reminded me of someone.

Everyone seemed to be waiting to see what was going to happen. I just gave the stallion my best 'are you kidding me?' look. The stallion looked at the device he was holding, and then up at me.

"You're not, are you?" He asked after a moment.

Needless to say I was confused. "Not what?" I asked.

"Nevermind. Mistook you for something else. Sorry about that. Must go. Allons-y!" He said as he ran off.

I stood there, looking dumbfounded as I tried to figure out what the heck that was all about.

Twilight cleared her throat. "So... Welcome to Ponyville!" She said with a somewhat strained grin.

Chapter 4: Settling in

I gestured to where the crazy stallion had confronted me. "Is that going to keep happening? I just have this mental image of being challenged over and over. With each challenger being crazier than the last."

Twilight thought for a moment. "Usually there's just one really insane incident per new arrival and then you just deal with the average level of wacky in this town."

“Um, Twilight,” Trace said, looking past the lavender mare. “Where’s Fei? I’d have thought she would have come with you.”

Twilight blinked before looking around her. “She did,” she said, looking back at Trace. “I could have sworn she was right beside me.” Before anyone could respond, an excited, high pitched voice cut them off.

“Hey dad!” Trace turned just in time to be tackled by a little girl with pinkish red hair and a pair of fox ears sticking out of the top of her head. “Welcome back,” her ears twitched slightly as she tightened her grip around him. Trace was smiling as he wrapped his arms around the child.

“Happy to see you too Fei,” he replied. There was a sound of hoofsteps and his attention was drawn to an ice blue pegasus mare casually trotting over to us. “Hey Frost.”

“Greetings, my Lord,” she replied, giving him a quick bow before turning to me, “I see your mission was successful.”

I raised an eyebrow and looked up at Trace. "So now there was a whole mission just for me?" I said, smirking. "Were there codenames and everything?"

"Nothing quite so formal. Luna told us of your arrival and she assumed you might be more comfortable if you knew you weren't the only human here," Trace explained with only a hint of exasperation.

He seemed to be getting used to me. At least somebody was. Every time I saw myself like this I wondered if I could ever get used to how my body has changed.

Frost walked around me, looking me over. "A creature of order. How interesting, " She seemed pleased with this. I’d never thought of myself as being particularly orderly, but having Autochthon’s essence merged with mine probably qualified me as a creature of order. Beat the heck out of being one of those formless things that lurked in the chaos of the Wyld.

Just then 'Spect popped out, "if you think she's a creature of order, you've never seen how she keeps her room."

Frost gave 'Spect a look that could only be described as a cold stare. Alright, I could have used other terms but that one just seemed apt. ‘Spect just grinned and stuck her tongue out at the Pegasus.

"I need to get back to thinking... Call me if you find marshmallows!" 'Spect said before vanishing back to her sanctum.

Blitzen tapped my hand with her nose. "Speaking of rooms, I'm going to go make arrangements for us. I'll come find you later," she said as she turned and walked away. I needed to talk to her but it looked like she was in a hurry to go. I figured we’d talk later when we had more time and less of a crowd around us.

Whatever power was giving me the ability to see everything around me had apparently not reactivated when I changed back, so I heard rather than saw Alex and Matt disembarking behind me. I was fine with having just normal vision for now. Being able to see in every direction at once is more disorienting than helpful.

"You mentioned being hungry earlier? Is that still the case with you..." Alex started to ask as he walked around me.

"All robot-y? I don't feel it as strongly, but I still feel hungry. And before anyone makes the suggestion of nuts and bolts with motor oil, I still eat human food no matter how I look," I said.

"And I'd kill for a cheeseburger," I added under my breath, but evidently not quietly enough as Trace gave me a look that said I should be careful about such comments.

Not that I should need such reminders. I knew ponies would be vegetarians. But I'd been letting my mouth run without much oversight since I woke up. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why. I could hardly afford to alienate the people and ponies I'd need to establish some kind of life in this world. Maybe I'd feel better once I'd eaten something.

Trace walked up to me, the little girl hiding behind him. “Excuse me, Ms. Asher, but if you’d like we could stop by the library for lunch. Afterwards Twilight and I can show you around Ponyville.”

Someone, or rather somepony cleared their throat behind me.

"Miss Asher, I'm concerned about your mental state. As your doctor, I think it would be best if you were kept under observation at Ponyville General for a day at least," said Doctor Emerald.

"Doctor, I know I'm a bit out of whack, but I'd really like to be out of the hospital... Can I go with Trace and Twilight and I promise I'll check in at the hospital before dark so that I can be monitored," I pleaded.

"I'd prefer you have some rest, but I suppose that will do. Try not to overstress yourself, please," Emerald replied.

"I'll do my best," I told him solemnly.

"Excellent, I will see you later then," Emerald said as he turned to leave the station.

Alex smiled kindly at the doctor as he left. “You know, he’s a good man. I’ve seen him stand up to Princess Celestia for a patient. Didn’t even blink, and I mean for real, not the illusion. You can trust him.”

I kept my voice low, not sure who was privy to Doctor Emerald's secret, "Him, I trust. It's the rest of you I'm undecided about."

We started walking out of the station, Matt gave a grunt and a small wave to Alex before going off to the right, presumably to wherever he was calling home.

Alex gave a little chuckle. “Ma’am, we both know you could swat me like a fly and I couldn’t do a single thing about it, yet I have no reservations about walking beside you with my wife.” I noticed he placed his calloused hand on the back of her head and stroked her ear with his thumb. She smiled and leaned into him a little. “Do you know why?”

I rolled my eyes and considered pointing out that I really wasn't stronger than I appeared. I might be tougher but not necessarily any stronger. Then again I might have reflexive combat charms I don't know about. I settled for going with what I suspected was his reasoning, “Hmm... Luna told you to?”

This time he actually laughed, “No. To paraphrase Carl Schurz, My Princess, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right. That’s one of my jobs. Another is to make sure our beautiful daughter grows up in a safe world, free from Discords and Nightmare Moons. I do that one by making sure my wife can do her job. My last job, and I think the one that makes the other two doable, is to help good people that have lost their way. I think you are a good person."

I stopped walking and he didn’t notice for a few steps. He turned back with a gentle smile on his battered, scarred, ugly face. I looked at him, not quite sure how to react. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had said that to me who wanted nothing from me. Nothing at all.

A rough female voice jarred me back to reality, “Hey El. Don’t cry, dude.” I realized Rainbow Dash was hovering in front of me. Her hoof wiped my cheek. “But if you do, it’s totally cool. We’re your friends.” She waved a hoof at the others around us, “All of us.” She chortled playfully, gesturing at Alex with her muzzle, “Even the captain of the B team.”

Alex rolled his eyes a little, “So, bottom line. We want to help you. We want to give you a home. We are your friends. All of us.”

Would they be if they knew what you've done? But how can they know? You don't even know. Yet.

Just when I was beginning to miss the crazy in my head, it came back. And I really didn't feel like listening to it right now.

Sensing he had something to add, I turned to Trace.

"I have to agree with Alex, despite everything you've been through, I can tell you've stayed who you are, rather than let someone else control you," Trace said giving a friendly smile and extending his hand "I hope we can be friends, and I'd like to let you know you'll always be a welcome guest in my- I mean our, household," he said while glancing at Twilight.

I sighed, "I'm not a good person, I just try to survive. I've broken nine of ten commandments, along with enough other things that if I were Catholic, I'd be spending the next year in confessional. Not that it'd matter given that there are some things I can't truly say I regret. Plenty of things I do regret, sad to say, but still a few sins I don't feel a need to have forgiven."

“You assume that to be a good person you must follow strict rules and never make mistakes, but that is not true,” Trace countered with a slight smirk. “Tell me, Miss Asher, do you care about those around you, the ones you hold close? Do you mourn if they are injured or killed, or do you just brush it off, as though they had no affect on your life?”

"You'd have hated the church I grew up with. They were all about the strict rules," I said. "They had a nice long list of things we couldn't do. I've done a fair number of them since I left."

Trace chuckled for a second before narrowing his eyes. "You're dodging the question."

"I'm good at dodging," I said with a grin. Then I sighed, "You want to know if I care about my friends, I do. And every world where I leave a friend behind, I mourn because I know I'll never see them again. It's one reason I knew I wouldn't be travelling forever. Someday it'd be too much and my heart wouldn't be able to take any more. Though I suppose that's no longer an issue."

Then to everyone's surprise, Fei spoke up, "I think that's what my dad is getting at, you're a good person because you care. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes, sometimes we regret, other times we don't. You shouldn't beat yourself up over things that have happened in the past, you should accept them and use the experience to judge how you should proceed in the future, in hopes that your life will improve."

I arched a brow and looked at Fei with what I hoped was a kindly smile, "Either you are remarkably precocious or you're older than you look."

"And you are a better person than you think you are. I don't think anyone could go through what we have without doing some things they'd regret later. I know that all too well," Alex said as a hint of pain showed briefly in his eyes.

"What did you mean when you said your travelling was no longer an issue?" Twilight asked.

I gathered my thoughts and explained. "There's a sense I've had for when I'm going to be tossed somewhere new. I don't feel it anymore, at all. And with my new sensory improvements, I should feel something even if my next trip were years away. Guess Autochthon finally did what all the other gods I've met couldn't do. I'm not going to be tossed somewhere else."

I made a decision. Taking a deep breath, I reached in my bag and pulled out my tablet. "Io: documents - Autochthonians, Autochthonia, Shards," I told the device, grinning a little at Twilight's sudden interest.

I dropped the grin and held the device out to Alex, "These documents have everything I have about what I've become. I... I want you to read them, and decide if it's safe for me to stay. You're from Earth so you should be able to judge them from that background. If it helps, the reality of being like this is about as close to those books as this world is to the cartoon of it. At least from what I can tell so far."

"That's not necessary..." Alex started to say.

"It is. I... I need to trust you with this. If I'm going to be any kind of friend, I need to trust you." I said, looking up at Alex.

"Alright, I'll read through these, but I don't see them changing much," said Alex with another smile.

"Is that something like Alex's 'laptop'? How many books does it have in it?" Twilight asked excitedly as she kept her gaze locked on the tablet.

I had to smile at that. "A few hundred, you can read what you want after Alex is done with it. Though I hope you'll let me suggest which ones are best in keeping with your culture. Or at least give you some warning about which ones might be unsettling to read if you're not used to human fiction."

I looked up and saw that we'd gotten to the library. It looked different from my admittedly hazy memories of the show, like some additions had grown from the tree. I recalled that Trace and Fei were living there too, so the additions made sense. A cozy home for a single unicorn and her dragon assistant would be a little cramped for a whole family.

"Here's where we part company for now. Miss Asher, if you need anything, feel free to stop by. Trace or Twilight can direct you to the cottage," Alex said as he and Rainbow Dash turned to continue down the road.

"Thank you. Sorry about earlier, I'm so used to divine beings trying to control me it just felt like strings being attached again," I said before Alex had fully turned to leave.

"Don't worry about it. Already forgotten," Alex said as he started to walk away, Dash hovering beside him.

"Alright, if you say so," I replied. "And by the way, my friends call me Eleanor, or El. Not ma'am or Miss Asher. Ok?"

Alex chuckled a bit as he and Dash headed away from the library. Hopefully he'll take the hint. If he called me Ma'am again, I might sic 'Spect on him. After talking to her about appropriate levels of retribution. Her marshmallow creme sprayer would be about right, I thought.

A violet glow illuminated the door handle as Twilight used her magic to open the door. I'd seen similar displays but it always amazed me to be around such casual use of magic. I knew there were ways I could do similar now that I was changed, but I still had no idea how that would work.

Once inside, I heard Trace let out a sigh of relief as he tossed his hat and coat onto the coat rack by the door.

“It’s good to be home,” he said before turning to me. “Well Miss Asher, I promised you something to eat. Would you like pork, chicken, or maybe something more unique? I still have some manticore left.”

I shuddered and my appetite dropped considerably at the mention of manticore. I know it probably wasn’t the kind of manticore I was thinking of, but having had the memories of that manticore’s victim stuck in my head, the association was hard to avoid.

"You okay? You look like Twilight did when we first started keeping meat in the freezer," a voice asked from about waist height. I looked down and saw Spike looking much like I remembered from the show.

"Yeah... just bad memories. Not even mine. I'm alright," I told Spike, giving a weak smile to try and reassure him.

"I think I'm going to try getting used to being vegetarian again. I was vegetarian before I was tossed out of my world," I said to Trace.

Trace nodded and headed for the kitchen. “Anything to drink then?” He paused in thought. “We have.. water, milk, tea, coffee, non-alcoholic cider, and mead.”

"Coffee? Real coffee, from coffee beans?" I said, hoping beyond hope that I'd heard correctly.

He gave me a look that said he was questioning my intelligence "Yes..."

"Gods, I haven't been able to have real coffee in years. Last world just had some kind caffeinated lizard pee," I scrunched my face in disgust at the memory of the taste of that wretched stuff.

Trace just raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a yes, under the condition you never say the phrase 'caffeinated lizard pee' around me again."

"Deal," I said.

Trace and Spike went into the kitchen and came out with a large salad and some bowls. These were set on the table before the pair returned to the kitchen. They brought out some other platters of food, some steamed vegetables and slices of meat. It looked like they'd planned a feast for eight or nine rather than just the five present. Then came drinks and I nearly wept for joy at holding a mug of real coffee in my hands.

Looking at the food, I considered the meat for a moment and decided to stick with the vegetables. I watched Fei piling her plate high and wondered for a moment where she was going to put it all. Spike and Twilight were sticking with the vegetarian option as well, though Spike seasoned his salad with some kind of small gems.

"So, Miss Asher..." Twilight began.

"Please just call me Eleanor. I'd like us to be friends." I told Twilight.

"Thank you, Eleanor. I'd like that too. So as I was about to say, I'd been wondering about your mammaries." Said Twilight.

I choked on my coffee, barely stopping myself from doing a spit-take. "Excuse me?"

"I'd read some things that say that they are a mating attractant for humans, is that why they are placed so prominently on your chest and are so large?"

"Ah, uh,..." I tried to come up with a coherent response as I felt my cheeks heating up. I could see that I wasn't the only one uncomfortable with Twilight's topic of choice. Trace and Fei were both looking like they wanted to suggest another topic, any other topic. Spike was just looking at me with a confused expression.

"Is the size because you are pregnant? Or," a look of horror came across her features, "did you have to leave a foal behind in the world you came from?"

I decided to deflect further embarrassment. "Neither, they're actually not mammaries. They're twin fusion engines to allow me to power a 20 foot tall royal warstrider when I plug in to the pilot seat," I told Twilight.

I was starting to grin until I saw her levitate a scroll over and start writing on it.

"Kidding, kidding. It's just the way humans are shaped, the female ones anyway. They come in around puberty. Though generally not in metallic form." I said, tapping the metal of my chest.

Trace rolled his eyes, "I forgot to mention, she thinks she's funny."

"I know I'm funny, it's the rest of world that hasn't gotten the memo," I said sticking my tongue out at him.

"And so mature too," Trace said with another small sigh.

"Hey, it's the first chance I've really had to relax in years. I can be a grown up tomorrow," I protested. Tomorrow I'd have to start dealing with what has happened to me. Playing around and trying not to think about how much I've changed can only go so far.

"Maybe I should try and save my questions until then," Twilight said.

"I swear I'll take the time to answer all your questions as fully and accurately as I can, just give me time to get settled. You have my oath as an Esquire of the Autumn Court," I told her solemnly.

"You swore by that once before. What is the Autumn Court?" Trace asked me.

"Heh, it's one of the seasonal courts of the Changeling Freeholds. We're also known as the Court of Fear. We spread fear among the humans to keep them away from the Fae," I explained, smiling a little as Twilight's eyes widened and she filled the scroll with notes. "Not that I was a proper changeling, myself. But they said my travels were akin to the suffering they endured in Arcadia. They treated me like family, better than my own family ever did." I left out the part where I ran away when the Fae attacked. Bitter irony, I now had powers that could fight the Fae and no way to reach my old friends to save them.

"Interesting," Trace muttered. "While I find it a bit unnerving that they'd focus on inspiring fear, I can understand if they wanted to keep their species hidden. Though you may want to borrow a book on Changelings here in Equestria, they're not the same kind as you've met in the past."

"Hmm, I'll do that. And it wasn't just about keeping hidden, we did it to protect people. We didn't want anyone else going through what we... they did. Better a little scare than being taken to be one of the Gentry's playthings." I said before returning to trying to have some salad.

Just before I'd actually taken a bite, the door burst open and in came a blur of pink that interposed itself between me and Twilight.

"Twilight! I heard there was somepony new in town - my coltfriend just told me - he said she's like a Cyberman - but not a Cyberman - because Cybermen are total meanies and the new somepony is not a total meany - at least she's not a Dalek - because they're meanies too - and not as fun as Cybermen - all they want to do is exterminate - even when there's no bugs - but this new human person isn't a Dalek or a Cyberman so she needs a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party - and I was thinking it could be a surprise party - but not really because she's right behind me isn't she?" Said the bouncing pink pony without stopping to breathe even once.

"Yes Pinkie, she is," Twilight said after taking a moment to be sure Pinkie had stopped talking.

Pinkie turned around, her blue eyes staring straight into mine as though she could somehow see into my soul. "Sooo... what kind of parties do you like?"

I couldn't stop myself, "I like a balanced one. Right now we've got two wizards and a young dragon to handle ranged dps. I've probably got a few charms that'd be good for tanking, I think Fei might have some crowd control skills, so if you're a healer I think we can do this raid."

Blank looks from everyone but Pinkie.

Pinkie giggled, "I like you, you're silly."

"No, I'm Eleanor," I said as we grinned at each other.

There was a flash of light and 'Spect appeared in front of Pinkie. There was a moment of silence as they stared at each other. Pinkie spoke first, "You!"

"You!" 'Spect replied in kind before reaching forward to hug the pink pony. "I haven't seen you in forever, Pinkie!"

"I know!" was the reply.

"Do you still have the marshmallow cannon I gave you?" 'Spect asked.

"No, took it apart to build a flying machine," Pinkie told her.

There was a look of dawning horror on the faces of the others in the room, my own among them. There were two of them. I only hoped Pinkie Pie wasn't as careless about mortal frailties as 'Spect could be.

Their mouths cracked into identical maniacal grins.

Gods help us all.

Author's Note

Sadly no picture this time around. And I may be putting this on hiatus for a while so I can focus on trying to find a new job.

Chapter 5: Looking Around

Thankfully for my empty stomach, Pinkie and 'Spect decided to leave to prepare for my welcome party. When they left we returned to the interrupted meal and I was soon in a much better mood. Amazing how food and coffee can do that.

"Feeling better Miss Asher?" Trace asked

"Much. And it's just Eleanor ok?" Maybe I should not have mentioned my last name. Then again being called Miss Asher beats being called Ma’am.

The tour was pretty basic, it's a small town. Bigger in person than it seemed on the show, but still nothing special were it not for the residents. Unlike Fillydelphia, nopony was hiding from me here. I noted more than a few glances my way. But nothing fearful, they just seemed curious about the new person in town. There were a couple of double takes and I heard the words 'human mare' a few times.

We walked to the town square and Twilight pointed out some landmarks I could use to orient myself when I was on my own. The library was the first of course, one could hardly miss a tree like that. Then there was the town hall, which seemed to be under some reconstruction. And the third most noticeable landmark was Sugarcube Corner. The sight of which was enough to make me want to find a dentist. No question about the kind of sugary treats one could find there. Pinkie Pie and 'Spect waved as we walked past. With those three places memorized I was fairly sure I could find my way around without too much trouble.

It didn't matter how many times it happened on my travels I was always surprised when I heard a familiar voice. Even though I knew it wasn't whoever I was thinking of I felt compelled to look. This time the voice came from the direction of a cart selling several kinds of roses.

Behind the flower cart was a cream colored mare with a lovely dark rose colored mane, and deep green eyes.

"Hello, I'm Roseluck. You must be the new human I've been hearing about.” She inclined her head toward me and stage whispered, “My friend said you're a mare, is that true?" She asked.

I looked down at my chest for a moment before answering. I realized that they really didn't have many referents for human gender differences so I shouldn't be surprised she had to ask. I wondered if I might have the reverse problem. I'd been guessing so far, but some of the mares I'd seen could have been stallions. I wasn't about to check in any definitive way.

"Yes, I'm female. Though I'm a woman, not a mare. My name is Eleanor." I found myself wishing this pretty mare was a human woman. There's something about pony eyes, so large and expressive. They're like a unique body language no other species has. They twinkle and little shapes appear to denote feelings.

"Twilight and Trace giving you a tour?" Roseluck asked, an odd intensity entering her voice.

"Yeah, a quick trip around the town," I replied casually.

"Well, if you come back after I've got my cart put up, I can give you a tour of some of the really interesting parts of Ponyville." Roseluck said with a wink and a twitch of her tail.

"Roseluck!" Twilight exclaimed, "Eleanor just arrived in this world! Don't you think you should let her get settled in before trying to flirt with her.”

“I just wanted to make her feel welcome. Besides, I hear you have to move fast with humans. From what I’ve been told Rainbow Dash was all over Mister Alex Roberts within hours of his arrival.” She said defensively. "But," she looked around conspiratorially, "they say he didn't have a clue for months."

“I do feel welcome Roseluck, just a bit overwhelmed still.” I said, trying not to think too hard about the implications of her flirting with me. If that’s what it was. Pretty or not, she was a pony and I was human. Mostly human I reminded myself, twitching the fingers of my mechanical hand.

"I can only imagine. Though Ponyville itself can be overwhelming some days. At least you arrived on a quiet day," Roseluck said. "I find it usually gets more exciting around this time of day. And now that you're here..."

I felt something odd like a kind of pressure behind my eyes. I blinked and for a moment I saw something like a vast intricate design tying everything together. It wasn't a simple three-dimensional thing but rather a form in motion back and forth in time, and I knew my ideal place to be at this moment was across the square in the building that looked like some kind of carousel. Something there called to me.

"Sorry to run so quickly Roseluck, but I've got this weird feeling that I need to be somewhere," I said, wincing a little at the look of disappointment she gave me. "But I'd love to talk some more, another time."

Not waiting for Trace or Twilight, I walked across the square to the carousel and went inside. I followed the sound of cursing to find a unicorn with a sleek white coat and perfectly styled purple mane, struggling with a clearly nonfunctional sewing machine. My memory took a moment to come up with her name, Rarity. I recalled her being a bit of a fashionista. Her cat, whose name eluded me at the time, walked over and wound around my ankles purring.

"Mind if I have a look at it? I... I think I can fix it." I said to her, though truly, I knew I could fix it. The sound it was making was like hearing a detailed description of the problem. Which was odd, because I wasn’t really mechanically inclined before, but I figured it was probably the least weird talent I’d picked up from my transformation.

“If you can get this wretched thing to function without me having to ship it back to Canterlot for repairs, I’ll make you whatever dress your heart desires.” She said backing away from the machine. Her pretty blue eyes widened a bit as she got a look at me. I gathered she had thought it was another pony speaking to her.

"I'm sure I can, Miss Rarity. I've got a knack for machines." I told her, not admitting that I'd only just realized I had said knack. The number of things I was filing away in my 'think about it later' box was getting a bit disturbing.

"Then I will be ever so grateful, Miss...?" Rarity asked as she looked from her sewing machine and back to me. She seemed to have picked up on my gender without me having to say it.

"Eleanor. Pleased to meet you.” I stepped over to to the sewing machine and opened a panel on the side of it. I set my bag down and just listened the machine.

"If you don't mind my asking darling, what is that you're wearing? It looks like some kind of armor, but it seems to be oddly fitted. How are you able to move in that? The articulation just looks wrong." Rarity asked as she looked over my mechanical parts.

"Um that's just me." I said, feeling a bit uncomfortable at the intensity of her examination. I tried to focus on the sewing machine.

"That isn't normal for human females though is it?" Rarity's eyes widened slightly. "If that's you then you aren't wearing anything? I was under the impression that humans had a cultural taboo against going around au naturel."

"We do... I'm..." Why was this so hard? "I don't have any clothes right now. This looks like clothing so I was trying to ignore the fact that it felt like I was naked." I tried to focus on my task to keep from thinking about how I had just admitted to being naked in front of this sophisticated mare. Seeking something with which to fix the machine, I pulled a small Orichalcum pin out of my arm. It likely went to some charm, but it would grow back in time.

"Oh you poor dear, you simply must let me make you something to wear, even if you don't repair my sewing machine,” she said as I looked at the inside of her sewing machine. “I'm sure I can find something to go with that remarkable metal. Fascinating material, when the light hits it, it looks like there are stars in the reflection."

"That's one of the reasons it's called Starmetal." I said as I watched Rarity’s measuring tape fly around me.

I found what I expected, a pin holding up one of the gears inside had bent causing the gearwork to lock up. I pulled out the bent pin. While I could have straightened it, it would have just failed again. There were minor weaknesses in the alloy that would cause it to fail under the pressure of sustained use. Besides, if Rarity was going to make me a dress, the least I could do is improve the tool she’d be using to do so.

"Really? Do you have any of it that isn't part of you? I'm seeing a set of accessories that could go with a truly stellar outfit,” said Rarity as she sketched out her ideas while still measuring what seemed like every part of me.

Keeping myself in a position where the measuring tape wouldn’t be in danger of getting caught as it flew around me, I held the Orichalcum pin in my metal hand. I watched in fascination as my fingers seemed to reshape themselves into something akin to a small vise grip and lathe, and then spun the pin rapidly as it was reshaped. Within seconds the pin had become a golden duplicate of the damaged pin from the sewing machine. I made a mental note that I definitely had an omnitool implant charm.

"No spare Starmetal at the moment, but if I find any, you'll get first dibs." I told Rarity as I inserted the new pin into the sewing machine. I marveled at the gears, each one looked to have been hand crafted. (Or was it hoof crafted?) Regardless of terminology, the sewing machine looked like a work of a craftsman (craftspony?) rather than something mass produced.

“I’m going to do something that should help keep this sewing machine in good working order from now on.” I said reaching into my bag to take out a brush and ink bottle.

On the inside of the access panel I started writing a delicate prayer with the special Moonsilver and Orichalcum ink I had brought. Carefully making sure each brushstroke was exactly placed, I entreated the spirit of the sewing machine to awaken. When I was finished writing out the prayer, I closed my eyes and tried to imagine filling the sewing machine with energy. It couldn’t hold much essence, but I could tell I’d been somewhat successful in empowering it.

“There. Your sewing machine is awake now, so it should be able to repair minor issues on its own. You’ll want to burn some incense to the spirit that lives within it about once a year.” I shook my head a bit at how silly it sounded. Even after all this time around magic, I still felt wrong using it.

“Spirit? Living in my sewing machine?” Rarity asked, looking at the machine as though it might grow legs at any moment.

Trace and Twilight were also giving the machine speculative looks. I guessed that Exalted style spirit magics were not something they were familiar with.

I realized I had forgotten that anyone had been with me in my haste to follow my vision. And I'd been so focused on the task at hand that I missed their arrival. I hoped they weren't upset with me for taking off like that. I also hoped that Roseluck didn't think badly of me.

"In the world I just left, everything had a spirit within it. I used a bit of material from that world to fix the sewing machine," I explained. "That gave the machine a spirit that I could wake up with a special prayer and a little essence. It’s still the same sewing machine, but now it wants to make fabulous fashion items. Not really magic so much making use of the properties of a magical world."

Rarity gave the machine another look and then turned back to me, "Since this is my first time making clothing for a human, I'd like to go over these sketches and make sure what I have here is fitting for your culture, darling."

"Ok, but I may need you to redo some of those measurements. I want to change back to my fully human form and get clothing for that shape. I'm really more comfortable being human," I admitted.

"Why certainly, darling. You should be comfortable," she purred as she levitated a privacy screen over to me. "Trace, Twilight, you may leave her in my capable hooves. I'll have her looking fabulous in no time."

"I think after this I'll be going straight to bed, so it's alright. And I'd be more comfortable shifting back to human if there were less people around." I told Trace and Twilight when I saw they were reluctant to leave their friend alone with me.

"I promise I'll be good," I added.

They still looked a bit dubious but Rarity started to push them out the door while assuring them, "Everything will be simply fabulous, darlings. Just leave her to me."

A small bit of concentration and I was human again. And naked. With a pony who was going to have to measure me all over. An elegant unicorn with the kind of sophistication and style I could only dream of. I did not think this through. Don't know why I'm worried though, she's a pony. There's nothing about me that would be of interest to her except as a challenge to her dressmaking skills.

