Pull Me Through

Chapters

Chapter 1- Letters
Chapter 2- Welcome!
Chapter 3- New Beats
Chapter 4- Party!
Chapter 5- Heartbeats and Laughter
Chapter 6- Canterlot Times
Chapter 7- What a Welcome!
Chapter 8- Lessons and Thoughts
Chapter 9- Princes

Chapter 1- Letters

Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I honestly never expected this portal to work. For years, I just thought magic was nothing but a… pipe dream, a fantastic little idea that just couldn’t exist. When I found the inscriptions, translated them… I honestly recreated the ritual just to sate my own curiosity. To see what our ancestors thought magic might be. That feather you got was from a raven; I found it on my way to the site, and I thought… well, ‘what better to try this stupid thing on.’ I’m really, really sorry it caused as much a problem as it did. I had no idea how magical raven feathers are in your world.

But I digress. This is the first time you’ve gotten a letter from me, now that I got one from you. Your script is… beautiful. And the ink… I had it tested and you really used crushed onyx for ink? That’s amazing! I had to redo the tests three times just to be certain I wasn’t dreaming it up. Your world must have such an abundance of rare materials! In our world, onyx is a precious gem, used more in jewelry than to make ink. Sorry I keep trailing off, I’m just so nervous. I’m not sure what to say. In your next letter… if you decide to send another letter… could you explain more about your world maybe, and yourself? If that’s okay!

Your hopeful friend,
Michelle Winters

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Wow, I can’t believe it’s been three months since all this started. And what a crazy time! I have mid-terms coming up soon, and it’s a doozy doing both this and studying for them, but… worth it. God it’s worth it. I thought moving across the country to get my education would be good for me, but it’s just made me lonelier than ever. I wish humans were as outgoing as you make our ponies to be. Heh, I could use a Pinkie Pie party right about now.

Also, I gave that sample of apple you sent in the last package a taste and my god. I’m not sure I can do it justice. I’m not sure if it’s because of your world’s natural magic, or if it was just a really good apple, but it was the best one I have ever tasted. Bar none. My compliments to your friend Applejack. Did you like the books I sent you? I wasn’t sure which, so I tried to include some about the known history of most of the big areas of our world, and some newspapers for more local events. I… I know you aren’t used to murders and rapings, so I apologize in advance for how much those are blarred in the papers. Humans like sensationalism.

I’m so glad this happened. Do you think you could teach me more magic? Who knows! Maybe we can figure a way to send bigger stuff through the portal, huh?

Your friend,
Michelle Winters

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

Four years wasted. Four years at that damn school, and they threw me out. Threw me out like I was nothing but a lunatic. I’m sorry. I know you warned me that transdimensional magic was risky, but I had to try. I attempted the teleportation ritual. Yeah, the super-hard one. It worked before! It worked in my room! I just… wished it had worked there. I must have drawn a rune wrong, or had too many people around. They didn’t give me a chance to try again. Thankfully my apartment is still mine, and I don’t have to leave the initial portal site. If the teleport didn’t work elsewhere… If I stopped being able to talk to you…

Sorry. I’m sending along some more books with this letter, and a picture of myself. I think I’ve got the matrix right enough to allow the film to survive the passage to your world. Let me know how you feel about how we crazy humans look!

Your friend,
Michelle Winters

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

That poetry was… beautiful, Twilight. My letter might have some tear stains on it! Your mind is amazing. I like neurotic maybe, but… simply amazing. You’re the only person, pony, I know of that can turn gravity law into a beautiful idea of… of… I can’t even! Why don’t you write more poetry, give it to your other friends? I bet they’d love it just as much as I did! Heck, I bet even Rainbow Dash would! Speaking of, can you thank her for that lightning bolt pendant? It’s totally awesome, and I wear it all the time!

I can’t believe everything you girls have done for me. Rarity’s sweatshirt has been a godsend with all these rolling blackouts. It’s winter-time for god’s sake! People are going to freeze to death! If it wasn’t for Applejack wood stove and Fluttershy’s blankets, I’d be one heck of a crazy nerdsicle.

And Twilight? I’d really like some more poetry. If that’s okay. I’m sending you another feather with this letter. It’s a dove this time. I hope you like it.

Sincerely and with friendship,
Michelle Winters

Twilight… they’re all gone. My family. I told you about cars, right? How fast they go? There was an accident. A bigger car, we call it a truck, it hit them in the side. Going 70 miles per hour. You know the math, the force that causes, all the momentum. I don’t know what to do, Twilight. They were the only thing supporting me. My job barely covers rent, and without them, I can’t do anymore community college. I can’t go home. I can’t stay. What am I going to do?

I’m sorry. I shouldn’t dump this on you. This is my life, I have to deal with it. It’s just so hard.

I’m sending you a picture of my family. You should know what they look like and… I like they’d really like you.

Yours,
Michelle Winters

Dear Twilight Sparkle,
You’re sure about this, Twi? I’ve gone over the formula, and cross-referenced with all the books you sent me. The theory is sound, but… You really think… No. No, you wouldn’t send this unless you thought there was at least a chance, I know you. It’s been four years since we’ve started talking like this. This weird, crazy, wonderful exchange of thoughts and letters. I… I’m not sure what to call this. We’re friends! That much is certain! But. Whenever I go out to work at that sleazy diner, I’m not thinking about the money. I’m not thinking about the customers. I’m thinking about that flowing, onyx script. That smiling purple mare in the photos. I hope this works. I’m so tired of being alone. You’ve become my obsession, and I know that sounds creepy. If you don’t want me because of this, just let me know during the ritual. We’ll see how this all goes, yeah?

And I’m kind of curious to find out what a pony sounds like. If this works… see you in a few. I hope.

With hope,
Michelle

Twilight Sparkle let out a shaky breath as she sat in front of the wide, gleaming magical circle that had gone from her curious little pet project… to the source of a paper on Trans-dimensional Cultures for the Celestial Institute… to her heart-and-soul. Letters… hundreds, possibly thousands of them, stretched out around the circle, giving the ritual room an almost snowy appearance. Candles, kept carefully away from the ultra-flammable human paper, glimmered like little stars in the blackness of the room. The symbolism was fitting for Twilight.

With a soft whoosh, like the intake of a breath, the portal began to glow. From the center, spreading outward, was a sheet of glass, slithering out like water till it touched the edges. A pulse of white light sprung from the center, and the glass hardened in an instant. Gingerly, Twilight reached out a hoof, settling it gently on the slick surface. It held. Nodding to herself and spreading her wings to give herself balance, the purple alicorn slowly walked out towards the center of the circle.

“Michelle?” Twilight whispered softly, her voice knifing through the silence.

Please… please let her have gotten this right. Twilight’s ears perked as a new light glimmered in the center of the glass, and a sight came into view. A darkened room, lit also by candles, though they were held in some kind of odd glass containers. To her sheepish surprise, Twilight could see all her own letters, wrapped up in their scroll cases, lying about the room. And there, in the center…

“T-twilight?”

Michelle looked just like her picture. A tall humanoid, kneeling down in front of the image. Her hair was long and straight, gleaming a soft red in the candlelight. Glasses glimmered on her nose, but Twilight could just spot the small, green eyes gazing back at her with trepidation and barely concealed excitement.

“Y-you’re beautiful,” they both blurted at once, then both blinked, blushed, and smiled shyly.

“A-are you ready?” Twilight asked first, wings twitching nervously when Michelle winced, looking down at the floor.

“Y-you… really want me?”

A snort greeted her, and Michelle’s eyes were quick to rise. Twilight was grinning softly, horn gleaming brightly as the portal began to pulse.

“What do you think?”

Wind began to rush through both rooms, the candles flickering out and the letters rising into the swirling air. The only light was that given off by the portal, a deep, gleaming blue, like that of a moonlit sea. Twilight couldn’t tear her eyes away from Michelle; her hair was practically floating in the air, and she was shakily moving towards her. The human hand pressed slowly into the portal, seeming to bend the surface… and a pale white hoof popped through the surface. Another pulse went through the portal, and Twilight quickly gripped the hoof. She had expected a hand. Was this some kind of caveat that went with the spell? Maybe she should-

CRACK.

Startled purple eyes looked up towards the edge of the portal: cracks were beginning to creep towards them, gaining speed. Switching to magical view, Twilight could see the spell unravelling.

“Michelle, the portal is coming undone!”

“I-I see it!”

There was a surge of movement from behind the hoof, and a desperate cry from Michelle rang out.

“I-I can’t get through!” she practically screamed, “Pull me through! Hurry!”

Twilight gaped down at her, “T-this is too risky, it could-!”

“PLEASE Twilight! I have nothing else in the whole world! I’d rather have you, or nothing at all! PULL ME THROUGH!”
The sheer desperation in Michelle’s voice, the utter, broken pleading in it, and the sub-notes of adoration… Horn gleaming with every reserve of strength Twilight had in her body, hoof and magic grabbed onto her pen pal… and pulled. Four years of friendship and… something more, manifested in this final effort. Twilight, desperate to save her friend, pulled. Michelle, desperate to end her all-consuming loneliness, pushed with all she had. They screamed as one…

Michelle flew through the portal with a surprised squeal, rolling end over end with Twilight before coming to rest against the wall, laying atop her barrel. Groaning softly, the two mares opened their clenched shut eyes; purple meeting a glimmering, teary forest green. The mare laying atop Twilight was gorgeous. She was slim and tall, with miles of light, toned legs. Her mane was long and a brilliant fox red, curing down around the middle of her barrel, while her tail was trimmed short, flicking lightly back and forth. Her glasses were still perched atop her muzzle, complimenting her wider eyes nicely.Two broad wings were stretched out over the both of them, snow white feathers twitching frantically.

“Tw-twi… twilight…” the former human breathed, slowly reaching a dainty hoof to caress her cheek.

Her touch was warm, and Twilight leaned into it with a warm smile, and more than a few tears gathering in her violet orbs.

“W-welcome to Equestria, Mich- mmm!”

No words were needed between the two. A soft kiss was all that was needed. A soft, transforming kiss, boiling up and over with emotion. The gleam of the portal faded, but neither mare noticed the darkness as it slid over them. They had each other and, after four years… that was all either needed.

Author's Note

THE FEELS

Chapter 2- Welcome!

Michelle gaped around in awe as Twilight led her out of the basement door and into the main body of the library.

“You really weren’t kidding. You… live in a tree,” she breathed, grinning slowly at the sheepish expression on Twilight’s face.

The amount of books circling in the shelves around her was staggering, and Michelle couldn’t help but imagine herself in some kind of fortress of knowledge, surrounded by arcane tomes of a long-forgotten world. ...hey, she said she was a nerd already. Glancing down at her hooves, Michelle slowly began to walk forward again, whispering softly to herself.

“Okay… left, right, left right… left, right, left, right…”

She peered sheepishly back at a bemused Twilight, ears unconsciously flattening atop her head, “S-sorry.”

