Oh look, Equestria

Oh look, Equestria

Chapter 4 - Discoveries

"..Now, let us begin" Celestia's horn lit with a golden glow, ready to 'cast a spell' on me.. I snorted at the notion, to think... Magic is real, kick me in the bollocks and call me shirley. 'I wonder if I'll spontaneously combust, my brains splattering all over them... That'd be kinda awkward.. Oh, it's that weird little lizard from earlier'

"Hey, weird little lizard thingy!" I said, waving at the lizard thingy. He seemed to take this rather badly, glaring at me and huffing rather indignantly "Hey, I'm not a lizard.. I'm a dragon! You weird big monkey thing.." That little shit...

"Touché, scaley. So, a dragon huh... Cool, I take it you're just a whelp, then?" this seemed to piss him off even more, no idea why... I glanced over at 'Twilight', a silent question to my look. She nodded, and turned to Spike to elaborate.

"Spike, Tom meant no disrespect, a whelp is the scientific term for a baby dragon, it's just a shame that the word has been twisted into an insult in our culture..." this seemed to satisfy the kid, as his glare softened into a look of comprehension. Twilight turned back to me with a smile "and to answer your question, yes. He's just a baby dragon at the moment." Ah, there we go. It was at this point that I started feeling rather odd... And slightly sick

Turning to Celestia, I noticed her face was scrunched up something fierce, it was rather funny to look at "Hey, princess?" she 'hmmm'd' in acknowledgement "I don't mean to worry you, but I'm feeling rather.... Odd, kinda feels like I'm being stretched and smooshed at the same time, kinda sickening actually..." at this she glanced up at me, a slightly alarmed look "That is odd, it shouldn't be bringing you any discomfort.... Though, I'm getting some rather interesting readings, if you'd allow me to continue?" 'interesting, huh? Meh, may aswell just suck it up and carry on'. I nodded to her to carry on. Turning to Pinkie Pie, I saw that she was rather engrossed with a spider on the wall and thought better to snatch her attention away, so I turned to Luna instead.

"So, princess Luna.." she looked to me, a slight smile on her features "your sister said you 'command the night', care to elaborate?" weird feeling growing.... I shifted uncomfortably in my bed

"T'would be my pleasure, Tom. You see, here in Equestria, me and mine sister control the celestial bodies; I the moon, and my sister the sun. I can also move stars, nebulas and control auroras". 'Holy shit, she's badass...' noticing my mystified look, she covered her mouth with a hoof and giggled slightly. I chose this moment to find my voice "That's.... Amazing, I have to say... Looking at a new set of stars, constellations and moon should be very interesting" it was at this moment when I started feeling very nauseous, I grew dizzy, and a tingling sensation over my whole body made me very aware of the coming storm.. Shooting up from my bed, I startled everyone present

Pinkie instantly turned to me, that same smile on her face, Twilight seemed to flinch back horn glowing. Luna tensed up, whereas Celestia just cut off the spell and looked at me inquisitively noticing my stressed grimace "Tom, whatever is the--"

I cut her off quickly by waving my arms "I need a bathroom, gonna puke!"

"Wha--"

"Gonna pu---*Urk"

Twilight snapped into action at this, levitating me off the floor and darting up the stairs, I threw my hands over my mouth, letting out a muffled 'hurry' to my improvised transport, frankly I couldn't give a damn if I was floating, I just needed to chuck my guts up

"You puke on me, or my floor, you're cleaning it up.." Twilight snarked before opening a door at the end of the hall, dropping me right at the toilet

I gave her a thumbs up before turning back to the bowl. 'Now then, let's just get this over wi-*Huuuerghhhhh* I didn't get to finish my thought process as a torrent of greenish brown projectile vomit shot from my mouth and nose, the stomach acids burning the back of my throat on the way out. Panting heavily, I made to stand as the seemingly endless torrent ended, until another barrage of fiery death shot out of my maw. "FuuuuUUUERK"

"Tom, are you okay in there?" I was silent. Another knock, this time a little more frantic "Tom? Can you hear me?" still hunched over the toilet, my stomach clear of its contents I made to stand up