"May I ask what happened to your old clothing? I assume you had some." Rarity asked as she brought her measuring tape over. She stepped around the screen and paused, looking me over like she was admiring a fine piece of art. "Actually, let me guess. You must have changed from this," a blush came to her cheeks. "To your metal form while you were wearing them?"

"Unfortunately. The change just shredded them," I replied. I was starting to be a little concerned. Rarity was beginning to show the same kind of odd behavior that Roseluck had. Also, the way my skin tingled as her magic brushed against it was starting to have me feeling a trifle flustered.

"How terrible, darling! To have that happen to your clothing like that. Oh if only I'd been there!" She blushed again and looked away. "To try to salvage your clothing of course."

She floated some of her sketches over to me. I started looking through them. The first one seemed simple enough. As I flipped through them I noticed the designs getting more and more risque'. The last one looked like some kind of saddle on my midsection with long gloves and knee-high socks the only other clothing. I could feel heat in my cheeks.

"Oh my, that blush of yours goes right down to your hooves." Rarity said, starting to seem even more flustered, "From that blush, I'm guessing that last one is a little too risque, darling." She said with a smirk, the purr as she rolled the 'r' in risque almost seeming like a verbal caress.

"A bit." I felt my blush deepen as I said this understatement.

"Don't worry, that wouldn't be appropriate outside for us either. That's more of a... bedroom item. I don't know what I was thinking when I included that," she said with an embarrassed smile.

"What do you think of the third one?" She asked, evidently sensing my discomfort.

"Pretty good, but I'd really want socks and shoes rather than those thigh high boots." I said, grateful to be discussing one of the tamer outfits.

Rarity's face exploded in a beet red blush and she looked absolutely scandalized.

"Wearing socks in public? I've caught a glimpse of some simple white ones on Alex, but he makes sure they're tastefully hidden under his pants. However, this skirt is much too short for that,” she explained after a moment.

"This is one of those cultural differences, isn't it? I suppose it's good I wasn't wearing my miniskirt with the stockings when I arrived, not that it would have survived my transformation." I noticed Rarity zone out for a moment after I said that.

“Ah, um. Will you be staying at the library with Twilight tonight?” if I didn’t know better, I would have thought she sounded jealous. “I mean, you could stay here and we could work on some designs. You’d be able to walk the town in fine fashion tomorrow.”

“Thanks, but Doctor Emerald wants me to stay at the hospital for some monitoring. Given the changes I’ve been through recently, I’m inclined to agree with the need,” I explained.

“Ah, yes. My dear Emerald usually knows best about such things. I can take you there, and visit him at the same time,” she said.

Intereresting. From the way she said that, it sounded like Emerald was her boyfriend. I knew it was terribly hard for the changelings I knew of to keep up a relationship with a normal person. Even though we acted like I was a changeling too, there were times Cupyri’s fae moods would make her incomprehensible to me. I hope Emerald fares better in that department.

“Now that you seem more comfortable, we should get to work.” Rarity said, interrupting my thoughts. She seemed to have regained her composure and was levitating various fabrics to me and holding them against my skin.

“No, that won’t do. Such a challenge! Your skin color isn’t anything like the coat of anypony I know, and I want to find a good shade to go with that mane and the blue of your eyes.”

She kept bringing over various fabrics settling on a soft blue. It was fascinating to watch as scissors, pins and fabric flew around the room. Within minutes Rarity held out a simple frock made from that blue fabric. Simple though it was, she had still added some trim and ribbon to embellish it. It looked lovely and I happily put it on, glad to have something over my bare skin at last.

"I'll work on a couple of the other designs for you later, my dear. I do hope you might try doing a bit of modeling for me. I'd like to see what designs I can come up with to flatter your form," Rarity said as she looked over her work. "It's so exciting to have a chance to make something for one of our human guests. Elusive has been getting nearly all the business from the others. And while I certainly don't begrudge him that, it is so nice to have a chance to try out some of the ideas I've had."

Author's Note

Many thanks to Techogre, Tosety, Discord's Advocate, KMCA, Genosaber, and Warpd for editing, suggestions and general wackyness.

To my readers:
Sorry about how long it's taken me to update this. Real life has just been beating me down lately, and sadly my creativity is the first thing to suffer when that happens. But many thanks for sticking around.

Chapter 6: Day's End

As nice as Trace and Twilight were, it was good to walk through Ponyville with Rarity. Her presence had less of a sense of being escorted, and more a friendly walk. Probably just my nerves, but any sense of comfort was welcome in a new world.

Sadly it seemed Roseluck had already packed up her flowers and gone home for the evening. A pity. I'd wanted to see her again. Still, there was always tomorrow.

And since my brain hates me, it decided then to point out that I'd given Alex books that detailed all sorts of horrible things I was potentially capable of. If it were me, I'd round up Matt and Trace and go for round two of the interrogation game. I was ready to start checking around every corner for an ambush before I reined in my paranoia.

But not before Rarity noticed.

"Is something the matter, dear?" She asked, stopping beside me.

"Just concerned about what will happen to me. That other shape of mine could have a lot of dangerous abilities. I gave Mr. Roberts a set of books that detail those abilities. I'm just half afraid he might decide it's too dangerous for me to stay here," I admitted, feeling a bit sheepish.

I would have sent me away. I may not be as powerful as a Solar Exalted but the thought of what harm I could do to these ponies chilled my blood. They were so open and trusting. My Solar NPC would have caused all kinds of havoc. But I could still do terrible things. I didn't even know what charms I had.

"You don't need to worry about Alex. He is a rare breed, a true knight. He would judge your actions, not just what you could do." Rarity gave me a reassuring look, and I felt myself calming. "And as wonderful as he is, he is not the final authority on who is allowed to stay in Ponyville."

I'd already decided I would trust Alex to decide for me, but I could see Rarity would likely not want to talk about the possibility that I might have to leave town just after arriving.

I decided it was time for a subject change, "Rarity, do you know anything about human undergarments?" Brain, why do you hate me? Couldn't you come up with any other topic?

"Not much I'm afraid, darling. Not much call for them." She told me as we started walking again.

"I um... I'll be needing a bra." Or I could poke somepony's eye out. The cool evening air and the fabric rubbing across them had caused my nipples to make their presence known.

"A bra?" Rarity asked.

"It's a garment to support and cover my..." I indicated my bosom. "Keep things like my, uh headlights from showing."

"Headlights, darling?" Rarity turned to get a better look at me. I felt myself blushing yet again at her examination of my chest. "I see... I have some ideas for that, but if you have any pictures of what they should look like, it would be helpful."

”I'll show you some examples when I've got my tablet back." I said as we walked past a side street where I noticed a slightly seedy looking bar with a sign proclaiming it to be the Grain Bucket. What caught my attention though was the mare walking from the bar towards us.

Actually, it wasn't so much walking, or maybe weaving, as stumbling. It was clear she'd had quite a bit to drink. Rarity's ears flicked back and she gave the mare a pitying look. As for me, I instantly recognized that electric blue mane as belonging to my first pony friend and I wondered why Blitzen was in this inebriated state.

She paused for a moment when she saw us, her eyes taking a moment to focus. She looked right at me. "I jusht wanted to get good an shalted every night. Then you showed up and I had to do shomething... and you're sho pretty. Why do you make me feel like thish?" Blitzen slurred as she staggered toward me.

I did not expect what happened next. Blitzen got up onto her hind legs, a feat which surprised me given her unsteady condition. She walked the two steps needed to bring herself to stand just in front of me. She stood there for a second before her balance failed and she fell against me hitting my chest face first. Instinctively, I put my arms around her to hold her up. And then she straightened up and kissed me...

I'm not sure I can describe that kiss... It was clumsy, awkward, and messy. Her mouth covered most of my face until I pushed her head back from mine. For some reason, I paused when it was just our lips touching... there was something... nice about the feeling of her lips against mine. She tasted of salt and alcohol. When I noticed that, I realized I was kissing her back. I was so stunned, I stumbled and fell on my backside, leaving Blitzen unsupported.

She dropped down back to her normal quadrupedal stance and we locked eyes. It felt like I was falling into her eyes for a moment. Then she wavered and fell forward. Somehow, her face ended up in my chest again. She let out a snort and her tongue lolled out onto my dress depositing yet more booze scented drool on the already mistreated fabric.

"You make me feel like I'm flying..." Her voice trailed off as her eyes closed and she started snoring.

Rational Thought

Rational Thought has encountered an unexpected error and was closed. Most likely causes for this are: You kissed a pony.
* Press any key to restart Rational Thought.
* Wait for Rarity to tap you to see if you’re alright to automatically reboot system.
You will lose any unsaved information in all applications.

Press any key to continue_

Restarting...
You did not shut the system down properly. Scanning memory for errors...
0 errors found.
You totally kissed a pony.

I recovered my wits to find Rarity giving me a look split between worry and disgust. I was afraid she was upset with me for what just happened, but she quickly dispelled that fear.

"Just look at the mess that's been made of your dress. Your first new clothing here and it's already covered in dirt and drool." She gave the snoring Blitzen a withering glare. "And you, just mauled by that mare." Her horn lit up as she began cleaning off my dress with magic. "Do you even know her, or was she so out of it on salt that she tried to kiss a complete stranger?"

“Blitzen’s a friend, she’s the one who found me when I arrived,” I told her. Then a thought hit me, "Wait a sec, salt? What's with the salt? I thought she was drunk."

"Salt affects us like alcohol would affect you, darling. Your friend Blitzen has had quite a bit, it would seem."

I moved my legs out from under Blitzen and stood up, straightening my dress.

"Rarity, I uh...” I was kissing Blitzen, and I really don't know what I'm feeling right now... "I'm sorry about getting the dress you made for me dirty so soon after you gave it to me."

"Not to worry darling. There will be human style gowns at the hospital and I can have your dress cleaned and ready for you in the morning."

"Thinking of the hospital, I'm taking Blitzen with us. I don't want to leave her on her own." I knelt down to lift the sleeping pony. I lifted her easily, surprised at how little she weighed compared to her size. "She's really light, lighter than I was expecting."

"Well of course, she's a Pegasus. It's part of their magic," Rarity told me.

I stumbled and almost dropped Blitzen. "A Pegasus? But?” Where are her wings? I almost added.

Suddenly a number of things made sense. The ridges on her back, the way she reacted to my offhand mention of a flight ring, and the way Rainbow dash seemed disturbed by her.

"It's a sad story, dear. And not mine to tell." Her usual over the top drama was completely gone, replaced by a quiet sadness. "Both the accident and what happened after..."

We were silent for a little while after that. Then Rarity spoke up.

"Bit for your thoughts, dear."

"Just thinking about Blitzen. Trying to imagine what it must have been like for her. To be born to fly and to lose that."

"Yes, terrible thing. Other than Fluttershy, most pegasi seem to barely be able to touch the ground. They fly almost everywhere."

"And here I've been feeling bent out shape over being upgraded by Autochthon against my will. At least I haven't really lost anything. I can't imagine how Blitzen could even come back to Ponyville if this is where she lost her wings... And she came here for me." I felt more than a little ashamed that I hadn't noticed what Blitzen was going through to come here.

We came to the hospital. It seemed I was expected, as a pink maned white pony with a nurses cap came to the door when we approached.

"You must be Miss Eleanor Asher. I'm Nurse Redheart," she said, smiling at me. "Doctor Emerald told me you'd be coming, though he didn't mention you'd be bringing somepony else," She sniffed, her voice full of annoyance. "Is there a reason you're carrying her?"

"Ah, she has become one with her inner self," I replied.

"She passed out." Rarity said, while giving me a look like she thought I'd lost my mind.

"That too." I told the nurse.

Redheart was glaring at the Pegasus in my arms. "She should be taken to her place to sleep it off, then we can see about getting you checked in."

"She doesn't have a place to stay in Ponyville that I know of. She lives in Fillydelphia usually." I explained.

"We don't normally provide a bed to any salted pony that comes along. However if that's what it takes to get you signed in, then we'll do what we can." Redheart said with another glare at Blitzen. "Now follow me Miss Eleanor Asher. Miss Rarity, I think Doctor Emerald is in the east wing."

Rarity perked up and went off to find the doctor. I went down the other hallway with the nurse. Though the hall was fairly wide, she made sure to walk close to me and I felt her tail brushing against my leg a few times as we walked. And once I swear she brushed it up over my rear like she was trying to cop a feel with her tail.

I walked with Redheart down the hall to the room she had in mind. Inside were two empty beds. I set Blitzen down in the nearest bed. I turned and saw Redheart holding a hospital gown in her mouth, which I took from her with a forced smile. I hoped my disgust for the things wasn't as obvious as it felt.

"I'll get out so you can change," she said, stepping out of the room. She closed the door most of the way.

I slid my new dress off, and picked up the hospital gown. It was definitely made for humans and, like every hospital gown in every world I've had to wear one, it covered up barely enough to preserve modesty while doing nothing to preserve dignity. For a moment I'd swear I saw Redheart peeking as I changed, but when I turned the door was still mostly closed.

"You can come in now," I said.

Redheart trotted in, "Now miss, sit on the bed and take off the gown so I can examine you."

I sat on the bed but the gown stayed on, "Shouldn't the doctor be the one examining me?"

"Right. But I want to take your temperature, blood pressure, things like that."

"I don't need the gown off for that," I protested.

"But that's no fun," she said with a sly smile. "You don't need to worry, I'll be sure to take real good care of you... Ooh, listen to me, I don't usually flirt with patients. But you're not really a patient are you. Doctor Emerald just thinks you need some observation for your first night in a new world... And I'd like to observe you really close tonight. If you know what I mean."

At this point I couldn't even pretend to be oblivious. "Y-you want to what? Why? We aren't even the same species." Yeah, because that stopped me with the vampire, the demoness, the elf, or any of the others I'd been with over the years.

"That's part of the fun. You can't tell me you aren't thinking about it. Ooh, you are so cute when you blush!" She said with a giggle and a blush of her own.

I tried to formulate a response to that, and to figure out what I wanted to have happen next.

"Just a moment, gonna get some things." Redheart said as she turned to one of the cabinets and pulled open a drawer.

As Nurse Redheart searched the drawer, her backside was facing me. Her tail was raised and she was wiggling her rear in a way I was finding oddly hard to look away from. She looked back to see me staring and she smiled with a hungry gleam in her eye.

I was actually imagining Redheart kissing me... and more, when the fates decided it was time to pay attention to my life again and start kicking me around some more. Which is to say, our moment was interrupted by the metaphorical cold shower of an angry Doctor Emerald. At which point my brain woke up and reminded me that I was still dealing with internal questions from when Blitzen kissed me, and perhaps now was truly not the time to try anything more intimate.

"Eleanor! In the last few moments you've been adjusting your position and vocal pitch in ways that seem calculated to elicit a reaction from nurse Redheart. What you do on your own time is your business but please stop flirting with the nurse while she is supposed to be attending to her duties." Emerald said in what was likely a lot quieter tone than I heard in my head.

"I... Wait? What?!" Me flirting?! She was flirting with me!

"You mean you weren't aware of what you were doing? Interesting." Emerald commented as he walked over.

An ugly thought rose in my mind and in a nanosecond my brain confirmed my fears. My hands clenched into fists and I felt a growl starting in my throat, "That goddamned brass plated mechanical bastard!"

There was the sound of shredding fabric and a blue light filled the room. The bed creaked under the sudden change of weight as I took on my mechanical form. I stood up and prepared to howl my fury to the heavens when Emerald interrupted me.

"Please calm yourself Miss Asher." Emerald said in a soothing tone.

I noticed then that the ponies in the room were terrified of me. Well mostly. Blitzen was still passed out, and Redheart seemed to be looking at me in a way I wasn't entirely comfortable with.

"Goddamn it... A Thousandfold Courtesan Calculations charm... It's been running in the back of my mind since earlier today. It... makes me a nearly perfect seductress. I didn't even know I was doing it." Every word of the confession burned with humiliation.

I couldn't take this. I leaned against the wall and started to cry. Then because the humiliation conga wasn't done for the night we all got a wonderful demonstration of Newton's third law of motion.

There was a whistle of steam from my mechanical arm and I went flying across the room. Apparently I had a Piston Driven Megaton Hammer charm. And when my hand was flat against a solid surface, the whole equal and opposite reaction involved flinging me across the room.

I also got to find out what the pin I took out earlier was for, as my left forearm detached from the rest of my arm somewhere along the way.

I smashed into the opposite wall, putting a fair sized hole in the defenseless wall. After a moment or ten of seeing stars I tried to sit up.

"Try to be careful there ma'am." Alex said.

Sitting up, I see I've acquired an audience. Rarity was standing by Emerald, and Alex was holding out a hand to help me stand up. Rainbow Dash was hovering nearby.

I accepted the help and got to my feet as Rainbow took a closer look at the hole in the wall.

"I think that's the same wall the Cutie Mark Crusaders put a hole in when they were trying to get nurse cutie marks. They did way more damage though." Dash said as she looked back to me.

”I just put a human shaped hole in the wall, what could the children do that was worse?! Wait, don't answer that. I don't think I wanna know." Speculating on how bad it might have been did at least slow my tears for the moment.

Alex chuckled, "Scoots has cost me many a bit in repair bills. Still, keeps her in fresh air."

I looked at him incomprehensibly.

Dash answered, "Yeah. That awesome little whirlwind of destruction is our daughter." She must have seen the growing confusion on my face. "Adopted, but all ours."

Ok, so their daughter evidently has a talent for destruction that outweighs a semidivine entity with poor power control... Scary.

"Anybody see where my arm landed?" I started looking for the wayward limb.

"I think this is it over here," Alex said. "Is it safe to pick up?"

I nodded and he brought it over to me.

"Beautiful workmanship." He paused for a moment. "Aw geez, didn't mean that to sound flirty." He paused again considering something. "Felt something weird for a moment there but it stopped almost as soon as it started. Like it was testing if it could affect me. One of your Charms perhaps? Involuntary maybe?"

"Broken is more like it. I'm trying to figure out how to remove it, but once I'm in one piece I can shut it off." I said taking the arm and reattaching it. My elbow felt a little sore, but otherwise it was fine. I took a second to isolate the Courtesan Calculations charm and shut it down, hard.

"Wonder why it didn't affect me more than that? Stuff to think about later. For now you should rest up. I'll send somepony to take care of the damage. You have enough on your plate right now, Eleanor." Alex said.

"Huh, you didn't call me ma'am," I noted.

Alex rubbed the back of his neck, "Sorry about that. I hope I'm not stepping over any bounds."

"Only if you called me ma'am again." I replied.

I decided I had put off the inevitable long enough and stepped over to Nurse Redheart. Her blue eyes were filled with uncertainty as I approached.

"Nurse, I want to apologize. Not just for the damage. I was... I was using one of my magic abilities to flirt with you earlier. I didn't realize I was doing it but I should have." I told her.

"It's okay Eleanor Asher. I think I would have found you interesting regardless. It just made me forget that I should check with somepony else before acting on impulses like that." She replied.

"Oh gods... You have a boyfriend. I am so sorry..." I started, feeling shame building up again.

I seriously gave thought to running off to be a hermit in the woods. I'd picked up some survival skills and that way I wouldn't have to mess up anybody's life but my own. If I weren't so tired after all the excitement today, I might have done it.

"Nothing happened, Eleanor. Don't worry about it." Redheart told me with a gentle smile.

"Thank you for seeing it that way." I said.

Then I turned to Rarity and Emerald.

"I've got the same apology to make to you. I'm fairly sure the charm was acting on Rarity right up till I found out she was in a relationship. Evidently my subconscious has some scruples at least. But still I am sorry for what I did." I told them.

"You have control of this charm now?" Emerald asked.

"Yes, and I promise I will keep it locked down till I figure out how to remove it. I know there's a way, I'm just not sure how." I said.

"Please do," Rarity said with a sniff. I gathered she wasn't quite ready to be forgiving, for which I could hardly blame her.

Feeling pretty low after all of this, I got into the empty bed.

"So, let me sum up my day so far. Wake up in chains like a goddamn criminal." I started.

"I'm sorry." Alex said.

"Get interrogated and threatened!" I continued.

"Really sorry," Alex added.

"Things start looking up and then I find out I've been running a subroutine that was trying to seduce every mare I met," I went on.

"No idea how sorry I am," Alex said.

"That one's not your fault," Dash commented.

"I know," Alex replied.

I got what he was trying to do, but it had been a long day, and I was too upset to keep trying to deal with things.

"And now I've put a hole in the wall. I'm tired, sore, angry, embarrassed, and frustrated as hell. So, I'm sorry, hook up the monitor and let me go to sleep. I just can't handle any more today." I finished laying down, letting the doctor apply the contacts for the EEG. I just didn't have it in me right then to deal with any more today.

One day in and I was well on my way to making a complete mess of things in one of the few decent worlds I'd landed in. Admittedly not the first time I'd had a bad time on arriving in a new world, but this time a lot of it was my fault whether intentionally or no.

The worst was that stupid damned charm. It must have been running since I met Roseluck. Which means that what happened with Blitzen was just the charm making her attracted to me. I still didn't know what I was feeling about that kiss and now it was all bullshit. I could feel hot tears leaking from my eyes onto my pillow and I just wished everything would go away.

Author's Note

Yay! Still alive here. Been a bit of a whirlwind with changing jobs, new stresses, getting sick as all get out, etc... but here's a new chapter and Eleanor's first day comes to a close.

Chapter 7: New day, New problems

Since I left Earth, my sleep has been haunted by a variety of nightmares. They range from simple fears of just being killed to grand theatrical productions of all manner of terrors.
For the last year or so the dreams are of burning light, pain, and some monstrous nameless sorrow. This night was no different. Until...

A touch...
Soft warmth...
peace...

It has been so long... so very long since I could just sleep, untroubled by fear and pain.

I opened my eyes to pink and blue. It took me a moment to realize that Pinkie Pie was almost nose to nose with me, and likely had been for a while just waiting for me to wake up.

I blame my subsequent actions on lack of coffee causing my brain to malfunction. Seeing how close Pinkie was, I extended my tongue and licked her nose. For the record it did not taste of cotton candy or bubblegum, but there was a hint of confectioner's sugar and flour.

Pinkie sputtered and moved back a little. "Naughty. I've got a coltfriend. You should at least let me check if he wants to watch before you do that. Not now though, I’m handing out invitations for your Welcome to Equestria (we know the trip sucked but we're glad you're here now) Party." Don't ask how I could hear the parentheses in her voice, I just did.

“Pinkie, I just woke up, I’m really not up for a party.” I groaned.

She tapped me on the forehead and reached into into her mane. And then I had to do a doubletake as she pulled out a cup of steaming hot coffee and handed it to me. She kept that in her mane? How the? I don’t even… Screw it, it’s coffee.

I took a sip and received another shock. The coffee was exactly how I preferred. Dark French Roast with two sugars and no cream.

"It's official, you are my favorite pony. This is the best coffee I've had in years." I said to the grinning pink face that still was about a foot away from mine.

"Of course it is silly. You've been drinking that stuff they used for coffee in the other world. Eeew." Pinkie said, scrunching up her face in distaste.

"Trace made me coffee yesterday." I pointed out.

"Mine's better." Pinkie replied.

"Point for you. This is great coffee," I admitted.

I heard a mumble, and felt something move behind me. I turned over and saw that at some point last night Blitzen’s bed had been moved next to mine, and she’d been laying against my back all night.

I looked back to Pinkie to see she was holding out a card to me. The invitation to the party no doubt. I took the card from her mouth.

“Now don’t try to skip the party. You don’t want me to have to drag you there.” Pinkie told me in a joking voice as she stepped out of the room. At least I hoped she was joking.

I looked over at the sleeping pony behind me and wondered if I could actually stay in this world. Or was this friendship another one I'd have to cut short? Maybe it was best if I did. Given what was coming, it was likely a kindness.

From what I'd gathered, she'd had a hard life before I dropped into it. Would she be strong enough to deal with me leaving? Or would that be the final straw that destroyed her? Would it be better done quickly, or when cruel fate had its way?

Why was I so damned concerned anyway? We just met yesterday, we barely said anything to each other, but it felt like I was trying to tear my own heart out when I thought of leaving…

Blitzen snorted a little and opened a bloodshot eye.

"Good morning." I said, as quietly as I could.

A grunt was her eloquent response.

She looked at me for a moment as the fog of sleep started to lift from her eyes. Several emotions crossed her face too fast for me to try and figure out.

"Did we?" Her face was a mix of embarrassment and terror. "Did I..." she backed away from me and slid off the bed, taking a moment to stand on wobbling legs.

Just then, the door opened and Doctor Emerald walked in. Blitzen tried to sneak out the door as Emerald approached me, but I saw her and gave her a look that I hoped told her I wanted to talk later.

Emerald levitated the other bed back to its original place and took the monitor tabs off of me. A parcel of folded cloth he levitated to me was revealed to be the dress Rarity had made for me last night.

"Interesting," he said as he looked at the EEG readout.

"Yep, that's me. All the interesting stuff goes on in my head." I told him, “So what’s so interesting?”

Emerald levitated the printout to me, showing the oldest part with its spiky waveform.

“This is when we started to monitor you. You seem rather agitated, and not experiencing restful sleep.” He said. He then showed another part, a smoother less jagged line. "This is from when the night nurse says Miss Blitzen pushed her bed to yours and put her hoof over you."

"So that's what happened..." I said to myself.

"In light of this and similar observations from the other humans, I suggest you sleep with Miss Blitzen if she is amenable to such." Emerald told me.

After I rebooted my brain from emergency shutdown, I gave Doctor Emerald my best 'say what?' look. "I'm going to assume you just meant actual sleeping. Because to a human, that could mean I should um... have sex with her." Was my face red? It certainly felt that way.

"Ahem... Yes, I only meant sleeping. However your reaction suggests you may need to have a more detailed conversation with Miss Blitzen than I had thought." Emerald said after a moment.

I sighed deeply. "Doctor, I don't really think it matters how I sleep."

I paused to think of how to explain what I meant, covering that pause with the entertaining exercise of trying to put on the dress without getting out of bed or showing anything. Once mostly covered I did the mental shift that turned me back to my human form.

"Look I'm messed up. I may not look it now, but if you'd seen me before I came here, you'd have been horrified. I know you want to help, but I'm not sure if there's enough left of me to be helped." I said with a sigh.

Emerald was looking at me with more than a little concern. "Miss Asher..." he began.

"Doctor, if you've got a good psychiatrist on staff, I'd like to see them. I... I don't think I can deal with this on my own. In the meantime however, I need to get some air," I said as I got out of the bed and walked toward the door.

Emerald stepped in front of me, "I can't stop you, and perhaps a walk will do you some good. But please promise me you will come back later so you you can talk to the counselor."

I looked down at the floor for a minute before I spoke. "You have my word. I will come back here."

Emerald stepped out of my way and I found my way out of the hospital. I was on my own for the first time since I arrived.

I looked around Ponyville, and had to restrain myself. The part of me that was still a little girl wanted nothing more than to hug every pony I saw until I forgot about the shitshow that was my life.

However, I was sure randomly hugging strangers was not going to do much to keep ponies from thinking I'm crazy, and I did not want to go to whatever the ponies had for a looney bin.

I was just walking wherever my feet would lead me when I saw something that gave me pause. My brain tried to process what I was seeing. It was a rather large creature, like some kind of lion/bird mix. It seemed to be talking to the nurse from last night.

It spotted me and started walking towards me. I couldn't really tell with the beak, but it looked angry about something. Its hackles were raised and its tail was lashing as it held me with a piercing glare.

Oh crap, angry giant lion/bird thing walking right toward me... Don't say anything stupid. Don't say anything stupid.

"Bah-weep-Graaaaagnah wheep ni ni bong." Too late.

The creature paused for a moment in apparent confusion and said with a decidedly masculine voice, "No, I don't think I need a trombone at the moment. I just wanted to have a word with you."

I nodded, not trusting myself to say anything.

"My name is Gary. You're the new human, right? Eleanor?" He asked.

I managed to squeak out, "Maybe."

"I just wanted to point out that griffons, that's me, don't take too kindly to having others make time with our females, " he said pointing to Nurse Redheart with a what looked to be a very sharp claw, "That's her."

"I can honestly say I did not consciously intend to make time with your female. For what that's worth," I said carefully, trying not to act too frightened in case that woke some predatory instinct in him.

"But your subconscious was getting the message out loud and clear," Redheart said as she walked over to us.

"First: You should keep control of your shellcracked magics. Second: Don't mess with a griffon's mate unless you're willing to die for her," he told me. The twitching of his tail indicated he was still upset but seemed to be calming down.

"I have the charm locked down, and I promise if I'd known she was with someone even my subconscious wouldn't cross that line," I told him.

"Too bad though. I was thinking you and I could give my big strong predator a really special night," Redheart said with a saucy wink.

