Distorted Fate

Chapters

Chapter II: Stranded and Confined
Chapter III: Rant and Flight
Chapter IV: Beds and Words
Chapter V: Reptiles and Mutants
Chapter VI: Pictures and Stunts
Chapter VII: Crusaders
Chapter VIII: Questions
Chapter IX: Name
Chapter X: Language
Chapter XI: Alphabet
Interlude I: Disruptions
Chapter XIII: Remnants
Chapter XIV: Shards
Chapter XV: Crusading
Chapter XVI: Letters
Chapter XVII: Magic
Chapter XVIII: School
Chapter XX: Nightmare
Chapter XXI: Relaxation
Chapter XXII: Dresses
Chapter XXIII: Hayburgers
Chapter XXIV: Math
Chapter XXV: Gift
Chapter XXVII: Light
Chapter XXVIII: Dreams
Interlude II: Intrusions
Chapter XXIX: Research
Chapter XXX: Love
Chapter XXXI: Exercise
Chapter XXXII: Animals
Chapter XXXIII: Clown
Chapter XXXIV: Colts
Chapter XXXV: Dirt
Chapter XXXVI: Parents
Chapter XXXVIII: Horn
Chapter XXXIX: Festival
Chapter XL: Luna
Interlude III: Intruder
Chapter XLI: Confrontation
Chapter XLII: Truth
Chapter XLIII: Past
Chapter XLIV: Gender
Chapter XLV: Core
Chapter XLVI: Rift
Chapter XLVII: Mark
Epilogue
Chapter I: Rise and Shine
Chapter XII: Party Time
Chapter XIX: Promise
Chapter XXVI: Blue
Chapter XXXVII: Siblings

Chapter II: Stranded and Confined

It was a slow day for the clerk mare at the hospital, which, considering that it was the Ponyville Hospital, was a good day for her. Ever since Princess Celestia's student came to Ponyville, all sorts of weird events had started to crop up in the town, including mass panic and the destruction of the town itself. So having one rare day where few ponies were needing medical attention was considered a good day for the mare since it gave her a chance to relax. Unfortunately, that all came to an end when the doors opened as a concerned unicorn mare came inside, carrying a dark purple unicorn filly that was struggling in her magical grasp. Releasing a sigh, the clerk asked, "What medical emergency do you have today, miss?" having assumed that somepony thought that they received some horrible injury or some long forgotten disease.

"Somepony found this filly all by herself, but when she went to ask her where's her parents, she instead started talking in an unknown tongue! We tried to call out for anypony that lost their filly, but no pony said she was theirs. She must have some horrible disease and her parents abandoned her for it!" the unicorn exclaimed.

Despite the unicorn's panic, the clerk knew better than to assume the worst as she asked, "So, how come you're holding the filly with your magic?"

"Well, some of us try to tell the filly to come with us so we could take her to the hospital for treatment, but she refused to follow anypony. So I... volunteered to take the filly here with my magic."

"And you came alone because no pony wanted to catch whatever the filly has, correct?" the clerk questioned, to which the unicorn gave a quick nod. Looking at the filly, who was glaring at the unicorn that was holding her, the clerk asked, "Hello there little one. Can you look at me please?" The filly, though she had her ears turned in the direction of the clerk, kept her glare on the unicorn. Suspicion arose in the clerk's mind as she prodded the filly's shoulder, which finally got her attention as she turned her head towards the clerk. "Are you okay. little one? Are you feeling sick?" the clerk asked.

In response, the filly just spoke in some foreign language that the clerk couldn't understand. Her suspicions growing, the clerk carefully asked, "If you understand me, can you please nod?" The filly just stared at her as she released a sigh, not even giving a reply this time. Turning to the unicorn, the clerk said, "I don't think this filly is sick, though I would call for a nurse to give her a check-up. I think it's more likely that she just speaks a foreign language, and that she and her family just moved here recently. So could you please release the filly and drop by the town hall to inform them of the filly's description so that they can locate her parents?" Giving the clerk a nod, the unicorn gently put the filly down, releasing her before making her leave while the filly shook a forehoof at the departing unicorn in frustration. Pressing the intercom button, the clerk called for Nurse Redheart to come to the front desk, all the while keeping an eye on the filly so she didn't dash out the front doors.

Damn horned creature. Isn't there some law in this world that prohibits people from grabbing others and dragging them wherever against their will? I thought to myself as I shook my hoof at the unicorn, thinking of the things I would do to it if I was in my original body. Hearing the other creature speaking, I turned my head towards the other creature, observing it as it first pointed at me with a hoof, before pointing at the ground. After watching it do the action several more times, I finally got the meaning that it wanted me to stay still, to which I replied with a nod as I figured that if I refused to comply, I might get mobbed by these creatures all over again. Seeing the creature smile, I turned my attention away from it to observe my surroundings. Seeing the seating arrangement, the clean white walls and the desk where the creature was sitting, I judged that this was some sort of lobby, but what the lobby was for I couldn't ascertain until a pair of doors near the desk opened, revealing another creature bearing a white coat and a pink mane done in a bun style, wearing a hat with a red cross as it came out.

Upon the sight of the red cross, I gulped as I realized that if this world had some symbols that are still universal to other dimensions, then the place I am at is some kind of medical facility. Seeing the two creatures discuss something among themselves in their own language, I nervously hoped that I wasn't here to be dissected or studied. Then the medical creature gave a nod to the one at the desk before turning to me as it did a motion with its foreleg, which appeared to mean that it wanted me to follow. Taking a deep breath, I stood up, and began to walk towards the creature as I inwardly hoped that my fears didn't come to pass. The creature led me down a hallway before leading to me a room with a bed in it. It approached the bed, tapping a forehoof on it before pointing the hoof at me. Nodding that I understood its meaning, I approached the bed, which unfortunately, was as high as I was tall. Planting my forehooves on the bed, I struggled to try to climb it for a while before feeling a presence on my rear that pushed me onto the bed. Turning my head around in alarm, I saw that the creature actually used its head to help push me onto to the bed, causing me to shiver at how much these creatures used their heads for in this world.

Hearing the sound of hooves clopping on the ground, I turned my head towards the doorway to see a horned creature coming in, but it bore features that differed from the other creatures I have seen so far, as its body was built in a more muscular fashion, its own muzzle much larger and protruding farther than the other creature in the room. Basing off the physical difference, I judged that the males and the females of this species carried visible physical differences from each other. However, that raised the question of why I observed seeing so many female creatures and only spotted a male right then.

Suddenly, I saw an aura surround me, one that matched the aura the male's horn, but instead of being lifted off the bed, I felt an odd sensation around my body. Tensing, I waited for something to happen, until the aura disappeared with the male turning to speak to the female. Tilting my head in confusion, I only watched as the male walked out of the room as the female turned to me, pointing a hoof at me before pointing at the bed, repeating the action until I nodded in understanding that it wanted me to remain where I was. Satisfied with the answer, the female gave me a smile before leaving the room, closing the door behind itself.

Having been told by the doctor that scans revealed that the unicorn filly is perfectly fit, Nurse Redheart went on to write down a medical report on the filly's health, and was about to finish it when the intercom called out for her to come to the front desk again. Arriving there, she saw a pony with a camera that had just come by from the town hall after being told about the filly's presence. As the files on all resident foals were checked and there was no record of a dark purple unicorn filly. Judging that this filly must have gotten lost from her family during some trip, they planned to send out the word about the filly to other towns and cities in hopes of finding her parents or closest of kin, and the pony was here to take a photograph for identification purposes.

Leading the pony to the room where the filly was currently waiting, Nurse Redheart opened the door to find that the filly hadn't move off the bed at all nor had anything in the room been tampered with, even though she had expected that the filly would do something out of boredom instead of sitting on the bed, blankly staring at the wall before turning her attention towards the two. The filly didn't even take any action as the pony took a picture of her, only blinking from the flash before shaking her head to clear it. As the pony left to return to the town hall after informing that they will be contacting all possible foster parents if they are available to look after a lost filly until her family is found, Nurse Redheart decided that the filly needed a meal in the meantime. After making a quick trip to the cafeteria, she returned with a tray that had a glass of apple juice, a bowl of oatmeal, and a cookie that she decided the filly deserved for her good behavior.

Upon the white coated female's second return, I spotted her carrying a tray, which, by the scent that it was giving off, was filled with food. After watching her maneuver the tray onto the bed, I saw her point a hoof at the tray before pointing it at my mouth. Inwardly sighing that even a child would know that the food was being given to them, I gave the female a smile that it returned with one of its own before turning to leave the room. Turning my attention to the food, I saw a glass that was holding some fluid, a bowl full of some kind of mashed material, and some brown circular object. Shrugging to myself that they wouldn't poison me since there were far easier means to get rid of me if they had ill intentions, I decided to try the brown food item first, to which I found to be delicious. After taking my time as I eat it in order to enjoy its taste, I then turned my attention to the bowl, spotting a spoon next to it, taunting me at my lack of hands and my inability to use that levitation ability that the other horned creatures possessed. Letting out a frustrated sigh, I simply dipped my muzzle into the bowl, noting that its taste was bland compared to the brown food object.

Finishing up the last food item, I moved onto the glass, which I was forced to place both my hooves around as I put my muzzle on the open edge before tilting it, sipping the fluid that I found to be sweet. I managed to drink half of it before being forced to lift it with both my hooves underneath it, which barely worked but ended causing the liquid to spill all over my face as I tried to drink the rest of it. Carefully putting the glass down, I spotted a napkin,which I gladly used to clean my muzzle by rubbing it against it while one hoof was on top to hold it still, all the while glad that this world had napkins and remembering other places that didn't have any values on hygiene at all. Finishing up, I simply pushed the tray onto the end of the bed before returning to my original spot to stare at a blank wall and await whatever plans these creatures had for me.

Hours passed as I continued my staring contest with the wall, interrupted once by the white coated female returning to retrieve the tray before patting my head for what I believed was behaving nicely, hopefully. I for one was hoping that this world’s culture was similar to most others that I had visited, and didn't bear any strange customs like a pat on the head foretelling an inevitable doom. Finally, the door opened again as I turned my head to view whoever was entering the room, only to spot some blur suddenly racing towards me. I didn't even have the time to react as the blur reached the bed, before a pink head with those giant eyes this species had stared at me with its blue irises and dark pupils.

I was so startled by the being’s approach that I couldn't even flinch. Only my eyes moved, inspecting the creature just enough to find that this one was yet another female a pink coat, a fluffy wild pink mane, and no horn or wings. As I wondered why a creature that was so pink would naturally exist, I noticed that the female was baring a peculiarly odd smile on its face, one that was spread unnaturally wide. Sadly, I was broken out of my stupor as the creature opened its mouth, from which I ended up being tormented by flood of words that I couldn't understand at an unbelievably fast pace that no creature should naturally be capable of. All the while, the pink female kept its bizarre smile as it chattered on. As I took on the barrage of words from the female, I thought to myself that I was earlier thinking that things might turn out alright for me after being treated with care and given food by the white coated female, only for reality to tell me otherwise by bringing this pink menace to me.

Chapter III: Rant and Flight

The news that Pinkie Pie and the Cake family would be watching over the lost filly until her family was found worried Nurse Redheart, due to how calm the filly behaved and how Pinkie Pie was so... Pinkie Pie. However, before she could confront the party pony, Pinkie Pie had already checked in with the clerk and made her way to the filly's room. Arriving back at the door to the filly's room, Nurse Redheart cautiously opened the door, as she beheld the sight before her.

"-so much fun at the Sugarcube Corner! That's where I live by the way, with Mr. and Mrs. Cake, and their twins Pound and Pumpkin Cake! Oh you'll so love playing with the twins, I know you would! And when we get there you'll be getting a 'special treat' that I know that you would love-" Pinkie Pie jabbered on, mere inches away from the filly's own face, whose ears were sprayed back as her left eye twitched, showing that she was clearly not enjoying the attention she was receiving.

Spotting Nurse Redheart's entrance, the filly turned her head towards her as she pleaded in her foreign language, distress clear in her voice. While unable to understand what the filly said, Nurse Redheart did know from the filly's expression that she wanted the stream of words being poured into her face to stop.

"Ms. Pie, maybe you should give the young filly some room. I know you're excited, but I don't think the filly is comfortable with you being that close to her right now," Nurse Redheart interjected, interrupting Pinkie's rant to the filly's relief.

"But I wanted to tell her all the fun things we're going to do together when we get home," Pinkie Pie said as she turned her head towards the nurse, her lips pouting.

"I understand your enthusiasm, but don't you know that the filly doesn't understand Equestrian? She only seems to speak in that foreign language of hers."

Gasping in surprise, Pinkie turns her head back to the filly to said "You don't speak Equestrian?! Does that mean you didn't understand what I just told you?!" The filly just sat on the bed, giving Pinkie an annoyed glare after being yelled at point-blank again.

"Now, Ms. Pie, you need to calm down so we can get you to sign the paperwork so that you can take the filly home," Redheart said, at which Pinkie Pie realized that the sooner that was done, the sooner she and the filly could have fun together. This led to her grabbing the filly and rapidly depositing her on her back before bouncing after the nurse as the filly tried to comprehend what had just occurred. Soon, the duo reached the front desk, where Pinkie Pie started happily signing the paperwork as the filly realized where she was.

I can't believe that they would let such a blabbermouth inside a medical facility. I mean, aren't these kinds of places suppose to be quiet? I thought to myself as I learned that I was now in the lobby again, with me being on the pink menace's back somehow. It was amazing that the creature was able to spew so many words out of its mouth without even taking a breath. Didn’t these creatures suffocate when they couldn’t get enough air? Wait, did this species even need to breathe at all?

After testing that question out by holding my own breath, only to find out that this species does need to breathe, I spotted the pink menace busily signing off what appeared to be paperwork. Deciding that now was the time for me to make my escape, I carefully slipped off the creature's back and slowly crept towards the front door before I was blocked by the white coated female. Looking up at it, I saw it shaking its head before pointing at myself, then to the pink menace.

After taking a few moments to figure out what it meant, I exclaimed, "You want me to go with that pink monster‽ Are you insane‽ She needs to be committed, or at least get some therapy of some sort!" Before I could add more to my rant, I felt a nudge at my side. I turned my head to see the pink monster giving me that eerie smile before it began to bounce towards the front door. Looking at the white coated female once more, I only saw it nod its head before pointing at the pink menace again. Releasing a sigh, I saw no other choice but to follow the monster. All the while, I plotted my means of escape.

After stepping out of the building, I kept my eyes on the doors, waiting for them to close fully before looking at the pink monster again. Seeing it keeping its bouncing pace, I finally saw my chance as I instead dashed down the closest alley as fast as I could without tripping. My flight lasted for a good five minutes before my new body finally screamed for a break, as I stopped beside metal containers in some alley to catch my breath before releasing a sigh of relief that I had escaped from the pink menace. Until I suddenly heard a familiar voice ringing out.

As my eyes widen, I turned my head to see the pink monster's face, looking at me with that same eerie smile like this is some grand joke or something. How could it find me so fast? I made certain that I fled when it couldn't see me, I thought to myself, as my mind raced with ideas on how to make my escape again. As desperation took hold of me, I simply went with the most ridiculous action that came to my mind as I pointed a hoof at the other end of the alley as I yelled "Look at that!" Amazingly, the pink monster actually fell for it as it turned her head to find out what I was pointing at, to which I made my escape once more, dashing away out of the alley to go into a different one. I zigzagged in and out of the alleys between the buildings, doing my best to make such a random path that the pink monstrosity wouldn't be able to track me down again, finally coming to a stop in an alleyway far away from the one I left the pink menace in. I hid behind some brown object that I assumed was some kind of box in this world based on its appearance.

After catching my breath, I looked around again, this time not spotting any sign of the pink female. Releasing a gasp of relief, I sank down onto my bottom to rest as I planned out my next step, only for the box to suddenly open with the pink monster's head popping out as it said something in its language in an insane manner. Under normal conditions, a surprise like this would have me reeling in shock, or lashing out instinctively at whatever surprised me, but for the moment, another matter kept my mind busy instead as I tried to comprehend how the creature was able to come out of the box when I did not detect it approaching. Before I could make any sense of that, another thought came to my mind, one that stop it dead in its tracks. That thought was how did it even fit in a box that is smaller than itself?

Pinkie Pie kept her joyful smile on as she watched the filly's eyes glaze over from the illogical realizations that came to her mind as her mouth just gaped at Pinkie. Waiting for a while, the filly's mind refused to come out of its stupor, causing Pinkie to wave a hoof in front of the filly as she said, "Hello? Are you alright?" Seeing no response, Pinkie just assumed that the filly was tired from playing their little game as she picked up the filly with her hooves before placing the filly on her back once more. As she continued heading to Sugarcube Corner, the filly finally broke out of her trance, only to look at her hooves as she remembered the pink pony using her own hooves to pick her up.

Looking around, the filly managed to catch a few sights of other ponies using their hoofs to pick up stuff, or some using whatever objects they had on hoof. Looking at her own hooves, the filly curiously muttered something to herself in response to what she just witnessed.

Turning her head around to look at the filly, Pinkie Pie asked "What was that?" only to receive a scowl from the filly, though that didn't bother Pinkie at all as she just gave the filly a smile before looking forward again, her bounce not losing a single bit of her enthusiasm. Soon the duo reached Sugarcube Corner, as the filly's jaw drop as she took in the sight of the gingerbread style building.

"Who the fuck designed this huge-ass eyesore," I said out loud, beholding a building that stood out like a sore thumb in this quiet hamlet. Compared to the buildings beside it, its design just screamed weird as my mind pondered about who in their right mind would build such a thing.

My pink tormentor cheerfully said something to me, apparently believing that I could understand her joy, to me as it bounced to the front door, opening it before heading inside. Oh god... please don't tell me I'm gonna have to live in this atrocity of a building I thought to myself before I was finally put down by my pink warden. Before me, I saw two more creatures. One was a yellow coated orange maned male that was wearing some kind of outfit, possibly a uniform of some sorts. The other was- whoa! I suddenly had to jump back as the other one, a rather large blue coated female charged me, its forelegs open as if it was about to hug me. I wasn't feeling the desire to be crushed today as I kept my distance from the blue female, despite its attempts to hug me. I didn't think these creatures could be so big as I observed it finally releasing a sigh of defeat. Why was there so much pink in this place?

I heard the blue female say something with a sad face, as I saw disappointment shined from her eyes. The yellow male approached the blue female as it said something in its own language as it rubbed a hoof on the blue female's back to calm it down. Turning its head to me, it asked something else to me, to which I simply stared back at it, not even bothering to say anything as I figured that it was pointless to even try since we obviously wouldn't be able to understand one another, which caused the male to tilt its head in confusion from the lack of an answer.

Thankfully, my pink tormentor seemed to intervene as it said something to the pair which caused them to released gasps of realization. As they looked at me with what appeared to be new-founded understanding, I heard behind me the sounds of youthful giggling. Turning my head around to find the source of the noise, my eyes caught sight of a new horror.

"Oh... no..." I squeaked out, as I saw before me two more creatures, both even smaller than me, in what appeared to be diapers. As the realization that I'm going to be forced to live with this pink menace, in a horrendous looking house with a pair of young infants that appeared to be twins struck me, my body couldn't make any sort of reaction beyond the release of a whimper of sheer terror.

Chapter IV: Beds and Words

Babies... why did I have to be put with a family that has babies? I thought to myself as I stared with horror at the twin creatures that were looking at me with curiosity. Children I could handle, but not babies, such horrible things. Any normal person would ask how could a baby be terrifying, but in my defense, after encountering various species whose newborns wanted to make a meal out of me, I think my fears had some justification. As I started to back away from the twins, I felt myself bumping into the the legs of the pink menace, who looked down at me curiously.

Its voice portraying concern, the pink creature said something in own language to me, completely forgetting that I couldn't understand a thing she said to me due to my unexpected reaction to the babies. Looking up at it, I started to decide which were the lesser evil, the twins or my pink tormentor. Making my choice, I dashed around the pink female's legs, putting it between me and the twins, who I was certain were probably plotting my demise.

The blue female suddenly said something with a smile on its face, causing the male to grin as the pink menace giggled before it too said something directly at me, stepping aside so the twins can get to me. Instead of letting those creatures reach me, I simply followed the pink creature, keeping it as my barrier to the twins, no matter how many times it tried to step aside. Eventually, the twins crawled over in boredom towards me, leading to the three of us circling around the pink menace as the adult creatures begin to get dizzy from the sight. As ridiculous as the sight seemed, I sure wasn't gonna take any chances with newborns.

Suddenly the male said something out loud, which seem to signal the time to end this nonsense as it and the blue female collected the twins to my much needed relief. However, my pink warden came over to me as it said something while it picked me up again with its hooves, placing me on its back again before bouncing up the stairs. As we entered a hall, I looked through each of the open doors, observing the rooms until we passed a room with some object in the floor with a hole in it, causing me to assuming it was a toilet. At the sight of what I assumed to be a bathroom, I suddenly noticed a particular feeling in my extremities. Slipping off my tormentor's back, I rushed to the bathroom, shutting the door before it could even say a thing. Walking towards the toilet, I suddenly remembered something extremely important.

I'm not a male anymore, I'm a female now, so that means my method of... relieving wastes is going to be different now. Releasing a shudder, I approached what I assumed to be the toilet, as I awkwardly placed my rear on it, taking care that I don't slip into it. After successfully sitting on it, I simply sat there, blinking stupidly as I began to figure out how to... never mind.

...this is certainly going to be something that I won't be getting used to anytime soon.

After successfully relieving myself, I noticed some kind of papery material nearby the toilet, to which I was thankful that this species has certainly had basic hygiene covered. I really didn't want to remember the times where I was in dimensions where there weren’t any standards or protocols in regards to relieving oneself. It certainly wasn't a pretty sight, to say the least. As I reached for what I hoped was the toilet paper, but I tried to grab it, only to remember that I had hooves instead of hands. Staring at my hoof, I came to a new issue of how I was going to use it.

After what I assumed to be far too long for any creature to normally take, I finally exited the bathroom, only to see the pink menace waiting patiently with its everlasting smile. I really hoped it didn't do that to the other children, ‘cause that was eerie as shit. Fortunately I had already relieved myself, for I wasn't in the mood to test my current body's bladder control.

Before I could move, my pink warden grabbed me with its hooves again to deposit me on its back before continuing its merry way. It angered me that it could use it hooves in such a way when I had no idea how to do that, nor was I even able to understand what even enabled the hooves to grab anything. Seriously, it was just a flat surface. How in reality could these things grab stuff?

Before I could finish my pondering, I felt the pink monster coming to a halt, as I looked past its fluffy mane to see what its destination was. Judging by the bed, and the balloons all over the place, it must have been the pink menace's room. However, it was rather massive for a bedroom, even having a staircase to what appeared to be an indoor balcony. Suddenly, I felt the pink monstrosity's forelegs wrapping around me as I felt it jumping into the air, just to land on the bed, sending the covers into the air that miraculously landed on the both of us neatly.

The pink monster said something in excitement before it let out a yawn as it closed its eyes. I tried to struggle out of its forehooves, but unfortunately its grip was like a vice, leaving me trapped with it for the night until it either let go in its sleep or when it finally awakened. Releasing a sigh, I simply chose to close my eyes, knowing that for the moment I was stuck in my current position, as I drifted to slumber as well.

Once again, the rays of the sun chose to be my enemy, as they struck my eyelids, causing me to stir. As I released a yawn, I rubbed my head against the soft pillow that I was using, until my brain finally started to wake up. My eyelids shooting open, I looked to see that I was rubbing my head against the pink menace, who was still hugging me close to it. Moving my head as far as I could from its chest, I shuddered at the thought that I actually rubbed myself against it, until I felt something on my mane. Looking upwards, I saw a green reptile with its jaw chomping down on my mane.

...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! GET OFF, GET OFF YOU FUCKIN MONSTER!" I shrieked in a panic, my forehooves flailing around as I shook my head, trying to dislodge the beast from my mane. My shrieking awakened the pink menace, as it looked down in shock to find out the source of my panic.

Upon seeing the beast on my mane, the pink monster cheerfully said something which made it sound like it thought this appeared to be some game it as it loosened its grip on me, which was a mistake. The moment I felt its forelegs loosen around me, I immediately jumped out of its hug as I dashed around the room, still trying to shake the beast off me.

"SOMEONE, ANYONE, GET THIS FIEND OFF ME!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, before feeling something grabbing onto me, as I felt the green beast's jaws finally release my mane. Looking behind me, I spotted the pink menace holding the green beast before it gently put it on the floor.

Turning towards me, it once again said something to me, which I just returned with a deadpan stare. For a moment, it tilted its head at my response, before it 'facehoofed' as it said something to itself before it moved the hoof to its chin, its face taking a more serious expression that was unfortunately ruined by the tongue sticking out of its mouth. Apparently it finally realized that there was no way for me to understand a thing it was trying to say to me, which caused me to question the creature's intelligence, as well as how it ended up as my caretaker.

After watching it hold that pose for a moment, I simply shrugged and looked around, spotting a toy ball on top of a toy pile in some open toy chest. As I pondered just how childish this female was, I wandered over to the chest and, with a hoof, slid the ball off the pile, causing it to land on the ground and bounce for a bit. Fortunately, when it finally came to a rest, it wasn't near the pink menace or the reptilian beast, as I approached the ball again, placing a hoof on top of it. Focusing on my hoof, I try to force it to tighten around the ball before lifting it, only to find that the ball didn't even move. Grunting in frustration, I repeat my action, once again to be denied any results. I continued my attempts to learn how to grasp with my hoof several more times before I heard the pink menace gasping, causing me to turn my attention to it.

The pink menace exclaimed something in sheer excitement before it trotted over to me with a smile before sitting down before me. With a smile on its face, it began to nod its head as it said something that sounded like it was a single word repeating the action over and over as I blankly stared at it. After a few more repetitions, I started to notice that it was just repeating the same thing while nodding its head, coming to the conclusion that it was actually trying to teach me something, not being its completely inane self.

Hopefully she is teaching me something, and not tricking me. If she is just messing with me, I swear I'm gonna find a way to shave her fucking mane off, I thought to myself, as I finally uttered out the foreign word. "Yes?" Instantly it stopped its repetition as it started to clap with its forehooves, its smile widening. After saying what I believed to be 'yes' in its language again, to which it only clap some more as it nodded its head, it suddenly stopped.

Keeping her smile, the pink monster began to shake its head as it said a different word in its language, once again repeating the word and action. This time however, I was ready as I studied the word, understanding that it was the word no in her language. I uttered out "No?" to which it clapped its forehooves again in joy before it pounced on me, causing me to yelp as it hugged me once more, to my discomfort.

To my dismay, the creature began to rant in its excited manner as it continued to hug me. Before I could maneuver my hooves to my ears, the creature suddenly stopped ranting as it released a gasp of what sounded to be realization. Sadly, instead of putting an end to its ranting, it just continued on, its body shaking in excitement, its rapid speaking somehow sped up to an impossible rate. Before I was given a chance to ponder how it was capable of doing that, the creature settled me down on it's back before it bounced to the door, leaving me to wonder just what it had in mind for me now. Honestly, I wished it would just let me walk. I still needed more practice with that, as I inwardly hoped that today wouldn't have as many horrors as yesterday.

Chapter V: Reptiles and Mutants

Normally, people like free breakfast. I, however, wasn't so keen at staying with two horrible monsters- I mean two baby creatures staring at me as they ate on their high chairs. I was fairly certain those two were plotting something against me, but hey, newborns never did like me unless I was in their stomachs, which led me to wonder why I appeared so yummy to babies. My new appearance made me less appetizing, I hoped, but considering my luck so far I wouldn't be surprised if it had the opposite effect instead. That was why I was actually glad to follow my pink tormentor outside, after going through the process of communicating it to me, which consisted of it trotting in place as well as pointing at me, itself, and the door, several times.

The pink menace started to rant again, to which I just simply slowly tuned it out to observed my surroundings as I followed it-no, not it, her. One of the benefits of having a language barrier is that you can just tune out other folk; it's not like you're gonna understand them anyway without some kind of hand signals, or hoof signals as the case may be. As I looked around, my eyes drifted towards the sky, where I caught sight of the winged creatures actually moving the clouds around, a few even jumping on them to make them rain. Once again, my mind became boggled by the sight, before I quickly shook my head clear of it. This world is just gonna keep getting stranger and stranger. Might as well give up making any sense of it now, or I'll end up with my brain literally melting down, I thought to myself.

Eventually, we arrived at some giant tree in the middle of town, which caused my head to tilt in confusion before noticing that it had windows, doors, and even a balcony. As I began to wonder if giant eyesores were going to be a common sight in this town, my pink warden knocked on the front door with its hoof, which was shortly answered as it was opened by a short purpl-

"Oh shit!" I screamed, jumping back in shock at seeing another reptilian creature, this one being a bipedal, opening the door. Using the pink menace as a shield, since she was apparently my caretaker and had to protect me as a result, I kept my distance from the reptile, since my last encounter from one of this world resulting in it trying to eat my mane.

The purple reptile just blinked at my outburst, before turning to the pink menace as it asked it a question. After the pink menace gave it an answer, the reptile turned back towards me as it asked me something. In response, I simply gave it a deadpan stare as I peeked past the pink creature, having came to the conclusion that if the reptile was capable of speech, then it wouldn't be keen on eating me, though I wasn't so sure on that idea so far.

Suddenly, the pink creature unleashed an overexcited speech. After she finished its speech the reptile gave her a short reply with a skeptical look as it headed inside the tree house, where the pink menace bounced inside as well before turning to me and indicating with a hoof that she wanted me inside as well. Sighing, I simply walked inside, before getting the view of the interior. My eyes widened as I spotted shelves and shelves just full of books, where I realized that this tree house was actually a library, which means that there must have been someone that worked here who might be truly educated, at least compared to the pink menace. My thoughts then drifted to the idea that the reptile might be the educated one, but that idea was dashed when I heard a new voice speaking out.

Turning my head towards the source of the voice, I saw a lavender coated creature with a purple mane walk down a set of stairs as it announced something to the two of us. As my eyes started to examine it, they suddenly widened as I got a clearer view of it. This creature has a horn AND wings! Is this creature a hybrid? Why didn't I see other hybrids earlier? Wait, one of those twin monsters had a horn while the other had wings. Wouldn't it make more sense for them to be hybrids instead since they're twins? Furthermore, their parents, assuming they were their birth parents, didn't have horns or wings, so how did the twins get them?

My mind started to hurt as I began to go cross eyed from the mental strain, before I shook my head to clear it as I thought, Screw it, this place makes no sense at all. I'm just going to say that they're all mutants. That's the only thing that would make sense now. They all probably got mutated by some radioactive material present on this world, or the world was being bombarded by cosmic radiation. Which, actually would explain all the weird shit going on, so yeah, gonna go with them all being mutants. With my mind settling on the most logical explanation I could come up with, I prepared myself for the purple mutant, suspecting that with how things been going so far for me, I was going to be tormented again in some bizarre way.

As Twilight reached the bottom of the stairs, she spotted the purple filly next to Pinkie, who was simply staring at her, though the filly did go cross eyed for a moment. Must be surprised to see a princess, Twilight thought with a mental chuckle before she said, "Is this the filly Spike told me you need help with, Pinkie? Though I'm surprised you needed my help since you're a natural with foals."

"Aw, thanks Twilight, but this silly filly is different, she doesn't speak or understand Equestrian!" Pinkie replied.

Blinking in shock, Twilight stared at the filly, who simply stared back as she said "She really can't speak Equestrian? What's wrong with her?"

"Oh, nothing is wrong with her, or at least that's what the doctors say. She's just lost from her parents, and I volunteer to watch over her until her parents come back to pick her up!"

"That's quite responsible of you Pinkie, but are you sure you can handle a filly that can't understand you?" Twilight asked, as she kept looking at the filly who continued to stare back at her, like her eyes were trying to bore into the depths of Twilight's mind.

"Oh, the silly filly is no trouble, but I thought that maybe you can help me teach her to understand Equestrian!"

"I'm not certain the filly is old enough to pick up on a new language so quickly. After all, it won't be long before her parents are found and informed of her current location. Though, I have an idea that I want to try," Twilight said as she looked over the bookcases. Spotting what she was looking for, she pulled the book out with her magic, whose title was 'Foreign Greetings'. Opening the book before her, Twilight then started off saying a basic greeting in a different language before looking at the filly, who simply just stared back, her mouth not even twitching. Twilight proceeded to say greetings in other languages, before moving onto dead dialects, before she finally gave up.

"Pinkie, are you sure this pony doesn't understand you? Maybe she's just playing a game with you," Twilight said as she waved a hoof in front of the filly, wondering if the filly zoned out during all the greetings.

Stopping the hoof with one of her own, the filly said something to Twilight in a chastising tone with foreign words that caused Twilight's ears to perk up. Her jaw dropping in shock, Twilight simply stared at the filly as her pupils shrink. Moments passed until Twilight finally squeaked out, "She does speak a foreign language, but it's one that doesn't resemble any languages in the book." Her pupils started to widen as her body started to shiver, causing the filly to take a few steps back before Twilight exclaimed, "This could be a momentous discovery! Her family might be speaking a long lost language, or they were part of some tribe of ponies that been in isolation for hundreds or maybe even thousands of years! Maybe their phonetics could be completely unrelated to any known languages! The possibl-" before a book slammed into her face, which caused Pinkie to burst out in laughter.

The filly started to say something in her language in an annoyed tone, before she suddenly looked at her own hooves as she started to mutter to herself in confusion. Shaking her head after being hit, Twilight then glared at the filly as she said, "That wasn't nice, you shouldn't be abusing books like that."

As her laughter died down, Pinkie replied, "Oh come on Twilight, it couldn't have hurt, she's just a filly after all, silly."

"Still, that wasn't polite of her to do that. So, what makes you think she can learn to understand our language, Pinkie? The possibility of our language structure being a match to hers is astronomically low."

"Well, I did teach her to say yes and no, and I think she understands their meaning."

Looking skeptical, Twilight replied "Pinkie, she could just have been parroting you, just saying yes and no doesn’t mean anything."

"Oh, I'm sure she knows silly, watch this!" Pinkie said, before turning to the filly as she raised her forehooves as she spread them wide, like she's about to hug the filly.

Her eyes widening, the filly started shaking her head as she said "No, no!" backing away from Pinkie.

Though the reaction wasn't what she wanted, Pinkie turned to Twilight with her smile a bit less joyful as she said, "See, I think she knows what no means."

"Amazing... how did you teach her that, Pinkie?" Twilight asked, as her mind pondered for a possible way of communications.

"Oh, I just nodded my head and said yes and then shook my head for no. The filly may be silly, but she's smart like you, Twilight."

"Interesting, it appears that she may be able to associate our words with physical representations of them with ease. Perhaps there is a way to teach her some Equestrian words. Give me a moment. I think I have something that may be of use," Twilight said before she headed to her storage, all the while the filly remained seated, wondering just what Twilight had in store for her.

Chapter VI: Pictures and Stunts

Things already seemed to be going downhill for me after listening to the purple mutant ramble so long I had to grab the book out of the air and toss it at her face just to get her to stop. Desperate times equaled desperate measures in that matter, though it left me wondering how I managed to grab the book with my hooves that time when I couldn't do it with a ball. Guess I was really that desperate to get her to stop. Finally, the mutant returned from rummaging in what I assumed to be her storage room, as she pushed what I also assumed to be a chalkboard before me, where she suddenly used some chalk to draw various diagrams of, well, so many damn things it was confusing to try to figure out what they all were. Smiling at me, she pointed the chalk at something in that massive mess, to which I thought, Oh, fuck no. I am not gonna try to understand any of this, as I grabbed a book and threw it at her face again. Once again, this caused me to stare at my hooves again as I privately hoped that I didn't need to be frustrated all the time to be able to grab things. I had enough issues already.

Glaring at me with growing rage, the purple mutant was about to open her mouth again when the pink menace interrupted as she said something to the purple mutant. This caused the mutant to look upon me once more as she witnessed my deadpanned expression. Turning her head to the chalkboard, the mutant realized her folly as a blush started to appear on her face. Muttering to herself, I watched as the mutant returned to the storage room as she attempted to find an alternative solution.

As the mutant rummaged once more, the pink menace turned to me, spreading her hooves out again to indicate that she wanted to hug me. "No," I said in their language, being forced to repeat it again and again while she kept up the pose, until she suddenly pulled a plate out of her mane that had some triangular shaped food on it. Its scent quickly reached my nose, its delicious smell making my mouth water. Eyeing her obvious bribe, I simply sighed, knowing that she would still insist on giving me a hug in some way as I said "Yes..." The pink monster squealed out in joy as she shoved the food right into my still open mouth before engulfing me in a hug. Though I nearly choked from having the food rammed down my throat and from the constricting hug, the taste of the food made it worthwhile, as well as the possibility that the pink menace might offer me treats in return for hugs. Now if only I could teach her not to squeeze me to death.

After being released from the death hug, the purple mutant returned, levitating some kind of stack with her. She said something to the pink menace as she set the stack down before me before levitating what appeared to be some kind of paper, revealing that she had example pictures of the winged creatures, the horned creatures, and the creatures with neither, but there weren't one of the purple mutant's race, oddly enough. I pondered the meaning of that as I swallowed my snack. The purple mutant placed a forehoof on the picture as she circled it around all the three examples and said some word over and over, slowly at first before I gave her another deadpan look that caused her to let out a nervous laugh before saying the word normally. After a while, the mutant began to say a different word as she pointed at each of them one of a time, before I figured out that the first word was plural and the second word was its singular version .

"Ponies," I said in their language, causing the purple mutant to smile, before I pointed a hoof at her which I then moved to the pink menace as well as I myself as I repeated "Ponies." This causes the mutant to smile wider as she nodded, which encouraged me to continue as I pointed at her with my hoof, saying "Pony," to received another nod in return. Pointing at the pink menace, I repeated again before pointing to myself and saying the word once more, which after that the purple mutant clapped her forehooves in joy.

The purple 'pony' began to rant in unrestrained excitement before I decided that I’d had enough as I stomped my hoof on the floor to get her attention, to which I then pointed a hoof at the nearby book then at her face, indicating what will happen if she got carried away again with her excitement. Unlike the previous times, though, I didn't take on a hostile expression due to being glad that I was able to stick a name to this species at last. Hopefully they also possess names for their races or subspecies or whatever they may refer to it on this world, though I didn't have high hopes for a name for the purple mutant pony's apparently obscure category. Giving me a timid smile, she proceeded to put the paper away as she drew out another one.

After the eighth picture and word, I finally had to tell the purple pony to stop, though it was through the repeating of the word no and eventually holding my head with my forehooves, which finally sent the message across to it. I was never one for memorizing words, and after adding food, sleep, bathroom, water, walk, good and bad to my pathetically tiny understanding of their vocabulary, I decided that enough was enough and that I would need time to memorize them all. Even though it took a couple hours for the lesson to be taught, the purple pony was apparently pleased at my results, for she still give me a smile and patted the top of my head with her hoof. That, or she was just pitying me and only did that to lift my spirits. I couldn't really tell yet with this mutated pony. On the other hand, the pink creature showed genuine joy at each success, though in her case I was starting to think that something wrong went on in her head due to her overall cheeriness that never seemed to end.

The purple mutant said something in what sounded to be a proud voice to the pink menace, as she levitated the the stack to the pink pony, who grabbed it with a hoof and... stuck it in her mane? Do these ponies actually carry stuff in their manes?

As I poked a hoof into my own mane, the pink pony said something in excitement to me as she bounced towards me. Catching sight of my action, she nudged me with a nose as she asked me something, apparently forgetting that I didn't had a chance of figuring out what she asked. Giving the pink pony my soon to be trademarked deadpan stare, I looked at the purple mutant, pointing at the pink pony's mane and mimicking its action of stashing the stack in her mane, only to receive a helpless shrug. Once again, that pink pony was a menace to logic, but considering my mutation theory, I just chalked it up as more radioactive side effects. Feeling the pink pony nudging me again, I turned to her as she said, "Walk," before heading towards the door. Hearing the purple pony say something, I turned to see her wave at us with a hoof, which I tentatively returned with one of my own, only for the pink pony to burst past me to wave both forehooves before returning to where she was. Honestly, I felt like someone was spiking her food with something, if she wasn't spiking it itself.

After following her out of the library, we went on our merry way- well, merry for her at least. It's rather hard to be merry when you only know ten words of the dominant language, you're completely dependent on others, stuck in the body of a female child, and have with a hyperactive pink pony as your caretaker. Oh, and beyond the sights, it was boring just following the pink pony. That was, until something zoomed by my head. For a moment, I swear I saw a faint rainbow right above my head, just five feet from it before it faded away, as I heard a raspy female voice ranged out nearby.

Turning my head at the source of the voice, I received the sight of a cyan winged female pony, and the even weirder sight of her mane. It was colored with all the colors of a rainbow, which in my opinion was inane for someone to have, but after thinking for a moment, I remembered where I was again. Though, if that mane was natural and not dyed, then my theory on this world being irradiated by something would be getting even more proof. As I was lost in thought, the pink pony said some reply to the winged pony, which caused her to frown in disappointment.

Turning towards me, the cyan pony said something that sounded like she had announced some sort of objective, or a boast to me, which the latter belief got further supported when she puffed out her chest like one would when being prideful. Knowing that it was just some sort of boast, I continued my flat stare, causing the pony to deflate after she noticed my stare. As my stare continued, the cyan pony began to get irritated before the pink menace stopped her rising anger when she said something to her. All the while, the menace bared a sheepish grin like she had done something wrong.

Rolling its eyes, the cyan pony said something to the pink pony in a chastising tone before dashing high into the sky, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. So that explained the rainbow I saw earlier, which put even more evidence on my radiation theory. As I kept my eyes on her, I saw her pulling off various aerial stunts. Great, a showoff, I thought to myself as I simply watched the show until the cyan pony returned to us, smacking a forehoof against her chest as she bragged about her stunt. To her dismay, I just kept on baring a bored expression, not impressed by the display. The cyan pony's jaw dropped, apparently unable to comprehend how I wasn't impressed, as I simply turned my head to the pink pony, who was getting nervous at the sight. Huh, didn't see that coming from her of all people-er, ponies.

"Walk," I simply said, prodding her with a hoof as the pink pony gave the cyan pony a sheepish smile again. Looking at the cyan pony, whose face was starting to redden from anger, I decided to diffuse things since it appeared that the two ponies were friends, and it may be best if I didn't antagonize anyone that I might end up seeing regularly. Sitting down to free up my forelegs, I simply shrugged with them while keeping a face that I hoped said 'Sorry, I just didn't like it,' as I hoped that the message I'm sending was seen in the same way in this world and didn't mean something horrible like 'may all your spawn have horrendous lives.'

Thankfully, the cyan pony understood my message as her face lost the redness while she said something that sounded like a smug challenge of sorts. Glad that this didn't turn into a massive mess, I gave the cyan pony a wave before turning back to my pink caretaker, only to see her giving me a smile that wasn't like her usual silly one, for this one had an implication of pride for someone else's actions.

Rolling my eyes at that, I simply said "Walk," to which the pink pony nodded to as she said her goodbyes to the cyan pony, before we continued our way again. Thinking that today was turning out well, I suddenly remembered that if we headed back to her home, I might’ve had to deal with the twins again, to which I thought Well.... shit, as I headed to what could’ve been my demise.

Chapter VII: Crusaders

Phew, time passes by when you're doing nothing or trying to avoid little twin ponies of mass chaos. Well, not really. Time dragged on for what seemed like forever, especially when the twins' eyes were following me around. After the second day in this world passed, I was thinking that maybe babies here weren't so bad, but the third day shot that idea down fast. It was the first truly boring day, with the pink pony having to attend to what appeared to be her job. I guess she was taking time off for me to help me out at first. However, things took a turn for the worse in the afternoon. The twins’ parents had to go out for a while for some errand, leaving the pink pony to watch the twins, but the moment the parents stepped out, things fell apart. Who knew that the horned baby could levitate so much at such an age, or the fact that the winged one could walk on the ceiling! After that sight, I decided to hide under the pink pony's bed until the parents returned.

After that day, the next two passed by pleasantly in comparison, with the pink pony able to spare some time to help me learn some words, and even the parents sparing a minute or two to help. Apparently they didn't mind a child that just sat around, practicing words and not causing any trouble. I supposed they already had enough on their plates with the twins. However, that made me wonder why they even agreed to take care of me in the first place. Thankfully, I finally learned about the races of ponies in this world on the fifth day, learning about earth ponies, pegasi, and my new race, unicorns. However, after that, the pink pony primarily taught me about the words for colors and baked goods, making me want to go back to that mutant pony.

Oddly though, after learning about all the baked goods they make in this bakery... house... whatever you call those two things together, along with the basic colors, I finally learned that my caretaker's name was Pinkie Pie. Though, when I first figured out what she was trying to tell me, I had to do a double take, and admittedly a second one shortly after that. I couldn't believe that someone was named after a color and a baked good, or that some parent would lack the creativity to not include her color in her name. Though her name reminded me that I needed a new one, since I doubted my old name would translate over well. Hopefully, I would get to name myself, because I'm not really looking forward to Miss Pie naming me. Thankfully, the sixth and seventh day turned out to be slow days for the bakery, giving all three ponies time to teach me some more useful words as well as keep the twin monsters away from me.

It was the morning of the eighth day. I was sitting in a booth by myself, simply observing Pinkie Pie and the twins’ parents commence with their work as I shuffled through the stack of pictures of words that I have learned, and when I say shuffle I mean drag one of them across the table or pick them up via their corners with my teeth. Seven days had past and I had yet to master using my hooves beyond tossing stuff at others to get them to focus. At least I was able to master ninety words in the mean time, allowing them to finally be able to communicate to me in a way, even though it was only through the simplest of sentences. At least I still had the opportunity to curse at Pinkie in my own language whenever she tried something inane with me.

Suddenly, after hearing the front door open to signal the arrival of more customers, I heard a trio of young voices ringing out, drawing my attention. Before my eyes, I saw a trio of fillies (I'm glad I learned that word recently) around my age as they approached the register manned by Pinkie to order some food. Though, based on Pinkie's reaction to the trio, I guessed that they knew each other more than the regulars that came through, which perked my curiosity even more. The fillies were composed with each member of the three pony races, with the unicorn filly having a light grey coat and purple curled mane, the pegasus filly with an orange coat and a short purple mane, and an earth pony with a yellow coat, a red mane and an oversized pink bow in her mane. After placing their orders, they turned around and spotted me, which gave me a view of their eyes widening with surprise.

Despite my mental prayer of them choosing to pass me by, they instead chose to come over to my booth. Standing at the edge of my booth, they gave me a smile as the yellow filly said something, pointing a hoof at herself before she pointed it at the other two, appearing to be introducing themselves to me. Sadly, even though I had improved my vocabulary, whatever the yellow filly said to me went over my head, as I just gave them a blank stare that caused two of them to tilt their heads, though the orange filly seemed more annoyed by my reaction.

Choosing to avert a possible confrontation, I said "I speak bad, sorry," which only caused them all to tilt their heads in confusion, though the orange filly didn't look like she was mad at me anymore.

Spotting my dilemma, Pinkie shouted out to the girls, drawing their attention. As I silently thank Pinkie for her timely rescue, the three fillies let out gasps of surprise before they suddenly started to crowd me.

At first they were all talking at the same time, bombarding me with what I assumed to be questions of some sort. Since they didn't quite grasp the concept of a language barrier, I simply folded my ears back as I stared them down, until they finally got the picture and stopped with their pointless questioning. Unfortunately, instead of backing off and leaving me to my affairs, they huddled together as they whispered among themselves, which I found a bit amusing since it was pointless to hide things from me when I couldn't understand them. However, before they came up with a plan that would most likely fail horribly, Pinkie finally took a moment to walk over to the trio.

As Pinkie approached the trio, she explained something to them, for after she was done, they all released exclamations in unison, hopefully realizing their mistake. As I observed their reactions with an amused expression, the unicorn filly said something to Pinkie as the other two nodded, only for Pinkie to sigh as she answered their question, causing them to show their disappointment as well. Suddenly, Pinkie's face cheered up as she appeared to propose something to the trio. That instantly raised turned their moods to an excited one.

Smiling at each other with wide eyes after whatever Pinkie told them, they clapped their front right hooves together as they yelled something at the top of their lungs, causing me to cover my ears with my hooves as they rang in pain from that deafening outburst as I mouthed off several obscenities in my own language. Damn, didn't know that those fillies can be so darn loud. I hope my eardrums haven't popped or anything from the sheer volume. As the ringing in my ears lessened, I caught sight of the trio slipping into the seat across from my own. Sighing, I spotted the yellow filly grabbing the stack I had before me, as she lifted up a picture for all to see.

Before the light grey filly could say anything, I promptly said "House," causing the trio to do a double take. Releasing a sigh, I pointed to a separate stack that I had on the far end of the table, figuring that if they want to help, I might as well make sure they're being useful. As they released a half-hearted giggle, the orange filly reached over to the second stack, grabbing it with her hooves as she unknowingly taunted me with the fact that I have yet mastered the use of my own. Holding up a new picture, they began to tell me what it was called.

Note to self: fillies aren't good at teaching others when they lack consensus. At the first word, the fillies said it at different speeds, the orange one saying it in a rapid impatient manner, the light grey one saying it in a slow manner while the yellow one was said it in a regular manner. This quickly resulted in them arguing against one another on how fast they should say the word, all the while I simply sat in my seat with a bemused expression. While I should have been doing my best to stop the argument, given that I spent the last five days either sitting around and learning words, practicing grasping with my hoof, or hiding from the twins, this was a golden opportunity for me to see something amusing for once.