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for asking, I'll be out in a sec. Hey Twi, how the fuck do you flush this thing?" There was no flush handle.. She informed me that there was a 'hoof pedal', looking down I indeed saw the 'hoof pedal' and cleaned up my mess. Walking to the door, I opened it, looking down at Twilight. She looked up at me, and reared back in shock

"T....T...Tom? W-what's happened to your eyes?" 'My eyes?' I raised an eyebrow "They were green, now they're bright orange!!" my other brow shot up before I darted back into the bathroom, looking into the mirror. True to her word, my eyes had indeed changed colour.

"Odd, my eyes aren't meant to change colour, though orange does look awesome" turning back to Twilight "Maybe it's something to do with my 'inner magic'" I said with a shrug, before walking out of the room and back to the gang downstairs. Twilight was right behind me, a concerned yet contemplative look to her face

Celestia gazed up at the stairs, just moments ago her student Twilight had rushed the human off to the toilet, apparently she made him rather ill with that spell. Maybe humans react to magic differently, or maybe it's because he wasn't used to having so much pumped through him so fast? Shaking off her inner musings, she turned to her sister Luna "Luna, I believe I may know our human's magical talent, but it will need further testing to prove, first."

Luna was intrigued, rising her hood to her chin "Oh? And where, pray tell dear sister, do his magical talents lie?"

Celestia contemplated how to respond, trying to form the correct reponse "I detected a tiny similarity with one of Equestria's native species, albeit nearly undetectable. I think he may have the ability to change form, similar to that of a changeling... But, his connection seems.... Deeper, more tuned in."

Luna, upon hearing this was rather perturbed to say the least. 'A shapeshifter? That could be troubling...' chewing the inside of her lip, she made to respond, when the sounds of hoofsteps met her ears. Turning to the stairs, she saw the wayward human and Twilight Sparkle descending. But, something was off about the human. She couldn't quite place what.

Descending the steps, I looked to Celestia and Luna rather smugly "Hey princess, I found my power! I can change eye colour, ooooo spooky!" waving my arms in a sinister manner, Celestia rolled her eyes before answering "Hello, Tom. I'd like to apolgize for making you sick... It wasn't my intention, I assure you" she turned her head to the floor, sheepish expression and all

"Ahh don't worry about it, I'm fine" waving her off, I was about to say something when a pink blob materialized infront of my face spewing a load of nonsense before darting out of the library "OhmyCelestiaIhavetogetthegirlstomeetyouthey'llloveyouI'llbebacksoonbye!"

blinking, I turned to Twilight "Well then, your friend Pinkie is definitely... Interesting, I like her!" Twilight smiled at this

"That's great to know, she can be a little....Hyper, but she loves making ponies smile. And knows exactly how to do it every time"

Celestia spoke up "I'm terribly sorry Twilight, but me Luna will be speaking in private just outside about our most recent.... Guest, we shan't be long. I'll be right here, if anything happens." Twilight enthusiastically nodded "Very well, come Luna. We have important matters to discuss" turning to the door, the two diarchs of Equestria left the library

Two alicorns were walking down a deserted road in Ponyville, both seemingly deep in thought. Luna, being impatient as she is, chose to speak up first "So, Tia. What are your thoughts on this 'Tom'?" she turned to look at Celestia

"He seems complacent, content. Though I sense he has a strong view of free will. He took my indirect manipulation as an insult to his very being... I saw it in his eyes. It's like I spit on his grave. Saying that, I can see that he's rather forgiving. He doesn't seem aggressive, thought something tells me he could very well be if he wanted. Did you notice he has canine teeth?"

"Indeed we...I did, sister. Thought it looked like he had molars, too. An omnivore, perhaps?"

"That may very well be. Even so, we can't disregard the fact that he will be more aggressive than a pony. Though like I said, he seems docile enough.. He is, strange. Maybe it is just the fact that he is a little shaken by the ordeal of being teleported, maybe Equus' magic is having an adverse effect on him." Celestia sighed, gaining a look of concern from Luna, but Celestia waved it off "He's an enigma, Luna. I've never encountered anything like this before.. I do not like the unknown, I never have.. Regardless, I'll have a contingent of guards posted around Ponyville, in disguise of course. I'll tell princess Twilight to notify daily on his activity, as well as any suspicious behavior."