I was trying to figure out a diplomatic reply when suddenly our increasingly disturbing conversation was cut short by the roar of what had to be some unholy beast. The roar was followed by screams and before I even decided what to do, I was running toward the town square. Right towards the frightful noise.

I felt a shift in the air as Gary shot past me, and he reached the square first.

As I reached the town square I beheld a scene of horror. In the middle of the square was something that looked like a giant boar. Its shoulders stood a couple feet higher than my head. Its own head was at my level and so massive it seemed the creature could barely lift it. The creature had already destroyed several carts. I didn’t see Roseluck’s cart or flowers so I gave thanks that at least she likely wasn’t hurt. However I could see that others were injured.

I saw a strangely familiar orange coated mare trapped under an apple cart. Next to the cart was an unconscious mare I didn't recognize.

Gary leapt at the beast, talons extended. The beast turned its head and snorted a vile gray-green cloud. A second later, the cloud cleared revealing a new horror. The gryphon I'd just had today's most awkward conversation with had just become a stone statue. Nurse Redheart seemed just as petrified, staring at the statue of what used to be her boyfriend.

Oh gods I hope there's a way to fix that here. I don't want to think he may be dead just because he got to the creature first.

Any other ponies apparently had already fled, except two small children... Foals? Fillies? Nevermind, proper terminology could wait. The creature had the two backed up against a wall and was clearly intent on making a meal of them. The pink one whimpered and I realized I couldn’t let that happen.

Hoping I wasn’t about to end up just adding myself to the creature’s meal plans I ran and leapt between it and the children. The beast growled and tried to gore me with a tusk. Standing between the beast and the children I felt something I had never felt before: Purpose. I would not let these children be harmed.

I had a brief pang of guilt as I realized I'd destroy the dress Rarity had made for me when I transformed, but there was no other choice.

"Henshin!" I yelled. If I was gonna act like some kind of hero, I'd at least invoke the spirit of one I could kind of relate to. I heard the fillies gasp behind me as metal took the place of flesh and my clothing was torn to ribbons. I crossed my arms to block the next attack and what looked like some kind of force field covered them, deflecting the blow.

A ripple of rainbow light spread out from me, and I could see what I was going to do next in a strobing cascade of phantom images of myself. It was the anima power of the Starmetal Caste: Inevitable Fate.

First a swift jab with my right fist striking the beast's nose. "You."
Then a left hook to its jaw. "Will."
A spinning kick. "Not."
Sidestep a slashing tusk. "Harm."
Pull back my left fist. "Them!"
"Piston Driven Megaton Hammer!" I shouted as I activated the charm, sending power down my arm into what I hoped would be a knockout punch. Steam hissed from my elbow as I struck. However I'd forgotten that the charm had a drawback at the moment, and a fair amount of the force was lost as my arm detached on impact. Still I'd succeeded at slamming the monster’s head into the ground and focussing its attention on me. Which was probably not a good thing, as it spun around faster than something it's size should be able to and used its clublike tail to send me flying into a wall.

The impact knocked the wind out of me. The wall showered me with bits of plaster and dust. Feeling a bit dazed by the impact, my mind decided to focus on irrelevancies for a moment. How does getting the wind knocked out of me even work with this robotic chest?

While I was pondering this, the monster had stepped toward me, and it roared in my face. I gagged at the stench assaulting me. “Never heard of breath mints?” I choked out as I tried to breathe.

I shook my head to clear it, and saw that help had started to arrive. Trace and Twilight Sparkle were approaching from behind the monster. Seeing them I thought of a plan to stop the monster.

I jumped at the monster, narrowly avoiding the tusks and held onto its neck. I hoped my weight would slow it down and I felt that weight increase. In a moment I had the monster’s head pinned by my increased weight as my personal gravity had increased substantially. The monster’s body thrashed about, trying to throw me off its head. Trying to hold on with one arm wasn't easy, but somehow I managed.

“I can’t get a grip on it with it thrashing like that! The scales are magic resistant!" Twilight exclaimed, horn lit, obviously trying to get a hold on the monster.

Magic resistant scales certainly presented a problem. Just needed a way to hit the creature where the scales wouldn't protect it. A new plan formed. This was gonna hurt...

"Trace! I need you to cast that lightning spell at me! I'm going to conduct it past the scales." I shouted.

"What about you? Taking the brunt of a thunder spell could kill you!" He responded, as he moved into position.

“Lightning resistant frame charm, I’ll be fine.” I said, hoping he wouldn’t notice a bit of uncertainty in my voice. I didn’t know if I had that charm. Even if I did, it would only protect against natural lightning, not a directed blast.

I jammed the stump of my robotic arm into the creature's mouth.

"Now!" I yelled.

"Thunder!" Trace called out. A bolt of lightning shot from his hand to me, and my vision blurred as my body spasmed.

After a moment my vision cleared. I'd managed to maintain my hold, but the monster was now thrashing harder trying to break free of my grip. The arm in its mouth had been crushed when it bit down, but was still connected. Hurt like hell. I felt the monster starting to draw in a deep breath, likely to spit out another cloud of petrifying gas.

"Again, stronger!" I shouted.

"Eleanor, that's insane! A stronger bolt will kill you for sure!" Trace replied.

"No time! It's gonna use a breath weapon, hurry! Besides, I barely felt the last one!" I shouted back.

"Thundara!"

This time the bolt came from the sky, all one point twenty-one gigawatts of it slamming right into my chest. White fire burned through me, and I only had time for one last thought before pain tore the world away from me.

Maybe this time,
Maybe now I can rest...

Chapter 8: Parties

Throughout my travels I’ve noticed that most physical laws remained fairly consistent. Minor variations aside, dropped objects fell to the ground under the force of gravity. The atoms of my body remained intact, not flying apart or being crushed by some change in the nuclear forces.

However, some universes had new and strange laws that governed things. Bizarre physics that allowed someone to run at extreme speeds without the issues of escape velocity, friction or other matters that should have prevented their abilities. Worlds where gravity could be overridden with a word. Places where light behaved in ways that made no sense at all.

In Equestria, one of these laws was evidently that there is no avoiding Pinkie’s parties. To this day I am convinced that had I died fighting that beast, I would have found Hell covered in streamers and balloons with Pinkie waiting to give me some cake and punch and welcome me to Equestria (and then to Hell too I suppose).

I have to say I woke to the strangest party I’d ever seen. Everypony was trying to be very quiet. Dr. Emerald had an exasperated look. I had a feeling that the room had more ponies than what he would normally allow. There were a few ponies I didn't recognize, but most of the ones crowding the room were familiar. Trace and Alex were holding my tablet and discussing something in the far corner. Pinkie, of course, was front and center, reaching toward me with a party hat in her hooves.

“Good morning sleepy head! We’ve been waiting for you to wake up!” Pinkie said with her infectious grin making me smile in response.

Once the hat was in place, I scanned the room for Blitzen. I was somewhat disappointed that I didn't see her. And once again I wondered why she was so important to me.

Alrighty, time to prioritize... First: I need to figure out why I'm acting so nuts. I know getting tossed to a new world is disorienting but this is a bit much. Second: I have to figure out what the heck is going on with me and Blitzen and why I'm feeling like this. Third: … okay I have no idea what to do next. Enjoy the party?

Right now I had to deal with the party that had taken over the room. A quick mental check showed I was feeling well and, other than a missing left forearm, I had mostly recovered from fighting the monster earlier. I was in my mechanical form and wearing a hospital gown, so I figured it’d be more of a party if I got out of bed.

I’d expected I would be shaky when I stood up, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that this wasn't the case. I actually felt pretty good. I looked at the ponies in the room.

I saw Nurse Redheart talking to a green unicorn filly. I hadn't seen the filly before, but there was something familiar about her. I realized her pink mane and green coat reminded me of ‘Spect and then I saw the mark on her flank; a glyph of Old Realm script that I could tell meant something like ‘moonlight’. Her right foreleg was in a cast and she seemed to be arguing with Redheart about it.

“‘Spect? Is that you? What happened?” I asked, concerned.

“She got a scrape on her knee. I just put a bandage on it a few minutes before you woke. I have no idea how she got a cast on it,” Redheart told me.

“It hurts!!! Nopony told me being mortal would be like this. I didn't know pain would hurt like this! How do you mortals not fall apart?!” ‘Spect bawled.

“You’re mortal?” I asked, shocked. “How? Why?”

“Luna said I had to be if I wanted to stay. I didn't want to go back. So here I am, mortal for a day and already mortally wounded.” ‘Spect said sniffling.

She stayed to be with me, even going as far as to give up her immortal being? Maybe I had been too harsh with her before. Perhaps I could give her a second chance and let the past stay in the past.

“Hate to say it, but you’re going to get used to it. It just seems bad because it’s your first time feeling pain. It’s just a scrape, leave it alone and it’ll be fine.” Redheart said.

I couldn’t put off apologizing any longer, “Ms. Redheart. I’m sorry about what happened to Gary. I should have moved faster.” I said.

“He was just saying how embarrassed he was getting caught off guard like that,” Redheart said.

“He’s alright?” I was surprised; petrification was never curable in any of the worlds I’d been to.

“Annoyed with himself, but just fine. What about you? You took some pretty bad hits from that Catoblepas.” Redheart asked.

“I’m feeling great, and Catoblewhat?” I asked.

“Catoblepas, Twilight looked it up. It’s evidently from the Zebra lands. She’s looking into how it got here.” Redheart explained.

“Miss Eleanor Asher?” A mare’s voice impatiently interrupted.

The speaker was a beige coated earth pony with light blue mane done into a bun held with hairsticks. It was a style I’d always liked but managed to consistently screw up when I tried to get my hair to do it. The look her emerald eyes gave me was telling me she’d rather be somewhere else. Anywhere else. It took a moment but I recognized her as the unconscious mare that was at the fight with the Catoblewhatsit.

“Yes, that's me. Not that I suppose there would be much chance I could be mistaken for anyone else.” I said, trying to get the mare to lighten up.

“My name is Butterscotch. I work for Golden Coins. He will not be attending but he wanted me to give you these,” she said coldly as she brought out a pair of envelopes from her saddlebag.

“One letter is his, the other is from his associate Filthy Rich.” She said once I took the letters.

As she turned to leave I heard a barely audible "Thank you for saving Silver and me." I looked to her to see if I misheard, but she was already leaving and somepony more pleasant was coming my way. I set the letters on the bedside table to be read after the party.

“Hi Eleanor. I’m glad you're ok. I was worried after I heard about that fight. I know humans aren't as tough as most ponies...” Roseluck said as she stepped over to us. “Though given how different your body is I guess it isn’t as big of a problem.”

Redheart stepped away, taking ‘Spect with her. There was an odd expression on her face when she looked at me. I figured she was concerned I might be acting like I was in better shape than someone in my situation would be.

I turned back to Roseluck, “I am a lot tougher than most humans. Thankfully.” I remembered that I needed to talk to Roseluck about my rogue charm, “Roseluck, about the time we met… there’s something.”

“I heard about the... charm. I was told you shut it off and you have control of it now so I’m not upset or anything. Truth be told, I’m sure I felt an attraction to you before it affected me. Maybe I might not have been as forward without it, but I do want to get to know you better.” Roseluck said, smiling.

I took a moment to think about that. I was attractive to her? It seemed bizarre, but given the others I’ve seen I guess xenophilia is not uncommon in this world, though I probably had the strangest body in this world. What was getting me was the fact that I felt an attraction to her. In my travels I’d seen couples (and more exotic arrangements) that were unusual to say the least. My own lovers had not been human since I was thrown into this life, but they were all close enough to pass for human. These ponies were different. The differences weren’t as simple to overlook as the shape of the ears or teeth. They weren’t humanoid. And yet, I could not deny a feeling of attraction to Roseluck. (And to Blitzen for that matter.) I wasn’t sure why, and self analysis was never one of my strong points. I decided I could let it go for a while and just enjoy the party.

Somepony came to the door while I was talking to Rose. I was focused on Rose so I didn't see who it was. I was also slightly distracted by Rose’s tail swishing back and forth.

“I’d like that.” I told Roseluck. “I’m kinda waiting to find out where I’ll be staying once I’m out the hospital but maybe once that’s sorted out we could maybe have lunch or something.”

Blitzen suddenly appeared next to me. “Hello, Rose.” Her voice was icy and she was almost growling at Roseluck.

Roseluck glared at Blitzen, “What in Discord’s name are you doing here?”

Blitzen turned to face me, making a point of ignoring Roseluck. “I found us a cottage with plenty of room for us.”

Roseluck’s ears flipped back, her head lowered slightly, and one of her forehooves pawed at the floor. Her glare at Blitzen intensified and she bared her teeth in a snarl. She lowered her head further and snorted.

Blitzen started copying Roseluck and I was pretty sure I was about to get stuck in the middle of a pony catfight… ponyfight… whatever.

Suddenly Pinkie appeared between the two mares in a blast of confetti that knocked both mares to the ground.

“Silly fillies, this is a party, not a hockey game. Besides, it’s time for Ellie to open her presents.” Pinkie dragged them to chairs at opposite ends of the room in a way that seemed vaguely angry.

“Fine.” Rose snorted to herself as she got up and ran out of the room. I only saw her face briefly as she passed but it looked like she was about to cry.

I walked over to Blitzen. “What the hell was that? I’m gonna guess you two have some history.” I said with a somewhat irritated tone.

Blitzen looked down at the floor. “She and I… she was my marefriend. Before I lost my wings. It didn't… it didn't end well between us. Sorry you had to get caught in the middle like that,” she said.

I relented, “I get it. I’ve had bad breakups and awkward confrontations too. Just try to keep me out of the middle of it next time. I literally just got here and extra drama is not something I need.”

“I will,” she said quietly, ears pressed against her head.

She sat on the floor and kept looking down. I could almost feel how miserable she was at that moment. I crouched down beside her and put my arms around her, pulling her into a hug. As always, it amazed me how soft her coat was.

“I’m not mad at you. Like I said, I get it. Now there's a party here, so let’s try and enjoy it,” I told her when I let go.

Pinkie brought me the strange box that had been placed in my bag before I came to this world.

“The way my tail is twitching and my hooves are wiggly, there’s a real doozy in this box. You’ll need the grade seven Hyperion key from your omnitool charm to open that.” Pinkie said with a strange look in her eyes.

I set the box on the floor and held my hand over it. It was a bit weird trying to this with my ‘human’ hand, but until I found the other one it was all I had. I watched my index finger reshape itself to fit the odd screws on the box. However, instead of unscrewing them, a pulse of light ran down my finger, the screw vanished, and a segment of the gear logo on the box lit up with blue light.

After I undid the sixth and final screw, the light from the gear emblem rose off the box and formed a large hologram of Autochthon’s face.

“Eleanor, by now you are My Auspicious Harmonic Engineer and, knowing you, you are likely wasting time emoting about your transformation instead of accepting it and the power it gives you. Regardless, I have arranged some gifts to help make spreading My influence easier in whatever world you find yourself.” He stated.

“Oh crap, this can’t be good.” I muttered.

“First among My gifts to you is your plasma chakram. Anticipating your idiosyncrasy I have already established its name as Unbroken Circuit.” He continued.

“Second is this box; within which are supplies of the magical materials of our world that you may use to craft new wonders. Also within are small amounts of Ambrosia and Quintessence enchanted to exist outside of Yu-Shan. Use these supplies well, in My name.” I was really getting annoyed with him now... the damn brass-plated asshole. The gift may have been very useful, but every word dripped condescension. As though he thought I could have no greater purpose for the materials he mentioned other than making some tribute to his glory.

“Last among these gifts is that your heroism will not be forgotten. A day shall be set for all of creation to remember your audacious first strike against the Infernal plague that had stricken our world. You turned the tools of a nation to your purpose and made the hard choice to do what was necessary even at the cost of millions of lives. The ruins of Gem shall hold the glory of your memory for all Creation to see.” He finished as the hologram faded from view.

If I hadn't already been on the floor I think my knees would have given way as stunned as I was by his final statement.

Now you begin to see.

Millions of lives...

“What. The. Fuck?” Was all I could say as my mind shut down.

Author's Note

Thanks to the usual suspects for their help with suggestions and editing.

Regarding the items given to El,
The magical materials are:
Orichalcum - Gold refined and enhanced with solar essence
Moonsilver - Silver enhanced with lunar essence
Jade - Elementally enhanced version
Starmetal - A kind of steel made from the bodies of dead gods
Soulsteel - Steel made from the souls of the dead.

These are used in the creation of magical artifacts and weapons.

Quintessence and Ambrosia are divine materials that can be formed into superior normal materials, items, and food. Normally only found in the godcity of Yu-Shan, it dissolves in sunlight if it hasn't been turned into something else.

Apologies for how long it's been. Got hit bad with writers block and then a hand injury has made typing rather painful.

Chapter 9: Mistakes and misgivings.

Nurse Redheart knelt down to check Eleanor's pulse. After a moment, she got up. While she showed a little concern, it was clear she didn't think Eleanor was in immediate danger. "I'm getting the doctor, don't move her." She said as she galloped out of the room.

Alex gave Eleanor's crumpled form a concerned look. "It sounds like she wasn't exaggerating when she said she started a war," he said after a moment.

Trace nodded gravely, "Indeed. I think we need to ask her some questions when she wakes."

"I dunno, she looked pretty surprised by that doozy," Pinkie added.

Blitzen snorted, "That thing was lying. There's no way Eleanor did something like that!" she said, stomping a hoof to emphasize her point.

I was expecting darkness. What I got was an almost unbearable light. After a moment, the light receded, and I could see my surroundings. It looked like what I’d come to refer to as Generic Post-Apocalypse. I was in the middle of a ruined city, the buildings looking like some giant toddler had kicked them over. Here and there, greenery had overtaken concrete and steel. The asphalt street I stood on was cracked as though split in half on the lane marker. Piles of ash and rubble were everywhere. I could see bits of bleached bone in the wreckage.

I tried to feel for my perception charms and realized I couldn't sense them. I was human again—wonderful timing, as usual. At least my missing arm was whole here. And I had some clothing, a hoodie and jeans.

"You aren't human now, and you never will be again." A familiar and ominous voice spoke from behind me.

I turned, dreading what form that forbidding voice might have in a place like this. I beheld a double of myself, dressed in black with hair dyed to match and eyes like windows to an endless darkness.

I couldn't help but sigh, "Oh fuuuuck this clichéd bullshit."

"So above it all, aren't we?" My double asked, her voice dripping with malice.

"For crying out loud, can't we come up with something more original than you being a monochromatic, angsty version of me?" I demanded.

"Like hijacking an orbital kinetic weapon to annihilate a city full of people, original?" She said as she started to turn and walk around me, forcing me to turn in place to keep her in view. She gestured at the ruins around us. “Behold the marvelous and wondrous city of Gem, the fabulous jewel of the South. Gotta love what you’ve done to the place, So peaceful and quiet now.” She said, lips curling into a sneer.

-A mind in conflict-

"What in the darkest hell are you talking about?" I snarled at her.

"I'm talking about you murdering a city full of people because you thought you had no better choice! And then torturing yourself with guilt to the point where you spent more time blind drunk than sober. What the hell kind of thinking was that? Do what you have to do to survive and then kill yourself anyway?" She yelled back at me.

I was stunned. Was this true? "I didn't…"

"You did. You managed to screw yourself up to the point that Luna had to use her powers to make you little more than an animal to keep you from trying to cut yourself again."

"I… I was attacked," I recalled once waking up with wounds all over my face.

My doppelganger gave me a haughty smirk. "You gave up. That's why I'm here.” She jerked her thumb to her chest, “I'm the part of you that survives. And I still remember the lessons we learned from Vansilleth.” She tapped her left temple, ”I held on to our memories while you let our supposed allies take them from you!"

There was a flash of light, and I was back in the world I'd just left, in the chamber of the Incarna, Luna. Autochthon was there too. I knew whenever this memory had been, I couldn't have been in any condition to remember much. Not under two divine auras. But maybe my mind still recorded the memory even if I couldn't access it normally…

The hunter deity of the Moon was pacing like a tigress waiting for her prey to present an opportunity, her current form an androgynous Patrick Nagel illustration come to life, with hair and lips like liquid silver. Meanwhile, the Artificer God seemed more relaxed as he leaned against the wall.

"I cannot keep Eleanor's higher intellect submerged much longer without risking permanent harm to her mind. As well, her unique knowledge is nearly inaccessible while she's in this state." Luna explained to Autochthon.

"I agree. We need a more permanent solution to keep her from attempting to harm herself. I think we need to accept the risks of reshaping her memories and personality to a more suitable state. Dr. Bell has the required charms, and Eleanor trusts her. If her knowledge is lost in the process, we're no worse off than we are now. I will direct Evelyn to see to it." Autocthon's voice faded as the memory shifted back to the ruins.

"So that's what happened," I realized.

The black-haired me angrily shouted, spittle speckling her black lipstick, "And you let it! You're unfit to run our body. It's time to step aside and let me keep us safe." She vanished in a silent implosion of darkness.

I sighed and waited for her to come back. Instead, it was Princess Luna who appeared, stepping out of the shadow of a ruined office building.

Princess Luna was amused, "Miss Asher you seem to have gotten yourself stuck in a dreamscape. We must say you are the first of those to come to this world that We've had to help out of such difficulty." Luna tilted her head, a mixture of amusement and concern,'' There is also a rather unpleasant version of you running around claiming she is going to be the 'real Eleanor'. And then this strange creature…" as Luna continued, what looked like an android seemed to fold out of thin air. Where her face should have been was an arrangement of white metal panels surrounding a single camera lens.

I examined the lens, and suddenly, I knew that she was, somehow, a representation of the newly changed parts of myself not fully integrated into my mind. I suspected this was due to being tossed between worlds when I was being remade into an Exalted. I reached up and touched her face. As my fingertips brushed the cold metal skin, she vanished into sparkling dust that moved of its own accord to settle onto my skin and melt into me.

I knew what I had to do next.

"Thank you, Princess. Gimme a sec to deal with something." I told Luna as I mentally grabbed the world around me and pulled on it. Hard. The scenery seemed to fill with static, and I found myself facing my dark double.

She sneered at me, "You really planning to fight for control here?" Her disbelief showed clearly on her face.

"This isn't DID, you're not an Alter. You're just a subroutine who was allocated too many resources, nothing more than an anomaly of my transformation. I'll be taking those memories back." I told my other self and held out my hand.

"You can't handle them. You couldn't before. It almost killed us!" My double said, empty eyes wide.

"Maybe, but you can't either. They're tearing you up inside, like they did me. Maybe I can't handle them, but we can." I smiled, keeping my hand out. Slowly, she put her hand in mine, and like the other fragment of my mind, she dissolved at my touch, but this time into a black goo that climbed over my hand and up my arm before melting into me.

My memories whirled around me. How I had come up with the plan to destroy the city of Gem while the Infernal rulers of the world were all gathered. How I'd originally written the meeting as a way for the players to get information, but from within the world of the game it presented the single best chance to decisively strike against the Demon Emperor's chosen. Taken by surprise and overwhelming force, they couldn't bring to bear their powers or use their resources to spread more harm.

I was sick to my stomach for days, contemplating the horror of my plan and its cost in blood. And yet, not acting would have changed little in that regard. The volcano under Gem would destroy the city after the Infernal gathering, killing the same millions. Given that reincarnation was a facet of the systems of Creation, I hoped that maybe if my other plans worked out, I could petition the Gods for favored reincarnations for the people of Gem.

Then, when I'd done the deed, the bottom dropped out of my shell of rationalization. This was a modernized version of Creation, and the media were just as quick to spread images of tragedy as they were on Earth. Imagine the eruption of Vesuvius and the destruction of Pompeii in the age of the 24-hour news cycle. While the existence of the orbital weapons of An Teng was covered up, as was my hacking of said weapons, the results were everywhere I looked. Two and half million dead, while most had gone swiftly in the firestorm loosed when a twenty-kilo tungsten rod hit the volcano at a significant fraction of the speed of light, there were those just outside who lingered a little longer.

Seeing the dead and dying, knowing I was responsible, was more than I could bear. I kept on with my plans, contacted Dr. Evelyn Bell to help in freeing the imprisoned Incarna, and gave useful information to the followers of the Incarna. I helped free Luna and then Autochthon.

But the whole time I was doing those things, I was falling apart, drinking heavily and doing whatever drugs would chase away the ghosts that haunted me. At my lowest, I was even resorting to hurting myself more and more viciously as if there were some punishment I could inflict on myself that could assuage my guilt.

In the end, my allies resorted to extreme measures to keep me from being lost as a useful asset to their cause. First, Luna used her power to put me in an animalistic state where I wouldn't care about anything more than the very basics of survival. When that was no longer viable, Autochthon arranged for my trusted friend Evelyn to use her personality override spike charm. The person I trusted most in that world ripped out my memories and wrote 'safe' new ones. She also reinforced my loyalty to their cause and likely only refrained from completely rewriting me because Autocthon's plan to transform me wouldn't work if my mind were too altered.

Even as these memories forced their way back into me, I knew I'd bear them. I had to. Giving up was no longer an acceptable option for me.

After what seemed like forever dealing with the recovered memories, I came back to the section of the ruins where Princess Luna was waiting. She regarded me with a look of pity.

"Saw that, huh?" I asked her.

"We did. You are not the only one who has done something they regret, Miss Asher. Though the way is surely difficult, I hope you can eventually forgive yourself." Luna said softly.

"Maybe. Or I can kick reason to the curb and find some way to fix what I did. I'm not a helpless mortal anymore, after all." I looked around the fallen cityscape. "Um, how do I wake up?"

"Now that you aren't holding yourself here, just wipe away this dreary wreckage and wake up." The lunar diarch explained.

"Got it. Time to wake up and face the music." I told the Princess and wiped away the dreamscape.

I opened my eyes to the sight of brass, the business end of a horn almost touching my face. Raucous music pushed me back with sheer sonic force. I saw Pinkie in the one pony band setup I recalled from an episode of the show and wondered how long I'd been out. Couldn't have been too long as everybody else in the room looked the same as they had before I passed out. I had to have been out for a little time, since Doctor Emerald was standing next to me. Also, the party banner now read, "Happy getting your deleted memories back!"

"How the? No. I'm just gonna file that under 'not gonna think about it'." I said as I stood up.

"So…" I started, looking to the floor as though I expected my feet to provide some inspiration as to how to explain what everyone had heard. "What Autocthon said… was true. I just didn't know because my memory had been altered before I was changed. Evidently, I'm a bigger mess than I thought, and that was kinda what broke me, back in their world. I'll spare you any excuses for what I did, and I completely understand if you want me to leave town."

I looked at the ponies first. 'Spect, of course, seemed unsurprised by the news. Given her history, she'd probably seen greater atrocities than what I'd done. Assuming she hadn't actively participated in said atrocities.

Oddly, Pinkie Pie also seemed unsurprised. Or maybe not so oddly, given she seemed to have unexpected knowledge at times.

I think she’s smarter than on the show. Strike that, I know she is.

Blitzen was clearly shocked and seemed to be dealing with some internal struggle. After a moment, she resolved it and gave me an oddly determined look that promised we'd have a further discussion later.

Nurse Redheart had looked horrified but quickly covered it with a coolly professional demeanor.

Doctor Emerald just seemed concerned about how this was affecting me. Which made sense given I was his patient.

I looked up to get a read on how Alex and Trace were handling the revelation that I was a mass murderer. One on a scale usually reserved for rulers of nations.

Alex looked sad. Not angry or even upset in the way I would have expected him to be. Did he pity me? That would be worse.

Trace looked calm as if he had taken in the information, cataloged it, and left it for later. His expression was aggressively neutral.

Finally, in the shocked silence, Alex stepped towards me. I let him put his arms around my shoulders. “We’re here for you, Eleanor. All of us.”

"Yeah, me too, whatever it is. I just got here," came the voice of Rainbow Dash as she flew and hugged me.

"You're late, Dashie!" Pinkie sang before joining the hug.

Blitzen and 'Spect found spots at my sides and joined in as well.

My only regret at that moment was not having arms long enough to hug that many ponies at once, especially given my missing left forearm. I did try, though.

"I think I need some time to myself, to think. I've just gotten these memories back, and as disturbing as they were to hear about, they're far worse to actually have experienced. I need to process some of it. Plus I kinda wanna find out what happened to my missing arm. Somebody, please tell me I don't have to dig it out of catoplewhatsit poop." I groaned at the thought. The idea was especially worrisome given that my more mechanical bits seemed to be designed with all kinds of openings and other detailing that just looked like a real chore to clean out. I had no clue what would happen if I shifted to human form with something inside me, but I didn't want to find out.