Sadly, Pinkie soon intervened as she bought them their order, breaking up the fight and informing them that the yellow filly's way of pronouncing the word was my preferred one, which cause all three of them to eye me as I simply shrugged. After that, we finally got down to some word learning, though every time I got a word down, they went to look at their rears with an expectant look, only to be end up with some kind of disappointment that only caused me to tilt my head in confusion. After the tenth word, the fillies finally called it quits as they shuffled out of their seat. They were about to take their leave as they turned to wave goodbye when the yellow filly gasped as she caught sight of something.

The earth pony filly exclaimed, causing the other two to stare as well, as I was finally able to trace their gazes to my rear, causing me to raise an eyebrow in confusion. Spotting my confusion, the fillies just gasped in unison, until the light grey one broke it by asked a few questions, which caused me to just reply with my trademark stare, causing her to blush in embarrassment when she remembered that I couldn't understand them. Wondering what was so important about my rear, I let my eyes drift to the other ponies in the bakery, where I saw that they all had some kind of strange tattoo on their rears.

How did I not notice that they all have these weird tattoos on their asses. Oh, wait... cause I don't make it a habit to look at folk's asses in the first place, I thought to myself before letting my eyes drift to the fillies rears, seeing that they were lacking the tattoos. Without turning my head, I quickly glanced at my own rear, to see that I lacked a tattoo as well. It then suddenly dawned on me that the fillies were earlier checking their rears for these tattoos, yet the reason they constantly checked after each word still escaped me.

The orange filly proposed something to the other two, who answered back with excited nods before they all turned to me and waved goodbye, which I returned before seeing them dash off excitedly. Based on how their mood so quickly turned from disappointment to excitement, I judged that the next time I saw them might not end so well for me. Sighing, I simply shrugged as I continued to learn how weird this possibly irradiated world could be.

Chapter VIII: Questions

Time flies when you're having fun, but the keyword here is fun. Being bored out of my mind due to being trapped in this bakery only seemed to slow time down even more, and it'd only been twelve days since I first arrived in this world, or, to be more accurate, woke up in this world. The only thing I could do to pass time was to listen to the customers that came to the bakery each day, and due to my slowly increasing grasp of their language it was becoming easier and easier to figure out what they are saying. I even figured out a couple new words by listening to others use them instead of being taught with pictures, though it was no great feat since they were common everyday words.

The tenth day was a bit more interesting, but that was mostly because that cyan pegasus came by to drag me outside, wanting to impress me again to feed that inflated ego of hers. To her dismay, however, I wasn't amused by her latest set of stunts, causing her to become even more frustrated even though the other ponies were clearly in awe of her feats. What can I say, though; I never have been one for watching others perform stunts. It just wasn't my thing. Unfortunately, due to the language barrier, I had no way of telling her this, which led her to just fly off fuming.

Fortunately, with my growing knowledge and understanding of the ponies’ language, I was able to learn that the other two adult ponies taking care of me were called the Cakes. Cakes and Pie, go figure. At this rate, everything in this world must be running on some kind of odd theme. The Cakes seemed to really appreciate my good behavior, smiling at me whenever they approached me during my language practice, though as the days passed they, along with Pinkie Pie, seemed to share a nervous expression, though they only showed it when they were looking at me and thought that I couldn't notice them. They seemed to be hiding something from me, so I had to keep my ears open and on my toes, or in this case hooves. Regardless, these past few days passed by quite peacefully, causing me to wonder if the insanity of the first two days was just a fluke or something.

It was breakfast time on the thirteenth day since the filly started to live in the Sugarcube Corner, as Pinkie Pie and the Cakes sat around the table and tried their best to hide their nervous expressions. Even the smile Pinkie was bearing showed signs of being forced. Despite their efforts, it seemed that the filly was catching on to them as she eyed at them with suspicion. Suddenly, a knock on the front door gave the Cakes a much needed excuse to leave the table, taking their children while Pinkie headed to the door. Opening it, they saw a female unicorn with a light orange coat, a light blue mane that was styled into a bun behind her head, a pair of spectacles over her teal colored eyes, and a cutie mark of a notepad with a pair of spectacles over it on her flank.

"Good morning, Pinkie Pie, my name is Dayspring Joy and I was sent to evaluate the lost filly. Is she currently here?" the unicorn asked.

"Yeah... she's at the table. Let me take you to her," Pinkie replied nervously as she led Dayspring to the dining room.

As the duo reached the room, the filly immediately spotted the newcomer, causing her to raise an eyebrow in curiosity as Dayspring turns to Pinkie as she asked, "Has she told you her name yet?" to which Pinkie simply shook her head as her smile faded away as she finally took a more serious expression. "I see. Based on her report, she was unable to understand Equestrian when she was first located, which prevented any form of communication on her part. Has that factor changed during her time here?"

"She's learning real fast, she's a clever filly, and if we need to tell her something and she doesn't know the words yet, we just show her pictures and she picks up quickly what we're trying to to tell," Pinkie replied.

Nodding her acknowledgement, Dayspring's horn started to glow as she lifted some things out of her bag, revealing a stack of papers, a notepad, an inkwell and a quill. Looking at the filly, Dayspring slowly said, "Hello there, young one. My name is Dayspring Joy," repeating her name few more times before the filly gave a nod that she got her name, curious about the purpose of her visit. Searching though her stack, she pulled out a picture of a foal with their parents behind the foal that she shows to the filly as she asked, "Do you know where your parents are?"

Tilting her head in curiosity, the filly watched as Dayspring pointed at the foal with a hoof, then pointed at the filly, before finally pointing at the parents in the picture. Unfortunately the filly didn't understood what Dayspring was trying convey as she simply said, "No understand."

Sighing, Dayspring looked at Pinkie as she asked, "While I hate to have to ask this, will she be able to understand if I ask if she has any parents or family?"

Pinkie furrowed her brow in thought, before answering "I think she knows the words for have and family," before turning her head to looked at the filly, her face taking on a look of absolute dread as she feared one possible answer the filly may have.

Taking a deep breath, Dayspring turned her attention back on the filly as she asked, "Do you... do you have any parents?" as she repeated the pointing process once more.

Within moments, the filly's face darkened as she appeared to understand Dayspring's question. The filly closed her eyes as she takes a deep breath, before finally answering, "No."

As sorrow crept on both the ponies' faces, Dayspring gulped as she asked the next dreaded question, "Do you have any family?"

Sighing once more, the filly simply said, "I have no family." Pinkie's face took on an devastated expression as streams of tears run down her face as she instantly wrapped her forelegs around the filly in a hug, lifting her into the air.

"No, you silly filly, you have a family, a new family," Pinkie said as she tightened her hold on the filly, which sadly shut off the flow of air to her lungs. Turning her head to Dayspring, who was desperately trying to hold back her own tears, Pinkie tearfully asked, "She is still staying with us, right?"

"Well, since the Cake family, including you, are registered as a foster family, I suppose you could, but you have to get approval from Mr. and Mrs. Cake before you can take on the filly as a foster foal. It's saddening to hear that you had to take on a foster foal, though. It's so rare for a foal to lose their family these days," Dayspring said, her face also full of sorrow at the filly's misfortune, in their eyes at least. Meanwhile, the filly's suffocation continued as she pawed at Pinkie's forelegs, desperate for air.

"Oh, they will love to take the filly in. She's been so well behaved! Oh, I can't wait to give her a party to help cheer her up, I haven't had a chance yet since she can't talk to ponies yet, but she's learning so fast that soon I can throw her one. I'll throw her the best party of her life. I'll Pinkie promise to that," Pinkie said, before Dayspring finally noticed the filly's coat turning blue as her eyes started to glaze over like she was about to pass out.

"Ummm... Pinkie, maybe you so loosen your grip, I don't think the filly can breathe," Dayspring pointed out, causing Pinkie to look down at the filly to see her now blue face.

"Whoopsie," Pinkie said as she finally let go, dropping the filly onto the floor as she start panting for air.

"While we have the issue of who can going to take care of her settled, in order to complete her paperwork, we still need a name for her. Are you certain that she hasn't told you her name? It may be possible that she has told you, but you couldn't understand it since it may sound like the rest of her language."

Pinkie shook her head as she said "I don't think so, I was able to teach her my name, and I know that she knows the word for name, but when I tried to ask her for her name, she didn't even say a thing."

"Peculiar. I didn't expect the filly to withhold her name, though maybe I have an alternative solution," Dayspring said as she turned to the filly. As the filly was still trying to catch her breath, she simply looked up at Dayspring from the floor as she asked, "Do you want a new name?"

The filly simply stared at Daysrping as she tried to comprehend the question till she came to some conclusion as she asked, "New name?" Giving the filly a nod, Dayspring watched as the filly stared at the ground as if she was lost in concentration. Before long, the filly looked up at Dayspring as she replied, "Yes, new name... I name... I."

Cocking an eyebrow, Dayspring said, "Well, it's unusual for a foal to name themselves, since it's normally the parents who... well... I think we can let the filly name herself. What name do you want?" as she pointed her hoof at the filly's chest, indicating that it was time for her to give Dayspring a name. However, instead of giving some response, the filly just laid there on the floor, her eyes darting this way and that. Eventually, Dayspring realized that the filly didn't have a name in mind, causing her to say, "Oh dear, she may not be able to tell us what name she wants for herself."

"Oh, I have an idea," Pinkie exclaimed, causing the other two ponies in the room to look at her sudden excitement. "We should go to the library and ask Twilight to help. She may have an idea on how to help the filly name herself!"

"While that may sound like a good idea, I don't think the princess has the time to help us to just find a name."

"Oh no, I'm sure she'll be glad to help. She's always want to be friendly to anypony she meets!"

Releasing a sigh, Dayspring replied, "If you say so... we might as well give it a try. I just hope we're not a bother to the princess." Smiling in her new-found joy, Pinkie picked the filly up and placed her on her back as Dayspring gathered her papers before placing them back in her bags. Before the filly could mouth off any sort of protest in regards to having to ride on Pinkie's back, the trio already starting moving out, heading out the front door as Pinkie bounce forward, happy again for being able to finally have a name for the filly that she can use for the party she was planning for when the filly was ready to enjoy it.

Chapter IX: Name

As the trio left Sugarcube corner, the filly could only eye the adults with an eyebrow cocked in curiosity, which was soon sated when she caught sight of the library. Reaching the front door, Pinkie knocked on the door with her hoof, waited until Spike opened the door. He greeted Pinkie before eyeing both Dayspring and the filly as he asked, "Why are those two here with you, Pinkie?"

"This here is Dayspring Joy and we're here to help get the silly filly a new name!" Pinkie answered with unrestrained excitement.

"What's wrong with her old name? And how being in a library will help with getting a new name?" Spike asked as he scratched the side of his head in curiosity.

"We really don't know, the filly wouldn't tell us her name, so Dayspring thought that maybe the filly doesn't want to say it for some silly reason, so she decided to ask the filly if she wanted a new name, and she actually said yes! But the silly filly couldn't come up with a name, and I thought 'Maybe Twilight can help us, she did help with the filly's learning of Equestrian, maybe she can help her find a name she would like too!"

"Uh huh..." Spike said, appearing to have lost track of what Pinkie was saying as he simply stood aside to let all of them in. Once inside, the filly hopped off Pinkie's back before she started bouncing up the stairs, apparently going to get Twilight herself this time. As the filly sat down, she noticed Dayspring coming to her side, sitting down right next to her as she gave the filly a smile in an effort to cheer her up, which was promptly ruined by the filly giving Dayspring a flat stare till her smile faded away.

Soon, Pinkie returns with the Twilight in tow, whose eyes flashed in curiosity as she caught sight of the filly before a scowl crossed her face when Dayspring bowed to her. As Twilight approached the filly, the filly spotted Twilight's curiosity and wasn't pleased by it when the filly said, "I no speak good." Instantly the look of disappointment flashed across Twilight's face before it strangely turned into one of excitement.

"I had high hopes that she would learn enough Equestrian to have a conversation with her even though I knew that was statistically impossible, but she has made so much improvement! Assuming she's not just parroting us, I’ll be able to finally ask her questions about her native tongue in a few weeks! I need to prepare my schedule for th-" Twilight started before ducking as a book flew over her head. "Ahah! I was ready for th-" she continued till a second book successfully stuck her in the face. As the book fell to the floor, Twilight glared at the filly as she returned Twilight's glare with a smug smile. All the while, Pinkie was on the floor, laughing at the sight while Dayspring was gaping in shock of what the filly had done.

After a moment, Dayspring sputtered utter nonsense, drawing the others’ attention to her before she composed herself enough to point a hoof at the filly as she said, "How... how dare you hit the princess! If you weren't an orphan I would have your pare-"

"It's alright, no harm was done. The filly only did it to stop me from continuing my deductions, though there are nicer ways to do that," Twilight said before turning to the filly to give her a disapproving look.

"Still, it was inappropriate for anypony to treat you like that, princess. Oh, my, I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Dayspring Joy, and I'm a member of Canterlot's social services department," Dayspring said with another bow that resulted in a deep sigh from Twilight.

"Oh, I forgot to teach the silly filly your name Twilight!" Pinkie said as she jumped into the air in shock before landing in front of the filly. Pointing a hoof at Twilight, Pinkie said, "Name, Twilight, Twilight..." repeating before the filly finally nodded to let Pinkie know that she get the point. Turning to Twilight, Pinkie asked, "So do you have a superduperific idea on how to help the silly filly get herself a name?"

"I may have one that might help, but it is a far stretch..." Twilight said as her horn lit up in that purple aura of hers, as several books glowed with the same aura as they were pulled off the shelves before being placed before the filly. Tilting her head in curiosity, she reach out to grab the cover of the book with her hoof. It was only recently that the odd filly had become able to start grasping with her hooves properly, as both she and Pinkie remembered that one incident with a bowl of hot soup and a spoon.

Opening the book, instead of just seeing words the filly saw an illustration of some kind of tree before her. "Name, " Twilight simply said as she pointed a hoof at the illustration, before using her horn to flip the page to a new image that she pointed her hoof to as she said name again, repeating several times before the filly finally give her a nod. Understanding the reason she was brought here, the filly began to flip the pages of the book in her search for something interesting to be named after as Twilight turned to the other two ponies to say "All these books contain images of various objects or places in Equestria. Hopefully the filly will find something that she might be interested in being named after. I think she understands my intention, so for now, we have to wait for the filly to find something she likes."

What was believed to be a feasible solution to the name issue was growing to into a massive source of frustration for all the ponies present. As the filly went through each book, she sometimes found a picture that interested her, but once Twilight gave her the name of the picture, the filly just frowned as she found it undesirable to her ears. Even the others were becoming disappointed, with Pinkie Pie's smile fading to a sad frown as she muttered something to herself. All the while, a growing stack of books piled up in the corner until Spike began to return them to their proper places on the shelves.

Sighing to herself at the sight of yet another dull picture, the filly turned the page to catch sight of an illustration of what appeared to be the upper atmosphere, where one ends up seeing above the clouds as the sky fades into the emptiness of space. Glancing over her shoulder to see what stopped the filly in her tracks, Twilight spotted the picture as she commented, "Huh, this is an old scientific picture of the theory that above the sky that space was filled with a theoretical element called aether, though that theory didn't last long when it was discovered that pegasi couldn't breathe as they made expeditions to the upper atmosphere."

Even though the filly couldn't understand what Twilight said to her, her ears did perk up as she heard a word that seemed to perk her interest. Looking at Twilight, she simply parroted, "Aether?" drawing Twilight's attention once again.

"Aether? Does that word interest you?" Twilight asked, only to receive a blank stare. Facehooving at her blunder, she said, "Name, Aether?" to which the filly finally give a nod. Tapping a hoof against her chin, Twilight muttered, "While unusual for a name, due to it being a concept around science... and it's not uncommon for unicorns to be named after something scientific... I suppose Aether would be a fine name for you," as she smiled at the filly, which caused the filly to finally smile.

"So it's settle the filly will be called Aether, and since Pinkie's gonna be her foster parent, we could call her Aether Pie," Dayspring said, causing Pinkie give her a wide smile while the filly now named Aether turn her head at her and give her a scowl. Seeing Aether's reaction, Dayspring said, "Err... maybe not Aether Pie... how about Aether Cake since the Cakes will also be taking care of her?" Aether gave the scowl again as Pinkie's smile faded a bit as her mane deflated a bit at the filly's rejection of having Pie in her name. "Okay... maybe not Aether Cake either..."

"Does she have a problem against Pinkie or the Cakes? Or..." Twilight pondered out loud as she levitated a cookbook over to Aether. Observing the filly carefully, Twilight saw the filly quickly reject the cookbook the moment she opened it, causing her to suspect that Aether wasn't interested in having food in her name, which was supported when the presence of the cookbook caused Aether deepen her scowl. "What a relief. I guess she doesn't want to have food in her name, no offense Pinkie."

"None taken!" Pinkie exclaimed, glad that Aether's rejection wasn't in any relation to her.

"Still, we can't just name her Aether alone, it seems too short..." Twilight said, rubbing a hoof against her chin as she looked upon the filly. "This filly seems to be able to display her desires with ease when she can't say it, which is a bit unusual for a foal... it's like she's somehow projecting her desires like an aura... wait, how about we name her Aether Aura?" Twilight proposed, as she turned to Aether to say the name to her.

Considering the name for just a moment, Aether simply nodded her approval after deciding that it wasn't bad, to which Dayspring lets out a sigh of relief. "Now that we finally have something to call her, I can finish up Aether's paperwork, and we can go back to the Sugarcube Corner to see if the Cakes are willing to take her in as foster parents as well," she said as she levitated her notepad from her bag to write down Aether's name on the paperwork.

Grinning in delight, Pinkie suddenly grabbed Aether with her hooves, hoisting her into the air suddenly, spinning her around as Pinkie yelled into her face, "You're gonna be part of the family now Aether, and you have a new name! I can even throw you another party, but wait, I still have to throw you a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party, and now a 'Welcome to your new family party'... and... well.. I'll throw you one big super party to celebrate all that! You'll love it!" However, Pinkie's excited spinning rendered Aether dizzy, where the moment Pinkie finally placed her down, the filly only took one step before tripping and falling face first onto the floor, much to the Spike's amusement as he let out a laugh at the filly's expense.

Before Aether could gather her wits, Dayspring announced, "All done with the paperwork. It's time for us to head back to the Sugarcube Corner." Turning to Twilight, she bowed as she said, "Thank you for your assistance, Princess Twilight Sparkle. It was a pleasure to meet you." before she headed to the front door as Pinkie picked up the dizzy filly and placed her back on her back to allow her to recover from her daze as well as make sure she didn't decorate Twilight's floor with her breakfast, which Pinkie was thinking could end up happening based on how green Aether's face was getting. Waving a goodbye to Twilight, Pinkie followed Dayspring back to Sugarcube Corner, so that the Cakes could be given a chance to give their say in regards to the filly's fate.

Chapter X: Language

Boredom. One of the worst enemies of any sentient life. Whether sapient or sentient, adult or child, boredom is something no one, or nopony as the case may be, wants to deal with for long. Hence, after receiving my name fifteen days ago, I was more motivated to learn the pony's language then ever, and I felt like I certainly had made great strides since then. It was only a few days ago that I finally learned enough of their language that I was able to adapt to speaking it, though I had to take things slow so I could process what I heard from the ponies first. I even learned their number system, which was thankfully in base ten, though it did made me wonder how they come up with that since they didn't have ten of anything in regards to their bodies to base their numbers off of. Maybe it was some other species that came up with that since there was a purple reptile, apparently called a dragon, living in the library after all. Whatever the case, I was overjoyed that I didn't look like a damned idiot when somepony talked to me anymore.

Shortly after our return from Twilight's residence, Dayspring apparently broke the news that I had no parents or family to the Cakes based on their expression of sorrow. Thankfully, they didn't have any objections to taking care of me as they signed the paperwork, hence rendering me their full-time foster child, though I silently prayed that nopony had any future plans on adopting me. To my good fortune, due to my new position in the family, I was given my own room to sleep in. Though the room size was considerably small in comparison to all the other rooms, and looked like they used it as a storage room, it was an improvement to being hugged by Pinkie each night. That pony really needed to learn about the concept of personal space.

Through it was finally nice to have a bed of my own, I was getting a nagging suspicion that Pinkie was planning something, for as I learned more and more of the pony's language, I saw Pinkie muttering more and more to the Cakes about something whenever I wasn't looking. It became even clearer when I started to say full sentences a few days ago, for Pinkie's response to that was the widest smile I ever saw, and I’ve seen creatures with hundreds of teeth smiling at me before. Still, I had nothing to go on in regards to her scheming beyond her more erratic behavior. However, I was given a hint right after breakfast one morning.

As I sat on the table, munching on what was left of my pancakes, I simply watched Mrs. Cake taking care of the twins while Mr. Cake was preparing the bakery for another day of business, leaving me alone to my thoughts. That was, until a certain high pitched voice decided to interrupt them.

"Hey Aether, wanna go visit Twilight today?" asked Pinkie Pie with that trademark grin of hers.

Tilting my head at that question, I answered, "Ummm... why you ask, Pinkie?" Normally she tried to get me to play some game with her, like 'Pin the Tail on the Pony,' which was a weird game in my point of view.

"Well silly, you've been cooped up in here for so long, and a young filly like you needs to get outside, have some fresh air, and most importantly have fun with your friends! Then I thought, 'Aether hasn't seen Twilight since she got her name, maybe she wants to see her again but doesn't know how to get back to the library!' So I'm gonna take you to her since you two are friends and Twilight really really wants to talk to you when you can talk to her!"

Giving Pinkie a deadpan look, I said, "Pinkie, I do not think Twilight and I are friends, since I did throw some books at her face."

"Don't be silly Aether, you two are totally friends. Strangers don't throw books at other ponies’ faces when they don't know them!"

"They would, if they want them to go away."

"That's just silly, you silly filly. What pony wants other ponies to go away?"

Blinking at Pinkie, I could only facehoof myself as I thought, She's already crossing into nonsense, better give her what she wants or I'll end up going crazy... err... crazier. Groaning to myself, I replied, "Fine. I will go visit Twilight, but I know how to get there myself."

"Are you sure Aether? I could take you there so you don't get lost and end up in a cabbage stall."

"I will not ge- cabbage stall? How will I end up lost in a cabbage stall?"

"You never know..." Pinkie said with a smile, which I returned with a disbelieving stare.

Slipping off my seat, I rolled my eyes as I said, "I will be going now, alone." Walking past Pinkie, who gave me a wave while still keeping that eerie smile of hers, I headed out the front door as I followed the path to the library.

It was a clear sunny morning as I entered the marketplace on the way to the library, where I was enjoying my walk until I heard a voice from above yelled, "Look out below!!" Turning my head to the direction of where the voice came from, I saw the cyan stunt pony crashing into another pony, who was sent flyi- oh shit!

"Gah!" I shrieked when the pony crashed into me, sending myself flying through the air until I crashed into some things that felt round and wet.

"My cabbages!" I heard a pony scream as I made my way out of whatever I crashed into. Finally getting my head free, I looked at what I crashed into, only to see that I'm in the middle of a pile of cabbages at a.... market stall.

You... you got to be kidding me, I'm in a cabbage stall like Pinkie said‽ I thought to myself, slightly disturbed about the possibility that Pinkie actually predicted that this would happen. As I was digging myself out of the pile, I looked up to see two ponies yelling at the cyan pegasus, who was apologizing to the two for the crash landing. However, when one of the ponies pointed at the stall, the cyan pony follow the direction of the pony's hoof to see me.

At first, a flash of recognition appeared on the pony's face before it quickly gave way to an expression of worry as she saw me pulling myself out of the pile. Pushing past the two ponies, the cyan pony flew to my side as she asked, "Are you alright? You didn't get hurt from the... err... landing?"

"Yes, I am not hurt from your crash," I replied as I finally pulled myself out of the cabbages, shaking off pieces that got stuck to my coat.

"Phew, that's good to he- wait a minute! You can talk now‽"

"No, I could talk before, just not in your words," I replied with a deadpan expression.

"Oh yeah, Pinkie did mention that you spoke a different language, must have slipped past my mind. Anyways, I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria!" she said, puffing out her chest.

"Rainbow Dash, nice to meet you... again.... I guess. My name is Aether Aura, and I will be going now," I said before turning away to continue my trot to the library.

Before I could take two steps, Rainbow decided to block my path as she landed right in front of me. "What the hay! I just introduced myself and this is the respect I get?"

"You sent me flying into a cabbage stall."

"Well... I-"

"Do ponies get respect by sending foals flying into cabbage stalls?"

"Well, no, bu-"

"Then you did not got my respect," I said with a huff of frustration as I walked around her. Unfortunately, Rainbow decided to continue this conversation when I felt her grabbing my tail to stop me.

"Hey, look here. That was an accident and nopony got hurt. So how about we start all over, and I'll show you some of my awesome moves. What do you say?"

"No," I said bluntly, causing her to blink in shock as she lost her grip on my tail.

Rainbow however quickly shook off her shock before flying in front of me, hovering before me as she said, "What do you mean, no? How can you say no to seeing my awesome moves?"

"Well, since I do not know what the word awesome means, I decided to say no."

"How can you not know what awesome means? You’re speaking Equestrian now!"

"Yes, I speak your words, but that does not mean I speak them or understand them good," I replied, my growing irritation at being stopped so my visible on my face.

"Oh, well... remember the moves I showed you when we first met?" After I gave her a nod, she continued, "Those are some of my awesome moves, so how about you sit here and watch the sheer awesomeness that is Rainbow Dash?"

"No."

"Good, now wa- wait, did you said no again?"

"Yes, I said no. I do not want to see your 'awesome moves' as you say."

"Oh come on, why don't you want to see them?" Rainbow said, exasperated at my refusal.

"Because I do not like seeing 'awesome moves', I think they are a waste of time." Strangely though, instead of getting Rainbow to back off, my words seemed to have just left her dumbstruck for a moment before a look of absolute rage appeared on her face.

"My moves are not a waste of time! They are the best moves in all of Ponyville, and will one day get me into the Wonderbolts!" Rainbow yelled at me, drawing attention of nearby ponies.

Sighing at the outburst, I said, "Rainbow, sorry, but I do not like moves like that. I just do not."

Narrowing her eyes, Rainbow asked with a clenched jaw, "Why not?"

Opening my mouth for a moment, I suddenly paused as I started to think to myself. Crap, how am I going to explain that watching someone pull off stunts is nothing compared to doing crazy, stupid shit in other dimensions in order to survive... guess I have to go with the language barrier excuse... "Tough for me to say with your words, give me time please to learn more words so I can say better," I replied, hoping that would placate the pegasus.

Her eyes still narrowed, Rainbow took a deep breath, exhaling before she said, "Fine. I'll let this slide, for now. But the moment you can actually explain to me why you don't want to see my moves, you better get Pinkie to bring you to me." With her own huff, she flew off into the sky as I let out a sigh of relief. I definitely needed to come up with a good reason next time I saw that mare.

Feeling like I was under some spotlight, I looked around to notice that the ponies in the market street were staring at me due to Rainbow's outburst. Letting out a chuckle as I blushed, I simply smiled and waved at the ponies, who in return shrugged the incident off like it was some normal everyday thing. Sighing once more, I continued my way to the library, inwardly hoping that nothing else crazy happens today.

After a while, I finally reached the library, where I knocked on the front door with my hoof before sitting down, expecting the dragon to answer it only to be surprised when the door opened to reveal Twilight.

"This is a library, you can alw- oh, it's you Aether. What are you doing here and why are you alone?" Twilight asked, before facehoofing. Apparently she was thinking that I couldn't understand their language still.

"Pinkie told me to go visit you, though I do not know why. I came here alone because I want to come here alone this time," I answered to the best of my ability.

"Oh, well, I'm sure Pinkie has her rea-" Twilight started to say before she suddenly stopped, the irises of her eyes shrinking. Seems like she just now realized that I was speaking their tongue, for soon after a moment passed she suddenly yelled, "You're talking in Equestrian! Do you know what I'm saying?"

"Errr... I understand some, but I still need to learn more words before I can speak your words good," I answered, to which Twilight's mouth suddenly shifted to a wide smile that reminded me of one of Pinkie's smiles.

Shit... that is not a good sign, not a good sign at all.

Chapter XI: Alphabet

Aether is capable of communication! Well, some level of communication. but it still means that I can finally ask her about her language! Oh, the possibilities in linguistics that could be discovered once we can get her language translated, a language that isn't related to any known language known! Twilight thought to herself as she smiled at Aether. She then realized that she was still standing in the doorway as she said, "Oops, I'm in your way. Just let me stand aside for you, then," as she stepped aside, keeping her eyes on the filly.

Aether walked inside, eyeing Twilight with suspicion that caused her smile to twitch a bit. Closing the door after her, Twilight turned around to see the filly still eyeing her. Before Twilight could open her mouth, Aether suddenly asked, "What do you want?"

Blinking in confusion, Twilight responded, "What do you mean, Aether?"

"I can see you want something from me. Your smile is... not you, so tell me, what do you want."

Blinking again, Twilight simply stared at Aether, dumbstruck by what she said. How can she know that I want to learn her lan- no wait, she knows I want something, but she doesn't know what yet. Still, it's amazing that a young filly like her was able to read me so easily... or am I an open book? Twilight thought to herself. Chuckling to herself, Twilight averted her eyes from the filly for a moment, before looking back at Aether to say, "What do you mean? I'm just happy to see you, Aether. What's wrong with me being overjoyed at seeing a friend visiting?"

Aether narrowed her eyes at Twilight, staring at her like she was staring into her soul. "You no trick me. I see that smile is happy, but smile is happy for something else too. Tell me what that something else is," Aether said as she folded her forelegs across her chest.

Staring at Aether in shock, Twilight sighed as she revealed the truth, "Alright... I was excited that since you could talk, that there maybe a possibility that I could learn something about your language," finishing with a sheepish smile.

Aether stared at Twilight for a moment, causing her smile to falter a bit before Aether shrugged and said, "Eh, we can talk about my words if you want."

Staring at the Aether again, Twilight said, "Really?"

"Yes, I see no harm in you learning my words, not like there is other ponies that can talk to you in my words."

Twilight reared her head after hearing Aether's words. Oh, no, I must have reminded her that she lost her family... Looking at Aether with a tinge of sadness on her face, Twilight said, "We don't have to talk about your language, that can wait for another time."

Cocking an eyebrow, Aether responded, "Why not? You was happy to have chance to learn my words, and I see no trouble in you learning my words."

Baffled at the response, Twilight asked with caution, "Are you really okay with teaching me your language?" After receiving a nod, Twilight continued, "You don't have any problems with it at all?"

"No trouble for me. Might even learn your words better, maybe."

"Okay..." Twilight said, before she get excited again at the prospect of learning about an unknown language. She lit up her horn, various scrolls, inkwells, and quills came out of the woodwork as she seated herself in front of Aether with a scroll and quill ready to take notes. "This is so exciting! Think about all the phonetics we can learn from your language. It might introduce us to new possibilities in how we study ancient languages! I can't wait to write... down... all..." Twilight said before coming to a stop. Looking at Aether with a shocked expression, Twilight said, "Sorry, you probably don't know how to write..."

"What‽ I know how to write, just not in your words," Aether replied with an annoyed huff. Her expression suddenly changed to horror as she realized what she just revealed, looking at Twilight to see her face gaping at her before her mouth smiled an even more eerie smile then the one she had at the door.

"Your language even has a written form, one that is not Equestrian! This is even better than I can hope! Not only now are we presented with an opportunity to advanced our linguistic understanding, but we can even uncover another writing system! Your language might even be the key to translating some of the ancient documents in the Royal Canterlot Archives that nopony could translate!" Twilight exclaim as she continued on her rant, to Aether's displeasure.

Who would have thought someone could go on a nerdy rant for this long, I thought as I listened to Twilight's rant go past the thirty minute mark. I shouldn't have mentioned that I could write, although I thought it was harmless to mention at first due to the odds of these ponies ever getting a hand, or hoof so to say, on anything written in my language. I should have known better that Twilight would react this way. She was quite a nerd after all.

Deciding that enough was enough, I shoved my hoof into her mouth, silencing her as I said, "No. More. Talking," before pulling it out to which Twilight smiling sheepishly after realization struck her.

"Eh heh, sorry about getting carried away. The prospect of undiscovered knowledge was just too good to resist." I watched as she levitated a scroll and quill over to me as she asked, "Would you mind writing down your alphabet first please?" After giving her a blank stare due to not knowing what 'alphabet' means, she then said "Letters?"

"Oh, yes, I can write down... the letters of my words," I said as I grabbed the quill with my hoof and got started. It was frustrating to know so little of their vocabulary. I really needed to learn more about it so there would be no more confusion when I needed to converse with them. After a few moments, I put the quill aside as I handed over the scroll back to her. I watched her smile in joy as her eyes looked over scroll, before they widen in surprise.

"Your... your language's alphabet has seventy four letters‽ How can you... I mean... wait, do you know our number system?" Twilight exclaimed in shock.

"Yes, I know your numbers, I can count to the thousands. What, not enough letters?"

"Not enough‽ Equestrian only has twenty six letters!"

Only twenty six? Odd... and this makes things more complicated... for her... why can't there be some dimensional constant with alphabets... I thought before I replied, "That can be problem then..." Twilight on the other hoof simply stared at the scroll before her until her creepy smile started to return. Oh shit...

"This is nothing more than a challenge to cultural studies, but one that we will overcome and all of ponykind will benefit culturally from your language and its alphabet. To date, the largest known alphabet is barely over forty letters but yours is over seventy! I can't wait to learn how that goes into your language's lingui-" Twilight ranted until I stuck a hoof into her mouth again. This pony really needed to learn some self-control.

"One thing at a time, one thing at a time. Will be hard for you to learn the words of... my words if our letters are not the same," I said before removing my hoof.

"You're right. I have a hard enough time wrapping my head around the thought of a language that has seventy four letters in its alphabet, but it’ll probably be the same for your case. You’ll probably going to have a hard time with figuring out our alphabet. You must be used to having a bunch of different letters make different sounds, while we have just a few letters that make a lot of sounds when put together.”." After I replied with a simple shrug, Twilight continued, "Pronunciation alone will be problematic, so it may be best to teach you our alphabet first so that you can write your language's words in our alphabet, if only your par-" before she stop as she averted her eyes as she gave a sheepish smile.

"Twilight, I know what you were about to say," I deadpanned, giving her an expression that said that I wasn't fazed, at all.

Releasing a nervous laugh, Twilight said, "Heh... sorry for bringing it up, though you are more mature than most fillies in their mid-twenties."

As I was about to give the nod that says 'yeah yeah, let's just move on already,' I stopped dead in my tracks after my brain processed what she said. Fabfffgabker- what! Mid-twenties! What the fuck‽ I thought as I stared wide-eyed at Twilight, who looked back curiously as this was the first time my composure was completely broken.

"Huh? Don't you kn- oh! Your culture might have different ways of tracking ages! No wonder you're confused. Do you want to know how we keep track of our years?" After I gave Twilight a dumbfounded nod, she continued, "Well, there's three hundred, sixty five days per year, with a day being twenty four hours."

Hmmm... since after watching a clock out of sheer boredom I know they have sixty minutes to a hour, and sixty seconds... have to calculate the number of days per standard cycle... then have to adjust for the time difference in hours of my days to theirs... I thought to myself as I rubbed a hoof against my chin as I concentrated.

"Ummm... Aether, you do know some basics about mathematics, right? Or, well, how to do 'well with numbers'? I mean, I don't expect a filly of your age to be ab-" Twilight said before I raised my hoof to interrupt her.

"Quiet, I know numbers, let me think," I replied before returning to my thoughts. Wish they stop thinking that I was an uneducated fool, now where was I... oh yeah, carry the five, divide by their days and... I'm about twenty seven... years old... and since I'm a child... fuck... if a foal of my age is in their mid-twenties... I'm gonna to be stuck as a child for... who knows how long... this is just grand. At least this explains why I'm so young, though that doesn't help one fuckin bit.

Releasing a frustrated sigh, I turned my attention back to Twilight as I murmured, "I am twenty seven years old..." I was still disturbed at how long I was going to be stuck as a child, and not looking forward to the prospect of puberty, assuming ponies do have a puberty.

"It's good that you know of math, though I'm now curious about if your culture has a different approach to mathematics, though you do seem to understand base ten numbers, so we do have some common grounds between our cultures after all. I just wish I could meet an adult from your culture. There must be some mathematical formulas in your culture that are unknown to us, and to think of the possible advances it would generate!" Twilight said as she went off on another rant of hers.

Sighing to myself, I shook my head at how easily distracted Twilight could get. If only you knew the real truth about me, but I'm not gonna let that come out. Not worth the risk after the last time... I thought with a shudder as I remembered the last time I let the local population know that I was from another dimension. I was lucky to escape with all my limbs intact and only end up having to pull foreign objects out of my body for days afterwards.

Twilight continued on her rant until she noticed what time it was on the clock, for she instantly stopped to say, "Oh, look at the time. It's time for you to go home Aether."

Looking at the clock, I replied, "It is only middle of day. What are you talking about?"

"No, no. You have to go now, Aether. Here, I'll accompany you home so you don't feel lonely," Twilight said as her horn alight and she levitated me onto her back before trotting out of the library. What is it with ponies carrying me all over the place?

It didn't took long for us to arrive back at the Sugarcube Corner before Twilight let me off her back. However, instead of opening the door herself, she indicated with a hoof that I should go in first. Eyeing her with suspicion, I opened the door only to see a void of darkness inside instead of the usual day-to-day business. As I took a cautious step inside, the lights suddenly turned on, blinding me as I heard something right in front of my face yelling at me.

"SURPRI-" THWACK!

Interlude I: Disruptions

Data Log Recording: Star System 134 of Quadrant 6 of Dimension 62

Date of Log Entry: 572 A.V.I. Day 172 16:12

Life Scans of Planetary Bodies of Star System: Life Detected on Second Planet from Star

Observations of Life Detected: Sentient Life Observed. No Signs of Sapient Life detected.

All Present Minerals and Elements in Star System 134 Detected and Measured

Probe 42 Mission Status: Complete. Proceeding with Return to Station 17

Maralus Core Frequency Achieved. Opening Dimensional Rift to Dimension 4.

Dimensional Rift Open Successful. Entering Rift.

Rift Entrance Successful

Alert: Dimensional Anomaly Detected after 3 C.U.s in Dimensional Rift

Dimensional Rift Affected by Anomaly. Proceeding with Emergency Dimensional Exit.

Dimensional Rift Collapsing. Emergency Dimensional Exit failed due to Anomaly Interference.

Dimensional Rift Collapsed. Deposit in Unknown Location Eminent.

Scanning Current Location: Current Location in Atmosphere of Unknown Planetary Body

Detecting Unknown Energy Field in Current Location. Scanning Energy Pro- Systems Fail Detected.

Systems Shutting Down. Attempting System Re-

"Huzzah!!! We have vanquished the Cake of Utter Deliciousness!" Princess Luna cried, after eating the largest cake in the world.

"Luna, why couldn't I have a slice of the cake? You know how much I love cake," Princess Celestia whined, as she sat in the corner with a dunce cap on her head.

"Dear sister, thou know that thou is still grounded for thy previous actions from six weeks ago. Thou will not have cake till thou have truly learned thy lesson," Luna chastised her sister, who answered with a whiny whimper.

"Now it is time for our subjects to praise our glorious victory," Luna said as she leaned towards the nearest window, a hoof to her ear as she awaited for her expected cheers. However, instead of cheering, she instead heard cries of horror and ponies screaming in pain and suffering.

"What is the meaning of this? What hast thou done now sister?" Luna asked as she towards her sister, only to see that she had mysteriously disappeared. Tilting her head in confusion, she began to notice that the light in the room had been fading away till she was surrounded by utter darkness. "What trickery is this sister? We command thee to stop it at once."

No reply came to Luna's ears, though she suddenly felt the presence of something staring at her from behind her. Jerking her head to confront the presence, her eyes came to rest upon the sight of one massive grey eye, much larger than the alicorn before it, its reptilian pupil staring right at her, causing her to back away in shock.

"What is the meani- oh, we are dreaming, of course. Begone thou nightmarish beast!" Luna commanded, her horn glowing in her magic as she sent a ray of magic to the eye, expecting it to vanish when struck. However, when the ray hit the eye, instead of disappearing, the ray just glanced off the eye, leaving it utterly unfazed.

"What... how... how ca-" Luna stammered, until a monstrous howl roared into her ears, causing her to scream in fear.

It was afternoon as Celestia attended to her royal duties at the Day Court. Fortunately, the pressing matters that she had to attended to had been resolved. Unfortunately, she now had to listen to her nephew Prince Blueblood's latest foolish scheme as she wondered how her nephew still managed to hold onto his title. However, Blueblood's speech was abruptly stopped when a terror filled scream was heard.

"Luna!" Celestia cried as her horn alighted with her magic, as she quickly teleported to her sister's chambers. Upon her arrival, Celestia beheld the sight of her sister, gasping rapidly as her eyes darted around in fear. "Luna, what has happened‽"

Looking at her older sister, Luna's breathing slowed as she began to calm down. "I... we... we had a nightmare of sorts..."

As an expression of relief came onto Celestia's face, she approaches Luna's side as she said, "Oh thank the sun. For a moment I thought you were under attack. Amusing that the Princess of the Night was frightened by a nightmare," as she nuzzled her sister.

"Dear sister, for this was no ordinary nightmare, for we hath seen a creature that we hath never beheld before," Luna responded.

Tilting her head, Celestia replied, "Really, Luna? Are you sure that it wasn't just a figment of your imagination?"

"We are certain, for upon the sight of the horrendous beast, we recognized that we were in a dream, and used our magic to cast out the vile image. To our dismay however, our magic did not dispel the creature, and it was which at that moment we realized that it was not a nightmarish construct of our mind."

"This... this is troublesome to hear. If you couldn't dispel it from your dream... that means it could either be a projection of some kind... or a vision..." Celestia pondered. "Just what was the creature you saw?"

"We are not certain of the creature's full form, for we only saw its eye, which was massive in size, larger than us. The eye, however was completely grey, with a reptilian slit for its pupil. However, it roared like a beast that we hath never heard of. Regardless of what the foul creature was, either projection or vision, we hath believed that... it does not hold good intentions towards us."

"What do you mean?"

"Dear sister, before our dream was shattered, we felt a presence from the creature, an emotion. The emotion the creature projected... it was of pure hate."

Meanwhile, as the two rulers discussed the implications of Luna's nightmare, the party being held in Sugarcube Corner has drawn to a close as ponies began to leave to make their way to their homes as the sun began to approach the edge of the horizon. As the last guests began to say their goodbyes, an explosion was heard, shocking the residents of Ponyville. Some ponies looked to the sky. They could see a cloud of dark smoke in the sky, right over the nearby forest known as White Tail Woods. Most other ponies, as typical of a resident of Ponyville, scattered in a panic, heading to their homes to board up their doors and windows. For those that saw the cloud of smoke, they beheld the sight of many objects falling out of the cloud, leaving billowing tails of smoke in their wake as they crashed into the woods below.

Chapter XIII: Remnants

For a party thrown by cute cuddly ponies, it wasn't half bad. The games themselves were too simple for me to be amused, though hearing the Crusader's stories about their attempts to get a Cutie Mark was amusing. Then, all that food... After that feast, I need to keep an eye on what I eat or I'll end up fat and bloated. I still wondered how Pinkie wasn't fat from all the sweets she ate. Before the party came to a close, the ponies showed me just how damn kind they were when I received some gifts from them, though most of them were toys that I probably wouldn't touch. I did get one of those bags they wear on their backs, although I couldn't recall what they called them, but then I overheard them saying that I would be going to a place called 'school' soon, though that was another word that I had yet to learn.

It was late in the afternoon when the party started to slow down to an end with the attendees making their leave, when suddenly, we all heard an explosion. Looking up, we saw a cloud of smoke in the sky, with what looked like debris falling from it. Twilight suddenly took command of the situation, as Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and some yellow coated pegasus with a pink mane formed a group together and headed off in the direction of where the debris would have fallen.

"Do you think we're being invaded by aliens?" Sweetie Belle asked as the four of us stood outside Sugarcube Corner as we watched Twilight and her friends run off.

"If they were aliens, my sister and her friends will fight them off," Apple Bloom stated.

"Maybe we should go check it out, maybe we can get Cutie Marks at fighting aliens!" Scootaloo said, excited at the idea as I rolled my eyes at it and wondered what an ‘alien’ was. The trio clapped their forehooves together, which to me was the signal to cover my ears with my hooves, but even with that their yelling was still painful to hear.

Turning her head towards me, Sweetie asked, "Do you want to join us, Aether?"

Hmm... to join them on their little 'trip' or not... I thought to myself as I looked up at the cloud again. While these three are a bit loud for my ears, that cloud... the debris raining down from it... if it what I think it is, I may be able to salvage something useful. Looking at the trio, I answered, "Yes, I will go with you three."

Grinning to themselves, they rushed over to some kind of red cart that was attached to some two wheeled transportation device, putting on some sort of helmets from the cart. Before I could even ask what they were doing, Apple Bloom slammed a helmet onto my head as Sweetie Belle pushed me into the cart. Adjusting the helmet so that I could see, I saw Scootaloo standing on the two wheeled device on her hind legs.

"What are you three doi—" was all I could say before Scootaloo rapidly flapped her wings, causing the transportation device, and the cart, to zoom off. The sudden launch sent me falling down into the cart, my head banging off the edge. Thankfully, the helmet prevented me from getting a concussion. As the other two crusaders sat in the cart comfortably, I hung onto the edge for dear life while amazed that we were moving so fast thanks to just one filly's wing power. It wasn't long until we left the town limits, as I saw that we were heading to some familiar woods.

Whatever caused that explosion probably came from another dimension or world, like I did, though I wonder if this occurrence is gonna be localized to this forest, or if it’ll happen anymore. I shivered, remembering some of the horrors that resided in other dimensions. Eventually we came to a halt near the woods' edge, where I tumbled out of the cart, glad to be on solid ground again.

"Pfft, it's like this is her first time on a cart," Scootaloo said in a nonchalant tone, to which I give her a glare.

"You could have said we would have gone fast!" I complained, with the fact that young children (myself technically excluded) shouldn't be moving so fast by themselves.

"We're sorry, it sorta slipped past our minds," Sweetie Belle said as she awkwardly rubbed a hoof behind her head after she removed her helmet.

Looking into the woods, Applebloom said, "It'll be mighty hard to find the aliens. We got a lot of ground to cover."

"Do you think those aliens will be friendly or be the kind that want to suck up our brains?" Sweetie said, eyeing the forest nervously.

"I think the... 'aliens', as you say, will not be here, maybe parts of something, but not 'aliens,'" I commented as I finally took off my own helmet.

"Aether may be right, but I'm sure I can take on any aliens if they want to suck up our brains," Scootaloo said as her wings buzzed in excitement. "I say we split up to cover more ground, so we can find any aliens before it gets too dark and they escape into hiding." After taking a moment to figure out what she said, I nodded, causing the other two to follow my lead in order to appear to be brave. "Just make sure to shout if you find any aliens, so we can take them out together and get our cutie marks," she said as she stuck out a hoof, which to me was the signal to clamp my hooves down on my ears as the other two bumped their hooves against hers.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Alien Fighters!"

Fucking limbo, if there were any aliens nearby they would hear these three and be off running for the sake of their own ears! I thought to myself as I started to edge away from them. "Since we are going different ways, I will go this way," I said before trotting off to avoid anymore ear bleeding screams from the trio. When I was finally far enough away to not get hurt by their shrieking, I let out a sigh of relief as I made a mental note to myself to always wear earplugs around those three.

So... just what caused that explosion, since based on how the ponies acted, that isn't a regular occurrence? I can think of at least twenty things that would cause that, half of which would be very bad for this world, but... I thought to myself before I saw a pile of branches that had smoke coming out of it. Knowing that the only thing that would be smoking was the fallen debris, I quickly made my way to the pile, clearing the branches to see a twisted heap of metal and wires.

As I rubbed a hoof against my chin and wondered what object this could be, I spotted a familiar sight that sent chills down my spine. Embedded into one piece of scrap was a crystal shard of a swirling black and purple coloration. Looking at it from another angle, the shard coloration mix seemed to shift, confirming my suspicions. Damn it all, a fuckin’ shard of a Maralus core. Just what this world needs. This means that this is probably some probe, judging by the size of the explosion. Though, I wonder what caused that explosion... probably whatever caused me to end up in this world and be turned into a pony... still... got to hide this shard, and possibly any others, before the ponies find them.

Grabbing the shard with my mouth, I pulled it out as I noted its horrible taste. Looking around, I found that no one was in sight, allowing me to cover the scrap heap with the branches before I left, noting that, due to my light weight, I didn't leave any tracks that I would have to cover up. After making some distance from the heap, I noticed a tree stump that would serve as a perfect spot to remember as I dug a hole near its roots, burying the shard. Taking a deep breath, I resumed my hunt for more of the wreckage in order to find as many Maralus shards as I could, for I knew that this world was not ready for dimensional travel. Though, the probe did confirm one thing in my mind; I was in another dimension, not just another world.

Looking down at some kind of wreckage, Twilight and her friends pondered what the metal scrapheap used to be- well, except for Applejack and Pinkie Pie, where the former was keeping the latter from poking her nose into wreckage.

"Now hold on there sugarcube, we don't know if that thing is safe to touch, much less what it is," Applejack said through her clenched teeth as she kept a hold on Pinkie's tail with it.

"Applejack is right, I never seen anything like this before. I even can't tell what kind of metal alloy this is..." Twilight said as she gingerly lit up her horn with her magic, casting a bubble around the wreckage before she carefully tried to lift a piece of it with her magic. To her relief, it lifted up into the air without issue, allowing her to deposit it closer to her as she carefully examined it with a magical scan.