Luna agreed to this wholeheartedly "Very well, sister. I shall dispatch a few night guards as well, if he is truthful at all, then Tom is very fond of the night. Furthermore, if the bags under his eyes are any indication, he doesn't get much sleep. It would be fortuitous to have the night guard around, they blend in far better."

Celestia nodded, giving her sister a tired smile "Very well, let us return and inform the elements of our decision" Celestia lit up her horn, and they were gone in a flash of light

'Wow, this Twilight talks too much' I was cut from my inner musings by a blinding flash, once the light had faded I noticed that the two big ones had returned.

Twilight perked up almost immediately at the sight of her mentor "Princess Celestia, princess Luna, you've returned!"

"Yes, my dear Twilight. And, I believe me and my sister have reached a decision on our guest over here" Celestia waved a foreleg in my direction 'Hmmm, if what they say is true and she could move the sun, that means she can drop the sun on me.... Ouch' "We have decided that as of yet he has shown no outward aggression, and seems to be content. Saying this, I will be posting guards around Ponyville to keep an eye out, I hope you understand, Tom."

"Yeah, no worries. I understand you've got to look after your own. I'd do the same in your shoes. I'm just glad you didn't decide to drop the sun on me" I laughed

Celestia laughed "Quite, as for sleeping arrangements.... Twilight Sparkle, would you be able to house Tom in the library until proper accommodation can be located?"

Twilight was apprehensive, an alien staying in her library... What if she did something to offend him? But, the magic.... The science! Her eyes twinkled "I don't see why not, princess. I have a spare bed free"

Celestia caught on to Twilight's intentions, looking back to me and winking suspiciously "Splendid! I also wish for you to send me reports of Tom's activities and progress during his stay, it doesn't have to be daily, but I'd prefer if it were. And, Tom. I wish for you to know that although there will be guards posted around, do not feel like you're not permitted to go anywhere. Ponyville is yours to explore, though some guards may decide to tail you, I just don't want you jumping my guards, assuming them to be cut throats or bandits. They will be in disguise, afterall." Twilight and I nodded "Now, is there anything you wish to ask of me or my sister?"

It was at this question, that Twilight remembered something. "Oh, princess! Could Tom's eyes changing colour have anything to do with this unique magic of his?" I noticed the twinkle in Twilight's eye, and involuntarily shuddered 'Oh god, she's got that look that screams DISCOVERY!!'

Celestia looked at me, studying my new eyes "That very well could be, Twilight. We believe Tom may be able to change forms, not unlike our native changelings, but something seems different about his power.." 'Shapeshifting?! Fucking AWESOME!!' I practically squeed in utter glee. Celestia looked to me "Tom, I would like to run a few more quick tests with you. Now that I have a good idea of what you can do, I may be able to get a better gauge on them, and maybe even teach you how to control this power, you told me yourself that magic is non existent in your home world" I just couldn't hold back

"By the gods yes, yes YES! Hook me up, doc!" I practically shouted in her face

"Very well, Twilight, Luna, if you would be so kind to help me?" Twilight virtually shot to attention, saluting and all "Of course, princess! I'd love to!" I had no idea what I was getting myself into....

Three fucking hours.... THREE HOURS of testing, with three crazy pony princesses hovering weird equipment onto me, taking readings, making me try out different things... On the bright side, I can change forms now as well as gender, don't ask how I found that one out, I don't intend on going fem-tom again, either. It was a little shocking at first walking around with lady parts instead of mr. flop, but I just ignored it in the name of SCIENCE! I found that I could change into a lot of different things, I also noticed that I could warp inanimate objects, changing their base molecules. I actually managed to make a speaker out of some old metal and wood lying around, it didn't work, but still... Twilight was literally glued to this new discovery, almost unhealthily so. Luna and Celestia left a few minutes ago, said something about 'returning to Canterlot before the nobles believe nightmare moon has returned' I snickered at the horse pun of Camelot

"This is just amazing! You can reform an object's base molecules to your heart's content, I've never seen anything like it!!" Twilight chirped next to me, she's been getting me to see how far I can go with this particular magic. It seems to be limited to the type of materials I'm working with, I was rather disappointed that I couldn't turn water to wine, Twilight unsurprisingly missed the significance of that one.

