The Human, The Hybrid, The Raven

by Dragon Genesis

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Alternate Universe, Human, Romance
Length: 5894

Raven is supposed to be dead yet she finds herself in a world filled with magical ponies. Now she must help save them.

Raven is supposed to be dead. Yet she finds herself in a land with magical ponies and other creatures. Raven herself goes through some physical changes and this new life seems to be alright. Until hell breaks loose and she has to stop the changelings from murdering the ones she has come to love.

Part One: The Human
1: Arrival
2: Dane
3: Raven the Alicorn

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-10-07 11:39:11 UTC

Memories of a former human

      Raven shot up, from her position on the marble floor.  She scanned the area around her, the architecture foreign to her.  She had no clue where she was and she was not exactly comfortable with it.

        She raised a hand and traced a circle on the side of her head.  She tapped it a few times the frowned.  From what she knew, there should be a decent sized hole there, brain matter on the floor and not a single gulp of breath in her lungs.

         She stood up off the floor and noticed a size difference.  The furniture was noticeably smaller than what it should be, making her feel like a giant.  It wasn't too much of a problem since the ceiling was high enough that she would need to gain four feet to be able to touch it.

        "Halt!"  She turned around and saw, much to her confusion, a pony with what seemed like wings.  The pony was also wearing golden armor and wielding a spear.  The pony started running to her and she took off in the opposite direction, not keen on having to talk with a spear wielding pony.

        "Where the fuck am I?" she asked herself, rounding a corner.  She kept running and went into one of the closest rooms to her.  She slammed shut the door and stared at it.  "Where AM I?" she repeated, as if expecting an answer.

        "Well, I would say you are in my bed chambers."  Raven froze and slowly turned around.  A white mare was laying on a large silken bed.  Unlike the one from earlier, she wore golden shoes on her hooves as well as some sort of necklace around her neck.  Settled on her head was a crown.  Then there was the fact that she not only had wings but a horn as well.

         "No need to be too startled, Raven." said the mare.  Raven's eyes widened.

         "How do you know my name?" she asked, slowly backing to the door.  The mare heaved herself off of the bed and showed herself to be the same size as Raven.  The mare kept a warm smile that started to calm her.  Her features glowed with radiance from the suns rays, making Raven's heart beat a little faster and her cheeks burn.

         "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself.  I am Princess Celestia.  As for where you are, you are in Canterlot Castle.  The center of Equestria."  Raven stuttered a bit.  Celestia followed her gaze and saw that she was staring at her wings and horn.

        "And as for my odd looks, I am an alicorn.  It's a combination of earth pony strength, Pegasus flight, and unicorn magic.  There are only four of us."  Raven just stared at her.  Celestia sighed and motioned with a hoof for her to sit down.  Raven watched as a chair was levitated in front of her, wrapped in a golden aura.  She carefully sat in it, watching the princess in front of her.

        "I'm going to be straight with this.  You are the first and only human to step foot in Equestria.  Equus, our world, is made up of ponies, zebras, griffons, mules, Moses, etc.  the only bipedal creatures are dragons, Minotaurs, and griffons to an extent."  Celestia sat on the edge of the bed.

          "Equestria is considered the better of the countries of Equus.  It is our version of your United States, if I said that correctly.  Though, we have a different government, and more dignified communities.

            "I know so much because I have watched your world over the last few decades, you to be more exact." said Celestia.

            "Wait, you were watching me?" asked Raven, raising an eyebrow.

             "Yes.  You have shown to have potential and I have watched to see what you will turn into.  You have proven to be a beautiful, smart woman." said Celestia.  Raven blushed at the comment.

            "Stop playing with my homosexuality.  I hate blushing like a tomato." said Raven, looking away from the princess.  Celestia grinned and giggled.

           "It looks quiet cute in my opinion." said Celestia, smirking as Raven turned a darker shade of crimson.

           "You're evil." huffed Raven, crossing her arms.

           "I'm evil for being beautiful?" asked the princess.

            "Yes." Raven's skin was now an impressive crimson.  Celestia let out a beautiful laugh that made Raven's heart flutter slightly.  "This is what I get for killing myself."  The room fell silent and Raven looked up to find a horrified Celestia.  "What?"

           "You...killed yourself?" asked Celestia, her eyes widening.

