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             "Rebirth: A Pony Tail"  Part one.             
                    -by DJ Legionpony-                     
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                  Prologue and Chapter 1                   
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Prologue and Chapter 1
Some say that when we sleep, another wakes in an alternative reality.
But what happens when we die? Do we become reborn?
This is my story, a 18-year-old man who lived with dreams higher than the heavens above him. Since I was a child, I wanted to be amazing. A person worthy of a statue in a park dedicated to himself. Sure, it sounded high-and-mighty, but I felt like anyone with motivation could be the same. I still feel the same way today. Taking up martial arts disciplines, learning odd skillsets, because I aimed and will continue to aim for greatness.
Today, I just stepped out the door to my tiny studio apartment in Poteau, Oklahoma, dressed to kill with a black suit and red tie. I had three interviews, and felt the rush of caffiene in my veins. I walk down the stairs of the two story building and into the desolate parking lot. I fumble with the keys as I stand outside my red Mini Coup, hands full of various other items. I finally settle in, fix my tie and start the ignition.
I'm out of the parking lot and onto the main street. I stop at a red light, and watch momentarily as the catlady next-door to me walks into the only cafe in this small town. Green light and I continue on, and turn down a narrow street with beautiful green oak trees that seeming create a mystical pathway.
Five minutes of driving later, a figure suddenly jumps out from some bushes causing me to slam the brakes. I'm sighing with relief, but a second too soon. The man in a green vintage jacket pulls a pistol from his coat pocket, running to my unfortunately open window. "Get out slowly, or you're gonna' bleed!" I cautiously do as he instructed, finding an opportunity to disarm him like I had been taught in Aikido. He has a deep and raspy laugh, and says sharply "hand over the wallet and fast, chump!" I grabbed it out and tossed it on the ground in between me and him. "Good boy!" he says, reaching his hand to it. I quickly grab his head, and deliver a swift knee kick to the skull, causing him to fall to the ground unconscious.
I sigh once more, straighten my tie, and grasp my wallet. I hear three grim words from behind me: "Wrong choice, Pal". A gunshot and a searing pain in my body. I fall on top on top the man still unconscious in front of me.
"Not... Dead... Yet..."
An unarmed 9mm lay in front of me still on the ground. I grab it, and roar with a final bit of strength and fire three shots into his turned back. I drop to the ground, frail and covered in my own blood. "What a short life... I hope I can live longer in the next one..."
%i%
I awake to sound of a beeping heart monitor. I'm dizzy, and whole body feels like it isn't mine. I open my eyes to a hospital monitor, blanketed, and half-awake. Did the paramedics get there in time? Something feels wrong though. My body feels lighter than usual, and my hands feel-- "My hands! Where the hell is my hands!" door opens to the room. A... pony?! I suddenly remember in my hazy memory, a show I adored for the last 2 years.
"You're awake! What's this about hands, Ms. Galehooves?" she chuckles.
'Miss'? Me, a woman? Here I am with stubs covered in navy blue hair for arms, I'm twice as short, and a white, colorful pony that resembles Nurse Redheart is standing before me. "Are you feeling dizzy, or maybe is there any pain?" I stutter out a few words still in shock. "W-wait, is this... Equestria?"
She laughed heartily, "Silly, of course it is!"
I sit up and realize what might have happened. I pull off my blankets to reveal my body that looked ever so familiar. "Nurse, what... is my name?"
Her smiling face turned crestfallen. "Your name is Maelstrom Galehooves... and I think you may be having a bit of amnesia." I remember everything though. I am Jude, or so I used to be. What am I now? How did I get here? Did I really die back there? I'm left with a lot more questions than before.
I turn back to the worried nurse. "I think you may be right." It's a convenient enough excuse; I have no better ideas than to find out who I am, and finding who this Maelstrom was is a good first step. "I feel fine now, surprisingly. Is there any chance you can find out where I live? I'd like to schedule an appointment later, because I feel like I need some good rest back home. She looked hesitant, but after a few lingering moments, she got a blank sheet of paper from her clipboard and began scribbling. She finished several seconds later handing me a sheet of paper.