"Hmm... Oh sweet Celestia! This the wreckage of some device judging by the wires my scan is picking up, but it's something I can’t even remotely recognize! There are so many different components and materials that I can't even speculate as to this machine's purpose. Oh if it was just intact, it could help advance Equestria by decades! Even this wreckage alone can he-" Twilight exclaim in wonder before Rainbow stuck a hoof into her mouth.

"Yeah yeah, egghead stuff. Let's get to the point, is this thing dangerous? Are we being invaded by aliens?" Rainbow asked before removing her hoof.

"Well, I would say there is no such thing as aliens, but since I can't determine the origins of this object, I can't refute that claim. Though, from the readings of my scan, this part of the wreckage is fine, no toxins or even magic is detected, which is more mysterious since it doesn't have any magical resonance," Twilight answered as she pondered about the nature of the device before she spotted something off in the rest of the wreckage.

"What's this?" Twilight said as she approaches the scrapheap, spotting a peculiar purplish black crystal shard among the wreckage. Casting another scan with her horn, she said, "Hmmm.. doesn't seem to be dangerous either," before using her magic to levitate the shard. Instead of floating into the air as expected, the shard instead began to vibrate. Blinking in shock, Twilight tentatively applied more magic to the shard, causing it to vibrate more instead of floating.

"I... I’ve never seen something like this before," Twilight said in wonder as she stopped using her magic, seeing that the shard had stopped vibrating as well. Cautiously, Twilight approached the lone shard, giving it a tap with her hoof before rapidly teleporting away. Looking at the shard, she saw that nothing had happen. "Rarity, have you ever seen a gem or crystal that reacted like that to magic?"

"Can't say I have, dear. I’ve never even seen its likeness before, though I find it a bit poor in its coloration. There is only so much one can do with those colors," Rarity answered, as Fluttershy remained behind her, fearful of being closer to the object than she already was.

"Well, whatever it is, I can't carry it with my magic. I'm going back to the library to get a container for it and to get Spike to send a letter to the princess. Can you girls please go look for any more wreckage? Judging by the number of smoke trails that came out of the cloud, this device shattered into so many pieces that there will be more all over the woods, and we have to gather it before anypony comes across it," Twilight said before vanishing with a pop, leaving the girls to split up to go on the search, with Fluttershy of course sticking with Rarity.

At the library, Spike was shelving some books when he heard the telltale pop of Twilight's teleport. "Hey, Twilight. What did you found out about that explosion?"

"Hard to say. We found some wreckage of an unknown origin."

"Wait, you mean... we're being invaded by aliens!" Spike said in a panic.

Groaning, Twilight replied, "Not you too Spike, and no, we're not being invaded. Look, just send a message to the princess about the explosion, that we found some wreckage in White Tail Woods, and there's this weird crystal that reacts mysteriously to magic. I have to find a container to safely store the crystal in."

Giving Twilight a nod, Spike quickly wrote down a letter before alighting it with his fire breath. Moments later, he burped out a letter that he opened to read, "Dear Twilight, it was fortunate that you sent this letter for we faintly heard the explosion from Canterlot and were wondering where it originated. For the safety of Ponyville, I am sending a detachment of the Royal Guard to secure White Tail Woods. I would like to receive an update when the matter has been resolved."

"That's good. We could certainly need more ponies to keep the area secure. Can't have any ponies tampering with something they don't have experience with," Twilight replied as she put on a saddlebag, placed several glass jars into the bags, and teleported back to the forest.

After she arrived, Twilight received the unexpected surprise of Applejack and Rarity scolding the Cutie Mark Crusaders as Fluttershy sat nearby, far away from the wreckage. "What is going on?" Twilight asked in confusion.

Turning to Twilight, Rarity said, "Oh, there you are, Twilight. Right after you left, Pinkie found Sweetie Belle wandering the woods, and after I confronted her, she revealed that she and her friends, including Aether, were looking for any signs of aliens for their Alien Fighting cutie mark. We found Scootaloo and Apple Bloom shortly afterwards, but Rainbow and Pinkie are still looking for Aether."

"Seriously, why is everypony thinking that there are aliens‽" Twilight grumbled, before turning her attention to the mysterious shard. Putting an open jar on its side near the shard, Twilight levitated a stick that she used to push the shard into the jar. Sealing the jar shut, she placed it in her saddlebag before returning her attention to her friends.

"Have you girls found any more wreckage sites?"

"We have, sugarcube. We found seven more crash sites, some of them with more of those weird crystals," Applejack answered.

Before Twilight could inquire for their locations, Rainbow and Pinkie returned with Aether on Pinkie's back, who was grumbling to herself quietly. After waiting for Pinkie to place Aether with the rest of the crusaders, Twilight approached the four as she said, "Now, you four, you should know better than to go to someplace that could be dangerous, even if you're after your cutie marks. You three especially," as she pointed at the crusaders. "Aether shouldn't be out here where it could be dangerous after that explosion."

"I'm ashamed of your deplorable behavior Sweetie Belle," Rarity scolded.

"Ya been raised to know better than that Apple Bloom," Applejack said.

"Eh, I'll let your parents talk to you, squirt," Rainbow nonchalantly said, only to receive glares from the older sisters.

Releasing a sigh, Aether said, "Do not blame them for me coming here. They gave me choice, I choosed to come here, do not get them trouble because of me."

Cocking an eyebrow, Rarity said, "That's very ladylike of you to admit your own wrongdoings, but these three are still in trouble for coming here in the first place."

"I think it's time these four go back home. The Princess is sending over the Royal Guard to secure the area, so they can assist me in finding the remaining wreckage sites as well as gather them to be moved to a safe location," Twilight interrupted, causing the four filly's caretakers nod in response before they began to take the fillies home.

As I sat on Pinkie's back after being deposited there, I sighed after thinking on the current situation while Pinkie bounced towards home. Before I was caught by Rainbow Dash, I was able to stash away four more Maralus core shards. Hopefully with so many shards missing the ponies wouldn't be able to restore the core or even realize that they all fit together. I really don't want to imagine what would happen if they accidentally trigger a dimensional rift, I thought before I shuddered at the memories of the horrors I’d seen, much less the greater horrors that I had heard of.

As the sun began to set, I saw in the sky a formation of armored pegasus heading towards the forest. Great... just what I need. Guards to thwart any simple extraction plans, I thought to myself, knowing that I would have to return to retrieve those shards to move them to a more secure location. Disposal wasn't an option due to the sturdiness of the shards, as will as the potential hazards if the shards were ground down into powder. Though, after thinking it over, there may be some uses for the shards if I were to experiment with them, as those shards have some very unique properties.

I just hope those shards don't have a negative reaction in regards to the properties of the strange radioactive world.

Chapter XIV: Shards

It was morning when I saw my opportunity to return to the forest to retrieve the Maralus shards, though it was unexpected since I thought that I would be given proper punishment. Instead, Pinkie had the skewed idea that banning me from chocolate for a week was a good enough punishment. I have to admit, though, I did grow to like chocolate after my first taste of it.

It was during breakfast when Pinkie had to excuse herself, for Twilight had requested her aid in some endeavour, leaving only the Cakes to watch over me. Amused yet suspicious of the grand opportunity that had presented itself to me, I made my way back to my room where I put on the bags that I received from the party. I quickly headed back downstairs and was almost out the bakery’s front door when Mrs. Cake confronted me.

“Where are you going with your saddlebags dear?” she asked me, causing me to turned towards her as I gave her a forced smile.

“I wanted to… err.. try my ‘saddlebags’ outside,” I answered, glad to have a name to attach to the bags on my back.

“Awww, it’s so nice to see you excited to try on one of your gifts. I’ll let you go on your way now, but do make sure to keep them clean. You don’t want to go to your first day in school with dirty saddlebags,” she replied as she went back to her business.

Letting out a sigh of relief, I quickly took my leave as I headed towards the town outskirts. Minutes later, I reached the outskirts. Instead of following the road to the forest, I took a more scenic route due to remembering the pegasi guards that were heading towards the forest. Along my way to the forest, I picked up a few rocks that I stowed in my saddlebags, as I needed some sort of distraction in case of emergency.

Soon, I caught sight of the forest, where I saw a pair of guards patrolling the forest outskirts. Before they had a chance to spot me, I ducked into a nearby bush, where I observed the guards. It didn’t took long for me to see their entire patrol route, at which point I began to make my way to the outskirts of the forest as I quietly dashed in and out of bushes whenever the guards’ backs were turned towards me. The guards didn’t hear my movements once, even when I finally made my way into the forest. Apparently they were expecting ponies to just wander by instead of someone like me trying to sneak inside.

Even though I was past the patrolling guards, I knew better than to let my guard down, as I continued to make my way to the stump where I had buried the shards while sticking to the bushes and any foliage that could serve as sufficient cover. My caution soon paid off when a group of four guards passed by my path. Two of the guards were looking at the forest canopy, probably looking for any holes that would have been made by falling debris while the other two kept their eyes on the ground. Not taking any chances, I simply stayed in the bush that I was currently in, flat on my belly as I tried to make myself as small as possible to avoid being spotted. Thankfully, it didn’t take long before the guards moved on, allowing me to continue on my way.

It wasn’t long before I finally reached the stump, where I saw that the ground around it was undisturbed. Reaching the precise spot where I hid the shards, I took a good look around me to check for any signs of a guard approaching before I dug them up. Safely depositing them in my saddlebags, I filled up the hole and patted down the dirt in order to cover my tracks before I began my way out of the forest, dodging two more squads of guards as well as the forest outskirt patrol.

As I was using the bushes for cover once more, my curiosity got the better of me. This was too easy. Either this world is too naive in regards to folk sneaking around or these guards are just completely incompetent. Wanting to know which case it was, I gave into temptation as I took out a rock from my saddlebag. Eyeing the patrol, I tossed a rock at a tree just behind the patrol. At the noise of the rock hitting the tree, the two guards stopped, turning around as they head towards the origin of the noise, investigating for the cause of it.

Heh, guess it was the former, I thought to myself as I went back to my way to town, stopping after leaving the patrol’s line of sight to dump the rest rocks that I stowed. Now all I had to do was make it back to my room without a single soul looking into my saddlebags, which meant that I have to avoid the ‘Crusaders’ or Pinkie Pie at all costs. Oh, joy.

Meanwhile, as Aether was making her return to Ponyville, Twilight was in her underground lab, having sent Applejack and Pinkie Pie to help the guard on their search for more of the wreckage. Twilight sent Pinkie, in part due to her Pinkie Sense, in the hope that it would help keep the guards safe from any unexpected dangers the wreckage could present. Applejack was there mostly to keep Pinkie in check.

In her lab, Twilight had set up two tables with a stand on each, one holding up a piece of metal alloy from the wreck, the other the mysterious crystal. Twilight had just finished conducting strength tests on the alloy, having found it to be a stronger material than steel, as well as not only being highly heat resistant but able to withstand magical blasts to some degree as well. It was a surprise when a rather strong one of Twilight’s beams pierced an undamaged portion of the alloy to scorch the wall behind it. This led Twilight to the conclusion that the alloy was strong against kinetic forces, but oddly vulnerable to magical forces, though she knew more testing was needed to confirm her theory.

Turning to the crystal, Twilight took a deep breath as she remembered its reaction to magic. It was a risk to experiment with something that didn’t behave normally to telekinesis, but she needed to know more about it, and the only way was to test other spells on it. Ready with a shield spell on hoof, Twilight began her testing by simply pouring magic into the crystal. Shortly after she started, the crystal began to react as small bolts of electricity started to shoot out of it.

“Interesting. The crystal either converts raw magic into electricity, or the magic is causing some unstable reaction,” Twilight noted as she continued to pour magic, causing the crystal to shoot off more bolts, before suddenly violently releasing lightning bolts all over the room, some shattering beakers and vials, others striking the walls and ceiling. One lone bolt was sent at Twilight. Thankfully, she managed to raise her shield spell, causing the bolt to bounce off it.

“The latter case seems more plausible based on that… reaction,” Twilight commented as she stopped pouring magic into the crystal, which soon stopped releasing bolts of electricity. “Strange, though. Where telekinesis causes it to vibrate, raw magic causes it to have an unstable reaction. However, I should include a note when I send some of the wreckage to Canterlot telling them to not use teleportation magic on the device. I don’t want to think about what that could do.” Recording her observations, Twilight moved onto her next spell, wanting to continue her studies for the sake of magic and science.

Closing my room’s door behind me, I let out a sigh of relief. It was as if fortune had decided to finally shine on me, for not once I was bothered, not even encountering the Crusaders or Pinkie. It seemed as though Pinkie was too busy with whatever Twilight wanted her to do, and the Crusaders may have been forbidden from leaving their homes based on how their respective caretakers treated them when we were caught.

Making my way to a toy box that Pinkie gave me (which was unfortunately pink and hence an eyesore to me), I dug through the toys and junk that I received from the party guests that were kind enough to give me presents until I found the toy stove the Cakes gave me. Opening the toy’s oven door, I pulled out all the shards out of my saddlebags and placed them inside the stove, closing the door before reburying it with the rest of the presents. Closing the toy chest, I smiled at my first success, knowing that I had successfully denied the ponies the chance to rebuild the Maralus core, at least for now.

Jumping onto the bed, I sat down on my plot, where I noticed some books at the edge of my vision on the nearby nightstand. These books were presents from Twilight (she was too obsessed with books), and judging by the cover, were meant for babies to learn the pony’s letters. With no means of using the shards currently, I simply shrugged and grabbed the simplest book of the bunch, figuring that with nothing better to do, I might as well try to learn the pony’s alphabet. However, as I open the book, I felt the ground shudder for a moment, causing me to look about in confusion as to what could have caused it.

“Twilight! Are you okay, Twilight‽ I heard an explosion from your lab and the tree shaking!” Spike exclaimed as he headed down the stairs to the basement. Opening the door, his eyes beheld quite a sight. All over the lab floor were scattered papers, broken glass, and chunks of metal. All of the lab equipment was either broken or had fallen to the floor, and embedded to one wall was Twilight Sparkle, her pupils wide from shock.

“Twilight!” Spike screamed as he went to her side, grabbing one of her rear legs as he pulled her out of the wall, leaving behind an alicorn shaped depression. “What happened‽ Are you alright?”

“Yes Spike, I’m fine. Nothing broken here…” Twilight answered as she got back onto her hooves. Approaching the table where the crystal was sitting, she saw that it had shattered into fragments.

“That’s good to hear, but can you tell me what happened now?”

“I was testing the shard with some spells, and when I tried a color shift transmutation spell, instead of changing colors, the shard… simply released an explosion,” Twilight said as she released a sigh at the sight. While this reaction was still scientifically productive, the crystal is now shattered, and who knows what kind of effect that would have on its properties. I need to be more careful. There are only so many shards available for testing, she thought to herself as she used her hoof to sweep the fragments into a jar for safekeeping.

“I think it’s time for me to see how far the Royal Guard have come with their search, hopefully they found more of these crystals. With how unstable these crystals are, we need might lose a few of them before we can figure out what their purpose is. Spike, do you mind cleaning up the lab while I head out to the White Tail Woods?”

Looking around, Spike noted the disarray the lab was in due to the explosion, but knowing better than to get in the way of Twilight’s pursuit of magic, he sighed and said, “Sure, Twilight. I’ll have it cleaned up by the time you get back.”

Smiling at the dragon, Twilight replied, “Thanks, Spike. I’ll be sure to bring back a few tasty gems for you as a reward,” before she teleported away, leaving Spike to clean the lab, though now more excited due to the prospect of the reward Twilight promised him.

Chapter XV: Crusading

Reading was a luxury for those that had the money and time for it where I came from. Here, I had plenty of time to study the books that Twilight gave me, since Pinkie was too busy during the week between her job at the bakery, the wreckage in the forest, and the night where she had to babysit the twins. This gave me enough time to figure out their alphabet, which in this case consisted of pictures once again and a single word attached to it, with the first letter oversized and bold. So after a week of scratching my head and asking the Cakes for help, I finally figured out their alphabet. Unfortunately, that was how long it was before the Crusaders were released from whatever punishment they were given, for after a week they finally showed up, barging into my room and dragging me off for who knows what.

"So where are we going?" I asked, sitting in the red cart again as I hung onto the edge for dear life. While I wasn't up for going out today, Mrs. Cake insisted on me going outside for some fresh air. Except in this case it was air rushing into my face due to Scootaloo's speed.

"We're goin' to my family's farm, Sweet Apple Acres!" Apple Bloom answered. "Our clubhouse is there, and it's time for you to have your initiation!"

Oh, joy, I thought to myself as we hit a bump in the road, which due to me only gripping the edge... caused my body to bounce off the cart, resulting in it falling out and dragging on the dirt as I hung onto the edge for dear life. Well, until common sense returned to me and I let go, leaving me to tumble across the ground until I crashed into a tree. "....ow..."

"Omigosh! Are you alright‽" Sweetie Belle shrieked as she jumped out of the cart when Scootaloo came to a halt, the other two following her shortly after.

"Yeah... I am alright. I had worse."

"Worse? That looked like it hurt, a lot, even though it was a bit funny," Scootaloo said with a snicker as I just gave her a deadpan stare.

"Ha ha, it was funny, can we go now?" I said as I got back on all fours, brushing off the dirt from my coat. Receiving a nod from the fillies, I got back in the cart, but this time Scootaloo went a tad bit slower and apparently avoided any bumps in the road, for she occasionally shifted from one side of the road to the other as we went on our way.

It wasn't long before we reached the apple farm, where I went wide eyed for once. Normally, I don't go wide eyed at things unless it happens to be a rather large predator that wants to eat me, but damn, that was A LOT of apples. I mean, well, there's so many apples here that you could feed all the poor of a fringe city for a week, and those cities tend to have shit tons of poor folk.

Apparently I was also gaping as I stared at the trees, for Apple Bloom chuckled as she said, "I know. Pretty impressive, ain't it? All the work of the Apple family." I just weakly nodded my head, unable to give a proper response. Soon Scootaloo turned off the main road, pulling us between the trees ‘till we stopped at one tree that had some sort of building built on its side... I would call it a 'tree house' but the library already covered that area.

"Here we are, the Cutie Mark Crusaders Clubhouse," Sweetie Belle said as we hopped off the cart and the trio led me up the ramp. It wasn’t until I stepped inside the Clubhouse that I really know just how desperate these fillies were for their cutie marks. There were stacks of paper all over the place, with various plans pinned to the walls, some of them making me cringe in fear due to how incredibly reckless they were. One of them included a catapult, with a filly being... the ammunition... their sisters were right. They do have crazy plans.

After a long and drawn out initiation, during which I pretty much zoned out, I received a cheer from the Crusaders and some... kind of cape. Why a cape? They're, like, the most stupid thing to wear, ever, I thought to myself as Apple Bloom decided to move onto the next item of interest.

"Now that Aether is a member of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, we are one step closer to gettin' out cutie marks!" Where in limbo did she came up with that idea? "So for the next thing on our agenda, is today's next Cutie Mark idea. Since Aether just joined us today, we'll let her decide what we'll try today."

As three pairs of eyes turned their attention to me, I gulped as I began to think to myself. They expect me to come up with an idea? I'm still learning their words! Damn it all! Let's see, what I got that I'm good at that I can say... parkour, no, can't explain it in their language. Fighting? No, bad idea, don't want these fillies getting into trouble, much less the fact that I haven't practiced in this body yet. Guess I have to go for something random and hopefully not stupid.

"Err.... climb a tree?"

"Did that," they said in unison. Creepy.

"Bake a cake?"

"Did that too."

"Write a book?"

"Too boring," Scootaloo replied.

"...tame a wild animal?"

"Tried that."

"What‽"

"Oh come on, think up of something good Aether," Scootaloo complained.

Frowning, I decided to throw caution to the wind. "Fine, how about... we climb a... augh... big rock... sorry, but I do not know the word for it yet."

Tilting their heads in confusion, they think on what I meant before Apple Bloom said, "Oh! She want us to try climbin’ a cliff! Rock climbin’ sounds like it’d be fun!"

"Yeah, having a rock climbing cutie mark would make us EXTREME!" Scootaloo yelled with excitement.

"Yeah, let's do it! We can go to Ghastly Gorge, it has the best cliffs for rock climbing!" Sweetie said as she stuck out her hoof, the other two doing the same. Then they looked at me, expecting me to join in. Mentally groaning, I placed a hoof over one of my folded ears, as I stuck my hoof to theirs.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Rock Climbers! Yay!" the three yelled, while I only mumbled it, except for the last word.

Whatever 'Ghastly Gorge' meant, I don't think it's a good thing to hear, I thought to myself as I looked upon the cliff side that the Crusaders wanted to climb. It was another long ride in that cart of theirs, which included more hanging onto both the edge and the bottom of the cart (don't know how the other two were able to hang on so easily). Eventually, we arrived at this rather deep ravine. Apparently they think that climbing treacherous cliffs would help them get them cutie marks. It would make perfect sense if it was cutie marks in falling to their doom.

"Ar-re you sure this is a g-good idea s-still Scoot-taloo?" Sweetie fearfully asked, looking at the cliff with terror-filled eyes.

"Of course it is, this will be so extreme that once Rainbow Dash sees my cutie mark, she'll be calling me the most awesomest filly ever!" Scootaloo replied with a smug grin. Great. She just had to have the braggart as her role model, didn’t she?

"I'm not so sure, it looks a tad bit dangerous... I think Aether should go first. It was her idea after all," Apple Bloom said, to which I gave her a glare for that proposal.

"I ag-gree, it was her id-dea, so she should h-have the first t-try," Sweetie Belle said, as Scootaloo scowled at their cowardice, or in my point of view, their newly attained instincts in preservation.

Looking upon my forehooves, I sighed as I thought, Yeah... should have seen this coming. When one has to go to a lot of dimensions, it's a given that one should have some climbing skill, but I was accustomed to using my hands for climbing. Now here I am, with hooves instead of hands... I think I just signed my own death sentence. Taking a deep breath, I decided to just get it over with as I put my hoof against the rock ledge, getting as best as a grip one can with a hoof. Fortunately, with such a jagged cliff side, there were plenty of ha—I mean hoofholds for me to get a grip on.

At first, it was slow going, as I tentatively made my way up the cliff side with the three below me watching silently. Maybe they were expecting me to fall off and land on my ass for their amusement. However, as I got higher up the cliff, my confidence began to grow, encouraging me to speed up. Soon, I was already halfway up the cliff, with the Crusaders below cheering me on, as I felt the rush of excitement going through me. Perhaps I’m finally getting used enough to this body enough for me to try the sort of stuff I could do with my old one. Perhaps I won't need hands after all. Perha- what the heck is that noise? I thought to myself, as I heard the sound of something soaring through the air at a high speed.

Looking to the source of the noise, I spot Rainbow Dash flying through the ravine at a fast pace speed. As I pondered why she is here of all places, she burst past me, with a gust of wind following in her wake, which happened to blow me off the cliff. Okay, I didn't expect this to happen, I thought as I suddenly started to fall. Screaming various profanities as I cursed Rainbow Dash with a thousand horrible ends, I saw the ground closing in on me before suddenly something caught me.

Blinking in surprise, I looked at my savior, only to see it was the one that send me plummeting to the ground. "What are you doing here Aether? You shouldn't be climbing a cliff, especially in Ghastly Gorge, even though it looked awesome," Rainbow said.

Scowling at her, I replied, "I was doing fine till you flew by and your wind knocked me off the cliff." Rolling her eyes, Rainbow flew down to the Crusaders before letting me down.

"That was awesome how you saved Aether from danger Rainbow!" Scootaloo yelled as she praised her idol.

"She was the one that knocked me off..." I muttered, before I noticed Sweetie Belle looking at my flank, which I found to be quite uncomfortable.

"Awww... you didn't got a cutie mark. Guess rock climbing isn't your special talent, Aether," Sweetie said.

"Oh, I should have known that you fillies are here for your cutie marks. Who's bright idea was to go rock climbing?" Rainbow demanded, at which the Crusaders then pointed their hooves at me. Bunch of filthy traitors.

"Well... that I didn't expect, I thought you weren't interested in extreme stuff Aether," Rainbow said, frowning as she remembered the last conversation we had.

"I said I did not like watching stuff like that. Doing is different matter," I replied as I folded my forelegs across my chest as I sat down.

Before Scootaloo could comment on how I couldn't be impressed by Rainbow's stunts, Apple Bloom cut in when she said, "Wait... if you're not impressed by Rainbow's moves... that means ya must have done a lot of extreme stuff. Maybe you can show us what you have done and maybe that can help us get our cutie marks!" With that, Scootaloo forgot her complaint as she realized the possibilities, as all three fillies looked at me with excitement.

Well.... shit, this will not end well.

Chapter XVI: Letters

Normally, adults know how to reprimand a child, but in Rainbow Dash's case, she did a horrible job at it. Her idea of scolding me was telling me that I should only think about attempting rock climbing at Ghastly Gorge once I learn to be half as awesome as she was. Made me wonder how her head hadn't exploded from her over-inflated ego. Moving on, Rainbow managed to prevent the rest of the Crusaders from wanting to try climbing the cliff, which surprised me since they just saw my brush with death mere moments before. Instead, she told us to head back to Sweet Apple Acres, with her tagging along so that we didn't run off.

While I was glad that I wasn’t to blame for anypony falling to their death, I came across another problem when we arrived at the farm. It was late afternoon when we came across Applejack, the mare who's suspicious of me despite my skills at fooling everypony else. As I watched her look at us with a friendly face, I thought, Seems like she forgot about our lit—never mind, she remembers, as her eyes looked us over, but once her sight landed on me her eyes instantly narrowed. Thankfully she got distracted by the presence of Rainbow, allowing me to slowly edge my way from the group.

"Howdy, there Rainbow I'm surprised that you're not off nappin' or practicin'," Applejack said.

"Well, I was going through my runs at Ghastly Gorge till I saw the purple squirt falling off the cliff side after she climbed more than half of it."

"Oh that expla—WHAT‽" Applejack yelled in shock as she turned her head towards me.

"Thank you Rainbow," I muttered, my voice thick with sarcasm.

"What in tarnation possessed you to do that?" After receiving a blank stare from me, Applejack facehoofed as she said, "I mean, why did you do that?"

"Cutie marks."

Frowning, Applejack responded, "I need more than that."

Sighing, I answered, "I gave them some ideas, they said they done it and Scootaloo said my ideas were boring, so I said 'climb a big rock.' I did not thought they would go for it."

"You still shouldn't give such dangerous ideas Aether, you almost got hurt."

"I was fine till Rainbow's flying knocked me off."

"What the hay? I saved you!" Rainbow countered as her anger began to rise.

"But you knocked me off, so that... errr... makes saving me not count," I countered as I glared at her, only to receive one in return.

"Enough of that, Rainbow. Aether, you shouldn't try rock climbin' at your age, it's too dangerous for a filly to try."

Grunting, I thought to myself It's not trying when you've done it already. Regardless of the scolding I received, it appeared to distract Applejack from the suspicion she held towards me.

"Anyways, since you're here I'll let you take care of the Crusaders, I have some overdue snooze time to catch up on," Rainbow said as she flew off before Applejack could let a word out.

"That darn mare, always flying off whenever she can," Applejack grumbled before turning her attention back to the four of us. "I better not hear any of you trying rock climbin' or anything dangerous today. Aether, you better not be givin' the fillies any more bright ideas, understood?" After I gave her a nod, Applejack returned it with a nod of her own as she headed over to one of the apple trees. I tilted my head as I wondered what she was doing, before I saw her kick the tree with her rear legs. My jaw dropped as I beheld the sight of all the apples falling off the tree to land in some wooden buckets positioned next to the tree.

"What, you never saw a pony applebuckin' before?" Apple Bloom asked, to which I gave her a shake of my head in response.

As I turned my head to regard the Crusaders, something off on the horizon caught my attention, something purple. The Crusaders noticed that I was staring at something, and turned their heads in time to see a certain purple mare with a frazzled mane walking toward us. Though she was muttering to herself, my ears could still pick up what she was saying.

"Tell me to take a break he says. Get out and get some fresh air or he'll write to Princess Celestia again he says. Can't he understand that I was working on the latest great discovery of ponykind! This is something that can't just be simply pushed aside for some fresh air, I need to figure out that cry—oh, hi there Aether."

Blinking, I was about to say hi back when I noticed that the Crusaders had mysteriously disappeared. As I turned my head around in confusion as I tried to see where they’d gone, Applejack had trotted over after seeing the state Twilight was in. Weird. What caused those three to run off so suddenly?

"Hey there Twilight. I haven't seen you since the party, though you looked like you didn't slept since then. Are you alright there sugarcube?" Applejack asked, her voice thick with concern that only confused me more as I looked at the duo.

"Hi, Applejack. I'm fine, just fine. I was just experimenting with those crystals we found. They are just so amazing! They defy all logic with their reactions to magic. Not one single spell truly worked on them. They instead had a completely different reaction! The results I gathered could give us so many new insights into magic and the crystals could provide new possibilities with magic!"

As Twilight continued on with her rant, I was lost in my thoughts after I figured out what she could be talking about. She's messing with those Maralus shards? This can't end well, with the strange abilities the unicorns and this... wait, I never figured out what she was.

"Ummm... Twilight?" I said, interrupting the two mares who turned their attention towards me. "I was... thinking, I do not know what you are..."

Cocking an eyebrow in confusion, Twilight replied, "What I am? What are you... wait... do you know what an alicorn is? Or do you need to know our word for it?"

"No, I just do not have word for of idea of what you are."

"Well... that's surprising, but considering that there's only four of us, it may not be so far-fetched that you never heard of one before you met me. Anyway, I'm an alicorn, a pony that has the traits for all three pony tribes."

Looking at me with a curious look, Applejack asked, "You really haven't seen any of the princesses before Aether? Haven't your... I mean ain't no pony told ya about the princesses before?"

"Umm... what does your word 'princesses' mean?" I replied.

"Well, it's princess for one pony only, and they're the rulers of Equestria. Twilight here is a princess too, since she's an alicorn."

After Applejack finished her explanation, I felt all the blood draining out of my face as I slowly turned towards Twilight as I asked, "You ar-re a prin-ncess?" As Twilight gave me a nod, I started to hyperventilate as I thought, She's a member of the ruling class! And I’ve thrown books at her! I am so screwed!

Twilight stared in confusion at my reaction before realization dawned on her. "Whoa, relax, Aether. You're not in any trouble for throwing those books at me. I'm not mad at you, okay?"

"Wait a minute, she’s thrown some books at ya?" Applejack asked.

"Well... yeah... but that was when she couldn't communicate with us... and I was getting carried away in regards to her native tongue being a language that no other pony had encountered before..." Twilight said sheepishly. However, a moment after she gave her answer, her eyes brighten as she turned toward me, grabbing my shoulders, or to be more exact, my withers, which I learned about a few days ago, with her forehooves. "Aether, have you learned our alphabet yet?"

"Errr... yes?" I replied, dumbfounded by the sudden change in her mood. My only response from her though was her mouth stretching wide as she smiled, reminding me of Pinkie Pie.

"That means you could translate your language's alphabet into our alphabet! You could teach me your language with ease! Ponykind's knowledge in linguistics could change after I learn yo—" Twilight said before Applejack shoved a hoof into her mouth.

"Now hold on there sugarcube. What are ya yammering about now?" Applejack asked before removing her hoof.

"Aether's language is a completely unknown language, one that is unrelated to any recorded languages! There aren’t even any ancient texts that have the same alphabet as the one she provided me with, and her alphabet has seventy four letters in it!"

"Seventy four letters?" Applejack asked in confusion, before she narrowed her eyes as she turned her attention towards me. "Aether, you better not be leading Twilight on a wild goose chase. Does your language really have seventy four letters?"

Blinking in surprise at her, I was starting to think that our first meeting at the party and the rock climbing incident had left her with a bad impression of me as I said, "Yes... my words do have seventy four letters."

"In all my years, I never heard of any language with seventy four letters. Must be tough for you to learn them all."

"Actually, Applejack, it might not be so tough in regards to her language. It actually may be tougher for her to wrap her head around our alphabet since it has only twenty six letters," Twilight said before she looked at me with her creepy excited look. "So Aether, ready to write down your alphabet and match it with our letters?" she asked as a notepad and a quill appeared out of nowhere, causing my jaw to drop.

"Wha- how... where did that came from?" I ask in befuddlement as I pointed my hoof at the notepad.

"What? I just teleported them here?" Twilight asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

"But... but how?"

"With magic of course."

"...What is magic?" I asked as I tried to link that word to anything I encountered, only to come up with a blank for the moment.

"Magic? Well, the word magic applies to this," Twilight said as she pointed her horn that is covered with her purple aura.

Squinting my eyes as I looked at her horn, I thought, does magic mean telekinesis? Wait, no, you can’t just make stuff appear out of thin air like that... before I said, "I do not understand still."

"What do yo—Aether, does your language have a word for what I'm doing?" Twilight asked, her confusion growing.

"Not really, it has word for moving stuff without touching, but to do that and make things appear... no. No words for that, or anything like that." After I finished, Twilight's jaw just dropped, along with Applejack's.

"Wha—but... wait, Aether, how long were you with your parents? Didn't you see them do magic?"

Instantly I gave Twilight a frown, causing her to recoil before I answered, "Fourteen years, no 'magic'. Do not talk about my parents again."

Eyes wide in shock, Applejack tentatively asked, "Aether... what happened to yo—" before I interrupted her.

"They are gone, for good. Do not ask again. Please." I gave the two mares the best Death Glare I could muster, causing both of them to look down at the ground as they pawed the ground with their forehooves. Moments passed before Twilight raised her head to look at me with sorrow-filled eyes.

"I'm... sorry for... asking you about that... is there anything I can do to make it up?" Twilight asked, with Applejack soon offering a similar apology. While I was furious at having to remember some unpleasant memories, I was still able to recognize that I might have a unique opportunity here, as long as I worded it carefully.

"Yes... there is. I teach you my letters... but you teach me magic."

Chapter XVII: Magic

"You want to learn magic from me? I mean, I'm flattered, but I'm busy with research an—" Twilight said before I interrupted her.

"No magic, no words then," I said. I sat down to fold my forehooves across my chest as I scowled at her, before realizing that I probably looked like a pouting child.

"But... the possible potential of linguistic advancement we could achieve from learning your language… Do you want to deny that to all of ponykind?" Twilight asked, to which I gave no response. "How about I take you to Sugarcube Corner to get you a nice treat. Want some chocolate cake?" No reply still. "How about I take you to the toy store? Wouldn't you like some new toys?"

Sighing, I stood up and walked away from the two mares as I said, "I am going to find the Crusaders, might as well try to find a Cutie Mark than this."

Behind me, I could hear Twilight struggling with indecision, while I knew I was the one in control of the situation. That's right, stew with the fact that I have something that you want and I'm not budging on my demands. Suddenly I heard a pop, with a purple flash appearing before my eyes as I saw Twilight appeared out of nowhere. The sudden surprise caused me to jump back a bit as I temporary entered a hostile stance before I abandoned it. Teleporting was something that I wasn’t gonna get used to anytime soon.

"Hey, wait Aether. How about a compromi—I mean, how about we make it fair. I'll get you someone to... teach you magic and you can teach me your language?" Twilight while putting on that desperate smile.

"No, my way or no way, take your pick."

"Aether, you're being unreasonable."

"No, I am not letting go of what little stuff I have that has value. You want my language, bad, I can see. So I want something from you in return. I made my offer, so you have two choices. Agree to my offer, or only have my letters that you do not understand. I will not change my mind on my offer." Twilight blinked in shock after I finished talking, probably due to the level of insight I presented to her.

"Well... Aether, magic is a complicated thing, and only so many unicorns are talented at that. I don't want to teach you only for you to fi—"

"So you are calling me stupid then?" I interjected as I sat down to fold my forelegs across my chest again.

"What? No no no, I mean, it's more of that most unicorns can only learn spells related to their special talents, so you might not be able to learn many spells then." I tilted my head at the word 'spell', but it didn't took me long to figure out what it was linked to magic. When is she gonna realized that she stands no chance of changing my mind?

"So what. If I can not learn many spells, so be it, but I will not change my offer. Time is not on your side though, might forget some words later, since I have no one to talk to in my words," I replied with a smug grin, putting a sense of urgency into the matter. Let's see what you got, 'Princess' Twilight Sparkle.

This filly is so stubborn, but... she has a point. If I don't have her language recorded soon, her memory of it may decay as she adapts to Equestrian. But the research... no... that can wait, those crystals show no signs of decay of any sort, but Aether's language might... Twilight thought to herself. As she looked at the filly, who was giving her a smug look which only served to annoy Twilight even more, an idea sparked in her mind. Well, if she wants magic, might as well get her the full package and see how she likes it then.

"Fine, I concede, I'll teach you magic in exchange for your language."

As the Aether smile gets wider at her perceived victory, Applejack joined the duo again as she said, "Are you sure sugarcube? Aren't you busy with that crystal thing?"

Keeping her voice as low as she could, Twilight replied, "Yeah, but I have an idea to make Aether chan-" till she was interrupted by Aether coughing.

"I can hear you," Aether said with a frown, as Twilight blushed and realized she may have been caught. Why did that filly have to have sharp hearing? Twilight thought.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, but I think it's time Aether and I made our leave. We have some 'magic' to get going to, and Aether needs to teach me more about her language's alphabet," Twilight said as her horn lit up as she cast the teleportation spell. In a flash the two of them were back in the library, while Spike, who was doing some cleaning, jumped into the air in shock.

Smiling a smug grin to herself, Twilight turned her attention to Aether, only to have her smile turn into a jaw dropped. Sitting there calmly, Aether simply watched Twilight, though she did cock an eyebrow at Twilight's reaction. What... how? Normally everypony gets sick from their first teleport!

"Twilight! I thought I told you to get some fresh air and relax!" Spike exclaimed after he gathered his wits.

"I know, Spike, but Aether here is ready to teach me her language's alphabet, and I'm going to 'teach' her some magic. So it's just two friends spending some time together," Twilight replied. Still suspicious, Spike turned his attention to Aether, who simply nodded to show that Twilight was telling the truth.

"Well, just don't go back into the lab. You still need a break from all that crystal junk," Spike said as he returned to his chores, all the while Aether narrowed her eyes for a bit.

"Well, I would ask you to start translating your alphabet, but I guess you’d rather have me teach you magic first, right Aether?" Receiving another nod from the filly, Twilight continued, "Well, first you need to concentrate on your magic, which is normally in a specific part of their body depending on their tribe. For unicorns, as you might have already noticed, it's in their horns. Thus, you need to focus on the magic inside you, and direct it to your horn first. It may take some time though if you nev- wha..." Before her eyes, she sees Aether with her horn alight with a silver aura that matched her eyes, which were closed until they opened after she heard Twilight's stammering.

"What?" Aether asked as she tilted her head in confusion.

"How di—never mind, let's just move on. One spell that I know that all unicorns can learn is the basic telekinesis spell. Now, in order to use the spell, you have to concentrate on the desired object that you wish to move, and imagine your magical aura wrapping around the object. Once that step is done, you must imagine that your aura is like a pair of hooves, lifting and manipulating the object as you lift it into the air and moving it as you desire. However, you have to watch how much magical force you apply to the object. Too little and you achieve nothing, too much and it'll be sent flying across the room. Now I recommend that you start with something small and begin with wrapping your magic around it first. Now don't be frustrated when you.... what...." Before her very eyes, Aether wrapped her magic around a book as she began to lift it up into the air, slowly at first before it picked up speed till it was at eye level with Twilight.

Giving Twilight, who was gaping like a fish, a sneer, Aether said, "Still think I am too stupid for magic?"

My word, Twilight looks ridiculous. Hopefully this ends her belief that I'm too stupid, or too young, to learn some of their magic. Though, by the looks of things, I guess a foal around my age shouldn't be able to pull stuff like this so quickly. Unless you toss that foal into a multitude of dimensions where they learn how to adapt to any situation or die, like I had to deal with.

Still grinning at my personal victory over Twilight, I slowly put the book down on the ground before releasing my magic as I panted for a second. I didn't expected to be out of breath from my first try. I guess magic takes it out of you when you're just starting out. After waving a hoof in front of Twilight to only see her mouth opening and closing still, I shrugged before taking a look around, spotting a nearby desk with an inkwell and quill at it. Taking a seat at the desk, I searched through the scrolls for a blank one before reaching the quill and grabbing it with my hoof. Since Twilight held up her end of the bargain, the fact that I know she was trying to discourage me not withstanding, I might as well upheld my own end and provide her the alphabet translation she wanted. Which wasn't exactly easy for me, since I had to figure out various combinations of the pony's letters to reproduce the sounds of my native alphabet's letters.

After spending ten minutes writing, I returned to the gaping alicorn, to see that her mind was still broken from my display. Really? I'm starting to think that these ponies don't have a word for adaptability. Deciding enough was enough, I slapped Twilight with the rolled up scroll several times before she finally broken out of her stupor.

"Hey, don't do th—" Twilight started before I shoved the scroll into her face. Giving me an annoyed glare, she pushed the scroll aside as she opened her mouth to speak. However, I stopped her in her tracks again as I let out a huff of annoyance as I opened up the scroll, showing her the alphabet translation.

"EEEEEEEE!" Twilight squealed as she realized what was before her as she grabs the scroll with her hooves, her eyes scanning the document like a madman. As I wondered just how damn excited she can get, she rolled up the scroll and hugged it to herself. Damn, she really wanted that transla... I thought before I was mentally stalled in my tracks as Twilight began to pet the scroll like a pet. That was one thing I certainly didn't see coming.

Eventually Twilight realized what she was doing as she blushed furiously, before looking at me as she said, "This is amazing! Your letters seem to cover various sounds that ours would produce when two letters are put together! Now we... wait, why are you giving me this information now?" She narrowed her eyes in suspicion due to my self-centered attitude from earlier.

"You taught me a spell, so only fair that I show you my letters in... your own letters," I said, as I noted that I really need to learn more of their language still. "Words come later, I teach you some after you teach me more magic. If I can not learn more magic and you were right on my ability, then I will teach you all words. But only if I completely fail, so no more looking for way to get out of this deal or I will get angry, understand?"

Recoiling at my accusation, Twilight released a sigh as she said, "Alright, that sounds fair after all, especially since I can't fool you to give up learning magic from me. Sorry for discouraging you from learning magic from me in my pursuit of your language."

"It is alright, we all make... mistakes. I done some mistakes before too, let us just move on, do not have all day after all for this."

Giving me a small smile, Twilight nodded as she move onto the next lesson in magic as I carefully listened to the best of my capacity. If I have the knack for their magic, I might be able to use it to my advantage. I also need to find out what Twilight has discovered about the Maralus shards, as well as find a way to steal them from her. As useful as magic could be, I doubt it can help them against the interdimensional forces out there.

Chapter XVIII: School

My magic lessons... didn't last as long as I had hoped. After being given further instruction, I was able to manipulate the 'telekinesis spell' more effectively beyond just lifting, to the point where I was able to move and rotate objects. Sadly, the lessons had to end due to the exertion from using my magic leaving me too drained to continue. Even so, I was fair to Twilight in regards to our deal, where I provided one word in my language of her choosing. Oddly, she asked for me to teach her how to say friend. It took me a moment to recall the word, but not due to recent disuse. Rather, it was due to me barely using the word before I came here. You don't make many friends in my former line of work, but you sure do end up cursing like crazy.

After fighting the temptation to instead teach Twilight a curse word for my amusement, I ended up seeing her trying to parrot the word, only for her to fail miserably. At the rate she was going, I wouldn't be surprised if her tongue ended up in knots. Eventually, I had to take my leave since it was close to dinner time, and I didn't want to have Pinkie search the entire town for me, which would probably end with her popping out of some bizarre place and scaring me. Twilight, however, chose to accompany me home, mostly to get some more practice on that word to my annoyance, though she did bring some books on basic reading for foals to help me learn their written words. While today ended with some success for me, the next day didn't greet me with the same fortune in the morning.

"You're so gonna love where we're going Aether!" Pinkie said, as I sat on her back while she bounced through the town, while I was wearing my saddlebags that were stuffed with books, papers, and an object they called a pencil.

"How do you know? I do not even know where we are going."

"It's a surprise, silly."

"Remember the last surprise Pinkie?" My question got her to stop, though she stopped in midair which gave caused my left eye to twitch at the impossibility. Even after a month of living with her, my brain still hurt whenever she did something completely illogical.

"Oh don't worry Aether, it's not that kind of surprise," Pinkie said as she resumed her bouncing, to my brain's relief. Eventually we came to a building in some clearing, where I saw some fillies roaming around outside, but oddly few adults... wait a minute.

Sadly before I could get my train of thought going, Pinkie went around the side of the building and entered a side entrance into some sort of office from the looks of things. Sitting on a desk was a magenta coated mare. Before her desk were a couple stools, where Pinkie dropped me on one before taking a seat herself.

"Good morning, Pinkie. I take it that this is Aether," the mare said before she turned her attention towards me. "Hello there, Aether. My name is Cheerilee. Do you know why you are here?" she said slowly. Why most new ponies always go slow when they first met me?

"Do not talk slow, I can figure out words that I know fine, just not the words I have not learned yet. Also, I do not know why I am here," I deadpanned, causing Cheerliee to blush in embarrassment.

"Well, you're here because Pinkie Pie has enrolled you into the morning class." Receiving my tilted head of confusion as a response, she continued, "You're going to school now so you can receive an education, and I'm going to be your teacher." Now after hearing that, I was finally able to put two and two together as my eyes widened from the realization. Now I knew why I was here, and it was not an idea that I wished to entertain.

"No, I do not want to go to school," I flatly said, as I looked at Pinkie with pleading eyes. Spending time with the Crusaders was bad enough. School would probably just be worse in my opinion. Desperate times calls for desperate measures.

"You're a silly filly, Aether. You spend all your time inside reading and learning and now you don't want to go to school. If you don’t come here, then where you can learn?"

"Pinkie's right Aether. You need a balanced education as well as interaction with those of your own age," Cheerilee said. Looks like there's no way of getting out of this... fuck.

After watching Pinkie Pie sign some paperwork (which may be the most serious thing I'll ever see her do), she waved goodbye before bouncing off to go back to her job at the bakery. After the entire class was assembled, my introduction was made before all the foals in the class, who stared at me in a... well, very creepy way. However, as I stared them down, I noticed something off about the class. Hmmm... just what is it that's bothering me? Let me see... brown filly, blue filly, light blue colt, yellow filly, grey fil- WAIT! Filly, filly, colt, filly, filly, filly, filly, colt, filly... what the fuck‽ Three-quarters of the class are females! That... actually explains a bit, if this is a gender ratio standard or the class is a fluke... got to ask about this lat- My train of thoughts was interrupted by Cheerilee nudging me with her hoof.

"Aether, go ahead and introduce yourself," she said as she gave me a supportive smile.

Releasing a sigh, I looked at the class as calmly as I can as I said, "Hello, my name is Aether Aura. I came to this town over a month ago, and I use to speak different... words... so I do not talk so good with your words. I live with the Cakes and Pinkie Pie, and it is... nice to meet you all." I was never one for speeches. To my misfortune, the moment the foals learned that I use to speak a different language, the floodgates broke as a rush of questions came at me.

"What language do you speak?"

"What's it like learning Equestrian?"

"Do you speak other languages? How many do you know?"

"Why did you speak a different language in the first place?"

"Why don't you know Equestrian?"

"Where did you come from?"

As the barrage of questions came at me, I simply folded my ears against my head as I gritted my teeth. Fortunately Cheerilee came to my rescue when she said, "Class, class! Calm down!" As the foals began to quiet down, Cheerilee continued, "Now I know you're all excited to ask Aether all those questions since her native language isn't Equestrian, asking her all those questions at once is overwhelming her, and she may not understand what you are asking of her in the first place. So save your questions for recess and only if Aether wants to answer them."

With that, some of the foals let out an 'aw' as Cheerilee turned towards me. "Now Aether, it's time for you to take a seat so we can begin class."

Giving her a nod, I walked down an aisle, only to see that the brat Diamond Tiara and her accomplice glaring at me. I gave them a stern glare back, but not my Death Glare. I knew the odds of it working again were low, and I didn't want to expose the rest of the foals to that quite yet. Walking past the brats, two unicorn colts came into my view, and compared to the rest of the foals here, they looked... well... stupid. The tall one was looking at me with a rather blank look in his eyes, while the short chubby one was smiling at me, though his eyes weren't much brighter than his companion's. Walking past them quickly to avoid as much interaction with them as possible, I finally took a seat in the back. It wasn't close to the two colts, thankfully, but it was close to Sweetie Belle, who turned to give me a small wave and a smile, which I half-heartedly returned.

With me properly seated, the class finally began, with Cheerilee starting with some writing on the chalkboard. After watching for a while, I saw that she was teaching them something related to writing. Sadly for me, I didn't understand a single thing. One thing I did learn was how foals normally wrote... they had their pencils in their mouths! After silently gagging at the sight, I noticed that the filly over to my side was writing quite well, causing me to wonder that maybe they use their mouths because it made writing easier than if they used their hooves. Still, fat chance of me putting a pencil in my mouth. Instead, I checked out the books in my bag, pulling out the one that looked the simplest to me as I opened it on my desk to attempt to read it.

However, before I could even get started, I heard a voice said, "Miss Cheerilee! Aether isn't doing her classwork!" Looking up, I spotted Diamond sneering at me as Cheerilee looked at me.