The bemusement rushed away, shoved aside by sheer kindness as Twilight leaned in to nuzzle Michelle’s cheek.

“It’s okay,” she whispered soothingly, “You were a bipedal race, with those weird… feet things. You have to get used to hooves, and four of them at that. Let me help you onto the couch.”

Warmness rushed over Michelle’s body, and she gave a soft, breathy gasp. It was like she was enclosed by a giant, warming pillow, and there was no stress on any one place of her body as she was lifted into the air. Wiggling her hooves, Michelle giggled a bit as she floated through the air, then settled down on the plushest couch ever. Of course, sitting took a bit of work- her legs shouldn’t bend like that!- but the end result had to be rather cute, she admitted to herself. And if Twilight’s stare was anything to judge by…

“Would you like something to eat?” Twilight asked suddenly, smiling warmly, and Michelle gave a small grunt, doubling in on herself as the hunger hit with the force of a freight train.

To be honest with herself, she hadn’t eaten in… days. Nerves, mostly, and meticulously going over that portal ritual. Anything she had put in her mouth had just tasted like ashes, and wasted time. But now… Nodding silently, she blushed as Twilight rushed into the kitchen with a clatter of hooves on wood. This gave Michelle time to go over the most major addition to her body. Her wings were… in a word, beautiful. The feathers were perfectly formed, and Michelle was absolutely certain that she could see a glimmer of light down the center of each and every one. Concentrating hard, a surge of happiness ran through the new pony as she flexed her primaries, feeling all the world like little fingers. Swishing them around between her giggles, Michelle almost didn’t notice the gusts of wind her wings were creating till one blasted a sheaf of papers off one of Twilight’s many study desks.

“Oops…” she mumbled, sheepishly settling down to wait till lunch was done.

Michelle had so many questions. Of course, she knew alot about Equestrian history from Twilight’s letters and books, and she knew about Twilight’s friends, but she wanted to know… everything. What were the people, err, ponies like, as a whole? Could she really fly? Do sky magic? Walking on a cloud sounded fun. Would it be improper to- A deep boom shook the treehouse, and a rainbow-colored ball of feathers and fluff plummeted inside, slamming right into a carefully stacked tower of pillows.

“Hi Rainbow Dash!” Twilight called out from the kitchen, seeming perfectly at ease.

Michelle, on the other hand, had practically burrowed herself into the couch cushions, trembling violently.

Oh shit. Oh shit it’s one of her pony friends! They’re gonna hate me, I know it, oh god, oh god-

“Uh, Twi? Who’s on your couch? I thought you had closed the library today for that… ritual…”

Sniffling nervously, Michelle slowly peeked her way around the cushion she had used as a shield. Rainbow Dash was smaller than Twilight, and more slender of build, with lean muscles rippling down her furred chest and legs. Her eyes were a ruby-red, and were gazing down in shock at Michelle’s neck. Or more importantly, the lightning bolt pendant hanging around it.

“No way,” Rainbow breathed, “Michelle?”

Here goes. “Y-yeah… hi Rai-EEP!”

Rainbow was fast! With a single flap of her powerful wings, the pegasus had launched herself at Michelle, practically tackling her to the couch. Her forelegs were as strong as they looked, and Michelle closed her eyes, smiling shakily as she was hugged so strongly.

“You really made it!” the multi-chromatic pegasus cheered excitedly, wings flapping and tossing papers all through the air, “This is so cool! And you’re a pegasus! I so have to teach you how to fly now!”

That got Michelle’s attention. She really wouldn’t mind teaching her to fly? A smile slowly banished her nervous frown, and her ears gave an excited perk.

“Y-you’d really want to?” she asked shakily.

Rainbow snrked, playfully nooging her fiery hair and ears- it actually felt really good to scratch there, and Michelle could practically feel herself vibrating in pleasure- before stepping back.

“Well duh!” she replied easily, flaring her wings, “I’ll be right back, Michelle! I have to tell the others!”

To Michelle’s stunned eyes, when Rainbow Dash launched back through the window, she could see a corporeal trail of rainbow just behind her new friend. The magic of this place was just… incredible. Twilight Sparkle returned not but a few moments after, chuckling to herself. Floating around her were several steaming bowls, and a plate stacked high with waffles. Waffles… strawberries… whipped cream… Yep. Yep, this was heaven. Totally heaven.

“That saves me an extra trip,” Twilight told Michelle happily, settling the bowls and plate in front of the practically starving… only to blink as Michelle tore into them with all the urgency and need of a truly starving pegasus.

Slowly, as to not frighten her, Twilight reached with a hoof to carefully feel along Michelle’s barrel. Her fur seemed smooth, but the bumps of her ribs to come too quickly, and as her hoof smoothed past her ribcage, it dipped… Twilight paled a bit, head whipping up to her pen pal in shock. Michelle blushed as their eyes met, glancing off to one side.

“T-times were… getting kinda tough,” she admitted slowly, ears flattening atop her head, “I-I didn’t want to scare you anymore in the letters.”

Twilight frowned slightly, reaching forward to hug Michelle’s neck tightly, braving her cream-covered muzzle to plant a soft peck.

“It’s fine,” she replied after a moment of thought, “But your health is very important to me now, Michelle. We’ll need to get some weight put back on you.”

SLAM! The door practically buckled in on itself as a group of ponies, including a powerful farm-mare, bucked it open, all trying to fit themselves as one.

“She’s here!?”

Twilight grinned widely, violet eyes twinkling as she sat back, looking the suddenly incredibly sheepish Michelle over.

“And I think I know JUST the ponies to handle that.”

Author's Note

Mmm. Waffles!

Chapter 3- New Beats

Dear “Vinyl Scratch,” March 24, 2013

That’s quite a name. Though, of course, with a name like “Octavia,” I suppose I can’t say too much about it, can I? Anyway, I’m just going to guess this is some elaborate prank. That’s been going on for awhile, admittedly. When I first heard about the “Talking Oak” out in London’s east park, I thought it was a bunch of hogwash. I mean, really? Leave a note, and get a response? And here I thought my ‘leave a CD, get a response’ was clever.

Your music though… it’s brilliant. I never imagined myself a clubber, really, but that wasn’t just club music. Those vocal pieces… you have a truly beautiful voice. That, or you know someone with one. Or just have a reliable internet connection. I can’t truly be sure anymore, considering I live in whatever dry hole I can find. Yes, I’m homeless. Go ahead, laugh when you read this. ‘Gullible homeless teenager,’ or whatever. I’ve gotten over it a long time ago. Didn’t have much choice about it, really. All I have is a violin, a cheap one at that, and a CD player, that I can call valuable though. So if you’re just some idiot or predator, I don’t have much to steal.

And… if this IS real, somehow, well… I’ve sent another CD along with this letter. I hope to get something back from you. If the legends are true, and this tree here is magic, well… think you can prove it?

-Octavia

Dear Vinyl Scratch,

You either have alot of downtime or… well, I don’t know. This scrapbook is amazing. All this scenery, these pony creatures. How did you do this? CGI? All of these characters have so much detail to them… and what’s with the marks on their butts? That seems a bit odd.

I also got your next CD. That was incredible. You synced with my music? I’ve never heard classical and electronic actually blend like that. I have to admit, I was in tears listening to it, and that’s a fairly rare occurrence. I almost feel bad sending mine again, with just plain violin. But, if you can do that again…

And I probably should explain a few things. I get my CD’s made at a studio nearby. It’s… kind of like my home. Sort of. The director there was a friend of my father’s before his passing, and he lets me sleep there some nights. When I do certain things for him. Don’t ask.
Please.
But he does let me record free of charge, and it’s one of the ways I can earn a few dollars on the corners. Maybe I should try to mix too, hrm?
See you again?
-Octavia

How is this possible? I stayed at that tree all night, and no one showed up! I saw your package appear. One minute the inside of the tree hollow was completely empty, and the next…
Could you really be from another world, Vinyl?

-Octavia

Dear Vinyl Scratch, June 12, 2013

Thanks again for the CD, and please thank your friends for everything they’ve sent too. Bon-Bon’s candy was absolutely delicious, and Lyra’s lyre was fun to learn to play! Adding another instrument to my repertoire is always worthwhile, and I’m thinking of adding a new song on the next CD I send you. I’m also sending you something else along with this letter.

The locket is from my mother. Please don’t break it. I’m not sure how dextrous your hooves are. It’s the last thing I ever got from her before she passed, and my father was soon after. If you can’t get it open safely, the only thing inside is a small picture of them. Please. Be careful. I’ll send you another letter tomorrow.

Your friend?
-Octavia.

Dear Vinyl Scratch, July 30, 2015,

Vinyl, something really bad is happening. A city worker tried to keep me out of the park this morning! Apparently it’s been re-zoned for development by some big-wig at city hall, and they’re plowing it all down in the morning. Even the tree.
Vinyl, I don’t know what to do.
These past two years, you and your friends have done so much for me. The gold coins I sold for those camping supplies. “Bits,” I think you called them. All the encouraging letters, and that scrapbook… god that scrapbook. The smiles you all had in those pictures were utterly infectious.
And you Vinyl… if it wasn’t for you, I would never had had the courage to call the police on that scummy studio director. Hell, I’m not sure if I’d be alive right now. There are some days out here, on my own, when I’ve asked myself what’s the point of it all, Vinyl. And some days, I can’t think of anything. Just you. You, and Lyra, and Bon-Bon, and Ditzy…
Be at the tree tonight at eight. I want to try something. Doubt it’ll work, but…
Just be there.

Your friend always,
-Octavia

Octavia panted softly, half in exertion, and the other half in mind-numbing terror, as she darted across the dark street, eyes focused on the massive, many-branched oak tree. She had gathered everything she owned- her violin and lyre cases, her backpack with the scrapbook and little food she had saved up, a few of Vinyl’s t-shirts… Not that Octavia was entirely sure what she was going to do. Send it all back? It’d definitely give Vinyl something to remember her by, but…

But what? Could Octavia really go on without the weird group of friends she had collected through her letters? Days had been the same monotonous cycle of begging and eating just enough to go on for ages, till that Oak. Vinyl’s packages had brought her the gift of music, and of hope. Of friendship. It had been the first time in years that she had felt any of those things, and-

“HEY!”

Oh fuck.

“The hell are you doing back here, kid?”

The city worker was wearing a bright orange vest and wielding a maglight as he marched over, the brilliant light blazing into Octavia’s corneas. She held up her violin case, squeaking as a firm hand grabbed onto her wrist.

“I told you to get LOST! Fucking homeless… come on, I’ll calling the police. Can’t have you-”

Octavia wasn’t sure what ran through her mind when she swung the lyre case. Outrage? Possibly. Though in all honesty, it was more likely fear and utter desperation that gave power to the swing, shattering the man’s ugly nose with a spray of blood and LOUD curses. Tugging her arm loose, Octavia raced as fast as she could force her legs to the hollow tree, darting inside the dark hollow and frantically digging for a flashlight.