            "Yeah.  My brains are probably scattered on a floor somewhere." she said with a huff. "Or should be. Instead I'm here."  Celestia gave a sad sigh.

            "No.  You died.  I felt that the portal was about to open, I just didn't think it was going to by you committing suicide." she said sadly.  "I hate how I could see your pain but could not help you.  I probably could have stopped you from repainting the floor."  Raven stood up and hesitantly walked over to Celestia and put a hand on her shoulder.

             "It's not your fault princess-"

              "Just call me Tia." she said, keeping her eyes away from her.

          "It's not your fault, Tia.  There was nothing you could have done.  In all technicality, I'm still alive, just not there."  Raven yelped as Celestia brought her into an embrace.  For a moment she stood there, awkwardly being hugged by Celestia.  She soon gave in and hugged her back.

         "I don't want to lose you." whispered Celestia.

         "You won't."

________________________________________________________________

        Raven sat up screaming.  Her breathe was ragged and quick.  She scanned the room, trying to find what she was looking for.  She ended up looking down at her self and found her covered in grey scales.  She looked over at the bed sheets next to her and saw claw marks embedded in it, drops of blood next to them.

        She looked up and saw Celestia standing off the side of the large bed big enough for two or three alicorns.  Her royal regila was sitting on the bed side table along with her crown.  Without the spell laced in the regila, her pink mane flowed done her features.  Her white coat shine brightly in the moonlight, making it all the more possible for her to see where she caught Celestia with her claws in the middle of her body.

          "Oh Tia, I'm sorry!  I cou-" She was cut off by a quick short kiss from the celestial alicorn.  She smile warmly.

          "It's just a scratch, Raven.  Now, please turn back to normal." said the mare.  Raven nodded before being enveloped in a crimson fire that did not burn.  When it was gone, a grey alicorn with a blood red mane laid in her place.  Raven was a former human who turned alicorn by magical means when she entered the realm.  As for her dragon ability, she had the young princess, Twilight Sparkle, to blame for that.  An expirememt ended in her having the ability to turn into a dragon.

           "Much better.  Now, what was it this time?" asked Celestia as she laid down in the bed and nuzzled up to her, taking in her scent as Raven's mane fell over her nose.

           "The same.  The first time we met all mixed together with everything that has happened this past year." said Raven with a sigh.  She nuzzled into the white alicorn and lightly nipped her ear.

           "Well, you have friends, a lovely marefriend, and no more urges to blow your brains all over the floor." said Celestia with a small smile.

          "Life has changed greatly in the past year." said Raven.  "I think I came to somewhere better than heaven when I died." she said with a smirk.  She pecked Celestia and yawned.

            "I agree, especially with that last statement." said Celestia with a yawn.  The two of them shared a light chuckle.

            "I love you." said Raven, staring into her eyes.  Celestia kissed her below the horn.

             "And I you."  The two nuzzled before slipping off into a deep sleep.

Arrival

                                                                                Part One: The Human

         Raven groaned as she sat up.  Her head was pounding and her body was aching all over.  She couldn't remember what happened, all she knew was that she was in some hallway she never seen before.

          The hallways structure looked like it belonged in some castle, and probably was.  Banners displaying a symbol of the sun, moon, and stars hung in the hallway.  The soft light coming from the windows illuminated the tapestries, brining out the color.

         Raven stood and looked around her, trying to figure out where she was but got nowhere.  She sighed and started to wander the halls, hoping to find an exit or some kind of sign of where she was.  She huffed silently at her lack of memory.  It irked her to no end.

          She soon came to a dead end with the only doors being two large double doors with the sun on them.  Raven bit her lip and cursed herself before opening the doors, hoping to find a way out.

          What she found was a bedroom.  Raven sighed as she found it empty and walked forward into it, looking for anything to help her figure out where she was.

            "Well, I wasn't expecting company."  Raven froze midway through opening one of the many drawers on the desk pushed in the corner.  She slowly turned and turned a bright crimson.

            A large white mare was standing in the doorway of what she thought led into the bathroom.  What interested her was not only the fact that she talked, had a pink mane, and had a picture if the sun on her flank, but the fact that she had wings and a horn.

             "Please tell me I'm high as fuck and just imagining talking horses with wings and horns." said Raven, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.  The white mare giggled at that and shook her head, her wet mane, swinging side to side.