"Well, normally a foal should be doing their classwork, but I've been told that Aether doesn't know how to read and write yet in our language, but..." Cheerilee said before she stopped when she saw that I had a book open. Walking over to my desk, she looked down to see what I was reading, which caused her to smile as she said, "Oh my, you're trying to learn how to read, Aether! That's smart of you to try to do something related to the subject!" Giving her a dumbfounded nod, I watched as she returned to the front of the class, all the while Diamond glared at me due to her failed attempt to get me into trouble. In response, I simply gave her a smile before returning my attention to my book.

After a hour, the tone of the teacher's voice changed for a bit, causing me to look up from my book to see her wiping the board clean, probably for another lesson. Before I tore my attention away from her, I saw that she was writing down numbers instead of letters, hinting that this was a math lesson. Finally, something that I can work with, I thought to myself as I gave her my full attention. Sadly, it ended in disappointment as I learned that the class was working on multiplication, which was way below my current understanding of mathematics. I returned to my reading, but after a moment I heard Cheerilee calling out my name, causing me to look at her again.

"Aether, we're moving onto math now, and you should try to watch so you can understand mathematics, it's an important part of your education," Cheerilee told me, to which I gave her a blank stare, not a deadpan one cause it would be disrespectful, before raising a hoof in their air. "What is it Aether?"

Pointing at the equation on the board, I said, "Eight times nine is seventy two."

Blinking in surprise, Cheerilee looked at the board before looking at me, "You know and understand our numbers and math symbols?" I gave her a nod, since it didn't took me long to learn the basics to their numbers and mathematical symbols, due to it having a similarity to the common mathematics.

"My numbers are like yours, so more easier to learn than your words," I explain.

"Oh, just how much math do you know then, Aether?" Cheerilee asked, as my classmates began to look at me with curiosity. Hmm... if I tell them the limits of my mathematical understanding, they may get suspicious. On the other hoof, it may let me off of math work so I can return to learning their writing and language again. Hmm... I could always make the excuse that I was taught at an early age.

"I know a lot of math, this math too easy for me," I said, hoping that I was right about being freed.

"Hmmm... alright Aether, return to your readings, but I need you to stay in class during recess."

"Yes Cheerilee," I said, as I returned to my reading, though I had no idea what recess is. Time passed by until a couple hours later, Cheerilee dismissed the class as she headed over to her desk, pulling out some papers before trotting over to my desk.

"I was originally planning on waiting until you knew how to write, Aether, but since you said you're so good in math, I might as well give you the math portion of the assessment test. This way, I can know just how much you really know, though you don't have to do the word problems since you probably won't be able to read them anyway," she said before placing the papers on my desk. Putting my book away, I looked at the papers to see all the math problems on it. Though I only understood half of what Cheerilee said, I knew that I was given a math test. Shrugging to myself, I used my magic at first when I started the test, later shifting to my right hoof after feeling drained from using the magic too long.

Right after the class returned, I raised a hoof as I said, "Done Miss Cheerilee."

Walking over to my desk, she grabbed the test as she said, "You did that test faster than expected, Aether. You better not be rushing to get it over with," before she placed the test on her desk before turning to the blackboard to teach the class something new. Curious, I waited to see what she was teaching, to which I learned that she was teaching the history of her world. Finally, something that might be useful to me, I thought to myself as I gave her my full attention.

"Today, class, we'll be learning about the transition of power and duties between the ancient unicorn tribe to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, where they gave the responsibility of raising the sun and moon to the princesses. On th-" Cheerilee said before I rudely interrupted the class by falling out of my desk as I lost consciousness due to what I just heard.

They can move the sun and moon! were my last thoughts before my mind blanked out as I passed out on the floor.

Chapter XX: Nightmare

After Pinkie’s absurd disregard for the laws of physics, I said my goodbyes to the Crusaders and Applejack as I picked up my saddlebags, explaining that I needed a moment alone to recover from the shock. I was walking down the the street, my mind in utter confusion due to Pinkie's antics and the knowledge that these ponies were somehow able to move the sun and moon. It was mind boggling that there was actually a species that can move giant ba—THWACK!

"Gah!" I said as I fell on my rear, as I rubbed a hoof over my muzzle as I looked at what hit my face, only to see a door. Guess I was too caught up in my mind-breaking realizations to pay attention to what was in front of me. Looking at the building before me, I saw it was Sugarcube Corner, which made me realize just how long I was lost in thought. Shrugging it off, I opened the door to see the usual line of customers and Mrs. Cake at the register, who waved at me when she saw me. After I waved back at her, I headed upstairs and into my room, not wanting to deal with any more craziness for the day so that I wouldn’t end up with permanent brain damage.

Putting down my saddlebags, I pulled out a book and got to practicing my reading for the rest of the day, though during dinner I did give Pinkie a stern look for the surprise she gave me earlier. She instead simply smiled and tousled my mane with a hoof, which caused me to drop my look since it was pointless to keep it up. After dinner, I returned to my room to practice my reading until sunset, at which point I decided to simply go to bed instead of staying up, hoping that a good night's rest would help put my mind at ease.

"Hey shorty, how was your last job?"

"Eh, nothing special Kalin, just the usual 'do my best to not die' kind of stuff."

"Are you sure? Cause you're now even shorter than you were before."

"What are you tal-" I started to say before I looked at myself, where I saw that I was in my pony body. "Oh... this is a dream..." I muttered to myself as I look up to see that Kalin had disappeared. Turning around, I found myself in the middle of the pony town... I really should have asked for its name by now. Though one thing struck me as odd in my dream. It was in color. Normally my dreams are monotone, while this dream was fully colored. Though this change was probably caused by my change in species, so odds are my new brain chemistry is allowing me to dream in color. Maybe this is why ponies are more cheerful than most other species.

Choosing to wander around in my dream, I noticed that it was rather devoid of any signs of life. Sadly, I had no way of controlling my dreams. I never mastered the art of lucid dreaming, though it is hard to learn that skill when you don't dream often, and this was my first dream in this world. Normally, I recalled my sleeping to be just vast voids of darkness where nothing happened, or I just simply go to sleep and wake up hours later without anything in between. Regardless, this was a time for me to explore the effects my new body could have on my dreams. As eerie as it was to have the entire town empty, it did offer me a much-needed moment of solitude. I could only handle so much of Pinkie Pie defying the laws of... well, everything... Oh fuck no, I hope she can't enter dreams, too!

After looking around for any signs of Pinkie, I let out a sigh of relief before I began to notice something changing. Looking around, I saw the background losing some of its color, as the color of the sky began to fade, but not into the darkness of night. It was just losing its hue of sky blue. As I pondered this sudden change, the ground began to shake, cracking apart as the buildings were torn to pieces. Bracing myself on the ground, I watched as the ground shattered, fragments of the land beginning to float all around me as though the laws of gravity had ceased to exist. Yet even after seeing this occur, I remained calm, for I knew I was dreaming and that I had experienced stranger things... until I saw a massive tentacle come from below. Its flesh dark and mutilated, the tentacle was something I’d never seen before in my life. That is when I started to panic.

I saw the tentacle flex away from me, which alerted me to its intention. Quickly, I jumped off the floating chunk of land I was on onto another one before the tentacle swung down on that chunk, shattering it into pieces. Knowing that it wouldn't give up so easily, I jumped from floating island to floating island as the tentacle came up and down, destroying anything in its path. It wasn't long before I was left standing on the last chunk of land left untouched, the tentacle before me as it flexed in preparation to smash me to bits. Knowing that this was the inevitable end to this nightmare, I simply closed my eyes to wait for it to shock me back to the waking world.

"Begone foul beast! Thou shall not torment this young one's dreams no more!" Opening my eyes in shock of the unknown voice, I looked up to see the tentacle being blasted apart by a ray of light. Looking to the source of the light, I beheld the sight of a dark blue alicorn, one that was larger than Twilight and dressed in what looked like royal regalia as she flew down onto the last remaining strip of land. While I would hate to admit it to anyone, I was gaping at the sight of the alicorn, completely dumbfounded by what I had just seen.

"Do not fret, little one, for that beast was merely a figment of your imagination," the alicorn said after she landed. While she was keeping a reserved composure, it soon started to crumble at the ridiculous sight of me gaping at her. It didn't took her long before she started to wave a hoof before my face as she said, "Young filly, are't thou well?"

It was her break in composure that brought me back to my senses as I closed my gaping mouth. Looking at her, I asked, "What are you? I never seen you before, and I do not think I imagined you."

Apparently my limited understanding of the pony's language confused the alicorn, though the only sign of that was the slight raising of one of her eyebrows. "Thou do not recognize us, the Princess of the Night?"

"Err... no... though I do not know many princesses, I know of Princess Twilight... because I met her..." I explained, which caused the princess to tilt her head in now open confusion.

"Hath thou been living under a rock? How can thou not know of the princesses of Equestria?"

"Umm... well, I am not from around here. I even speak different... words... though I have been learning the... words of this land now," I said, hoping that will satisfy her.

"Ah, thou are from a foreign land, and with thy age... that explains thy lack of knowledge. Thus, we will introduce ourselves then," the alicorn said before taking on a more regal pose. "We are Princess Luna, princess of the night, co-ruler of Equestria and Steward of the Dreamscape. We hath come to thy dream for thou hath been experiencing a nightmare, and it is our duty to protect our subjects from all threats, real or imagined."

Wow, she's certainly one for words, I thought to myself, before realizing that this meant that this was actually royalty before me. I quickly bowed to her as best as I could, since this was the first time I actually bowed and she looked like a more important figure than Twilight. I mean, Twilight didn’t dress for the part of royalty and lived in a tree house. Princess Luna, on the other hoof, was far bigger than Twilight and certainly looked the part. "Sorry Princess Luna for my... lack of respect from earlier. I thought you were a.. thing of my... mind, and not an actual pony," I said, as pondered on the fact that a pony could enter my dreams. Great, next thing you know, they can read minds whenever they choose. I hate dealing with species that can mess with your brain.

"There is no need to bow before us young one, though we appreciate the gesture. Now we will take our leave of thy mind, for we have other subjects that we must safeguard from their own nightmares. But first..." Luna said, before waving a hoof, causing the landscape to return to what it once was before the nightmare began.

"Thank you Princess Luna, it was a... pleasure to me—" I started to say with a smile, until a bestial growl interrupted me. My smile slowly fading away, I looked around to find the source of the sound, as did Luna, a frown on her face as she scanned the surroundings as well. Suddenly, I heard a howl, my head turning towards the alley to catch the sight of a monster leaping from it toward the two of us. At first I wasn't frightened due to having an alicorn that apparently could control anything inside dreams, but then I saw its eyes. At the moment I saw the eyes of the monster, I let out a terror-filled scream, as my dream completely shattered and I returned to the waking world.

The moment I awoke from my nightmare, my screams came with me as I sat up, screaming in horror. Only mere seconds passed before Pinkie Pie appeared at my side, her forehooves encircling me into a hug.

"Aether, it's alright, I'm here. You were only having a nightmare," Pinkie said, as I continued with my scream, that apparently awoke everyone for soon the Cakes were at the open doorway to my room, Mrs. Cake calming down the twins who were about to burst into tears from having their rest interrupted. Pinkie soon started rubbing my back with one of her hooves, which soon calmed me down enough for me to finally end my screaming. Looking up at her, I saw her eyes full of concern before my vision blurred from tears surging onto my eyes. As I released terror-induced sobs, I buried my face into her chest, crying onto her fur as she continued to hug me, repetitively telling me that everything is alright.

However, even with Pinkie's attempts to soothe me from my terror, the sight of the monster still dwell on my mind. It was on four legs, bearing wicked claws on its feet, its skin ragged, dark, and mutilated like the tentacle nightmare that came before it, it's triangular shaped head roaring with its jaw full of so many sharp teeth that no natural creature should have. But what scared me the most was its eyes. Its hatred-filled eyes. Eyes that spoke of untold horrors of what its appearance would foretell. Eyes that I never before witnessed in all my travels, but I knew what they were, what they belong to. Eyes that will haunt me for the rest of my life, as they would for any that have saw them. The eyes of a Venanite.

Chapter XXI: Relaxation

It took quite a while before I calmed down from my nightmare, though I refused to tell Pinkie anything when she asked. Not like they would believe the reason I was sent into such a state anyway. After I calmed down, I faded back to sleep quickly, and this time was greeted with the ever-present dreams of nothingness. However, when I awoke in the morning, I couldn't help but ponder on the nature of my dream.

Why did a Venanite show up in my dream? I know that those that actually see their eyes end up having them haunt their dreams, but I never heard of a case where someone just saw one in their dreams without ever encountering them... would being near their presence be enough to trigger those kinds of dreams? Or... is it something to do with the nature of this world... well, I just hope that I don't encounter another one in my dreams, I like staying sane... well somewhat sane... I thought to myself before remembering Pinkie's antics.

As I head down the stairs and took my seat for the usual morning breakfast, I noticed that something was off. Looking around, I saw the Cakes giving me a smile that looked a bit… off. Before I could say a thing about it, Pinkie placed a plate of pancakes in front of me and after setting down the plates for everyone else, she sat down across from me and gave me the same smile the Cakes had plastered on their faces. Yeah, I know that look and where this is going.

"Not going to talk about it," I said as I started to pour some syrup over my pancakes, hoping that would defuse the situation, even though the odds are still against me.

"Umm... Aether, I don't think that... nightmare is something you should bottle up dear. I mean, you were... not acting yourself last night," Mrs. Cake said, trying to not point out that I was bawling out like a newborn.

Sighing, I turned my head to give them all my full attention as I said, "It was just a nightmare, I saw things that scared me, but nothing else. It was just... really scary, okay? I do not want to remember it, so please let me forget." After that I returned my attention to my meal, as the others either were satisfied with the answer or just accepted that I wasn't going to talk about it.

After breakfast I went to school, where I spent most of the class just practicing my reading along with some writing practice. At recess, I 'played' with the Crusaders while avoiding Diamond Tiara and her lackey, but by the look of their eyes though I knew they were plotting something. After recess was when I gave Cheerilee my full attention as we moved onto the history lesson, though a few of my classmates peeked at me during that portion. Guess they were waiting for me to faint again for their own amusement. After class ended, Cheerilee stopped me to ask me to bring Pinkie over whenever she was available in the morning to talk about my math assessment. I hoped that it would end well, though I had the faint fear of being found out and dragged to some lab to be interrogated and then dissected. After my short talk with Cheerilee, I left the building to receive the sight of Rarity of all ponies waiting outside the schoolhouse as she was talking to the Crusaders.

"But Rarity, Aether was going to go Crusading with us today!" Sweetie Belle whined.

"Yeah, she probably has even more extreme ideas for Cutie Marks!" Scootaloo said.

"Didn't Applejack make Aether Pinkie Promise that she wouldn't be influencing you three with her... outlandish ideas?" Rarity asked, which caused the fillies to quiet down as they grumble their lament. She only made me Pinkie Promise to not show them, she didn't say I couldn't explain stuff to them, I mused to myself about that potential loophole I could abuse if needed. "Besides, Aether needs some relaxation, Pinkie told me she had a rather rough night, and requested that I take her to the spa today to help her unwind. Now do you want to stop Aether from feeling better then?"

Upon hearing that Pinkie was spreading the word about my little episode last night, I grew annoyed for a moment before I heard the word 'spa' which caused me to tilt my head as I tried to figure out what that meant. However, Rarity soon caught sight of me, for she quickly said her goodbyes to the Crusaders, who half-heartily wandered off to do some crusading. Before she could even say a word to me, I said, "No, no... whatever you had in mind, I rather go with the Crusaders right now then think on that... nightmare."

"Now now dear, I'm not going to have you think about that nightmare at all. Why, it would be unladylike of me to make you dwell on such a dreadful experience."

While the first sentence she said threw me off, her second sentence only confused me as I said, "Huh?"

"Oh dear, your language barrier, hmm... look dear, I'm just going to take you someplace that will make you feel better, but you don't have to think about that nasty nightmare you had. So come along with me dear, and if you don't behave like a proper mare then I'll just have to use my magic on you to make you come," Rarity said firmly. While I could outrun and hide from other ponies, barring Pinkie of course, magic was something that would stop me from getting anywhere. With a sigh, I nodded and followed Rarity, much to my displeasure.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the town square, where Rarity led me to some building with a purple roof. She opened the door to reveal a lobby with a pink coated mare with a light blue mane manning the lobby desk. "Here for your usual, Rarity," the mare before spotting me and asking, "And who's this with you?"

"This is Aether. She's the foal that Pinkie is fostering. I brought her here to relax, as she had a rather rough night and Pinkie requested that I bring her here so her stress could be attended to," Rarity said, as I wondered what she had in mind before I heard the door opening again. Looking behind me, I saw a yellow coated pegasus mare with an abnormally long pink mane and tail walking in.

The moment she saw me though she blinked in surprise, but when her eyes drifted over to Rarity's direction, she tilted her head in confusion as she said, "Hello there, Rarity... umm.. why is Aether here?" Wait, she knows my name? How?

Turning around, Rarity smiled at the yellow mare as she said, "Why, hello there, Fluttershy. I just brought Aether here to the spa for some much needed relaxation. You see, she had a rather rough night. Pinkie told me that she had this terrible nightmare that drove the poor dear to tears."

"Oh my! You poor girl," the yellow mare said before coming to my side and giving me a hug, only for me to blink in confusion as I looked at the mare.

"Umm... who are you? And how do you know who I am?" I asked, as I wanted to know who this mystery pony is and how she knew my name.

"Oh... um... I'm Fluttershy, and I'm a good friend of Pinkie Pie and Rarity," the mare said before putting me down.

Before I could ask anything else, a door opened as a blue mare with a pink mane walked in. "Rarity, Fluttershy, we're ready for your scheduled appointment. We are ready to attend to the filly as well." It only took me a moment to realize that she looked exactly like the the mare at the lobby desk, which caused me to do a double take and look at both mares, switching my vision back and forth of them in confusion.

"They’re twins, Aether, and don't stare. It's rude to stare at other ponies," Rarity chastised me as she and Fluttershy followed the blue mare. As I followed them, I thought to myself, Okay... never thought I would ever see color inverted twins before...

By fuck's sake, when will this torture end‽ I thought to myself after I endured the 'treatments' this spa had in store for me. First was they did something to my mane before they wrapped it in a towel, which to be honest wasn't too bad, until they slapped some kind of gunk on my face. I tried to rub it off but Rarity told me not to, as she said it was supposed to help with something on my face, which made no sense to me as they put cucumber slices over my eyes as well. As I grumbled to myself while the other two mares talked about recent events, I suddenly heard some scraping noise, and it sounded horrible! I was gritting my teeth tightly whenever I heard that scraping noise, which went on for a while, until suddenly I felt somepony putting my hooves into some sort of brace. Before I could say or do anything, I suddenly felt something scraping against the bottom of my hooves.

... I didn't react too well to that. Okay, I lied, I reacted horribly to that. If my hooves weren't trapped in this mystery brace, I would be kicking and screaming, but I sure was screaming and struggling till someone stuffed a towel into my mouth and another pony held me down. They even still did that torture to my hooves to boot. After all that was done, we went to go soak in some kind of hot water tub. While the water was relaxing, I still was giving Rarity a stink eye for the treatment earlier.

"Now dear, don't be that way. I assure you that after today you'll be so relaxed that last night will just be a thing of the past," Rarity said.

"Oh, yes. I believe you, since you made me... deal with that... crazy bad stuff! I will have dreams about that now," I said with a voice laced with malice. If Rarity wasn't a unicorn, I would be choking her right now, no matter the size difference.

"There there, Aether. You should be relaxing now. Isn't this hot water nice?" Fluttershy nervously said she tried to defuse my rage. I was about to give her an angry retort as I turned my sight onto her before I saw her expression. She was so nervous that she was retreating into her mane a bit for some reason, as I saw a spark of fear in her eyes. This surprised me, for I never thought I would be able to scare a pony like this so easily—unless I wanted to, of course. At the sight of her fear, I felt a twinge of guilt in my heart, one that caused me to bite my tongue, sinking into the water until it was right below my nostrils as I tried to control down my temper while Rarity and Fluttershy continued their conversation when it was apparent that I wasn't going to say anything.

Eventually, after the hot bath ended and after we dried ourselves off, we ended up outside the spa, where Fluttershy gave her farewell to Rarity. Turning towards me, she said, "Goodbye, Aether. It was nice to meet you. Hopefully next time we meet it will be... um... under better conditions," as she gave me a timid smile that only pulled at my heartstrings somehow.

"It was... nice to meet you too Fluttershy. I hope we do talk again sometime soon," I replied. In all honesty, Fluttershy gave me a vibe that she was an okay pony to be with—as long as I didn’t make her nervous, that is. After she left, I turned around to head back the Sugarcube Corner before I felt something tugging on my tail.

Turning my head, I saw Rarity with her magic holding onto the tip of my tail. "Now Aether, darling, I didn't say you can go yet. While I'm sure the trip to the spa will do you wonders, I think you should come with me. I need to talk to you about some things on how a proper lady should act, and from what Applejack told me, you could certainly use the tips. So it's off to the Boutique, and you may even get a lovely dress from me to wear that I know you will love," Rarity said, to my dismay. While I was getting used to being a female, there was one thing that I didn't want to try, and based on how most ponies looked I thought I would never had to.

...I didn't want to wear a dress.

Ever.

Chapter XXII: Dresses

After leaving the spa, it was a rather short walk to Rarity's home. I knew it was her home when Rarity stopped right outside it as she said, "Welcome to Carousel Boutique," as she took on a showing off pose. Her place... was well.. the most gaudy place I ever saw to be honest, and was an even bigger eyesore than Sugarcube Corner. I shivered as I was forced to follow Rarity inside, though I really just wanted to flee and hide in a box until dusk. Once inside, I beheld the horror of a room full of... dresses. Just being here was making the remnants of my masculinity fade away. I was about to take my chances and just flee out the door when it shut behind me before I could even move.

"Now Aether, we can't have you wandering off already, and I heard of your little 'escapade' from Pinkie. Now how about you come over here like a good filly so I can take your measurements?" Rarity said as her horn lit up as various objects floated towards her.

"No, I do not want to wear a dress," I said as I finally decided to resist, sitting my rear on the ground as I crossed my forelegs over my chest.

"Aether, don't be silly, there's nothing wrong with wearing a dress. You are a filly after all."

"You are not going to get me in a dress."

"Aether, stop being so difficult, or I wi—"

"I will ruin any dress you put on me," I stated with fierce determination.

Gasping in shock, Rarity said, "How dare you make such churlish threats, Aether. What would Pinkie Pie do if she heard that kind of talk from you?"

"I do not like dresses, so putting me in a dress would not be fun to me, would Pinkie find me not having fun good?" I countered. Rarity opened her mouth for a second before closing it, finding that my rather simple argument had a good point. Instead, she closed her mouth and lowered her head to where we were staring muzzle to muzzle.

Moments passed before Rarity finally broke the silence when she said, "How about formal occasions, Aether? Would you refuse to wear a dress if we have to meet Princess Celestia or Princess Luna?"

I opened my mouth before finding that Rarity had a good point as well as her muzzle took on a smug smile. Gritting my teeth, I said, "Fine, you win, but I will not wear dress unless that occurred."

"It's good that you saw the light of reason, dear. Now, if you would kindly stand on that platform there so I can take your measurements."

Grumbling, I strode over to the platform she indicated as I stood still, figuring that it would be better just to get this over with than struggle any further. It wasn't long before Rarity wrapped that measuring tape all over my body, as she inspected each inch of my figure... fuck... I just used figure in regards to my body, I am getting more feminine.

"Now, Aether, there is something I want to talk to you about," Rarity said as she continued to look me over.

"What is it," I dryly replied.

"It's about the stuff you've been showing my sister and her friends lately. I fear tha—" Rarity started.

After hearing the same whiny concerns, I decided to stop that now as I interrupted Rarity as I said, "I already talk to Applejack about it, problem is over."

Giving me a crossed frown, Rarity replied, "I don't think it is over yet dear. Regardless of whether you promised to not show the Crusaders that... kind of activity any more, that doesn't mean you won't stop doing it, and as a shining example of what a lady should strive to be, I find it that I have to inform you that you should not do that stuff yourself, even if you are doing it alone."

"Just cause you say I should not do it, it does not mean I will stop," I replied with a roll of my eyes.

"Dear, it is just unsafe for a foal of your age to attempt such things. You may have been lucky so far, but eventually your luck will run out and you could get yourself hurt. What if you were rock climbing and you fell and broke your leg? Or if you were doing that odd stunt of yours and twisted an ankle?"

"One, I would fix my leg. Two, I would just walk it off."

"Dear, you can't just fix a leg like some toy, this is a serious man-"

"I just need some straight sticks and some... green rope-like things," I said offhandedly.

That comment finally got Rarity to pause in her measurements as she looked at me with wide eyes. After a moment had passed, she finally got to will to speak when she said, "Aether... do you know how to set a broken leg?"

"I... do not know what you mean by 'set'... but I guess you meant fix a broken bone in leg. Yes, I know how to fix my leg if it breaks."

"But... how would yo—"

"I told Applejack already I have been on my own for thirteen years. Since I knew the stuff I know, that means I done them many times before, and also hurt myself many times before. So yes, I broke my leg before, so I know I can get hurt, so your... point is already known to me."

Apparently, my little statement had blown all of Rarity's arguments out the window, for she just stood there dumbfounded for a good long while. It wasn't long before I was tempted to just leave the place before Rarity shook her head and gave me a forced smile as she said, "I think I got enough measurements for now, though I do have a few dresses right now that may fit your figure. How about you try them out, I'm sure you'll find one that you would absolutely love."

Fat chance, I thought to myself as I watched Rarity head to one corner of her store before returning with some filly-sized dresses that look that could fit me. I was at first staring at them with an annoyed stare, until my eyes spot something that shocked them to go wide-eyed. She fucking has gems on those dresses‽ I thought as I stared at all the gems on those dresses, for there were enough of them that I could live comfortably for quite a while back where I came from.

"I see that you're liking my dresses more than you thought you would," Rarity said, interrupting my stupor as a smug smile had returned to her muzzle.

"Err... no, it is not the dress... but the gems."

"What do you mean dear?" Rarity asked as confusion replaced her smug expression.

"Umm... the gems should make the dress worth... a lot of bits, right?"

"Well, the gems do make the dresses look more lovely, but they aren't that expensive," Rarity answered, blinking at me as my jaw dropped. Well, shit, if gems aren't that expensive, I could just hoard a ton of them and take them home if I find a way out of this dimension. I would be living the good life if I could just my hands on a single crate of them. Unfortunately, my distraction gave Rarity the perfect opportunity to stuff a dress over my head, and before I knew it, the dress was already in place.

"Why look at that, dear. Don't you look lovely?" Rarity said as she levitated a mirror for me to se—oh shit, that's a lot of pink! There was so much pink on this dress that it reminded me of Pinkie Pie. While I was growing just a bit fond of her, I wasn't in the mood to copy her anytime soon.

"Get this dress off me or I will take it off myself, in a bad way," I said with a growl.

"Now dear, don't be so stu—"

"You have five seconds."

"That's unreaso—"

"Five."

"Now you wa—"

"Four."

"Aether, you bet—"

"Three."

"Don't you dare!"

Giving Rarity a look of absolute seriousness, I simply replied, "Two."

When push come to shove, Rarity saw the light when she finally caved in and removed the dress from me. Afterwards I endured trying on a few more dresses, to which I only proclaimed my open contempt for them, much to Rarity's frustration. Thankfully, she didn't forgot the case with the first dress, taking them off as quickly as she put them on, until we were finally finished as Rarity was sitting down on some cushion while she rubbed her hooves against her forehead.

"What am I going to do with you, Aether," Rarity said, her frustration causing me to smile a bit.

"How about not make me a dress, problem solved."

"Don't you get smart with my young lady. There is nothing wrong with wearing a dress. Even Rainbow Dash and Applejack have dresses made by me, and since Rainbow is... a risk-taking pony like you, maybe you should follow her example and have a dress for yourself as well."

"So you are saying that I should knock ponies into fillies, and send them into cabbage stalls?"

"...That is the most preposterous thing I ev—"

"Rainbow caused me to crash into a cabbage stall."

A moment of silence passed as Rarity looked at me with a befuddled look, much to my amusement as I simply stared back at her. Eventually she bit her lip before she said, "How about I just make you some other clothing... like a scarf or a hat, maybe?"

Tilting my head, I thought about it for a moment before deciding that maybe a compromise would be the best way out of this situation as I said, "Sure, I am okay with a scarf or a hat. But no pink."

"No pink? Bu-"

"It has nothing to do with Pinkie, I... like her and I do care for her since she cares for me. I just do not want to wear pink."

"Oh. Well, each mare to her own tastes then. I will make you a scarf that I am sure that you will find so absolutely fabulous that you will change your mind about getting a dress made by me," Rarity said, as I only rolled my eyes in return.

"Well, since we have come to a... um... 'deal', may I leave now?"

"I suppose you can leave now Aether, but remember to not be a bad influence on my sister, I don't want to see her coming into harm's way."

"...You forgot the stories of their Crusading that you told me?" I asked, bemused that I would bring any more harm to the fillies than what they normally brought upon themselves.

"Just don't give them any more dangerous things to do, then," Rarity answered with a huff, before we finally said our goodbyes as I left her place, glad to be out of the masculinity-killing joint. Sadly, I didn't make it five feet before I heard another familiar voice calling out to me to the right of me.

"Why hello there, Aether. I see that you are done with Rarity today," said Twilight as she approached me judging by the sound of her voice growing louder.

"How did you know abo—" I said as I turned my head towards her, only to stop mid-sentence as I saw the state she was in. Her mane was still frazzled like the last time she talked, but her bloodshot eyes had really dark bags beneath them, and along with the jittery shaking that her body was doing, it indicated that she probably didn't got any sleep since the last time we talked.

"Oh, I went to Pinkie to find out where you were, and after she told me that Rarity was going to look after you today, I decided to come here and see if you two were around But by the looks of things, you seem to be done with whatever plans Rarity had. So how about you come with your dear friend Twilight and we can talk some more about your language?" Twilight said, her left eye twitching a bit, adding more to her... well manic look.

...This will not end well, at all.

Chapter XXIII: Hayburgers

"Um... Twilight, are you okay?" I gingerly asked as I slowly backed away from the manic alicorn.

"Never better! Though I wish Spike didn't force me to stop my research on those crystals again. He wants me to take a break, but he doesn't understand that those crystals are an absolute mystery. Their unusual reaction alone to magic is so unheard of, I just wish I knew where they originated from!" Twilight said, her manic smile not slipping once.

Okay... this mare is way too caught up with sci—wait a minute... the Maralus shards are producing unusual reactions to magic? Hmm... I need to keep that in mind for the future... and make sure the twins never get near them. "Well... you look tired Twilight, maybe you need some sleep?"

"Not you too! Spike already told me that I need some sleep, but I'm perfectly fine, already had ten cups of coffee today and I feel fantastic!" ...Whatever this 'coffee' is, I doubt it's healthy for anypony to have ten cups of it, I thought to myself as she continued. "So since I can't continue my research, I think it's a good time to continue your magic lessons."

"You mean for me to teach you more of my language, right?" I deadpanned.

"Eh heh... looks like nothing is going to get past you," Twilight sheepishly said. "So how's your levitation practice going?"

"I am... getting better, use 'levitation' to write in my... school time. I am able to use it for about... one and a half as long as the first time."

"Oh my, you're improving fast, maybe you're ready to try levitating multiple objects at once. How about we go to your room in the Sugarcube Corner so we can practice in private?"

Before I said yes, I suddenly remembered the Maralus shards stashed in my room. I don't know if these ponies can be sensitive to their presence, especially Twilight since she's an alicorn. Best to choose a separate location for the time being. Looking at Twilight, I said, "No, twins are there, they may get in way and will... bother me while I practice my magic."

"Hmm... you have a good point there, and the library isn't an option right no—" Twilight said before a rumble from my stomach interrupted her. As I looked at my stomach in annoyance, Twilight just smirked at me said she said, "Looks like some little filly is hungry today. How about we go to Hay Burger for some dinner? My treat."

Giving her a shrug, I followed Twilight to this 'Hay Burger' place, figuring that as long as we were in some public place, I would have someone to save me if this mare's mind finally snapped, if it hadn't already. It didn't take long to arrive at the place, which at first glance looked similar to Sugarcube Corner, but at the registers the similarities ended. Above the registers they had their menu displaying all the food they cooked here, though I knew that there was more food than what was shown judging by the number of lines with prices next to them that indicated their full menu.

"So what do you want Aether?" Twilight asked, to which I simply gave her a deadpanned stare. "Oh... you probably can't read the menu beyond the pictures... eh heh..."

"Just... give me what you are getting," I dryly replied.

"Are you sure? What if you don't like it?" Twilight asked.

"I had worse."

"Okay..." Twilight replied before placing our orders. While she ordered a hayburger, a side of 'hay fries' and a chocolate 'milkshake' for me, I was amazed by her own order, that consisted of four hayburgers, though of a different kind based on the additional words she used duing that part of the order, two sides of hay fries and a shake for herself. After we received our meals, we took a seat at a table near a wall that was on the other side of the entrance to avoid the flow of ponies coming in and out. I tried to eat my meal, but was stopped by the site of... well, Twilight gorging herself. As disgusting as it was, it was one of those sights that you can't take your eyes off, no matter how much your brain tells you to look away. Where does all that food go? I thought to myself as I inspected her body, not finding it to be chubby in any way based on what I know of pony fitness so far. Her burgers were even more than twice the size of my own, and after taking a quick look around the place, I found that no other pony had ordered a meal as large as Twilight had.

"Something wrong with your hayburger, Aether?" Twilight asked as she paused her consumption of her third burger as its sauce dripped off her face, ruining any look of nobility for her.

"No-nothing, just was... thinking," I replied before I returned to my own meal. Unlike Twilight, I ate much more neatly, for I never really liked getting my fur unnecessarily dirty if I could avoid it. After I finished my burger, I could only watch in horror as Twilight finished her last burger and began to stuff the fries down her throat. I even turned my head to look at her barrel (another word that I quickly picked up due to Pinkie wanting to tickle me from time to time, which was my misfortune for my new body is ticklish), to receive the eerie sight of it not being bloated from all the food she had already eaten.

Deciding that I couldn't stomach down anymore food until Twilight finally finished... eating, I looked at my fries and decided to practice using levitation on multiple objects at once as Twilight said. Remembering her exact words from the first lesson, I tried to apply my magic on two separate fries. It took greater concentration than my first try on levitation, but it didn't take long before I was able to cause both fries to float up into the air.

"Wow, you're advancing quite well for a filly of your age," Twilight commented as she watched me, though her words broke my concentration and caused me to drop the fries.

Rubbing my forehead with a hoof, I replied, "Maybe, but that was not easy still. It does mean that I do not need you to teach me how to do many objects at once, so no words for that," as I gave Twilight a teasing sneer.

"Hey, I did get you dinner," Twilight responded with an annoyed expression as her frazzled mane grew more messy.

"But you said it was a treat," I countered, keeping up my sneer. Moments passed before I broke my composure as I laughed at Twilight's expense. "Relax, I will teach you some words still, but you owe me a magic 'spell' then."

Twilight grumbled for a moment before she summoned a notepad and quill, giving me the opportunity to finish the rest of my meal without the disturbing sight of her eating habits.

Twilight's lesson this time around was... less pleasant, though I had to lay the blame at her current state. The first word I instructed her was 'food' since we were eating, writing it down first before once again watching the spectacle of Twilight trying to pronounce the word only to butcher it in her first few attempts.

"What does your culture call that?" Twilight asked as she pointed at my remaining hay fries.

"We do not have them in my... 'culture'."

"How about hay burgers?"

"Not those either."

"Milkshakes?" Twilight asked, only to receive a shake of my head. "Hmm... oh! How about quills?" Twilight said, as she wave the quill in front of my face with her magic. Sighing to myself, I rubbed the sides of my head with my hooves before saying my language's word for quill.

"Twilight, maybe you need a break from all this... well... a break from learning new things," I said as I grabbed the quill out of the air and wrote down my language's word on the notepad.

"What are you talking about?"

"You are being... well, all over the place with your mind. I said food and you were stuck on it, not thinking much besides it until you ran out of food on our table. I think you need some rest."

"Look, I'm perfectly fine, lets just conti—" Twilight said before I hopped onto the table and shoved my hoof into her mouth. I wasn't in the mood to deal with her mania anymore as I peered into her eyes with my own narrowed eyes, causing her to pause in whatever protest she had for my behavior.

"Twilight, you are not looking well, and you are not... behaving well. Spike is right, you need a break. Relax for a few days, then you can work again, and work good instead of... this," I said before I pulled out my hoof. For a moment Twilight said nothing as she pondered my words, but I soon saw her face working into a frustrated look, I chose to stop her in her tracks again. "Look if you do not rest for a few days, I will not teach anymore words to you, but if you do rest, I teach you.... twenty words in return."

Twilight quickly calmed down as she thought about my offer before giving me a nod as she said, "Alright, you win. I'll... relax as you said. Though it's surprising that you said all that, Aether. A normal filly wouldn't be able to come up with that reasoning so quickly."

Shit, she has a point. How am I going to redirect her suspici—got it! Looking at Twilight with the most serious expression I could muster, I said, "Well, we both know I am not normal, I had to live alone for a while, remember?"

My question caused Twilight's eyes to widen in shock, and she quickly lowered her head down as her ears folded onto her head as she said, "Sorry... I didn't mean to remind you of your past."

"It is... fine Twilight, my past is... bad but now I am living with more... well I am more happy now," I replied, causing her to raise her head again as my words eased her sorrow. "I think we should go now, it is getting late and I have to be home soon before Pinkie starts to worry... or go find me herself," I said with a shiver as the memory of her appearing out of boxes flashed across my mind.

"True, we shouldn't get Pinkie or the Cakes worried about you. Do you need me to take you home?"

"No thank you, I will be fine," I answered as I get off my seat while Twilight used her magic to clean up the mess we, or should I say she, made. "Thank you for dinner Twilight, I hope to see you in a couple days."

After Twilight gave me her farewell, I headed back to the Sugarcube Corner, where I received a friendly hug from Pinkie the moment I stepped inside, though a friendly hug in Pinkie's case is more like her trying to crush all of my ribs. She then asked why I took so long with Rarity, only for me to truthfully answered that I spent the rest of the day with Twilight, before telling her to take a break from her work due to how crazed she looked. This in turn caused Pinkie to give me another 'friendly hug' as she said she was proud of me for telling Twilight that. After I checked to see that my ribs were intact, gave the Cakes the usual pleasantries, and told Pinkie that Cheerilee needed to met her in the morning whenever she could make it, I made my way back to my room for some last minute magic practice before I turned in for the night.

As I pulled the covers over me, the memory of my nightmare crossed my mind, only for me to shake it off as I thought it was probably just some fluke or just my mind coping with the horror of that one world that I've been to. Instead, to keep that memory off my mind, I recalled the memories I made in this world, which to be honest were extremely pleasant compared to the rest of my life, as I drifted off to sleep.

Chapter XXIV: Math

Thankfully, my sleep was dreamless, sparing me from any night-time terrors. After waking up in the morning and having breakfast, I learned that Pinkie was able to take some time off work to accompany me to school today. So as we walked to the schoolhouse (yes, we walked, without me being on Pinkie's back for once), I had time to ponder what potential situations that could occur after we received the results from my math assessment. It wasn't long before we were both sitting in front of Cheerilee's desk, as she went rummaging through some files for my own, while Pinkie hummed a tune to herself.

"Ah hah! Here we go, Aether's math assessment," Cheerilee said as she put the test on the desk for both of us to look at, though it turned out that I couldn't read what Cheerilee wrote. Pinkie, however, appeared to be in the same boat as me, judging by the confused expression she had.

"Um... so, how did Aether do?" Pinkie finally asked, breaking the awkward silence the two of us had.

"She scored... well... she could be a math prodigy!" Cheerilee explained, though I was still out of the loop. Damn language barriers.

"Really‽" Pinkie screamed in shock, causing me to fold my ears in response, though I still had to cover the one closest to her due to how damn loud she was.

"Due to her being from a different culture, she only answered the questions composed of only symbols and numbers, but she still completed them correctly! Not only does she know the basic mathematics anypony should learn from a basic education, but she even displayed understanding of calculus. Calculus is a college level subject!" Cheerilee explained before Pinkie looked at me in surprise.

"Wow Aether, how did you get so good in math?" Pinkie asked, which finally told me what in limbo was going on.

"Huh? I am good?" I asked, curious about their math standards.

"You're not only good Aether, you know more math than an adult would," Cheerilee explained.

"Really? I thought I was... normal in math," I asked, as I thought to myself, Huh, that's a bit surprising. With this magic thing of theirs, one would think that it would help accelerate the general population's understanding of mathematics.

"Normal in math? Wait, are you saying that in your culture it is normal for ponies to know this much math, at your age‽"

"Err... yes? There are many... ponies that know way more math than I do from my... 'culture'," I answered. I was being completely honest. The sheer number of mathematical formulas that resulted from inter-dimensional species meeting one another meant that my current knowledge was still considered at a child's level. Which is kind of ironic now that I thought about it.

"But wait, weren't you... separated from your parents thirteen years ago?" Pinkie asked.

"Yes? Wait, how you know about it? I do not think I told you about that."

"Oh, Twilight told me about that a couple days ago."

Figures that any tidbit of my past I leaked out is spread around like wildfire. Looking back at Cheerilee, I asked, "So what does this mean for me then?"

"Hard to say... I mean, with your math level you could get into a university by now, but the rest of your knowledge... is currently lacking. Maybe getting a private tutor to help foster your mathematical skills to higher levels would be best while you still come here for your regular education, but I don't know if Pinkie and the Cakes could affo-" Cheerilee said until Pinkie interrupted her.

"Oh, oh! Twilight can tutor her. They are already spending time together!" Pinkie said

"Really?" Cheerilee asked.

"Yeah... she wants to learn about my... culture's words, though she is only teaching me magic," I answered as I rubbed a hoof against the back of my head.

"Well, maybe you should also tell her about your mathematical prowess. I'm certain she will aid you in furthering in your education. Since the class math lessons are... below your level, you should use that time to continue practicing your reading and writing so you can catch up to your classmates. Thank you for coming, Pinkie Pie, but class is about to start so it’s time for you to say your goodbyes to Aether so we can get to class."

Giving Cheerilee a nod, Pinkie turned to me as she said, "Goodbye, Aether! I'll see you real soon."

After I said my own goodbyes, Pinkie bounced out of the office as I headed to the classroom before I suddenly realized something. She said 'real soon'... great... she's throwing another party.

The first part of class followed the same pattern as before, with me spending the math portion practicing my reading skills until Cheerilee excused the class for recess. I was with the Crusaders as we played on the swing sets, where Apple Bloom and I were pushing Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle respectively. It was pleasant doing these childish games, though part of me felt like my current status as a child was affecting me mentally and making me feel that way.

"Well, well. What do we have here, Silver Spoon? A group of blank flanks playing on the swings. You blank flanks are lucky to have a fourth join you so that you can have ponies to push you now," said Diamond Tiara as she and her cohort approached us. While the Crusaders groaned at Diamond's interruption of our fun, I just rolled my eyes.

"What do you want now, Diamond?" Scootaloo said as she glared at her.

"Oh, nothing. Just having a stroll around the playground, blank flanks. How's your newest member?" Diamond said with a sneer. I simply gave her a huff before I resumed pushing Sweetie Belle, though that caused her to shriek in surprise. I guess that she and possibly the other Crusaders were too focused on the duo, judging by the looks Apple Bloom and Scootaloo gave me as I ignored the taunts.

"Hey, blank flank, I'm talking to you," Diamond said, which promptly got her nothing from me. "Look at me when I'm talking to you." No response still. "I said look at me, blank flank!" As I continued to push Sweetie Belle on the swing while ignoring Diamond, the Crusaders just looked at Diamond and me, though Sweetie had a hard time due to me pushing her, while Scootaloo was smirking at Diamond's frustration.

"Hmph, let's go, Silver. I'm not wasting any more time on these blank flanks and their newest orphan member," Diamond said, which finally got my attention as I stopped pushing Sweetie Belle to turn my head towards Diamond. The other foals near us gasped at Diamond’s words, as the Apple Bloom and Sweetie looked at me with concern.

"Now that's going too far!" Scootaloo yelled, her wings raised in aggression as she glared at Diamond.

"Really? I was just stating a fact," Diamond said as she sneered at me as my left eye twitched.

"Wait, how did you know that Aether is... well..." Apple Bloom said.

"Oh, please. Aether is being taken care of by Pinkie Pie, and she doesn't look like she's related to her or the Cakes. Even a blank flank could tell she's an orphan." My face twitched after hearing that taunt, which gave Diamond the cue to press on. "Though, I say she probably just got lost from her parents since she has such a hard time paying attention."

As I grit my teeth, the playground suddenly went quiet as foals all around us stopped their games to look at us. I continued to say nothing, just giving Diamond a flat stare as I hoped that she was done. Sadly, that hope was dashed when she said, "Her parents probably don’t even notice she’s gone, since she's so quiet."

Thankfully, the torment finally ended when the bell rang, signalling the end of recess as the foals headed in, though Diamond gave me a smug look before going inside. "Are you okay?" Sweetie Belle asked as the other Crusaders looked at me while I fumed at Diamond when she finally turned her back to me.

"I am fine," I grunted before I too made my way back to class, with the Crusaders following behind me.

The rest of class went smoothly, though my anger didn't subside. Still, I kept my mouth shut and my eyes away from Diamond for I didn't want to give her any more satisfaction. After the end of class, as I made my way out of the classroom I saw Pinkie sitting right outside the door with her ever-present smile. So that what she meant by 'real soon'.

"What are you doing here, Pinkie?" I asked as the Crusaders followed me to find out as well.

"I'm here to take you back to the Sugarcube corner for your 'Congratulations on being a Math Prodigy' party!" Pinkie explained as she stood up before starting to head towards the bakery, with the four of us following her.

"Wait, Aether's a what?" Scootaloo asked.

"Pinkie said she's a math prodigy. That means she's really really good at math!" Sweetie said.

"Wait, does that mean she might have a math cutie mark since she's so good at math?" Apple Bloom asked, causing the trio to check my flanks for one.

"I still do not have a cutie mark, so that means being good at math is not my special talent," I said dryly. While my opinion on these cutie marks is still mixed, I certainly did find a math based cutie mark to be absurd.

"Heh, a math cutie mark would be silly. I certainly don't want to have one," Scootaloo said, to which we all actually nodded in unison.

"Wait a minute, why did you tell Aether she was goin' to have a party? Don't you want to surprise her with it?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Remember the last time Pinkie threw me a party?" I answered, which caused Apple Bloom to blink and blush in embarrassment as she remembered that incident.

"Yeah, why did you smack Pinkie Pie?" Sweetie asked.

"Because surprises make me... either run away or hit stuff."

"Wait, surprises can scare you?" Scootaloo asked, as she smirked to herself, obviously thinking of how to use this as a way to prank me.

"Do not even think about it, or do you want to take the... chance of me hitting you instead of running away?" I said, causing Scootaloo to let out a short chuckle as she averted her eyes.

It didn't took long for us to reach the bakery, where I was the first one to go in since the party was for me. Unlike the last party, the lights were on and and there were no ponies screaming into my face. Instead, all the ponies simply waved at me as I entered, some coming over to congratulate me for being some kind of math genius. Though, when Twilight congratulated me, she asked just how much I knew about math, to which I said the math assessment pretty much covered all I knew, which caused her to show some disappointment for a brief moment before she told me to enjoy my party.

The party was more enjoyable this time around, since it didn't involve any bullies nor me smacking a pony, though one thing did detract me from the party. I overheard a conversation between Rarity and Twilight, as Rarity was talking about the state Twilight had been in lately.

"You really need to take better care of yourself, dear. I saw you passing by yesterday and your mane was an absolute travesty," Rarity said.

"I know, I know. I just wanted to learn more about those strange crystals! Their reactions to magic is just... well, they can be dangerous if the wrong spell is cast on them. Celestia sent me a letter that said there weren’t any other explosions similar to this one, but who knows if they occurred at the other nations, like the Griffon Kingdoms. They could have the potential to harm ponies, and who knows what would happen if someone decided to use them as a weapon."

"You do have a point there, but there is no point in running yourself ragged de-" Rarity said before I stopped listening to ponder this little revelation. So this land isn't as peaceful as it appears, though with how damn cheery most ponies can be and the fact that foals are allowed to roam about so freely made me think it was just a paradise. Though, I wonder... how does magic make the shards dangerous? Oh well, I just have to wait ‘till I learn some more magic, though at least I know not to test those shards in my room. Wouldn't want to blow myself to smithereens. With those last thoughts passing by my mind, I resumed enjoying the party, for I know that there wasn't a thing I could do about those shards, at least for now.

Chapter XXV: Gift

"Just imagine the action you wish the broom to take. Remember the exact sequence of movements needed as you cas—and you cast it before I can finish my explanation," Twilight said, as I cast a spell on a broom. As my silver aura surrounds it, we watched as it picked itself up and started to sweep the floor. "Hmmm... looks like you have the come-to-life spell do—or maybe you don't..." Twilight said as the broom moved over to a bookcase where it ended up repetitively hitting it until Twilight canceled out the spell.

"Well, it is progress still," I said as I gave her a shrug. It’d been three weeks since the 'math prodigy' party, a stretch of time that was mostly uneventful with a couple exceptions. At one point, Pinkie suddenly went on some trip with the Apple family for a day. Upon her return, I learned that she could be a distant relative of the Apple family. A few days after that Pinkie and her friends went to some place called Rainbow Falls to give both Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy moral support as they attempted to qualify as part of some team for something called the Equestria Games. I also learned that the Crusaders were going to be flag bearers for Ponyville (I learned the town's name a couple weeks ago), though since I wasn't there for their try-out I couldn't be a part of their demonstration, which for me meant a one day reprieve from their Crusading.