"I don't know what became of your arm, but the cottage I found should be a good place for you to take a break and process everything." Blitzen offered.

"Arm first, don't want someone thinking it's some kind of weapon. If word of today gets out, and it surely will, my arm will probably get smuggled out of town or locked away. I don't mind losing my stuff, but I gotta draw the line at body parts." I pointed out, waving what remained of my left arm for emphasis.

"Don't worry about that. Twi had us out looking for your arm after you beat that Catoblethingie. I was coming here to tell you somepony should be here with your arm any minute now." Rainbow Dash announced.

A pinto mare, short even by pony standards, entered the room and walked up to me. I was a little disappointed to see that she didn't have my arm.

Thanks to my omnidirectional vision charm. I saw Alex mumble something and between lipreading and what little my hearing picked up I could make out: “What is Paper Shuffler doing here? Shouldn’t she be at the Mayor’s office?”

Without a word, and maybe a bit of a glare, Paper Shuffler hoofed me a scroll, then turned around and departed. The scroll was covered in fancy seals. I read it and absentmindedly spoke the worst part of the scroll out loud, “Not welcome in Ponyville.”

"You'd think I'd stop being surprised by now," I sighed and put on my best-lopsided grin. "I'll have you know, I've been thrown out of far larger towns than this. And where's the 'or else' clause? I mean, what happens if I don't haul my no-good carcass over the town border by sundown?"

A haughty voice spoke up, “Or else, the Royal Guard will be called to evict you."

"I see. Much as part of me wants to say 'bring em on', that's just the part that likes to do things like fight monsters with nothing but bare knuckles and attitude. Not exactly useful in circumstances like this. I'll comply with a lawful order. Probably better for all if I'm not around ponies anyway," I tried not to sniffle as I held back tears.

Alex turned towards the new guy, and whispered sharply, “‘Not Welcome In Ponyville’? What the hell kind of game are you playing, Coins? Don’t you think she’s already been through the wringer?”

Coins gazed haughtily at Alex, “My ‘game’ is with you, not her. I am in her debt, and I shall endeavour to reverse this travesty. Nevertheless, I am only one vote in five. However, there is good news. It was only three in favour of removing Miss Asher from our fair town. I believe Berry Punch could be convinced to change her vote. Give me time.”

Alex spoke loudly enough I could hear him clearly, even without the charm. “She doesn’t have time! We need to fix this now!” He snapped his fingers and pointed at Coins, “Let me talk to the council. Maybe I can convince them to—”

Golden Coins stretched his neck up as close as he could to Alex’s face, “No. Your status as a Paladin has insulated you from the political dynamics involved. This is my area of strength. Let your stupid monkey ego drop this. Please.”

Alex seemed to consider what Coins was saying. “Alright. This is your show. How can I help?.”

Coins gave Alex a superior smirk, “You can help by getting out of my way. Do not be involved, I believe it would only make it worse.”

Blitzen was lost in thought, and then her ears perked up. "The cottage I found is pretty far away from town, almost at Froggy Bottom Bog. Does it still count as part of Ponyville?"

Coins’ smile grew, “Oh my. That is just out of our jurisdiction—such a shame. I suppose the ordinance is completely invalid. It will be my sad duty to inform the other councilors.” He turned to Alex, “Happy to resolve your problem, Paladin.”

"There is the matter of my not being able to come into town. Would you be able to have Berry Punch visit me at the cottage? Maybe if she sees I'm not a rabid monster, she might reconsider her vote." I asked Coins.

The pony became serious, “Yes. Quite astute. Berry Punch is a reasonable mare. Once she sees you as the hero you are, I’m sure she will change her mind. By Luna’s mane, this will work.” When I focused on Alex again, I could see his demeanor had changed. He had that confident little smile again. My gods, it was infuriating.

Alex suddenly clapped Coins on the shoulder, “Good work. I’ll make sure the Princess knows your involvement.” His eyes focused on me, “Now, El? Would you like a coffee, or tea or something? I was going to get one at the cafeteria.”

I was a little confused, but I appreciated the thought. “Uh, a coffee, I guess.”

He nodded at me with that damn smile, “Mister Coins? Care to join me?”

Coins looked resigned. “Yes, Paladin. I suppose this is my penance for a step in my redemption?”

He chuckled, “Nope, I owe you one, and it will start with a coffee.”

They left the room while Alex chatted in a friendly tone with Coins. Coins did not seem happy about the situation.

Were Alex and Coins friends? Enemies? Frenemies? This was getting confusing.

The next few minutes blurred into a big mess of ponies all talking. I had trouble following all the conversations happening, even the ones directed at me.

Since my hospital room was evidently Grand Central Station, yet another new pony arrived. A somewhat rough and tumble looking red pegasus mare with an unruly brown mane and tail, carrying my arm in her mouth. I smiled and tried to beckon her over. The sight of my hand flopping around at the end of the arm in the mare's mouth reminded me that I needed to use my right hand for that sort of thing.

The mare stepped over, and I took back my limb, reattaching it with a satisfying pop.

I noticed Rainbow Dash’s ears swiveling toward the pony with my arm, then in a swift action, she dropped to what I learned is a pony combat stance, her wings erect. She shouted, “What the buck are you doing here, Bramble!?”

The whole room went quiet.

Bramble’s expression became hard, “Oh, Rainbow Crash. Sorry, I mean Dash. How’s life as a foalnapper? I hope you’re treating my little Scootaloo-loo alright.”

“Better than you ever did.” She turned to me, obviously angry, “Don’t trust her, El. She’s a chaos cultist.”

“Ex-cultist!”

“Yeah, right. Get out of here before I put you down like I put Discord down. And if you ever come near Scootaloo again-”

“You’ll what? Send a letter to the Princess? Tattle on me? Please. We both know the only reason you have her is because you’re an element, and he’s a paladin. The adoption board never approved the adoption. I mean, who would? We both know Thorn and I never stood a chance of getting her back.” She theatrically sniffed back a tear, “Now, if you’ll excuse me—”

"Whoa!" I exclaimed as I stepped between the two ponies. "Look, I'm clearly missing a whole bunch of drama that went down before I got here, but if I can ask a favor? Someone brings me back my missing body parts, they're gonna get a pass from me, at least as long as they don't try anything. Can we respect that for at least the next twenty minutes? And Miss… Bramble? Thank you for bringing my arm."

Dash looked up at me, relaxing slightly. “Fine. Just, be careful, El. That’s all I’m saying.” She seemed to collect herself and walked to the other end of the room.

Bramble just had this manic expression, like she just won the lottery. Should I be worried? Naw. It’s just overblown drama, and Dash is a bit of a hothead. That explains things, right?

"So, ex-chaos cultist? What's that like?" I asked Bramble with what I hoped was a friendly grin.

"Not great. Made a mistake and nopony can ever let it go," Bramble sighed dramatically. "That's why I do what I can to help out, so maybe somepony will realize that I'm not like that anymore. How's the arm? I've never seen anything like it."

"It's good, I'm left handed so being without it was really throwing me off. The arm being detachable is a really new experience for me," I said as I displayed my reattached arm for her.

"Oh no! That must have been terrible. I'm so glad I was able to find it for you." Bramble gave me a look filled with exaggerated concern. I could see some calculations playing behind her eyes and I waited for her to ask for something in return for her help.

"And now you've gotta leave town after all you did. Doesn't seem fair." The sly look she was giving told me she was expecting me to rail against the unfairness of it all.

"Miss Bramble…" I started to say.

"Mrs. Bramble Roller, but just call me Bramble," she interjected.

"Got it. Bramble… Bramble, where does a three hundred pound Alchemical Exalted sit?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" Bramble's confusion was written across her face.

"Anywhere I want to. I doubt there's much here that could move me if I wanted to stay in town. But the thing is, there's a responsibility that comes with that. And that responsibility is why I can't just dig my heels and fight city hall. I've gotta do things the right way. Which means they get to win this round." I said gently.

"I don't understand." Bramble said.

"Think about why you left the Chaos cult, maybe it'll make sense. Anyhow, I should go. The arm was all I was waiting on before I left the town. Thanks again for that," I said, standing up.

"Maybe I'll come visit you out at the cottage. It's the old Dunkle place, right?" Bramble looked over toward Blitzen.

"Yeah. That's the one." Blitzen said slowly, "But give us a day or two to get the place cleaned up before dropping by." I got the feeling she didn't trust Bramble but clearly she wasn't as hostile toward her as Rainbow Dash was.

"Shall we go?" I asked Blitzen, while I looked around for 'Spect. The room was a little emptier, Trace and Dr. Emerald must have left during my conversation with Bramble.

Blitzen nodded, and we collected my bag, found 'Spect, and headed out of the hospital. Ponies seemed to be giving us a wide berth, going inside and closing doors and windows as we walked past. Fortunately the hospital was near to the edge of town and it was maybe an hour's walk to the cottage.

The cottage was nestled in the middle of the woods, just outside the ominous Everfree forest. I made note of a patch of pretty blue flowers and a small river as we walked. The only animals we saw were the usual birds and squirrels I'd have expected from this kind of forest.

When we got close to the cottage I could see that Blitzen had not been kidding about needing to clean. I saw a window that would need cracked glass replaced, cobwebs that needed to be cleared and moss on the roof that would have to be dealt with. Despite that, I felt something unexpected as I looked at this modest little cottage with Blitzen and 'Spect at my side. A feeling that maybe after all these years I'd finally come home.

Author's Note

Once again thanks to my friends who've helped with edits, suggestions and whole sections of this. Techogre, Marvelous Cheshire and the rest of the memverse group.

I know it's been a long time, and I'm sorry, real life has been a non-stop rollercoaster of changing jobs, dealing with injuries and depression, among other things.

Chapter 10: Housecleaning

The day after getting mauled by a monster and taking two lightning bolts to the chest is not the most ideal day to have a mental breakdown and then spend an hour trudging into exile. Whatever was sustaining me in the hospital room and on the trek here had run out. I wanted to stop, but it was my fault Blitzen and 'Spect were here. I couldn't let them see me falter.

Thankfully, most of my injuries were to my arms and upper back. If my legs had hurt even half as much as my arm did, I don't think I could have taken another step. I cursed myself for not asking for a painkiller prescription before I left the hospital.

I was looking forward to checking out the cottage and finding out if it had a bed or even a carpet to lie down on. I felt a slight foreboding when I realized that this house must have been without a tenant for a very long time. I watched Blitzen struggle to pull the door open, the rusty hinges protesting as she forced them to open.

One look at the inside of the cottage made it clear we couldn't stay there without some major cleaning and more repairs than I could do before dark. Cobwebs were everywhere, and the wood flooring looked rotted in some places. There was a tattered rug on the floor, but saying it had seen better days was generous. What furniture I could see was in disarray. Quite a bit was broken.

"Blitzen, I don't think we're gonna be able to sleep here." I sighed and waved my hand around to indicate the interior of our new home. “I don’t think anyone has lived here in a very long time, and we’re gonna have to do some serious cleaning.”

Blitzen’s expression became worried, “But with you barred from Ponyville, where will we go?”

“I saw a clearing on the way here. I can make us a temporary shelter there. Something we can stay in till this place is cleaned up," I tapped my soul gem. "I've got a spell that should be perfect." Never mind that I only just found out I had it.

"And tomorrow, we can get started making the place homey. This house has a great structure, and somebody put real work into it when they built it. The carved doorways alone will be just gorgeous with a little polish." I continued as I ran my fingers over the intricate carving.

"I'm actually kind of sad to see this house in such poor repair. From what I recall, ol' Dunkle was a renowned craftsdonkey, and he built the place with his own hooves. After… I'd considered this cottage, but I was just not in the right place in my life. Now, it's perfect for us, or will be when we clean it up."

In the cooling early evening, I stood at the edge of the clearing, looking out over the meadow. Blitzen looked up at me, a confused expression on her face. Meanwhile 'Spect was eagerly waiting to see what I would do. I pulled out my glasses and put them on to try and cover how nervous I was. There was a tingle in my eyes as they reshaped themselves to accommodate my prescription.

"This is my first time doing this, so don't expect too much." I reviewed the spell floating in my mind's eye, the mystical symbols resolving in turn, clear as day. I knew it should be beyond me as a freshly minted Alchemical Exalted, but I'd already committed to trying. "If it works, we should be more comfortable than we would be with whatever ate the carpet in the cottage."

I felt the soul gem on my forehead grow warm as I concentrated on moving my essence. I realized I could actually feel the separate motes both inside me and around me as I called them into my soul gem. I reached up and pulled forth a ball of softly glowing blue energy from my soul gem. As I moved it around in my hands, the blue faded to white. The glyphs from the language of the Old Realm started shaping themselves in the energy ball as I moulded it into a shining orchid. Blitzen watched wide-eyed as I set the orchid on the ground.

I whispered a word that I could not repeat here. My mind can only hold it while I shape the spell, and without the magic, it's somehow just out of reach. I know the word somehow meant shelter, food, and place of the gods all at once. That's as close as I could come to understanding it with my conscious mind.

[Eleanor's sorcery calls forth her anima]

As that word echoed across the meadow, a carpet of luminous white orchids spread and began to grow. As they grew, they formed walls and rooms, towers and pillars, windows and balconies. Shining gold formed along the edges, and the structure solidified into a palace, the like of which might be found in dreams.

When I let go of the spell, I felt exhaustion push me down to my knees. Next to me, I saw Blitzen looking at me with awe and more than a little fear.

Seeing her fear pierced me through the heart. "It looks more impressive than it is, really," I said, trying to get her to stop looking at me like that. With a savage mental twist, I banished my charms. I figured I'd take the pain of being human with my injuries rather than see her fear me.

In retrospect, changing to an ordinary human was possibly one of the dumber things I'd done since arriving in this world. I'd survived the Catoblepas solely because of my powers, and even enhanced healing takes time. I barely kept myself from crying out as a new wave of agony ripped through me. My chest was burnt, the fern-like pattern known as the Lichtenberg figure raw red on my skin where it wasn't bruised. I could feel at least a couple of cracked ribs pulsing with pain every time I took a breath. And my left arm just dangled, unresponsive, other than slight twitches from my ruined elbow. I wanted to pass out from the pain, but I gritted my teeth and held onto consciousness.

At least Blitzen wasn't looking at me with fear in her eyes anymore. And with the sunlight nearly gone, she couldn't see how hurt I was. I gave a weak grin, "Come on, let's get inside. I wanna see what it looks like."

I stood up and awkwardly opened the door with my right hand. The palace looked dreamlike from the outside, and the inside was equally marvellous. Gilded columns lined the entry hall, with statues of heroic-looking figures between them. The floor was marble with a gold inlay. Ahead of us lay a massive set of golden doors. Softly glowing flowers on the columns lit the hall. I saw smaller doors set in the sides of the hall, and from what I recalled, they would lead to bedrooms.

"El… this is… the last time I saw something like this was when I visited the palace at Canterlot," Blitzen looked around in amazement.

'Spect voice echoed in the vast hall as she spoke to me, "Do you really think she's not gonna notice that you look worse than the time I nearly killed you with the giant hammer?" .

Blitzen gave me a shocked look, and I heard her gasp. "Celestia's wings, Eleanor! We need to get you to bed. I knew we shouldn't have left the hospital…" She stepped closer so I could lean against her, which I very carefully did as we walked towards the bedrooms. She took my bag in her mouth.

"No… it's my own stupid fault. I… you were scared… of me. Scared of my powers… I wanted them gone. Turns out they were keeping me from feeling the worst of it. I can call them back in the morning." I said, trying to ignore the pain in my ribs.

"Oh, Eleanor… You're right. I was scared. Making this,” her hoof indicated the vast room around us, “it's like something out of a tale of Starswirl the Bearded. I was scared because why would you need a broken pegasus around when you can do something like this?" I cringed inwardly, hearing the pain in Blitzen's voice.

I stopped in mid stride, "Ok… we need to talk, seriously talk… when I'm not suffering the effects of my own stupidity. But the mare that didn't panic when an alien landed in her living room, who did everything right that night and who has stayed with me after everything the last couple of days could throw at us, is not broken. It's just you, me and 'Spect here. Nobody, nopony else around to get in the way while we talk." Also, nobody to give me an excuse to avoid this. For cripes sake, Eleanor, you punched a Catoblepas in the face. You can have a real conversation with the mare you're going to be living with.

No, I should be honest with myself here. The mare who is letting my unemployed, banished from town, mass murdering ass live with her. I'm starting to wonder what god she pissed off that she got stuck with my bullshit. If I were any kind of decent person, I'd leave before she got hurt being around me.

And yet, for all my internal protests that I should leave, I couldn't bring myself to go. I was a mess, but one Blitzen seemed willing to take into her life. I couldn't just reject her generosity like that.

We made it to the first bedroom in the hall, and it was as luxurious and opulent as expected. I would have paused to take it all in, but Blitzen clearly wanted me to lie down. I winced a little as I got into the bed, but it was amazingly soft. The sheets were softly scented with lavender.

Blitzen set my bag in a chair. "You stay in that bed, Eleanor. I don't want you hurting yourself any worse before you can change back," Blitzen's tone was stern, but her ears betrayed her worry for my well-being, dipping forward and down. "Now, is there any food here?" She asked.

I nodded, "There should be a kitchen and pantry at the end of this hall if I remember the design right."

Blitzen set a hoof by my hand, lightly touching my fingers. "I'll go get us something to eat. You and 'Spect wait here."

‘Spect's smile disappeared as soon as Blitzen left the room. She berated me in a harsh whisper, "Don't glare at me. You're like a walking bruise where you're not burnt. What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking I didn't want Blitzen to be scared of me." I replied with a bit more of a petulant tone than I'd intended.

‘Spect reasonably explained, "You summoned an Ivory Orchid Pavilion. A palace fit for gods with supplies for hundreds to dwell in luxury. Did you think she'd be unmoved?"

"'Y'know what, if we're gonna go over uncomfortable topics, why the hell are you mortal?" I demanded.

My query was met with 'Spect snapping her mouth shut and turning the chair to face the wall.

"Fine, awkward silence it is then." I sighed.

'Spect piped up in a serious tone, "Y'know, I'm thousands of years older than you. Thousands of years being the exact same thing, and it would have been thousands more to come. I got a chance to rewrite my story, so I took it. Besides, I kinda like you, you big dope. You got a raw deal and had to do something that broke you, but you held on till you'd done everything you could to save my world before you let yourself fall apart, and you tried to keep helping even then. Now drop it. Let me be a silly filly, k?"

Blitzen came back with a basket with some fruit and what looked like the makings for some salad. She set the basket on the bed and hopped up next to me. 'Spect climbed out of the chair and onto the bed. Even with me and two ponies, the bed still had plenty of space. I carefully sat up, propping myself up with the pillows. Blitzen took some bowls out of the basket, and I leaned forward to help, only to be stopped by her hoof gently touching what had to be the only uninjured part of my chest.

"Eleanor. El, please. Let me serve the salad. You've done enough for one day. You're hurt. Relax," she said gently.

Blitzen served the salad and we ate. I realized around the third bowl that I had not been taking care of myself very well. I was running off caffeine and magic, and that wasn't going to work. I could almost hear Dr. Emerald admonishing me for neglecting my health in such a way.

Blitzen was looking at me with gentle concern shining in her eyes. "Eleanor, I know we don't really know each other yet, but is this going to be a thing with you? Throwing yourself into danger, getting hurt, and not taking care of yourself?"

I let out a slow sigh. "The first two? Probably. The way Exaltation works, I doubt I'd have survived the process if there weren't some spark of heroism in me. Likely buried in some deep forgotten corner, stuffed in between the psychic couch cushions like loose change. I will try to take better care of myself. Everything's just been hectic these last couple days."

Blitzen grinned. "That's one way of putting it. I just wish it hadn't gotten you so badly hurt."

I grimaced. "Same here. At least I should be fine in about twenty days or so, enhanced healing and all. Just can't push myself too much."

"And you won't push yourself. Not if I have anything to say about it" Blitzen said in a firm tone, and then her expression softened. "Did anypony tell you what happened to me? To my wings?"

I shook my head. "No, I knew something happened but I figured it'd be best to hear it from you."

Blitzen nodded and her eyes shimmered with remembered pain. "I was working with the weather team when a massive thunderstorm blew out of the Everfree."

"This was before Rainbow Dash moved to Ponyville, she probably would have handled it in ten seconds flat." She continued with a faraway look on her face as though she were watching it happen in her mind. "It took us a bit longer. We had it almost contained when I got hit with a stray bolt of lightning."

She paused, eyes closed, and steeled herself to tell the rest. "I fell, and by the time my head cleared, I'd been caught up in a gust of wind from the collapsing storm. It tossed me into the Everfree and I landed hard. It took a day and a half for anypony to find me and by the time they did there was nothing the doctors could do for my wings. I'd broken a few other bones and I was in the hospital for months because I was stubborn and I kept pushing myself, acting like I was alright. All I was doing was making things worse."

She placed a hoof gently on my hand. "Eleanor, if you've got magic super-healing, let it heal you. Don't just keep hurting yourself trying to pretend you're not hurt."

I could hear in her voice that losing her wings still haunted her. I could imagine it must have been horrific, being badly hurt, unable to move, and stuck in a dangerous wilderness. And here she was worried about me of all people.

"I'll take it easy and let the healing work. Light cleaning only for the next day or so. Should be able to do more after that." I told her.

I woke to the sound of someone knocking at the door. By some brilliantly annoying acoustic property of the pavilion's design, the sound of a knock at the front door could be heard in my room as easily as if I were at the door myself. I dragged myself out of bed, leaving Blitzen grumbling in her sleep as I limped my way to the room’s entrance.

Getting out of bed was far more painful than I liked, and I wasted no time returning to my Exalted form. The relief of being able to breathe without pain was almost euphoric, but then I remembered there was someone at my door, and I needed coffee. I grabbed a spare sheet and wrapped it around me as a makeshift toga.

Bleary-eyed and bedheaded, I went to the door. Opening it revealed a small herd of ponies. Alex, holding a large casserole dish, and Trace, with a large basket were also there, but the colorful herd captured what little attention I had at the moment. I recognized Rainbow Dash and Twilight. I was surprised to see Rarity with them after my mishap with the Thousandfold Courtesan Calculations charm.

[Eleanor answers the door]

I was pretty sure the yellow one with the pink mane was Fluttershy. I remembered that on the show she was mostly quiet and meek unless provoked. I wasn't sure if that held true here, but I resolved to try to avoid upsetting her. The only other one I thought I recognized was a mare with a light plum colored coat and two-toned pink mane. Even with my trained memory the recollection was hazy. I seemed to recall she was a schoolteacher and her name was Cheerful? No. Cheerilee.

The others I didn't recognize, a light brown stallion with a darker brown mane and tail, and hovering close to him a gray pegasus mare with blonde mane and tail.

"We came to help with fixing up your cottage. What is this?" Twilight asked as she indicated my conjured palace.

"Temporary shelter. Ivory Orchid Pavilion spell." I croaked out, my throat clearly a bit hoarse from snoring last night.

I realized I wasn't being properly hospitable. Temporary though this may be, the pavilion was mine. The first dwelling of my own I'd had in a long time. These were guests at my door. I cleared my throat and waved a hand to forestall further questions for a moment and spoke the oath of hospitality that Cupyri taught me. "Be ye welcome to my home and hearth, by the sacred laws of hospitality. So long as ye harbor no ill toward any under my roof, my strong arm shall shield ye. Ye shall drink of my wine and share the bread of my table, so mote it be."

The ponies seemed shocked and even embarrassed. What had I said wrong? I ran the oath through my head and couldn't understand. I'd said the words perfectly as I remembered them.

Alex stepped towards me and said in a quiet voice, "Eleanor, this is one of those cultural differences we hadn't gotten to. Offering bread to a pony is an invitation to be intimate." He looked about as embarrassed to be in the position of telling me this as I found myself to be, hearing it.

I put my hand to my face to cover the blush I could feel rising in my cheeks, "Haven't had coffee yet. Can we forget the part where I inadvertently propositioned everypony? Great."

"At this point, I think it's a tradition for every human to make that mistake. Welcome to the club, sport." Alex said jovially. He raised the dish with a smile, “I hope you like eggplant.”

I looked between my fingers and saw that most of the ponies seemed relieved. Cheerilee looked a little disappointed, though. I was beginning to get the sense that for as weird-looking as I had to be to them, there must be something about me that some mares found attractive. Even without the charm debacle, the reactions were too frequent to be merely coincidence.

No. Not thinking about that without coffee. Gah, now I have Van Halen's Hot for Teacher playing in my head. Why does my brain hate me?

I opened the doors and motioned for everyone to come in, grinning a little at their amazed expressions as they saw the interior of the pavilion. As the ponies walked past, I caught myself staring at Cheerilee.

Oh gods, did I just check out her flank? ... yep. That's what I was doing. The pile in the "don't wanna think about it" section of my mind is getting out of hand.

A quick glance at Cheerilee told me she'd seen me staring at me. Our eyes met for a split second. She noticed that I noticed. Her reaction was surprising. Instead of looking away embarrassed or something, she smiled and winked.

I began to get the sense that trying not to think about what I was feeling wasn't going to work for much longer.

"Ok, I'm gonna try doing the good host thing. But first, I need coffee." I said as I started walking to the kitchen. A quick search of the pantry revealed that I clearly wasn't awake enough for this. I found a sack of the toxic nuggets from the world I was on before this one. The nuggets were meant to be fed to a specially bred lizard that would process the toxins and secrete a supposedly drinkable caffeinated liquid. Two problems presented themselves. One is that I don't have such a lizard, nor were they likely to be found in this world. The second problem is that I'd sooner die of thirst than drink that awful stuff ever again. I took the sack and found a garbage bin to chuck it into.

"So… no coffee. Is it too early for wine?" I asked the room.

Alex turned to Rainbow Dash, "Dash, sweetheart, I think our friend needs a little liquid sunshine."

Rainbow Dash just said, "Got it!" And in a flash, she was gone. It couldn't have been even two minutes later when she brought a carrier with several cups of coffee. She set the carrier on the counter and held out a coffee to me. "Good thing Mrs Cake always has a pot going. Here ya go, El."

I flashed her a grateful look, "Thank you, I owe you one."

"I'll have to catch you later on that. Need to go help the weather team get the clouds ready for winter. See ya later, don't let Alex work too hard." Rainbow Dash said as she left as quickly as she'd arrived.

If I hadn't just dealt with a world where a whole contingent of gods handled the weather I'd probably find it weird that weather was a job like any other.

As I sat and sipped my coffee, Rarity sat down across the table from me.

Her blue eyes caught mine, "You seemed surprised to see me earlier."

I looked down at my coffee. "I thought you were mad at me."

Rarity made a small sigh, "More embarrassed at my own reaction than angry with you, darling. You didn't mean to use your magic after all. And let us just say you have a certain allure even without your magic."

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm starting to get that. It's… not what I'm used to. I don't know how much you know about my homeworld's culture, but on a scale from one to ten, at my best, I'm a four or five. People usually just don't notice me like that."

"I can assure you that will not be the case here, especially once I see to your wardrobe." Rarity said firmly. "Speaking of which," a wrapped package levitated out of her saddlebag and onto the table in front of me.

I undid the ribbon and opened the package. I was not ready for what was inside. It was my sweater, the one shredded when I transformed on the train to Ponyville. I carefully lifted it from the wrapping. There were some slight differences in the embroidery, but it was a nearly perfect replica of the one I'd destroyed. I felt tears welling up as I held up the gift.

"Rarity… I don't know what to say. Thank you so much!" I said, tears running down my face as I smiled.

She waited while I regained my composure before replying. "Yes, well, when you told me your clothes had been destroyed, I asked the others if they remembered what they looked like and tried to remake the items from their description. I gather I succeeded?"

I looked at the wrapping paper and saw that she'd remade my shorts as well. My tears threatened to return. "They're perfect. I can't believe you went to such trouble."

Rarity sniffed. "Nonsense, it was no trouble at all. I just could not bear thinking of how you must have felt losing your clothes on your first day in a strange new world."

I remembered I had something for Rarity. "Oh! I have starmetal now. I want to use a piece for a small magical gift, but the rest is for you. If you want me to shape it into your designs, just let me know."

"Wasn't that something you needed?" Asked Rarity.

I smiled. "Autochthon wanted me to make artifacts and weapons with it. Frankly, it would be put to far better use decorating your lovely creations."

Blitzen trotted into the kitchen, grabbed a coffee and flashed me a smile that made my heart sing. "I probably should have told you to expect this. Every time somepony moves into a place that's been vacant for more than a couple years, anypony not busy comes to help clean the place up. And my friends… Well, I should go see if we are still friends, I suppose. I was kind of a nag for the last few years." Blitzen sighed. "Also, 'Spect told me you may feel better in this form, but you still need to heal, so don't push yourself. Light cleaning only."