I turned my head to her, in the middle of testing myself at making a simple plug out of a lump of plastic I found "Yeah, I'm gonna have some fun with this for sure.... Maybe I could fashion some decent speakers for my phone, maybe rig a sort of USB... I'll need some copper wire, plastic and rubber." 'Wait, my phone!' reaching into my pocket, I sighed in relief when I pulled out my phone, it was a Samsung Galaxy S4, with a thick protective case. My phone caught Twilight's eye almost instantly

"Oooh, what's that? Is that the 'phone' you were speaking of?" I nodded "What does it do?" Twilight asked, her face inches from the screen

I looked at her, amused smile on my features. Over the course of the next half hour, I listed all its functions, the internet in particular seemed to intrigue her. Aswell as ebooks, though I didn't have any on the device to show her. Also, turns out that the internet works in Equestria, go fuckin' figure... Magic kicks ass! It also keeps my phone fully charged CONSTANTLY, thank the gods.

"To think, your world has made such advances in technology without the help of magic... There's so much we could learn from you!" This made me frown slightly, she noticed this and raised an eyebrow to me as if asking 'what?'

Sighing, I told her the gist of things "Twilight, though I see where you're coming from, and I can definitely say sharing our world's knowledge has its merits, there's just too much to risk." She was confused by this "what risk could sharing knowledge possibly have?" 'Oh, if only you knew...' I thought darkly

"Look, I won't get into the why, just know that it's a bad idea" Twilight really didn't like that sound of that, but with a reluctant sigh, she nodded looking dejected. 'Urgh, damn cute ponies' "On the bright side, we have my human magic to test, you could write a book, be the first to publish it. Doesn't that sound good?" this perked Twilight up, she gave me a beaming smile

"Yes, yes it does! Oh this is going to be so exciting, think of the untold possibilities!" 'Phew, it worked... I'm lucky she's easy to redirect' I thought. Turning back to my current task, I was about to start working again when there was a knock at the door, before Pinkie and 4 new faces walked in.

Pinkie ran to me and Twilight, grabbing us both in a bone crushing hug "Hey Twi, hey Tom! I'm back, and I brought our friends!" 'Holy shit this mare can hug' gasping for breath, I tried to wheeze out a response, but Pinkie pre-empted us by dropping us to the floor, unceremoniously banging my ass on the hard wood. Groaning and rubbing my new sore cheeks, I stood and got a good look at the new arrivals.

4 ponies were standing inside, all gaping at me, eyes wide. The one on the far left was a unicorn with a pristine white coat and posh purple mane. Directly next to her was a pegasus, she was a butter yellow colour with a long, flowing pink mane and tail. Then there was a normal pony like Pinkie Pie, but this one was orange, with blonde mane and a cowboy hat 'tenner says she's a hillybilly' I thought before fixing my gaze with the last one. This one was a sky blue pegasus with a really dumb looking rainbow mane 'haha, lesbian'. Turning back to Pinkie and Twilight, they were looking at me with a little concern. I raised an eyebrow "what?"

Twilight answered "Well, I was trying to introduce you to my friends before you started oggling them" she replied with a hint of amusement. This made me scoff before turning my gaze back to them "So, which one of you lovely ladies wanna say hi first?" I heard a giggle from Pinkie

"Silly Tom Tom, they're ponies! That's Rarity, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rainbow Dash!" 'wow, original name' I thought with a mental chuckle. They all replied with their own varying greetings. Rarity with a rather haughty 'charmed', Fluttershy just 'eeped' and hid behind her mane, Applejack gave a low whistle before saying 'howdy partner', Rainbow however decided to get in my face