            "No.  I'm real.  So is all the other ponies, gryphons, dragons, etc." said the mare.  Raven sat down and banged he read against the desk.

              "What. The. Fuck?" She muttered.  She placed her head in her hands and sighed.  "How did I get here?"

The rain was pouring down around her as she stood next to the highway.  A marker shaped like a cross stood in front of her.  The name Dane was etched across it, marking the spot where said person was killed.

                  "Life has been shit without you, bro." said Raven, placing her hand on the cross.  "I can't even take this anymore.  Nothing is the same.  I hardly talk to anyone anymore, I pretty much failed High School since I passed legal attending age.  Nothing is right anymore."  She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small handgun.  "I just can't take it."  She placed it against her skull and fired.

                  The mare looked at Raven with concern.  There were tears in her eyes and she kept tracing a circle on a spot on the side of her head.  She lowered her hand and let her head hang.

                "Why am I still alive?  I should be dead." muttered Raven.  Celestia walked up to her and put a hoof on her shoulder.

                 "What do you mean?" asked Celestia.  Her voice warmed her up a bit but the pain was still there.

                  "I killed myself at my brother's memorial marker.  I shouldn't be here.  I shouldn't be alive."  She hugged her knees and sobbed.  "Why?"  Tears slowly fell from the mares eyes.  She watched this woman since she found potential in her when she first started watching the human race.  She felt a ache at what has happened to the woman since she last seen her.  She pulled Raven into an embrace and placed her chin on her head.

                   "Shh.  Everything will be alright, Raven." she whispered.

                   "How do you knew my name?" she asked, not looking up but opting to return the embrace.

                    "I will tell you later, along with a few other major things that you are probably wondering."

                     "That's a long list." muttered Raven.   Celestia gave a small chuckle.  She stood up and motioned to the overly large bed.

                     "You need rest.  I have to go attend to a few things then we will talk.  I will have the maids stay out." with that, she placed on golden shoes, regila and crown that she didn't see sitting there.  Upon placing the regila around her neck, her mane became a rainbow color and waved in an invisible wind.

                 "You never gave me your name." said Raven as she got under the covers.

                  "My name is Princess Celestia.  You can call me Celestia or Tia if you prefer." With a warm smile, Celestis turned around and walked out of the bed chamber.  Raven sighed and laid her head on the pillow.

                 "So, I committed suicide, am still alive, and I'm in a world filled with walking, talking magical ponies and other creatures.  I've gone fucking insane."

_____________________________________________________________________________________

                  Something prodded Ravens side, trying to bring her out of her sleeping state.  Raven batted at the offending object and went back to sleeping.  The covers were forced off but she ignored it and nuzzled deeper into the bed, not wanting to return to her utterly insane world.  This was not granted as she was lifted into the air  y an unknown force.

             "Now come on, you can't expect me to eat dinner all to myself." said Celestis with a smirk.  Raven pouted and crossed her arms, not noticing the grey fur starting to poke out.  Celestia, however, did.  Her eyes widened.

             "What?" asked Raven.  She looked down and noticed the grey hair growing on her arms.  A piece of her hair fell over her eyes and revealed itself to be a lock of blood red hair.  She screamed and flailed in Celestia's grasp.

              "The magic is acting faster than I thought." said Celestia, a hoof on her chin.

              "Magic?!  What magic?!  What the hell did you do to me?!" shouted Raven, now swinging at Celestia.  Celestia shook her head and pushed Raven back a bit.

   "Trust me, I had nothing to do with this.  This is natural magic probably activated on your arrival in this realm." Celestia sat down and rubbed her temple.

         "So, what's going to happen to me then?" asked Raven, crossing her arms and sitting cross-legged in mid-air.  Celestia chuckled to herself at her postion and looked up at her.

         "Simple, you turn into a pony.  It's pretty much the same thing if I were to walk into your world.  As for what kind of pony, I have no clue.  Same with your cutie mark which is the mark ponies get when they get older." she sighed and shook her head.  "And I can't exactly send you back home.  People will wonder what a dead person is doing walking around, that and I doubt you will be alive upon arrival."

         "Well this is just fucking fantastic." said Raven, rubbing her temples.  She stopped mid-stroke, her eyes widening.