I nodded. "That's my plan. Especially since we have more help than I was expecting."

As Blitzen went to talk to her friends, I noticed Twilight Sparkle had trotted up behind me.

I finished my coffee and greeted her. "Morning, Twilight. I've had coffee so I can answer some questions now. Though if it's about this place, I just cast a spell someone else wrote a long time ago."

"You raised this with a single spell?" Twilight asked, amazed.

I raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, wait till you see the mess in that cottage. I just couldn't make Blitzen or 'Spect sleep in that."

"But how many blaaneras did you expend to make this? Even as a temporary structure, it must have required an extraordinary amount of magical energy." Twilight asked as she levitated a quill and scroll out of her saddlebag.

"About twenty motes of essence and a fair amount of concentration to force it into being. Anyway, it's not as impressive as it seems. The spell is pretty fixed in what it does. I can't alter it, not even a little." Which I dearly would have loved to do as the palace was not only overkill for a temporary shelter, it was gaudy, tastelessly extravagant overkill.

"Twenty 'motes'." Twilight mumbled as she wrote something down on her scroll. "And how many motes do you normally have?"

I thought about it for a moment and checked my new sense for magic. "Forty-five, plus thirteen committed to my charms. And can I just say it is really weird being able to not only sense this energy in and around me, but to be able to quantify it as well?"

She nodded at that. "I imagine it would be, given that humans generally don't use magic. Given the structure and the limitations you mentioned, on the Starswirl Power Scale, I'd estimate you at around one kilo-blaaneras. However, you don't seem to have the versatility expected from a unicorn with that power."

I was curious about this power scale she mentioned. "So, what level are you? You have to be up there. Fifteen hundred? Two thousand? I mean, you teleport all over the place!"

"Oh, my goodness, no. I'm just at 127.684 blaaneras of raw power."

I blinked slowly. "Hold on. You mean to tell me I'm packing eight times more power than Twilight Sparkle? The freaking element of Magic?"

She shrugged, "I'm just good at creating and optimizing spells. I'm just a boring old unicorn."

"I cannot even imagine a boring unicorn. You most certainly do not fit that description. Anyway, what is the average for unicorns?

She replied sheepishly, "Five-ish."

I grimaced. "Twilight, I'm sorry."

"For what?" She asked.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to keep my voice level as I struggled with the idea of having nearly two-hundred times more magical power than most unicorns. "I'm sorry for not saying the stream of profanity running through my head. I know you are a grown mare, and that you're not a cartoon character, but I see your face, and I just can't say certain things. But feel free to imagine me using whatever profanities you're familiar with."

Twilight grimaced. "I'm guessing you feel a bit overwhelmed?"

"A bit. Maybe you should read the rulebooks for the world I got these powers from. They're on my tablet. Go over them with Trace. Just make sure he checks them first. There's art that can be unsettling even for a human, and descriptions of spells and charms that might also be disturbing. I'll make you a list of the charms I have. Maybe you'll see something that puts my power at a more comfortable level."

Alex cornered me before I could leave the room. He looked around to make sure nopony would overhear us and gestured for Trace to come over. "I hate to do this, but we need to know more about what happened in that other world so we can reassure the Mayor that it won't happen here."

"Well, I doubt there's an orbital weapons platform here for me to hack into. Nor that I would be able to choose the password if there were." I sighed. "Shortly after I arrived in the prior world, I realized the world was not just familiar, but there were people there that were specifically part of a game scenario I'd written."

"I don't know if you can appreciate just how terrified I was when I realized that. There were gods that would know that there was someone in the world who knew their secrets. And they could do far worse than kill me." I shuddered with remembered fear. "Even dying wouldn't protect me from them. So I decided to act. There was a gathering of the Infernal Host scheduled. Fifty god-monsters more powerful than I'll ever be and each one a willing servant of the Demon Emperor. The location was a place that would be destroyed afterwards. I figured out a way to bring about that destruction earlier. I realized anything I thought of that fit the setting and didn't contradict prior information would be true. An-Teng had orbital weapons platforms. The passwords were what I thought they were. Whether it was intuition or creation, I couldn't tell you. But it worked. Beyond my wildest nightmares, it worked."

I stared at my feet. I couldn't face either of them. It was bad enough before, but now they had to see the depths of my cowardice and what a monster I was, far worse than those I'd slain.

Alex waited a moment before replying. "Thank you. I'll explain things to the mayor." Another pause. "I'll ask Luna to intervene if I need to."

He put a hand on my shoulder, and I flinched a little. "Different realities mean different rules. You know that. I'll admit I've never been in a situation like yours, but I understand being in a situation out of my control. I'll back you 110%."

Trace gently added, "While I've never been in a situation truly on the same level as yours, nor am I all that invested in guiding those in need down a path of self-redemption like Alex here, I do know a bit about having to make calls that lead to death, destruction and, in some cases, tragedy. I can say this, Eleanor, stay close to those who support you, keep your mind on the positives, and focus on the path ahead. In time, you will find the strength to make peace with your past and grow from it.”

I looked up with a strained grin. "Thanks for that. Out of my control… it's so hard to imagine anything being in my control since I picked the damned cellphone that started this mess."

“Then let this be the world that grants you that control. You said so yourself that your status as a jumper has seemingly come to an end. From what I can gather of your newfound state, you'll have no shortage of time to find yourself, so let the peace of this world help you regain control of your life so that you can live your life with that clarity.” Trace said kindly.

I chuckled. "Heh, Clarity's pretty much guaranteed." I didn't explain what I found amusing. I figured he or Alex would get to that part of the book eventually.

In the bright light of day, the cottage didn't look as bad. I saw stone tile under the wood flooring and signs that the wood flooring had been a later addition. The rugs were a total loss, but the walls just needed some cleaning. The first project was making sure there weren't any animals nesting in the cottage. Tempting as it was to let 'Spect deal with that, I felt Fluttershy might get upset at whatever methods 'Spect would use.

Fluttershy trotted in, and within minutes, there was an orderly exodus of small animals. Some were even carrying out what must have been their nesting material. I started to feel bad about evicting them. Looking over the collapsed wreckage of what must have been a toolshed, I had an idea.

"Fluttershy, can you help me design a proper shelter for these guys? I can use the remains of the toolshed for materials, and they can have a more suitable place to live than the cottage." I asked as she followed the last of the animals out of the cottage.

Fluttershy nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes! That’s a wonderful idea. My little animal friends will be so happy! Thank you, Eleanor!”

With the animals cleared out, we set to work. As the day went on, I noticed a pattern. There was always someone near me, chatting about minor things like the work we were doing or the weather. Even when I tried working on something by myself, somepony would find me for some small talk.

After Twilight had made the same comment about the weather for a third time, I decided it was time to find out what was up.

"Twilight, did someone ask you to keep me company while I cleaned the roof?" I asked out of the blue.

She looked surprised, like I'd seen through some clever ruse. "How did you guess?"

I chuckled, "You mentioned that cloud formation at least twice before. It's okay, I was just wondering."

"Doctor Emerald thought it would be best if you had your mind kept busy. He'd spoken to Miss Introspective, and they were concerned you might dwell too much on your memories." She looked at me like she was expecting me to be upset.

I found that I wasn't upset but rather the opposite. Given what Autochthon said, confirmed by me, they had every reason to think I was some kind of monster. Yet here was Twilight trying her awkward best to keep me from thinking about what I'd said and done. "It's okay," I repeated. "I appreciate it. They weren't wrong. Left to myself, I probably would brood on it. I'm glad to have friends here to help me think of other things. But let's talk about magical theory instead, okay?"

If I could bottle the expression of glee on Twilight's face, I'd never have to worry about being an unemployed loafer. I had clearly chosen the right topic. I knew the look of the nerd who has found an audience willing to listen to their passion. Mostly because I'd worn it myself more than once. I smiled and returned to scrubbing moss and fixing shingles as Twilight went into lecturing professor mode.

Author's Note

I'm skipping the 400+ pages of Twilight's lecture on magical theory and practice in Equestria as while they're interesting to Eleanor, I just don't have it in me to type them out. Also there was far more than anypony needs to know about Starswirl the Bearded.

Many thanks to Techogre for editing and suggestions. Also thanks to Marvelous Cheshire, Tosety, Discord's Advocate, KMCA, and Warpd for their support.

Chapter 11: Meetings and Pledges

After a week our cottage was ready. We gathered everypony and stood outside the pavilion so we could watch it vanish. It had been a remarkable place to stay, but it was time for it to go. A white petal floated away from the wall following a breeze that only existed for it, then more petals joined the aerial dance. Soon the air was filled with white flower petals swirling in the wind as they blew away, fading from view on the ethereal breeze. The ponies made small noises of amazement as we watched the last remaining petals float away.

Where once stood a palace fit for the gods, now was once again a humble meadow. The only remaining evidence of the palace I'd summoned were the white orchids among the other flowers of the meadow.

With the pavilion gone, we went back to the cottage for the housewarming party Pinkie had set up. This time, there weren't any revelations of atrocities or other trouble. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of trying to keep up with Blitzen. I had forgotten after my third drink that alcohol didn't affect ponies like it did humans, and she was not having salt with her drinks.

I also, once again, forgot my own limits. There've been a few times I've tried seeking solace through inebriation. They never last. Inevitably, I end up in a new world, reset and unable to handle my liquor. I vaguely recall trying to hug Blitzen and landing on the floor. Then Pinkie and Blitzen helped me into bed. Other than that, the night was a blur.

Canterlot - morning tea time.

Luna sipped her tea, watching her elder sister over the rim of her teacup. "Dear sister, may I inquire as to the reason you have allowed the banishment of the newcomer? Yes, she is powerful, but she has also behaved valiantly in defense of our little ponies."

Celestia took a sip of her tea before replying. "Lulu, you don't have access to The Weave like I do. When the fabric was closed, the repair was flawless. In fact, she seemed to repair a minor flaw in the weave in Fillydelphia. I had tried to repair that for weeks before she arrived."

"Oh?" Luna asked.

"Blitzen, the pegasus mare who lost her wings in that tragic accident, was on a downward spiral in her life. I had arranged for Nightingale to find out about the open rental next to Blitzen. Nightingale was this close to befriending Blitzen when Miss Asher arrived and changed the course of Blitzen's strand in the weave. Now Blitzen is on course to resume the friendships she abandoned and may even reunite with Roseluck," Celestia explained.

"And what of Nightingale?" Luna wondered.

Celestia sighed. "She ran into Heart Stone the jeweler on the way to the hospital with Miss Asher. Sister, the weave didn't show me any unhappiness in Heart Stone's life, nor that she had any interest in a romantic relationship since her husband passed, much less with a mare half her age. They're having coffee right now, and I see their happiness to be. It's an elegant solution and one I didn't even consider."

Luna took another sip of the tea and set down her cup. "So she solved the flaw in the weave, elegantly as you say. Just by being there. Shouldn't you be gladdened by this, rather than letting her be punished with a banishment she has not earned?"

Celestia stamped her hoof. "But, I do not see her! Like every, what does Alex call them? Jumpers? She is beyond my ability to bend the weave around her. I cannot control her actions!"

Luna held up a scroll. "Perhaps it would be better to earn her trust? I have received a petition from Paladin Alex Roberts to have Miss Asher's banishment rescinded. Mayhap this might provide an opportunity"

Celestia considered. "I've received a similar petition from Twilight Sparkle, and I see what you mean by an opportunity. I think it's time to meet this newcomer face to face."

The next day, the first thing I noticed besides the myriad lingering aches from still healing injuries, was that some deranged sadist had put a really bright ball of fire in the sky, and the light from it was stabbing me in the eyes every time I dared open them, even a little bit.

Tempted as I was to just stay in bed, Blitzen was already up, and I knew from past experience that my body would be prompting me to get out of bed whether I wanted to or not. Sure enough, the nausea started, and I stumbled into the bathroom. Through heroic effort, I managed to keep the contents of my stomach where they were supposed to be.

However, being hungover did not make using a toilet meant for ponies any easier. I put part of my mind to work, designing something to make it more comfortable for me without making it uncomfortable for the four-legged members of the household.

I carefully made my way to the kitchen. My various aches and nausea were really not helping me present the image of a stalwart champion chosen by the gods.

Blitzen sipped her coffee, giving me a concerned look. "Pinkie left a hangover remedy in the fridge." She informed me.

I opened the fridge and found a mug with a vile-looking liquid. My stomach lurched, but I took a careful sip.

"What in the name of the bleak unhallowed Hell of the Yozis is in that?!?" I screamed as I tried to look for anything to get the wretched burning agony out of my mouth.

I saw a small scrap of paper that must have been under the mug.

Pinkie's Guaranteed Hangover Cure recipe: 1 egg, 1/2 cup hot sauce (500,000 Scoville or more), 1/2 cup simple syrup, 1 cup milk, crushed egg shell.
Use: Drink as fast as possible. Do. Not. Sip!

"Oh fuck my life." I moaned and then did as directed and gulped the rest of the drink, eggshell and all. After the world stopped exploding, I noticed my hangover was actually gone. Trust the party pony to have a hangover remedy that actually worked.

"Feel better?" Blitzen asked.

I chuckled. "Yeah, actually, I do. Either that or my body just gave up on punishing me for drinking too much when it saw I was masochist enough to drink that stuff."

'Spect bounced through the kitchen, grabbing some random pastry that had been left after last night's party.

Thinking of the party, I was annoyed with myself for missing most of it and getting too drunk to remember the rest. It seemed like I kept passing out at Pinkie's parties, which was rather upsetting since I knew Pinkie worked hard on them.

"I need to apologize to Pinkie," I muttered to myself.

"One problem there, you're not allowed in Ponyville." Blitzen pointed out.

'Spect hopped onto a chair. "Just apologize to her now. Trust me."

I gave 'Spect a suspicious look but decided to try it anyway. Feeling like a fool, I said, "Pinkie, I'm sorry for passing out and missing your parties."

"That's ok, you've had a lot to deal with. But you'd better stay awake for the next one." Pinkie said as she pulled herself out of a drawer that looked way too small to fit her.

That was an easy promise to make. "I promise I'll stay awake for your next party."

"Cross your heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in your eye?" She asked, gesturing along with the words.

I dutifully repeated the words and gestures of the Pinkie Promise, and she seemed satisfied.

Pinkie pulled a scroll out of her mane. "Oh, Twilight got this letter for you from the Princesses"

I opened it and read the brief message.

We have heard about your banishment from Ponyville and request you come to Canterlot so that we may discuss having it lifted. Arrangements have been made for an escort to the train station to calm the Mayor's concerns.

Princess Celestia

"Looks like I need to go to Canterlot and meet the Princesses to get my banishment lifted. She's arranged an escort to the train station."

Blitzen groaned. "Ugh. Trains. I hate trains."

"I can go by myself." I pointed out.

"No, I should go with you. I've been there before." She said. "'Spect, let's get ready."

'Spect thought for a moment before saying, "I think I want to stay home."

"You're a young filly, we can't just leave you home by yourself. We'll probably have to stay the night in Canterlot." Blitzen told her.

"Blitzen's right, you're mortal now. No god powers." I told her.

'Spect snorted "I'll be fine, moms. I may be mortal now, but I can still take care of myself for a night."

In the end Blitzen left the decision up to me, which made sense since 'Spect was my responsibility. Given what I knew of her, I decided one night should be safe. It'd probably take her longer than that to get up to serious mischief.

Walking toward town, I activated my Integrated Artifact Transmogrifier charm. Panels slid smoothly and parts of my body rearranged themselves until I looked human again. As my soul gem retracted into my head, my weight became my human weight again. The process was slower than banishing my Exaltation, but that meant it didn't destroy my clothes. It did feel damn weird though. I wondered if that was what being a Transformer would feel like.

As we got closer to town, we saw Matt and Alex waiting for us. Or at least waiting for me. They must be the escort mentioned in the letter. I wasn't sure why Alex got roped into this. Of my fellow jumpers, he seemed the least likely to be able to do much if I went all Terminator-y. Matt might do a little better, but it wouldn't be too long before I'd have access to charms he'd have trouble countering. I could feel my power ready to build new charms for me once I healed enough.

Of course, right now, either of them could probably hurt me badly if I acted up. Not that I planned to.

Alex waved as we got closer. "Sorry about this, but the Mayor wants to make sure you're not up to any shenanigans."

I laughed. "Nope, no shenanigans here. I mean, I had thought of skirting the town borders and leaping on a moving train, but I think Blitzen would prefer I behaved myself."

Blitzen flicked me with her tail. "You're still recovering. Jumping onto a moving train doesn't sound very restful."

"No, it doesn't." I agreed, chuckling. "Anyway, shenanigan-free all the way."

Alex looked over at Matt. "Good enough for me. Matt?"

Matt grunted, "Eh. Close enough. For now."

Alex nodded, "I mean if you were going to do something, what could we do? Annoy you to death?"

"I'm not invincible. I'm not even that powerful yet. Tough doesn't equal unstoppable." I pointed out.

Alex chuckled, “Ture, but it does count for a lot.”

When we got to the train station, I saw Rarity trot up with a dress on a hanger and some shoes held in her magic. The dress was a fairytale confection of very dark green, almost black muslin, with tiny diamonds embedded in the material. It almost seemed like a green sky with shimmering stars, and of course, the shoes matched. It was absolutely beautiful and looked like it was meant for a princess.

Awed by the wonder before me, I said, "Rarity… I, this is too much."

"Nonsense. You are going to meet the Princesses, you absolutely must look your best. Now let us get this on you." Her magic pulled some fabric out of her saddlebag, which she used as a curtain for privacy. More of her blue sparkly magic removed my sweater and pants as I slipped off my sandals. The dress slid over me and I stepped into the shoes.

Then several ornamented sticks flew out of her other saddlebag. My hair felt like it was caught in its own private whirlwind as Rarity deftly removed my usual ponytail and shaped my hair into some new shape. The hairsticks slid into place, making small tinkling sounds as their decorations bounced around.

Rarity brought out a mirror and my eyes widened at the transformation Rarity had wrought. My unruly hair had been tamed into an elaborate updo held in place with the hairsticks. I felt like Cinderella with Rarity playing the part of Fairy Godmother. "Rarity, I don't know if my hair will stay this way all the way to Canterlot"

"That's what the hairsticks are for, darling. Leave them in place and not a hair will be out of place." She told me as she put away the curtain with a dramatic flourish. "Lady, Gentlecolts, what do you think?"

Blitzen's eyes were wide as she took in the sight of my transformation. "You look beautiful, Eleanor. Like a magical dream."

[Eleanor is ready to meet the Princess.]

We boarded the train, and I think both of us realized that the train ride was a chance to have the talk we'd been putting off.

I decided to go first, before the awkward silence took over our whole trip. "Blitzen, there's been something I've needed to say this whole week, and I keep putting it off because… well, because I'm afraid. I'm afraid that if I talk about us, what I'm feeling, that it'll break some spell and you'll realize you could do better than a weird alien disaster magnet."

Eyes closed, I took a deep breath and was about to continue when I felt the gentle touch of Blitzen's telekinetic hoof field touch my lips as she put a hoof to my face to stop me.

Blitzen met my eyes with hers and once again I felt myself falling into the brilliant blue of her eyes. "El, don't do that. We've both got our issues. Let's just agree we're not doing the 'you could do better' thing. Even if it were true, I don't want to. I want to be with you."

"I want to be with you too," I said. "I just don't want to hurt you."

"Then don't. And try not hurting yourself while you're at it." Blitzen sighed. "And I'll try to do the same."

Blitzen looked unwell after the train ride and she had muttered something about needing to lay down. We had time before I needed to be at the castle so we looked for a hotel. We'd planned to stay in Canterlot overnight anyhow.

The first two hotels we tried were booked up, but we'd heard

The manager looked apologetic, "I'm afraid the Hay and Rye Farmer's Convention is in town. There's only one room left."

Blitzen set her bit pouch on the counter. "We'll take it."

The manager took a few bits from the pouch, and I made a mental note to get a crash course on the Equestrian economy at the earliest opportunity. It would be useful to have some idea of what things should cost, like hotel rooms. A key levitated to Blitzen and she took it with her hoof and put it in her bag before retrieving her pouch.

The manager spoke up again. "I should tell you the room is the…

Blitzen was already trotting away. I looked back at the manager as I turned to follow Blitzen. "I'm sure it'll be fine, thanks!"

"Wow, that's a lot of heart decorations. And a basket of bread rolls on the bed. The heart-shaped bed. Lemme guess, it's got something to do with that cultural thing about offering bread?" I asked.

Blitzen blushed and tried to pretend she was examining a chair. "Yeah. This must be the um… honeymoon suite."

I snickered. "It's certainly not subtle. I kinda like it. Now, you should lay down and relax. The castle isn't far. I'll meet Princess Celestia and be right back."

The double doors to the throne room opened slowly. I saw Princess Celestia on her dias, with a kindly if vaguely smug expression. Her mane was a marvel, flowing with light as though it was made from a piece of the dawn sky. I gazed at it in wonder as I walked forward at a respectful pace.

As I approached the dias, I felt a slight pressure like I was walking into a light wind. Except this wind wasn't physical. It was a gentle spiritual breeze lightly touching my mind and soul. As I walked closer, the feeling of pressure increased. Not by the amount I would have expected, but by a factor of five, then twelve. Finally, when I was within a few yards, it was stronger by a factor of over a hundred. I noticed what seemed to be a slight look of frustration on Celestia's face. It was subtle but became less so as I came closer to the Princess.

I could see Celestia was struggling over something. The guards watched impassively, as still and unmoving as the guards at Buckingham Palace were famed to be. Meanwhile, I was being buffeted by a divine anima that should have had me on the floor quaking with fear and reverence. Yet I was feeling just fine. I wanted to ask the Princess if she was alright, but I knew the proper etiquette would be to refrain from mentioning the Princess' discomfort until she brought it up, should she choose to do so.

No, I would not bring up anything that might suggest the Solar Diarch was anything less than in total control within her own throne room. Cupyri would have had me dismissed from her service for such a breach of protocol. Cupyri was worlds away but I remembered her lessons well. I curtsied almost to the point of kneeling. "Your majesty, I thank you for allowing me to come before thee today."

Celestia's eyes widened and I felt the pressure on me lessen. "Please rise, Miss Asher."

I stood up and looked into her violet eyes. "I have come before thee to beseech thy mercy. I have been banished from Ponyville, and while I can accept that fate were I alone, there are others whom I would not see burdened for my sake." I raised a hand to forestall her response and knelt before her. "Regardless of thy response in that matter, I would also pledge my service to thee."

I took a breath and spent some of my essence to cause my anima to shine. "I swear fealty unto thee, majesty. Thy command is my desire, and thy request my desire. May my service always please, and may my sight grow dark if it does not. As the wheat and barley before the wind and sun, my will to yours, my liege. From now, for as long as I live in this world. I swear it upon my Name and Power."

While I'm still no expert in reading pony facial expressions, I'm fairly sure the only thing that would have surprised her more would be if I'd asked her to marry me. It is at this point that I should note that I have had fairly good luck with distracting evil queens with surprise marriage proposals, but I've never considered using the tactic on a good princess. Besides, without a camera to capture the moment it's not as much fun.

Anyhow I was waiting for Celestia to process what I'd said when I decided to break protocol a little. "Majesty?"

Seeing no indication that she heard me, I decided that protocol be damned. I moved my right leg up so I was on my left knee. I looked up at her, smirked, and said, "Princess Celestia, will you marry me?"

That got a reaction all right. Celestia sputtered for a moment and then laughed. I found myself being pulled up to my feet by her telekinetic magic. "I must say you aren't what I expected. I need to think about your pledge and your banishment. Return to your lodgings until I send for you."

Clearly dismissed, I nodded and left the castle.

Back at the hotel I flopped onto the bed and told Blitzen how the meeting had gone.

She looked at me like I'd grown a second head. "You did what?!?"

I tried to explain. "She wasn't moving, and my knees were starting to ache. Besides, she doesn't seem the type to have me thrown in the dungeons over it, I hope."

Blitzen's ears flattened and her eyes narrowed. "Your knees were starting to ache and you thought the solution was to propose to Princess Celestia? She who raises the sun and who has ruled Equestria for over a thousand years? The Princess Celestia who imprisoned Discord in stone and banished Nightmare Moon? Proposing to her seemed like a good idea?"

"What's the worst that could happen?" I asked, clearly still using the part of my brain that thought surprising the princess with a proposal was a fabulous idea.

"She could say yes! And then you'd have to move to Canterlot, live in the castle, be at all the royal functions, deal with the nobles, put up with palace intrigues, and, and I'd never get to see you again..." Blitzen's voice rose with each word.

I tried to calm Blitzen. "Do you really think she'd even consider saying yes?"

She thought about it. "Yes, no, maybe. I mean, have you seen you? You look gorgeous."

Now I started to worry. I didn't consider it very likely, but if Celestia did accept my smart aleck proposal it would seriously complicate my life.

The next thought to go through my head was 'She thinks I look gorgeous?' accompanied by fluttery feelings.

"I look gorgeous because Rarity is an artist, you look beautiful without all that, just being yourself. I know I don't say these things well, but you're the most beautiful mare I know," I told Blitzen. "Now don't worry, Celestia's not gonna say yes. She knows I was joking. I'm fairly sure the dungeon thing is a much more likely outcome."

Blitzen snorted. "Canterlot doesn't have a dungeon."

Canterlot Castle - dining room

Luna covered her mouth with hoof, trying to keep in her laughter. "So dear sister, it seems our newcomer wishes to make an honest mare of you. Have you two set a date?"

Celestia glared at her sister. "It's not that funny Lulu. She walked right up to me as though my deific field wasn't there and she did it on purpose. I poured everything into my field. It was so strong that guards were close to passing out behind the scenes."

Luna pondered as she took a sip of wine. "It could simply be her natural defenses. Or, supernatural in this case. I have not sensed any duplicitous actions on her part. I think you are overreacting."

Celestia huffed. "But every other human and jumper has been... suitably impressed by my presence."

"You should take the win, as my Paladin would say." Luna replied

Celestia considered. "Maybe, but sister, you didn't feel the force of her oath. She may very well be immortal and she's sworn to a lifetime of service. I felt the Weave itself moving to ensure she keeps her word."

Luna gave her sister a quizzical look. "I must admit, I do not see the problem."

"She moved the Weave, to do something outside of its design. The weave listens to her." Celestia explained.

Luna nodded. "Then it is good that she pledged her loyalty to you is it not?"

It was nearly sundown when a guard came to the hotel to bring me back to the castle. Once again I entered the throne room, but now both Princesses were waiting on the dias. Strangely this time I didn't feel the spiritual headwind I had before. When I got close I could feel the presence of their animas but even combined the level was nowhere near what I had felt the last time.

Celestia spoke first, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes. In a somber tone she said, "Miss Asher, I'm afraid I must decline your proposal. I'm sure you are crushed by disappointment, but you must endure and find somepony else."

I grinned, "I'll manage, your highness. Blitzen will be relieved."

Was it my imagination or did Celestia's eye twitch a little when I mentioned Blitzen?

Luna magically lifted a scroll and set it in my hand. "We have decreed that you are a citizen of Equestria and thus cannot simply be banished from any town or city. You will have to follow the laws of the land of course. But so long as you do, you may live where you like."

"Now on to the matter of your pledge of fealty. I'm inclined to accept, but I want to make sure you understand what you're offering here. You're potentially immortal, are you certain you wish to make a binding oath like this?" Celestia asked.

I nodded. "I am. You lead your ponies well and I would like to help in whatever way I can. I can think of worse ways to spend an immortal life and I've seen too many gods who chose those ways."

Celestia gave me a measuring look. "Then tell me, why would someone who murdered a city risk her life to save two fillies? I can see you're still injured and from what was reported you came very near to dying. Even with your remarkable healing, why would you take that risk?"

I thought about how best to explain. "It'd be easy if I were a death-seeker, or if I thought I could balance my crimes. But it's not that, at least I don't think it is. I know there's no way to atone for what I've done, but who will hold me to account? The gods of that world, the highest authorities, rewarded me. In this world, I can only think of two who could pass judgment on me and it would be monstrous of me to ask that of you. So all I can do is just try to be a better person and use the powers I have to help where I can."

"And again you aren't what I was expecting. Very well, I accept your pledge and your service." Celestia began to glow with a golden light and seemed as if she were standing in a brilliant ray of summer sunshine. "I take you into my service. You are of my house, even as the very stones. I pledge to honor your service as it deserves, and to reward loyalty in kind. As the sun to the fields below, my will to yours. I pledge the Escheat to you."