On the topic of their Crusading, it didn't take long for me to find a loophole in the promise I had to make. I promised not to show them how to do the kind of stuff I know, so I just ended up explaining it to them instead, though I insisted on keeping our distance from Applejack if they wanted to try some of my ideas. It was amusing to watch them try rappelling, even though it was just down a small cliff that was nearby. Sweetie Belle was too scared to even try going down the cliff as I watched from the bottom of it. It seemed that my cliff climbing incident was still on her mind. Scootaloo, on the other hand was too enthusiastic about it, for she rappelled down so fast that it caused her rope to come loose. The good news was she didn't got hurt from the fall since she landed on something soft. The bad news was that I was that soft something. My back ached for days afterwards, though that gave me the excuse to cut back on the extreme stuff they wanted to try.

The time I wasn't spending with the Crusaders I spent with Twilight as I learned more magic as I gave her more words to... nerd out on. She finally was getting some sleep, but that didn't stop her excitement whenever she learned a new word from me. She was also amazed at how quickly I was picking up on her lessons, for it only took me a few more days to get a handle on levitation, and the past two weeks for me to master the basics of transmutation. While the concept of being able to turn an object into a completely different object was awe-inspiring to me, so far I was only able to turn peas into grapes.

Now, Twilight believed that I should move onto another spell to broaden my understand of the nature of magic, which she believed would only improve my spellcasting in the long run. "You do have a point there. I'm surprise that you were able to cast the basics of the spell, though it does need refinement. You seem to have a knack for magic, though it doesn't seem to be your special talent, which is odd..." Twilight said as she rubbed a hoof against her chin.

"How is that odd?" I asked, curious about what she meant as my eyes momentarily drifted towards the door that I was told led to her lab. While I knew that with the shards’ unique properties in regards to magic that Twilight hinted at, there was no way I could steal them and simply replace them with fakes. However, I was still interested in her research into the shards, and even though I had an opportunity to break into the library when she was at Rainbow Falls, my reading was still below the average filly, so there was no chance that I could even read her notes, much less figure out which one of them would be about the shards.

"Well, normally unicorns learn magic that is related to what their special talent is going to be, though your rapid advancement in magic of two different kinds points to a talent related to magic. Normally ponies that advance in the fields of magic with ease typically earn their cutie marks that show their connection to magic."

If that is the case, why don't I have a cutie mark then? Though I wish they called it something less... ridiculous than that. I thought being able to adapt to many situations was giving me an edge, but if she is right... hmm... I thought before an idea crossed my mind. "Maybe my special talent is using magic for something? Like... I have to use my magic to do some... job that magic would be very useful in?" I asked.

"Hmm... that's an interesting theory. You might be on the right path there. Maybe if you used your magic in everyday situations, you might stumble across your special talent, or if you are unable to cast a specific spell, it might hint at what your special talent shouldn't be related to," Twilight said as I nodded my head in agreement.

"Right, so I might as well continue to practice," I said as I concentrate on the broom again, till a purple hoof blocked my vision. Looking back at Twilight, I saw that she was grinning sheepishly, which already hinted to me about that she wanted. "Augh, just give me a quill and your notepad so I can give you another word," I moaned.

The rest of the magic lesson went smoothly as I continued to practice the come-to-life spell, while Twilight practiced the new set of words that I gave her. After a few more failures, I finally managed to get the broom to sweep a portion of the floor correctly, at which point Twilight said, "Alright, Aether. I think that's enough for today."

"Huh? That did not last as long as normal."

"Well, I have to end the lesson early today, I'm preparing to spend tomorrow with a pony that I haven't seen for some time."

"Oh? You are sure that you do not want to continue? I still have many words to teach you, I could teach you a few extra if we continue," I said slyly, using Twilight's thirst for knowledge against her.

I watched her bit her lip in thought, before she shook her head and said, "No, I really need to start getting ready for tomorrow. We can pick up the next day though Aether. In the meantime, maybe you should work on learning contractions. You're advancing fairly well with Equestrian but you have yet to use them."

"As you say, language barriers, I will learn in time though. Anyway, goodbye Twilight," I said as I gave her a wave, with her returning her own goodbye while I left the library. As I walked down the street, pondering what I should do for the rest of the day, I spotted a poster that drew my eye. Stopping for a moment, I saw that a rather old looking unicorn with some kind of silly hat on was shown at the center of the poster, with the words 'StarSwirl the Bearded' below it, along with a mess of other words that I didn't feel like reading. StarSwirl the Bearded, heh, what a silly name for anyone to have. These ponies and their names will never fail to amuse me. I wonder, though, what would he call himself if someone shaved his beard? I thought to myself before I resumed on my way until a familiar voice called out to me.

"Why hello there, Aether. Fancy seeing you here at this time of day," Rarity said as she came over to me with some saddlebags on her.

Sighing to myself, I stopped to turn towards her as I asked, "Hi there Rarity, is there something you need?" While Sweetie Belle and Rarity were sisters, I was still trying my best to avoid the mare, for I didn't want to go through yet another gaudy dress tryout spree, and up until now, I was successful at avoiding her.

"Why, yes. I was hoping to meet you today, for I finished making a scarf for you. Forgive me for taking so long, though, I was preoccupied with some orders that just couldn't wait. I also wanted to make sure that it would not only look fabulous on you, but that it would suit your... tastes in fashion. I'm sure you will love this scarf I made for you," Rarity answered as she levitated a box out of her saddlebags.

Giving another exasperated sigh, I grabbed the box with my own magic, levitating it over to me before lifting up the lid. Instead of another frilly article of clothing, I instead beheld the sight of a dark blue scarf with thin streaks of light blue running through it, the scarf having silver tassels at its ends. I actually let out a gasp of surprise, for this was something that I would actually be okay with wearing publicly.

"I take it that you find the scarf to your liking, hmmm?" Rarity asked as a smiled started to appear on her face.

I bit my lip for a moment before I finally admitted, "Yes, I actually like the scarf."

"I'm delighted to hear that! How about you try it on?" Rarity asked, to which I gave her a flat stare before I finally let out a huff as I wrapped the scarf around my neck. "Why, you look fantastic with that scarf dear."

As much as I would hate to admit it to the fashion-loving mare, the scarf did look nice on me, and it actually had a smooth, soft texture to it. It was certainly far above the usual kind of clothing I had to wear before I came to this dimension. "Thank you, Rarity. It does look... nice on me." I then suddenly realized something, I had nothing to repay her for this scarf beyond the few bits I get from Pinkie and the Cakes as an allowance. "Umm... heh... I do not have much to pay you ba—"

"Why dear, you don't have to worry about that, that scarf is a gift from me."

"Really? Wow... that is very... nice of you to do Rarity," I replied as I cracked a small smile of gratitude at her.

"The pleasure is all mine, dear. Though, I still would love to make a dress for you to wear." I bit my lip again as I thought, Of course she'll go back to that dress issue, though Rarity noticed my apprehension as she said, "Darling, I know you don't have much taste for dresses, and the ones you tried before wasn't to your taste, but I believe that scarf is proof that I am able to make a dress that you would just love to wear."

I locked my gaze on her for a moment before it drifted to the scarf, at which I released a sigh before saying, "Fine, you do have a point. You will... most likely make a dress that I may like, but why you still want to make me a dress? I can not afford to pay you back fo-"

"Darling, you don't have to worry your pretty little head about that matter. It is a pleasure of mine to be able to give such marvelous gifts to my friends, and any friend of my sister is a friend of mine," Rarity said with a kind smile that I couldn't help but smile back to.

"Thank you very much Rarity... I may actually like to wear that dress then... time to time though... heh," I replied as I rubbed a hoof against the back of my head as more of my masculinity slips away from me. Eh, what's the point of trying to hold onto it now. There's no hope that I'll be able to return to my original body at this point anyway.

"I'm happy to hear that dear. Now, I'll be taking my leave. That dress won't make itself after all," Rarity said before giving me her goodbyes, which I returned with my own before I began to make my way to the Sugarcube Corner. As I made my way home, I reminisced on the pleasant memories I was making as I finally accepted that this world would truly be a nice place to call home.

Chapter XXVII: Light

"No no no, you need to concentrate more on the actions and direction you want the spell to take. It's easy enough for a simple series of motions of sweeping, but to clean the entire floor you have to imagine it carefully, or the broom will run amok," Twilight said in an irritated tone as I practiced the come-to-life spell. While my progress with the spell was a bit slower compared to the last two spells I learned, I could still tell that something else was irritating Twilight today.

"Give me a break Twilight, and why are you so... bothered today?" I asked.

"Bothered? What are you tal-" Twilight started to say before I interrupted her as I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I can tell by... how your voice sounds."

"I... I’m fine. My plans for yesterday were, crushed by a certain someone, let's just leave it at that," Twilight said.

"Let me guess, Discord was that certain someone," I said dryly, causing Twilight to snap her head at me as her eyes widen at what I said.

"How... how did you know it was Discord?"

"He paid me a visit before he went to you. We had a talk then as he left he mentioned your name."

Blinking for a moment first, Twilight narrowed her eyes as she said, "He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"He made balloons appeared on me, and they carried me off into the sky until Pinkie found me."

At first Twilight just stared at me before she rubbed the sides of her head with her hooves as she said, "He should know by now that he shouldn't be doing that to ponies, much less foals. I need to talk to Fluttershy about this. I guess yesterday didn't turn out as we both expected it to be."

"Like anyone would expect to have balloons carrying them off, except Pinkie Pie," I said before a thought crossed my mind. "Since I am having a hard time with the come-to-life spell, how about I just practice the spell during my free time and we move on to a new spell?"

"I'm not sure that is a wise idea. The spell may go out of your control, and with no unicorn on hoof to cancel it, it may cause some problems till one arrives."

"I will stick to simple and safe things, nothing big enough to cause harm."

Giving me a skeptical look, Twilight asked "Really?"

"What, you do not trust me?"

"How about that rock clim-"

"I know where this is going," I said, interrupting Twilight before she went on a rant about the stuff I shown the Crusaders. As I gave her a flat stare, I said, "You make decision then, I got nothing else to say."

"Hmm... how about a compromise?" Twilight said, to which I just tilted my head at her. "Oh right, you probably don't know the last word, how about instead, I teach you a simple spell that you can practice at home, and you still practice the come-to-life spell here?"

"Depends on the spell. So what is the spell you want to teach me?"

"It's a light spell, a very us- why are you giving me that look?" Twilight asked as I gave her a deadpan expression. Lighting up my horn with its magic, I continued my look till Twilight said, "The light spell has more applications than just that. It is easier to light up a region than it is to just use raw magic and you can even focus it as a beam of light to illuminate certain targets."

"Oh, sorry about that, but maybe they should call it something else, since... magic makes our horns glow."

"You shouldn't jump to conclusions, though," Twilight said, before she launched into what Rainbow once said was her lecture mode. As I listened to her instructions, I realized something. She said the light spell can produce a beam of light... I wonder... However, before I could give that idea more thought, Twilight finished her lecture as she said, "Now that you know the basic principles, try casting the light spell."

Giving Twilight a nod, I focused on my horn, pouring magic into it as I visualized my intentions for the spell. Looking at a nearby wall, I concentrated on the spell, until a beam of light projected out of my horn, illuminating a small spot on the wall. Clapping her hooves behind me, Twilight said, "Well done, Aether! You're progressing quite well still, but I believe you can practice that spell on your own time, unlike the come-to-life spell."

"Yes Twilight, I get the point. Now get me some paper and a quill so you can get your next word," I said as I rolled my eyes, for I wanted to be able to excuse myself early to try something out with this light spell without being drained from all the magic practice.

After the little language lesson, I managed to excuse myself from the rest of the magic lesson on accounts of feeling tired out from casting both spells. Instead of heading either to the clubhouse or home, I instead darted down an alleyway until I was certain that nopony would be able to see me. Looking around, I spotted a discarded box, upon which I tore off a small portion of it and laid it in the middle of the ground, away from everything else.

Drawing upon my magic, I concentrated as I charged up my horn before casting the light spell, a ray of light hitting the box fragment. Now let's see if this works... I thought as I concentrated on the spell, pouring more energy into it while reducing the spread of light as I tried to concentrate it to one point. It wasn't long before I felt sweat start to drip down my face, but eventually a small flame sparked on the fragment.

"Success!" I said in my own language before clapping a hoof over my mouth. Looking around, I saw no ponies coming in to investigate my little outburst. Letting out a sigh of relief, I stomped out the flame before tossing the fragment into a pile of trash. Returning to the streets with a smile on my face, I was trotted down one without any destination in mind before I heard the familiar sound of wings buzzing. Looking around, I soon spotted the Crusaders, Scootaloo buzzing her wings on top of her scooter as it carried along the wagon with the other two Crusaders in it.

Within seconds they come to a stop before me as Scootaloo said, "There you are, Aether. We've been looking for you."

"You have?" I said, tilting my head as I pondered what schemes the trio have for today
.

"Yeah, we've checked at the library, but Twilight said you weren't there, so we started searchin' for ya," Apple Bloom answered.

"We need you for another day of EXTREME CRUSADING!" Scootaloo said, upon which I shook my head as I figured that would only lead down to either me getting in trouble or getting hurt.

Suddenly an idea came across my mind, causing me to grin evilly as I said, "Wait, I have a better idea than crusading."

"Better than crusading for our Cutie Marks? What is it?" Sweetie Belle asked, as the trio tilted their heads in unison. These fillies spend way too much time together.

"Oh, it is a surprise, but we have to find Diamond Tiara first."

"Wait, what do you want to find her of all ponies?" Scootaloo said as her expression change to one that spoke of absolute hostility while the other two took on more confused, but still angry, expressions.

"Yeah, especially after she made fun of you for bein' an orphan," Apple Bloom said. While I didn't like it when folks bring up the fact that I lost my parents, upon learning that Apple Bloom's were gone as well I decided to let her be an exception.

"Oh, I just want to play a... trick on her," I answered.

"What kind of trick?" Sweetie asked.

"Oh, the kind that we will all like to see."

"Oh... wait! You're talking about playing a prank on her," Scootaloo said, causing all three fillies to look excited at whatever Scootaloo said.

"Err... maybe, I do not know what a 'prank' is yet, but it might be it. We need to find Diamond first through, so time to go searching... again," I said as I hopped into the wagon while putting my helmet on before Scootaloo started flapping her wings again. It wasn't long before we spotted her eating at some outdoor restaurant with her cohort. Before they could notice us, we quickly zipped into an alleyway, where we stored our transportation before heading to a bush to hide.

"So what do you have in mind?" Apple Bloom quietly asked as I peered at the duo.

Upon seeing that Diamond had a salad among her meal, my evil grin returned as I said, "Oh, you will see soon, just sit back and watch."

"But I want to be part of the prank," Scootaloo whispered.

"Me too," Apple Bloom said.

"Me three," Sweetie Belle chimed in, which caused me to roll my eyes before I turned my head towards them.

"I have to use a magic spell for the trick, and be quiet, or we will be caught," I whispered harshly, shutting the trio though they pouted a bit at the fact that they couldn't be part of the 'prank'. Turning my head back at filly that had taken over the role of my tormentor, I concentrated on the light spell again, using the bush's leaves as cover for my magical aura as I focused a small ray of light onto her salad. Seeing a point on my target brighten up, I smiled as I poured more magic into the spell as the others watched me in action.

At first, nothing happened, except for Scootaloo complaining about how long it was taking, until I saw a tiny fire come to life on the leafy salad. This got Scootaloo to stop complaining as the Crusaders leaned their heads forward to watch the next thing to happen. At first, the duo didn't notice the fire, appearing to be too caught up in their conversation based on how many times they started to laugh in what appeared to me as an arrogant manner. This worked to my favor though, as it allowed the fire to grow, until eventually Diamond started to sniff the air, her head turning until her gaze laid upon her salad. Her eyes suddenly widened, which caused her cohort to look at what she was staring at, only for her own eyes to widen as well. A few seconds passed before both fillies started to scream in terror, causing the adult ponies to look at the two, only to spot the fire that was starting to grow as it consumed the salad. It was at this point that I pulled at the Crusaders' tails, indicating to them that it was time for us to make our escape.

Upon returning to our transportation, we finally let out the laughter that we could barely restrained. "That was so awesome, I couldn't believe that you set Diamond Tiara's salad on fire!" Scootaloo said as she pounded the ground with her hoof as she continued to laugh.

"Yeah, and did you see the look on their faces?" Apple Bloom said as she lean against the wagon to catch her breath.

After laughing for a while, Sweetie Belle's face took on a look of fear as she asked, "Wait, do you think we could get in trouble for this?"

"No, we will not get in trouble, as long as we do not tell anyone. Best we keep this as our little secret," I answered to Sweetie's relief.

"I can't believe Twilight actually taught you a spell that can do that," Apple Bloom said.

"She did not really taught me a spell to do that, I simply used a simple one in a... different way than it should be used," I replied.

"Oh, can you teach me how to do that too then?" Sweetie Belle asked with glee.

"Sorry, but I can not. I do not want to teach you something that could set fire to a house by accident," I said, which caused Sweetie's expression to turn into one of disappointment.

"Well, we can still go crusadin' for our Cutie Mark, Sweetie Belle," Apple Bloom said, cheering Sweetie up.

Taking a gulp, I hesitantly asked, "So what do you have in mind for today then?"

"We're going for our Cutie Marks in cliff diving!" Scootaloo answered, causing me to take a look of horror upon hearing that.

What is wrong with these fillies‽

Chapter XXVIII: Dreams

Apparently the Crusaders didn't put much thought into the idea of cliff diving beyond jumping off a cliff and pretending to dive as they descend towards the ground. After explaining to them that cliff diving also involved diving into a body of water, at which they replied that the 'diving' part of cliff diving made more sense now (how could they not figure that out‽), it was revealed that that they didn't know of any nearby cliffs that a lake or anything for them to dive into. However, before I could let out a sigh of relief, they instead proposed constructing a mock cliff instead, to my horror.

So there we were, the Crusaders trying to build a mock cliff that so far only looked like a ramshackle wooden tower near some pond while I tried to stay off it after expressing my disbelief that this would help them get Cutie Marks in cliff diving. However, in the end I was roped into it by having to levitate the tools and materials they needed to them so they didn't have to go up and down the tower for them, which would only increase the risk of them falling off. Honestly, my complaining stopped as I pondered how they got all this stuff before I was interrupted by somepony shouting.

"What in tarnation are you fillies doing now‽" cried Applejack as she trotted over to us with a furious look on her face, her eyes staring at the tower that was already over fifteen feet tall.

"Umm... err... gettin' our Cutie Marks in cliff divin'?" Apple Bloom said as she meekly smiled at her sister from the tower.

Snapping her head at my direction, Applejack narrowed her eyes as she said in a low angry tone, "This is your id-"

"Not my idea," I said, cutting Applejack before she could get any further, causing her to look at me in confusion. "One of them had the idea, honest."

"Is that true? Who's idea was it to try cliff divin'?" Applejack asked as she gave the Crusaders a harsh stare. Instantly Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle pointed their hooves at Scootaloo, who gave the others an angry look in return. "You three get off that... thing now! And you Aether, you should know better to let them do stuff like this!"

"Like I could stop them in the first place," I deadpanned. Before Applejack could get any angrier due to my response, I continued to say, "Think about it, you think I could change their minds on this? All I can really do is make sure they do not do something too dangerous, like diving off a cliff that does not have a body of water at the bottom."

Applejack glared at me still as the Crusaders made their way down the tower, before she turned to look at us all as she said, "We'll be going to the farmhouse now, and I don't want to hear any complainin' from any of you!" Releasing a sigh, I joined the rest of the Crusaders as we made our way to the farmhouse with Applejack following right behind us.

I sat there calmly, awaiting Applejack's return, who left us under the watch of the eldest sibling, Big Macintosh, as she went to get our respective guardians. While the other three were fidgeting from the thought of the inevitable punishments that were coming to them, I on the other hoof was locked in a kind of staring contest with the eldest sibling, as we both just sat there, not moving a single muscle. It wasn't long before Applejack returned with Rarity, Pinkie, and some pegasus mare who I assumed was related to Scootaloo. As Applejack dragged Apple Bloom to her room via her tail with Big Macintosh following behind them, the other two were herded out by their guardians as Pinkie Pie fixed me with a sad look.

"Aether, you know better than to help your friends do... dangerous stunts," Pinkie said in a disappointed tone.

Cocking my head to the side, I said, "You and Applejack assumed quickly on my actions with my friends."

"Huh?" Pinkie said as she stared dumbfounded at me.

"No one knows the real story, so you both assumed it was my fault."

"But, didn't you help your friends?"

"Yes, I helped, but I made sure they didn't hurt themselves."

"What do you mean?" Pinkie said as she tilted her head in confusion. Seemed like everyone assumed that I only put the Crusaders into even more dangerous situations than they normally would try.

Groaning, I said, "They wanted to try cliff diving before I joined them, but they did not... know it well enough to do it right. They first thought it was just diving off a cliff only, I do not know why they did not think about how they would land. If I was not there... well, I do not want to think about what could happen."

"So you mean that you're not giving them dangerous... err... more dangerous ideas?"

Snorting, I replied, "No, just making sure they do not do something that will only end in pain," before I stopped myself from cringing from remembering the rappelling incident.

After staring at me for a short moment, Pinkie instantly hugged me, squeezing me tightly while lifting me into the air as she said, "Oh I'm so proud of you for being so responsible!" While she was hugging me, it felt more like a punishment as my ribs felt the strain of her constricting hug.

"What the hay‽" Applejack said by the sound of the voice, which caused Pinkie to end the hug, letting me go for me to drop onto my rump.

"Oh, hi, Applejack, done talking with Apple Bloom?" Pinkie asked with her ever-joyful smile.

"Yes, but when I came down, I wasn't expecting you to be huggin' the troublemaker!"

"Oh, Aether wasn't making any trouble. She was trying to stop trouble!"

"What are you talkin' about, Pinkie?" Applejack asked as she gave me a skeptical look, which I returned with my classic deadpan look.

"Aether told me that she was trying to stop the fillies from getting hurt," Pinkie explained.

"She could be fibbin' to you though. She didn't stop the fillies from buildin' that there tower of theirs."

"You think they would listen to me if I told them not to do it?" I asked, folding my hooves across my chest.

"...I reckon you have a point there, but I don't see how yo-"

"Remember what I said about the diving off the cliff part? It was no... trick. I told them to make sure there was water at the bottom."

Applejack stared at me for a moment before she facehoofed and said, "I can't believe they would do such a foolish thing." Dragging her hoof down her face, she continued, "Sorry for accusin' you there, just with your..." before she stopped, not wanting to say anything else that may offend me further.

"With my... past problem of giving them ideas that you think are dangerous," I said causing Applejack rear back in surprise. As she was about to open her mouth to counter my statement, I continued, "I know I can be... a problem due to that, but at least I know how to do some of those things, and I will do my best to make sure they will not hurt themselves while trying them, if they came up with the idea of course."

After blinking for a moment, Applejack smiled at me as she said, "Well, I reckon it is about time the Crusaders have somepony that has a lick of common sense with them. Why, I think I should reward you for lookin' out for them. Would you want a slice of some freshly baked apple pie?"

"No thanks, I already have enough pie here," I absently said as I waved a hoof at Pinkie's direction, causing the two mares to laugh at my little joke.

"Heh, that was a mighty fine joke there, sugarcube. Seems like Pinkie is startin' to rub off you," Applejack said before she head into the kitchen. I let out a small laugh in response until I froze as her words fully registered in my head.

I'm... becoming like... Pinkie Pie? I thought as my eyes widened at the horror of me becoming a reality-defying manic pony.

After my little mental panic attack (I'm so glad that I didn't show it; it would have been a nightmare to cover that up) and a snack of apple pie, Pinkie Pie and I headed home since it was getting late. After dinner with the Cakes, where Pinkie revealed to them about my little joke to my dismay, I went to my room for a bit of practice with my light spell before turning it in for the night. However, instead of blissful darkness, my sleeping mind returned to the dream world.

Looking around, I see that I was once again in an empty version of Ponyville, the world once again colorful. Releasing a sigh, I sat on my rump, this time content to just wait out the dream until dawn, for I feared if I explored again, I would end up with another horrible nightmare instead. Time passed as I dug at the ground with a hoof, until after what felt like hours the ground began to shake. Releasing a sigh, I watched as the ground shattered once more, turning into floating islands as they drifted away from one another.

I looked around as I awaited the arrival of the monstrous tentacle, or for the Venanite creature to come at me again, only to be greeted with silence. Shrugging, I simply lowered the rest of my body to the ground as I pondered what else my mind had in store for me. It wasn't long till I received my answer, as I heard an old familiar sound from above me. Looking upward, I saw a massive dimensional rift opening miles above me before I felt some kind suction force coming from it, as the islands around me were drawn into it. Oddly enough, my island was the only one not falling into the rift, leaving me to stare at it as I pondered its meaning until the sound of wings flapping broke me out of my trance.

Looking around, I spotted a familiar dark alicorn flying towards my lonely island, a bewildered look on her face as she observed my dream world. Standing up, I gave a bow as she landed on my island, to which she said, "There is no need to bow, as we hath told thou before."

Raising my head, I tilted it to the side as I asked, "You remembered me?"

"Indeed, for we remember all our meetings with our subjects. But pray tell, what is happening in thy dream?"

Sitting down on my rear again, I gave her a shrug with my forelegs as I said, "No idea, princess. I have no control over my dreams."

Looking up at the rift, Luna asked, "Art thou sure? For we hath never seen the likes of... that before," as she pointed a hoof at the rift.

"Sorry, princess. I just have no control, though I wish I do... this is getting boring, fast," I said as I looked around, only to see islands being sucked into the rift still.

Turning her attention back towards me, she said, "Boring? Thou are't frighten by what thou see?"

"Unless something changes to make it... scary, this is all just... boring for me," I replied.

"Hmm... we see. We hath come to thee dream for it appeared that thou were having a nightmare."

"Oh... heh... sorry for wasting your time, princess," I said as I rubbed a hoof against the back of my head.

"Do not apologize, for we are glad that thou art fine. Now we must take our leave, for we hath other dreams to attend to," Luna said before she spread her wings and took off, flying to the outskirts of my dream before disappearing.

Left to my own thoughts, I simply chose to observe my dream, as I pondered one thought that I spoke aloud. "Luna has a point... why am I dreaming this of all things?"

Interlude II: Intrusions

"Princess Celestia, it is time for you to wake up and raise the sun."

Opening her eyes, Celestia released a graceful yawn as she arose from her bed. Stifling a second yawn, she looked at her bedroom's doorway to see her scheduling advisor Kibitz waiting for her. After tending to her appearance, Celestia exited her room with Kibitz in tow as she asked, "What's on the morning schedule for today, Kibitz?"

"For today, your highness, after breakfast you have an appointment with your nephew Prince Blueblood over a bill he desires to pass, then you have the day court sessions for the morning till you have lunch with the ambassador from the Griffon Kingdom," Kibitz answered as the two entered the royal dining hall, where she saw her sister already eating her own breakfast. Taking the seat across from her on the table, Celestia was about to give her sister her usual morning greetings when she spotted the haggard look on her face.

"Another rough night Luna?" Celestia asked as Luna raised her head to look at her sister.

"Thou art correct dear sister, there were much work for us in the dreamscape again," Luna answered.

"The same kind of nightmares?" Celestia asked, to which Luna gave a short nod in response. "This is disturbing news. Any progress on finding any possible origins for these nightmarish creatures?"

"Unfortunately, no. Our Lunar Guard as of yet hath found no signs of anything, nor hath there be any indications that there was a magical cause for these nightmares."

Frowning, Celestia stared at her meal as she pondered the implications of these nightmares. Shortly after Luna's encounter with the monstrous eye, there had been a growing rise in nightmares for Equestria's citizens, where mysterious monsters that had never been seen nor heard of have started to appear in their dreams. After finding no source for these nightmarish visions within Equestria, the two sisters suspected that it may have been caused by one of Equestria's neighboring nations, but that was dispelled when news arrived that their people were also having similar nightmares. This of course only made matters worse due to the nations' leaders suspecting that Luna had a hoof in this issue, leading to Celestia having more frequent meetings with foreign ambassadors in order to dispel these suspicions.

"Did you happen to come across any irregularities with these nightmares, Luna? Any differences with the creatures?" Celestia asked, hoping that Luna might have overlooked something.

"No, we have not, the creatures hath been the same in general appearance and forms." Celestia's ears began to lower in disappointment till Luna spoke again, "Though... there was a filly that had an abnormal dream..."

"An abnormal dream? What do you mean?" Celestia asked as she tilted her head a bit with curiosity.

"We recognized this filly to be one of the first few to hath these nightmares when they began, and the appearance of her dream caused us to suspect that she was having another nightmare. Instead, we saw within her dream some kind of... portal we suspect, that was drawing a shattered landscape into itself."

"This is... disturbing news, but you said this was an abnormal dream? It sounded more like a nightmare if a filly were to dreamed it."

"We agree with thou, but when we confronted the filly, she was calm, eerily calm. Though we suspect that compared to the nightmarish beasts, this dream would be far more pleasant."

"Hmm... unusual... I hope this is just some errant dream and not the start of a new set of dre-" Celestia said before the dining room doors opened with a slam as a member of the Royal Guard ran in.

"Princess Celestia! We have dire news!"

The two alicorns look upon each other before Celestia returned her attention to the guard, her face betraying no emotion as she asked, "What has occurred, Silver Shield?"

"We received news from Baltimare that an explosion has heard near the city. From what the message said, the origin of the explosion is unknown, but there are reports of falling debris raining down from the sky."

The sisters look at each other again, knowing that this incident sounded similar to the one that occurred over a month ago near Ponyville. As Celestia opened her mouth to issue a command, another member of the Royal Guard ran inside, who is shortly followed by another, and another, till over a dozen frantic ponies had entered the room.

"Baltimare, Cloudsdale, Fillydelphia, Las Pegasus, even the Crystal Empire..." Celestia muttered after getting the reports from the guard and informing them to send a detachment to each site where an explosion occurred. "This is... what is causing this? Could this be linked to the nightmares?"

"We do not, know dear sister, but we fear that if what thou suspect is true, the other nations may have similar... intrusions within their lands," Luna said as she frowned at the thought. "However, unlike the nightmares that have built up over time, this event occurred at once, though in a magnitude that matches the growth of nightmares."

"True, but this can't be a coincidence. There must be something connecting the two, but the real question is, why is this happening? Who is behind this?"

"Sir, we lost contact with the probes."

"What do you mean? How many probes did we lose?"

"Readings indicate that we lost thirty seven probes, sir."

"Thirty seven! Did the probes manage to send back any information on what happened to them?"

"No, sir, we didn't retrieve any information from the probes, but we did detect a pattern. The theory on the loss of probe three nine five seems to be correct. Based on the destinations of the lost probes, there is a pattern that indicates that some dimensional anomaly occurring in or near these dimensions that would explain the loss of our probes."

"..."

"Sir, how shall we proceed with this matter?"

"...Order all dimensional travel to avoid the locations where we lost the probes. We can not afford to waste more resources on something that we can't even get information on. Furthermore, record any further locations of lost probes and mark them down as well."

"Are you sure sir? We don't know if other species will discover the origin for this anomaly."

"Regardless of whether or not someone else discovers it, our probes are the only thing we can sacrifice, and yet they produce no valuable data for us to use. For now we can only avoid future losses until we discover a means to handle this issue."

Chapter XXIX: Research

As I ate breakfast, I watched Pinkie chowing down her own breakfast with more excitement than usual. The rate at which she was eating her breakfast would have been mesmerizing to me, if Twilight hadn’t beaten her to the punch with that dinner we had weeks ago. Eventually curiosity got the better of me as I asked, "You seem 'excited' today Pinkie, is something going on today?"

"You don't know? It's Rainbow Dash's birthday today!" Pinkie answered with a look of disbelief on her face.

"No one told me that, I think," I replied as I rubbed my chin. Since the 'cliff diving' incident five days ago, it became apparent that the Crusaders were grounded again, though Rarity dropped by to give me her own scolding, except Pinkie stopped her by explaining my role in the situation. This caused Rarity to instead offer her, as she said, condolences on her rude assumptions and she told me that she appreciated that I was going to do my best to keep the Crusaders out of harm's way.

"Well, I get to throw her the greatest birthday bash ever!" Pinkie said with a wide grin, to which I responded with a simple nod.

Of course Pinkie would throw one of her closest fri- wait a minute. Rainbow Dash is one of Twilight's closest friends too, which with the birthday planned by Pinkie, will not only means that she will attend with Spike, but it may keep them occupied for the rest of the day... which means her home will only have that pet of hers in it. After I finished my train of thought, I noticed that Pinkie had already finished up her breakfast and was already gone. Taking this as a perfect opportunity to proceed with my plans, I headed upstairs, picked up my saddlebag and a few of the notepads Twilight gave me for writing practice, and left the bakery as I went straight for the library.

As I made my way to the library, I noticed Pinkie dashing about, grabbing various party supplies at a frantic pace. I simply smiled to myself, knowing that this could only mean that she would be too busy to bother me- as long as I stayed inside the library, that is. Upon reaching the library, I chose to practice caution as I knocked on the door with a hoof before running to the side of the tree to wait for anyone that might open the door. After waiting for a moment, I didn't hear the door open, leading me to the conclusion that Twilight and Spike had already left for the birthday preparations. Looking around, I waited till nopony was looking at the library, at which point I used my magic to unlatch the lock on a nearby window, opened it, and closed it after I climbed inside.

Looking around, after I saw no sign of life, not even the pet owl, I quietly tiptoed... tiphoofed? Whatever. I quietly made my way to the door that led to Twilight's underground lab that she mentioned to me during one of our lessons. Testing the doorknob, I found the door to be locked, though I already planned for that possibility. Even since I learned the telekinesis spell, I'd been occasionally practicing its use as a means of lock-picking doors. Though the first few times of practice result in broken locks, all of which were bathroom door locks, I eventually discovered the means to unlock doors without tearing apart their innards. As I placed an ear against the lock, I engulfed the entire thing with my magic, I then applied various light pressures into the lock itself. It was a long process, but eventually I heard the telling click of the lock being opened, allowing me a small grin of victory as I quietly opened the door.

Heading down the stairs into the lab, I realized that this might be the best place to get a judge on how far this world was technology wise. Upon entering the lab, I was disappointed to say the least. The bulkiness of the machinery and the use of large glass bulbs seemed to indicate that they were certainly centuries behind a standard dimensional species. However, despite the sight before me, I was able to spot a Maralus shard being held up via a stand with some stacks of notes next to it. Well, that is certainly a lot of research to copy, but that just means fewer experiments for me in the future, I thought to myself as I began the long process of copying her notes.

While it took several hours, I finally was able to copy down all of Twilight's notes. While I could only read about an eighth of the notes at my current reading level, I was still able to copy all of them for future use. While I had the temptation to steal the shard that Twilight had, I knew that it would only give me away. I reorganized the stacks to their proper places, locked the lab door as I left (which took longer to lock than it did to unlock) and left the library when nopony was looking again. As I made my way back home, I heard a pair of voices, one of them being Pinkie's, singing off in the distance. When I turned my head towards the direction of the singing, I beheld one crazy sight. Though there were houses in the way, I was still able to see what appeared to be a crane carrying some kind of massive cake. I stared at it for a moment to see it suddenly fall, but I shook my head clear. Pinkie was singing, so it is probably related to her, best just to move along.

It wasn't long before I arrived at the bakery, where as I was stashing my notes at the bottom of my toy chest, I heard a pony opening my bedroom door. Turning my head around, I saw Pinkie Pie standing at the doorway with some chest on wheels behind her. "Um... hi Pinkie. What are you doing here?" I asked, hoping that she didn't saw what I did today.

"...I'm here to say goodbye, Aether," Pinkie said with tears that I could now see in her eyes.

"...What? What are you talking about?"

"I have to leave Ponyville now. It has a new party pony, one that is better at throwing parties than me..."

"...Wait. What. You have to leave Ponyville because there is a better party pony than you here right now? That... that does not make sense to me at all."

"Aether, I love throwing parties that put smiles on other ponies faces, but if there is a pony that is better than me at that, then I'm not needed here," Pinkie said as she began to walk away from my room with her stuff in tow.

"That still makes no sense to me, can you just both throw parties?" I asked as I followed Pinkie out the front door.

"No, cause all the other ponies would just go to Cheese Sandwich for their parties... not me," Pinkie sadly said as head to the town outskirts. Cheese Sandwich... that must be the name of the pony that is trying to upstart Pinkie. I'm so going to get him for this. As we left the town proper, Pinkie stopped to say, "Aether, you need to go back home now. You need to stay with the Cakes."

"...No... I'm staying with you," I said, ‘cause in all honesty, while I did live at the Cakes' home and they help to take care of me, Pinkie was my guardian and did take care of me the most, even if she tested the limits of my sanity.

"No, Aether, you hav-" Pinkie started to say till she was interrupted by the arrival of her friends.

“Pinkie, wait! I’m sorry I got swept away by Cheese Sandwich!” Rainbow said as she flew over to Pinkie Pie with the others following in tow.

“We all are,” Twilight said, as the others agreed with her. Raising an eyebrow, I thought to myself, Wait, so they are also responsible for Pinkie’s current state?

“Sorry Pinkie,” Spike said, to which surprised me that even he had a role in this.

“No. I’m sorry I let my pride get in the way of you having the best birth-iversary ever,” Pinkie said as I thought, birth-sa-what? “Cheese Sandwich really is a super duper party planner, and he’ll be a terrific headliner. I should’ve been a big enough pony to admit that and let you have your day.”

“But don’t you get it? You’re both super duper party ponies. Sure, Cheese Sandwich is a great guest party pony, but you’re Ponyville’s permanent party pony. Nopony could ever take your place, and we could never have a party without you,” Rainbow said. That, and if anypony actually tries, I will rip them open, regardless of the consequences.

That was when a yellow stallion with a brown poofy mane walked over to the group as he said, “Rainbow Dash is right. I never meant to take your place in Ponyville. I just wanted to show you what a great party pony I am, Pinkie.”

As I step off to the side while watching this play out, I thought to myself, So this is the upstart that almost ran Pinkie out of town. He better be apologizing for his actions, or I’ll break all four of his kneecaps.

“Why me?” Pinkie asked in confusion, which raised a point of why this Cheese Sandwich fellow did what he did.

“Well…” Cheese Sandwich started off, till he suddenly started singing his story. What the fuck? Why is he singing? Who the fuck sings about their reasons? What rea- what the fuck? Are they just standing there and listening? Wait, Rainbow Dash is just listening as well!

Eventually, Cheese Sandwich’s song ended with him saying that Pinkie inspired him to be a party pony after attending one of her party’s in Ponyville, and while I decided to let my rage cool down, I still found it incredibly stupid that he chose now to explain his actions. While Pinkie was proud to be the inspiration for a world-renowned party pony (which I highly doubted), I was still confused on why that stallion needed to put his explanation in song form, much less how in limbo he managed to make up a song on the spot too!

After watching this issue cleared up, I followed the group back to the festivities, which honestly was way too cheery for my tastes as I kept to the side, munching on some chocolate cake as an excuse on why I was all alone. As I observed the Crusaders playing some party game, I noticed a pair of colts, ones that I recognized to be Snips and Snails from class, walking over to me with rather large smiles on their muzzles.

"Hi there, Aether," they both said in unison, to which I replied with a grunt. While I was getting used to being a child and interacting with children since they were officially my peers, I knew that these two were... well, stupid. Hence, I didn't hold enough interest in the pair to give them a verbal response.

"What are you doing?" Snails asked, to which I gave him a flat stare.

"I am eating cake," I flatly said, though I was tempted to include some wit in my reply, I knew that it would only go over their heads in some fashion.

"Hey, want to play some games with us?" Snips said as the two started to get closer.

"Um... why do you want to play with me?" I asked as I raised an eyebrow at the two.

"Cause you're pretty," Snails said, only to earn some complaint as Snips whispered something to him while baring an embarrassed expression. My face, on the other hoof, was changing to an expression of horror as I thought, Oh, sweet Celestia... these two have a crush on m- wait, when did I started to use those pony's phrases? Oh well... better than accidentally slipping my own phrases into their language somehow and having to explain them. Still, I have to deal with these two now? As I ended my train of thought, I saw that those two were smiling at me again.

"Umm... err... hey what's that!" I said as I pointed my hoof at some random direction. As the two colts turn to look, I scarfed down the rest of my cake in one bite. While it would make Pinkie proud, the fact that I could do that disturbed me a bit as I made a run for it. After getting away from the duo, I hid under a table as I recollected my thoughts.

Great, just great. This is fantastic. Not only am I a female child, but apparently I'm at the fucking age where colts will be attracted to me. I should have realized that this would be an issue, but in my defense, I was distracted by the species change, the Maralus shards, and learning magic. Wait, am I mentally defending myself against myself? This place is taking its toll on my sanity. Still, I have to figure a way to deal with those two and any other colts that might be attracted to me. Thankfully, the class has way more fillies than colts, so maybe the rest are attracted to someone else. For now, though, I need to keep those two off my back... if only I could steer their affections towards Diamond Tiara, though that brat is so damn mean that she probably repulse those two with her horrible personal- I thought till a pair of hooves pulled me out from under the table.

Looking upon my captor, I saw it was just Pinkie Pie as she asked, "There you are! Why are you under the table instead of having fun? Oh, wait, are you playing hide and seek?"

Rolling my eyes, I answered, "Yes, I am playing hide and seek, but more of hiding from certain ponies that I do not want to be with right now."

"Wait, what ponies are you talking about?" Rainbow Dash said as she flew into my view with a suspicious look on her face. Looking around, I saw that Twilight and Applejack was with them as well. Grrrreat...

"Just a pair of colts," I admitted.

"Why are you hidin' from a pair of... oh..." Applejack started to say before her lips turned upwards into a smile. "Sounds like a certain filly has a couple of colts with a crush on her."

As I did my best to keep a straight face, I asked, "What do you mean? What makes you think that?"

"Oh come on now, you were hidin' under a table. It's a plain as day that they have a crush on you."

"Applejack is right. You don't seem to be the type that hide from other foals," Twilight said with a teasing smile.

To my misfortune, I could feel my face heating up from a surge of blood rushing to my face that told me I was blushing. Gritting my teeth, I said, "So what if there is a pair of colts that have a crush on... me..." before stopping in my tracks as I noticed the Crusaders and Rarity joining our little gathering, where my friends had their hooves over their muzzles as they try to stifle their laughs from hearing my possible admission. As the look of horror began to return to my face as I stared at Crusaders, I could hear Rainbow Dash laughing at my dismay.

Shit... this just keeps getting worse.

Author's Note

The dialogue from the confrontation between Pinkie and her friends along with Cheese Sandwich came directly from the show's transcript and hence is copyright of Hasbro.

Chapter XXX: Love

Love, a romantic feeling that most folk feel for those that they're attracted to, binding two soul mates together for the rest of their lives. Love, something that could lead to the bringing of new life into the universe. Love, something that I never experienced in my life, at least in the terms of being attracted to another being. In my defense, it is hard to find love when you're constantly on the move, and that when your species is considered endangered, it makes finding someone to be attracted to all the more difficult.

So imagine my surprise in finding that I was, talking to five mares and three fillies about the fact that a pair of colts have a crush on me, most of whom were smiling at my discomfort. Rarity on the other hoof seemed to have something else on mind as she said, "Rainbow, it's not nice of you to laugh at a mare's love life." While she seemed to be defending me, her last words still made me cringe.

"I do not have a love life, just a couple of colts that I do not want anything to do with," I said in an annoyed tone, though this only served to cause the Crusaders to giggle at my discomfort.

"Now dear, I know that you may not be interested in colts right now, but I assure you that in the futu-" Rarity started to say before I quickly cut her off.

"Do not go there. I know what you are going to say, but I still will not be interested when I am older, or even when I am your age."

This time Twilight had something to say as she said, "I don't think you would know what you will feel towards colts in the future. You may think that you will never fall in love with a colt, but many fillies your age say that, and I firmly believe that you will change your mind as you grow older."

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Twilight, I am certain that I will never be interested in colts. Now drop the subject, for good, or else."

"Or else what?" Rainbow challenged with a mocking grin.

After a flat stare, I pointed a hoof at the Crusaders as I answered, "Or else I say things that I am fairly certain no one here want these three to learn."

As the Crusaders looked at me in confusion, Applejack said, "Now wait a darn minute, you better not be givin' these fillies any dangerous ideas. Remember what you said a few days ago?"

"I remember Applejack, but that is not what I was talking about." My answer only served to confused everyone around me some more, until Rarity's face took on an expression of horror.

"You... you can't possibly mean that you know about... err..." Rarity said before stopping to glance at her sister as her face began to blush.

As my lips spread to reveal a wicked grin, I simply replied, "I think you know what I am talking about Rarity, so do you want to drop the 'love' subject now, or shall I talk about that instead?"

"What do you mean by 'that'?" Applejack asked before Rarity went over and whispered into Applejack's ear. It wasn't long before Applejack's eyes widen as her face's coat changed from a shade of orange to a shade of red. "You can't possibly know about that."

While the Crusaders and Pinkie were looking at the the three of us in confusion, it appeared that realization dawned on Twilight and Rainbow as their own faces began redden. After a moment Rainbow burst into laughter as she said, "Nice prank kid, there's no way you would know about that kind of stuff at your age." Her laughter was cut short though when I released a short chuckle while keeping my grin.

"If you do not believe me then come over here and I will do my best to explain what I know to you," I said as used my hoof to indicate for her to come closer. After she flew over to me and leaned her head close enough for me to whisper into, I began to whisper all I know, starting with the light basic stuff before moving onto the harder material. While I didn't had a love life, my travels have caused me to see some strange things, some I honestly wish I could scrub out of my brain.

At first Rainbow's jaw just dropped as she realized that I wasn't bluffing, but when I started to move onto the harder material, I could literally feel the heat from her face as it began to redden to extreme levels. Before I was halfway done with the harder material, she backed away from me as she said, "What the buck‽"

"Rainbow! Language!" Rarity shrieked as the others reared their heads back in surprise. Huh, seemed like buck could be used in a negative fashion, interesting.

"If you heard what Aether just told me you would be saying the same thing!" Rainbow yelled as she eyed me. "How does a foal even know those kind of things?"

"The real question is, do you really want to know how I know those things?" I asked, as all the adults with the exception of the confused Pinkie paled as their imaginations apparently ran wild. "Before anypony say a thing, I am still... err... 'clean'," I said after glancing at the confused Crusaders.

"Umm... well... we may need to talk about this still... Pinkie, would you be a dear and take the other fillies somewhere else?" Rarity asked as she gave Pinkie a forced smile.

"But why? Why can't Aether tell us that... thing?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"It's... complicated Sweetie, I'll explain it to you when you're older," Rarity said as Pinkie finally got the big picture and started to herd the Crusaders away from us, but not before glancing at me with a shocked look. Apparently her manic personality kept her mind off... certain things.

"Aether, no foal your age should know that kind of stuff. You said you were... 'clean,' but you have to te-" Applejack said before I interrupted her.

"And no foal has to live alone for thirteen years, but I did," I bluntly said. Odd that these mares never punished me for interrupting them. Maybe they're just too shocked by what I tell them.

My words silenced the mares for a moment before Twilight finally spoke up, "Aether, I think you should talk to somepony about this. You can always talk to Pinkie, the Cakes, or us if you need to."

Cocking an eyebrow, I looked around to make sure that no foal was around before turning my attention to her as I said, "So you want to talk about sex."

As my bluntness rendered Twilight gaping at me for a moment, Rarity asked in a shocked tone, "How... where did you learn that word?"

"Err... that word book Twilight gave to me a few days ago," I answered. After discovering just how far I was getting along in my understanding of Equestrian written words, Twilight decided to give me a dictionary to help progress my reading and vocabulary. While it helped me in learning words that would suit my purposes, I was still having difficulty in pronouncing some of the more complicated words.

After shaking her head clear of her shock, Twilight looked at me with a serious expression as she said, "Not funny, Aether. I'm serious when I say that you need to talk to somepony about this."

Giving Twilight an amused look, I simply replied, "If I did Twilight, they will end up being the ones that need to see somepony to talk to."

Rainbow folds her forelegs across her chest as she said, "Oh yeah? I think I can handle anything you have to say."

Turning my head to Rainbow, I deadpanned, "I do not think so, what I told you is not even the worst of it yet."

As the other mares paled at those words, Rainbow huffed as she said, "Hey, you only caught me off guard with how much you already knew, I can handle anything you have to say."

Releasing a sigh, I simply indicated with my hoof her to come closer. After she did, I proceeded to tell her about one of the most horrible 'lovemaking' sessions I had the misfortune of coming across. I was only fifteen words in before Rainbow recoiled in horror as her face took on a slight shade of green. "Still think you can handle it?" I asked, only to receive a shake of Rainbow's head as the others stared in horror at me. Rolling my eyes, I said, "If it helps anypony, most of the stuff I seen disturbs me too. So how about we just end this... talk now and go with I am not interested in colts, agreed?" to which all the mares gave a short nod to. While my knowledge on sexual interaction may be pressing my luck, in the end after seeing all the mares' reactions, it was worth the risk in my opinion.

"Good, now we can return to having fun with Rainbow's birthday pa—" I started to say before Pinkie suddenly dashed into my view.

"You mean Rainbow's birth-iversary!" Pinkie said as her sudden appearance caused me to jump back in shock.

"...Birth-iversary?"

"Yeah, cause it's not only her birthday, but it is also the anniversary of when she moved to Ponyville!"