          "Wait, I died at the same place as my brother.  What if he came here three years ago?  What if he came here when he died."  A smile started to stretch across her face.  Celestia put her hoof to her chin.

           "It's possible.  He will still be going by the same name as he did in your world.  What was his name?"

           "Dane." she said as she was lowered back to the ground.  She gave the visible parts of her body a look over, checking the grey fur starting to grow on her.  "I'm not going to breakfast tomorrow as a human, am I?" asked Raven.  Celestia giggled and shook her head.

           "Well, you won't be stared at all the time.  That's a plus." said Celestia.  She motioned for Raven to follow her and walked out of the room.  "We will be joined by the other two rulers of Equestria.  My sister and my former student.  Just watch out for Twilight, she may want to do expirememts."  Raven visibly paled.  Celestia let out a laugh that made Raven's heart flutter softly.

            "I'm only joking, I hope.  She is sweet, but very curious.  Just answer the questions she wants to know and you should be fine."  Raven nodded.  Earlier events came back and she started to ponder the mare's earlier statement.

             "How exactly did you know my name, Celestia?  I didn't say it nor do I have a name tag that says 'Hi!  My name is Raven!"  Celestia sighed and looked away from her.

              "I have been keeping an eye on you for sometime, same with your brother.   I will get back to him in a minute but I have watched you two grow.  I saw potential and I wanted to track it and see how you grew.  It was sad when Dane died in that car accident but it broke my heart when I heard you killed yourself.

             "As for your brother, yes, he is here.  However, you cannot see him." said Celestia, keeping her eyes anywhere but the woman next to her.

              "Why not?!  He's my brother who I thought dead for three years!  Why can't I see him?" she said, fuming.  Celestia sighed and looked at her.

               "Because changelings got him first."

Dane

     "What the fuck is a changeling?" asked Raven, crossing her arms and glaring at Celestia.  Celestia sighed.

      "Changelings are insect like creatures that feed off of love and other emotions.  Some fill them up then others, love being the most which why they are so well known for feeding off of it." said Celestia, still walking forward.  Raven followed, keeping her arms crossed and her eyes glaring daggers into the back of the princess's head.

        "They pretty much made it known that we are nothing more than a food source and would rather take over Equestria instead of finding a compromise.  As for your brother, he turned into the thing he was around the most.  Sadly, it was a changeling.

       "He has been here long enough that he thinks, eats, and shares the same views as any other changeling.  He is considered one of the more elite of their ranks as well as a huge national threat the moment he steps hoof into Equestria.  In short, your brother is wanted either bound or in a body bag."

       "Glad he is making friends." muttered Raven, rubbing her temples.  "So, we are pretty much mortal enemies bound by fate to try and kill each other?"

       "Pretty much sums it up." said Celestia with a sigh.  "I know this must be hard since you were probably looking forward to see to him but I can't risk you getting killed."  Raven nodded and gave a long sigh

        "Some good better come out of this." she mumbled.

       "Well, it's not like you won't see him, you will just be trying your best not to be killed by him." said Celestia.  Raven gave her an unamused look and Celestia sighed.  "I swear you are hard to get smiling.  I think some of my nobles smile more and they all have spoons up their asses."  Raven giggled, a bright grin forming on her face.  Celestia gave a triumphed laugh and slapped her lightly with her tail.

        "There, you succeeded." said Raven, still giggling.  Celestia smirked and winked at her, causing Raven to turn a shade of crimson.

         "Seems like a succeeded in more than making you smile." said Celestia, still smirking.  Raven's face soon matched her hair.  Celestia let out a laugh that made Raven feel like her heart has going to beat out of her chest.

         "Can we just hurry up and eat?" she asked, looking away from the playful princess.

         "Alright, but prepared to be disappointed.   Ponies don't eat meat.  Only hay, veggies, and fruits.  No meat."  Celestia giggled at the woman's shocked face.  "Don't worry, your diet will adjust when you fully change.  Damn, I sound like I'm trying to convert you." muttered Celestia.  She turned to Raven with a dead looking expression.  "Join us." she said in a mechanical tone with no expression.  The two broke into a fit of giggles.  "It's good to see you cheering up."