"That's right, Rainbow Dash! The most awesome, radical fastest pony in all of Equestria!" She finished with a flourish 'how old is she...?' I turned to Twilight and raised an eyebrow, she seemed to understand and whispered a 'you'll get used to it' before returning her attention to her friends

"Girls! It's good to see you! As Pinkie already said, this is Tom" pointing a hoof at me before lowering it, she continued "He's a human, and I may have accidentally zapped him into the library, bed and all...He he.." a sheepish grin on her face, she chose to gaze at the floor as I chuckled beside her, she looked up inquisitively

"It's true, but I got my own back by landing on her, or so I'm told" The girls shared a laugh at this "to give you short of it, I'm a human from a world called 'Earth', turns out I got magic on the way here and I can now shapeshift, that's a pretty good trade off if there ever was one." Turning my attention to Rarity, I noticed her scrutinizing me rather intently "Errr... Can I help you, Ms. Rarity?"

Rarity was slightly stunned before looking back at me, a disgusting look on her face "Terribly sorry darling, but I must ask... What possessed you to wear such... Ghastly attire?" 'Hey, fuck you! These are top of the line camos!'

I huffed indignantly before replying rather sharply "For your information, darling; these are NOT my casual clothes, I just happened to be wearing them at the time. You see, I'm a pe.... 'No, they might react badly to hear I'm a pest exterminator' an animal watcher, and these clothes help me to blend in, as to not spook the animals". Fluttershy locked gazes with me instantly, a huge smile on her face

"Oh, that's wonderful! And so caring too.. I know how some animals can be very skittish, and it's nice to know you try your best to not scare them!" 'Huh, she must be an animal lover or something, good thing she doesn't know the truth..' "I'm an animal caretaker myself, I take joy in showing them kindness" she gave me a warm smile, I returned it 'Holy shit, she's adorable'

Rarity then spoke up again "I apolgize if I offended, darling. You simply must visit my boutique some time, I'll make you a wonderful outfit free of charge!" wow, that's generous of her.... "Though if I may ask, I've never heard an accent quite like yours, darling. It's rather, exotic..."

"Wow, well. Thank you, I'll keep that in mind, and to answer your question. Back home, I was born in a small country named Wales, lovely little place. Nice and quiet, and I'm darn proud to be called a welshman! Falch o fod yn Gymry!" she responded with a curt nod and a smile. I looked to Applejack, she seemed to be eyeing me weirdly, absently rubbing a hoof to her chin

"So, Applejack.. I couldn't help but notice your mannerisms, am I right in assuming you're a farmer?" she seemed shocked by this before smiling and nodding "thought so, I've done my fair share of farm work, I know a hard worker when I see one" She blushed at my compliment

"Well shucks sugarcube, I thank ya kindly, if I might ask.. What kind'a farm work did'ja do?" she asked in earnest

I pondered on this a little 'hmmm, should I tell them about the horses? Ehhh.... Might be awkward... Nah' "Well, I did many things from feeding cattle to herding sheep... I did a bit of sheering, though I stopped that particular activity after I caught a whiff of their lovely smelling wool" I shuddered, that stuff stank....

Applejack gave me a genuine mirthful laugh "Hehehe, ya get used to tha smell" I grimaced 'Eurgh, I can take the smell of rotting corpses fine, but sheep's wool just makes me gag'

...Yeah, no. "I'll... Take your word for it, though you won't see me sheering any time soon" I deadpanned. Ms. Rainbows decided to rudely interrupt suddenly

"Sooooo... You're a shapeshifter, huh? That's pretty awesome I guess, but still not as awesome as the Dash" 'seriously, how old is she... 5?' she hovered over to me, scrutinizing my every feature "well then, Mr. Human, what can you do? Show us your stuff!" This got a round of agreement from all present, except from Fluttershy "please, nothing scary..."