"Ohh... okay then... well I am going to get some cake now, so please excuse me Pinkie," I said as I removed myself from the group as I made my way to the cake table.

"Okie dokey Lo—" Pinkie started to say till she suddenly gasped as she slammed her hooves to the side of her face, which drew everypony's attention. "Oh no! I forgot to ask you for your birthday Aether! I might have missed it."

After staring at her for a moment, I shook my head at Pinkie's randomness as I said, "Do not worry Pinkie, I do not think you missed it."

Sadly, this didn't end Pinkie's antics as she suddenly grabbed me with her hooves as she lifted me into the air. "Oh phew, so I didn't miss your birthday! Can you tell me when it is then?"

Releasing an exasperated sigh, I looked to the side as my eyes glazed over as I made the calculations to find my birthday relative to their calendar system. "My birthday is... in two months, on the sixteenth day," I said as I finished with the calculations.

"Great! That gives me oodles of time to plan your birthday party! No surprises of course since you don't like them," Pinkie said as she spun me around a few times before finally setting me down.

As I brushed off the spots on my coat where Pinkie's hooves were on, Twilight walked forward as she said, "You took a while to tell us the date, Aether. Is something wrong?"

Blinking in surprise at Twilight's acute observation, I replied, "No, nothing is wrong, just when you were alone for thirteen years..." before leaving it hanging at that. While my words caused a brief look of sorrow on Twilight's face, to my dismay I heard Pinkie gasping in shock again.

"That means you missed thirteen birthday parties!" Pinkie said. As the realization of the consequences of my little revelation struck me, Pinkie continued. "No pony should ever miss a birthday party, much less thirteen of them! But don't you worry, I'll throw you a birthday party so great that it'll be like fourteen birthday parties rolled into one and more!"

"Oh... joy," I said as I gave Pinkie a forced smile, while I dread the thought of what kind of party Pinkie will be throwing me on my birthday.

Chapter XXXI: Exercise

There were more explosions! I thought to myself as I read through Twilight’s notes while using the dictionary she gave me. It had been three days since the party, and with the Crusaders grounded again, I ended up spending any free time I had looking over Twilight’s research. Though Pinkie and her friends confronted me in regards to my revelation yesterday, I was able to pass it off as something culturally related, which they accepted since it wasn’t a topic they wanted to dwell on any further. Thank goodness that I had chosen to wait until I could steal her notes, because some of the tests Twilight performed did not end well. Like that transmutation spell that ended up causing a shard to explode, or the fact that a simple light spell revealed that the shards could magnify the light uncontrollably, which resulted in Twilight being blind for a few hours... though that resulted made me wanted to experiment with my focused variant of the light spell, under controlled conditions of course.

However, the news that at least seventeen crash sites had been discovered so far was the most shocking. Equestria now had enough shards to reform into a core that would potentially create dimensional rifts, and I knew that Equestria wasn’t ready for what is out there. While I knew that these ponies were the only known species (in my experience at least) that had magic on their side, they simply weren’t ready for an encounter with one of the dimensional empires out there, and who knows what will happen if they accidentally open a portal to a Venanite-infested world.

Thankfully, they didn't have a clue that these shards were part of a greater whole, evident by how Twilight simply referred to them as crystals in her notes, along with the rather large count of crystals located so far. This, however, was due in part to how badly shattered the Maralus cores are, which rendered the shards so fragmented that one couldn't tell that they are supposed to part of something greater unless they already knew what they were. However, due to the fact that this many explosions occurred at around the sam- tap tap tap - what the fuck?

Turning my head towards the origin of the tapping, I saw Rainbow Dash hovering right outside my window, tapping it with a hoof. Opening the window with my magic as I put the stolen research away, I trotted over to it as I asked, "What do you want Rainbow?"

Upon reaching the window, Rainbow hovered back a bit as she said, "Oh, nothing. I just came here to get you out for some fresh air. You've been cooped up in your room for so long, and you're not even grounded! Besides, who doesn't want to have a chance to hang out with the awesome Rainbow Dash?"

Leaning my head out the window with a disgruntled expression on my face, I was about to make my retort until a pair of pink hooves came into the window from above it, grabbing me and yanking me out of my room as I released a yelp of surprise. Looking at my captor, I saw that it was Pinkie Pie, who somehow grabbed me while sitting on the roof. "Surprise!" Pinkie said with a giggle as I struggled in her grasp while Rainbow started to laugh at me.

"Told you that this would be a go-OW!" Rainbow started to say before I kicked her in the face with one of my rear legs. "What was that for?"

After calming down, I gave her an annoyed look as I said, "Remember the surprise party?" Even though Rainbow accepted that explanation as she rubbed the spot I kicked, in reality I purposefully kicked her as punishment for this prank she pulled on me, though I was lenient on Pinkie since I cared for her a lot more than I did for Rainbow. "Anyway, since your trick is over, and I go back to my room now?"

"No, silly! Rainbow is right. You need to be out there having fun instead of being in that stuffy old room," Pinkie replied as she put me down beside her on the roof.

"Besides, you need to lay off the chocolate cake. You're getting fat," Rainbow said as she gave my belly a poke. I would have slapped her for that if I didn't see it jiggle a bit from the poke.

"Fine, I'll lay off the cake then," I grumbled, though Rainbow only rolled her eyes at me in response. In my defense though, chocolate cake was irresistible to me, and I did live in a bakery. Still, Rainbow did have a point, since I was having cake everyday for the past month.

"No, you need to get that meat off your bones. I mean, come on. You're an athlete! Even if you read almost as much as Twilight does."

"I'm a what now?" I said as I tilted my head in confusion.

"Arrrrgh, you gotta be kidding me! You have a dictionary but you don't know what an athlete is?" Rainbow said in an exasperated tone.

"There are a lot of words! There is no way I would learn them all so quickly!" I countered, as I glared at her, only for her to glare back at me.

"Now you two, let's not fight. Why not just tell Aether what an athlete is, Rainbow?" Pinkie said with a nervous smile as she tried to break our staring contest.

Rainbow continued to stare back at me before releasing a grunt as she said, "Okay Pinkie. Aether, I'm an athlete, a pony that keeps their body in fit condition while doing extreme sports and stuff."

"Oh... wait, is this another attempt where you try to make me think you are awesome? Because it is not going to work," I said, causing Rainbow's face to darken with rage.

"How about we go and have some fun now?" Pinkie asked as she began to sweat from the fear of a potential conflict between Rainbow and me as we continued to glare at each other.

It wasn't long before we arrived at the White Tail Woods. Looking up at the mares, I asked, "Why are we here?" After Rainbow Dash and I ended our 'staring contest', the mares declared that they had a spot in mind that would serve as a good place for me to get some exercise, though they didn't specify where we were going or what kind of exercise.

"We're here for a run through the forest!" Rainbow answered with a smug smile, which only caused me to tilt my head in confusion. Rolling her eyes, Rainbow elaborated, "Hey, you're the one who has all these extreme ways of getting around, so I thought that you would be interested in a run through something rough."

"A run, seriously?"

"What, scared of having to eat my dust?" Dash said with a smug grin.

"No, it is more that you fly than run, or even walk," I bluntly replied.

"Yeah, and if you just flew over us, then there won't be any dust clouds for us to get lost in! Oh! How about you run with us Dash? That way we can have fun together as we run through the forest!" Pinkie said.

As I turned my head to raised an eyebrow at her question, Rainbow said, "Umm... well, I want to fly... but I suppose it can't hurt to run. After all, the Running of the Leaves is coming in a couple months. I need to keep all of myself in tip top shape so that I can beat Applejack with ease." Hmm? Seems like those two have some rivalry of sorts.

Rolling my eyes, I said, "Fine, I will do the run, but can we go for the thickest part of the woods?" This caused the two mares to look at me, though Rainbow's face was taking on a hint of suspicion. "If we are going to run through rough terrain, then make it a challenge, this part of the forest looks... too easy."

My response seemed to please Rainbow, for suddenly I think I saw some fire in her eyes as she said, "Oh yeah, the more extreme, the more awesome it'll be! You in, Pinkie?"

"Yuparooni!" Pinkie exclaimed as she smiled at me. I returned an awkward one of my own, for I knew that if I didn't smile back at her from time to time, she'd go out of her way to make me smile. That lesson I learned the hard way over a month ago, and which I sort of mentally blocked out, with only the faint memory of a cannon, streamers, a trumpet, and one giant ass balloon being involved in that particular incident.

It wasn't long before we reached the thickest portion of the woods, where Rainbow Dash finally landed and drew a line on the ground with a hoof. "This will be the starting line, as well as the finish line. First pony to reach the other side of the thicket will be the winner, which we all know will be me," she said.

"I thought this was a run, not a race," I said dryly.

"Well, yeah it's a run, but why not make it more fun and make it a race?" Rainbow replied, to which I just let out a huff as I took my place behind the starting line. Better give her what she wants or she'll just complain some more, I thought to myself as Rainbow and Pinkie took their places, Rainbow with a serious expression on her face while Pinkie just giggled. "On the count of three, we start. One. Two. THREE!" Rainbow said as she dashed off right when she said three.

Rolling my eyes, I started to gallop as Pinkie just bounced at a leisurely pace as she normally did. Looking ahead of myself, I saw Rainbow weaving through the trees and brush, doing her best to dodge any obstacles in her path. This brought a smile to my muzzle as I knew that each time she went around something she wasted time doing so. Instead of doing the same as Rainbow did, I looked onto my path, taking note of every branch, bush, stump, rock, and tree in my path, as I planned out my route.

It only took seconds before I charted out my course as I jumped onto a branch, using my lighter weight (despite my fat gut) to run up the branch. After reaching the end, I jumped onto another branch, and then another, using the thickness of the area to my advantage. Even when the brush began to grow too thick to run through I just increased my elevation by simply jumping onto higher branches. Looking at Rainbow Dash again, I saw that she was now forced to try to push through the thicket, which only slowed her down even more. Though, regardless to my advantage in this terrain, I could see Pinkie Pie at the edge of my vision, simply bouncing over and through her obstacles without a care in the world.

It wasn't long before I was close on Rainbow's tail, though she didn't notice, partly due to her being too frustrated by the thicket that was slowing her down. Grinning to myself, I jumped onto a branch that ran along just by Rainbow, and as I ran on top of it, I called out, "Having trouble Rainbow?"

Upon hearing my voice, Rainbow snapped her head at me as she gaped in surprise, while I just shot her a smug smile. I bet she was thinking that I was too far behind, and probably dragging Pinkie with me too, I thought to myself before I jumped onto a higher branch and made my way past Rainbow. Looking back at her, I saw her fuming with rage as she ran with newfound strength as she plowed through the thicket now, no matter what harm it may bring to her.

Shouldn't have agreed to my request, I thought to myself as I returned my attention to the forest ahead of me, trying to keep my lead. However, this didn't last long, for my lack of exercise and overeating finally caught up to me and I began to pant from lack of breath, though I continued to push on despite the pain my lungs were beginning to experience. Regardless of my efforts, though, I began to slow down, which allowed Rainbow to slowly catch up to me from below. It wasn't long before the thicket began to clear, at which point Rainbow finally caught up to me as we were neck to neck near the end.

Eventually we broke out of the thick thicket into a small clearing, only to see Pinkie Pie sitting down smiling in the middle of it. Jumping down from the branches, I finally sat down as I tried to get some much needed air, as Rainbow sputtered in confusion on how Pinkie got past us, till she stopped and said, "Oh yeah... cause she's Pinkie."

"Tee hee, that was fun," Pinkie said as she beamed at us, to which Rainbow only shook her head in disbelief before turning to me.

"I can't believe you got past me there, though it was probably just luck, we both know I was going to win in the end," Rainbow said.

"It was not luck, it was because of the... area. I knew that by going to a thicker area, you would be slowed down by it, because since you normally fly, you always dodge and go around things, and I figure that you would follow the same idea when you run. I however know how to go through stuff or use them to my advantage. If we went through a clearer part of the forest, you would be ahead of me the entire time," I replied.

Staring at me for a moment, Rainbow said," So you're saying that you only got ahead of me for a short while ‘cause you used your head?" After giving her a nod, she sat down on her haunches as she said, "You're hanging out with Twilight too much. Only an egghead like her would think of that kind of stuff for a race."

I laughed at her for jumping to such an obvious insult, which only caused her to frown at me before I said, "Hey, you still beat me in the end." Since I wasn't as prideful as the cyan mare, I was more willing to admit that I lost than she was. Though, if I was more fit, I probably would have beaten her, but saying that would only justify her stance on my weight-gain issue, as well as annoy her more than I would have liked to.

"Well, yeah. Of course I beat you, I'm just awesome like that," she said as she beat a hoof against her chest, causing me to roll my eyes at her. She then stood up and walk over to me, poking a hoof at my belly as she said, "Now if only you lose that belly of yours, then maybe you can be half as awesome as me, though you're still half the egghead that Twilight is." In response to that, I just stuck my tongue out at her, though that only caused her to laugh, I joined in along with Pinkie, as our laughs rang throughout the forest.

Chapter XXXII: Animals

After the race, Pinkie Pie and I went back to the bakery, where we had dinner, though my dessert, which was usual chocolate cake that Pinkie always seemed to have on hoof for some reason, was a third the size I normally had. After dinner, Pinkie proposed that I should visit her friend Fluttershy tomorrow after school and help her out with taking care of some wild animals, seeing that it would serve as a good form of exercise in her point of view. This perked my curiosity, for I wondered on how Fluttershy was able to interact with wild animals, since my past experiences in my former body with wildlife either involved the animals running away in fear from me, or me running in fear from them.

Hence, the next day after school, which consisted of the usual really long reading session for me, having some fun with the Crusaders during recess, Diamond and I glaring at each other with pure hate, and the history lesson, I was heading towards Fluttershy's home. Thankfully, since it was outside of Ponyville, Pinkie only had to tell me the general direction I had to go from the schoolhouse to find the place. So it wasn't long till I reached... a grass-roofed cottage. Okay, what is it with Pinkie's friends all living in these weird homes of theirs?

Knocking on the door with a hoof, I waited for a moment till it opened to reveal Fluttershy, along with a rather grumpy bunny. "Oh, Aether! What are you doing here today?"

"Pinkie wanted me to spend more time outside, and she suggested that helping you take care of your animals would be good for me," I answered, as I eyed the bunny as it gave me the stink eye. "What is with the bunny?"

"Oh, that's so nice of you to help, Aether," Fluttershy said as she opened the door wider, giving me a better view of the interior of her home. It had its own homey look, if it weren't for the animals having their run of the place. "Now Angel, say hi to Aether."

Instead of doing what Fluttershy requested, Angel kept its harsh glare on me, which only caused me to cock an eyebrow at Fluttershy as I asked, "Does your pet have a problem with me?"

"Now Angel, you know that it's not polite to look at our friends like that," Fluttershy said to the bunny before turning her attention to me. "Don't mind Angel, he just gets like that around strangers. Now excuse me, it's lunch time and I need to get the animals their meals. Is there anything you would like?"

Looking down at my belly, I poked at it to see it vibrate a bit. "No, I am good," I said as I looked up at Fluttershy, only to see an expression of regret on her face.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Fluttershy said in an embarrassed yet still timid voice before I interrupted her.

"Relax Ms. Fluttershy, you did not insult me. Besides, I do need to lose some weight anyway, I have been eating too much cake lately," I said with a disarming grin that seemed to calm the mare down. Strange that she so easily jumped to the conclusion that she insulted me in some way.

"Oh... well I'm going to get the animals their meals now. Can you look after the animals while I'm in the kitchen?" Fluttershy asked, to which I gave a short but polite nod. As she headed over to the kitchen, I did a quick look around to see what the animals were doing till I turned my attention onto 'Angel'. He was still giving me his grumpy look, but something in his eye told me he was plotting something.

"You are plotting something," I stated as I stared at the bunny. Getting no response from him, I lowered my head closer to him as I said, "You better not try anyth-" BAP! Rearing my head back from the sudden kick to my nose, I glared at the bunny as I said, "You kicked me! How dare you!" only to see Angel sticking his tongue out at me.

"You better behave now bunny or else," I demanded, only to receive a roll of his eyes. Oh well, I did warn him, I thought to myself as I shifted my glare to my Death Glare. This finally got a reaction, for Angel's eyes widened in horror as his ears flopped down to dangle behind him. While my Death Glare has a shocking effect on just about anyone, on smaller animals that aren't carnivorous, its effects are much worse since I can actually use my size to back it up.

"Next time you mess with me, I will make you regret it," I warned. Angel replied with rapid nodding. Breaking off my Death Glare, I looked at all the animals to make sure that they weren't fooling around, only to see them all staring at me in shock. This caused me to cock an eyebrow in curiosity, for it wasn't something that I expected to happen.

"I'm back with lunch everyo-" Fluttershy started to say as she returned with a tray filled with bowls on her back, only to see all the animal staring at me in silence. However, Angel soon broke his stupor as he hopped to Fluttershy, and after indicating to her to lower her head to his level, he whispered something into her ear. After a moment, Fluttershy raised her head as she said, "You threatened Angel!"

"No, I just gave him a stare because he kicked me in the nose!" I protested, while giving Angel a glare once more.

"Wait, is that true?" Fluttershy said as she turned her attention to Angel. As Angel was about to shake its head, I pointed at my eyes and then at him. Gulping, Angel slowly nodded, to which Fluttershy said, "Angel, what have I told you about hurting other ponies? And Aether is just a little filly," as she gave the bunny a harsh look, causing him to look down at the floor. Turning towards me, Fluttershy said, "Please, don't let your first meeting with Angel sour your opinion on him. He's normally kind to other ponies."

Raising an eyebrow at that statement, I replied, "Yeah... okay Ms. Fluttershy, I will give him another chance."

Smiling at my response, Fluttershy said, "Thank you, but you can just call me Fluttershy. Now... if you don't mind... can you help me with the bowls? We need to space them out so that all the animals have room." Giving her a nod, I grabbed a couple of the bowls with my magic as I placed them down while Fluttershy did the same with the rest.

After grabbing a couple more bowls, I suddenly recalled something, as I asked, "Excuse me Fluttershy... but I think Twilight once mention that she had to talk to you about Discord. Do you mind telling me what your... err... relationship with him is?" Considering that he left me to float to Celestia knows where, I was wondering why Discord would listen to Fluttershy in the first place.

With a timid look, Fluttershy replied, "Oh... he and I are just friends. Though, I did talk to him about what he did to you, and he's sorry for leaving you like that." After seeing me deadpan at her, since I highly doubted he would be sorry after doing such a thing, she continued, "He really is sorry, Aether."

"...Riiiight," I simply replied as I placed the last bowls on the ground as Fluttershy began to tend to the needs of the animals. I simply just watched her, though I kept an eye on Angel. Eventually we moved onto checking on the animals outside her house, which got me to be more curious on just how many animals Flutte- whoa! Is that... a bear? What in limbo is a bear doing here?

As I sat there, dumbstruck as Fluttershy calmly walked up to the bear as she asked him if he was fine. After getting a grunt in response, Fluttershy turned around to attend to another animal when she finally saw me looking at her dumbfounded. "Aether? Is there something wrong?"

Blinking for a moment, I shook my head before I said, "Err... not really, but... why is a bear here?"

Blinking, Fluttershy tilted her head as she said, "What do you mean?"

Resisting the urge to drop my jaw, I answered, "Well... there is a bear... right here... and bears are... well... big and have fangs?" Either those wildlife books I borrowed from Twilight (best to know them before they start chasing you around) were wrong, or something seriously wrong was happening here.

Apparently my answer was enough for Fluttershy to get what I was trying to say for she put her hooves over her mouth as she said, "Oh my! No, you don't have to be scared of Mr. Bear. He's a nice bear and he won't hurt anypony here."

Cocking an eyebrow, I looked at the rest of the animals as I said, "The bear will not hurt the other animals here too?"

"Oh no, no one hurts anyone while they're here... are you scared of bears, Aether?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly.

Looking at her, I rubbed a hoof against the ground as I replied, "Well... yes and no..."

"Yes and no? What do you mean?"

"Well... I just do not like to be around things that are much bigger than me and have fangs," I elaborated. Seeing that Fluttershy was about to ask another question by the somewhat curious look on her face, I continued, "When I was on my own... I learn that big things with fangs... will like to eat smaller things... and since I am small... we- huh?" before I suddenly found myself in Fluttershy's embrace.

"Oh you poor thing! There's nothing to worry about, you're safe here. Pinkie, my friends, and I aren't going to let anything hurt you," Fluttershy said as she rubbed a hoof against my back.

Whoa, ain't there some law about personal space around here, especially with children? I thought to myself as I started to shake off the shock of being suddenly hugged by someone other than Pinkie Pie. Clearing my throat, I said, "Ummm... Fluttershy? I am alright... you did not had to... well hug me and comfort me like this."

Letting out a small 'eep', Fluttershy quickly disengaged the embrace as she said, "Sorry about that. I thought you were getting upset," as her cheeks flushed red.

"It is alright, it was just a mistake," I said, before quickly adding, "but thank you for caring about how I feel."

My response led to an end to Fluttershy's short-lived embarrassment, though she was still hesitant when she asked, "But... were you actually hurt by any animals?"

After looking at her for a while, which oddly caused her to retreat a bit into her mane for some reason, I said, "A little, some bites, some scratches... but nothing serious. Mostly I just ended up getting chased a lot by them... that is why I know how to move around, like climbing cliffs or stuff like that." While only barely true, as there were a multitude of other reasons for those skills, hopefully when the other mares heard this, they would be less questioning to why I have them.

"I... I can't believe that you had to go through that," Fluttershy said as tears comes to her eyes, though she didn't embrace me in another hug.

"It is alright, it is in the past. At least I learned some things from it."

"You don't have to worry about that happening again, Aether. You're safe here in Ponyville," Fluttershy replied as she patted me on the shoulder, which was much more preferable to another awkward hug.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar popping noise, along with a familiar voice that said, "Oh Fluttershy dear, I'm here for ou- oh? What do we have here."

Knowing who the voice belonged to, I mentally groaned as I thought to myself, Oh great, he has to show up now. Just fan-fucking-tastic.

Chapter XXXIII: Clown

Turning my head around, I said, "What are you doi-" only to pause when I saw Discord. Instead of seeing the blue-colored mishap, I instead saw that his colors changed to match his mismatched body parts. Tilting my head in confusion, I asked, "Why is your fur not blue?"

"Oh, that, I was just having some fun," Discord said as he summoned a glass of chocolate milk to his hand. Just as I was about to retort, instead my jaw was left frozen half-open when I saw him drink the glass instead of the milk. As I stood there with my left eye twitching, Discord tossed the milk over his shoulder, which almost flew out of view until it exploded. As I continued to remain speechless, Discord floated over to me as he put a hand under my chin. "Now now, you shouldn't leave your mouth open like that, you'll catch flies," he said as he closed my jaw.

"Now Discord, you shouldn't be doing stuff like that around ponies. It'll scare them like you scared Aether," Fluttershy said in a disapproving tone, though her words knocked me out of my stupor.

"Hey, I am not scared from that," I protested.

"See, no harm done, Fluttershy dear. Though I have to ask, I didn't know that dear little Aether would be the kind of filly to have touching moments with other ponies," Discord said as he gave me a mocking smirk, to which I returned with a frown of my own. "So may I ask, what is this filly doing here Fluttershy? I thought we were going to have our Tuesday tea?"

"Oh, Aether just came over to help me out with taking care of the animals and I sort of... lost track of time," Fluttershy said with an embarrassed blush.

"Oh, really? So you're here to help take care of some animals? Trying to be a zookeeper now?" Discord said as he snapped his fingers, causing some kind of weird uniform to appear on me.

As I tried to figure out what in limbo these clothes were meant for, I said "No, Pinkie said this may be good exercise for me."

"Oh? I can help you with that then," Discord said with a grin as he snapped his fingers again. Suddenly, the clothes were gone, replaced with some sort of headband on my head and me in some... giant metal wheel. Before I could say a thing about it, Discord appeared right next to the wheel as he said, "This will help you burn those calories off," before he suddenly gave the wheel a spin. Yelping in shock, I was force to run for dear life or ended up being span around by the wheel.

"Discord!" Fluttershy said as she flew to the wheel, her face full of worry as she tried to find a way to stop it now. "Get Aether out of it!"

"What? I'm just trying to help her exercise," Discord said, only for Fluttershy to give him a harsh look in return. "Fine, but I was just trying to help..." Discord muttered before he snapped his fingers, causing the contraption to disappear and allowing me to fall onto the floor. While I would have made a retort of some kind, I was too busy catching my breath as I lay there panting, for the wheel had spun so fast that I had to run at top speed just to avoid being spun around like crazy.

"I know you were trying to help, but you went about it all wrong," Fluttershy said before turning her attention to me. "Are you okay, Aether?" Concern was evident in her voice.

Panting, I said between breathe, "I am... fine... just really... need to... lose weight," though I did aim a glare at Discord.

"Bah, she'll be fine. So Fluttershy, are we still having tea?"

"Well... if Aether doesn't mind," Fluttershy said as she gave me a look that spoke of her desire not to anger me.

As I rolled my eyes at how timid she can be, I said, "Go ahead... I will be fine..."

"If you say so..." Fluttershy said before turning her attention towards Discord, "Umm... can you wait for a moment? I need to prepare the tea," as she hid behind her mane, probably from the embarrassment from losing track of things.

"Hmm... I think I can wait, since this little filly can keep me company in the meantime," Discord answered. As I recalled the balloons and my lost mouth, I was about to open my mouth to complain only for Discord to cut me short as he curled around me again with his body and said, "This will allow me another try to give Aether a good impression of myself. Besides, I believe that we both would have so many things we would love to discuss."

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea. What do you think, Aether?" Fluttershy asked.

Narrowing my eyes a bit, I looked at Discord's eyes as I knew he was scheming something. However, since he knew the truth, maybe he might inform me or at least slip some information on what could have caused me to appear in this world. "Yeah... I would not mind spending some time with Discord, as long I as do not go flying off again."

"I assure you that I wouldn't have you flying off again," Discord said as he smiled at me. Giving us both a smile, Fluttershy made her leave to prepare the tea, leaving the two of us to our little 'company time'.

The moment Fluttershy entered her home, I quickly scowled at Discord as I said, "What do you want now."

"Oh, what do you mean? Like I said, I want to leave a better impression," Discord said before popping away to a few feet away from me, suddenly wearing a suit.

"Well, you are doing a good job so far," I said sarcastically. "Regardless, I know you are up to something with me, so just get to the point."

"As you wish," Discord said before poking me with a giant toothpick. Tossing it aside, where it nearly landed on a squirrel, Discord continued. "I've been wanting to ask you about this." Snapping his fingers, a small metal container appeared in his paw, which he then held out for me to grab.

Eyeing the container, I grabbed it with my magic, opening it as I took a peek inside to see a Maralus shard inside. "What are you doing with this... crystal?" I asked as I looked at him with suspicion.

"The bigger question, dear, is why these are coming to this world. While these crystals are a perfect wrench in the pony's system of magic, they are just too unnatural for my tastes," Discord said.

"You... you do not know? So you have no connection to the explosions?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at this little revelation.

"Of course not. While these mystery explosions did send Celestia's guards into a frenzy, it's just not my style."

"Do you even have a style?" I retorted with a roll of my eyes.

"Touché. I take it that you don't know either?"

Biting my lip for a moment, I finally replied, "Not exactly... there could be a few... possibilities... but they are all far-fetched. I think odds are it is linked to how I was brought here."

"Are you certain your presence here didn't cause any harm to the world's natural barriers?" Discord asked as he summoned a bubble, poking holes into it though it didn't pop at all.

"I do not even know why I am here, but my method of travel has been proven to be safe to all worlds."

Blinking at me, Discord's bubble popped as he asked, "You don't even know why you're here?"

Shaking my head, I said, "No, this world was not my destination, though it is far more pleasant than where I was supposed to go. I just somehow ended up here, and with the explosions... that means something about this world is messing with dimensional travel."

"While that does sound like a predicament, it does make for some fun chaos," Discord said as he lounged on a rather jagged rock.

"Until the stuff that no one wants starts pouring in," I replied dryly.

"Oh, there is something that wouldn't just cause chaos for this world?"

"Yes, because if it comes, there will only be death and suffering, and sadly more of the latter than the former."

Getting off his rock, Discord gave me a skeptical look as he said, "Isn't death worse than suffering normally?"

Giving him a serious look, I said, "There are some things out there, that many would rather prefer death than face it."

After looking at me for a moment, Discord then stretched his body out in the most disturbing ways, the sounds of his bones popping reaching my ears. "Well, this talk has certainly become morbid. How about a change of pace?" Snapping his fingers, I suddenly found myself in a clown's costume, complete with a red nose.

"You are never gonna stop messing with me, right," I stated as I pulled off the red nose.

"Oh come now, this look looks perfect on you. You are living with Pinkie Pie after all."

"You may think so, but I think this would give Rarity a heart attack," I retorted as I wiped a hoof across my face to see make-up on it. Great... at least there's a nearby stream, I thought to myself as I made my way to it.

"Why, that's a splendid idea! Excuse me for a moment," Discord said before disappearing, only to reappear a short moment later, though it gave me enough time to dunk my head into the stream. Mere seconds later, a rather loud scream of absolute horror rang out from Ponyville, so loud that I pity the ponies that were near its source.

"That is only going to come back and bite you in the butt," I said as I shook the water out of my mane.

"Please, it was just some harmless fun, and let me help you with that," Discord said before he snapped his fingers, causing a massive fan to appear before me.

"...Buck me," I said as the fan turned on, the sheer power of it causing my clothes to fly right off me first, before blowing me off my hooves and into the middle of a tree.

Thankfully, before I got to see if the fan was strong enough to blow my coat and mane off me, Fluttershy came out as she said, "Did anypony hea- Aether!" She looked at me first, then the giant fan, before finally laying her eyes on Discord as she yelled, "Stop that, Discord!"

Rolling his eyes, Discord snapped his fingers, causing the fan to disappear and allowing me to fall off the tree. "Aether has gotten herself wet, so I was doing what a good pony would do and helped dry herself off."

"With a giant fan?" Fluttershy shrieked, though in her own timid voice it sounded like she was just talking a bit louder than the average pony.

"What? It's faster that way."

"But it's still not the right way," Fluttershy said as she made her way over to me. "Are you okay, Aether?" she asked as she helped me onto my hooves.

"I am fine, for the most part," I answered as I rubbed a hoof against my back.

Turning around to face Discord again, Fluttershy said, "Now what do you say, Discord?"

Sighing, Discord said, "Sorry for getting carried away, can you ever forgive me?" though I could tell he was just faking it.

Rolling my eyes before Fluttershy turned around to see me do it, I said, "Sure, I forgive you."

Smiling at the both of us, Fluttershy said, "Good, now the tea is ready, so would you mind keeping an eye on the animals while Discord and I have some tea, Aether?"

"Sure, I can do that," I said, causing Fluttershy to give me her thanks as both she and Discord headed into her home, though Discord gave me a wave and a wink before he closed the door behind him.

Rubbing the sides of my head with my hooves, I thought to myself, I'm never gonna get a moment of peace with Pinkie and Discord around. Oh well, it could always be worse.

Chapter XXXIV: Colts

After the little incident with Discord, the day passed by smoothly, though Discord left a parting present of a chocolate cake, albeit a stale one that appeared above my head. A low blow to taunt my weight problem with the inedible cake. One bath later and I eventually made my way home for dinner and bedtime, after figuring a few more pages from Twilight's research.

The next day started out well, barring another stare down with Diamond Tiara. That little brat really needs to be knocked down a peg or two, and while I was tempted to do it myself, I withheld pounding her face into the dirt with my hoof, if only to avoid getting in trouble and having to deal with an angry, or sad (don't know which one would occur), Pinkie Pie. Though I still wish Diamond would one day hit me first... that would be a good day no matter what happens.

At the end of class, after saying my goodbyes to the Crusaders as they have to go home due to being grounded still, I made my way to the library till a certain pair of colts decided to follow me... grand. Stopping in my tracks, I gave them both a flat stare as I said, "What do you two want now."

Stopping in their tracks only to stumble down and fall over each other, I watched as the duo get back on their hooves as Snails asked, "What do you mean?"

Facehoofing, I said, "I still remember what you two tried at the party. So I ask again, what do you two want now?" before dragging my hoof down my face.

"What do you mean tried? We just wanted to play with you," Snips said, though by the sweat on his face said otherwise.

Rolling my eyes, I looked at Snails as I said, "Is that true Snails? There was not anything else with it?"

Shifting his eyes between Snips, who was pulling his hoof over his throat over and over as a message to keep silent (which is pretty stupid since I was standing right there), and me, where I was giving him my flat stare, he finally broke. "No, we just... like you. We don't know why!"

As Snips facehoofed as both his face and Snail's start to redden, I just turned around as I release a frustrated sigh. "Figures you two would have feelings. Do any other colts have feelings for me?" I asked as I gave them both a sicken look.

Apparently Snails doesn't know when to stop as he said, "Well, there are a few other co-" before Snips stuck a hoof into Snail's mouth.

"No one! No one likes you! I don't like you! I mean- er..." Snips said, his eyes darting left to right as he tried to figure out what to say.

Facehoofing again, I said, "Sweet Celestia, what do you two take me for, a empty headed fool?" Taking a deep breath, I continued. "Look, you two, I will not be interested in either of you, or any other colts that may be interested in me. So if there is some sort of thing being spread around that involves me-" to which I hope to Celestia isn't happening "-I am not interested in colts, or dating colts, or any 'personal' time with colts. Understand?"

The two of them looked at me dumbfounded for a moment that I thought that what I just said flew over their heads, until Snails said, "Oh... so you like fillies then, that explains it."

"Wait what? I did no-"

"You're right Snails! That makes a lot of sense. No wonder Aether doesn't want to hang with us but plays with the Crusaders so much," Snips replied.

"What? That has nothing to do wi-"

"We got to tell the others about this!" Snails said, to which Snips nodded to before the duo ran off.

"Wait! I did not say- gah! Fucking dumbasses!" I said, reverting to my native tongue for the last two words. Shaking my head at them, I knew that whatever those two are going to do, it was only gonna cause me more headaches in the long run. The only bright side to the situation was that it would help keep some colts off my back, though I really didn’t want to know how many fillies may start to see me as being on the market.

"Ready, Aether?" Twilight asked.

"How can a pony that is not a pegasus be ready for this?" I replied as I stood on a chair, staring at a cloud that Twilight brought in. Twilight said that while the cloud-walking spell may be a bit unusual for a filly to learn, she had started to think that magic was involved with my special talent. I, on the other hoof, believed it was more of ponies being too narrow-minded in their capabilities based on their cutie marks. "Is there any way I could have cast the spell wrong and this ends bad?"

"Don't be silly, a simple magic spell can't go horribly wrong."

"Then what do you call the 'Smarty Pants' issue then?" I countered.

"...The Crusaders told you about that, didn't they?"

Mimicking Apple Bloom's older brother, I replied, "Eeyup."

"Just jump already," Twilight deadpanned.

Chuckling at Twilight's discomfort, I made my jump. Guess I hadn't followed Twilight's example in magic as I landed on the cloud. "Guess it worked after all," I said as I poked at the cloud with my hoof, seeing the cloud shift from the poking.

"Of course it worked. You're a natural at magic Aether, so stop doubting yourself," Twilight said with a smile.

"Better caution than cockiness, though I wonder why Sweetie Belle can not do as much magic as I can," I said as I rubbed a hoof against my chin.

"That's because she's a few years younger than you. You may even be the oldest foal in your class."

"Well, geez Twilight, thank you for reminding me how far behind I am then," I said in a deadpan tone.

"I didn't mean it that way! Remember your mathema-" Twilight stammered.

"Just messing with you there," I said as I laughed at Twilight, who's face reddened at the little prank, until she smirked at me.

"Seems like you're growing to be more and more like Pinkie as time passes, Aether," Twilight said in a smug tone. This caused me to freeze for a moment, before I mentally shrugged it off as I thought to myself, Eh, why keep fighting it? It'll probably only make it worse for me in the long run. Though... I could use this little comeback against Twilight.

Looking at Twilight, I gave her the widest grin I could muster, which caused her to rear her head in surprise. "Oh really? Does that mean I will get Pinkie sense too?" After seeing Pinkie's natural defiance of the laws of reality, learning about her Pinkie Sense wasn't as bad, though it does cause me headaches from time to time on her more outrageous predictions. "Or do the things that only Pinkie can do?" I said, causing Twilight's eyes to widen at the horror of a foal becoming just like Pinkie. Though I have to admit two Pinkie Pies wouldn't end well in both the short and long term.

Shaking her head, Twilight said, "What? No, you can't develop Pinkie Sense, nor do what she can... hopefully..." Breaking my grin, I started to laugh to at her, causing her to frown and furrow her brow into an expression of annoyance, until I suddenly fell out of the cloud. Though I landed on my bottom safely since the cloud was barely above the ground which left my head in the middle of it, I still yelped in surprise from the unexpected fall.

As I batted the cloud away from my face, not only did I hear Twilight trying to stifle a laugh at my expense, but I also heard Spike laughing from nearby. Letting out a sigh, I let him had his mirth, since I already had a lot of my own at Twilight's expense. After the laughter died down, I asked, "Was the spell suppose to last that long?"

"It only lasted that long since it was your first time. A more experienced unicorn would be able to cast the spell to have a much longer duration," Twilight answered as Spike approached her with a scroll in his hand.

"Hey, Twilight! You got another letter from the Princess," Spike said as he held out the letter.

"Oh... well, excuse me, Aether, I need to attend to Princess Celestia’s letter. Do you mind keeping Aether company in the meantime Spike?" Twilight asked as she took the scroll with her magic.

"Sure, I can hang with her for a moment," Spike said with a shrug. Twilight smiled, and said her thanks to him, before heading upstairs. Looking at me, Spike said, "While you falling through the cloud like that was funny, you are getting pretty good at magic Aether."

Tilting my head at him, I said, "Um... thank you? But please do not start thinking I am some sort of magic prodigy like Twilight does."

"Huh? What's wrong with Twilight thinking you could be?"

"Well... while it is nice to think that I could be one, that would also put bigger expectations on me. I would just rather think that just my way of looking at things is what is giving me an edge."

"Your way of looking at things? What do you mean by that?"

"Yeah, maybe... I can not be sure on that though. It is just an assumption, since it may be possible for other unicorn fillies to be as good as I am. Though I think their obsession with their Cutie Marks may be what is hampering their ability to perform more magic."

Blinking in surprise, Spike said, "It sounds like you don't care about Cutie Marks that much. Which is weird since you're part of the Crusaders."

"Oh no, it is not like that. I just think that one should not put all their focus on finding their Cutie Mark and becoming what it tells them to be. I rather just stay open-minded. While I know that when I get my Cutie Mark, it will help me find out what I can be best in, I rather not just stick to that path and not try new things. The Crusaders are like that in a way though, trying as many new things as they can, though it is all for their hunt of their Cutie Marks, for the most part."

"Ah, I get what you mean. Like when that explosion happened over a month ago, I thought aliens were invading but Twilight thought that couldn't happen."

Rubbing my chin, I thought to myself, Twilight is sort of right, but I hope that your beliefs never become true, Spike. "You could be right, but since we all only have... err... broken parts of whatever came down, who can say what really occurred?" I said, as I made a mental note to find out what their word for wreckage is. "Though I honestly hope you are wrong."

Looking downcast, Spike asked, "Why do you want me to be wrong?"

"Spike... do you really want to be right about aliens invading?"

Spike opened his mouth before closing it for a moment until he scratched the back of his head as he replied, "I guess you have a point there... heh heh... though there is one thing about you that is a bit off."

"What about me is bothering you?"

"Well, you're getting pretty good at Equestrian, but even though you know words like 'assumption' and 'hampering', you still don't say words like 'don't', or 'can't'. What's up with that?" Spike asked.

"Err... well... you actually have a good point there. I just think it is part of the translation in my head still. It is easier for more singular words and past tense, but I have language issues with combining two words together. Though, you are right, I really need to get working on that soon," I replied.

It wasn't long afterwards for Twilight to return, at which point I said my goodbyes to Spike as I returned to my magic practice while he went out to pay a visit to Rarity. Before too long, it was approaching dinner time. I gave Twilight my farewell before returning home, where I had dinner with the rest of... well, my new family, I guess. While I did tell Pinkie about how my day went, I chose to withhold the little situation with Snails and Snips, for I felt it would be better if I fixed that mess alone. Hopefully it won’t blow out of proportion and result in every filly in town hitting on me...

...Why in sweet Celestia did I had to think about that... damn it all.

Chapter XXXV: Dirt

Today is the day to figure out just how much damage these two idiots can do, I thought to myself as I made my way to school. While this situation may lead to me not having any more colts after my tail, if ponies are open minded about relationships and considering that there are a lot more fillies in class than colts... this may only end up becoming worse for me. Though, after Twilight's comment on my age comparison to Sweetie Belle, I was wondering if I was just the unlucky filly to be hitting that particular stage in life where colts, and maybe other fillies, began to feel attraction towards me due to age. Regardless, I finally arrived at the school, as I looked around to see how my fellow classmates were reacting, they finally noticed me.

As expected, some of them were giving me odd looks, which told me that the duo succeeded in getting the word out, as even some fillies gave me a glance before returning to their business. Before I could take any action, the Crusaders trotted over to me, looks of suspicion plastered on their faces. Once they were within range, I opened my mouth just as Scootaloo began to open hers, but I still beat her to the punch as I said, "What did you hear?"

"Huh?" Scootaloo said, caught off guard by my sudden question.

Sighing, I said, "I figure that you three heard something from somepony about me. So what did you hear?"

Sweetie Belle caught onto what I was saying as she said, "Well... we heard that you don't like colts and instead you like fillies only."

"We also heard that you only joined our club because we're fillies," Apple Bloom said as she did her best to give me a serious face.

Shaking my head, I asked, "Do you three really believe in these rumors? Do you even know where they came from?"

Blinking in unison, the trio look among themselves till Sweetie Belle said, "Well... we doubt it, but since you don't smile, or laugh much... we just wondered if they're true."

"Wait, does anypony know who started this rumor?" Scootaloo asked the other two, who only shook their heads.

"It was Snips and Snails that started this," I bluntly answered.

This got them to give out a unified 'oh' before Scootaloo said, "I should have known that this was all fake."

"But why would just two be goin' around tellin' these rumors about Aether?" Apple Bloom replied.

Sighing once more, I said, "Cause I told them I was not interested in colts, and they then assumed that it meant that I was interested in fillies instead."

"Wait, you're really not interested in colts?" Sweetie Belle asked, only for the other two to look at her with incredulous looks. "What?"

"That's just... ew," Scootaloo said, as Apple Bloom nodded in agreement.

After a moment passed, Sweetie Belle blushed as she said, "I didn't mean it that way! I... maybe when we're older like Aether-"

"Wait, what makes you think that I may be older than you three? I do not recall telling either one of you my age," I asked.

After looking at each other, Apple Bloom said, "Well, it's easy Aether. You're taller than us."

"...Really?"

"Yeah, like, I think an inch or so, you didn't notice?" Sweetie asked.

"No... though it was more cause I was always the short one where I came from," I replied, though in reality it was more due living in a city where everyone else is of a different species that happened to be taller than your own.

"What I wonder is why you told Snips and Snails that yo... oh..." Sweetie replied as she began to smile, causing the other two to look at her in confusion before they took on expressions of comprehension that soon changed to wild grins.

"Those two were the colts that liked you, weren't they?" Scootaloo stated, only for me to put my face into my hooves as I groaned.

"Are you three really going to tease me now? Do I not have enough problem already thanks to those two?" I whined.

"Aether is right. I don't think we should be addin' more trouble," Apple Bloom said as she came to my defense. The other two lowered their ears, as they just realized just how much trouble I have to go through just to dispel the rumors. Before anyone could say a thing, the school bell rang out and we headed inside. However, I saw Diamond Tiara getting in before us, but not before turning her head to give me that evil little smug smirk of hers.

...Yup, things have certainly gone to shit now.

After the morning portion of the lesson, during which I saw the idiot duo give me a wave with proud grins on their faces, which I wiped off their faces with a glower, Cheerilee let us out for recess. As I made my way outside, Snips and Snails suddenly came to me as Snails said, "Hey, Aether, we got the word out that you only like fillies."

Facehoofing, I said, "I never said that, I just said I am not interested in colts."

"Wait, I thought you told us that you liked fillies?" Snips asked, only for me to give him a look that said 'Are you kidding me?'

"...No, you two came to that idea yourselves, and now you got everyone to think that I hang out with the Crusaders for that reason alone. Which, before you say anything on that, I hang out with them because we are friends. Got it?" I said through gritted teeth.

"Oh... wait... does that mean we messed up?" Snails asked, which caused me to ground my teeth for a moment.

"Yes, you messed up, maybe big time," I answered. At this point, I decided that I would rather deal with Discord for a hour than talk to these two for five minutes... maybe.

Lowing their ears, they both said 'sorry' before Snips went on to say, "We'll help yo-"

"No, I do not need anymore help, I will just deal with this myself, okay?" I said, interrupting Snips before he get anymore 'bright' ideas. "Just do not spread any more stuff about me and I will not be angry at you two anymore, okay?" I asked. While I was tempted to harm them, they were just bumbling idiots that thought they were helping, so they didn't truly deserve my wrath. After receiving some nods from them, I made my way outside to the playground, only to find that both Diamond Tiara and her lackey were waiting at the sides of the entrance for me.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A blank flank that hangs with other blank flank fillies just so that she can kiss them all day long."

"Shoo brat, I do not have time for you," I said as I walked past her.

"Hey, don't you dare call me that! You're the brat here!" Diamond retorted, though I ignored her as I continued to make my way to the rest of the class. After a bit, Diamond then said, "Hmph, maybe that is why you were abandoned by your parents. You must have been spending too much time trying to get kisses from fillies all day."

Okay, I'm sick of this orphan crap! I thought to myself as I turned towards Diamond, who gave me a smug grin as she realized that she had gotten underneath my skin. "You stupid little snob! Do you not have anything better to do than to bully on other ponies? Or is it because your Cutie Mark, which is just a diamond tiara, says that your special talent is wearing a diamond tiara and nothing more?"

"Hey! How da-" Diamond started to say as her face redden with rage.

"Maybe you only bully us Crusaders cause you have no real talent besides just sitting there looking rich and pretty with your stupid tiara! Are you still proud of a Cutie Mark that is just your name? Just how original is that? Do not answer, cause I will tell you the right answer, it is original as dirt! So how about you take your empty head a-" THWACK!

A unified gasp rang out from all the ponies in the playground as they saw Diamond slap my face with her hoof. I just blinked in shock, not saying a thing due to the unexpected pain. Diamond, however, began to smirk as she said, "What's wrong now? Got no more stupid words to say? Are you going to c-"

"You slapped me..." I said, interrupting her as a grin started to appear on my muzzle.

"Huh?" Diamond replied as she became confused from my expression.

"You slapped me..." I repeated, my grin now so wide and manic that it might remind the other foals of Pinkie, if she went violently homicidal.

"Why are you smi-" Diamond tried to say before I slammed a hoof on the bottom of her jaw, knocking her head back as her tiara was sent flying off her head. As the foals tried to let out another gasp of surprise, I jumped at Diamond, knocking her to the ground as I used my right foreleg to put her in a headlock.

"You like spitting so much dirt at other ponies, how about I help you out by giving your mouth more dirt!" I yelled as I slammed her face into the dirt, all the while her lackey could only sit there, dumbstruck by what just conspired. Diamond finally shook off the shock of my attack as she fruitlessly tried to pry my grip off her neck. I just responded by punching her in the gut with my left hoof. "Like the taste of dirt? Cause you seem to enjoy spitting so much of it out at us!"

It felt like hours as I rubbed her face into the dirt as I pounded on her gut, as I used my weight to keep it there regardless of her frantic attempts to stop me. Sadly, it probably only lasted a minute as I suddenly felt a pair of hooves try to pry me off of Diamond, which only caused the both of us to be lifted into the air as I didn't release my hold that is now choking her.

"Let go of her, Aether!" a familiar voice said, causing me to lose my grip as I began to realize that Cheerilee was the one holding on to me. Diamond landed on her rump after I let her go, at which point her friend finally came over to her aid. Putting me down on the ground, Cheerilee looked at me with a face full of rage as she asked, "What in sweet Celestia possessed you to attack Diamond?"

Before Silver Spoon (I learned her name a long time ago, but as long as she hung around with the brat, I prefer to simply refer to her as a lackey) could say a thing, the Crusaders ran over as Sweetie said, "Diamond started it! She slapped Aether right in front of the whole class!"

"No, Aether started it! She was insulting me!" Diamond yelled before spitting out some dirt, glaring at me with hatred in her eyes as I glared back at her with my own hatred.

"It's true, ask the class!" the lackey said.

"That's only after Diamond insulted her first and talked about her parents abandoning her!" Scootaloo said, her wings flared in anger as she stared at the two brats with her own rage.

"Enough! Diamond Tiara, you're going to be staying in my office. Aether Aura, you're staying in the classroom! Both of you will remain there as I get your pa- guardians. Understood?"

The two of us only glared at each other before we both said, "Yes Miss Cheerilee," though I said it before Diamond did. As we were herded to said rooms, we continued to glare at each other, though it was obvious that I won that little bout of ours since Diamond's face was still covered with dirt. Before we finally lost sight of each other, I gave her a little smirk that only cause her to shake with even more rage. As I sat down on my seat in the classroom, rubbing a hoof against the spot where Diamond slapped me, I could only think of one thing at the moment, regardless of future consequences.

...That was so worth it.