           "Yeah.  The thought of changing into a pony and being mortal enemies with my brother is still a lot to take in but if everyone else is like you, I could get used to it." said Raven, looking out the windows as they walked.  A part of her wondered what her brother was up to.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Do you have eyes on the target? asked a voice in the back of Dane's head.  It was the smooth female voice of his queen, Chrysalis.  Dane himself was a changeling of strong build and looked like another changeling except for his eyes.

             Like Chrysalis', his eyes looked like any other ponies except for the fact that they were completely blood red, his iris being darker than the rest.  The only other changeling to have the same eyes as himself was Chrysalis.  His eyes themselves proved to be useful.

              If he lowered one of the few lenses he had over them, he was able to see the thermal signatures of every living being around him, changeling or not.  This ability helped him climb the ranks to head of the most elite in less than two years.

             Dane gave the castle a look over from his position with his thermal.  He gave it  a quick scan before spotting the bipedal creature.

Target located.  Going in for better view. he said before trotting behind a small alcove.  In a quick flash of red flame, he was replaced with a grey earth pony in guard uniform.  He returned his vision to normal and made his way throughout the castle towards the bipedal creature.

            When he knew he was close, he pressed himself against the wall and slowly slid himself to peek around the corner.  He almost shouted out as he saw who was with the Princess.

             "Raven?!" he said quietly.  He had no doubts that the young female growing fur before him was his younger sister.  What shocked him wasn't that she was growing fur, but the idea that she was even there.  He knew that there was only way into Equestria and it wasn't by strolling down a golden brick road.

You know this female? asked Chrysalus, sensing his suprise.

Yeah.  Hey, do you know exactly how she got here? he asked.  He knew that her ability to sense the opening between dimensions went farther then just knowing when and where they opened.

Suicide from what I can tell.  Why should this matter?  She is already turning into a pony, she is a lost cause. said Chrysalis.

because I'm her brother and I deserve to know how she died.  I knew she would take my death hard but full blown suicide is not a good sign.

Well hurry back.  We can try to see if we can still use her.  If Celestia had her eye on the two of you, she must be something worth enough for us. said Chrysalis, already looking at ways to try and retrieve the woman and use her to their advantage.

As long as she doesn't get hurt.. With that, he disappeared in a red flame.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

      Dane walked into the elite barracks of the hive, arching his back in an attempt to pop a few joints.  He was rewarded and sighed in relief.  He trotted over to his cubby where he slept and laid down, sighing at the chance to relax somewhat.

       "I heard mister high and mighty failed to capture his target." said a female voice.  Dane turned his head to find a smirking female changeling. Her cyan eyes sparkling in the light.

        "Good evening to you too, Swarm." he said, rubbing his temples.  Swarm climbed in the cubby with him, it being big enough to fit both of the changelings.

         "One hell of a day?" she asked, shifting closer to him, wrapping her forelegs around him.

         "What if you saw someone you thought you would never see again?" asked Dane, keeping his gaze on the ceiling.

          "I would be happy and tackle them with a hug.  If it was a pony then it probably wouldn't be a good thing I saw them again.  Why?"

           "The target was my sister."  Swarm sat up and beamed at him.

            "That's awsome!  You could catch up with her and teach her about the hive." she said, smiling down at him.  Dane shook his head.

             "She was already changing when I got there. It's too late and unless Chrysalis has a plan to turn her, I'm pretty much fated to be against her."  He sighed and laid on his side.  Swarm frowned and embraced him from behind.

              "She will find a way.  You two are too important to give up on.  Besides, if she doesn't find a way, I will.  Just for you to be happy."  Dane chuckled.

              "If I was able to feed off of other changelings you would have me set for years, you know." he said.  Swarm grinned at him.

            "It's just because I'm that sexy." she said, giving him a sultry look.  He gave her a quick peck before sprawling out in the cubby.

            "Please try again when changeling is less exhausted." he said, starting to fall to sleep.  Swarm smiled and kissed him below the horn before leaving, letting him sleep in peace.

______________________________________________________________

            Dane stood in front of the black twisted double doors that led into the queen's throne room. He took a few deep breaths before walking in.

          Chrysalis sat on the twisted black throne, holding a position of authority.  He shivered under her gaze and walked forward, bowing before her.

          "Rise." she commanded.  Her tone had a edge on it, making him worry.  His brotherly instincts starting to kick in after being set aside in idle for three years.