“Oh fuck, now what do I do?” Octavia whimpered to herself as she searched for the cursed torch in the darkness, “I’m so going to jail, what do I do, what…”

“Octavia?”

The young woman froze, gaze slowly trailing up as a blue glow suffused the inside of the tree. On the far wall of the tree’s heartwood was a mirror-like finish, and peering through it was… Vinyl. Just like the pictures she had sent. A small, bright white pony, her mane a shock of electric blue, spiked up. Her tinted glasses were raised up above her ruby-red eyes, which were filled with happiness and slight concern. In a daze, Octavia slowly walked up to the mirror, setting her bags down and reaching her freed hands up slowly. Vinyl reached out as well, pressing forward against the mirror. Squeaking, Octavia watched in awe as a delicate human hand slid out of the mirror, pressing warmly against Octavia’s palm…

A hand grabbed Octavia’s hair and, drawing a pained yell from the surprised girl, yanked her forward, slamming her head against the mirror. A thin crinkling rippled from the surface, and Octavia sobbed in fear. The city worker, blood pouring from his ruined nose, panted roughly as he pressed Octavia against the mirror, too focused on the girl to notice the stunned pony staring down at him.

“That is IT, you stupid bitch,” he hissed, wheezing past the blood and snot coating his face, “The boys in the pen are gonna have fun with you, AFTER I get done with-”

“HEY, PAL!”

Stunned out of his rant, both the man and Octavia gazed up at the mirror. Two ponies stood in frame now- Octavia recognized the glaring, mint-green unicorn as Lyra- both looked absolutely livid.

“What the-”

Two fists leaped from the mirror and, at that close of range, slammed hard into the man’s face, sending him sprawling onto his ass with an undignified yelp.

“Come on, Tavs!” Vinyl yelped, both her and Lyra’s hands opening and offering to the stunned girl.

Tavs? ...she… had a pet name? With a teary mewl, Octavia grabbed her instruments, pressing into the hands desperately. Both hands, oddly not using their fingers to grab, wrapped around Octavia’s shoulders, pulling her against the mirror. The feeling was strange, like a bowl of pudding closing around her head, blocking all sight for a moment.

“Shit, she’s heavy! Ditzy, Bons!”

“On it!”

Two more sets of limbs wrapped around Octavia, and she gave a small yelp as the added strength sent her tumbling free onto the ground. Octavia’s first sight of her new home was that of four mares, all gazing down at her in awe and affection, smiles spreading across their face as they ignored the crinkling and crumbling mirror behind Octavia. Vinyl’s smile was the brightest, and her surprisingly soft, yielding hoof traced across Octavia’s now soot-grey, silken cheek.

“Welcome home, Tavs.”

Author's Note

I thought about keeping it Twilight and Michelle, but this... came to me, during work today. Sorry, but I had to. :D

Chapter 4- Party!

“This town is beautiful, Vinyl…” Octavia breathed, head swivelling about as she sat on her haunches.

Haunches. Heh, that would take some getting used to. Her body proportions were all wrong, though at least balancing on all four hooves wasn’t too difficult. But the view… It was night-time in the village, but the thatch-roofed homes were still quite visible, lit by both gas lamps and the moon above. And just… talking about the moon… The night sky was brilliant. Octavia had been in the country times before, often when she walked from town to town, so she had seen the night sky before. But this one…

Blushing and hardly aware of what she was doing, Octavia slowly reached a hoof up, as if to caress the milky nebulae that curled around the moon like a mane of starlight. She glanced shyly back at the other ponies, surprised at the sympathetic looks in each of the ponies’ eyes. No… her friends’ eyes. They had pulled her into their world; a girl they only knew through music and letters. And now, they promised to watch after her, and… Overcome with emotion, Octavia spun as best she could on her new fe- hooves, flinging her forelegs around Vinyl’s neck and sobbing softly into her silken fur.

“M’sorry,” she finally managed, blushing deeply as her wits slowly trudged back into place, “I-I just…”

Vinyl, who had hugged Octavia the very second the emotional mare had turned, merely smiled, sitting back and placing a forehoof delicately across her snout.

“How does some cocoa sound?” she offered softly.

Cocoa? God, it had been… ages since Octavia had been able to treat herself to something as sinfully decadent as cocoa. And judging from the broad grins on the faces of the other mares…

“T-that sounds heavenly.”
*************

“Sweet bucking Celestia she’s still going, Vinyl!”

“Get that waffle batter on, stat!”

“YAH! She’s past the whipped cream!”

“OH GODDESS BON-BON! POUR THAT CHOCOLATE FASTER! FOR OUR LIVES, MARE!”

Despite the urgency of their cooking, Vinyl Scratch was having the time of her life. Octavia had one massive sweet tooth, and a TARTARUS of a repressed fun side buried under all the shyness. Currently buried up to her eyeballs in whipped cream covered, strawberry preserved, freshly baked waffles, Octavia was devouring the food with all the grace of a food processor, joyous tears in her eyes. Vinyl smirked as their eyes met, winking. Goddess that mare had a cute blush.

Vinyl hadn’t exactly known that she was… into mares in that way, till a year into her letters with Octavia. Her coltfriend at the time, a fellow DJ named Neon Lights, had been fairly weirded out by Vinyl’s obsession with this tree out behind her home and, when Vinyl finally came clean about the exact reason for it, he had been far too jealous for Vinyl to stay with him. It had been tough to get over, but Lyra had been a goddess-send, lending a sympathetic, and very knowing, ear to her soul-searching. And there’s nothing easier than to bare your heart and soul to someone who couldn’t judge you with their eyes.

Finally, Octavia collapsed back in her seat with a soft groan, hooves caressing the small food bump on her belly.

“No moooore,” she groaned out, giggling dazedly.

Ditzy peeked out of the kitchen, wall-eyes sadly downcast, “No more muffins?”

“Ugh… wrap… wrap them up.”

“Yay!”

*******************

It was about twelve o’clock at night when Vinyl suggested music, and both Lyra and Derpy got sly grins on their muzzles, quickly moving to shut all the windows and doors tightly. The two unicorns, to Octavia’s amazement, quickly began to weave spells, silver pentagrams forming around their horns and bobbing through the air, leaving small trails of light in their wake. Soft glows, both golden and light blue, glimmered along the edges of the windows, and Vinyl gave Octavia a playful wink.

“Silencing charm,” she explained cheerfully, turning her magical grip over to a stereo system packed into one corner.

“Silencing?” Octavia asked curiously, “These houses seem pretty sturdy. Do they really-”

And the world exploded around her. Octavia’s words were swept from her mouth as a tidal wave of sound roared through her body. Ditzy squealed happily, spreading her cloud-grey wings wide and bobbing her head in time with beats, blonde mane swishing about wildly. Lyra and Bon-Bon, exchanging steamy looks, grinned as they sauntered close together. Octavia was fairly certain she was watching the pony version of dirty couple dancing, watching the rub and press together as they moved, eyes half-closed and smiles splitting their muzzles. And Vinyl… Vinyl…

Vinyl Scratch lorded over that fiefdom of vibrations and music; having darted back to her turntable throne and balanced carefully on her hind hooves. With her tinted glasses in place, and gigantic smile adorning her face like ivory jewelry, the pale unicorn began to writhe with the beat, her hooves kissing the vinyl and their dial companions. To Octavia’s surprise, despite her general lack of clubbing experience, found her new body responding quickly to the intoxicating noise: her right hind leg began to tap in time, and Octavia’s tail and body began to sway and move with each new cadance.

Feeling eyes upon her, Octavia glanced over at Vinyl, smiling sheepishly. The DJ pony and her best friend in the world- in two worlds- giggled softly, waving her over to the turntable. Blushing furiously, the grey mare slowly swished and sauntered her way over to Vinyl’s side, eyes widening at the complexity of the system her friend was using so effortlessly. Lights and dials, some with the same magical color as her horn, glimmered back at Octavia. Well, they did for a moment. Rose-tinted glass suddenly slid over her eyes, and Octavia squeaked, ears flattening atop her head.

“Nice look for ya, Tavs,” Vinyl whispered in her ear, and the young new-mare couldn’t help but grin at the compliment, glancing into the nearby mirror-like finish of the night-time window.

Hrm. Maybe she was missing something…

Chapter 5- Heartbeats and Laughter

Michelle gaped down at the bounty of food in front of her in abject awe, glancing up at a beaming Applejack to make sure it was really her’s. Up. Down. Up…

“A-all for me?”

“All of it,” Applejack replied softly, giving the young pegasus’ ear a gentle nuzzle, “Go on. Fluttershy will be here with the eggs soon.”

Ooooh…

It had been Twilight’s idea to get Michelle out of her library, and let her see the town, along with its pride and joy: Sweet Apple Acres. The town itself was marvellous: like a fairy tale come to life, with little thatch-roofed homes and barn doors. Fantastical colors lit up the homes in ways that would have made the HoA’s back on Earth shit themselves in pure, artistic horror. But the ponies didn’t care about that. They didn’t care nearly so much in cookie-cutter homes that lined up with all the others and looked nice and orderly. They simply made… homes. And that was what Sweet Apple Acres was, as well. Not only a place of business, but a home. A well-loved, well-tended, well-stocked home.

With the promise of eggs to come, Michelle gazed down at her plate. Warm bread, fresh out of the oven and glistening with melted butter, whispered of soft goodness. A wheel of soft cheddar wafted it’s delectable scents to her new and enhanced pegasi nose; the main actor of the dish, however, had come from the most unlikely of sources. All the ponies had gaped in shock when Rainbow Dash had flown down from her home, blushing as she presented several strips of expertly fried and seasoned bass.

“Most ponies kinda steer away from any kind of meat,” Rainbow had explained when Michelle had looked confused at the expressions on the others’ faces, “But pegasi need protein for our metabolism. It’s why we have sharper teeth.”

“Don’t eggs have protein?”

“Hush, you. C’mon Michelle, try it!”

God, it had been forever since Michelle had had something fried. Leaning down, she carefully crunched into the fish, momentarily amused by the lack of pony utensils… until the taste hit her tongue. The fried fish was delicious, and clean. There was very little extra grease, and it didn’t sit heavily in her stomach like a lot of fast food back home had. Licking her lips, there was just enough salt to make her pony body shiver in delight.

“Holy cow,” she mumbled around a mouthful of fish, gulping it down… and diving eagerly into the next strip.

Twilight peered down at the plate, then scowled over at Rainbow Dash.

“Salt?” she deadpanned, “Really?”

“What!?”

“We don’t want to get her salt drunk on her first day!” she scolded, frowning dramatically and drawing herself up.

Michelle, however, had her head tilted curiously, ears cocked, “Salt drunk?”

To her surprise, it was Rarity who answered, smirking faintly, “We ponies have different… stimulants than other races, darlings. Alcohol is one. Salt is… well, quite another. Too much can… weeeell…”

“Make you loopier than Discord on caffeine?” Applejack offered, though she also had a gaze locked over on a giggling Pinkie Pie.

“...quite.”