Chapter XXXVI: Parents

As I sat in my seat in Cheerilee's office with Pinkie sitting next to me on my right side, with the brat on the far left with her father on her left side, I listened to Cheerilee recounting not only what she witnessed, but whatever testimonies the other foals gave. While the foals did say that Diamond landed the first blow, I was being accused of antagonizing her. Cheerilee seemed inclined to believe that since Diamond was the first to explain what happened.

"See, daddy, Aether’s just a big mean bully!" Diamond whined after she finished her story, to which I only gave her a hate-filled glare, though Pinkie frowned- well, frowned more deeply at me for doing so. The moment Pinkie arrived at the schoolhouse, I saw that she was just sadly frowning, her mane somewhat less bouncy than normal. Normally seeing Pinkie like this would bother me, but with Diamond in the same room as me, any feelings of guilt were being overridden by sheer rage.

"I'm sorry, Pinkie, but I must insist that you do something about your ward. I can't tolerate anyone hurting my precious Diamond," Diamond's father said.

Before Pinkie could say anything in response, Cheerilee spoke up as she said, "Now wait, Mr. Rich. We don't know the exact reason why Aether insulted Diamond, or why she attacked Diamond so harshly. Now Aether, would you kindly please explain the reason behind your behavior?"

Looking at all the adults for a moment, I turned my gaze back upon Cheerilee as I said, "It is simple, Diamond has been insulting me by use as my status as an orphan shortly after I have com-"

"That is not true! She's fibbing!" Diamond shrieked.

"Diamond Tiara, don't interrupt Aether. You already explained your side of the story, and Aether didn't interrupt you once. You should pay her the same respect and allow her to tell us her side," Cheerilee said, causing Diamond to pout in response. "Please continue, Aether."

"As I was saying, Diamond has been bullying me shortly after I came to school, first calling me a blank flank, but when that did not bothered me as much, she made comments on my status as an orphan. It... bothered me and she knew it bothered me, hence afterwards she used that against me, often saying that my parents just abandoned me for various problems she said I had. Eventually, I finally had enough of her bullying, causing me to insult her in response. She then slapped me, which led to me attacking her. I may have went too far, but she really made me mad for so long, it just came out all at once," I explained as I kept my best to keep a neutral face.

"She's lying, daddy! She's just making up fibs to make me look like the bully!" Diamond whined. Throughout the meeting, it seemed that her father believed that Diamond was nothing less than his perfect little angel, while portraying all her enemies as just bullies.

"The class witnessed when Diamond first used taunts in regards to my parents. Her... statements on how my parents just abandoned me just made me furious, for I know that they really cared for me."

"Then where are your parents now?" Diamond said, which actually caused all of the adults to look at her in surprised. Seeing their expressions, Diamond quickly said, "Well... since you're a liar, how do we not know that your parents didn't abandon you?"

"Diamond, that is not something we may just ask other ponies, especially in this kind of situation," Cheerilee admonished Diamond.

"My daughter did bring up a good point though. Ms. Pie, has Aether ever told you about what happened to her parents?" Diamond's father asked.

Pinkie tensed up for a moment before she replied, "Not really... she told Applejack and Twilight that they're gone for good... but she never explained why..."

"Hmm... by that answer, it may be possible that Aether doesn't know what happened to her pare-" Diamond's father said before I interrupted him.

"I know what happened to my parents. I just do not like to talk about it."

Raising an eyebrow, Mr. Rich said, "While you claim to know what happened to your parents, if you don't tell us, then I find it hard to believe that you actually know then."

Giving him a glare, I replied, "Fine... but you may want Diamond out. This is not... pleasant to hear."

Before Diamond could protest, her father decided to heed my advice as he herded her out of the room, making sure that she was far enough away that she couldn't just stick her ear against the door to listen in on what was going to be said. Meanwhile I could see the looks of dread on both Pinkie and Cheerilee's face at the implications of my last words. Once Mr. Rich returned to his seat, Pinkie asked, "Aether... you don't hav-"

"I have to Pinkie, it had to come out eventually," I said in an empty voice. Taking a deep breath, I continued, "The answer to why I know my parents didn't abandon me is simple: They are dead." Pausing for a bit as I try to remain calm, I could hear all the ponies gasping in shock at the news. Really? I thought saying that Diamond should not be here would be enough of a hint that what I'm going to say was going to be extremely unpleasant.

Though there was shock on his face, Mr. Rich asked, "How... how do you know that your parents are dead?"

Sighing, I answered, "I had to bury what was left of them."

This caused all the adults' faces to start to pale, as Cheerilee said, "Bury? You had to bu... wait... did you say 'what's left of them'?" Those last words really got to them, as Pinkie's face began to turn completely white as her hair suddenly become completely straight, Cheerilee's a shade of green, while Mr. Rich just looked at me in horror.

Nodding, I replied, "Yes, what is left of them, alone... please do not ask me what happened to leave them in that... state." Okay, my response was a half-truth, as someone had to bring me their remains, but I still had to bury them myself. Back from where I came from, folk were respectful enough to return people the remains of their loved ones if possible, but other than that, they never helped put them to rest. I guess it was just people wanting their own remains returned as well.

A moment of silence passed before Pinkie broke it when she asked, "Was... was that when you ended up alone?" Giving her a nod, she move to enclose me in a hug, which I hesitated at first but I returned her hug with one of my own. After a moment I pulled away from Pinkie, to which I saw her crying a bit.

"Pinkie... I will be fine. It had happened so long ago that I only have a problem when it is brought up... but.... thank you for the hug," I said, to which Pinkie gave me a weak smile along with a nod. Turning to Mr. Rich, I then said, "Look, no matter what happened, or whether you believe me or not, just make Diamond not say anything about my parents to me, not even a slip up. That is the only way to prevent... any more physical 'stuff' from happening."

Looking at me sternly, Mr. Rich said, "While I highly doubt that my daughter has been bullying you, I think it would be best that she doesn't mention anything to you about your parents. I don't want you to cause another... altercation," before he stood up and went outside to retrieve the brat. Damn, Diamond really has her father fooled.

As the two return, with Diamond glaring at me as usual, Cheerilee coughed into her hoof as she waited for everypony to be seated. "Well... in light of... certain things, I feel like that the best course of action is for both Aether and Diamond to remain in class during the recess period for a week."

"What! Why am I being punished? Aether is the bully here!" Diamond whined, though I just raised an eyebrow at the rather light punishment.

"No matter who's at fault for the fight, you both participated in it, and hence you both need to be punished equally," Cheerilee reprimanded. "Now that this matter has been addressed, we may all take our leave now."

Diamond was still pouting at being punished, though she shot one last glare at me before she and her father left the office. Pinkie and I waited for a short moment before we did the same, at which once we were out in the hallway Pinkie said, "Aether... I'm disappointed in you, you know that, right?"

Sighing, I looked down at my hooves as I said, "Yes Pinkie... I am sorry for getting into a fight... I just lost control of myself... and-" before I felt a hoof on my shoulders, causing me to look up at Pinkie, to see her mane starting to return to its bouncy form.

"It's okay, Aether. I may be disappointed, but I know that deep down that you're a nice pony," Pinkie said with a smile. Oh the irony, I thought to myself before Pinkie continued, "Though you're still in trouble, no chocolate for a month."

"A month!" I shrieked.

"Well, you are on a diet, so think of this as more help for you to lose weight," Pinkie said with a smile as she poked my belly, only for me to attempt to swat her hoof off it.

"Fine... whatever," I grumbled as we made our way out of the hallway, only to come across the Crusaders before we got out of the building.

"That was awesome how you beat up Diamond!" Scootaloo said, her wings fluttering in excitement.

Blinking at Scootaloo's outburst, Pinkie frowned as she said, "Scootaloo! It’s not nice to say that it’s awesome to hurt ponies."

Before Scootaloo could make a retort, Apple Bloom stuck a hoof into her mouth and said, "She didn't mean anythin'! We are just worried about how much trouble Aether is in!" as Sweetie Belle nodded in agreement.

"I just have no recess for a week... and no chocolate for month..." I said, though I grimaced at the thought of having none of the delicacy for a whole month.

"Oh, don't be so sad Aether. How about this, I was going to take you home, but since you showed that you're really sorry for what you have done... I suppose I can let you play with your friends," Pinkie said with a grin, causing the trio to cheer and hug me in joy. "Well, I have to go, I got cupcakes to bake!" Pinkie said before she bounced out the door.

It sounds like she's rewarding me for being regretful of my actions, though I only regret upsetting her... I think she knows that I help keep these three from getting into too much trouble. "So, what plans do we have for today then? Unless you three are still grounded..." I asked.

"Oh, we're not grounded anymore. So we can... oh wait..." Sweetie started to say till her face began to pale, though that was an amazing sight to see due to her coat color. Blinking in confusion, I looked at the other two fillies to see them pale as well.

"What is wrong? What is going on?" I asked.

"You may... not like what you're gonna see when you go over there..." Apple Bloom said.

"What do you mean? What is outside that I will not like?"

"Well... let's just say not only our class heard about your...'interests'," Scootaloo said, causing my eyes to widen at the implications of what she said.

"No... you do not mean..." I said before I rushed out the door, the Crusaders behind me. Once outside, I saw Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash talking amongst themselves, though at the sound of the Crusaders coming from behind me drew their attention. At the moment their eyes landed on me, I instantly saw their expressions turn sour as they made their approach to me.

Well.... this just got so much worse.

Chapter XXXVIII: Horn

The next ten days... could have been better. The first thing I had to do was convince the Crusaders to not jump off a bridge. Though, my method of convincing them involved telling them that if they did jump off, the rope would definitely snap and that the Cutie Mark Crusaders would be back to having three members in Ponyville. That wasn't the end of my troubles, though. The three of them actually came up with a list of things they wanted to try, which had all the most extreme stuff they could think of on top! Thankfully I manage to turn their thinking around to more safe ideas after citing that if they get caught again so soon they might end up being grounded for a month.

The next issue I had to deal with was the filly-loving rumor. While Applejack and Rarity honored their word to inform the adults that it was just another silly rumor, Rainbow, on the other hoof... I didn't have much confidence in her since I knew that she spent lots of time napping or playing pranks. I unfortunately didn’t have much time to address the issue myself thanks in part of being stuck in class during recess for a week. The Crusaders were able to deal with the part of the rumor that involved them, but so far the other fillies in class hasn’t confronted me about the rest of the rumor when my detention finally ended. Seemed so far that they were not at the right age to care about romance, though I did notice a few fillies looking at me time to time. The one truly positive thing that came out of that fight with Diamond Tiara was that she finally stopped mouthing off about my parents abandoning me. She instead teased me with everything else she can come up with. Still, it was much more tolerable.

Even with the Crusaders once again taking up a portion of my free time, I was still making headway into translating Twilight's research, as I learned more about the Maralus shards’ reactions to various kinds of magic. I poured more time into improving my ability to speak in their language, finally learning how to properly say their contractions a few days ago. Sadly, just when things were starting to calm down, I caught wind of news about the Ponyville Days Festival. Knowing about Ponyville's recent track record with town events... I knew I had to prepare for whatever would come to plague the town.

I was sleeping peacefully, enjoying the comfort of my bed and its fluffy pillow until something bright shone onto my eyes, waking me up. Raising a hoof to block the bright light, I open my eyes a bit to see that it was morning, and it was the rays from the sun that decided to torment me once again. As I grumbled to myself, I started to notice that I was feeling a strange sensation that I never felt before. Blinking away my sleepiness, I focused my mind on figuring out where this strange feeling was originating from, until I pinpointed its source to be my horn.

"Huh? This is new..." I mumbled to myself as I rubbed a hoof against my horn. The sensation wasn't too bothersome, it just felt like some kind of pressure was being applied to me. After a short rub, the pressure was gone, though I made a mental note to ask Twilight later about what could have caused that. Climbing out of bed, I yawned as I used my magic to make my bed. Between my magic practice and using my magic to write now, I’d gathered enough endurance and learned enough precision for me to use magic for most regular things. Though I still lugged stuff around in my saddlebags, I just recently managed to work off my extra weight so I needed to keep myself fit somehow beyond my daily exercise.

Coming down the stairs, I caught the scent of pancakes being made. Enjoying their aroma, I took my usual seat at the dining table as I kept an eye on the troublesome twins until Pinkie bounced on over and put a plate of pancakes in front of me while the Cakes brought the twins their own meals. Before I dug into my meal, I noticed that Pinkie was more cheery today, which reminded me that today was the day that somepony was going to be selected to head the festivities preparations this year. "Excited about the festival, Pinkie?" I asked, knowing that Pinkie would love to have a chance to talk about it.

"You know it! I always love festivals, and I love to help with setting them up! I hope that the festival committee selects me to lead the preparations, though I understand if they select some other pony to lead it," Pinkie answered. "So how was your night, Aether?"

"The usual, dreamless as normal," I replied. After that nightmare episode weeks ago, Pinkie would often ask about how well I slept, which led to her discovering that I don't dream often. At first she was mortified about my lack of dreaming, but I managed to calm her down by saying that it was just something I'm used to and that when I do have a dream it made it much more special. This cheered her up a bit when she began to think that dreams were like presents to me instead. "Though my horn was feeling funny when I woke up this morn...ing?" I said before Pinkie let out a gasp of shock.

"Aether! You might be getting close to getting your Cutie Mark!" Pinkie exclaimed with excitement.

I looked at her for a moment at first, before taking a peek at my flanks to see that they were still blank. Returning my attention to her, I asked, "Umm... what does my horn feeling weird has to do with me getting a Cutie Mark?"

"I heard from Rarity once that her horn acted weird just before she got her Cutie Mark. So maybe yours is acting weird for the same reasons!"

"Okay... well... I was going to ask Twilight about it anyway," I said as I returned my attention to my meal, stuffing it down my throat in a fashion that is somewhat similar to Pinkie. After being compared to Pinkie a few times by other ponies, I decided to look into that myself, and I founded out that I may have been adopting a few of her mannerisms myself. So far the only things I truly adopted were a better sense of humor than what I had before I arrived in this world, and that my eating habits were starting to become more like Pinkie's, though I still ate carefully enough to avoid making a mess. Still, Celestia help us all if I somehow develop the Pinkie Sense.

After I finished breakfast, I joined Pinkie as we made our way to a gathering in front of the town hall, though before we reached it I saw the Crusaders already together. After giving Pinkie my farewells and wishing her good luck, I quickly made my way to my friends to join them. We chatted a bit about who would be selected to be planner for the festival, we heard the mayor about to make the announcement. Before it was told though, I got the mind-numbing treat of seeing Pinkie's head inflated and actually rising into the air for a moment. After shaking my head clear of that unpleasant sight, I got to hear that Rarity was chosen to lead the preparations.

"Congratulations to your sister for receiving the role," I said as I patted Sweetie's shoulder, as the others responded with much more excitement than I was expressing.

"It's so awesome that my sister is leadi- wait... oh, sorry, Aether. I guess that since my sister is doing the preparations, that means Pinkie isn’t," Sweetie said, her eyes a bit downcast from the realization.

Looking at Pinkie, I saw that she wasn't even bothered by the news, and instead was showing genuine excitement. "Oh, I don't think that's a problem. Seems like Pinkie is okay, and if she's okay, then I'm okay too." Those words seemed to cause any tension to disappear as Sweetie relaxed at the news, giving me an opportunity to ask her something. "Hey, Sweetie, I got to ask you something. Does having your horn feel weird a sign that you could be getting your Cutie Mark soon?"

"Well... I'm not sure. Rarity did told me that unicorn magic doesn't happen without reason... wait... have you gotten your Cutie Mark?" Sweetie said as the trio look at my flanks. Meanwhile, the crowd we were in started to disperse as I spotted Pinkie and her friends heading off to Rarity's home.

"If I actually gotten my Cutie Mark, wouldn't you three notice it sooner?" I said as I raised an eyebrow. The Crusaders blushed at my statement.

"You have a point there, but what were you doin' when your horn was feeling weird? Maybe we can find your Cutie Mark today!" Apple Bloom declared as the three of them look at me with expectations.

"I don't think that would work, since all that happened during that time was me waking up from having sunlight hitting my eyes. So unless my special talent is waking up, I’ve got nothing on that weird horn deal I had," I replied.

The three let out sighs of disappointment before Sweetie's eyes lit up as she said, "Oh! Maybe Twilight can help. She's so good with magic and science that maybe she can trigger that feeling you had again and help you find your Cutie Mark!"

"Maybe... as long as she doesn't go overboard on it," I replied, remembering her frantic state over the shards.

"Or that Smarty Pants incident," Apple Bloom said with a shiver. ...Maybe I shouldn't go to her alone...

"...If I do go to Twilight... can you three come with me? I may need some help if I need to make a hasty escape," I asked as I gave them a nervous smile. They look at each other with reserved expressions as they think it over, before I finally said, "Who knows, maybe you can get a Cutie Mark in being escapists?"

"Hey, that's not a bad idea," Apple Bloom said.

"Yeah, Aether could end up being Twilight's test subject and we would come to her rescue!" Scootaloo said as I winced at the sudden thought of me being strapped to a table, waiting to be dissected.

"Getting a Cutie Mark in escaping does sound fun!" Sweetie exclaimed as they put their hooves together. Sighing, I put my hoof in as well as I folded my ears back.

"Cutie Mark Crusaders Escapists!"

After a few hours of waiting, we finally spotted Twilight leaving Rarity's home. As we rushed over to Twilight (well, the Crusaders rushed. I had to be pushed along by them), Sweetie Belle said, "Twilight! We need your help with something!"

Seeing our little group, Twilight replied, "Are you four up to something? The last time I helped, you three made a love poison that ended up with a pony's home being moved," as she pointed a hoof at the Crusaders.

"Wait... how did you th-" I started to say ‘till Apple Bloom stuck a hoof in my mouth.

As I stared at Apple Bloom for that, Scootaloo said, "No, it's nothing like that. We just think we might be able to find Aether's Cutie Mark!"

"Yeah, she told us that her horn was actin' real strange this morning," Apple Bloom said as she kept her gaze away from my glaring eyes.

"So we think that maybe you can help Aether figure out what her horn was trying to tell her," Sweetie Belle said as I pulled Apple Bloom's hoof out of my mouth.

"Well... this does sounds intriguing... how about this, after I'm finished helping Rarity out, I can help you four figure out whatever Aether's horn was feeling. It would be an honor to help another pony find their Cutie Mark," Twilight replied with a smile as the other three cheered while I scraped dirt off my tongue.

I really hope this doesn't spiral out of control... though it probably will do just that.

Chapter XXXIX: Festival

Okay... maybe this was a bad idea after all, I thought to myself as Twilight attached some wires to my horn. Only a few hours after we confronted Twilight, we were able to meet up again at her library to begin the examination of my horn. "Are you sure this is safe?" I asked as my eyes traced the wires to some sort of machine, which I guessed was supposed to monitor my horn.

"Of course it's safe. I wouldn't deliberately put any foals in harm's way," Twilight said as she flipped a switch, causing the machine to begin to take my readings. Meanwhile, the Crusaders just sat there, mesmerized by all the equipment in Twilight's lab.

"Smarty Pants incident," I muttered out loud, causing Twilight's ears to fold against the back of her head as she turned her head towards the Crusaders.

"You girls told her about it?" Twilight complained, frowning at the trio.

"...Sorry Twilight, it just sort of... slipped," Sweetie said as she rubbed a hoof against the back of her head as the other two averted their eyes.

"Can we just get on with this already?" I said as I resisted the urge to pull the wires off my horn.

"Fine, Aether, but I thought you had more patience in finding your Cutie Mark than your friends," Twilight teased as and the Crusaders and I scowled at her comment. After Twilight looked at the readings for a moment, she said, "Alright, we have a baseline to work with. Now trying using your magic so I can see the kind of readings we get from that."

Grunting, I started out with the telekinesis spell, levitating a bunch of books that Twilight provided for the examination. After a while, Twilight had me move onto other spells, from continuous use of the light spell to repeatedly casting the come-to-life spell. Eventually Twilight said, "Hmm... no real changes to your magical readings beyond normal fluctuations due to magic use. Are you certain that there was nothing else going on when you had those sensations?"

"No, it was just a usual morning for me. I didn't experience anything out of the ordinary," I answered.

"Hmm... maybe you were just expe—don't touch that!" Twilight yelled, as I turned my head to see Sweetie Belle about to touch a Maralus shard that Twilight had absentmindedly left out on a stand.

"What? I just wanted to touch the crystal. I’ve never seen something like that before," Sweetie whined as she withdrew her hoof.

"Sweetie, that's no normal crystal. It doesn't react like most crystals or gems do to magic, and it can be dangerous depending on what spells are used on it," Twilight explained.

The Crusaders let out a unified 'oh' till Scootaloo said, "Wait, is this what came from the explosion over a month ago? Is it some sort of weird alien crystal?" as she became excited at the thought of seeing an alien artifact.

"Maybe it turns ponies into mutants, or even aliens!" Apple Bloom said, getting caught up in Scootaloo's excitement.

"...Gah! Get it away from me! I don't want to turn into a mutant!" Sweetie said as she began to backpedal from the shard.

Twilight dragged her hoof down her face as she said, "First Spike, now you three? The crystal isn't probably alien in origin, and it doesn't turn ponies into mutants." As Twilight's words began to calm the Crusaders down, an evil thought came to my mind.

"But Twilight, since you said 'isn't probably alien in origin', doesn't that mean it could still be sent by aliens?" I said with a mischievous grin on my muzzle. This only sent the Crusaders into panic mode as Twilight shot at me an angry look.

"Aether, don't make it any worse! Girls, the crystal isn't going to do anything to you three. It only reacts when magic is used on it," Twilight said, as I snickered at the sight. After everyone finally calmed down, they all turned to glare at me.

"Sorry. I just couldn't resist," I giggled at them.

Rolling her eyes, Twilight muttered to herself, "She's definitely becoming more like Pinkie," before she returned her attention to the readings.

"That wasn't very nice," Sweetie complained.

"Well, sorry, then. I just needed a laugh since I have all these wires attached to my horn right now. Besides, we're in a laboratory. We shouldn't be touching anything anyway," I replied before Twilight input the readings gathered so far as she turned towards us.

"Well, sorry girls, but I found nothing in Aether's readings that would suggest anything unusual for a unicorn filly. For now, I just recommend that she take note of what’s happening around her if she feels the sensations again," Twilight said as she pulled the wires off of me while the Crusaders became saddened with the news.

"I thought we were so close to gettin' you a Cutie Mark, Aether," Apple Bloom said, to which I replied with a pat on her shoulder.

"It's alright. We can always just go back to crusading again," I said in an attempt to soothe their gloom.

"But I wanted to try to try to get my Cutie Mark at being an escapist," Sweetie whined.

"Escapist?" Twilight asked, causing my ears to perk up in shock that Sweetie let that slip.

As Sweetie opened her mouth to answer, I stuck my hoof into it as I said, "It's nothing, just a suspicion on what could be triggering my horn. Just a random suspicion, nothing more."

Raising an eyebrow, Twilight gave us a hard look before shrugging. "Alright, girls. Good luck in your crusading," she said as she head up the stairs with us flowing in tow. As we left the library, Twilight said, "Aether, I need to tell you one last thing."

Turning around, I asked, "What is it?"

"I'm not a mad scientist, so you don't have to get the Crusaders to come with you to help you escape," Twilight said with a grin as she closed the door.

I only stared in shock for a moment before returning to my senses as I said, "Sweetie, next time don't let other ponies know what we're planning about if it's something like being an escapist again."

After the trip to Twilight's, we went back to the old method of crusading for the rest of the afternoon before turning in for the day. When I woke up the next morning, I noted that my horn wasn't feeling strange like it did yesterday, which led me to believe that it was just only a fluke. The day proceeded like a normal school day, with boring classes in the morning and being bullied during recess, until after class I caught wind that the Crusaders were taking part in some fashion show hosted for the festival. They were surprised that I wasn't included, but I explained to them that I wasn't remotely interested in wearing a dress, at least for now. Also, since Rarity didn't ask me earlier to participate, I guess that meant she hadn't finished the dress she was planning to make for me.

I did spot Rarity later that day, where I was treated to the most ridiculous sight I had ever seen. She was wearing some kind of overalls with a straw hat, and her mane and tail were a mess. It was so ridiculous that I ended up on my back, laughing at the top of my lungs at the sight. This prompted Rarity to come over to me as she asked, "What's the matter, Aether?" This only sent me into a new round of laughs, as her voice was trying to imitate the accent Applejack has, though she was horrible at it.

"What... why... are you... looking... like that?" I asked after coming down from my wave of laughs that left me short of breath.

"I'm just dressed for the festival's theme, which I had chosen to be more of a homely country event," Rarity answered.

I looked at her with a straight face for a moment before bursting out into laughter once more, causing her to give me a huff of frustration before moving on to go to whatever silly scheme she might have going on. After I finally recovered from my laughing spree, I returned home to continue practicing magic since everypony appeared to be busy for the preparations for the festival.

On the day when the Ponyville Days Festival was held, I simply took a back seat to most of the festivities. I watched the fancy cider tasting event, and I stayed far away from the gala event for I didn't really want to any foal coming up to me to ask for a dance. Yet for the fashion show, even though I had no love for fashion, I attended it for the sake of my friends.

As I watched the Crusaders in their dresses along with Rarity in something she would naturally wear, I noticed Apple Bloom's brother Big Macintosh was standing next to me. Despite how often I hung out with the Crusaders, I never really had an opportunity to talk to him privately.

"...So, do you like the fashion show?" I asked, as I decided to break the ice.

"Eeyup," he replied.

"...Apple Bloom does look nice in that dress of hers."

"Eeyup."

"...You're one of those stallions of few words, aren't you?"

"Eeyup."

"...You're not paying attention to a single thing I'm saying."

"Nnnope."

Raising an eyebrow, I turned my attention to him to see him giving me a small smirk. Rolling my eyes, I returned my attention to show. "Well, is there anything you want to talk about since we're both here?"

"I heard that you've been keepin' Apple Bloom away from trouble."

"Well, I try... but it is sort of my fault in the first place. I may have inspired them to try some more... 'extreme' ideas for their crusading. So it's my responsibility to keep them from getting hurt," I admitted.

"Mighty responsible of you to admit that."

"Eeyup," I replied, causing him to look at me as I smirked back at him.

We both continued watching the fashion show, though for an instant, I felt that weird pressure on my horn again. Tapping it, I looked around, trying to find something out of the ordinary. Sadly, the feeling left as quickly as it had come, only leaving me confused as to what was causing that sensation. I even checked my flank, only to see it as blank as ever. Guess it may not be a fluke after all...

Since it was late, I decided to simply wait until tomorrow morning to tell Twilight about this. After the fashion show ended I went straight home, where I had dinner, went straight to my room, and turned in for the night. However, before I went to bed, I took a quick look at the Maralus shards hidden in my toy chest, only to find them to be exactly like they were when I first stored them. Shrugging, I slipped into my covers, deciding that it may be better to have a good night's rest before I return to figuring this matter out.

Chapter XL: Luna

"Where a—oh... this place again," I said to myself as I looked at my surroundings, finding myself in the empty dream world version of Ponyville. After the last two dreams I had of this place, I knew what would happen as I lay down on the ground, using one of my forelegs to support my head. Time passed as I awaited for whatever it was that my mind had to throw at me, until it felt like an eternity passed.

Standing back up, I said, "Well, this is surprising. Maybe things won't be quite so unpl—and here we go," as I heard some the noise of some large things falling from the sky. Looking up, I beheld the sight of meteors crashing down on the houses around me. Are all my dreams going to involve the destruction of Ponyville?

So I just sat on my rump and watched Ponyville get torn to bits by the meteors as a fire began to swarm over the ruined homes until I heard the sound of somepony flapping their wings. Turning my head around, I soon spotted Princess Luna flying towards me, her face having a somewhat concerned expression.

As she landed in front of me, I started to bow before remembering her words in regards to that, so I instead just said, "Hello, Princess Luna."

Raising an eyebrow at me, Luna replied, "We take it that thou art not having another nightmare?" After replying with a nod, she then said, "Is this meteor shower thy work?"

"Sorry, princess, but it isn't. I don't have control over my dreams, even if I know it's a dream."

"Still... this is a disturbing scene for us to behold. Though, it is preferable than nightmares filled with those horrendous beasts. Too many ponies bear those this night, so thy 'dream' is a short reprieve for us," Luna said before she turned around as her wings began to unfold.

"Yeah, it—wait a minute!" I said, my eyes widening as I looked at Luna, who in turn looked at me in surprised as she was about to take off. "Did you just said that there are other ponies that are dreaming of horrendous beasts? Are they similar to the ones that from the nightmare I had over a month ago?"

"Thou art correct. Why art thou asking?" Luna said as she folded her wings.

After she said that question, my head was suddenly filled with many questions and realizations. If I revealed that I knew about the Venanites, Luna would press me for proof or for how I knew about them. This would eventually lead to her learning about my origins, which would cause a plethora of issues. These scenarios ranged from ones where she would hunt me down to ones where she kept me as a lab subject after the crisis is over to ones where she let me live a normal life. As tempting as preserving my own hide was to me, I remembered that if these nightmares were just the forewarning of a Venanite invasion, then we would all be doomed.

Taking a deep breath, I said, "I don't know whether or not you'll believe me, but I know what those monsters are."

Tilting her head at me, Luna gave me a small smile as she said, "Thou are't so cute at trying to help us and other ponies, but w-"

"Oh, stop already, I had enough of the ‘adults know better than foals do’ setup. You may be a princess, and you may be older than me, but you have no idea what these monsters are capable of."

Frowning at me, Luna said, "Oh? And what makes thou certain about this matter? Does thou hath any proof to thy claims?"

Staring at her, I said, "Well... since I'm in a dream... I can't really present you wi-"

"Hold thy tongue for a moment, knave. For in thy dreams, thou can rely on thy memories to present the truth. Beware, for thy memories will not be tainted by thy own perspective."

"...Really? How does that work?"

"Thou just hath to recall the specific memory thou needs, if thy memory exists," Luna answered as her face became more annoyed. Seemed like she doesn't have much patience for such a slim chance to find an answer.

I almost paused in surprise, but I shook my head clear of that as I tried to recall a memory that would convince Luna that I was speaking the truth. Though I knew that I hadn't ever gotten close enough to a Venanite to provide direct proof, I knew of something else that would certainly make Luna take me seriously. Closing my eyes, I concentrated on my most vivid memories... the memories of where I used to live. At first, I heard nothing, which caused me to wonder if memories before I became a pony could even be summoned to this dream world. However, my doubts were dashed as I heard Luna gasping in surprise, causing me to open my eyes.

Before me stood a familiar sight, as I saw the tall metal buildings of the city I once called home. Around us, various species roamed about, a good hooffull of them being taller than even Luna. They roamed through the narrow walkways, as small scale flying ships dart in between the buildings. "This... this is amazing. We have never seen a sight like this in our entire lifetime... it... this cannot possibly be a figure of your imagination..." Luna gasped out, causing me to raise an eyebrow at her slip of speech.

Clearing my throat, I raised a hoof as if I was presenting something as I said, "Princess Luna, welcome to the fringe city of Jilkiax." Luna continued to stare at all that was before her, enraptured by the sights. I, on the other hoof, knew the reality of this city, for as glorious as it looked to Luna, this city was actually one of many cities that filled a sad role in the societies of inter-dimensional nations.

After a few more moments of gasping in wonder, Luna finally returned her attention to me as she asked, "What... what are thou? Surely thou aren't just a pony..." before she narrowed her eyes at me. "Are't thou responsible for the nightmarish creatures?"

"No, though I have suspicions of what may be causing them to appear in the dreams of ponies. As for what I was before I became a pony... it is irrelevant." Luna was about to make a retort before I hurriedly added, "We need to focus on the matter on hoof, the nightmares. For I believe they are just a sign of what is to come."

Eyeing me with suspicion, Luna asked, "What dost thou mean? And how does this memory apply to the creatures?"

"This memory doesn't, for I never had a true first-hoof encounter with them. However, they are well known throughout all known dimensions that ha-"

"You're from another dimension!" Luna yelled at the top of her voice, once again slipping in her decorum as the sheer volume sent me flying for a bit before crashing into a wall. Before I could say or do anything, Luna instantly came to me, pinning me against the wall with a hoof as she screamed, "Do you have any idea how reckle-"

"Oh shut it already! I know more about dimensional travel than you do! I know even more than Discord does!" I screamed.

This caused Luna to blink in surprise, her hoof letting go of me as she asked, "Thou... thou hast met Discord? What dost thou mean that thou knows more than us about the ways of traveling between dimensions?"

As I landed on my rump, I rubbed a hoof against the spot where Luna pinned me with hers as I said, "Yes, I have, and it wasn't an enjoyable meeting. But he also confronted me about the dangers of it, though it only told me that this world has only dabbled in the most basic of travel."

"The... most basic of travel?"

"Yes, for inter-dimensional nations have grouped the kinds of travel into three categories. The risks you believe could occur from dimensional traveling are linked to dimensional breaches, where one simply punches a hole between the natural dimensional barriers of both the destination and the point of origin. However, the accepted form of travel is through dimensional rifts, which creates a kind of safe wormhole that doesn't cause any damage to the barriers."

"We... see. However, what brought thou to our world?" Luna asked with a look of suspicion.

"I was on a job. Don't ask about the job. It's a long story that I can tell you another time. For now, I'll just tell you that this world was not my destination. Something caused me to end up in this world and in this form."

"Thou did not intend to appear as a pony?"

"No, this wasn't some infiltration mission. I just somehow ended up with a full species change. Originally I thought it was a fluke... but with the probe explosions and the nigh-"

"Explosions? Art thou linked to them? How does thou know they are mere probes?"

"Not really... though I suspect that whatever caused me to land on your world caused some, if not all, of them to appear in this world as well. Regardless, I saw some debris from the first explosion, and I was able to... get word of how many occurred later, which all fits in with the nature of a species trying to get first readings on some anomaly they encountered."

"Anomaly? This sounds like this is not the norm for a... interdimensional species to experience."

"You are correct, though it might be linked to the existence of magic on this world."

"We take it that other species does not possess magic?"

Nodding in reply, I continued. "Since magic isn't something that any species have yet to encounter, it may have a role in recent events, but by the sounds of things this should have happened much sooner than it did. This leads to the conclusion that there must be a single event that may have potentially affected the natural dimensional barriers of your world."

Oddly enough, my last words caused Luna to avert her eyes for a short moment, but that was enough for me to announce, "You... you know what might have done that... don't you?"

"We... may perhaps know a potential cause... but for now, we must attend to the problems on hoof. Thou explain your presence and the explosions, but not of the monsters."

"...Well, the creatures are known as the Venanites, a highly dangerous species that invade other worlds. Little is known about them beyond that they seem to be able to propagate their species through a highly infectious virus, which no species have yet been able to find a cure or even a vaccine to. Nopony knows where they originated from or what their true intentions are, just that they are somehow capable of interdimensional travel and have never opened communications with any species. "

"So the nightmares..." Luna started to say, leaving the words hanging at the horror what they could mean.

"Could be just a warning of what is to come. However, if we could fix whatever is causing stuff to leak into your world, then maybe this will not only end the nightmares but also prevent a possible invasion."

"This is dire news indeed... so art thou willing to aid us?"

"...Yes... though I have to ask... will there be any consequences for not being of this world?" I asked, a tone of apparent fear in my voice.

"Worry not. We will guarantee that no pony will harm thee. Though, we are curious, why didst thou hide thy identity?"

"Simple. Either I'll be harmed for being an alien or they will just think that I'm being a highly imaginative foal," I deadpanned.

"Ah... that is true. We will need to confer with our sister, but we will need thy physical presence. Where doest thou reside?"

"I live in Ponyville, at the Sugarcube Corner. My foster parent is... Pinkie Pie."

"The Element of Laughter? This makes things more convenient. However, we must continue our discussion another time, for we have many ponies suffering from these nightmares that we must attend to. We will meet thou..." Luna said, apparently waiting for me to give her my name.

"You can call me Aether Aura. That's the name I adopted when I became a pony as I was learning your language."

"Ah, it hath been a great relief to met you, Aether. We will meet thee in the morning, but for now we must take our leave," Luna said as she spread her wings, taking off into the air to disappear from my dream. This left me to my own thoughts, as I thought of what could be wrong with this world's barriers, and what I could do to fix it.

Interlude III: Intruder

Thud.

It was the middle of the night in the Everfree forest, as a pack of timberwolves awoke to the sound of something crashing down nearby. As they searched for the source of the noise, they heard unusually loud rustling in a nearby thicket. One of the timberwolves growled at the thicket, walking inside to investigate the noise. Moments later, the rest of the pack saw the timberwolf sent flying out of the thicket, crashing into a tree as it shattered into bits. This caused the pack to growl at the thicket until something darted out of the bush, grabbing two of the timberwolves before pulling them back into the thicket as the rest of the pack jumped back in surprise. Instantly, whimpering was heard from the thicket, just before the sound of the two timberwolves being smashed into pieces.

This sent the rest of the pack fleeing as they scattered away from the thicket, from which something rather large emerged. It lumbered past where the timberwolves were, pushing aside any trees in its way. The creature made no actions to hide its presence, as its footsteps echoed throughout the forest. To a mere beast, the creature seemed to be bumbling through the forest, but to a keen mind, it appeared that the beast was making its way towards some unknown destination.

"Sister, sister, thou must wake up," somepony said, as Celestia felt something nudging against her side.

"What... Luna?" Celestia said as she opened her eyes, seeing Luna before her as she spotted one of her hooves on her side. "Why have you woken me up so early?"

"Dear sister, while we regret waking thou up at such an hour, we hath splendid news," Luna said. Her face was less haggard than it had been the past few days, as Celestia could see a hint of hope in her eyes.

"What news do you have?" Celestia asked before she let out a yawn.

"During our nightly duties safeguarding our subject's dreams, we found a pony that not only was able to inform us of what is causing the nightmares, but could help provide us the means to put a stop to them."

Upon hearing that news, Celestia was fully brought into the waking world as she said, "Truly? This is wonderful news. Who is this pony?"

Blinking into a moment, Luna coughed into her hoof as she said, "The pony was a filly named Aether Aura, who is being raised by the Element of Laughter." This only caused Celestia to stare at her with doubt, compelling her to continue, "We know how this sounds, dear sister, but the foal showed us visions of a city that no mere pony could imagine, filled with so many wonders and creatures we hath never beheld with our eyes before. Furthermore, the filly is not an ordinary pony, for she claims to be a creature from another world."

Still skeptical, Celestia asked, "So did this filly tell you what could be causing the nightmares?"

This caused an expression of concern to appear on Luna's face as she said, "The filly... told us that the nightmarish creatures actually exist. She called them Venanites, and believed that the dreams art but a mere warning of a possible invasion."

"An invasion? Sorry, Luna, but these claims are just... well, they are too much like the figments of a foal's imagination."

"Sister... as doubtful as this situation may seem to thee... we assureth thou that we hath not been fooled. The child... knew of the dangers of one traversing between dimensions, and hath claimed to have met Discord. She hath even attributed the explosions, that has troubled the land, to some kind of probes. that only have come to our world due to damage of this world's natural barriers. She hath suspicions that something happened that caused harm to our barriers; and... since the 'incident'... all the claims the filly has made only seemed to point to her being correct."

Suddenly an expression of guilt overcame Celestia's face as she pondered what Luna has told her. "Have you told the filly..."

"No sister, for we hath believe that it would be best that thou were the one that told her."

Turning her head away from her sister, Celestia looked through a window to see the starry night sky. "It seems my actions still have repercussions that none of us could have foreseen."

"Do not fret sister, for we hath made plans to meet this filly at the break of dawn. Perhaps she will hath insight in what further unknowns that may come to our world."

"I hope you are right Luna..." Celestia replied, as she pondered on the consequences of what she had unknowingly unleashed onto her world.

As the moon began its descent to make way for the sun, the Everfree forest settled into an eerie silence. Its wildlife had gone into hiding, fearful of the unnatural beast that was making its way through the forest. Many of the forest's predators had attempted to engage the beast, only to be crushed and tossed aside like mere insects. It didn't take long for all life in the forest to realize this was a beast that none of them could confront.

The beast broke through the forest edge just as the moon disappeared into the horizon, the sun rising up in its stead. Before the beast, laid a town where its residents were just starting to stir. Pausing for a moment, the beast looked upon the town with its six crystalline eyes, before it began to make its way towards it.

Not too far from the beast, a yellow pegasus shivered with fear in her cottage from the sight of the creature. However, upon seeing the path the beast was taking, she quickly steeled whatever resolve she had as she opened a window. She flew out as fast as she could, far above the beast as she made her way to the town to warn the residents.

Chapter XLI: Confrontation

"MONSTER!"

"Gah! What the buck?" I said as I jumped out of bed, my head darting around as I searched for the origin of the disturbance. It wasn't long before my ears registered the sounds of ponies screaming outside.

"What the buck is going on?" I asked myself as I went over to my window, opening it as I looked for what was going on. Poking my head out the window, I only saw some ponies galloping around in a panic. I saw other ponies running into their houses, and I could hear the rather loud sound of ponies nailing boards to their doors and windows. Yet, I couldn't see what was causing the panic, so I decided to climb onto the roof as I looked around further. I finally spotted the source of the commotion, and the sight of it caused my jaw to drop.

Approaching the edge of town was a large crystal creature, ten feet long and four feet tall. Its body was shaped like a triangular prism widest at the top. The main body was about twenty five feet above the ground due to being supported by six crystalline tentacles that ended with four clawed talons. A... a Dixian War Machine! How the fuck did it—gah. Doesn't matter. Damn it all, I hope somepony can do something about it before it destroys the town.

Just before the Dixian War Machine reached the edge of town, I saw Rainbow flying towards it. She zipped around, and appeared to be hitting the machine, but sadly I knew that she lacked the strength to damage its crystalline plating. Her efforts did distract the machine, however, as it swung its tentacles at her, though she was able to dodge all its attacks with some quick flying.

Soon, I saw Twilight and Fluttershy flying towards the machine as well. Fluttershy just stopped right before its eyes. As I tried to comprehend whatever possessed her to do that, I saw that she was trying to stare it down, and looked like she was even trying to berate it. Sadly, I knew it wouldn't work. The machine swung a tentacle at her, only for Rainbow to fly by Fluttershy, pulling her out of the way. That was when Twilight started to make her move, firing what looked to be some kind of energy beam at the machine. This, however, was a futile attempt as well, as I knew that Dixian War Machines possessed an innate resistance to energy-based attacks, which seemed to apply to magic based ones as well as Twilight repeatedly fired at the machine to no avail.

"Aether! What are you doing on the roof?" I heard Mrs. Cake scream from behind me. Glancing back at her, I saw both her and Mr. Cake leaning out my window. "Get back inside! It's not safe with that monster out there!"

Smiling sheepishly, I replied, "Sorry, Mrs. Cake, but I need to do something. I'll explain later." I started making my way off the roof, landing on the ground before Mrs. Cake could even climb out the window. I started dashing down the streets in the direction of the war machine, before I heard the sounds of even more wings flapping.

"Have at thee, thy evil beast!" Luna shouted as I saw her fly over me to engage the machine. Nearby, I saw a pair of pegasi guards unhitching a carriage before they flew after the princess. While watching an alicorn that could move the bucking moon in battle would be quite the sight, I still had to rush to the battleground to see if Luna's attacks would be strong enough to pierce the war machine's crystal plating. It only took moments before I finally reached the town edge, where I caught sight of the battle once more; seeing both Luna and Twilight blasting away at the creature to no effect. Though, I did see that Luna appeared to have a large collection of spells as I saw her hurling summoned swords at the machine, which sadly only managed to scratch the plating.

"Aether!" Pinkie screamed in shock when she caught sight of me. Her shriek also drew the attention of the other ponies, though Twilight and Luna quickly had to return their attention to attacking the war machine. Instantly Pinkie was at my side, grabbing in fear as she said, "I have to get you out of here!"

Before Pinkie could make a move, I pushed aside her face as I looked up at Luna as I said, "Princess Luna! You can't beat it that way!"

Backing away from the beast, Luna looked at me as she asked, "Pray tell, doth thou know what this beast is?"

"It's a… an alien war machine! Your attacks aren't doing anything more than scratching its plating!" I replied, causing Applejack and Rarity to look at me in shock as Pinkie gaped at me.

As Rainbow reengaged the machine, Luna landed near us as she asked, "If thou knoweth about that… machine, dost thou know its weakness?"

"See the tentacles it possesses? Its joints are a vulnerable spot when the armored portion of the tentacle isn't covering it. I believe that is where you can pierce it with one of your summoned swords, but try to use the sword to break off an arm to create a bigger opening."

Nodding, Luna took off into the air as Pinkie looked at me as she asked, "How... how do you know what that thing is?"

Sighing, I answered, "It is a long story, one that you may find hard to believe. Just... take out the war machine before it gets close enough to start destroying homes."

Turning my attention away from Pinkie, I saw Luna encircling the machine from below with a half dozen summoned swords floating
alongside her. It wasn't long before I saw that she spotted her chance as she sent a blade right into one of the machine’s joints. This time, the sword sank into the machine, causing the tentacle connected to the joint to spasm just before Luna sent two more swords into the creature while using the rest to fend off the tentacles that tried to grab her.

As Luna dodged and blocked the tentacles, I started to see the swords in the machine starting to bend. It wasn't long before I heard a crack as the swords broke off one of the tentacles, leaving a gaping hole in the machines armor. "Huzzah! The machine is wou—" Luna started to boast before the machine dropped its main body onto the ground, allowing all five of its tentacles to be free for use.

"Don't boast until the thing is down for good! You just let it get into a defensive stance!" I yelled, as I watched the war machine bury its lower portion to protect the breach in its armor.

"Fear not, for we will lift this machine so that Twilight can finish it off!" Luna declared as the machine is engulfed in her magic. I curious watched as Luna focused from a distance while Twilight and Rainbow remained ready for a chance to strike. After minutes passed, the magic surrounding the war machine disappeared as Luna stated, "How can this be? Our magic can't lift the machine!"

"Um... alien machine made of crystal. I don't think magic would work on it as one would expect," I dryly said.

My comments turned to me as Rainbow said, "Alien? How do you know this thing is an alien machine?" with a skeptical look.

Groaning, I replied, "Do I have to answer that now? How about we try to destroy the machine before it destroys us first?"

"Isn't there some way we could reason with the machine?" Fluttershy asked, as I turned my head to find her a small distance behind our little group. "It's not nice to hurt somepony... much les—"

"It's not a living thing, Fluttershy. It doesn't have feelings, or anything that would give it life. It's just a weapon that wants to destroy all sapient life that isn't its creators. So can we go back to focusing on the matter at hoof?" I said.

"Why? The alien machine isn't mo—whoa!" Rainbow said before dodging a tentacle. The war machine had started to drag itself across the ground, which, while slow, still allowed its underside to be protected by the ground.

"Augh, Princess Luna! Can you please just lift the ground it's on into the air, then break the ground apart so that Twilight can fire into the thing?" I asked as Pinkie Pie started to carry me away from the machine, much to my displeasure.

Pausing to give me a flat stare for daring to give her such a command, Luna lit up her horn again as she grabbed the ground around the machine with her magic. She then quickly yanked the ground into the air, lifting it about thirty feet before she broke the ground into pieces. Cleverly, she only broke away parts of it, meaning that it was still being held in the air but the hole in its armor was exposed. Even when the machine realized the situation, Luna used the ground as a blockade against the tentacles; preventing them from being able to cover the damaged breach.

With the hole finally exposed, Twilight flew in as close as she could before firing a beam of magic into the hole. While the machine's armor was able to resist magic, its insides couldn't as the machine's tentacles started to jerk around like it was having a seizure.

"Encase it in a shield and everyone get down!" I yelled as I grabbed Pinkie Pie's shoulders, giving her a jerk that forced the two of us to fall onto the ground. Luna released her grip on the ground, allowing the machine to fall to the ground as she created a shield over it as everypony jumped for cover.

We only had to wait a few seconds before the machine exploded, the force of the explosion warping Luna's shield, yet thankfully it held. After holding the shield up for a moment after the explosion, Luna finally released it, allowing the smoke from the explosion to clear to reveal the shattered pieces of the machine. Luna then stole a quick glance at me, to which I replied with a roll of my eyes and a nod. "Huzzah! We have vanquished the sinister... machine!" Luna announced as she raised a hoof into the air.

"That was a bit intense, but it was nothing for the fastest flyer in Equestria," Rainbow said as she leaned back while hovering in mid-air.

Snorting, I replied, "Then you should be thankful that it was just a low class war machine."

This caused Rainbow to gape at me in shock as she said, "What‽ There are things worse than that?"

"While I'm wonderin' about that thing too, what I'm more curious about is why Aether knew about it in the first place," Applejack said as the rest of the mares started to gather around me. "I reckon that you have some explainin' to do."

"While your aid did help us beat the 'machine,' Princess Luna, I was wondering why you were here so soon. Spike only just sent a letter to Canterlot moments ago," Twilight said as she looked at her fellow princess.

Rolling my eyes, I decided to just to give them a short explanation as I said, "I'll explain everything later, but basically, Luna is here to take me to Canterlot cause I'm an alien and this world may get invaded by hostile aliens like the ones that made that machine."

This caused all the mares to stare at me wide-eyed with the exception of Luna as they yelled in unison, "What!"

Chapter XLII: Truth

After my quick announcement that I was not of this world, Princess Luna informed the group that I was needed in Canterlot to help stop a potential crisis. There was a bit of protest, but when they were invited to come along, in addition to me explaining that it would be better to explain it to everypony all at once, it calmed their curiosities for the moment. So after summoning a couple more carriages, we were ready to go.

"These ponies got here quick," I commented as I sat in one carriage with Pinkie and Applejack, though Twilight wanted to sit next to me. Knowing that she would probably barrage me with questions, I asked Applejack to sit next to me instead.