         "Now, this sister of yours.  Name, age, relation, talents.  Please do not try and withhold information from me.  I would hate to have to force one of my best soldiers.  I bet Swarm wouldn't appreciate it either."  Dane's insides churned at the mention of her name.  He simply nodded.

          "Her name is Raven.  Considering I've been gone for three years, she should be twenty-one.  Our relationship is obviously brother sister but we've been the closest out of the five of us children." he said, keeping his gaze at the base of the throne instead of traveling up to its occupant.

         "Talents, from what I remember, range from drawing, prose, playing guitar, and singing." he finished.  He was starting to wonder why she needed all of the information.

        "Alright.  One more thing.  Sexual preference."  He could only raise an eyebrow.  She kept a blank look as she waited.

        "Lesbian."

         "That's all I needed.  You are dismissed." she said with a wave of her hoof.  He bowed and left, wondering what just transpired.

Raven the Alicorn

          Raven layed her head down on the pillow in on of the quest rooms at the castle.  She excused herself from diner early due to the fact that her head and back felt like they were on fire.

          Despite that, she was able to meet with the other two princesses of Equestria.  Luna was Celestia's sister.  She was just shorter than Celestia herself and had an indigo coat.  Her mane was a darker color and waved on an invisible breeze.  She was kind, but after awhile proved to be very mischievous.  Raven lost count of the number of pranks she pulled off during the dinner.

          Twilight, the young student of Celestia and the bearer of something called the element of magic, was smaller than both sisters and had a coat of lavender.  Her mane and tail made up of three different shades of purple, dark being the majority. She was overly excited to see Raven and was talking a hundred miles per hour, trying to get her to answer questions.  Celestia was able to calm her down enough so Raven could do so.

           Though she was curious, she was still warm hearted and put aside her difference right away.  Raven was pleased with this for she didn't exactly like the idea about being singled out because she was different since it brought out a lot of attention.  She learned this in high school since not many students were gay and she was one of them.

           She also learned of the varying types of ponies.  There were mainly three.  Pegasus, which were known for their wings and superior flying.  They controlled the weather and mostly focused on either weather or sport flying.  The elite fliers out of the entire race being a group of daredevil preformers called the Wonderbolts.

             Earth ponies were just regular ponies.  No special appendages attatched, just legs, a body, and a head.  They were known for their strength and ability to care for other living things, be they plants, animals, or other ponies.

           Then there was the unicorns.  The nobility and higher status ponies seemed to be made up mostly of unicorns.  One of the supposed reasons were their ability to use magic.  Unicorns varied in magic areas, putting them in a large range of abilities an lines of work.

           Magic dated back to the beginning of Equus, the name of the planet, and was a extremely difficult topic in many areas.  Unicorns were also known for their superior intellect since they needed it if they were to be fluent magic users.  Some of the unicorns, however, had a strong sense of racism and put themselves higher than others.

            Lastly was the rare breed of Alicorns.  There were a total of four, not including the changeling queen, Chrysalis.  The fourth was Princess Cadence who ruled the Crystal Empire to the north.  The Empire was a magical kingdom in the northern half of Equus that was ancient beyond belief.  It had magic entwined in it that turned you into living crystal for the entirety of your stay, turning you back once outside of city limits.

            Raven was told she was able to become one of the four but sadly had no say in the matter.  She was also told she should worry more about the main three since her chances for alicorn-hood were almost non-existent.  With her luck, she could very well be an unicorn or one of the other races.

            She sighed amd let sleep take her, exhausted from her very eventful day.  All she wanted was to sleep and hopefully wake up in her own bed.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

            Raven opened her eyes, sighing as she saw the white ceiling of the guest room.  She really did die and end up here.  She put her hands to her temples, only to find she had no hands.  She screamed and rolled off the bed, taking the covers with her.

          The door opened and revealed Celestia. Concern was written on her features as she saw Raven trying to throw off the covers on the otherside of the bed.

           "I guess you turned." she said as she removed the covers with her magic.  Raven's head popped up from over the side of the bed.  Her coat was grey, her mane and tail blood red and her eyes their normal hazel.  On her head was a larger than average unicorn horn.

             "Yeah.  Not something I was expecting when I woke up." she said as she stood.  Celestia gasped as she took in Raven's full body.

              In addition to her horn was a pair of large grey wings.  On her flank was quill over-top a piece of parchment with a few lines scrawled on already.  If it wasn't for her coat, she could have been Celestia and Luna's late mother.