Rainbow Dash sighed heavily, waving her hooves defensively at her mix of scowling and smirking friends.

“Oh calm down, guys!” she admonished, almost pouting, “I only added a pinch. For flavor!”
Hoping to earn some points with the rainbow-maned pony, Michelle smiled warmly around at them all.

“She’s not lying guys,” she told them happily, “It’s just a little salt. But it’s great fish!”

She sighed in relief as all the ponies began to relax; Twilight shot her a sheepish smile, which sent a little thrill through her heart. Not that she was… entirely sure why. Twilight Sparkle was a pony. All of them were, and her brain hadn’t changed. At least, she didn’t think it had. But every smile, every shy look or proud grin… It was like she had known Twilight forever. She lowered her ears, and squeaked as everypony quickly turned to look at her.

“What’s wrong, sugarcube?” Applejack asked softly, gently scooting over to Michelle’s side as the new-pony fiddled with her hooves.

“I-it’s… it’s nothing!” Michelle replied sheepishly, glancing back as her tail began to swish, “...well… it um…”

“Is hitting all at once?” Pinkie Pie spoke up quietly; that in and of itself got some incredulous looks from her friends, “That you’re a pony now?”

Wincing faintly, Michelle closed her eyes, wings drooping. She could feel all of it now; the alienness of this body. The soft, sensitive fur. Her odd, yielding hooves, or the twitching, moveable ears. And of course, her wings. Her glorious, wonderful… alien wings. She wasn’t human anymore. She wasn’t Michelle anymore. And in that case… who was she? Should she take on a pony name? Maybe… Fox Mane? No, that’d be stupid… Maybe-

Two hooves gently embraced her cheeks, and Pinkie’s surprisingly firm voice spoke up.

“Look at me, Michelle.”

Hesitating a moment, Michelle slowly opened her eyes, mentally preparing herself for a verbal assault as she looked at Pinkie’s stern face, and the stunned faces of her friends behind the pink mare. There was quiet… and then…

“Pfffbt!”

Michelle blinked, gaping as Pinkie blew out her cheeks, tongue sticking out cartoonishly while her eyes went in two separate directions. Silence.
“Pfft… nnnh… bwuahahaahahaha!”
Michelle couldn’t help it! With that one face and sound, all of Michelle’s stress
had poured out, flowing down her stream of laughter as she- careful of her wing, of course- fell to her side, hysterically kicking out her new hooves. Rainbow Dash was next, her snickering giving way to full blown gales of laughter, and it all fell apart. Michelle’s new friends fell out on the grass of Applejack’s lawn, giggles and guffaws echoing throughout the orchard like a horde of lunatics, fresh out of the asylum.

Pinkie Pie, shockingly, was the first to recover, beaming widely at the mare at her hooves.

“Yeah, you’re a pony now, Michelle. Your body is a pony. But you’ll always be Michelle inside, right? No matter what your body is.”

Blushing, Michelle sheepishly glanced around. All of her friends had managed to cover from their laughing fits, smiling down at Michelle with understanding in their eyes. A purple blur moved at the edge of her vision, and Michelle turned just in time to be hugged firmly against Twilight’s neck. Her fur was almost obnoxiously soft, and perfect for Michelle to bury her muzzle into. Shyly, Michelle lifted her arms, wrapping them around Twilight’s withers and holding on tightly. She wasn’t sure that ‘that was that,’ but… with friends like these at her side, and a mare like Twilight with her… Michelle was fairly certain she would be fine.

“I just can’t wait to introduce you to Trixie!”

Trixie?

***********************

Octavia felt like crying. In a good way! Her hooves brushed slowly across the smoothly polished wood of the cello, a wide smile splitting her face. The young musician had already had had one major relief that day, upon finding out that her hooves had a kind of… latent magic about them, allowing her to grip objects, or pluck the strings of her lyre, or play her violin. It was a tad odd, and had taken a few hours getting used to, but she had managed. And Octavia was certainly glad to have found that out before Vinyl took her shopping.
“Told’ja she’d like it, Nighty,” Vinyl said smugly, grinning over at a sheepish-looking unicorn behind the store counter.
Vinyl had introduced the indigo-maned, cobalt-furred unicorn mare as Nightsong, the foremost instrument maker in Ponyville. According to Vinyl’s happily embellished account, which had Nightsong blushing furiously and stuttering out tiny denials, Nightsong used only the best materials for her instruments, and never, ever overcharged.
“I-I just want everypony to be able to play, i-if they truly want to,” Nightsong had responded softly, smiling over at the two mares.
“Now, I don’t usually play classical,” Vinyl explained, ducking her head at Octavia’s smirk, “But! I do like to mix, and it’s really good to have Nightsong’s instruments around when I need some music to go with.”
Her eyes and smile suddenly grew three sizes, and she spun on Nightsong,
making her eep in surprise.

“Nighty! You HAVE to show Octavia that song you did!” she exclaimed eagerly, practically bouncing where she stood, “One of those from that movie!”

Blushing furiously, Nightsong nonetheless gave a small smile from what was obviously a fond memory.

“W-well, I… which one, you think?” she replied slowly, tilting her head thoughtfully.

Vinyl tilted her head as well, the pair of ponies humming softly before their brains merged, smiles coming to both their faces at practically the same thing.

“M-music box?”

“Music box.”

Octavia blinked, “Music box?”

“Music box,” they both replied eagerly, more life coming to the otherwise shy unicorn as she scurried to a back room, with Vinyl eagerly tugging Octavia along.

To say Octavia was surprised by Nightsong’s back room would be an… understatement. As she gaped around at the fully stocked theater, complete with stage and rows upon rows of seats, the charcoal mare gaped back at a grinning Vinyl.

“There’s no way her shop was this big on the outside.”

Infuriatingly, Vinyl merely giggled and shrugged, tugging Octavia down to the front seats. Bloody hell, they were top of the line too, and totally dust-free. How often was this place used? Up on the gleaming stage, Nightsong’s horn was glowing a soft silver as she levitated a variety of instruments and contraptions into place. Magic was new to Octavia too, but, just as it was when Vinyl used it around the house, it was amazing to simply watch. So many little things flying around with hardly any effort at all…

The last instrument, and by far the largest, was a massive pipe organ, wheeled out of a dark back room and settled carefully into a slot in the wall, allowing the small pipes to feed into those built into the section. The pipe organ was oddly organic in appearance, painted a fading ocean blue, with strange knobs across it.

“Oh dude, they let you keep the one from the film?” Vinyl exclaimed excitedly.

Nightsong grinned back at her, a proud gleam in her silver eyes, “Well of course. I made it, after all. Now… let’s begin.”

Turning back to her organ, the silver glow lit up her horn once more, and a small music box lifted off from the side of the organ; a soft tone began to play out of the box, amplified to echo around the theater. Octavia smiled softly, settling back in her seat. Well… that was certainly relaxing. Her ears perked as, quite suddenly, several violins began to harmonize with the box, playing along with the slow, soft tune. And as it began to fade, Octavia lifted her hooves to applaud…

Nightsong’s hooves, held nearly to her head during the harmony, swung down onto the organ’s keys, a snarl etched over her once-soft features. Deep, powerful music washed over Octavia, practically slamming her back into her seat. Nightsong’s hooves were a flurry of movement over the ivory keys, her head weaving and bobbing, always turned in an expression of utmost sadness and concentration. Deep, haunting voices began to emanate from nowhere, following along with the song with such intensity that it churned Octavia’s stomach. The music-loving pony couldn’t tear her eyes away.

The glow from Nightsong’s horn grew in intensity, and two massive handles rose up from the thick drums in the back of the symphony; they had kept the beat with the song, but now it was their time to shine. Nightsong’s hooves slammed down, and the beats sounded all the world like a massive, thundering heart.

Boom Boom.

Boom.

Boom Boom.

Boom.

Leaning back in her seat, Nightsong’s eyes were closed tightly, tears streaming down her cheeks from the intensity of her song. She was certainly not alone, as her audience were frantic to clear their own eyes so they could fill the deafening silence with applause.

“D-didn’t I tell you she was awesome?” Vinyl asked shakily, smiling widely over at the stunned Octavia.

“Y-you were right,” Octavia replied softly, a fire burning in her very soul.

She… was going to like it on this world.

Author's Note

Whee Nightsong! If anyone has read Musical Nights, you'd know who she is. :|

Chapter 6- Canterlot Times

Michelle was practically bouncing in place as she sat on the train seat, eyes glued to the window as the landscape rolled by. This… was… incredible! The countryside itself had been absolutely beautiful to look at, but once they began the first roundabout the mountain, Michelle had gotten a brilliant view of the moving, shining city of Cloudsdale. It was gleaming in the afternoon sun, several rainbowfalls running down from the weather factory, dispersing in a soft spray of multi-colored…

“Wait, that’s not water?” she asked Twilight incredulously, eyes wide.

Twilight grinned warmly, and Michelle started to feel her heart getting all fluttery again. Come on brain, focus. And not on her shining, gorgeous eyes.

Darnit.

“No, Michelle, that’s actually diluted rainbow essence,” Twilight explained patiently, “It’s the fuel for all pegasi weather technology. The rain condensers, the lightning generator, and the solidified cloud makers, especially. Once used, it becomes diluted, and is drained off like that, or sold to be used as flavoring, or decoration. It’s perfectly safe for the environment.”

Michelle gaped at Twilight in astonishment, peering back at the gleaming city as it began to disappear around the mountain’s curve, “I have so much to learn…”

A warm hoof settled on her shoulder, and the new pegasus shyly turned back to Twilight, who had scooted a little closer, her fur a bit darker around her cheeks. Both ponies glanced back, shyly watching as their primaries slowly intertwined. A shiver ran up Michelle’s spine, and she smiled softly at the tender, warm feelings it brought. Twilight and Rainbow Dash had explained that wing-touching like that was received for very close friends, or couples, among pegasi. Michelle still wasn’t quite sure which they were, and had been hesitant to bring it up. For now, at least. Still, it was nice, being this close to someone.

This whole trip had actually come about as an accident. Michelle had been curious about the country, so she had begun asking questions of her new friends whenever she could. And although her friends were very well-travelled (Rarity especially), they couldn’t always answer every question Michelle had brought up. When she had brought the topic up to Twilight that following night, the studious little alicorn had frozen, a slow (vaguely creepy) smile etching over her features. After a few quick letters, Michelle had been stunned to receive tickets for a round-the-trip Equestria train trip, an audience with Princess Celestia of all things, and the chance to meet another of Twilight’s close friends, Trixie. It had been utterly touching for Michelle, and now, with the sight of the rainbow city fresh in her mind...

“W-when we get there… can you teach me to fly?” she whispered shyly, eyes casting down to the bouncing floor beneath them, “I-I want to go to that city… I want to r-really experience Equestria. With… with you. I-If that’s okay!”