I was rather disheartened that I could only change sex and turn into a pony at the moment "Well, I can only turn into a pony at the moment, both male and female... And no, I am NOT going girl, no way... No how." this earned me a raised eyebrow from Rainbow. I sighed, before turning into my pone-form, such a badass name. I had decided on being an earth pony, and from what I was told by Twilight, I was a little short for a stallion, I had a rather normal colour scheme of a short, slightly spiked black mane, a small dull grey patch which had grown out after I was scarred years back, and a dull brown coat. Average build and green eyes. I was thankful that it was something rather simple, I don't know if I could handle being neon green, or something.... "See, nothing spectacular. Just your average pony man!" they were all eyeing me expectantly "....what?"

Pinkie Pie bounced infront of me, motioning to her flank. Looking over, I spotted her 'cutie mark' as Twilight told me, before looking back at my bare flank. Turning my head to Pinkie, I raised an eyebrow "Silly, you forgot your cutie mark! Go ahead and zap it on Tommy boy!"

I hesitated for a moment, thinking hard 'Well, from what Twilight had told me... These things hold a significance here, what would my special talent be...? Ah! I got it!' closing my eyes to concentrate, I briefly reached out to my 'inner magic', before hearing a quiet pop. Opening my eyes, I turned my head to look. My cutie mark, as expected was there. It was exactly as I pictured, a paper target with two bullet holes in it. Simple, but to the point. Looking back to Pinkie, she had a beaming smile.

"That's better! Ooo! Maybe your pony name could be something like Sharpshooter, or Flintlock! Ooh ooh, how about Winchester?!" '....What...' I stood there, mouth agape 'how the fuck does she know about Winchester? I'm a damned alien! She shouldn't know an alien gun maker!' shaking my head, I decided to ignore it for the moment, closing my mouth and smiling

"Sharpshooter, eh? I like it.... Thanks, Pinkie! I'll use that when I'm out and about, don't want to scare ponies with my alien self"

"No problemo sharpy!" she giggled before hopping off again

I looked to Twilight, I noticed her eyes were drifting along my frame before slowly lowering... 'Wait, is she eyeing my......?' I coughed slightly, causing the mare to start and blush, looking away sheepishly

"W..Well, that's rather.. impressive" 'F to the uck to the no' I thought with a shudder. I heard the gang snickering and whispering to each other behind me, Twilight spoke up after regaining her composure "Well, now that introductions are out of the way, how about we all grab something to eat, on me?" My stomach growled, reminding me of my impromptu stomach pumping earlier this morning

I wholeheartedly agreed to this "By the nine, yes! I'm starving.." there was a murmur of agreement from the girls. "By the way, girls.. How old are you all, if you don't mind my prying? I'm 20, myself. I'm just curious, is all."

Twilight decided to answer for them "Well, me, Pinkie and Rarity are 19, Rainbow is 18, and Fluttershy and AJ are both 20." I nodded, thankful for the info. Twilight perked up, suddenly remembered something, turning to me she asked "Oh! Tom.. I mean, sharpshooter.. I was meaning to ask, you've said 'by the gods' several times now, and just now you said 'by the nine', just how many gods do you have on your world?" she cocked her head, lowering one ear 'daz cute yo'

"Well, Twilight.. On my world there's loads of religions, I personally am non religious, I don't believe in gods, or higher powers of any sort...." noticing her silent question, I carried on "you see, I say those things because we have something back home called 'video games', there's one particular game I like to play. In the game, those phrases are said a lot, I just kinda picked it from playing way too much of it" She nodded in understanding, smiling and jotting it down on a notepad

"Video.....Games! Okay, thanks. Well, without further ado... Shall we?" She asked, gesturing to the library's front door

Suddenly, I had a devious scheme pop into my evil head "Well, not even a day here and I'm already being treated to breakfast by a princess, aren't I a lucky stallion" this caused Twilight to flush and try to stutter out a response, earning a round of guffaws from her friends

Twilight growled through clenched teeth "watch it buddy. Come on Spike, we're going for some breakfast" she said to her purple assistant, him promptly running up to her and hopping onto her back with an audible thud

'This is gonna be interesting... Alien food, best not be something crap like hay or something....' I thought as we walked out into the street, me humming a certain little number to myself by the name of Slave by Whitesnake, library door closing behind us

The song he was humming