"And you say I'm old fashioned." Luna said dryly.

Meanwhile I was standing there stunned by hearing Celestia recite the companion oath to the one I had sworn.

"Miss Asher seems to be in shock. Should one of us propose to her?" Luna asked her sister, with a wink directed at me.

"Eep!" I squeaked. "Sorry, I was just surprised. I learned those oaths when I lived in a Changeling freehold. Ser Cupyri taught me the proper formalities when I served as her squire. It surprised me to hear the oath of Escheat, as I'd been told Changelings here were not like the Changelings I knew."

"Indeed they are not. I would suggest reading 'Under the Mask' by Night Owl. He wrote extensively on his studies of Changelings and that volume summarizes his findings excellently." Luna suggested. "And if our world can be a foal's entertainment in your world, perhaps certain powerful oaths can cross worlds as well."

Celestia yawned. "I should retire for the night. We can determine details of your service another time, Miss Asher."

Once Celestia had left, Luna focused on me. "I must say I'm surprised you pledged service to my sister."

I grinned. "You've met me, I figured I'd spare you the headaches of dealing with me." In a more somber tone I continued. "You're welcome in my head anytime, though. You've seen the worst thing I've ever done. Not much point in pretending I have anything to hide."

"Interesting, your fellow humans seem to feel it's an invasion of their privacy." Luna noted.

I shrugged. "I can understand why, but I'm giving permission. So it's not an invasion. Besides, I've got power, enough to scare me. I'll feel better if someone can keep an eye on me."

Feeling good about how the day had gone, I returned to the hotel. Blitzen was waiting on the bed in a rather provocative pose.

"So, how did it go?" She asked.

GrinningI held up the scroll Luna had given me. "Banishment dealt with. And Princess Celestia turned down my proposal. So yay, things are going well!"

Blitzen gave a meaningful look at the basket of bread. "Shall we celebrate?" She said in a husky voice.

I looked at the basket, feeling like there was a whirlwind in my head and in my heart. I wanted so badly to throw caution to the wind, but I held back. This was the first time in decades where I had a chance of having a real lasting relationship, and I wanted that. That she was a pony didn't matter anymore. "I… Blitzen, there are some things I'm just not ready for. Yet. But I do want to do one thing, I want very much to kiss you."

Suffice it to say we managed to avoid ruining the lovely dress Rarity had made for me. The elaborate hairdo was not so lucky. Nor were the bread rolls, my earlier decision to take things slowly having lasted right up till that first kiss. It was awkward and confusing in some spots, but passion carried us through. Even at its most awkward the night was truly magical.

The next morning I woke with Blitzen in my arms and all was right with the world. I waited for some sort of freak out to hit me, but I was instead surprised to find I was just fine with what we'd done. We were two consenting adults.

Imagine that, I slept with a pony and the world didn't end.

My only worry was that Blitzen might not feel the same when she woke up. Fortunately that was not an issue, though we did discover that morning breath afflicts humans and ponies alike, so further kissing would have to wait for tooth brushing and mouthwash.

While we wished we could stay in the suite forever, there was a whole world outside to get back to and we packed and checked out, on our way back to our lives in Ponyville

When the train pulled into the station, I saw my escort waiting. I let Blitzen walk ahead and then bounced out of the train car, holding the decree from the Princesses. "I'm now a free citizen of Equestria, with all the rights and responsibilities thereof."

Alex grinned at me, "I knew the Princesses would sort out this banishment nonsense."

I grinned back. "Also, I am officially not engaged to Princess Celestia. I proposed and she turned me down."

It was then Twilight favored us with her best emulation of Luna's 'Royal Canterlot Voice'. "WHAT!!!"

I saw Alex and Trace facepalm. Rainbow Dash was laughing so hard she was having trouble hovering.

Trace lowered his hand and looked at me like he was again questioning my intelligence or my sanity. Or both. "Eleanor, just out of curiosity, how often has your sense of humor gotten you into trouble?"

I laughed. "Only on days ending in Y. But there's a lot of my life even before I was tossed through the cosmos where if I didn't laugh, I was gonna cry. I decided I'd rather laugh even when it gets me in trouble."

Alex chuckled. "I can understand. That was ballsy. I have to admit, I never could have pulled it off. It would have been like proposing to my mom. So, you didn't feel anything? No overwhelming sense of a loving mother? No... desire to please her in any way she would want? Maybe it's just me?"

"Oh her anima would have had me on the floor before I got halfway across the throne room if I weren't insulated by the shard of divinity wrapped around my soul." I admitted.

"Is it something she could, I don't know, turn down? I mean, I would love to have a proper conversation. Luna can do it, so strange she can't." Alex asked.

I thought about it. "Yeah, she didn't have nearly the same level of anima when she called me back that evening. Could be she's on a solar cycle, given my first meeting was around noon. Maybe that's when her power is at its highest?"

"Still. What's weird is that I've had face to face with Luna, different times of day and night. I wonder if... no. She wouldn't have done it on purpose. No. She wouldn't pull a dirty like that on me. Would she?" Alex asked.

"Y'know it's hard to tell with her. She could have been trying to humble me in our first meeting, I suppose." I let out a short laugh. "She only needed to ask."

Trace raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. “Alex, have you really never noticed? I always thought she was rather lacking in subtlety when using that aura of hers.” He rubbed his chin in thought. “Though I suppose my own aetheric sensitivities do grant me an advantage there.”

"That solar bitch." Alex suddenly said harshly.

Twilight was shocked. "Alex!"

Dash hit him lightly in the shoulder, "Watch it, fat head. That's my princess you're talking about."

Alex's tone was softer, but not by much as he grit his teeth."Okay, fine, I'm the bad guy. I got my head scrambled by Princess Celestia and I should just be happy she didn't turn me to stone. Fine." As Alex stomped away, Rainbow Dash just hovered there with a conflicted expression.

I followed Alex, starting to feel my own anger rise. It hadn't occurred to me that Celestia would have done the same to Alex as she tried to do to me, and Alex would have had no protection. If it were deliberate, that would be unacceptable.

I caught up with him. "Dammit, I got so into my being able to finally not just lose my crap every time I get near a god, I forgot what you'd have gone through. Looks like my first service will be calling out my liege for conduct unbecoming her station."

Alex stopped dead in his tracks. "I'm sorry El. I need a minute to sort this out in my head. I just... I feel betrayed. When I was in Her presence, I felt unconditional love. I loved her more than Dash or Ann or my kids. Knowing she forced herself on me just—I'm angry. I know she just did it to protect her little ponies. But..."

"But she pulled a mental whammy on you," I growled as my anima flickered around me. I tamped it down to keep from reaching a level that would affect others.

"I'm going back to Canterlot. It's like you said on my first day here, 'My Princess right or wrong'. She wronged you, and it's my duty to see it righted." I said firmly.

Alex touched my arm. "El, don't. She has different standards. Maybe she didn't realise how this would affect me?"

I paused to gather my thoughts so I could explain why I felt I had to do this. "She should have known better. Besides, in a thousand years or so, when time has flensed away all the things that keep me human, do you think I would want to be the kind of person whose standards allow me to hurt someone and not take responsibility for it when I find out? No, and I don't think Celestia would want to be that kind of pony either."

I considered what I needed to do. "If I run, I can catch the train back. Can you get Blitzen home and let her know I'll be home as soon as I can?"

Alex nodded again. "Yeah I'll get her home. Thanks El. At least she can't just push you around with her aura."

Alex and Blitzen walked toward her cottage. She was not happy El had gone back to Canterlot, and so the walk passed in silence till Blitzen noticed what looked like a partially built white fence at the cottage.

"Oh look, somepony is building a cute little fence for the cottage," Blitzen said, trying to sound cheerful.

Alex stopped and squinted at the distant fence. "Err, Blitzen? You want to stay here for a sec? I want to make sure I see what I think I see." He walked a few meters closer "Holy crap! It is bones. Fresh too."

"Bones?! Who would make a fence out of bones?" Blitzen exclaimed from just behind Alex, having chosen not to wait.

Alex drew his knife. "Stay. Here."

This time Blitzen waited as Alex approached the cottage.

'Spect bounded out of the cottage, running toward Alex. "Oh, hey, Alex. Like my fence?"

Alex grimaced and put his knife away. "Oh. We were wondering who was building a bone fence."

Blitzen approached. "So you made the fence? Where did you get bones to make it?"

"After you guys left, a manticore passed through the woods nearby. We've got manticore meat in the fridge, and I'm tanning the hide out back. Alex, if you want to take some steaks home, I can wrap them up for you." 'Spect shot Blitzen a glare. "How could you leave an innocent filly home alone in a forest with manticores?"

Blitzen sputtered. "You're the one who asked to stay by yourself. You said you can handle it."

'Spect giggled. "Just because I said that doesn't mean you're supposed to listen. You and El are supposed to be my parents and/or guardians. I mean, you're lucky I didn't burn down the cottage or something."

Alex raised a hand, "She has a point. As disturbing as she may be, she still shouldn't be left home alone."

'Spect looked up at Alex. "Oh, I didn't have any burglars come by to require making comical traps to torment them with."

Alex thought for a moment, then gave a half smile, “Wouldn’t want to leave you home alone at Christmas, would we?”

'Spect grinned. "No, probably not. I might drop Hans Gruber off the Nakatomi Plaza building. Oh wait, wrong movie." She got serious for a moment. "From your reactions, I'm guessing normal fillies don't do this sort of thing. Live and learn, I suppose. Can I still ask El to make our cottage fit inside a small hut, and then have her build some chicken legs for it?"

Blitzen gave Alex a confused look and then looked back at 'Spect. "No. And please don't try to explain any part of that sentence. I don't want to know."

Chapter 12: Pool Hustlers and Princesses.

With a swift salute to Alex, I dashed off, activating my gravity manipulation and tether beam charms with a quick burst of essence. I swung through the streets of Ponyville like some superhero, heading for the train station. I latched onto a building and pulled, changing the way gravity pulled me so I could soar past the shocked ponies and fling myself to the next building to latch onto.

How the heck did Gwen do this in New York so high up from the streets? Second question, how the hell do any of the spider-people not lose their lunch doing this?

I arrived just in time to see the train pulling out of the station. I ran and latched my tether on the train. With my weight reduced, I was able to be carried along like a human kite as the train traveled toward Canterlot. I pulled myself along the tether and grabbed the back of the train. It wasn't the smoothest train ride I'd been on. Usually, I prefer riding inside the train rather than hanging off the back.

However, as soon as I was fully committed to this course of action, I started to wonder why the hell I was doing this. The best I could figure is that I'd wanted to believe in Celestia, and I was disappointed to find that she had abused her powers in such a fashion. I hoped it was just a mistake borne of an overabundance of caution in dealing with aliens arriving in her world.

The train ride gave me time to think that I had not had during my rush through the town. I would need a way to make some bits in a hurry. I'd need food, lodgings, and to pay for the ride. I was uncertain of what skills I could monetize, but if ponies played pool, I could probably make what money I'd need.

Ponyville - Blitzen's cottage.

Blitzen was frustrated. Eleanor’s rush to go back to Canterlot had ruined her plans for the evening. Between that and not wanting to deal with ‘Spect’s antics, she decided it was a good time to find some relaxation in a well-salted drink.

She knew Eleanor had filled one of the sugar shakers with salt. Something about preferring certain foods to be salty rather than sweet. She found the shaker and poured the contents into some of the leftover punch from the housewarming party that she had found in the fridge. It was enough to take the edge off her headache, so she looked for the container Eleanor had kept the rest of the salt in.

A quick check of the pantry showed no sign of the salt container. Blitzen called out to the other pony in the cottage, “‘Spect? What happened to the salt container?”

“I used it to make jerky out of some of the manticore meat,” the unicorn filly yelled back from her room.

“Is there any other salt in the house?” Blitzen asked.

“Nope, you’ll have to go to town to get your salt fix. Though you really shouldn’t. El may be a mess, but it’s not gonna take too much for her to see you’re also a mess.” ‘Spect replied as she stepped into the kitchen.

Blitzen felt a surge of anger that made her ears flatten when ‘Spect told her there was no more salt in the house. Not trusting herself to say anything, Blitzen slammed the door behind her as she left the cottage and headed for town. She ignored the manticore skull ‘Spect had mounted on the fence. Its empty eye sockets seemed to be judging her.

Without having to slow her pace for a human to keep up, it didn’t take long for Blitzen to reach Ponyville. She had one destination in mind, The Grain Bucket, where she could seek solace in a salt haze. She was almost there when a familiar voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Blitzen? What are you doing here? Where’s Eleanor?” Roseluck asked, blocking her way.

Blitzen tried to dodge Roseluck, but the other mare wouldn’t budge. “El’s in Canterlot by now. She had some important business with Princess Celestia. I’m just going to the Grain Bucket for a little saline comfort, so just get out of my way.”

Roseluck snorted and pinned her ears back. “Fine then, if you’re gonna be a nag about it. Go right ahead and get yourself salted. Are you planning to push away Eleanor like you did me?"

Blitzen felt a pang of guilt as she remembered how she had treated Roseluck. She had been so bitter and angry after losing her wings that she had pushed away everypony who cared about her. She stopped and looked at the ground, unable to meet Roseluck’s gaze. “Rose, I’m sorry. I was hurting and I didn’t want you to see me like that. I didn’t want anypony’s pity. I know I made a mess of things. I don’t expect you to forgive me. Just let me go.”

Roseluck’s face hardened. “That’s your answer to everything, isn’t it? Just let you go so you can salt yourself to oblivion? Blitzen, don’t you get it? I didn’t want to let you go. I wanted you to trust me to be there for you. You never gave me a chance!”

Blitzen tried to glare in return but found she couldn’t bring herself to meet Rose’s emerald eyes. Rose was right, Blitzen realized. Tears running down her cheeks, “Don’t follow me.” She turned away and ran, finding her way to The Grain Bucket to seek solace in a salted haze.

Canterlot Castle - evening tea

Celestia sipped her tea. "I’m wondering what to do with Miss Asher and her pledge. Luna, you have two humans working for you. What do you do with them? I don’t want to treat her like a soldier or an agent."

Luna smiled as she looked over the rim of her teacup. "Why, dear sister. I let them do what comes naturally to them. They find and solve problems. At times, I direct them, but for the most part, they find issues with things in our realm and correct them. They can be unpredictable. To be honest, I find that exhilarating at times."

Celestia pondered her sister’s words. “I’m not sure that will work with Miss Asher. She seems impulsive, and I find myself wondering if pledging fealty was her way of asking me to temper her impulsiveness. She certainly seemed to be seeking direction.”

Luna tapped her hoof thoughtfully, “It is possible. She is not entirely human, and perhaps that other part of her craves some form of structure to give purpose to the powers she possesses.”

It was harder than expected to find the kind of neighborhood I was looking for. Even the 'disreputable' neighborhoods in Canterlot were clean and elegant compared to the neighborhood I had landed in on the last world I’d been in. There, what I'd mistaken for an overbuilt slum was actually one of the nicer districts in Thorns. The slums there were the stuff of nightmares.

Here, there was no graffiti, no garbage spilling into the street. My only clues were houses with very small signs of repairs left undone. A shutter askew or a front step slightly cracked. Any one of the houses would have been nicer than where I lived when I lived on Earth. It was, in a twisted way, a painful reminder of how far from the world of my birth I'd traveled.

Eventually, I saw the telltale sign of a tavern, the placard proclaiming it to be The Wheat and Turnip. A glance inside showed a cozy and lively scene, with a pool table and a set of cue sticks.

Stepping inside I found myself the center of attention. Not too surprising, I supposed. With only four humans in Equestria, having one show up at this tavern was probably not a regular occurrence.

I walked over to the pool table, looking it over. Everything seemed the same as I’d seen in many other worlds.

A gray unicorn mare with her blue mane held by an orange headband wolf-whistled in my direction. “Look at the flank on that human! I thought they were smaller, but mare-o-mare, she’s got enough for two,” she said to the red-maned, orange pony beside her.

She got up and walked over to the pool table. I saw a cutie mark of a welding torch on her flank before I looked into her indigo eyes. “Hey there, sweetie. The name’s Steel Frame. Want to play a round? Maybe make it interesting with a wager or two?” She asked as she telekinetically gathered the balls into the rack before lifting the rack away and setting it on a hook on the table.

I turned out my pockets. “I’m afraid I’ve got no money.”

Steel Frame gave me a saucy wink, “That’s ok, cutie. How’s about we wager my two bits, and if I win, you gimme a kiss.”

“You’re on,” I said, smiling as I picked up a cue.

She levitated her cue and sent the cue ball into the racked set. It was a good break and the balls were all over the table. The three went into the corner pocket. “Guess I’m solids.” She said as she lined up her next shot.

I tried to play just badly enough that she’d think I was an easy opponent, but not a hopeless one. The ponies around us watched us with curiosity. They seemed fascinated by how I used my fingers to line up my shots. Steel Frame seemed more interested in focusing on my bottom when I bent over the table. She was a good player even with the distraction I was providing, and she soon landed the eight ball.

Steel Frame smirked at me, “Looks like you owe me a kiss, sugar.”

I smiled and leaned in to kiss her. She was rough around the edges but I liked her spunk. She kissed me back with passion, making me forget about everything else for a moment. I wondered what Blitzen would think of me kissing another mare, but I pushed the thought aside.

Steel Frame broke the kiss and gave my bottom a playful pinch. “You’re a good kisser, human. How’s about we raise the stakes?”

She set up the table for another game, “Tell you what, sweet cheeks, I’ll put up a hundred bits against your lovely flank. Winner takes all.”

I nodded, feeling confident. “Sounds good to me.”

[Eleanor the pool hustler]

She broke the rack again but missed. I took my turn and cleared the table, sinking the eight ball in the corner pocket. I turned to collect my prize, only to find a pool cue hovering in front of my face, held in Steel Frame’s telekinetic field. She glared at me. "You cheated. I dunno how, but you did."

"Nah, I just practiced a lot during my misspent youth," I said as I picked up a pinch of salt and began sprinkling it on the pool cue in front of me.

She looked at me like I'd gone mad. "What're you doin' that for?"

"Might as well salt the thing. You're gonna eat it," I said, hoping I sounded confident of my ability to make good on that.

She snorted and moved closer to me. "An' how you gonna make me do that? We know you humans don't breathe fire." Her friends circled around me, ready to jump in if needed.

I deactivated my transformation charm, enjoying the looks of apprehension as my skin shifted to reveal metal components, and the circuitry under my skin began to glow. "No, but human mares can breathe lightning," I said as my vocoder layered my voice with the sounds of crackling electricity. I spent a little essence moving a flashlight tool from my hand to my throat, making it look like sparks of electricity were emanating from within me.

"Now I just want my bits. I played a fair game. It's not my fault you didn't figure out I was hustling you." I said as I dialed back the special effects. I didn't want to chase her off.

A bag of bits was set on the table. “I know the bet was for a hundred, but I’ve only got eighty-seven bits on me.”

“That’s fine, I only needed fifty.” I counted out fifty bits and held out the pouch to Steel Frame.

"And now, if you’re interested, I can teach you how to spot a hustle," I said, taking the cue and setting up the balls. "Remember how I lost the first game?"

I managed a nearly perfect break, sinking the one ball. "I lost on purpose."

I moved around the table, pocketing the two and then the three. "A hustler will play poorly and let themselves lose a few small bets, then make a big one like I did. Sometimes called sandbagging."

Four, five, and six soon followed. "Then they play with their real skill." Then seven. "I was in a hurry and pretty blatant. Eight ball, side pocket."

Finally, the eight ball went right where I'd pointed. "A real hustler might lose a few bits here and there all day, then come back the next day and outplay everypony for serious money. Me, I just need a room for the night and some food."

Steel Frame laughed. “You would have gotten that if you’d lost, you know. I know how to show a pretty mare like you a good time.”

I joined her laughter. “I don’t think that we’d be getting a lot of sleep though and I’ve kinda got things to do in the morning.”

“Your loss. Tell me somethin’ though, can you really breathe lightning?” Steel Frame asked.

I chuckled, “Nah, but I had you going for a moment there. I’d need to build and integrate an essence pulse cannon to pull off any kind of energy breath.” I paused for a moment as an idea struck me. “Or I could use a Hyperdexterous Tentacle Apparatus with the Live Wire form charm for a similar effect.”

Steel Frame’s eyes widened. “Wait, go back. ‘Hyperdexterous tentacle apparatus’ You wouldn’t happen to have one of those? Because that sounds all kinds of interestin’”

I blinked and then blushed as her meaning sunk in.

Oh my. And here I thought I was adventurous.

I decided that I wanted to hang out with her again sometime. "Tell you what, I think I have a marefriend now, and I need to find out what kinda relationship she's looking for, but if you're ever in Ponyville, look me up. My name's Eleanor."

At Steel Frame’s recommendation, I sought out the Equus Inn. As I'd noted earlier, I needed to revise my idea of what constituted a cheap hotel to fit this world.

I lay awake in my hotel room, staring at the ceiling. Without anypony by my side, sleep was a terrifying prospect. I knew my nightmares would come for me, and I was powerless to stop them. But eventually, my eyes closed, and I drifted into a dream.

In my dream, I was fully human again, wearing a red and black jumpsuit I immediately recognized as being a Starfleet uniform. It was not a flattering look on me, but since I was sitting in the captain's chair, I wasn't going to complain.

The bridge was manned by humans and ponies, but none of them stood out to me. They were just extras, background noise. I tried to focus on one of the ponies, hoping to find some memorable detail.

"Really, Ellie? Is that how you want to spend this dream? Looking at the nobodies?" A malicious and yet familiar voice taunted me from behind.

I was tempted to look behind me, but since I didn't feel like giving Q the satisfaction, I continued examining my bridge crew until I heard Q snap his fingers, causing the crew to vanish.

I turned around, and there was John DeLancie, looking far more sinister than I recalled from the show. "What do you want L? I'm not in the mood to play your games. Besides, didn't Kira write you out already?"

"The letter is Q, but you knew that. Still, if you want to play that way…" Q pulled a black notebook out of thin air. "I'm sure there's somepony whose name I could write in here that might get your attention."

I tried to act unfazed by his threat. "This is just a dream. You can't do anything," I said defiantly.

"Oh, Ellie, just a dream? You've been through enough to know there's no such thing as 'just a dream'." He said and then whistled the tune from the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.

"Fine, so you've got me here. What do you want?" I growled, trying to mask my fear with anger.

He walked around until he was standing between me and the main screen on the bridge. He snapped his fingers, and a scene showed on the display of a city I was all too familiar with. "What I want is to help you. Wouldn't you like to save the good people of Gem from the burning horror you unleashed on them?"

As he spoke, the scene on the display became the horror he described. The one that haunted my nightmares even when the memory of what I'd done had been taken. I tried to remain stoic, but each scene pierced my heart with the cruel reality of what I had done.

"It's too late! I can't undo what I did. I can't bring back the dead, and I can't change the past." I sobbed, watching scene after scene of horror and death play out on the screen.

"What if you could? Your power may not be able to, but pony magic can turn back the clock. Your liege knows how. She has books on time magic in her library, hidden in the restricted section. She wouldn't dream of letting a human read them. So what are you to do? Leave millions dead, or do what you must to save them?"

The faces of the dead on the screen all turned to look at me. "Save us!" They cried as the bridge vanished, and I found myself in the ruined city of Gem. All around me, the dead and dying clamored for me to save them. I tried to avoid their touch but they were everywhere. They grabbed me, their charred hands pinning me down. I woke covered in sweat, tangled in the blanket.

Seeing that it was nearly dawn, I decided against trying to get any more sleep, not that I thought I could after that nightmare.

For the first time in centuries, Celestia was surprised by the line of petitioners who waited to speak to the Princess of the Day.

At the end of the line stood a human. And of the small number of that species in her nation, it was one Celestia least expected to see patiently waiting in line. Eleanor had been there just the day before, and Celestia thought she'd be enjoying herself in Ponyville now that her banishment was lifted.

Eleanor’s demeanor gave no clue as to why she was there. She was just standing and chatting casually with one of her fellow petitioners as they waited for their turn to approach the throne.

Celestia briefly wondered if this had something to do with the woman's decidedly odd sense of humor, but she couldn't imagine anything funny about waiting in line.

For a moment she considered calling Eleanor forward. However, she decided against it. If Eleanor wanted to wait in line, then Celestia wasn't going to argue. Besides, it was rather interesting seeing that Eleanor had no intention of demanding to go ahead of anypony.

As Eleanor's turn approached, Luna joined Celestia on the dias. Apparently, news of the strange human's presence had spread throughout the castle. Celestia nodded to her sister.

I curtsied to both princesses as I reached the dias.

I faced Princess Celestia and addressed her, "I am Eleanor Ursula Asher, Soldier of the Red Lantern Corps, Honorary Legionnaire, Lieutenant in the UNSS, Exarch of The Lost Plains, Marquessa of the Salt Cellar, Esquire of the Autumn Court, Queen of Forsaken Reach, and Sworn Servant of the Crown of Equestria. I stand before thee to ask a question. Didst thee impose thy anima upon Alex Roberts, citizen of Equestria and Paladin in service to thine own sister?"

Luna raised an eyebrow and waited to hear how her sister would answer. She gave me a supportive nod as she watched her sister.

Celestia carefully responded in a cold and formal tone, “I did.” Her voice became stern and authoritative, “And I do not appreciate your impertinence, Eleanor. You have no right to question my actions.”

I glared at her, anger and defiance hiding the pain her words caused me. "If not me, then who? I pledged myself to serve you, and sometimes that means pointing out when you’ve done harm, even if unintentionally. Do you have any idea what your anima is like for us? How it feels to have your will overpowered by some outside force? I've endured it many times, and it was awful every time, even when the god doing it meant well."

Celestia fixed me with a stern glare, "Be that as it may, Eleanor, how I treated Luna's—project—was appropriate. I had to instill the proper attitude and reverence for the crown. It was for my benefit, Luna's benefit, and for the benefit of all my little ponies, of all species." She stepped forward as though daring me to take some rash action.

I was incredulous, how did she not get it? "The ends justify the means? That's a very dangerous way of thinking. It becomes really easy to justify atrocity for the sake of the 'greater good'. What would you say if I used my anima on one of your ponies to impose worship, no matter how good a reason I might have?"

"Is that not what you did on your first day in Ponyville?" Celestia asked, looking smug as though she'd caught me in a contradiction.

I bristled at the comparison "Not exactly, and not of my own will. I shut that charm down and apologized to every mare affected. And really, you know that's not the same as deliberately forcing your will on someone."

I reverted to my mechanical form. "I may be immune to that sort of thing now, but I wasn't before. Autochthon used his aura to violate me, and as useful as my new powers may be, they were forced on me against my will. Would you accept a pony being treated in such a fashion?"

"I have seen how you humans treated each other in your Imperium Romanum." Celestia pointed out, waving a hoof as if to dismiss my argument.

"The Roman Empire? That was a long time ago. Though I can't say humans haven't done worse since. Hell, I've done worse. So much worse…" I closed my eyes and took a moment to compose myself.

"Here's the thing, though. You shouldn't judge individuals by the worst of their species. Maybe I deserve to be treated like that. My crimes are heinous, though that goes against your decree that our mistakes in other worlds should not be held against us in this one. I can live with that for myself. But Alex, Matt, and Trace are better than me. They deserve at the least to be treated as you would anyone else who comes before you." I looked up into her eyes, trying to see if I'd gotten through to her.

Celestia looked into my eyes as though searching for something. I saw a dawning realization, as well as a measure of pity in her expression that made me look away. "Perhaps you're right Miss Asher. I shall apologize to Paladin Roberts." She said softly.

I looked back at her. "Thank you, Your Highness," I said solemnly.

Celestia seemed lost in thought for a moment before looking at me with a gentle smile. "Since it seems you are indeed serious about your pledge of service, you should have some sort of title. Would you like to be my Paladin?"

I considered her offer. I wasn’t sure I was the right person to be her Paladin. Even though violence was uncommon in this land, I wanted a title that didn’t mark me as a warrior. "I don't know that I'm Paladin material. Perhaps I could be your Herald? Just feels more fitting to me. A messenger rather than a knight."

Celestia tapped my shoulder with her horn in a gesture of approval. “Very well then. You are now my Herald, Miss Asher. I will summon Paladin Roberts, and you will stand with me for the apology.”

I nodded. “As you wish, my liege. While we wait, may I ask about something?”

Celestia looked at me curiously, “What did you want to ask about?

I took a deep breath, feeling apprehensive about bringing this up after my nightmare last night. “What I did in that other world, haunts me. I would undo it if I could. I heard there were magics that could turn back time and that you have books on such magic.”