Twilight was quiet for a long moment; long enough for Michelle to glance back up, worried she had upset her friend with the request. Instead, she was greeted with the widest of smiles, and a quick, tearful hug; Twilight’s larger wings practically engulfed Michelle in their fluffy embrace.

“I think I’d like that,” Twilight replied softly, and they spent the rest of the train ride in that pose, gazing out over Equestria with dreamy eyes.
***************

Canterlot Station was alive with movement and business, with hundreds of ponies eager to pile onto the train while Michelle and Twilight did their level best to fight their way “upstream.”

“Sorry! Sorry! Eep! Sorry!” Michelle yelped out as each pony careened into her, eyes wide, “T-this is worse than school! OW! Hey!”

She wheeled quickly, but the offending unicorn was already laughing and darting deftly through the crowd. ...only to run head-first into a purple wall of mana, wailing as he curled up on the ground, holding his bruised horn. Michelle blinked, glancing sheepishly back at Twilight, whose horn was glowing lightly. The alicorn was glaring angrily at the groaning stallion, stretching out a wing protectively, guiding Michelle along.

“Sorry about that,” she murmured, “Some Canterlot stallions are just jerks. I’ll have the guards get him later.”

Michelle winced, glancing off to the side, “N-No, it’s fine. I don’t wanna cause trouble for anybody. It was just a pinch.”

Twilight didn’t seem exactly satisfied with that, but acquiesced with a slow nod, speeding up their gait to get them out of the crowded station. The rest of the city, to Michelle’s relief, seemed very nice. Tall, spire-like buildings rose high into the sky, gleaming with the whiteness of marble or the gray, multi-faceted beauty of polished granite. All the roads were cobblestone and worn down with constant traffic, enough that it barely even bothered Michelle’s soft hooves to walk over them. To Michelle’s surprise, almost all of the ponies seemed to be dressed in some way, and Michelle’s only decoration was Rainbow’s necklace, and her carefully perched glasses. She looked herself over sheepishly, suddenly feeling rather naked, despite her fluffy fur.

“T-twlight?” she asked quietly, “A-are we supposed to have clothes?”

The purple alicorn blinked in surprise, then held up a hoof to hide a giggle, shaking her head.

“Oh no, Michelle,” she reassured her quickly, spotting the worried look blooming on her friend, “Clothes are just a fashion statement. Nudity, as you’d call it, is very acceptable for ponykind, as we’re covered in fur. Some of the fancy restaurants might prefer it if you wore a dress or something, but it’s not usually enforced.”

Relief blossomed in Michelle’s chest at that, and she gave a thankful nod; reflexively, though, she tucked her wings in around herself. Likely noticing her friend’s discomfort, Twilight was quick to buy Michelle a sweater at one of the clothing stalls that lined the streets, ignoring her friend’s protests as she fitted the grey woolen sweater around her barrel.

“There!” Twilight exclaimed cheerfully, using her magic to carefully guide Michelle’s wings through the proper holes on the back, “Better?”

Blushing furiously, Michelle looked herself over. Despite how much she didn’t want Twilight to spend any more money on her, she couldn’t help but feel… warmer. Both physically, and… well, her heart was getting all warm and fluttery again.

“TWILIGHT!”

Both mares glanced up in surprise; judging from the massive smile that split Twilight’s face, Michelle expected that the voice belonged to the mare they had come to visit. Trixie Lulamoon was about the same size as Michelle, with a sky blue coat, and a long blue-white mane, about the same length as Michelle’s fox-red one. A large, pointed hat, bejeweled with silver stars, was settled carefully on her head, and a similarly bejeweled cape hung on her withers. Her violet eyes were fixed on Michelle, and the pegasus quickly ducked her head, trembling.

Shit! Another of Twilight’s friends! What if… no, no. Breathe and think, Michelle. All of Twilight’s friends so far have accepted you just fine. There’s no reason to think Trixie won’t.

“Trixie!” Twilight exclaimed cheerfully, darting over to the other unicorn and immediately wrapping her into a powerful hug.

Michelle blinked, tilting her head curiously.

Huh. She wasn’t that affectionate with the others. But, she did see them everyday, so-

And as the two giggling unicorns leaned in for a playful kiss, Michelle’s brain fried, juuust a tad.
******************

“I am SO sorry, Michelle,” Twilight babbled out for, at least, the twentieth time, as Trixie carefully unlocked the door to her small apartment near the castle grounds.

Upon seeing Michelle nearly break down in a strange mix of confusion, hurt, and an inkling of jealousy at the kiss, Trixie had cleared her throat, quietly informing Twilight. Trixie seemed to be far more perceptive than Michelle had originally credited her being, correctly guessing her mood and being quick to propose a solution.

“I-it’s okay, Twilight,” Michelle whispered shyly, tail swishing nervously as she peeked inside the apartment.

A good deal of the apartment was taken up by neat little bookshelves, each stacked to the very brim with books of all sizes and ages; what wasn’t taken up by shelves was taken up a futon, and a small, if clean, kitchen area. The walls were beige painted, but almost entirely covered up by posters of stars or complex alchemical and magical formulas. All told, it was interesting; or at least, it would have been if Michelle’s mind wasn’t still whirling. A gentle nuzzle by Trixie ushered the shaking pegasus inside and over to the soft cushion of the futon. It took her a minute of careful squirming, but Michelle finally got settled, shyly peeking back up at the squirming Twilight Sparkle and patient Trixie.

“O-okay… okay,” she whispered, letting her voice grow a little louder as she steadied herself, “So… ponies are a… polygamist society?”

Twilight nodded shyly, fidgeting with her hooves, “In a way, yes. You see, Equestria has a… different demographic than your world, as far as I could tell from your books. Heh, of course I would forget to include herding in the books I sent you…”

She mentally berated herself for a few moments before letting out a breath, continuing on with her explanation, “Herding is a major part of our culture. Since over two thirds of our population is female, mares took a leading place in our society. For a long time, males filled only the roles of homebodies, or physical laborers. Of course, that’s changed now, but it is what formed the initial herds.”

Trixie cleared her throat softly as she stepped in, “The typical herd is a group of mares gathered around one or two stallions. That’s not mandatory anymore, or even generally desired. We’re very much more open now, especially with magical breeding advancements.”

Michelle nodded slowly as she listened, trailing a hoof over Trixie’s carpet and biting her lip thoughtfully.

“I-I know this is alot different than what you’re used to, Michelle,” Twilight whispered softly, nervously watching her new friend for any sign of another freak out.

The fox-red pegasus gave a weak chuckle, “You can say that again…”

She glanced over at Trixie, shifting her wings shyly. She… was pretty, that was certain, and her eyes and smile were certainly kind enough. She didn’t send the same thrill through her heart that Twilight did, but then again… she didn’t know Trixie nearly as well. Would she be a third wheel? Michelle would hate to ruin an established relationship with her own weird feelings that she didn’t understand herself.

“You’re… okay with me, Trixie?” she asked shyly, “I mean, I-I am the newcomer here… relationship wise, at least. A-and… I mean, I-I’m still not sure if… well, I-I mean… ...god this is hard.”

Trixie chuckled softly, quickly laying a hoof on Twilight’s muzzle before she could burst out.

“I’m very okay with you, Michelle,” Trixie replied warmly, “Twilight talked about you all the time, and I’d love to get to know you. We can court. Nice, easy, and no big responsibilities. See if we’re compatible. How does that sound?”

That sounds… amazing, actually!

“A-are you both sure?” she asked quietly, glancing between the mares.

Both Trixie and Twilight exchanged glances, and Michelle bit her lip at the sheer amount of emotion could be found in a simple look. She could only wish that she might have such a bond as to-

“We’re both perfectly fine with courting you, Michelle,” The ponies replied as one, giggling as Michelle’s ears flattened.

“See?” Trixie teased Twilight playfully, “Told you we can still do it.”

“It freaks ponies out, Trixie.”

“Eeeehhh.”

Michelle stood rooted to the spot, eyes as wide as her new body would allow.

“Y-you’re serious?” she breathed shyly, “You really don’t… mind me around?”

Trixie merely chuckled, trotting over to give Michelle a gentle hug, brushing her softened hoof along her wings. Up close, Michelle could tell that Trixie went with no special, flowery type of soap- she simply made certain she remained clean and fresh, and the sharp, lye scent of soap was surprisingly comforting.

“As of now? No,” she replied honestly, “I don’t mind. You seem sweet, and I’ve read your letters. We have alot in common, and I’d like to learn more about you. And if that leads to someplace more, well…”

She grinned slyly, lowering her voice playfully and giggling as Michelle’s body flushed crimson, “Perhaps we’ll have some fun later.”

Oh… oh my.

Chapter 7- What a Welcome!

Warmth practically surrounded Michelle as she slowly came back to consciousness, a massive yawn bubbling out as she stretched out her wings. A shy smile rose on her lips as she remembered the night before: Trixie had been more than eager to cook the pair of ponies a fabulous meal that had allowed Michelle to test out her new pony palette. Hay fries, when seasoned properly with just a pinch of salt and a few more exotic spices, were absolutely delicious and very addictive, blowing french fries out of the water. Many forms of flowers had been brought up, including daisies, which Michelle knew were poisonous to humans, but turned out to be rather delicious to a pony, with a taste that couldn’t be compared to a human analogue. Cheese was very big among ponies, and Trixie had been more than happy to smear soft cheese all over the fresh baked bread she had brought out for her guests.

“Is e-everything made fresh?” she had asked, hoof-deep in a divine green salad, “Nothing pre-packaged?”

“Not a thing,” Twilight had replied, a bit of pride in her voice, “Pony parents make it a point of pride for all fillies and colts to learn to cook in some way, at least to make basic foodstuffs. Bread, butter, cheese… and with the abundance of edible grasses and leaves usually outside your door, there’s usually no point in spreading out pre-packaged… garbage, like in the Griffin Empire.”

Darn. No more Twinkies for her. But still… Equestria seemed to be a paradise. After dinner, the trio had settled down around a small table, with Twilight eagerly spreading out a map to highlight points on their trip. As promised, she was going to teach Michelle how to fly and how to manipulate cloud matter. Once she was satisfied with her progress, they would fly to Cloudsdale on their own.

“B-but what if I don’t have the stamina to make it?” Michelle had brought up shyly, ears laying back as she winced, “You can’t fly for us both…”

“Then we’ll take the Cloud Highway,” Twilight told her soothingly, petting her leg, “It’s a small roadway of clouds the pegasi leave up all year around, so young pegasi or weak fliers can safely get from one city to another.”

That had settled Michelle’s nerves, at least somewhat. After Cloudsdale, they would meet up with Trixie at the ground-based Cloudsdale train station, and take a train trip to see both Fillydelphia, and Manehatten. After a few weeks there, they’d loop the route back around, pass back through Canterlot, and hit up Los Pegasus, something that sent the two native ponies into conspiratorial giggles and winks. Even Michelle grinned a bit at the naming pun, and wondered if the city was anything at all like the city she knew from her own… from her old world. ...that would take some getting used to, too.