"Guessing from the address, I believe this is where it is. Take this I'll come by to check on you."
I get up as she closes the door. I struggle to keep my balance for a few moments before it feels more natural. "Never did I thought becoming a different creature would be so difficult" I thought, giggling to myself. I began walking clumsily to the door, push it with my head instinctively. "Wow, that was a lot simpler than I thought."
I walking out the doors to the clinic to find myself in awe. Ponies walking around a city of thatch-roof homes. I take a few steps in to this beautiful new world. I look left and right as I begin walking to find my home. A minute later I'm stopped in my tracks. A pink pony with a puffy mane begins "Oooh, I haven't seen you before!! Welcome to Ponyville!".
The prancing pony right before me starts bouncing up and down over and over, not exactly allowing me to move to my destination. She exclaims "We should have a party to celebrate!". I take a moment to think of how I should approach this situation.
After mulling it over, I say to her: "I don't think you should be celebrating this, Pinkie. After all, I'm not even sure if I'm new here or not." She reacts with a heavy stare and out of place serious expression.
She brightens up with: "Ohmygosh, are you psychic!? That's soo cool!"
I sigh with a small chuckle, and ask her "I'm sort of in a hurry, let's talk later. I'm sure I can find you in a few hours or so." She then smiles with an 'okay' and hops off.
I began walking off to destination to find a peculiar house, or should I say Dojo that I felt like I've been to many times. I hesitantly walk to the bamboo door of the Japanese style structure and slide the door. A large open room expands out before me, with several students sparring in pairs. I hear a call from the back in Japanese, which I knew meant "Welcome home, Maelstrom". I was definitely caught off guard, and I was afraid I'd have to speak Japanese when I'm only a beginner in my studies in the human world. To my further surprise he says in fluent English "What are you standing in the door for? Come in!" I take my shoes off before I step on the tatami floor. and put on my slippers which I somehow knew were the of Turtle design, and walk a long way around the students engaged in practice.
The stallion sitting on a pillow monitoring the students beckons me over. "Looks to me you're in good health." He gets up and gets into a stance, pulls a combat knife out of his coat and charges at me. I'm shaking, desperately trying to find a way to counter him in this new body. I decisively begin running toward him, and we almost clash. I quickly make a small jump and slide under his body. It fails, as he jumps over my body to avoid my attack. He stops, and says "What the hay was that? That was a terribly risky move!"
I get up panting from my close shake with death. "Why the hell did you attack me! I come home, and I get attacked by some random stranger and--"
"Wait, what happened to you, my daughter? Do you not remember your own father?!" Oh, right. Things are still in a fog, because my amnesia. I felt so horrible on the inside, needing to lie to him about how I have taken host of his daughter's body.
I finally muster the resolve to tell him. His expression fell further afterward, and he walks into the other room, probably holding back tears of a father. I sighed heavily, and then walked out of the room letting my body do as it feels. I walk up the stairs, and enter a room I felt was all too familiar. I had a LOT of stuffed dolls, so many it many me laugh a bit, lightening my feelings a little. I fall onto the bed in the corner, trying not to think of anything. Too much happened today. "I hope it's not as stressful as today was." I say, dozing off into a deep slumber.

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                         Chapter 2                         
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Chapter 2
The next morning I wake to a loud cheery voice downstairs. I roll out of bed stumbling. "This is going to take a while to get used to" I say before clumsily trotting to the door. I hear the swift clopping of hooves going up the stairs near my door. Just before I open it, I'm blown back onto the floor, looking to the ceiling.
"Big Sis! I missed you so much!"