Celestia’s eyes widened, and her ears went back. She stamped her forehoof on the floor hard enough that the sound echoed through the throne room. The heat of a summer sun at noon blazed from her. “Eleanor! I want you to swear to me you will never attempt to use magic to alter the past. You must never, ever try to use time magic to undo a death. Swear it on your name.”

I stepped back, cowed by her anger and fear. I bowed my head. “I swear I will not cast any spell nor weave any sorcery to alter the past or undo a death, upon my name, so mote it be.”

Celestia sighed and her expression softened. The raging heat faded and she gently touched my face with her wing. “I’m sorry, Miss Asher. I didn’t mean to frighten you. But you must understand that time magic is dangerous and unpredictable. And trying to cheat death with magic is especially fraught with perils. Attempting to change the past often makes things worse. You can’t erase the mistakes of the past. You can only learn from them and move on.”

I nodded, feeling a mix of sadness and curiosity. “I understand, Your Highness. Have you ever used time magic to undo something?”

Celestia looked away, a hint of sadness in her eyes. “That’s a story for another time, my Herald. A story I’m not ready to share yet. Maybe someday. For now, let’s focus on the present.”

Celestia had me standing to her left, just next to the dias. I stood, somewhat nervous, as Alex approached. He raised an eyebrow seeing me standing at attention next to one of the guards.

Alex bowed deeply to Princess Luna, showing his respect and admiration. "Your majesty." He bowed a bit less deeply to Celestia, his voice cold, "You summoned me, your Highness?"

I nodded slightly to encourage Celestia, hoping she would give a sincere apology.

Come on princess, you can do it.

Celestia looked at Alex, her eyes avoiding his gaze. "Yes. It would seem I owe you an apology. My herald has reminded me of my obligations to all my citizens."

I nodded a little more forcefully, urging her to be more specific.

Celestia flicked her ear, a sign of annoyance. "Ahem. It would seem I owe you an apology."

I gave my best 'really?' look, wondering if she was serious.

Dear gods, it's like pulling teeth. Maybe I'll check if Twilight has a book on how to apologize and have her send it here.

Luna snorted faintly and seemed to be trying to keep from chuckling, amused by her sister’s awkwardness and my internal commentary.

"It would seem I have wronged you, Paladin Roberts.", Celestia continued, ignoring her sister’s reaction.

I waved my hand in a small circle, trying to coax more detail out of Celestia.

Celestia shot me a glare, clearly irritated by my interference. "Fine, Herald. Alex, I increased my dietetic field on purpose to impress myself on your psyche. I'm sorry. It was wrong."

Alex just stood there, with a grim expression. "Of course, your Highness." He finally sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Yes, your Highness. I accept your apology."

I gave Celestia a thumbs up, trying to be supportive. She gave me a look of annoyance.

"Thank you. Now that we're done, I believe there are other matters of state to attend to." Celestia said, waving her wing as a gesture of dismissal.

Alex smiled faintly, "Your Highness, there is one more thing. I hope you take this as your first step in your own personal redemption.”

After Alex left, Celestia turned to me with a stern look. "And now that that is over, we need to discuss what I expect of you if you're to be my Herald."

I tried to lighten the mood with a playful grin. "Does it involve soliloquies about being planet-bound, unable to surf the spaceways in search of cosmic wonders?"

Celestia rolled her eyes, "Miss Asher, if you're trying to audition for the position of court jester, it would help if your attempts at humor made sense."

I forced a smile on my face, though it didn't reach my eyes. "Sorry, a lot of my humor is a way of holding on to the world I came from. I can try to keep it to myself. And you can call me Eleanor, your highness."

Celestia softened her gaze. "I see. I may not always understand what you refer to with your humor, Eleanor, but if it brings you comfort, then please feel free to continue. In my concern for the risks to my little ponies, I do forget that you 'jumpers', with the exception of Mister Reinhart, did not choose this fate."

"However, you have chosen to enter my service." Celestia continued, her expression stern. "So you will need to behave more appropriately as a representative of the crown. I would rather not have my Herald hustling pool in questionable taverns, nor threatening to 'breathe lightning' at anypony. I will give you some bits to cover your train fare back to Ponyville as well as the one you took to get here. I suggest you ride inside the train rather than hanging off the back of it the next time you come here.”

Author's Note

Many thanks to Techogre, warpd, Marvelous Cheshire, Tosety and KMCA for editing, suggestions, and support.

Chapter 13: Returning Home

I spotted Alex and Rainbow Dash at the Canterlot train station heading towards me. After greeting them, I headed to the ticket booth. The blue stallion behind the counter gave me a curious look when I explained why I was paying for two tickets and only wanted one. He didn’t seem to believe my story about hanging onto a moving train, so I showed him my tether beam, and he nodded.

He asked, “Not planning to ride like that again, are you?”

I replied, “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll always pay my fare. Hopefully, I won’t have to do that again, though. Riding on the outside is much less cozy than riding on the inside.”

When I returned to Rainbow Dash and Alex, I heard Alex say something about wishing Celestia had let him finish what he was doing.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Of all the petty… I'm tempted to Spider-Man my way across Canterlot, but the streets are busier than Ponyville, and I'm too scared of heights to swing above the crowds. I'm sorry she pulled that, and I will bring it up next time I talk to her."

Dash gave me a puzzled look. “You had a flight ring, and you’re scared of heights?”

“Well, yeah, but I didn’t grow up with a flight ring. For most of my life, heights meant falling and falling meant getting hurt. I broke my knee as a kid, trying to face my fear. The ring was mostly useful for protecting me from harsh environments. It can protect against extreme temperatures, unusually high pressure, or even complete vacuum.”

Dash nodded but looked curious. “What about the powers you have now? I heard about you swinging through the streets and hanging off the train,” she asked as we boarded the train.

I gave Dash a pained look. “I was barely off the ground, and I’d considerably reduced the effect of gravity on myself. I mean, I could get flight powers, but there’s a whole other can of worms involved with adding new charms.”

Alex’s expression became one of fascinated curiosity, “What do you mean by that?”

I sat down and sighed. “You know how I got my powers in the world I was in before this one, right? The thing is, that world is based on an RPG system, so my powers grow as I gain enough experience points. Not sure how that works, given I can’t even tell when I ‘earn xp’. But, I can feel my exaltation telling me I can create new charms to enhance myself. And it scares me.”

"These charms aren’t just magic. They’re physical modifications. They replace my muscles, implant devices in my brain, or put new compartments full of mechanical weirdness in my body. It’s one thing to write these things on a character sheet; it’s another to do that to myself in real life. I'm worried about what I'll become and what happens when there's nothing left of the original me. It’s like the Ship of Theseus paradox but with my own body.” I raised my hand, willing it to transform into its more mechanical form to illustrate my point.

Alex whistled. “That sounds like a lot to deal with. But how do you feel about the changes you’ve already gone through?”

I shrugged. “I try to see the bright side of having these powers, like being able to help others and do wild things like swinging through the streets on a magic tether beam. But sometimes, I feel overwhelmed by all of it. I don’t know what the right thing to do is, and I’m afraid of losing myself.”

Alex nodded sympathetically. “I can imagine that. It must be tough to deal with such a big transformation. Have you thought about talking to someone who can help you find ways to cope with the changes?”

I frowned. “You mean like therapy? I’ve thought about it, but how am I gonna afford that?”

Rainbow Dash looked at me like I’d said something ridiculous, "What do you mean?"

I tried to explain, "I mean, how will I pay for my health care, particularly mental health care?"

Dash just looked even more confused. "I don't get it. Alex? Do you know what she’s talking about?"

Alex got it, "Oh, right. You’re from the States, right?” I nodded. “That explains it. Equestria has socialized medicine. Your tax bits pay for it."

I was stunned, "Really?"

Alex chuckled, “We tried telling you when we were going to Ponyville your first day here, but you went off on some tangent about Luna trying to control you.”

I winced. “Oof. Yeah, I was not my best that day. Sorry about that.” I let out a sigh of relief, “Wow, that takes a load off my mind, though. I was worried about the bill for all that time I was spending in the hospital.”

Dash looked at me, shocked. "Wait, you were worrying about that this whole time? That sucks. I wish this fathead,” she tapped Alex’s thigh, “had told you sooner."

I gave her a serious look, "To be fair, he tried. I just wasn’t listening. But, yeah, I was worried. I grew up with a system that would gleefully ruin a person for daring to get sick or hurt. A lot of the worlds I’ve been to were just as bad about it. At least once, I darn near died because I couldn't afford care, and the only thing that saved my life was being tossed to the next world. When I broke my knee, things were pretty lean in our household while we paid off the bill."

As we approached the Ponyville station, I spotted a familiar figure waiting on the platform. Somepony I had been dying to meet since I arrived in Equestria. I’d only seen her in one episode of the show, but she was one of my favorite characters.

I nudged Alex excitedly. “Is that who I think it is? Do you think she’d mind if I asked for her autograph?”

Alex grinned, "Oh, my goodness, no. Bea will be thrilled! She loves that kind of stuff. You want to make her happy? Ask for her script. But make sure to ask for Trixie's autograph. She'll turn Trixie on in full force, especially for someone she likes.”

Alex paused and added, "And don't worry, she's engaged to Big Macintosh."

I smirked "Worry? No, but good to know. So TrixTosh is a thing, huh?"

Alex gave me a serious look. "Yes. But please don't use that term. It's not exactly offensive, but not appreciated. The same goes with AppleDash and so on. Especially AppleDash. Applejack really hates that term.”

Dash shook her head, “Ugh. That stupid creepytown pony show. ‘AppleDash’? That’s so weird, and not in a good way.”

I chuckled, “Don’t worry. I won’t mention any fandom stuff. I can only imagine how annoying or offensive some of it could be to the ponies involved. And so much of that stuff was weird, like the ‘Trixie eating pine cones’ memes.”

Alex laughed, "Okay. Bea might get a chuckle out of that. And for the record, pine cones are a delicacy. They cost an arm and a leg. But yeah. Tread lightly on that stuff. It can be awkward. Imagine someone writing a fanfic about you and getting all the details wrong.”

I shuddered. “The idea of someone writing fanfic about me is disturbing enough all on its own.”

Dash smirked, “I don’t know. Fans writing stories about me could be awesome. But, then again, it’s based on that show, so, yeah. I don’t think it would be that awesome.”

I grinned, “You’ve done awesome things, so you having fans wouldn’t be so disturbing. The things I’ve done aren’t so great. But yeah, the show didn’t get the whole picture.”

The train pulled into the station. Trixie approached us when we stepped off the train.

Alex stepped forward a little faster than us and got to Trixie first. “So, the yak throat singers, how much of a disaster was it?” he asked.

Trixie replied, “They were really insulted you had to leave, even for a Princess."

Alex looked worried, "Did we lose them? Was there much damage?"

Trixie smiled. "Boss. Don't worry your pretty little head. The Great And Powerful Trrrixie saved the day! They were happy once I offered to have a teleport pad permanently installed in their hometown."

A smiling Trixie saw me walking toward her and Alex. "So, you're the new human mare I've been hearing about? Well, I'm glad to finally meet you, Eleanor. And, I must say, the rumors have underplayed your charms.”

I squeed internally. “I’m glad to meet you too! I know the show isn’t reality, but I’ve always been a fan of the Great and Powerful Trixie! Can I get your autograph?”

I franticly searched my pockets for anything to take an autograph with. Finding nothing, I looked at Trixie sheepishly. “Um, raincheck?”

Trixie smiled at me, “The Great and Powerful Trrrixie admits she wasn’t prepared for autographs either.” Her voice turned serious, “I’ve seen the episodes of the show. Trixie isn’t exactly presented in the best light.” She gave me a questioning look.

“I always thought the character wasn’t really given a fair shake. You, I mean she, was just giving the kind of hyperbolic performance I’d expect of a stage magician, and it just seemed like she didn’t do anything really deserving of the dislike she was shown. Kinda resonated a bit. Been on the receiving end of some of that kind of thing,” I explained.

“Then there was a world I was in where the food was all toxic, and I spent six months living off my Pinecone Lockseed. Back on Earth, there was a meme of you eating pine cones. I had a few of the images on my tablet, and they kept my mind off the fact that I wasn’t eating since the Lockseed was sustaining me.” I chuckled a bit.

Trixie’s voice changed to a less bombastic one, and she looked surprised at my mention of the meme. "Oh wow! Really? They had a meme about Trixie? Well, for the record, I love pine cones. Well, pine nuts. The cones are just extra chew. But they're pricey.” The entertainer grew thoughtful. “I may go for a walk with Mac. There's a small grove of pine trees on Sweet Apple Acres land."

“Eleanor!” I heard a familiar voice call from behind me. I turned and saw Roseluck trotting into the station.

“I was hoping you’d be here. Blitzen’s been on a salt bender at the Grain Bucket, and I’m worried she may get herself into trouble,” Roseluck explained.

“Let’s go find her then, Roseluck,” I said, turning to Beatrix. “Sorry, I have to go, but I’ll have pen and paper with me next time. You’re awesome, by the way!.”

“No problem, Eleanor. Your friend needs you more than I do. And don’t worry, I’ll bring you an autograph the next time I see you. Ponyville’s not that big. We’ll bump into each other again soon.” Beatrix smiled.

I followed Roseluck through the streets of Ponyville. As we walked, I saw two young unicorns pass by. The shorter, chubbier one had a pair of scissors on his flank, and the taller, ganglier one had a snail. I felt a strange tingling in the back of my head, which intensified when I looked at the one with the snail mark. I wondered what it meant, but I had to focus on finding Blitzen.

Just as we turned the corner, we saw Blitzen being dragged out of what I assumed was the Grain Bucket place that Rose had mentioned.

The mare dragging Blitzen’s unconscious form looked at us and asked if we were her friends. We nodded, and she said, “Huh, I can see why she would be upset. Did you really propose to the Princess?”

I replied, “Yeah, I needed to get her attention somehow.”

The mare laughed, “And that was the best you could come up with? I don’t know if you're crazy or brilliant. Tell you what: you come back here without her, and you can have a drink on the house for sheer audacity.”

The mare glanced at Blitzen and said, "Let her know she's banned when she wakes up. I understand she was jealous, but that doesn't give her the right to speak ill of Princess Celestia in my establishment."

I parted ways with Roseluck and carried Blitzen over my shoulder as we made our way back to the cottage. I was able to travel faster than usual since I didn’t have to keep pace with anyone else. We arrived at the cottage in half the usual time, or so I thought. Upon arrival, I found that the cottage was no longer there. Only the animal shelter Fluttershy had helped me build remained.

As I was standing there in confusion, a squirrel appeared and ran towards the spot where the cottage had been. It started jumping up and down while pointing at the ground. I walked over and saw what looked like the footprint of a giant bird.

The squirrel pointed in the direction of the forest towards the Everfree, indicating that whatever had taken the cottage had gone that way.

I set Blitzen down by the shelter and asked the squirrel to keep an eye on her. It felt a bit silly talking to be a squirrel, but they seemed to understand and nodded their fuzzy little head in agreement before going over to where Blitzen was lying.

I ran towards the forest, following the trail left by the giant bird. Fortunately for me, the trail was fairly easy to follow. Whatever kind of bird it was, it couldn’t fly, or at least, it couldn’t fly while burdened with a house. Part of me couldn’t help but wonder why and how some bird had come along and just picked up the cottage.

I'm running through a monster-infested forest, chasing after a giant bird that stole my home. What the hell? Is this my life now?

I went around a rock outcropping and saw it. Straight out of the folktales and nightmares, I saw a hut walking through the woods on two huge chicken legs.

My house was taken by Baba fricken’ Yaga? Are you kidding me?

The house spotted me. At least it acted like it did because it turned, and I saw a glimmer in the window as it turned away and ran. I charged after it, coming out of the forest near a large barn. The house had to turn at the barn, giving me the chance to get close enough for my tether.

I tried planting my feet to stop the runaway house, but it pulled me off my feet and dragged me along behind it as it ran toward the town. With Plan A having gone as expected, I moved to Plan B: try to get inside the house. I started retracting my tether, pulling myself toward the back of the hut.

Now, the hut was trying to shake me off. I hit a wall hard as we entered Ponyville but kept pulling my way up the tether. I grabbed onto the back of the house and held on tight to the corner molding. The hut kicked over a stall, and I heard an old stallion wailing about his cabbages.

Eleanor tethered to hut

Flower Sisters flower stall - a few minutes earlier.

Roseluck snorted, “I can't believe someone like Eleanor is dating that nag. Blitzen's just going to break that poor human's heart, I just know it. I have to try to get Eleanor to see she'd be better off with somepony else."

"Like you, Rose?" Daisy asked, smiling knowingly.

Roseluck felt a surge of embarrassment that her motives had been so easily deduced. She glared at Daisy and said firmly, "I… Yes, like me. I'd be a hundred times better for Eleanor than that nag."

Lily furrowed her brow and bit her lip. She was worried about her sister’s obsession with the human girl. She had been talking about her non-stop. "Sis, are you really sure you want to try dating a human?” she asked cautiously, “I hear they get really violent sometimes." She tilted her head and looked at Roseluck with concern.

Roseluck rolled her eyes and huffed. She didn’t care what Lily said. She was determined to win Eleanor’s heart, no matter what.

Rose heard someone shouting about his cabbages and felt a large thud shake the ground. Around the corner came the weirdest monster to ever rampage through Ponyville. It looked like a small house standing on giant chicken legs. Roseluck saw Eleanor hanging from the back corner, struggling to pull herself up as the house tried to shake her off.

Roseluck felt her heart pound as she saw Eleanor get slammed into a wall. She felt a surge of adrenaline and ran towards the house, dodging flying cabbages and the claws of the house’s legs. She hoped Eleanor was alright.

Roseluck reached Applejack’s apple cart and saw the orange pony watching the chaos with a frown. She quickly grabbed AJ’s attention and asked for help.

“Applejack, do you have your lasso? Maybe you can lasso the house, and we can try to hold it still so Eleanor can stop it!” Roseluck shouted.

“Sure thing, sugarcube. I’m always glad to lend a hoof to a friend in need.” Applejack said, grabbing her lasso from the cart. “But I’ll need you and your sisters’ help to hold it down. That house looks mighty strong and fast.”

“Of course, I’ll do anything for Eleanor,” Roseluck said, nodding. She followed Applejack as AJ ran towards the house, lasso in her teeth. Rose jerked her head to get Daisy and Lily to join them.

“Alright, y’all, here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna lasso the house, and y’all are gonna pull on the rope with me. We gotta be quick and careful. Don’t wanna get squashed by them chicken legs. Ready?” Applejack said, twirling her lasso.

“Ready!” Roseluck and her sisters said, holding onto the rope.

Applejack threw her lasso and caught the house around its roof. She pulled on the rope and shouted, “Now!”

Roseluck and the others pulled on the rope with all their strength, trying to stop the house from moving. The house tried to shake off the lasso, kicking and stomping, but the four ponies held firm as the ground shook.

Roseluck looked up and saw Eleanor still hanging from the back corner. She saw the human’s eyes widen as she saw Roseluck and the others trying to help her. She smiled and waved at Roseluck, and Roseluck felt a warm feeling in her chest.

Eleanor pulled her legs up to the house as blue light flowed from her feet. With a quick movement, she was standing on the wall of the house like it was the ground. Even her hair seemed to defy conventional gravity, falling toward the house. She ran along the walls, opened the front door, and climbed inside the house. A few moments later, the house stopped struggling.

Eleanor stuck her head out of the door. “Anyone know where I can park this? Preferably long-term? ‘Spect somehow turned the cottage I was living in into this thing.”

Applejack looked up from retrieving her lasso. “There’s some vacant land near Sweet Apple Acres. It ain’t any good for growin’ apples, but it’ll make a fine place to put your house.”

Once I made it into the house, I discovered new weirdness waiting. The interior was that of the cottage, cozy and familiar. Despite opening a normal rectangular door to enter the house, from inside it was the round door I’d spent an hour polishing. Somehow my home had been transformed into a walking hut.

“‘Spect!” I yelled, knowing she was behind the change to the house.

“Eleanor, you made it! I wanted to be Baba Yaga for Nightmare Night, so I used my divine essence to alter the cottage, but I can’t attune to the hearthstone, and now it’s out of control.” ‘Spect said as she brought an egg-shaped milky-white stone to me.

I held the stone and felt the energy inside it. It was warm and pulsing like a living heart. I extended a bit of my own will and grasped the stone in a mental grip. I focused on calm and felt the house stop fighting the ponies outside. Where it had been wild, now it was tame and ready for my command.

“Ok, we’re gonna talk about this later, but first, I need to park the house somewhere.” I told ‘Spect calmly.

I poked my head out and got a suggestion from Applejack where I could put the house. I let her guide us to the spot, a nice little area but apparently unsuitable for growing apples. The house settled down on my command, folding its legs underneath itself. A fence of bones sprouted out of the ground around the house, and I made a mental note to ask ‘Spect where those had come from.

Once the house was fully settled down, I felt exhaustion wash over me, along with a sense of relief. I pocketed the stone and stepped out of the door to see Applejack waiting with Roseluck. They both looked amazed and curious about the strange house.

“Thanks for the help. I tried using my tether, but I don’t have super strength despite what rumors say,” I said gratefully.

Applejack laughed. “Shucks, weren’t nothing. It’s hard to move an Earth Pony that don’t want to be moved. Four of us and your house had no chance. Just glad you were able to get it to settle down,” she said with a friendly smile.

“So am I. Now, I gotta go get Blitzen from where I left her.” Was it my imagination, or did Roseluck look upset? Was it because I’d left Blitzen somewhere or because I was going to retrieve her? I wanted to stick around and figure it out, but I couldn’t just leave Blitzen out in the woods.

The house had drawn a crowd while I was retrieving Blitzen. It wasn’t every day a house ran through the town after all. I tried to act casual as I carried Blitzen to the front door. But of course, in another fine example of my luck, this is when Blitzen woke up and squirmed out of my grip. She staggered to her hooves and glared at me.

"You! You stupid, shaved diamond dog, monkey! Small-nosed, skinny-flanked weirdo! I should have known you would leave me! And for a princess? What am I supposed to do with that? I don't know why I fell for an emotional wreck like you!” Blitzen shouted, oblivious to the crowd around us.

She lowered her voice to a murmur, but I could still hear the bitterness in her words. “Why do you have to be so damn gorgeous?” Her voice came back as strong as before, “You wouldn’t know a good thing when it lands in your, your, whatever the top of your legs are called,”

I tried to defend myself. “Blitzen, how can you say that? Why would I leave you? I just had to go back to deal with what she’d done to Alex. I was coming right back.”

Blitzen ignored me and continued, her voice rising with each word, "And your teats! They're huge! How in Luna’s name can you even walk? And two legs? Why aren't you face down in the mud all the time? Ha! That would be an improvement! You top-heavy nag!”

The venom in her voice was too much for me. The shocked stares from everypony there made it all hurt even worse. That she would say things like that in public, I couldn’t bear it. I knew there would be ponies that thought I was some kind of freak, but I never thought Blitzen would feel that way too. Feeling like my heart was breaking, I ran into the house and found a small, dark closet to hide in. I barely closed the door before I broke down.

Blitzen was about to follow El into the house when she found herself lifted off her hooves in a magic field. ‘Spect stepped out of the house, eyes blazing with cold fury.

“Intoxication revocation!” ‘Spect shouted as the blue glow of her horn flared.

Blitzen felt a wave of nausea followed by a pounding headache as the salt haze was flushed from her system. Even worse than the headache was the sickening realization of what she had just said to Eleanor. She didn’t have time to think about it before ‘Spect dragged her into the house and dropped her roughly to the floor in front of a closet door.

“Listen. Do you hear that? She's sitting in the closet crying. Do you have any idea what she's been through? I know you two have this weird 'love at first sight' thing going on, but you should be careful. She can shut off her emotions if you push her too far,” ‘Spect hissed.

Blitzen looked at the floor. "Maybe she should."

'Spect growled, "How many times do you think that'll work before she can't turn them back on? She's hurting because she wants to feel. She wants to care about you, Blitzen. Maybe consider that before accusing her of wanting to leave you for a princess. And maybe get a grip on your salt issue. You two are not providing a good example for an impressionable filly."

After a while, I was able to stop crying. I felt the thing I’d used to wipe my tears. It was some kind of animal skin. I used a mote of essence to light up my anima banner and see what it was. I was holding what looked like the pelt of a lion. I felt a strange urge to make something out of it. I used my omnitool to remove the fur, cut shapes from the leather, and dye it a deep blue. I also turned some metal fittings in the closet into grommets, rivets, and studs. I realized I was remaking an outfit I’d seen a few worlds back and thought was too bold for me.

The outfit suited my mood now. It wouldn’t shock the ponies, but it would show them I was trouble, or looking for trouble. I wasn’t sure which–blue leather leotard with a studded vest, laced-up gloves, and thigh-high stiletto-heel boots. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off, but I was damn sure gonna try.

Blitzen was waiting outside the closet. She took a step back when she saw me. “Eleanor… I’m so sorry. I was salted, but that’s no excuse. I never should have said those things.”

“But you did say them, Blitzen. There’s a saying from Earth. In Vino Veritas. It means In Wine Truth. People often reveal truths they wouldn’t say otherwise when they’re drunk. I don’t know how much of that was what you really think of me, but right now, I’m not in the mood to talk about it. I’m going out. Alone. I need to think about things,” I said as I walked out the door, leaving her behind.

Chapter 14: Looking for Trouble

My dramatic exit soon backfired. While I was in the mood to look for trouble, and dressed to match, being in Equestria meant I’d have to lower my expectations for the kind of trouble I was seeking. I didn’t feel like returning to the Grain Bucket, but I didn’t know where else to go. I wandered the streets of Ponyville, looking for something to catch my eye.

A scruffy-looking green mare waved at me from a dark corner, "Hey. Hey! You're the new hyooman, right? Looking for a good time?" She had a sly grin on her face and a heart twinkle in her eye.

I nodded. That was exactly what I was looking for. "Yeah. I just need to blow off some steam." I said, hoping she had something interesting in mind.

"Then you’re in luck. But… my memory is a bit hazy. A few bits might jog it..." She said, rubbing her hooves together.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine, but it better be good." I tossed her a five-bit coin.

She snatched the coin eagerly. "Hey, I'm a mare of her word. Follow me." She said, trotting away.

She led me to a bright and clean alleyway. There was a single empty cup lying on the ground.

"Sorry about that." The mare grabbed the cup and tossed it in a garbage bin.

I heard a low thumping of dance music. Now, this is what I'm talking about! I thought, feeling a surge of excitement.

The pony knocked on a nondescript door, hidden behind a stack of crates. She whispered a password, “A friend of a friend sent me.” The door opened slightly, and a pair of eyes peered out. They widened when they saw me, but then nodded and let us in.

The door opened to flashing dance lights and loud, thumping music. I could see a white, blue-maned mare with magenta sunglasses spinning a DJ turntable and several ponies dancing to the music.

I made my way to the bar and scanned the crowd. With a sinking feeling, I realized I had stumbled into the local “under 21” club. I wasn't any better at guessing pony ages than I was at guessing genders, but I could sense the youthful energy and excitement of the ponies around me.

As I reached the bar, the teal unicorn behind it gave me a curious look. He flipped his mane aside and asked, “What drinks would you like, stranger?”.

“Surprise me,” I said, tossing some bits on the counter. He had a cocktail shaker mark in his rump.

He nodded and grabbed some bottles. He poured some of the contents into a cocktail shaker, shaking it vigorously before spinning it in the air, and putting on a show for me. He poured the drink into a glass and garnished it with a slice of orange and some mint leaves before topping the decoration off with a tiny umbrella. He slid it over to me with a smile.

I took a sip of the drink and almost choked. It was very potent. "Wow. Sorry, I forgot about the alcohol/salt thing. Can I have something non-alcoholic? Getting hammered and waking up in a strange bed somehow doesn't seem like a smart move right now."

He arched an eyebrow at me before whipping up another drink. I put down some more bits but he dismissed them with a wave of his hoof. He placed a new glass in front of me with a red liquid in it and the same decorations as the last.

This time I took a more careful sip of the drink. I didn’t taste any alcohol, but the sweetness was overpowering. Still, I decided to settle for this. Who knows what the next concoction would be like? I grabbed my glass and retreated to a table in the corner.

As I sat there, I felt a dark cloud of brooding envelop me. My night was ruined, and I had no one to blame but myself. I had been acting out of anger and hurt, trying to either hurt someone else or find a temporary escape with a stranger. But I knew that would only make things worse, and I couldn’t expect to escape the consequences like I used to.