The bed situation had left Michelle a spluttering, blushing mess. She had assumed, Twilight and Trixie being the already established couple, that they would take the lovely, soft bed, while Michelle would sleep on the couch. But Trixie would have none of that. Dressed in light purple socks that reached up to her knees, the sky-blue mare had lounged back on the mattress, grinning widely as she patted the space between her and Twilight, who was dressed in light blue socks of her own.

“You are most certainly not sleeping all by yourself, Michelle,” she admonished playfully, “Come on, snuggle on in.”

Glancing at Twilight for permission, Michelle found herself quivering at the soft, inviting smile on the lips of her best friend, or slightly lidded, warm gleam of her violet eyes. Struggling to contain her wings, which kept trying to raise out for some reason, Michelle had sheepishly crawled onto the bed, snuggling her lithe body in between the more fully built unicorn, and the slightly pudgy alicorn. Not exactly ‘pudgy.’ Curvy! Curvy was a better word. Trixie had seemed to be used to wings, and gently used her hooves to smooth them back against Michelle’s side, while Twilight had simply slid her primaries into Michelle’s, a hoof gently circling her barrel as the alicorn curled into a spooning position.

But that wasn’t was left Michelle an utter mess. No, it was the grooming that followed that did that, quite well. Trixie’s tongue was soft and quite warm in the dark, gently lapping across the silky fur and driving a soft gasp out of the pale mare. Twilight’s tongue went down to her wings, and every little lap and tug made a delicious bolt of pleasure lance down her spine. There was simply nothing she could do, and she certainly wasn’t going to tell them to stop. Trixie’s tongue was more wonderful than any massage, lapping away the stress of the past week one lick at a time, leaving her neck and ears a quivery mess. Twilight was an exceptional preener, and it felt like her wings controlled Michelle’s entire nervous system; every gentle tug and nibble was absolute heaven, and it wasn’t long till the dual methods had sent her spiraling to dream-land.

Peeking her eyes open, Michelle was surprised to find herself alone in the spacious bed, and she quickly sat up.

Nervousness colored her voice as she called out for Trixie or Twilight, though she tried her best to temper it with logic. She was twenty-five for goodness sake, she certainly didn’t need to be watched every- ohthankgod there’s Twilight. Twilight had come galloping into the room by the second call, a soothing smile already on her lips as she nuzzled a relieved Michelle’s neck.

“Sorry about that, Trixie and I needed to run out and get a few things,” Twilight explained softly, gently guiding Michelle out of the bed, and over to the bathroom, “For our meeting with the princess.”

Oh. Right. That certainly did not help the quivery feeling running down Michelle’s spine.

“Don’t you worry, Princess Celestia is going to love you. Come on, I’ll show you how to work the shower.”

Twilight was getting good at reading her mood and… Michelle was perfectly fine with that. The bathroom was much larger than the typical human bathroom, as was the shower, which was a wide, circular basin, protected by a glass barrier, much like some of the high-end showers had back on Earth. Carefully setting her lightning bolt pendant and glasses on the sink, Michelle carefully stepped into the shower, blushing crimson as Twilight followed her in, shutting the glass door behind her. With a soft gleam of violet magic, warm water poured out of the faucet head, soaking the two ponies in an instant.

But Michelle was hardly noticing that. Twilight had the same gleam in her eye as the night before, and Michelle’s wings were spreading again. Quivering softly, the lithe pegasus reached up with her hoof, gently stroking along Twilight’s cheek, her mouth suddenly dry.

“I… Tw-twilight…” She whispered breathily, leaning in a bit closer, “A-all of this… t-thank you, I-”

Anything else she might have stammered was silenced with a firm kiss; Twilight had stepped up quickly, rising up on two hooves as her forehooves gently lifted Michelle. Her back pressed on the sturdy glass, and one hoof carefully supporting herself, Michelle lost herself in the kiss. Twilight was eager and firm, her tongue seeking entrance, which Michelle was all too eager to give her. A long mrr rose from Michelle’s chest as Twilight leaned against her, their wings reaching forward to intertwine. Michelle had never had many partners, and only one had been female before. This was… entirely different, entirely alien… and completely right. Twilight broke the kiss for only moment, catching her breath and giving Michelle’s flopping ear a tiny nibble before diving in for seconds, dominating Michelle’s mouth and mind. Maybe cleaning could wait for a few more minutes…
***********************

Thirty minutes later, the two mares stumbled out of the bathroom, giggling softly and shivering; Trixie’s hot water had run out halfway through the actual washing part of the shower, and they had had to scramble to finish and get out before they froze. Trixie had been patiently waiting at her kitchen table, a knowing grin threatening to split her muzzle as she looked the two mares over.

“Good shower?” she asked innocently, sipping a small mug of tea.

“I-I uh… um… w-well, it…” Michelle stammered lamely, tucking between her legs.

“It was perfect,” Twilight finished warmly, laying her wing over Michelle’s back, “Did you get Michelle’s clothes ready?”

“Of course,” Trixie replied happily, hopping to her hooves; an azure glow lit up her horn, and pony outfit floated over from its hiding place behind her.

It was a sleek fox-red dress that matched her mane perfectly, with a series of flame-like highlights around the edge of the shortened hem. Beneath that was a set of golden shoes for her hooves, which wrapped a series of golden laces in fanciful patterns up to the knee. Before Michelle could protest at the beauty, and probable cost, of the dress, she was swept up in the other mares’ magic. It was like being in a tornado, but one controlled and far less deadly. As the last lace was tied and set in place, Trixie happily pulled a full body mirror from her living room, setting it in front of Michelle.

“...okay, nice magic mirror, Trixie,” Michelle mumbled weakly, eyes widening as she drank in the beautiful mare in front of her.

Michelle looked gorgeous. The dress accented her styled and lightly curled mane perfectly, and it expertly hugged her every curve, while at the same time hiding her emaciated barrel and stomach from view. The hem was shortened, settling just past where her cutie mark would be, if she had one. During the flurry of activity, somepony had settled a small lattice of golden and crimson faux-feathers into each wing, adding to the image. With each turn in front of the mirror, Michelle’s smile grew.

“I-I look… I look…”

“Beautiful,” both mares said at once, glancing at each.

“Did it again!”

“Gah!”
*********************

The castle was even more magnificent than Michelle had imagined during their train trip into Canterlot. With several high spires, rising gracefully into the sky, and a massive garden that surrounded it, it was both imposing, and strangely approachable. If Twilight was to be believed, it mirrored the Princesses themselves. She… rather hoped so. At least they could be more approachable than the guards who, while they let them inside easily enough, watched Michelle and Trixie closely, hooves on their spears.

“Don’t worry about them,” Twilight whispered soothingly when she had noticed Michelle quivering, “They’re just doing their duty. They wouldn’t hurt you.”

Michelle wasn’t quite sure of that, but at least with Twilight and Trixie at her side, it was less likely to happen. Inside, the opulence was more apparent. Gold and bronze shimmered on the walls like spiderwebs, and clung to staircases and walkways. There were dozens of side passages, but, thankfully enough, they seemed to be going straight for the entire trip, towards a series of massive doors. The doors seemed to be recent, and painted in three different colors: one a brilliant gold, with the image of a rayed sun stamped onto it; another silver, with a crescent moon and two stars stamped in the center. And finally, a light purple, with Twilight’s starburst cutie mark stamped in place. The twin guards at the doors, one in light silver armor and sporting bat wings, the other in the golden armor of the stallions out front, nodding respectfully to Twilight, quickly opening the tri-colored doors.

“May we present Princess Twilight Sparkle, and her party!” The golden-armored guard shouted, bowing low to the ground.

Michelle’s eyes were instantly drawn to the end of the throne room; more importantly, the ponies sitting there. One was far larger in stature than any pony Michelle had seen before, easily rivalling the size of a human in their prime. Her fur was the same pristine white as Michelle’s, while her mane seemed to be made up of moving, shimmering rainbows. Golden regalia sat on her barrel and a crown on her forehead, just behind her gracefully elongated horn. Her eyes and smile were kind and motherly, and any nervousness Michelle had vanished in an instant. Twilight had been right about her.

Celestia.

To Celestia’s right sat a darker pony, though only in appearance. She was a cobalt blue, with a star-studded, breezy mane; to Michelle’s amazed eyes, she could swear she saw a nebulae passing through it. Her regalia was the deepest black of night, broken by the silver gleam of a crescent moon; her crown was black as well, and settled behind her horn, which was longer than Twilight’s, but not nearly as pike-like as her sister’s. Her blue eyes were more curious than Celestia’s, but there wasn’t a hint of hostility or arrogance in their azure depths.

Luna.

With a shaky breath, Michelle bowed as Twilight had showed her, wings spread out wide.

“Your Highnesses.”

“Rise, my little pony,” Celestia replied warmly, chuckling, “There is no need for bowing here. Your name is Michelle, yes?”

Blushing, Michelle stood up straight, nodding quickly, “Y-yes, Your Highness, Michelle Winters.”

“So my student’s mysterious pen pal finally shows herself,” Celestia teased, grinning at Twilight as she blushed deeply, “I must say, Twilight. Interdimensional travel is no mean feat, even with letters to start. I’m impressed.”

“I actually didn’t begin it, Princess,” Twilight replied quickly, grinning over at a reddening Michelle, “It was Michelle. She opened the portal on her world.”

“I-it was just curiosity, really,” Michelle added quickly, “I f-found the ritual in some old books, pieced it together… I had no clue that it would actually work as well as it did.”

“But you’re a pegasus,” Luna pointed out, frowning curiously, “I’m surprised the portal did not turn you into a unicorn, which such a proclivity for magic.”

“I-I kind of was too, Your Majesty,” Michelle admitted sheepishly, flexing her wings, “Not that I’m complaining. Twilight has told me a lot about pegasi and their culture. I’m… I’m eager to learn, if that’s alright.”

“Far be it from me to dissuade somepony from learning,” Celestia replied with a soft giggle, “Of course it’s fine, my dear. But there is the matter of a few formalities. You do not wish to return to your home world, that is correct?”

“Yes ma’am.”

The reply was swift, and firm, surprising a small part of Michelle. Did she really not want to go back? Earth was where she was born, where she lived. She had been human there. ...but, it was also the world that had taken everything from her. Her career, her family… nearly her life. Hrm.

“I’m… certain,” she added softly after a small moment, “There’s nothing for me there… and a lot for me here.”

That brought a small smile to Celestia’s lips, and she nodded, “Very well. In that case, I must make you a proper citizen of Equestria. The paperwork I can handle, but we must do one thing first. Repeat after me: ‘I, state your name.’”

“I, Michelle Winters.”

“Do solemnly swear to uphold the laws and dignity of the land of Equestria. To strive to live in balance with my fellow ponies, and all my kin upon our world. I will protect our young from harm, and raise them in the glory of the sun, the majesty of the moon, and the future that is magic. May they, I, and all ponies live in harmony and friendship, so help me Gods, Goddesses, and Spirits All.”