She jumps on top me with a thud. "Oof... Tone it down a notch. Good to see your okay?" I tried to impersonate a reliable big sister for this young Filly, for she seemed to look up to me. She finally gets off me after a few too many seconds of hugging.
"Spar me! I've been training hard!" she exclaims gleefully. I knew then I've finally hit a roadblock on an already bumpy path. I begin to try explaining to be interrupted by 'father' coming in. The little sister's expression waned, seeing the serious look on her dad.
"Me and your sister need to talk, do you mind going to unpack your belongings in your own room?"
She nods and walks out. "Do you really think you should wait to tell her? It may be worse to tell her later on." I say to him just as he closes the door.
"I honestly don't know how to go about this. I never was expecting it to be this bad..."
I become intrigued by his last statement. "What do you mean? Do you know how I got amnesia?"
He drops to his knees, and a tear falls to the floor. "Yes... It was my fault. We were training like we always did on Dragonshy mountain. You fell off a ledge and landed on a rock. Luckily, you only ended up with a concussion, but I guess there was more to that..."
I sigh, feeling sorry for the man crying on floor for his poor daughter's body. I take a deep breath and look at him. "Don't blame yourself. You did what you could, I can guess that you had to run all the way to the hospital several miles away with my injured body. I can tell you are a great father, as I can tell, because a bad father would not have worried so much."
He glances at me wiping away his parental tears. "Do you remember anything of your past, Maelstrom?"
I take moment to think of my memories. Do I feel her memories? I think it may be deep in my mind somewhere, otherwise this house and my room wouldn't feel so natural to me. "The things about my life feel familiar, yet I don't know anything of my past. I think I'll just have to start from scratch."
He trots to the open doorway, then stopping to say: "I hope you can remember everything soon, I miss you Maelie." A shutting of the door, and sounds of his steps fade. All this is still so surreal. I'm an Ponyville of Equestria as an Earth pony. Not only that, but I'm occupying the body of a girl living in a traditional-style Dojo. Is there a way I can solve this? I meditate on all that has just been said and done. Suddenly, I have an epiphany.
Who in Ponyville has the most information of strange things other ponies may not know? Twilight Sparkle! I gallop down the stairs, run across the empty main room and quickly swapped out my indoor hoofwear to my outdoor horseshoes. "These things were made surprisingly easily to put on and take off. Press down, twist, and pull back!" I slide the wood door with head, close it, and head out to find the only library in a tree around here.
I find myself walk into the center of town. Market stalls, a spectrum of ponies, and Town hall in the middle are obviously seen. I take a few more steps around to find Applejack running her stand. I lighten up with excitement, as I recall she was my favorite of the mane 6. I then stop myself. "I have to see Twilight, she's my priority right now" I mutter. Just as I walk several more meters around the plaza, I find the windowed tree and the far end of it. I make my way there, and notice the Pegasi begin patching up the sky with dark clouds. "Looks like a bit of difficulty getting home is imminent."
I arrived at the doorstep and sky is dark. I raise my hoof to the door to see it open before I could knock. "Looks like you came at a bad time Maelie, you should come in for a while." said the purple Alicorn in front of me.
"Really? Thank you very much!" I say, trotting inside.
She walks over to the carved staircase. "Are you going to come up for some tea?" she says politely.
"Oh, uhm... Sure, that'd be wonderful." I follow her up the intricately hollowed out tree, looking around at the neat design. We both sit down at the short table, and she magically pours the hot tea into our cups.
She begins, "What did you need me for? It's rare that you ever come after-hours."
I turn to her, and say "This is going to sound completely insane, but you have to believe me about what I'm about to tell you."

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                         Chapter 3                         
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Chapter 3
Twilight reiterates my story. "So, you're saying that you are from the human world, and found yourself in my friend Maelie's body, and now you are trying to get back into your own realm? Is that the gist of it?"
I sigh reluctantly "I'm afraid so." She begins thinking and sips from her tea. I interrupt her thoughts; "Wait, how is it you'd know of an alternate world of humans? Is there a portal spoken of in one of your dusty tomes?"