              "Oh sweet mother of Faust, Luna will have a heart attack when she sees this." said Celestia, examining the mare who now stood as tall as herself.

               "Why?" asked Raven, raising an eyebrow.  Celestia levitated a full body mirror in front of her so she could take in her whole self.

               "You may look more or less like our deceased mother." she said, biting her lip.  Raven turned, examining the wings affixed to her back.  She rustled them slightly as she got a feel for them.  She then trotted in a small circle, trying to get the feel for walking on four legs.

               "Well, this is different.  And what do you mean I look like your late mother?" she asked, laying down on the ground.  She shifted a bit before getting comfortable.  She smiled and looked up at her.  Celestia sighed and layed down in front of her.

                "Well, our mother, Faust, was the one who helped us learn the things we needed before we took the crown.  She looked pretty much like you except her coat was white and the cutie mark was a quill and ink pot.

                 "A few hundred years before Luna turned  into Nightmare Moon and forced me to banish her to the moon, she was killed in the Discordian war, leaving me and my sister with the crown."  Celestia sighed and gave a sad smile.

                  "In some ways, you remind me of her."

                 "Well, um, I'm flattered?" said Raven, blushing slightly.  Celestia giggled at her.

                  "Quite.  Now be careful when we head down for breakfast, Luna may tackle you and start calling you mother." said Celestia, standing and heading to the door.

                 "I'm flattered but that usually is saved for the bedroom with me on top." said Raven with a smirk.  Celestia blushed and turned away, causing Raven to break into a fit of giggles.

            "You're so fun to tease some times, Tia.  I should do it more often." said Raven as Celestia got control of her defiant cheeks.  She cleared her throat and led the two to the dining hall.

             "You can be fun to tease as well, Raven.  Your cheeks gain this gorgeous shade of crimson." said Celestia, grinning as said shade adorned Raven's cheeks.

             "I hate you." she said with a pout.  Celestia gasped in mock hurt and placed a hoof over her heart.

             "That hurt, Raven!  I thought we had something special!" she exclaimed.  The two broke out in giggles.

             "Now only if you were gay and I would be a very happy woman, or mare in this case." said Raven, smiling.  Celestia cocked her head.

               "I must have missed something, I don't remember you being lesbian."

               "I found out around my sophomore year.  My first sophomore year, that is.  High School was a pain since I was one of the few lesbians in the school and I was open with it.  As result, I stood out like a beacon and was targeted regularly by bullies.  They didn't care that I was older.

                 "I gave up on finding a girlfriend a few weeks before I killed myself along with a lot of other things.  After Dane passed, my life became a living hell.  In which I only lasted three years." said Raven, sighing.

               "So what does that make Equesteia?  A salvation?  A second chance?  Purgatory?  Heaven?" asked Celestia, keeping her gaze on the mare next to her.

               "All of the above, I guess.  Salvation from the world I left behind.  A second chance from my mistakes.  A purge from my sins.  And a little piece of heaven to top it all off." she chuckled slightly.  "It's just going to take a lot of getting used to."  Celestia nodded.

                  "I am gay, to answer your earlier statement." said Celestia, throwing off Raven's train off thought.  She gaped at the regal princess that dated over thousands of years old and, according to her, a prodigy and legend to her subjects.  Who was apparently a lesbian.

                 "But, I thought you of all people, er ponies, would be against it.  Sticking to the older ways if it were." said Raven, staring at her wide eyed.  Celestia shook her head.

                  "I never really believed there to be only stallions I could love as a mare as many others thought.  Luna was the same.  It may not seem like it but she is actually in a very beautiful relationship with Twilight." said Celestia, rounding the corner.  "I've had a few mares in my time but each was mortal and withered with time.

                  "My niece, Cadence, is currently in one of these situations.  Her husband being a mortal.  It was with all these deaths that I just stopped looking.  I haven't been with another mare, in a relationship or in bed, for over four hundred years."

               "Do you think you could ever love again?" asked Raven.  Celestia stopped and looked out the window.  After a moment she sighed and looked back at her with sad eyes.

                "Honestly?  I don't know.  Maybe one day, but not today." she said.  Raven nodded and followed her into the dining hall, their conversation fresh in her mind.