By the end of the oath, Michelle was in tears, a wide smile spread across her muzzle. Glancing to her sides, she was greeted by the tearful grins of both Twilight and Trixie, who rushed to hug tightly onto the pegasi’s neck, nuzzling her cheek. Celestia and Luna’s chuckles were musical, and pleasing to the ear.

“Welcome to Equestria, Michelle.”

Chapter 8- Lessons and Thoughts

“I AM SO GOING TO DIE!” Michelle wailed, gaping down at the abyss yawning open below her.

“No, you’re not,” Twilight replied patiently, smiling warmly up at Michelle from her place on a cloud below Michelle’s cliffside perch.

After a sizable lunch, provided by Celestia’s amazingly talented cooking staff, Twilight had followed through on her promise to teach Michelle to fly. And the new pegasus had been excited! Very excited, in fact. Till she had seen the “course” Twilight had put together for her. Since Canterlot was built out on a massive platform that jutted out over the open air, Twilight had been able to pull a large group of stray clouds over to form a sort of “floor” beneath their training spot, to about the size of an average house floorplan. Michelle knew that, as a pegasus, the clouds would be yielding, but certainly would not break unless Michelle wanted them to. But it was hard to reconcile that with her still-human brain, that was still screaming “DEATH” in the back of her mind.

“This cloud layer is double-thick,” Twilight explained with a smile, “And I will be here the whole time.”

“As will I!” Trixie exclaimed cheerfully from her spot beside Michelle, looking the cloud layer over, “Mostly as… moral support! But the Great and Powerful Trixie’s magical range is astounding to behold!”

“As is mine,” Twilight snickered out, obviously amused with her marefriend’s antics.

Michelle would have been too, and then would have been shyly blushing as she realized she thought of Trixie and Twilight truly like her girlfriends, buuut… y’know. Mental death screams and all.

“Just spread your wings wide,” Twilight instructed softly, “And give them a few test flaps. Get the proper muscles and thoughts locked in your mind. Close your eyes, if it helps.”

Right. Right. You can do this, Michelle. They believe in you.

Closing her eyes, Michelle slowly spread her wings, getting the feel for each little movement. Focusing on them, she realized just how incredibly dexterous her wings were; if she concentrated hard enough, Michelle could even move each individual primary feather, curling them like fingers. The portal had given her the proper muscles to work them, and strong ones at that; with a test flap, Michelle actually felt herself lift a few inches.

“Good wingpower,” Trixie commented, sounding impressed.

“Good work, Michelle!” Twilight cheered excitedly, and Michelle’s improved ears perked as she heard a few flaps from her marefriend, “I’m going to start circling around the clouds. When I say go, I want you to take a running start, jump at the edge, and flap. Don’t frantic-flap. Keep your eyes on me, and I promise it will all be alright.”

Opening her eyes again, Michelle gasped a bit; Twilight had lit herself up in purple light as she flew in tight circles just a few feet above the cloud floor, giving Michelle a clear goal. She slowly stepped back a few times from the edge of the cliff, doing her best to calm her fluttering heart. She could do this, she could do this, she could-

“Michelle.”

Blinking, Michelle turned questioningly to the left; Trixie was already moving, her lips pressing firmly to Michelle’s own for a passionate, if achingly short, kiss. A trail of magic caressed her ears, and Michelle’s body quivered at the touch. A playful smile, Trixie broke the kiss with a hum, leaving up to kiss the inside of Michelle’s trembling ear.

“You can do this.”

That… that was a heck of a motivational kiss, yep. A slow grin forming on her lips, Michelle narrowed her eyes as she turned back towards the chasm. Hell, if she could do four years at Brown, discovery an ancient portal spell, and be transported to a magical land of talking, and flying ponies, then by God, with the right parts, she was going to fly! She took off at a sprint, her new legs and hooves digging out divots in the soft turf. The chasm yawned closer, and fear began to spark, but Michelle could see Twilight’s purple gleam, and she steeled herself. And digging her hooves into the lip of the cliff, Michelle leaped.

A lot of it was instinct, she found. Her wings, which Twilight had described as being built more for long flights than the pure speed, flapped down powerfully, catching Michelle’s weight and carrying her several yards. Another flap roared her into the sky, and Michelle let out a high, excited scream. Tilting her wings just so, Michelle giggled happily as she flew in slow, lazy circles.

“I-I’m flying!”

“You’re flying!” Twilight and Trixie yelled back excitedly.

“I’M FLYING!”
*******************

They practiced for several long hours, making sure Michelle got the basics of flight down pat. Twilight was sure that Michelle could do the quick stops and hovers, to start, as they would be doing a lot of that once they reached Cloudsdale and its busy flightlanes. After that, they practiced short dives and landing on the clouds which, to Michelle’s delight, felt like cool, spongy mattresses. It had taken a snickering Twilight quite a few minutes to get her marefriend to stop giggling and rolling about the clouds like an excited puppy. Though Michelle had asked about cloud manipulation, Twilight had held off on that lesson.

“We wanna be sure to teach you that once you’re comfortable with landing, first,” Twilight had explained, “So you don’t accidentally take out a cloud when you’re really trying to land on it. I did that a few times.”

Yeah, that… that would be bad.

Trixie had greeted them both as they landed on solid ground with a firm hug and soft kisses, her tail flicking back and forth excitedly.

“I’m so proud of you,” she whispered softly, grinning widely at the blush that colored the entirety of Michelle’s pale face, “You’re going to love Cloudsdale. I went there on vacation once.”

“Workcation.”

“Silence, Sparklebutt.”

Michelle blinked, face scrunching in confusion, “Wait… you don’t have wings. How’d you get up there? And walk on the clouds? I thought-”

“The GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE-”

“Used a simple cloudwalking spell,” Twilight deadpanned, grinning only once Trixie dropped back to four hooves with a pout.

Michelle giggled softly, bringing a hoof to her mouth to hide her smile; unfortunately, the added weight of her still outstretched wing was too much, and with a small eep, the new pegasus toppled onto her side.

“...pffftahahahaha!”

It had a been a good day for them all, and Michelle was quite sure it was only going to get better in the coming weeks.

************************

“Oooooh…. ah!”

“Hehe, you make cute noises, Octy.”

“W-well! This is my first time! Be gentle!”

“Yeah, yeah… hehe, let’s try this…”

“Aaaaaah…”

Octavia was in heaven; draped atop a fold-out table, her head hanging loosely off one side, a goofy smile plastered across her face. Vinyl was gently straddling her back, her firm hooves working their way up and down Octavia’s back, working out years and years of tension that had seemingly followed into Octavia’s new body. The former human had been surprised at the feel of hooves: she had expected something like horse hooves, all hard layers. Instead, pony hooves tended to only have a thin hard layer on the bottom edges to walk on, and another nail-like extension on the outward facing side. The rest of the hoof was shockingly soft and squishy, almost like a marshmallow, and felt amazing on her elongated spine. Vinyl’s magic was slithering along her neck and ears, and every rub and massage there dragged a mewl out of the melted pony.

“You are too cute,” Vinyl whispered playfully, smiling knowingly as a blush shot down Octavia’s neck, “How in the world did you not have the mares crawling all over you?”

She didn’t say a thing about stallions. She had… heard that story. Octavia chuckled softly, gaze focused on the floor as she thought the question over. She had known she was bi for… well, a while now. Quiet nights under the sky, alone with only her thoughts, left Octavia plenty of time for introspection. And during the winter, well, who you spent the nights with for warmth and company didn’t always matter. And at least the women were kinder about it, generally.

“The homeless aren’t usually the… best catches,” Octavia replied after a few minutes, blushing lightly.

Vinyl’s hooves paused for a moment before sliding off Octavia’s back, and the new pony tensed, thinking she may have offended her, or misspoken. Before she could apologize, the gentle warmth of magic wrapped around Octavia’s limbs, gently flipping her body so she faced the ceiling. Smiling softly, Vinyl straddled her barrel carefully, a deep blush coloring her alabaster cheeks.

“Being homeless doesn’t define you,” Vinyl whispered softly, her tender hoof stroking along Octavia’s quivering cheek, “Your music… your mind… your soul is what defines you, Octavia. And you wanna know what I think your definition is?”

Time seemed to slow down for Octavia as Vinyl leaned in, her warm breath washing over her cheek and muzzle. Little portions of Octavia’s brain were practically screaming- this was a pony, a freakin’ pony, wasn’t this bestiality? Some kind of weird, wrong, inter dimensional… thing? Those portions of her brain, of course, were handily smacked down by a veritable tidal wave of want, desperate and powerful. Vinyl cared about Octavia- more than anything ever had, except for her parents. And this was different. Different, and oh-so needed. As Octavia leaned up, the mares’ lips slowly locking, she could swear she felt the Earth- or whatever this planet was- move. It was lightning firing down her spine, and warmth blooming in her lonely heart. Her hooves slowly reached up, one stroking along Vinyl’s ears, while the other was lightly pinned to the table by Vinyl’s left hoof.

Giving a soft mrr, Vinyl turned her head, gently kissing and lapping along the soft fur… before turning back with a playful growl, nibbling lightly on the sensitive skin of Octavia’s neck.

“A-ah!” Octavia breathed, tilting her head aside immediately and trembling in the faint sense of danger and its answering thrill.

“They sure are missing out,” Vinyl whispered softly, grinning slowly at the shy blush and eye-batting that was Octavia’s response, “On a wonderful mare. Just close your eyes. Do you trust me?”

Trust. Octavia had to think on that, honestly. Trust was not something easily given on the streets, and certainly not in Octavia’s situation. She had trusted her family to take care of her when her parents died, and that had most certainly not happened. She had trusted her father’s friend to at least help her out, not to rape her when all she wanted to do was practice the one thing that made her happy. Her other boyfriends, girlfriends, the churches who took her in one day, and shoved her out the next… It took everything in Octavia’s willpower reserves to not break down in tears and confuse Vinyl. Vinyl was the only one who hadn’t broken her trust. Not yet, at least, but… this… felt different. Almost right, in a way.

Sniffling a bit, Octavia managed a shaky smile, and poured all of her trust into Vinyl Scratch as she closed her eyes.

“Y-yes. I do trust you, Vinyl,” she whispered hoarsely, quivering softly beneath her girl-... marefriend’s slender frame.

All was quiet for a moment before Vinyl gently shifted atop Octavia, sliding slowly down her barrel. Her hooves gently pressed on her stomach, and her kisses were almost scorchingly warm and soothing, like massage stones.

“Good,” Vinyl whispered huskily, “Now just hold on, Octy. Let’s go on a ride.”

“Mmnh!:

Chapter 9- Princes

Dear Journal,

Miss Celeste thought I should start writing a journal. Not a diary. I don’t know why James keeps calling his a diary. That’s for girls! We’re 15 and 13 for crying out loud. Teenagers! Journal. Not a diary.