How could I be so careless with the feelings of others? I was ready to do something cruel just to get back at Blitzen for breaking my heart. I was supposed to be better than that. It was a bitter irony that I was still human, and still capable of being petty and vindictive. My mood plummeted to new depths. I buried my face in my hands, resting my elbows on my knees, while my drink remained untouched on the table beside me.

Eleanor depressed.

I looked at the crowd of young and happy ponies dancing to the music and felt a pang of envy. I wished I could still feel that joy and freedom.

I heard a voice, “Miss Eleanor? What are you doing here?”

I looked up to see an orange pegasus with a magenta mane and her friends. My memory gave names for three of them. The pegasus was Scootaloo, the white unicorn with the purple/pink mane was Sweetie Belle, and the yellow earth pony with the red mane was Apple Bloom. The other two were new to me. There was what seemed to be another of the same Changeling Kith as Dr. Emerald. The other was a humanoid wolf. I didn’t get the same visual weirdness I did when looking at a changeling so she likely wasn’t a shapeshifter.

“Let’s just say, not what I thought I’d be doing. But that’s probably a good thing,” I said, forcing a smile. “You know my name, and I think I know some of yours from the show. But that’s not really you, is it? So perhaps introductions are in order? Eleanor Asher, walking disaster area.”

Apple Bloom stepped forward, "Apple Bloom, Cutie Mark Crusader and member of the Apple family. Pleased ta meet ya!"

"Sweetie Belle, Cutie Mark Crusader, and Rarity's sister. It's very nice to meet you. I like your mane!” she said.

Scootaloo nodded, "Scootaloo, Cutie Mark Crusader, daughter of Rainbow Dash and Alex Roberts. Mom talked about that show, so I kind of get it. She didn't have, what do you call it, a high opinion of it. Were you on it too?"

I cringed a little inside. God, I hope not, I thought to myself.

Sapphire looked up at me with a genuine grin. She didn't say anything, but I understood her message. She was greeting me warmly, telling me her name was Sapphire, she was Dr Emerald's daughter, and she wasn't a fan of that silly show either. She had a curious and intelligent look in her eyes.

The tall humanoid wolf bowed respectfully. Her silvery coat made her violet eyes stand out. "I am Summer Blossom, adopted daughter of Alex Roberts and Rainbow Dash, sister of Scootaloo, friend of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I greet and welcome thee. Father has spoken highly of you."

I opened my mouth to reply, but the music changed to a new song. It was a loud and fast techno beat, not something I would choose to listen to. But it had a catchy rhythm. The lights flashed in sync with the sound, creating a colorful and energetic atmosphere.
Scootaloo’s ears perked up. “Oh, this is my jam! Come on! Dance with us! You too, Summer!" She said, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the dance floor.

Summer looked reluctant. “Do I have to?” She asked, hoping for an escape.

Scootaloo nodded, “Yes! Come on. I want to have fun with my sister and the new human!” She said, using her other hoof to drag Summer along.

Sweetie Belle, Apple Bloom, and Sapphire all chanted, “Join us! Join us! Join us!” They were eager to share their friendship and joy with me.

I let them drag me onto the dance floor, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement. Unfortunately, the only dancing I knew was better suited to a ballroom than a nightclub. I flailed my arms and legs, trying to keep up with the rhythm of the music. It probably looked like I was fighting off a swarm of bees. A small part of me noted that before my change, such exertion in a crowd like this would have had me wiping away sweat. But now, I felt cool and comfortable.

I noticed more than a few ponies staring at me when the music stopped. Some looked amused, some looked confused, and a few looked at me in a way that had me considering that I may need a way to gently turn down some advances. Scootaloo and her friends formed a protective circle around me, daring anypony to laugh. They glared at the onlookers with fierce loyalty, making them look away.

I touched Scootaloo’s shoulder gently. “It’s okay. I don’t normally dance to this kind of music. I’m sure I looked ridiculous. If they laugh at me, it’s no big deal.” I tried to sound casual.

Scootaloo looked at me with a mix of admiration and pity. "No, Miss Eleanor. You're dad's friend. That means you're our friend. The Cutie Mark Crusaders have your back."

“That’s really not necessary,” I said, feeling touched by their gesture but also wishing they didn’t have to defend me.

Summer sighed as if speaking to a young foal, "It is simple. Father considers you a friend. That makes you part of our pack. We protect our pack mates." She said, her voice deep and authoritative.

I was stunned, "He... worries about me? What could possibly hurt me?" I asked, incredulous.

Scootaloo nodded, "He's worried that you will feel, what's the word he used?" She carefully pronounced the word her father had used, "Alienated. Yeah, that's it. He wants you to feel comfortable around us. He wants you to find a measure of happiness. He said it might be harder for you on account of your, " the little pegasus screwed up her face in thought, looking for the right word, "modifications."

Summer agreed. "Little sister is correct. We will help you however we can. You are one of us, now.” She said, placing a paw on my shoulder,

"Sorry, I forgot things are different here. Twenty-something years of being an outsider, I was laughed at more than once.” My cheeks heated as I recalled past humiliations. I’d been bullied, rejected, and ostracized in my birth world and so many others.

Summer gave me a fierce, almost haughty smile, standing tall and towering over me, "You should get used to having friends. We will not abandon you just because you do not know the intricacies of this world.” She said, her eyes shining with confidence.

"You said this isn't the kind of music you normally dance to, so what kinda music do you dance to?" Sweetie Belle asked, curious about my musical preferences.

I thought for a moment before answering. "Depends on whether you mean formal ballroom dancing or dancing for fun."

Sweetie Belle didn’t hesitate, "Fun." She said, eager to learn more.

"Well, I used to listen to heavy metal, though I'm not sure you'd call a mosh pit 'dancing'." I explained, trying to find the right words to explain the chaotic and exhilarating experience.

"What's a mosh pit?" Apple Bloom asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"I'm gonna get in trouble for this, I just know it…” I said to myself. “A mosh pit is when a group listening to heavy metal or punk rock, starts pushing, shoving, and slamming into each other in a circle. There are some basic rules. If you’re in the pit, you mosh or try to get out. If you’re outside the pit, don’t mosh. If someone falls, help them up and get them out of the pit. It's a way of expressing yourself and having fun with the music and the people around you." I said, hoping they wouldn't think I was crazy.

Scootaloo thought for a moment, "Heavy metal? That's what my Dad calls slingstone. You're a rock-head?" She asked, using a term I had never heard before.

"Maybe?" I said, unsure of what she meant. Slingstone? Was that a different name for a similar genre?

"One sec," Scootaloo said as she ran off to the DJ, who was getting ready to start another song. She said something to the DJ and trotted back with a grin. "Wait for it..." She said, winking at me.

A sudden loud metal chord rang out, making everyone jump. The kids cheered. "That's slingstone!" Scootaloo shouted, pumping her hoof in the air.

After a few bars, I recognized the tune, it sounded like Paranoid by Black Sabbath, but it wasn't them. Whoever they were, they were doing a cover! How in the heck did they get a hold of that to cover, and how the heck did they record that? Maybe I won't need to worry about getting in trouble about the whole mosh pit thing… I thought, feeling a mix of surprise and nostalgia.

Fortunately, it was pretty easy to make clear what was going to happen and what the rules were. I demonstrated how to mosh by gently bumping into Scootaloo, who giggled and bumped me back. Soon, a circle of ponies formed around us, and we were moshing to the beat of the music. Of course, being taller than the average pony meant some of the moshing hit me low enough to knock me down. I saw Summer having similar difficulty, and after the third or fourth time,, we both decided against going back in. While the ponies were quite enjoying the experience, it was just too difficult for us to stay upright.

“Do you have anything that isn’t super sweet and doesn’t have alcohol?” I asked the bartender, who looked amused by the scene.

He nodded and poured us some sparkling water with a slice of lemon. As he handed us our drinks, I turned to Summer. “So, I kinda misjudged how that’d turn out. Still, I’m glad the ponies are having fun.”

Summer leaned back against the bar, drink in paw, "Yes. Scootaloo and my friends are certainly enjoying themselves. We, however, share the bond of being too tall." She tittered kindly at her own joke.

I grinned. “Which is not usually the case for me. I’m on the short side of average for humans. Bit too tall to mosh with ponies though…” I let my words trail off as thoughts of what could be done with various charms went through my head. I could use charms for precise balance and hyper-flexible joints to keep myself from falling, but I didn’t want to use my powers like that. A mosh pit shouldn’t be a place for my weird mechanical gifts.

I sighed and took a sip of my water. I felt a pang of nostalgia for my old life when things were simpler and I didn't have to worry about becoming some kind of mechanical demigoddess. I looked at Summer, who seemed to sense my mood. She gave me a sympathetic smile and said, "You can talk if something's bothering you. I'm here to listen."

“It’s just… I was thinking about what charms I could use to keep from getting knocked down. And then I realized how much I’ve changed, how I’m not really human anymore. And that scares me, more than I’d like.” I let my hand revert to its mechanical form.

Summer put her paw on my hand and squeezed it gently. "You worry about being human. It makes no sense. I'm not human. Scootaloo is not human. Almost all of this world is not human. So you're not human—it doesn't mean you're bad.”

I nodded, feeling a bit of comfort from her words. “I don’t know why it bothers me. I’ve known so many good people who weren’t human. Maybe just because it’s all I’ve known.”

Summer smiled. “You’re still you, no matter what you look like. You’re a good person, and that’s what matters.”

The last song ended with a roar from the crowd. The music had been intense and energetic, and so had the audience. As the lights came on, I saw ponies of all colors and sizes heading for the exit. Scootaloo and her friends were among them, making their way to the bar. They looked like they had just run a marathon, their coats soaked with sweat and their manes disheveled, but their eyes sparkled with excitement.

Scootaloo had a big grin on her face as she approached me. “That was awesome! Thanks for showing us how to mosh! Sorry you kept getting knocked down.” She gave me a friendly nudge with her hoof.

I chuckled, glad that all that was hurt was my pride. “Heh, don't worry about it. Haven't had fun like that in at least a decade. Just didn't consider how it'd turn out with bipeds and quadrupeds in the same mosh pit. Live and learn."

Scootaloo tilted her head, her expression turning concerned. "Miss Asher? If you're not going home, did you want to crash at our place? I know my parents won't mind.” She offered, her voice sincere.

I thought about it for a moment, tempted by the idea. But I didn’t want to impose on Alex. Surely he had better things to do than deal with my drama. I wasn’t sure what I would do tonight, but it would hardly be the first night I’d spent outdoors. I had survived worse.

“That’s ok, I got a plan for the night.” I lied, forcing a smile. I hoped she wouldn't see through it.

"My sister would say that was a load of horseapples," Applebloom said with a look that all too clearly said I would have to try harder to pull the wool over her eyes.

"Applebloom!" Sweetie Belle exclaimed, shocked at her friend's rough language.

“No, she’s right. I don’t have plans so much as a vague idea to wander till morning and then crash in my bed. I’ll be fine, don’t worry, not my first time doing this and this town is much safer than some of the places I’ve wandered around.” I told the young unicorn.

I thanked the Cutie Mark Crusaders for their kindness and bid them farewell. I walked out of the club, feeling the cold night air on my face. Given my outfit, I was thankful my new form kept me from being chilled. I started to wander the streets of Ponyville, aimlessly. I had no destination in mind, just a vague hope of finding some peace.

I passed by various shops and buildings, most closed for the night, some in the process of closing. I saw ponies of all kinds, some laughing and chatting, some hurrying home. I tried to avoid eye contact and blend in, but I knew I stood out. I was one of the few humans in this world, after all.

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts. I didn't want to think about anything beyond putting one foot in front of the other. I just wanted to forget. Forget the pain, the loneliness. Forget the harsh words of Blitzen.

After some walking, I found myself in front of Sugarcube Corner. The whimsically decorated bakery made me smile a little. No mistaking it for anyplace else.

I was about to walk away when I heard a voice from inside the bakery. "Hello? Is anypony there?" It was a sweet, motherly voice, with a hint of concern. I looked through the window and saw a blue mare with a two-toned pink mane and a cutie mark of three cupcakes.

She saw me and smiled warmly. "Oh, hello there, dear. You look like you could use some company. And maybe a bite to eat. Why don't you come in? I'm sure I have something that will suit you." She said, gesturing me to enter.

I hesitated. I didn't know this pony, and I didn't want to impose on her. But she seemed so kind and genuine, and I was hungry. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to accept her offer. Something told me she’d make the same offer to anyone who looked as troubled as I surely did. Given what I’ve seen, most ponies would.

I felt a pang of pained nostalgia as I remembered my hometown and the bitter circumstances that forced me to leave. I had been outed as a lesbian when a spiteful ex-friend had caught me with Beth, and the backlash was swift and cruel. My mother had disowned me, and I had no place to stay and no friends to support me. I spent a few nights on the streets, cold and hungry, until one of my few remaining friends offered me a couch to sleep on. But it was only a temporary solution. He told me to pack my bags and catch the first bus out of town for my safety.

As I was about to go inside, I heard a familiar voice behind me, "There you are. I've been looking all over for you!"

I turned to see Roseluck galloping towards me. “Looking for me? Why?" I asked, trying to sound casual.

"I couldn't just leave you wandering the town all night. You can stay the night at my place.” She said, smiling warmly, her emerald eyes sparkling with kindness. That heart-shaped twinkle was more pronounced than the mare from earlier.

I was torn between going into the bakery and going with Roseluck. While the mare in the bakery sounded kind enough, I’d felt a spark with Roseluck and I was curious to see if there was something there. I gestured to Roseluck so the bakery owner could see, and she nodded in understanding, giving me a friendly wink.

I turned back to Roseluck and followed her through the streets, feeling a mix of gratitude and apprehension. “Why does everyone think I shouldn’t wander around all night? It’s not like there’s much chance of me getting hurt.” I asked, feeling a bit defensive.

Roseluck gave me a look of concern and compassion. “After what happened? Eleanor, you shouldn’t be alone to brood on what Blitzen said. She was wrong, and she had no right to say things like that about you.” She said, her voice gentle but firm.

“Maybe, but it’s not like there wasn’t some truth to it. I am weird, Roseluck. I’d be weird even in a human world. Even before I became an Alchemical Exalted.” I said, lowering my gaze to look at my mechanical hand. “Usually, I’m okay with it. As the saying goes, I let my freak flag fly.”

I sighed, feeling a wave of sadness and frustration. “It’s just… I’d hoped that it’d be okay to be a bit weird here. That it wouldn’t be held against me.” I said as I held back tears.

Roseluck reached out and touched my shoulder with her hoof. “Eleanor, listen to me. If you’re weird, it’s a good kind of weird. You are amazing. You have a gift, and you’re brave enough to use it to help others.” She said, her voice sincere and earnest.

Roseluck smiled softly and leaned in closer. “You don’t have to be afraid, Eleanor. You are not alone. I’m here. And if Blitzen’s too salt-addled to know how lucky she is, then she’s a fool.” She said, her breath warm on my face.

I felt my heart skip a beat. I felt a pull towards her. I felt a spark ignite. I closed my eyes and leaned in, meeting her lips in a gentle kiss.

We broke apart after a few seconds, both of us blushing and smiling. We held each other’s gaze, feeling a connection that was deeper than words. And once again, I was feeling guilty for kissing a mare other than Blitzen.

We resumed our walk, and we made our way to Roseluck’s home. The night was dark, but the stars were bright. We saw Rose’s sisters waiting by the door, silhouetted by the light from inside their cozy-looking cottage. Daisy greeted us with a cheerful smile.

Lily, however, was less enthusiastic. She eyed me with distrust and disapproval. “Rose, are you sure about this? You know how I feel about humans. They’re dangerous.” She said, her voice low and stern.

Roseluck rolled her eyes at Lily's comment. "Lily, stop being paranoid. Eleanor isn't going to hurt us." She said, gently nudging her sister aside to make room for me inside their home. She smiled warmly at me, inviting me to follow her.

As we entered the cozy living room, I noticed that everything was perfectly organized and decorated with various flowers and plants. It smelled amazing, like a fresh garden in spring. I sat down on a plush couch while Roseluck and her sisters went about preparing something to eat for me.

"So, Eleanor," Daisy said as she placed a steaming cup of tea in front of me, "I’ve heard that you’ve got magical powers that aren’t normal for a human. What’s that like?" She exclaimed with wide-eyed curiosity.

I smiled at her enthusiasm. "Well, it has its moments. But mostly, it just means I have to deal with a lot of responsibilities and expectations." I replied, taking a sip of the tea. Whatever herbal blend it was, I couldn’t place it. It was sweet and soothing, though, calming my nerves.

“Who is placing these responsibilities and expectations on you? I can’t imagine anypony asking much from someone who just arrived.” Daisy wondered, tilting her head in confusion.

“No pony. I’m the one placing responsibilities on myself. I even submitted myself to Princess Celestia to use my abilities. I’ve met many beings of great power. Some were feckless layabouts, mostly the ones who claimed to be gods. But others, the ones I want to be like, felt it was their duty to use that power to help others. To work to make the world better.” I explained. I thought of the heroes I had encountered in my travels, ones who were brave, selfless, and inspiring. And I thought of the villains and tyrants I’d met, the ones who saw power as an end unto itself, abusing their power and causing suffering. Now that I had power, I knew which kind of person I would rather be. I just wasn’t sure I was capable of it.

Lily walked back into the room, still looking skeptical about my presence there. "Well," she said coolly, sitting down across from me, "I hope you know that we're only letting you stay here because Roseluck insists." She glared at me, trying to be intimidating. I tried not to laugh at the cute pony fluffing up her dander. She clearly didn’t trust me. Or humans in general.

I chuckled softly at her bluntness, not taking her hostility personally. "Hey, I appreciate the hospitality. And honestly, I get it. You’re protecting your sister. I promise I don’t want to hurt Roseluck and will do what I have to to make sure I never do." I said, trying to ease some of the tension between us.

Lily narrowed her eyes at me. "Since you've been here, the town was attacked by a catoblepas, then you went swinging through the streets with your magic, and after that, your house rampaged through the town square." She said, listing the events that had happened since I arrived in Ponyville, making them sound like they were all my fault.

I sighed, with a mix of guilt and frustration. "I know. All I can say is the catoblepas wasn't my fault. But from what I've heard, those incidents were all pretty mild for Ponyville." I said defensively, knowing this town had seen much worse than the damage I caused.

Roseluck chuckled, joining the conversation. "She's got you there, Lily. A couple of cracked walls and a knocked-over market stand are pretty tame. Remember what the parasprites did?” She shuddered at the memory of the tiny, colorful creatures that had invaded Ponyville and devoured everything in sight. “They ate half of my roses, and the other half were trampled by the stampede. It took me weeks to restore my garden. Don’t forget about the bunny colony stampede.”

As we continued talking and getting to know each other better throughout the night, I began to realize that maybe Lily wasn't so bad after all. Sure, she had her flaws and prejudices, but there was also a kind heart beneath her paranoia. And who knew? Maybe someday we could even be friends. For now, though, I was just grateful for the warmth, comfort, and acceptance Roseluck and her sisters had shown me.

I slept on the couch. Roseluck seemed disappointed but I didn’t want to jump right into bed with Rose no matter how attractive I found her or how attractive she found me. I needed to sort things out with Blitzen first. Bad enough I was kissing other mares without learning what the boundaries were. But sleeping with another mare, even if we just slept in the same bed, just seemed a step too far. I didn’t want to complicate my life any more than it already was.

Prologue

Change. It happens to everyone. It’s part of the laws of physics, from the equations that define entropy, to the chemical reactions going on in our bodies every day. We change, we grow up, we grow old, and we die. Our world changes around us and we change with it.

I had always thought the changes in my life were mapped out: Grow up, go to school, get a degree, get a job, meet a nice guy, and maybe have a family someday. Some of the changes I went through in middle school and high school threw some monkey wrenches into the neatly ordered plans for my life. Despite my parents wishes, I wasn’t interested in settling down with any guys, and that led to another change as I left the church never to return. I went from the brilliant daughter with a bright future to the daughter going through a phase that we don’t talk about in front of anyone.

However, I still went to college. The educational system cared little about my personal life as long as it didn’t interfere with my grades. It was there that the catalyst for some of the biggest changes in my life would cross my path.

I found what I thought was someone’s lost cellphone and I decided to take it to the campus' lost and found. I picked it up and noticed the oddly ornate design of it. A moment later some guy in an all white suit told me he was with something called the Paradox Control Office, and that I was in possession of an illegal artifact. A flash of light from his hand caused the world to fall away.

Since that day I’ve been tossed from world to world by some incomprehensible force. The only constant is my old tablet which somehow never needs to charge, and always finds its way back to me before I get world-tossed again.

The funky cellphone that started this mess was taken from me in the first world I hit. Couple of guys named Wednesday and Low-Key said they’d help me with this mess. I woke up later with nothing but my tablet and a wretched hangover in a hotel room I hadn’t paid for with someone banging on the door. The world travelling effect hit, and me and part of the hotel room ended up in the middle of a North Valdemar winter.

That would likely have ended things right there. The bedsheet I had being hardly enough to protect more than my modesty and having been too far from the bed when I travelled to have a chance of getting the blanket. Thankfully, a Herald, who was gifted in foresight, gave me a cloak and got me to a waystation before I froze to death.

Since then I’ve been thrown through so many worlds I've lost track of them all. Met a few people I could trust, and spent a lot of time trying to survive the trouble I encountered.

I encountered gods.

I don't trust gods. Not in the sense of not believing in them: I've met too many since I've started being tossed from world to world, and I've learned through painful experience not to trust them. Not that this stops me from making the mistake of getting too close sometimes.

A large part of the problem I have with gods is that I am not native to these worlds. Gods have certain connections to their followers and that usually provides the natives of a world with some ability to tolerate their divine auras. I don't have this, so most powerful deity-class beings are able to reduce me to a quivering wreck just by being in the room with me. There's nothing I've encountered that is as horrifying as the feeling of a god's presence crushing my will. Sadly, this hasn't kept them from trying to use me as a disposable pawn in their games. In fact, something about me always seems to be just whatever they're looking for in a plaything.

Gods play games with people. They war amongst themselves, and we mortals more often than not are the ones called on to do the dying. The world I've been stuck in for the last few years has taken things to new levels. Here the gods give out fragments of divine power to their chosen. Sounds great, except it means that you've got a few hundred god-powered people fighting over the world, and us vanilla mortals get screwed - in every sense of the word.

Unlike some other worlds I've been tossed to, I knew this one, or at least I knew of it. I'd run a game here for my roommate before my life went crazy. Unfortunately this meant I knew things about this world that those in power would have liked to have kept secret. In a world where people walk around with world altering power and have ways of knowing that their secrets have been compromised, knowing too much could have gotten me killed or worse.

Thankfully, I also knew who to look up, and what to tell them to get their help. Ultimately it meant deciding which deities I'd end up getting used by. The reasonably human friendly Incarna were a much safer bet than the demonic horrors of the Yozis. So I'd spent the time trying to save the world from the forces of evil. Which translates to trying not to think too hard about what I was doing, because I never wanted to save the world from the forces of evil. It would have been nice, sure, but it wasn't what I'd planned. To this day I still don't know how I survived half of what happened. I'm still not sure I survived the other half at all.

But all things come to an end, and in this world there was even a goddess making sure of that. I started feeling the stirrings that told me I was getting world-tossed again. Luna had told me that not even the Incarna could stop my travels as their power was tied to Creation and my travels went beyond that. I wasn't surprised. None of the gods I'd encountered would stop my travels, though few would openly admit they couldn't.

As the time approached I checked my things again before going to the place that Evelyn had prepared for my trip. When I get thrown between worlds, a small sphere of matter goes with me. The room we'd prepared had a clear space for me to stand, and all manner of arcane magitech to monitor the transit. The clear space meant that a minimum of extra matter would go with me, and hopefully the various monitoring devices wouldn't make the trip any more unpleasant than it usually was. I don't usually get to prepare for this, so the chance to do so was a nice change.

Feeling the shivers that come about a half hour before transit, I walked to the center of the room. Evelyn wasn't around, but I'm sure she was monitoring the room. With her Alchemical charms she could easily interact remotely with any machine not protected from such control. She had built in WiFi and could network her mind. Both very cool, and kind of unsettling all at once. But she had been a firm ally from the moment I contacted her and convinced her of my story.

"I'm going soon, best get the monitors ready" I said to the room. A low hum confirmed my suspicion that Evelyn had been listening in. I gripped the strap on my messenger bag and prepared to stand around doing nothing till the transit so that I wouldn't mess up whatever readings Evelyn was getting. It was then I heard the door open and felt Him.

Autochthon, god of craft, artifice, and invention. My mind reeled under the flood of ideas and concepts that His presence caused me. As He walked closer, I fell to my knees. I couldn't even turn to look at Him. Then suddenly the feeling stopped. I carefully stood up and turned to look at him. A brass humanoid, in the form of an old man with lines of magical metals running in circuitry-like patterns over his 'skin' and glowing crystals set in various ports. He walked with a limp, and coughed smoke every so often. It was strange to look directly at him like this. Up till now, I would find myself unable to look at any of the Incarna, or 'Greater Gods'.

"It Would Seem The Essence Limiter Works. Good. I Had Hoped To Meet You. Your Information Has Helped My Sisters And Myself Considerably. And Yet You Are Still Mortal," Autocthon said.

While I wasn't being crushed under the inspiration of His Divine Aura, his words were like small pieces of the aura tapping at my brain. I lowered my gaze.

"I am honored Great Maker." I told him.

"And A Great Honor And Experiment Shall Be Yours. You Are Outside The System Of Fate I Designed. Because Of This You Cannot Receive The Exaltations I Created For The Other Incarna. My Sister Luna Would Have Claimed You For Your Cunning Otherwise. However Your Skillful Use Of Tools Marks You As Mine. And I May Claim You Regardless Of Fate," he said pulling out a glowing jewel.

Oh crap. Given the two-thirds failure rate on Alchemical Exaltations, I had no desire to have one tried on me, particularly not an experimental model. I had to think fast.

"I am honored, but I am not worthy of such. And besides I will not be in this world much longer," I told the god quickly, trying to sound appropriately humble.

"Nonsense! I Have Chosen You, And You Are Mine. If You Still Travel After This, Then You Shall Carry My Design To Worlds Even I Cannot Go To," Autochthon said.

I had started to back away from the Machine God, but he turned off whatever was protecting me from his aura and I was stunned by the sudden rush of divine presence. I couldn't even think this close to Him, and I just stood there as He brought the jewel toward my forehead. The moment it made contact, a new sensation brushed aside the divine aura afflicting me. Pain. I could feel the jewel burrowing into my forehead, sending wires into my skin. I fell to the ground, clutching at the jewel, trying to pull it out.

You are Auspicious Harmonic Engineer
This Is Your Transformation And Ascension
You will carry my gift to new worlds
You will build, repair, create, and innovate
And the world around You shall change
And You shall be the architect of change
For You are Exalted.

I never wanted this, I'd tried so hard to keep these worlds from changing me so much that I can never go home. And with one action, taken while I was broken by His divine presence, Autochthon took that last piece of humanity from me.

I passed out and the world went away around me.

Author's Note

Tosety, Discord's Advocate, KMCA, Genosaber, and Warpd: Thank you so much for all the help you've been!

Interlude 1: Blitzen

Blitzen's mood fell long before Ponyville came into view out of the windows of the train. Rainbow Dash had tried to reassure her, but the pegasus didn't understand why Blitzen was coming back to Ponyville. To be honest, Blitzen didn't understand it herself.

Somehow this strange human, with her shining metal and soulful blue eyes, had gotten past all the walls that Blitzen had put up over the years. She didn't want anypony getting close to her, didn't want to care about anypony.

Now I'm fretting over how Eleanor is getting along with her fellow humans and I'm worried that Eleanor might say something to cause them to decide she is a threat. I'm not sure what I'd do if that happened, but I shouldn't even be worried about this at all. What is wrong with me?

Finally the train arrived at Ponyville.

I think I know what I'll do. There's a glass bottom I need to visit. And a bit of salt to make things easier.

She made an excuse to Eleanor and left the train station as quickly as she could.

Once away from the station old habits took over and she navigated the familiar streets of her old home. She stuck to out of the way paths to her destination not wanting to be seen by anypony she used to know.

I hope I don't run into Caramel or Cheerilee. I don't think I'm ready to tell them I've come back. And Merciful Celestia don't let me run into Rose... I can't face her. Not now.

Eventually her destination was in sight. The Grain Bucket. Time enough to have a drink or two and then go looking for a place to stay.

Author's Note

Just a tiny bit I did a while ago. ~~It goes between chapters four and five, but I've not figured out how to move it there.~~ Real life continues to slow things but I am working on getting the next chapter finished.