She laughs, "It's almost like you can read my mind, yet you don't know me that well. Well... yes. It's said it lies deep in some mountains to the East. You'd have to make a long trek to make it there. I actually have the book right here in this library." Her horn glows and a sound of shuffling books echoes from the 1st floor. I soon see the book floating from the hall onto our table. "This is it. Tales of a strange world; A book that was written a couple hundred years ago. It's quite valuable.
"I could imagine so."
Then it struck me. "But even if I found the portal, would I even be able to go unnoticed? I'm in a mare's body after all." I ask her.
"Hmm... from what I remember, your body turns into your equivalent of a human. In other words, what you'd be as a human." she answers.
"I can't go back as a mare, I'm a male back in my world. And on top of that, this body isn't mine to take, it's Maelstrom's."
She begins thinking again. She shakes her head about frustratedly, and then says "Not only are we going to get you to the human realm, but also have to remove your mind from her body? This is going to be difficult." As she finishes her statement she turns to looks outside. "Looks like the weather is finally over with. I'll tell you what: I'll do some studying, and I will have you come back after I've learned something. Until then, try and adjust to life here, because even if I find an answer I most likely won't be able to have immediate results."
I get up from my seat and tell her, "Thanks for everything Twilight, I'll pay you back somehow." I then walk downstairs and out the front door. Another recognizable pony, Octavia, is standing like I was previously, about to open the door.
She stutters a bit "M-mae, you're back from the hospital?" I get tackled by her, realizing she is hugging me. "You've worried me so much. I've been trying everywhere to find you." I'm blind-sighted. Another pony I am going to cause pain for. I feel like my expression drained instantly. She asks worriedly, "Are you okay, my love?". Just as it couldn't possibly be worse. A tear rolls down my face, and my conscience fades into black.
I wake up. Birds are chirping outside my window, and... I'm not in my bed? I find on my right, a earthen brown mane. "Octavia? What the hell am I doing in your home, let alone your bed?!" I fall onto the floor due to my surprise.
A sleepy-eyed figure wipes her face with a left hoof. "Whatever do you mean? We fell asleep cuddling like we always do. Are you joking with me, Mae?" I didn't even remember doing anything last night. I was at Twilight's library and... I blacked out! But why is she saying we were together last night? I stand up, trying to think of what really happened.
"I didn't do anything last--" A voice from inside my head interrupts my thoughts, "What going on with my body? It's not listening to me." I'm further confused.
"Mae, are you okay? Is something bothering you?" Octavia inquires with a worrisome look. I try to answer her. My voice won't come out.
"I'm fine Tavi-dear! Do you want some coffee this morning?" Huh, I didn't say that! What is going on. "Am I even controlling this body anymore?" I think out loud. My body starts speaking again: "Who's there?!" It echoes.
I begin thinking. "Wait, are you the real Maelstrom?" I say within my thoughts.
A reply echoes back inside of my mind. "Of course, and who in Equestria are you?"
"I'm Jude. I've been trapped inside of your body somehow, and I'm not even from the same world! I myself have no idea what's going on." I answer her.
"So is that how I woke up in the library? The last I remember was being in traini-- I must went unconscious then!"
"Yes, you fell into a coma and somehow I ended up in your body. I've been controlling your body ever since before you woke up. I don't know what's happened, but I want to get back to my world."
She remains silent as she continues to make breakfast for Octavia and herself, and replies after thinking for a bit. "This is a lot to take in at once. So, basically, you've lost your body and now you're inside mine? You've got to be joking!"
"I wish it were a joke. Last night I was at the library to see if I could fix this, but Twilight only has a faint idea where to look."
Mae takes the plates on at a time to the table were Octavia is sitting. "Well, even so, I'm not going to let you take over this body."
I sigh to myself inside, "Looks like this will be harder than I thought."