Anyway! Miss Celeste and Miss Diana came by again today. It was awesome! All the other kids are so jealous of me and James; Miss Celeste is beautiful and kind, and she always brings us some kind of gift. This journal was one of them, actually. Last week, she got me a cool leather jacket, and Miss Diana gave James a painting kit. I’m glad. He was really sad when the teachers took the last one away.

I really hate it here. Like, it was better when we were little. I remember the teachers being nicer, and we got treats sometimes. Now, they just want us to learn. Learn, learn, learn, and behave. I’m sick of it. I’m sick of being quiet, I’m sick of writing only what they want, I’m sick of the paddle.

I want a home.

Kenneth

Dear Diary,

Today was awesome! Miss Diana and Miss Celeste came to see us. Miss Celeste even told Mrs. Wilkerson off when she said Kenneth needed to be punished for talking back.
“Children deserve to have a voice too.”

Wow. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mrs. Wilkerson quiet like that. I really hope they don’t ban them from coming to see us. I really think they might be the ones. I know I’ve said that about adults before, like Polly or Mr. Hamilton, but…

Kenneth said mom and dad would want us to be strong. But it’s really hard to not cry some nights. They won’t us share the bed anymore, and I’m so cold, and so lonely… heh, Jimmy would call me a faggot if he saw this.

Too bad. I just wanna see them again.

James

Dear Journal,

They came back again! And only after a week this time! Miss Diana set us both down in the private room, and told us stories. Kind of… girly stories, but it had magic, and the teachers never let us talk about that. They did that whole ‘burn the Harry Potter books’ march when those came back, and took my copy. I liked that story too…

These stories had ponies in it too, but not those prissy ones that the girls like. These were pegasi fighting griffons and acting like knights, or unicorn magicians making mountains hover in the air! It was like Miss Celeste was really there! Miss Diana was crying when they talked about this Nightmare Moon and… well, I hugged her. She looked so sad and lonely, and I knew how that felt. She was warm, and when she hugged me back…

Stupid tear drops. Sorry journal. I gotta go to sleep before the teachers see this.

Kenneth

Dear Diary,

This isn’t fair! Why can’t I paint what I want? Why can’t I do anything I want? It isn’t fair! Who cares if my painting was kinda girly? Even when it wasn’t. Sure, it had a pony. Fine, it was a mare. But who the hell- yeah, HELL- cares! It was a knight. Like in Miss Diana’s story about the brave ponies who defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Luna. The six brave knights who risked everything for their friends and princess. Who won!

Why can’t I dream? Why can’t I just paint and smile and be happy once in my fucking life? I’m not letting them take the next one. If they try to, I’m gonna break it in Mrs. Wilkerson’s fat face. These are my dreams.

Why can’t knights come save me and Kenneth?

James

Dear Journal,

Me and James made pony names for ourselves today. Yeah, I know it sounds stupid, but James was really excited about it, and… well, I did think of a cool name.

Solaris.

Neat, huh? It sounds like one of the great knights right out of Miss Celeste’s stories. I hope she likes it. They’re coming back in a few days. I really think they might take us home this time. They sure do talk with the teachers a lot. I don’t think Mrs. Wilkerson likes them though. I heard her call them dykes behind their backs, and I’m pretty sure Miss Diana heard her. She’s such a… a… I’m really not supposed to say this, but she’s a total bitch.

I really gotta hide this journal now.
Ke-
Solaris

Dear Diary,

Something is going on. Something really bad. The teachers don’t talk to me and Solaris much anymore, and they keep bringing in some pastor friend of theirs, and a social worker. They keeps asking us the same questions: what do Miss Diana and Miss Celeste talk about? Do they seem close? Do they hug? It’s all really, really weird, and I’m afraid.

Miss Celeste said they were going to make their final decision before they came here tonight, during the evening visiting. I want to go home with them. God I want to go home with them so badly. They’re amazing. Miss Diana is so mysterious, and calm, and she loves all my paintings and drawings…

And Solaris is always so happy when he and Miss Celeste talk about history, or this cool pony world. It’s like she believes it really exists, and sometimes… I kind of do too. All the new stories- the ones about Twilight Sparkle and her friends- are really fun and, even though they aren’t quite as cool as the stories about the knights and stuff, it’s still sounds so much better than here.

Please God, can we go home with them?

Argent

James- no, Argent, he was FIRM on that- looked up in surprise as he heard a door creak open down the hall. All the walls and doors were really, really thin, so one could practically hear every conversation that went on in the orphanage. Quickly tucking his journal underneath his pillow, Argent slid down out of his bunk, landing with a quiet ease he had perfected. Still, it had never been enough to fool Kenneth. Solaris. Right!

“James?” he mumbled sleepily, sitting up and frowning as he brushed his reddish-golden hair out of his eyes, “What’s up?”

“I think Miss Celeste and Miss Diana are here!” Argent replied cheerfully, smirking a bit, “You fell asleep?”

Red lit up Solaris’ pale cheeks, and he glared at his darker-haired brother, “Oh shut up. Caffeine crash. Come on, let’s go see them!”

“Get OUT!”

Both boys froze, mid-standing, as Mrs. Wilkerson’s high-pitched voice hissed through the orphanage; James’ blood ran cold. Nononono…

“Excuse me?” That was Miss Celeste’s voice, cool and calm, but with a definite note of surprise to the end, “This was our scheduled visit time, was it not?”

“It’s been cancelled,” a deeper, male voice replied, and Argent heard a small growl from Solaris, beneath his own growing despair, “As will any further contact with the boys. You’re banned from these grounds.”

“For what reason?!” That was Diana’s voice, younger and sharper; it was ice-like now, a cold fury resonating throughout, “We have been nothing but cordial, and the boys mean-”

“We have reason to believe both of you are nothing but perverts,” Wilkerson interrupted sharply, a smug note ringing out; Argent could practically see her drawing up her toad-like body, “Here to drag the boys into your den of iniquity. I will not give any of my children to a pair of dykes.”

Argent felt a swish of air, and their door slammed open as Solaris charged out, fists clenched tightly.
**********************

“LEAVE HER ALONE!”

Solaris had never yelled in his life. The orphanage had a strict volume rule, and the one time Solaris had raised his voice, it had cost him a massive paddling that left sitting down a terrible chore for several days. But this was different. This wasn’t Mrs. Wilkerson not liking his answer to a question on the test, or his tone of voice. They had told Miss Celeste and Miss Diana- his and Argent’s possibly one chance at real family, the women who had made them both smile and laugh and dream again- to leave them forever. And insulted them.

At fifteen, Solarius was fairly tall and well-built, at least coming up to Mrs. Wilkerson’s fat shoulders. Beside her stood the social worker- a larger man in his mid-forties, with hard hazel eyes and a blonde buzzcut. He gazed at Solaris in surprise as the young boy stood defiantly in front of Wilkerson, chin tilted up to her. Mrs. Wilkerson’s eyes, both a deep brown, were now blazing in white-hot anger.

“What did you say to me?” she whispered tightly, their gazes locked.

Steeling himself, Solaris bared his teeth a bit as he spoke, “I said to l-leave them alone, they’re ama-”

Smack!

The older woman’s hand was faster than Solaris thought, and fire lanced up his face at the impact, sending him staggering to the ground, tears welling in his eyes.

“HEY!”

Argent was smaller than Solaris, but he had always been a bit of a firebrand. Running full tilt down the hallway, he would have bowled Wilkerson right over, had the social worker not stepped in his way, arms outstretched to-

“ENOUGH!”

A force struck the social worker in the side, sending him careening into the orphanage wall with a dull boom, silver light curling tightly about his arms and legs and pinning him in place. Mrs. Wilkerson, her hand raised for another slap, squealed like a pig as a golden light struck her in the chest, sending her skidding down the smooth linoleum floor. Silver and fiery red light lit up the walls and floor around Solaris, and it took a great effort of will not to stare at the unconscious body of Mrs. Wilkerson, and turn around.

Miss Celeste was glowing softly; her hair, usually a soft blonde, had seemed to take on a ruddier, redder hue, billowing lightly in an invisible breeze. Her ever-present business suit seemed to be slowly changing, growing more golden and metallic, like armor plates. Her eyes had always been a little strange to Solaris- they were light pink and… somehow he knew now that they weren’t contacts. Those amazing, gleaming orbs were oh-so real.

“Are you alright?” she whispered softly, a slim hand reaching out to cup the already swollen skin, “Hold on…”

Warmth surged into Solaris’ body, the pain fading as suddenly as it had come. Despite his shell-shocked mind, Solaris leaned into the touch… then darted forward with a small, unmanly-but-who-cares sob, burying his head against Celeste’s firm stomach.

“Pl-please,” Argent whispered faintly, and Solaris quickly turned his head towards his brother’s voice.

Argent was gently holding onto Miss Diana’s hands, tears tracing their way down his pale cheeks, “P-please take us with you.”

“Of course we are,” Diana replied softly, turning to smile at both boys fondly, “Right, Tia?”

“Of course, sister.”

“Tia?” Solaris mumbled, rubbing his eyes a bit as he looked between them, understanding slowly dawning.

By then, both women seemed to have… transformed. Silver armor lined Diana’s body now, and little wisps of silver light seemed to make up wings on her back. Gazing back at Celeste, Solaris’ eyes widened in awe; golden armor now fully covered the woman, golden-red light forming wide, glorious wings that framed her gloriously.

“C-celestia… and Luna? From the stories?” Argent managed after a few, stunned moments, staring at them both, “But… how…”

“Magic is… probably the safest and easiest answer,” Celestia replied slowly, giving a faint chuckle as she ran her fingers through her billowing hair.

“So… the ponies… the knights?”

“All real,” Luna replied softly, “We know a great many stories, and it was such fun to share our lives with you… you two are such wise, caring children for your age.”

“And you’ve been through far too much,” Celestia added, “Our being human may have been an act… but our love for you both is very real. We’d love nothing more than to take you home. If not…”

She slowly waved a hand, red magic slowly flowing out to cover the orphanage, “We will wipe their memories. They’ll remember none of this. We’ll set aside money for you both, so when you come of age, you can live a good, long life. A life you deserve.”

“But one alone,” Solaris mumbled, exchanging looks with a shaking Argent.

Being stuck, quiet, with just one’s sibling for company often leads to “silent communication.” Of course, the answer both gave each other was a practical, mental scream. But they kept their answers a little more quiet, for the sake of their mother’s.

“Y-yes, ma’am.”

“P-please…”

The smiles the Sisters gave the boys were blinding in their intensity and love, powerful arms tugging them close. Solaris gave a small gasp as the energy-wings enfolded him, warmth and power shimmering down his spine and soothing his tense muscles. Turning, Celestia waved her hand at the doorway; instead of leading out onto a dark, rain-slicked street, the threshold glew with a bright, incandescent light. Trembling slightly, Solaris reached out, lightly pressing his palm against the light. It was warm and squishy, like hot jello. One last time, he peeked up at Celestia, taking comfort in her radiant smile. With the hands of their mothers behind them, both boys joined hands… smiled at each other, and stepped through.