"What do you mean by that?" Applejack asked.

"Well, since the nearest city is Canterlot, that would sti—gah!" I said before the pegasi took off into the air, with the carriage along with them. "What the buck are they doing?" I shrieked as I hanged onto an edge for dear life.

Pinkie looked at me and exclaimed, "Oh no! I forgot that since you're an alien you didn't know that we'd be flying to Canterlot!" as she slapped her hooves to the sides of her face.

Raising an eyebrow, Applejack said, "Umm... didn't you know that we were goin' to fly there? I mean, we do have pegasi pulling the chariot."

Wait, they call this carriage a chariot? I really need to learn more words, I thought to myself. "Well, in my defense, this 'chariot' doesn't look like it was supposed to be use for flying purposes. What is keeping us from falling off?"

"Magic," Applejack simply said.

"...Of course," I groaned as I sank my head into my hooves.

After a bit of silence as we gained more altitude, Applejack broke the peace as she said, "So... you're an alien..."

"Yes... yes I am... or was... it's complicated," I replied.

"What do you mean by that?" Applejack asked.

"Well... I was a different species before I came here... but now I'm a pony...and I have no idea how that occurred."

"I see. Well, Aether, I reckon that you have some explainin' to do for lyin' to us."

Cocking an eyebrow, I looked at Applejack as I said, "Oh, really? So what did I lie to you about?"

"Well, for one you didn't tell us you were an alien."

"Nopony asked me if I was an alien," I deadpanned.

"Oh... well your age for ano—"

"The age I had given you was basically my original age put into your world's method of tracking age, so that wasn't a lie either."

"...How about your family?" Applejack asked, only to withered as I gave her the Death Glare.

"I didn't lie about that," I said through gritted teeth. Suddenly I felt a hoof on my withers, causing me to turn around to see Pinkie with an expression of concern on her face.

"Aether... since you told us that you were an alien... I wonder... how do you really feel about me?" Pinkie asked.

I blinked in surprise of Pinkie's question, my eyes darting around in confusion before I took a breath to calm myself down. "Pinkie... you've taken care of me for my entire time in your world. You put up with my own antics and treated me with kindness that was only matched by my own parents. Pinkie, you've been family to me, regardless of my origins."

After hearing my words, Pinkie's muzzle split into a wide smile as she hugged me in her vice-like grip. "You're family to me too, Aether," Pinkie said as she shook me around in her choking hug.

"Air, I need air!" I sputtered out after giving her enough time to hug me. Pinkie loosened her grip on me but still kept me in a hug, though I decided to let her have that since I put her into a doubtful state earlier. Though, I did give Applejack a flat stare when she smirked at the two of us.

It wasn't long before we finally arrived at Canterlot, and even though I could see the city from Ponyville, seeing the city up close was another matter. The city was so magnificent, and was cleaner than any other city I had ever seen. I even gawked at the sight of the castle, for it was like looking at some wonder of the universe thanks to its aesthetics. As the chariots began to land, I finally caught my first personal glimpse of Princess Celestia, who was awaiting for our arrival. While she was an imposing and impressive pony like Luna was, I couldn't help but remember Discord's words about her. This led me to begin to think up reasons for her to not toss me into the sun, or something just as bad.

After the chariots landed and we all got off them, I saw all the non-princess ponies bowing to Celestia. I just followed their lead. As I raised myself from my bow, I saw Celestia walking over to me as she said, "It's good to see everypony again. I take it that this is the filly that knows what's going on?"

"Er... maybe Princess Celestia. I only know of possibilities and what is coming over to your world. I don't know what is causing them, and me, to appear in the first place. Also, you can call me Aether Aura," I said, keeping my tone respectful but my eyes deadlocked on her. However I did see from the corner of my eyes that Twilight was twitching in anticipation, probably from curiosity about what my original name was.

Nodding, Celestia replied, "As important those matters are, I believe we can discuss them in a more private location. If you all would kindly follow me to the dining room? I feel that many of you have yet to have breakfast." At the last word I could hear the stomachs of all the mares around me grumble, though mine didn't due to me knowing the severity of the situation.

We followed Celestia, with Luna at her side, until we reached the dining hall where I was greeted with the greatest breakfast my eyes had ever seen. The variety of food there was so great I had no idea what I wanted to try first as I mindlessly took a seat next to Pinkie, who was quickly filling her plate with everything in reach.

"I take it you had not seen quite this much food from where you originated?" Celestia asked as she levitated some food over to her plate.

"Yeah..." I dumbly replied before I decided to do what Pinkie did as I levitated samples from each dish I could find.

"For a being that claimed to be an alien, it appears that you have fine control over your magic. Unless you possessed magic beforehoof."

"No, I didn't possess magic before I became a unicorn. Also, I didn't even hear of magic before I came to this world."

"Wait, how many worlds have you been to?" Twilight asked, her eyes burning with curiosity.

"Hmm... I can't give you an exact number... but I've been to at least one hundred worlds," I answered, to which I received the sight of all Twilight and her friends' jaws dropping.

"...A hundred... worlds!" Twilight exclaimed, her eyes wide with shock.

"Yeah... but it depends on your point of view. All of my travels consisted of traveling from one dimension to another."

"Wait, not only you're an alien, but you're from another dimension?" Rainbow asked, her head cocked as she gave me a skeptical look. "Sorry, but this is getting hard to believe now."

Sighing, I replied, "Yeah, I know, but I gave Luna a glimpse of my memories as proof."

"Verily, the memories Aether gave us was indeed something no foal nor even a full grown pony would be able to imagine. Hence her claim to be not of this world appears to be valid," Luna said.

"As fascinating to know the truth about your past, Aether, I'm curious as to what aid you could provide for the princesses," Rarity asked.

"A good question, Rarity, one that I will answer myself. For you see, since just over a month ago all of Equus had been tormented with the appearance of mysterious monsters in their dreams. All races were experiencing these nightmares, but from what Aether said to Luna during her own dreams last night, these nightmares could be the forewarning of an invasion," Celestia replied, causing all the ponies to gasp in shock.

"R-r-really?" Fluttershy asked as she trembled in fear.

"Yes, which is why I'm here, because, like me, these creatures originate from another dimension," I answered.

"But.. how can a filly like you be of help? I mean, I know you're highly mature and athletic, but you're too young to know enough to address this problem, much less be sure of what could happen," Twilight stated.

Sighing, I replied, "I'm only young in terms of a pony's lifespan. Twenty nine years is already past the point of adulthood for my species."

This caused all the ponies to stare at me in shock, till Applejack asked, "You were an adult?"

I nodded.

"Well, that explains how you know so much about sex," Rainbow replied flippantly, causing everypony to blush and look at her in surprise except for Celestia, Luna and Fluttershy, who just looked at her in confusion.

Coughing to get their attention back, I said, "Well, that is only partially correct, but I don't want to elaborate on that right now. The important thing is that my appearance, the nightmares, the explosions, and the war machine could only be caused by something wrong happening to the natural dimensional barriers of your world."

"Wait, so the reason for those explosions was something coming into our dimension?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, though I believe it was the presence of magic that caused the explosions to occur to the probes. The things that were crossing over," I added when I saw the looks of confusion on everypony’s faces.

"Fascinating," Twilight said as she summoned her notebook and quill to her side as she began to scribble down some notes.

"Yes, I'm know you're interested in what I know, but let's get back to the matter on hoof," I said before I turned my gaze to the two sisters. "In order for me to help, I need to know what could have damaged this world's barrier."

To my surprised, I saw Celestia averted her gaze away from me as she said, "We believe that our barrier was damaged due to an event that happened a few months ago."

"Considering that my appearance was about a couple months ago, that event could be the origin, but can you give me more details please?"

Taking a deep breath first, Celestia said, "The event was our dimension merging with an alternative world."

I just stared at her for a moment before I squeaked out, "Did you just say... that your world was merging with an alternative version of it?"

My response surprised the princesses when I saw them glanced at each other before Celestia said, "Yes, but we managed to avert the crisis and restore balance to both worlds."

I just stared at the princesses before I said, "Okay... regardless of the balance being restored, at least one world would come out of that with its barriers damaged. There is an interdimensional law that forbids travel between alternative dimensions for reasons like that."

"Wait, but you said you travel between dimensions. Doesn't that mean you're breaking the law?"

"Alternative dimensions only Rainbow. The dimensions most species travel between are not alternative versions of one another and when you use the correct methods of travel, leaves no risks of damaging their barriers. Though I wonder, what caused the merging of the two dimensions in the first place?"

Celestia suddenly looked dejected as she said, "Well.. it was cause of my alternative self... she wished to invade our dimension; having knowledge of it due to my visits to her dimension thousands of years ago."

As everypony looked at me for my reaction, I just sat there, not presenting a single emotion as I asked, "Why did you visit that dimension?"

"It was part of Starswirl's experiments... I met an alternate version of Luna that I spent time with while... Luna was imprisoned on the moon—" Luna let out an annoyed huff as I remembered my history lessons "—and a pony that I had... an 'interest' in."

"Alright then," I said as I gave her a nod.

My reaction caused Celestia to give me a curious look as she asked, "You're not bothered by this?"

"No... I'm not bothered," I answered with a straight face, before I hopped off my chair, engulfed it with my magic, and tossed it at Celestia's face.

Chapter XLIII: Past

Normally I would approached a situation with some rational thinking, but this is one situation where I just tossed it all aside. All the mares on the table gasped at the sight of a chair flying through the air as it tried to reach its destination, which was Celestia's face. Sadly a golden aura engulf the chair, stopping it from succeeding in its objective.

"Aether!" all the ponies around me exclaimed in shock.

However, before anypony could get a word in, I slammed my forehooves onto the table as I yelled, "How dare you do something so stupid, so reckless! You just broke through the barriers between dimensions cause you were lonely and smitten with some stallion? How are you even fit to rule this kingdom?"

"How dare thou ac—" Luna began to say before Celestia raised a hoof to her sister’s face in effort to silence her.

Looking at me with shame, Celestia replied, "Aether. I understand that my actions have endangered my... our world, in more ways than I thought. I am indeed ashamed for the... recklessness of my actions, but I assure you that I have learned from my mistakes and I have resolved myself to undo the harm my actions have caused."

"Then you resolved yourself to a goal that you will never achieve," I dryly replied before indicating with my hoof that I wanted my chair back.

"What do you mean?" Celestia asked as her face took on a nervous look as she returned my chair.

"Even if we fixed this world's barriers, I highly doubt it wouldn't be noticed by both the Venanites or whoever sent the probes. You even have so many damn Maralus shards all over the world, I bet some other nations have their hooves on them and toying with them as we speak. Face it Princess, the damage has been done, all we can really do is damage control."

"Wait, Maralus shards?" Twilight asked, unable to keep her curiosity in check. "Are you talking about those crystals?"

Sighing, I looked at Twilight as I stated, "Can you ask me when the world isn't in danger? Because preventing the end of the world takes priority over curiosity." I returned my attention to the other princesses, and away from Twilight’s unintentional pout. "Moving on, while I can help in the repairs of the world's barriers, the matter is that eventually some species will find this world. It could be in days, years, or even centuries, but this event has been noticed."

With those words, everypony in the room has gone silent until Celestia took a deep breath before she said, "I understand that this is a matter that we may need to address to in the near future, but how will you be able to help us repair our world's barriers."

"That... is easier said than done. Since it seems that you have some understanding about the nature of different dimensions, do you have some ways to find the damage?"

"Sadly, there is no spell that would be able to identify nor locate such damage," Celestia answered.

"That... would be a problem then," I said as I rubbed a hoof against my chin. "Guess we can only try to make efforts to find a way to fix the damage... which means we have to discuss the Maralus shards now."

Before Twilight was able to continue her query though, Celestia raised a hoof to keep her quiet as she asked, "By these... 'Maralus' shards, I take it that you're talking about those crystals found from the explosions?"

Nodding, I replied, "Yes, those crystals are indeed Maralus shards, though I am calling them shards cause when put together they form a Maralus core. These cores are one of the many ways interdimensional species travel between the dimensions. Due to the mysterious effects magic has on the shards, along with the origin of the dimensional damage being magical in nature, there may be a way to use them to fix the 'cracks' in the barriers."

"Wait, would that mean that you would need of enough shards to form a 'core'?" Twilight asked, her quill scribbling any information I revealed.

"Perhaps, this would take some experimentation at first. Though for now, having all the shards from one explosion available should we need it would be the best approach," I replied.

Nodding, Celestia said, "Thankfully due to the abundance of these explosions, we were able to secure all the shards of a few sites together. I will send for one collection to be retrieved."

"I could also bring my notes and my own samples from my lab. Hopefully once I info—" Twilight started to say before I cut her off.

"Um... you don't have to tell me about your notes..." I said with a sheepish smile.

"What do you mean? The experiments I have conducted... you already got your hooves on them, haven't you," Twilight said as she narrowed her eyes at me.

Rubbing a hoof against the back of my head, I replied, "...Yeah... I needed to know more about how the shards reacted to magic... so, when I learned to read your language... I, sort of, snuck into your lab and copied your notes."

As Twilight's face started to darken at my little reveal, Rainbow said, "Wait a moment, you snuck into Twilight's lab?" Looking at Twilight, Rainbow questioned, "Don't you keep your lab locked?"

Blinking, Twilight said, "Of course I do... wait... did you steal my key too? Or did you made a copy of that as well?"

"Er... no, I just used telekinesis on your lock... I practiced that on other locks..." I said as I felt my face getting warm from an embarrassed blush.

Just as Twilight was about to open her mouth to scold me, Luna raised her hoof to silence her as she asked, "’Tis an interesting use of thine magic. Judging by thy age and knowledge, thou seem quite the skilled pony."

"Yes, since it will take some time for the shards to be retrieved, I do believe that it is time that you enlighten us about yourself?" Celestia asked before calling over a guard to make the request for the core’s shards, including Twilight's own.

Moaning, I slumped my head to my hooves as I whined, "Do I have to? Can't we focus on something else?"

"My dear, while there are important manners we have to attend to, you did mention that these 'Maralus' shards could be the key to fixing the barrier. But since we don't have access to them yet, might we pass the time by listening to you regale us with your history?" Rarity replied.

As I looked up to make a retort, I saw Pinkie's face in front of me as she said, "Yeah, I could be a better foster parent if you tell me more about yourself! So please tell us?" before she gave me a watery eyed look that normally foals give when they want something.

"...Augh, fine... just stop with the look," I said as I tried to push Pinkie's face away, all the while I heard some of the mares snickering at the scene before them. "So what do you want to hear first then?"

"Well, since you were of a different species, how about you tell us about them first?" Celestia asked.

"Good point! You're practically like an alien ambassador for your species!" Twilight exclaimed as the other ponies lean their heads in closer.

Cocking an eyebrow, I looked at all of them before I said, "Okay, this is all you need to know about my species. There is absolutely nothing you need to know about them."

My unexpected answered caused all the ponies to tilt their heads as they all said 'huh?' before Twilight broke first. "What do you mean there is nothing we need to know about them‽ They're an alien species! They could have technological advancements and cultural achievements! I mean, your kind can travel dimensions! How can they be nothing!" Twilight took a deep breath before she continued, but stopped as I let out a cold laugh.

"You assume too much Twilight. Way too much..." I said, causing Twilight's anger to fade away into surprise. "The reason they are nothing... is cause my species is dying out."

This caused everypony to gasp in shock, Rarity even going as far as to put a hoof to her mouth. This time though, Fluttershy was the first to speak as she asked, "Why is your species dying out?"

Letting out a hollow chuckle, I answered, "As glorious as being able to safely travel dimensions can be to you, there are also great... problems linked to it too. My species was one of the many unfortunate species to be discovered by a interdimensional nation, and we were more unfortunate to have… very underdeveloped technology. From what I heard from my parents, I believe that we are even behind what this world has now."

"Which means your species, and their world... could be taken advantaged of..." Celestia stated when I paused for breath.

Nodding, I replied, "Correct, and this led to my species becoming one of the many species that ended up in the bottom of the social order. Due to our status of being highly uneducated, we were forced to either take on menial labor or dangerous jobs... or just starve to death. And since we have to compete with so many other downtrodden races, we had to scatter through other worlds just to make a living. This took its toll on us... as we died off from disease, starvation, or violence." My last word caused everypony to gasp and whiten at it.

"Eventually, after many generations, either a species somehow able to uplifts itself from the bottom of the social caste... or it just begins to die off, like mine has. This is the cold reality of dimensional society."

"Wait a minute, hold up," Rainbow said before she pointed a hoof at me. "You said your species have to do dangerous or menial jobs... but you travel dimensions, that doesn't sound like it would fit either."

This cause me to let out another cold laugh as I replied, "Assumptions once more. The cold hard fact is that it's also a low pay high risk job. With a large pool of labor to draw from, various organizations and nations just send ponies like me to a world, where they just give us the amount of time before the return gate opens. If we return and we give them results, or we don't return and they just send a larger group or a professional. In all honesty, most folk end up dying from their first few trips."

Leaning back into my chair in the way that would suit a biped, I watch as the mares stared at me with mortified looks. Even the princesses were disturbed, which I would have found amusing until I was engulfed in Pinkie's embrace as she said, "You poor... pony. Nopony should have such unhappy times." As she rubbed a hoof against my back, I could hear all the ponies let out an 'aw' at the sight.

"Um... Pinkie... remember that I'm mentally an adult?" I said as my face reddened from embarrassment.

"You may be mentally an adult, but you are in the body of a foal. Which unless it's a disguise, I'll be going under the assumption that you are physically your age. Hence, you still need to be nurtured like any foal your age," Celestia said with a small smile.

"Princess Celestia did bring up a good point, if you were a different species, why did you appear as a foal if you were an adult?" Twilight asked.

"In all honestly, I wasn't suppose to come to this world. I just appeared here instead of where I was suppose to go, and in this form as well. Though, judging by how the probes exploded when they came to this world, I guess it's due to the presence of magic," I replied with a shrug.

"Wait... based on what you said about the Maralus shards and magic doing to this... are you saying that there wasn't magic in the dimension you came from?" Twilight asked.

Sighing, I answered, "Yes, there was no presence or even the concept of magic from where I came from. Hence my physical change and the explosions, it was simply an issue no... species ever had to deal with before."

"Astounding, maybe the magic of our world converted your body into one that is compatible with it. It makes it more likely to happen since your entrance to our world was caused by magical reasons as well," Twilight said as she scribbled down some more notes.

"Okay... though there is one question I have in regards to that. Now before I say it, you all might want to brace yourselves... it's almost as shocking as my announcement of my alien origins."

"Pfft, unless you were a stallion before you came to this world, I doubt anything is as freaky as an alien," Rainbow said with a wave of her hoof. However, my deadpanned stare that I leveled at her caused her to scrunch her face in confusion before it fell into an expression of shock matched by all her friends, even the princesses matched it. "Don't tell me..."

After letting the silence go on for a moment longer, I took a deep breath and said, "Unfortunately... you're right Rainbow." This caused nearly all the mare's jaws to drop, the only exception being Rarity, who instead fainted. "Yeah... I know... this is going to get awkward fast..."

Chapter XLIV: Gender

Aliens, invasions, dimensions, and it's my gender that finally pushed them to their limit. Go figure, I thought to myself as I looked at all the ponies around me. It was an amusing sight to see the princesses gaping at me, though their jaws weren't as low as the rest of the mares' were. Putting a hoof underneath Pinkie's jaw, I closed it as I said, "Okay... how long are you all going to try to catch some flies?"

Getting no reply, I simply shrugged before I realized that everypony was so caught up with the discussion that none of us had ate anything yet. Hence, I started chowing down on my food, till Celestia finally broke her stupor as she asked, "You... were a male?"

After swallowing what I stuffed into my mouth, I answered, "Is that the term for stallions and colts? I didn't finish covering the dictionary Twilight gave me, but I guess yes, I was a male before I became a pony." Seeing that the rest might be breaking out of their own stupors soon, I levitated a pitcher of water over to Rarity. I quickly flipped the pitcher, dumping all the water on her at once. This resulted in the sight of Rarity sitting up shrieking in shock.

Rarity's shriek proved to be the thing to end the mass stupor as Luna shook her head before she asked, "Thou... art not showing any distress of any kind beyond... a possible query thou hath hint upon earlier."

"Well, I never really had any plans on using those 'parts' so to speak. So my gender change didn't really bother me that much, though I wondered why it happened still."

"What do you mean you don't have any plans to... use... them..." Rainbow started to say before we all turned our heads towards her, causing her to blush and shut her mouth.

"Okay... to answer that... 'question', remember when I say my race is dying out? Yeah... that's how many of us are left. Can't find a partner, and I won't be surprised if my species is actually extinct," I replied.

"Well... that certainly explains your... lack of taste in colts. Though does this mean you may have a taste in... mares in the future?" Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I know what you're going for. If that ever becomes a factor, ask me again when all four of us are of age," I deadpanned. Looking at the three princesses, I asked, "So do either of you know why I became a mare? Just curious."

The three looked at each other, Twilight completely befuddled by this topic. Fortunately Celestia seemed to had an idea as she started to ask, "Would you happen to know the gender ratio of yo—" before I shook my head. "Well, for ponykind, we have a gender ratio that favors females at a three to one rate. I assume that this may be the reason you're a mare now."

"Of course, just my luck that sheer chance is what caused this," I groaned as rubbed a hoof against my forehead. "Oh well, what's done is done. Though I have to ask, how did you manage to reach an alternative dimension?"

At the change of the subject to the source of our current woes, Celestia's expression became downcast as she said, "It was through a magical mirror created by Star Swirl. Though you don't have to worry about it being... misused again, for the mirror has been shattered."

"Good, don't have to worry about you destroying the barriers any further."

"Aether! That's not a nice thing to say! I'm sure Celestia is super sorry for th—" Pinkie started to say before I put a hoof over her mouth.

"Pinkie, Celestia messed up bad, real bad. Just saying sorry will not make up for the... side-effects of what she caused."

"You mean consequences?" Twilight said.

"Yes, thank you," I dryly replied.

Looking at me with a face full of sorrow, Celestia said, "Aether, I'm sorry that my actions brought you here, and I assu—"

"I don't give a buck about me being brought here!" I yelled, shaking a hoof at her.

Rearing her head back, Celestia asked, "You don't?"

"Of course I don't, my former life sucked! What I'm really mad about is that you put an entire world in danger of either being killed or facing the same fate my former species faced! All for some love for some stallion!" My words caused Celestia to retreat on herself, though strangely Luna only quirked an eyebrow in response.

"Art thou saying that thy life is now better as a pony?" Luna asked.

"...Yeah, it's better. No more having to worry about getting money for food, taking on dangerous jobs that can get me killed, having a family, and having real friends. Not to mention that the food I subsisted on was horrible."

Twilight's eyes lit up when the word 'friends' was brought up, but before she could ask her question, Pinkie shrieked, "You had bad food‽ You had candy and cake at least right?"

Sighing, I answered, "No, to tell you the truth, I only had some kind of paste. I didn't even know what it was made up, but it was all I could afford." This caused Pinkie to gasp in horror as she clapped her hooves to the sides of her face which turned as pale as Rarity's coat.

As I simply gave Pinkie an amused look, Twilight finally asked, "Wait, what do you mean real friends?"

"Simple, I didn't had any friends, only at best... ponies I know from my line of work. Everypony was mostly concerned about themselves, so there was no time or effort put to caring about anypony else." Before all the mares release another gasp of shock, I quickly added, "Yes, I know this may be something horrible in your point of views, but this is the reality of where I came from. Hence also why I was so angry with Princess Celestia since her actions could bring this fate to your world as well," as I finished with a quick look at Celestia that caused her to flinch.

"Anyways, maybe we should hold off on any more discussion on this matter till we ate, cause so far I'm the only one that had eaten something," I proposed, to which everypony's stomach but mine rumbled their agreement.

"Wise words, let us partake of our meals then," Luna declared, to which everypony nodded before starting to eat.

After the rest of the group had breakfast, we moved onto a waiting area. Staring at the window, I was waiting for the guard to arrive with the shards till Twilight spoke up when she approached me with her notepad floating beside her.

"So Aether, do you have any plan with the Maralus shards?"

"A few... I'm no expert since I'm just the pony that goes through the portal, but I think they are set to a frequency and are charged with some kind of energy. Maybe we can use magic to simulate the results to create a working dimensional rift. If we're lucky, we could just try to locate the breaches in this world's barrier and then hopefully opening a rift near a breach could fix it."

"I see... what were your plans before you had to reveal yourself?" Twilight asked, as the rest of the ponies look at us.

"Originally... it was to find out how I came here. Then when the first explosion occurred... it was to make sure you didn't have enough shards to accidentally open a rift."

"Wait, what you mean make sure I didn't have enough shards? I wasn't missing any from my lab."

"Took some from the forest and hid them before anypony found them. It was a few, but I thought it was enough to keep you from figuring out that they are part of a greater whole."

Narrowing her eyes at me, Twilight said, "You prevented me from learning more about those shards."

Shrugging, I replied, "Perhaps, but until I figure out things, I couldn't take a risk. So many things could go wrong, and if you did open a rift... who knows what could be on the other side." Looking straight into Twilight's eyes, I continued, "You might have opened a rift to a simple world, or to a world where the species there would come here to take over, or worse."

Blinking, Twilight looked to the side as she said, "You... have a point."

"Yeah... though when I met Discord, he was able to tell that I didn't belong in this world."

"What!" all the mares said as they snapped their attention to me fully.

"Why that little... why didn't he tell anypony about this?" Rainbow asked as her brows furrowed in fury.

"For his own amusement, he said I could bring about some chaos. Though he did warn me about what you may do," I finished as I turned my attention to Celestia.

"Warn you about me?" Celestia questioned.

"He told me that you may do something... bad to me if you learned about who I truly am."

"Why I... I would never hurt one of my ponies," Celestia declared as her expression became irritated.

"But if the world wasn't threatened, how would you have reacted to me then?"

"I would treat you with respect, and asked you about why you were here. Since you weren't here by your own will, I would have done my best to aid you in either returning home, or finding a place for you here," Celestia answered. I stared into her eyes, causing her to quirk an eyebrow as she pulled her head back.

"You're only good at keeping your emotions in check due to being over a thousand years old," I dryly commented. "So, what will you be doing with me after this issue?"

"That, would be up to you my little pony," Celestia said before I gave her a scowl. "You are certainly... a unique case. You were an alien to begin with, with knowledge on matters that no pony has. Though you also have much about our world to learn as well."

"She also have some natural talent with magic, and her knowledge of mathematics are already at a college level," Twilight added in.

"Bah, it's nothing special. I just think it's more of just being adaptable due to my former job. Also, my mathematical knowledge isn't special, I was just able to have an education when... my parents were around," I replied as my ears lowered, as everyone took on a more somber look. Though Pinkie embraced me once more as she nuzzled me, apparently wanting to cheer me up.

"Thanks Pinkie, you can stop that now," I said after a minute passed, though I suddenly felt a pressure on my horn again, causing me to rub it. "Not again."

This caused Twilight to look at me with this analytical look, "Aether, is this the feeling you were having a few days ago?"

"Girls..."

"Yeah, don't know what's causing it," I replied.

"Umm... girls..."

"Describe to me everything you're feeling right now, maybe we can figure out what's causing the sensation."

"Girls... you need to..."

"What is it Fluttershy?" I asked as my ears finally picked up on her voice, only for me to see her staring at something from outside. Turning my head to follow her gaze, my jaw dropped as all the pressure from my horn disappeared. The rest of the mares followed suit, only to gasp at what we were looking at.

"Um... Twilight... I think I now know what was causing the pressure," I commented as I stared at what looked to everypony else to be an abnormal storm appearing above a familiar forest. However, I and possibly Luna knew better, for it was the beginning of the formation a dimensional portal, one that would be exactly like the one from my dreams.

Chapter XLV: Core

"What... what in tarnation is that?" Applejack asked, as we looked upon the formation of a dimensional rift. Above the forest, clouds were swirling into a vortex as some purplish light was emitted from within it. Occasionally, lightning could be seen streaking through the clouds.

"That, is the beginning of a dimensional portal, thankfully of the rift variety," I answered.

"The rift variety?" Twilight asked.

"Dimensional rifts don't damage the barriers between dimensions, but dimensional breaches, like the ones I believe Celestia committed, do," I explained, as Celestia looked away for a moment.

"Does that mean we're being invaded now?" Fluttershy quietly asked with an 'eep' in the end.

At first I opened my mouth before a small revelation crossed my mind, causing me to shut it as all the ponies leaned in to hear whatever answer they were expecting. After a moment of thought, I answered, "I honestly can't say for certain. It might be a portal created by some organization, or it could be just the result of the world's weakened barriers. Though we might be able to tell once the rift reaches a later stage, as it's currently in an earlier phase. So we have time to make plans on how to handle this matter."

"In regards to a plan, do you have anything in mind on how to close a portal?" Twilight inquired.

"Well, I do have a way to close any dimensional portal... but it involves opening a dimensional rift."

"Wait, aren't we suppose to not open a rift?"

"Normally yes, but the only way to stop that portal is to cancel it out with a dimensional rift." As Twilight opened her mouth to ask another question, I raised a hoof as I said, "I know you have more questions Twilight, but for now I'll give everypony what we need to know. One common method to remove a dimensional portal is to disrupt it. This can be done either by disrupting it at the source or introducing another rift to it, at which the rift and the portal will end up canceling each other out."

"It fares well that thou hath a plan in treating this matter, but wouldst there be consequences to thy method?" Luna asked.

"That's the beauty of it, there is no risk for us once we pull it off. This tactic has been used enough times that there is data on that matter, and it was found to not cause damage to... dimensional... barriers..." I said before my words drifted off as a realization struck me.

"Aether? What's the matter?" Rarity questioned as the mares looked at me with concern.

"I just had an idea... This portal could be the answer to all our problems. Normally with a portal is disrupted, it releases an kind of dimensional backlash, which is normally felt as a force of energy but nothing more. However, since this world's barriers have been weaken... maybe this backlash could actually help to repair the damage. Though to be certain, I need to know where the rift is forming. Can anypony tell me where it is exactly?"

Looking at the rift again, Celestia answered, "It appears to be right above White Tail Woods."

Clapping my hooves together, I simply said, "Perfect."

"Perfect? That means it's near Ponyville!" Rainbow yelled as she glared at me.

Rolling my eyes at her, I explained, "It's perfect cause White Tail Woods might be near the greatest point of damage to the dimensional barriers. Not only did the first known explosion occurred there, but the forest was also my point of entry to this world. Along with the forming of the rift there, all facts point to the forest's location being the primary weak point in the barrier. If I'm correct, then if my plan works out, we might be able to repair the barrier enough that we don't have to worry about any accidental dimensional rifts or issues anymore."

"While it is a relief to have a possible solution to our problems, we still have one big problem. How are we going to generate a rift?" Twilight asked.

"That is where the Maralus shards come in... though... that means we have to reform them into a solid Maralus core. Is there a spell that could fix things?"

"Well, there is, but don't you remember how the Maralus shards react to magic?"

"Well, if what I remember about your research is correct, then you never tried that spell on the shards, and having a Maralus core would be better than a bunch of shards. So I say we have to give it a shot."

It wasn't long before the guards finally appeared with the shards as we all moved to a more secure location in the castle. From what I was told, this particular room was reserved for the practice of dangerous magical spells, though I insisted that the guards kept anypony away from the door as they stood guard outside. In the meantime I was picking at the shards with a pair of tweezers, positioning them on the floor to make the repairs go more smoothly once the spell is cast.

"Oh come on, can't we just cast the spell already?" Rainbow demanded as she floated around the room in boredom.

"Oh we could, but it might result in a misshaped core which wouldn't work as well as a proper one!" I yelled back at her. As Rarity shushed Rainbow, I finally arranged the shards in a circular pattern on the floor. They were placed in what I assumed where they would come together to form a perfect sphere, I hoped.

Walking over to the princesses, I said, "Okay... I think I arranged them so that the spell would work more easily, assuming that it doesn't cause them to blow up in our faces. So... Princess Luna, can you surround us in a barrier before Twilight casts the spell?"

Giving me a short nod, Luna lit her horn as a dark blue shield formed around everypony. With the barrier up, Twilight took it as her cue to act as she bit her lip, her horn lit up as well as I watched the shards become engulfed with her magical aura. At first, we only saw the shards shiver a bit (except for Fluttershy who hid behind her mane and behind Celestia), before they started to float into the air. Miraculously, the shards began coming together piece by piece, starting with the ones closest to the center.

"Seems like things are finally goin' our way for once, I reckon," Applejack said before I gave her a flat look. "What?"

"Never, ever, tempt fate, for it often bites you in the plot when you do," I berated before returning my attention to the shards.

"Um... everypony... the spell is beginning to feel a bit off," Twilight grunted as we begin to see sparks of electricity coming off the shards.

After giving Applejack a quick withering glare, I said, "Keep going, we have to see this through!"

Gritting her teeth, Twilight continued with the spell as more of the core is restored. However, just when the core was almost fully restored, it appeared that the energy build up had reached its peak. An explosion flashed before us. Thankfully, Luna's barrier kept the explosion from harming us, with exception to our ears, which were left ringing from the blast.

As smoke wafted throughout the room, I saw from the corner of my eye that the door was blown off its hinges. I sighed with relief at my foresight of telling the guards to keep everypony away from them.

As the smoke started to clear out of the room and our hearing was returning to normal, Rainbow said, "Well, that was a complete waste of time," before I smacked the back of her head. "Hey! What was that for!"

Giving her an annoyed look, I said, "Luna, can you lower the barrier please?" As Luna complied with my request, I walked into the smoking center of the room where the core had been forming. I blindly felt around for a shard or anything before I felt my hoof touch against something rather round. Grinning to myself, I carefully pushed it back towards the group to where after I exited the smoke I saw that it was a perfect blackish purple sphere.

"Princesses of Equestria and Elements of Harmony, I present to you a Maralus core," I announced as I picked up the core with my hooves to show to all the ponies. The sphere was larger than the width of my hoof, but it was smaller than that of an adult's.

"Finally some progress, but how shall we use the core to generate a rift?" Celestia asked.

Putting the core back down onto the floor, I said, "Well, thankfully I have seen some in action, though we might want to mount the core on something since we can't carry it with magic."

"We may hath just the mount for the core," Luna declared before she teleported, returning moments later with a staff that ended with an empty claw on the top. Using her magic, she brought the claw end to the core, where it mysteriously grabbed it, clenching it in its claw.

"That works, this is the part that Twilight would like," I said, smiling to myself as I saw Twilight's ears perk up as I grabbed the staff with my hooves, sitting on my rear as I kept it pointing up. "We're going to see if this core can still work in this world, by opening a rift. To do this, I'm going to vibrate the core; which, if it's properly formed will release a humming sound. Now listen carefully to the pitch of the humming, cause I will have to adjust the vibration till it reaches the ideal frequency. Once I reach that frequency, take note of that, for only when the humming as at that pitch can we begin the next step to creating a rift."

Lighting up my horn with my magic, I surrounded the core with my magical aura as I focused the telekinesis spell on it. Instantly the core started vibrating, releasing a soft hum. Grunting, I added more power to my spell, adjusting the focus of the spell as well, causing the hum's pitch to change. After a while, I finally found the right pitch.

"Okay... this is the pitch we are looking for. Now, I need somepony to pour their magic into the core to charge it. However, concentrate the flow of magic into the bottom of the core so that it can be released through the top. If we just pour magic into the core... well it might not end well," I said, to which Celestia gave me a nod before her own horn lit up.

As I kept up my own spell, I watched as waves of electricity pulsed through the core. As Celestia poured more and more magic, the pulsing quicked until I started to see the air above the core beginning to distort. "Keeping pouring more magic Princess Celestia," I ordered, as I watched the distortions grow stronger with each passing minute. It wasn't long before the distortions became visible to the rest of the ponies, who released a gasp of wonder at the unusual sight, until suddenly a small purplish glowing sphere appeared above the core.

Smiling, I said, "Everypony, this is how you use a Maralus core to produce a dimensional rift. You can stop your magic now Celestia." As Celestia's magic came to an end, the rift disappeared due to lack of a power source, allowing me to end my spell as well. "Now we can actually make a rift, we can stop that portal and hopefully fix the barrier."

"I'll have the chariots readied, but I will be the one creating the rift, by myself." Before anypony could say a thing, Celestia raised her hoof as she said, "I was the one that caused this problem, hence it is my burden to put an end to it."

Folding my hooves across my chest, I said, "If that's what you want princess, but don't let your guilt override your thinking. Once that portal is formed, you will still have to follow everything I say since I'm the only pony here who has any idea what to do."

Nodding, Celestia said, "Of course, I will follow your orders to the letter, my little filly," as she ended with a smile, that I just scowled at.

Okay, I'm so tempted to tell her to charge into a wall.

Chapter XLVI: Rift

"This is bucking boring, why can't I fly?" Rainbow whined, though this wasn't the first time.

"Cause I need you to be fully rested, in case you have to fly like crazy," I grumbled as I rubbed a hoof against my forehead, feeling a headache building up. After we left the room, we took a quick look at the dimensional portal that was forming to see that it hadn't established itself, yet. This gave us time to get on the chariots before we flew off with Luna and Celestia, at my suggestion to preserve their energy, in their own chariots as well.

While I was still seated next to Pinkie, Rainbow was situated next to me, due to my demands that she remained seated and rested as well for whatever can occur. This however led to Rainbow whining about wanting to fly, only for me to shoot it down every time. Sometimes though I had threatened to have Twilight or one of the princesses hold her with their magic, while I, myself, was tempted to keep her mouth shut with my own magic.

"Oh come on Aether, what can go wrong with the princesses with us?"

"Want me to give you a list that is longer than any Twilight has ever made?"

"Wow! That's a lot of things that can go wrong!" Pinkie said.

"Oh come on, you're just saying that," Rainbow countered.

I just stared at her for a moment, before blinking as I said, "No, I can really come up with a list longer than the ones Twilight comes up with. Though if you want the reasons now, I could always rattle them off till we arrive at the forest." This finally caused Rainbow to just grumble to herself, to the much needed relief for my head.

It wasn't long before we were right above the forest edge, as we were able to get a better view of the swirling vortex that could soon turn into a portal. At this point, Celestia positioned herself in the middle of the group as she declared, "Alright my little ponies, we will land here and await for the portal to form. Aether can give me any further information needed, but Luna and I wi—" before she was interrupted as a wave of energy pulsed out of the vortex. Everypony screamed as it sent the chariots flying. The Elements were able to hang onto the chariots, with the pegasi bearers able to reorient the carts. However, due to my unfamiliarity with them... I was sent flying from my chariot.

"Aether!" Pinkie screamed as I plummeted to my doom, before abruptly landing on something. Turning over, I saw that Celestia had caught me on her back, with the staff bearing the Maralus core in her magic.

"Aether, are you alright?" Celestia asked as she turned to look at me with concern on her face, while from afar I could hear Pinkie let out a sigh of relief.

"I'm fine Prin—" I started before my eyes drifted to the vortex to catch a sight that left me dumbstruck. Following my gaze, Celestia looked along with the other ponies to see that the portal had finished forming. However, instead of having a circular shape, the portal was deformed to where it looked like some misshapen blotch in the sky. To complicate things further, we all could feel a suction force, as well as see branches and a few small trees being sucked into the portal.

"Just bucking great, we got an unstable portal! It’s almost like a tear in the dimensional barrier! This is going to get messy! Princess Celestia, we need to get there and disrupt the portal now!" I yelled.

"After we get you back to the chariots whe—" Celestia said, interrupted by a monstrous roar, echoing out of the portal.

Eyes wide with horror, I grabbed Celestia's head, bringing her face right next to mine as I yelled, "No time! Just go before whatever made that roar comes through and kills us all!"

Seeing how shocked I was, Celestia replied, "Hang on," before she whipped her head around. I wrapped my forelegs around her neck as my hooves gripped onto her coat. With a mighty flap, Celestia sent us rocketing towards the portal. This surprised everypony else but Luna recovered quickly, barking an order to the rest of the ponies before flying to catch up with us.

We only crossed a short distance before the portal released another burst of energy; however this time, energy wasn't the only thing being sent out from the tear. For before our very eyes, not only the materials that were drawn into the portal were expelled, but various debris ranging from misshapen hunks of metal, to chunks of land, and even asteroids were sent crashing into Equestria’s surface. This stunned the princesses at first before they snapped back to reality as they weaved through the debris, occasionally blasting away a fast moving asteroid.

"Is this suppose to happen with a dimensional portal?" Celestia asked as she ducked underneath what looked to be part of some ancient building.

"No, this portal is unstable, so... expect anything!" I screamed as a tree flew over our heads. "Okay, I hate flying now!"

As we got closer to the portal, it released another burst of energy, knocking the princesses back as the tear deforms even more. This time the deformation caused the portal to develop some kind of gravitational pull as debris now orbited around the opening, creating new obstacles. Even the natural landscape was being ripped apart by the portal, where the broken pieces joined the debris in the sky.

"This portal is truly creating chaos that Discord would surely enjoy," Luna commented as she erected a barrier to avoid being pelted by a barrage of rocks.

"Just focus on closing the portal before something dangerous comes through! We're lucky that only debris have came through, so let's keep it that way!" I hollered to which Celestia responded with a short nod as she flew over some giant hunk of metal. We continued on our way, getting closer to the tear as more and more projectiles are released from within it and torn from the ground. Though the princess were doing an excellent job of dodging the hazards that came at us, it only delayed us as more and more debris entered the junk that is already revolving around the tear.

"Enough of this! We will create a path to the portal with our magic!" Luna yelled in frustration as she created some kind of magical barrier that shaped like a tunnel leading straight to the portal. However I knew better as I watched the barrier quickly deformed before breaking into pieces. "What trickery is this?"

"We're dealing with a deformed portal that has its own... pull. It's going to distort any large barrier you make! We just have to push on through, there is no other way!"

Grunting by the looks of it, Luna fired a beam of magic at an incoming boulder to vent out her frustration, reducing it to dust. Meanwhile Celestia had grabbed a sheet of metal with her own magic, using it as an improvised shield as she pushed through a shower of metallic shards. We soon reached the revolving barrier of junk, to which Luna charged some magic into her horn before firing off a burst. The burst exploded on contact with the debris field, creating a hole in the revolving junkyard.

"Oh... buck..." I whimpered as I saw that instead of releasing another wave of debris, the tear suffered a massive deformation before it released a massive asteroid. I was about to make some prayers to whatever being would hear them when I saw both Luna and Celestia fire a beam of magic onto the asteroid, causing it to shatter into pieces that flew past us.

"No need to be afraid my little pony," Celestia said in a tone that I knew was teasing.

"Yeah yeah, don't be scared when you're on a pony that can move the sun. But I have a proposal, instead of teasing the doubting pony... Disrupt that portal before something bigger comes out!" I yelled while resisting the temptation to smack the back of Celestia's head.

The shattering of the asteroid helped to break up the debris field to allow us in, at which we were finally close enough to the portal to act. As Celestia started to recreate the vibration that I showed her earlier, Luna used her magic to shield us from anything that came our way. Thankfully Celestia operated well under pressure, generating the right frequency and soon poured magic into the core till she produced a small rift.

"You haven't mention the next st—" Celestia started to say till I interrupted her.

"Just shove the bucking rift into the portal already!" I yelled as I felt like one of my veins about to burst. "Toss the staff into the portal, or something. Just end it already!" Heeding my word, Celestia started to move the staff towards the tear, but before the two distortions of space could touch a disfigured tentacle came out of the portal. "Buck! We need to sen—" I screamed before I saw an asteroid surrounded with a dark blue aura crashed into the monstrosity, sending it back into the tear as we heard a pained howl coming from the portal.

Turning my head to Luna, I saw her give me a smile that I returned with one of my own. Nodding to her sister, Celestia then returned her attention to the portal as she threw the staff at the tear with the rift headfirst. At the very moment the rift contacted the portal, a massive blinding explosion occurred, sending all of us flying. This included me flying straight off Celestia's back. The best part was I just didn't just fly off Celestia's back, I was blasted off with enough force that I was an equine version of a damn rocket.

So here I was, somehow not hitting any of the falling debris as I was plummeting towards the ground. Instead I was going to be a bloody smear on the fast approaching ground until I somehow stopped right before I painted the ground red. Looking around in confusion, I spotted Discord sitting on some odd chair.

"Good show little filly, good show," Discord said as he gave me a slow clap.

"...You decided to show up after the... issue is over‽" I screamed at him.

"Temper temper temper, you don't want your head blowing up, do you?" Discord said, waving a talon at me as the princesses and the rest of the group arrived.

"Aether, you're okay!" Pinkie said as she jumped towards me from her still airborne chariot.

"No no no no!" I wailed before Pinkie crashed into me, embracing me in another one of her choking hugs. With my vision obscured by her, I felt us spinning around until we crashed into the ground. Thankfully Pinkie cushioned the fall, though I still didn't appreciate it as I said, "Pinkie, I know you were worried about me, but couldn't you wait till we're both on the ground to hug me?"

"But I was so worried when you fell off the chariot! Though Celestia was like 'whoosh' and saved you, but then I got worried again when she took you to stop the portal," Pinkie explained as she nuzzled me.

"Oh... sorry about that, but when we heard that roar, I knew we had no time to spare. So I told the princesses just to go straight for the portal now instead of putting me down," I replied, as Pinkie set me down, only to gasp in surprise. Every other pony looked to see why Pinkie gasped, only to gasp in surprise as well after they saw what she saw. "What, can anypony tell me what's going on?"

Discord laughed at me as he snapped his fingers to cause a mirror to appear as he said, "And here I thought you were an observant pony," before he showed me a reflection of my flank.

Looking in the mirror, I saw on my hindquarters that it wasn't blank anymore, that I had got my Cutie Mark. Wow... I gotten my Cut— wait. Is that a curved shooting star, or a crescent moon with a star on its end?

Chapter XLVII: Mark

As I looked on my flank to see the Cutie Mark that either was a silver curved shooting star or a crescent moon with a star at its lower point, I was suddenly pulled into another embrace by Pinkie Pie. “Aether, you got your Cutie Mark!”

“Yes, I saw, but ca—”

“Oh, I can’t wait till we get back to Ponyville! I have so much to plan for your cute-ceañera!”

“But can yo—”

“All the fillies and colts of Ponyvi—” Pinkie said before I stuffed my hoof into her mouth, though she still made some muffled sounds as she continued to ramble on.

“You don’t seem to be too excited about getting your Cutie Mark Aether,” Twilight stated, causing me to look at all the ponies to see their confused expressions.

“Oh! Um… it’s not that I’m glad to have one, it’s just I’m a bit confused on what it is exactly,” I explained, causing the ponies to examine my Cutie Mark more closely. If only I could get this recorded, it’s hilarious that they are technically staring at my plot.

“It looks like a curved shooting star to me,” Celestia said.

“Thou art wrong dear sister, for Aether’s Cutie Mark is surely a crescent moon with a star on it,” Luna responded.

“Looks to me that it’s what Luna said,” Rainbow added in.

“That’s cause you don’t see things for what they are dear. I say that Celestia is right, for Aether’s Cutie Mark must be a graceful shooting star,” Rarity countered. It didn’t took long for most of the ponies to get into a debate on what my Cutie Mark was, with some of the guards even muttering amongst themselves on that matter. Even Pinkie got into the mix after she pulled my hoof out of her mouth, though she was just sputtering off random nonsense for some reason.

Meanwhile Discord just laughed at the scene, saying “Aren’t you a small bundle of chaos, even your own Cutie Mark can cause dissent!” to which I just rolled my eyes at him.

“Everypony, hold on for a moment!” Twilight yelled, causing the arguing to stop, for the moment at least. “Instead of just arguing what it looks like, how about we figure out what her Cutie Mark means. Maybe that will tell us what it really is.”

“You actually have a point there, though since I know so little about Cutie Marks… I’ll just let everypony else figure it out,” I said as I was subjected to my rear being the center of attention again.

“Normally a pony gets their Cutie Mark when they found their special talent… but I don’t recall seeing a Cutie Mark when we were heading to the portal…” Twilight announced.

“Neither have I. It seems that during the closing of the dimensional portal was when little Aether here was getting a Cutie Mark,” Celestia declared.

Wait… if what Celestia said is true… all I did was advised more on that… wait... I thought to myself before I eyes started to widen as I realized something. “Oh no… no no no no no!”

“Aether, what’s wrong?” Pinkie asked as she gave me a concerned look, the others starting to do the same.

“No way I’m going to let my Cutie Mark give me that as my destiny!” I shrieked.

“What in tarnation are you talking about?” Applejack said, cocking an eyebrow in curiosity.

“From Aether’s reaction, I think she realized what her Cutie Mark means. And by the sounds of it, she doesn’t seem pleased by it,” Celestia explained.

Twilight was opening her mouth to say something before she stopped as her eyes widened. “Wait… Aether, do you think your special talent lies with dimensi—”

“Nope! No way! That isn’t going to my destiny!” I screamed before I pointed a hoof at Celestia. “And there is nothing you can do to make me change my mind!”

“Whoa whoa, hold it a minute shortstop. What the hay are you freaking out about?” Rainbow asked.

“What I think Aether is so worried about is—” Celestia said before pausing to stop a rock that I picked up and thrown at her, “—is that her special talent is related to dimensions. There was nothing else that could have resulted in her Cutie Mark due to its appearance.”

“That makes sense, we had to use magic as part of the means to create a rift, so the star on her Cutie Mark must represent magic. Though I don’t know what the crescent moon or tail of the star would mean then,” Twilight replied.

“I have my own theories on that. Remember the magical mirror at the Crystal Empire? It was linked to the lunar cycles, so maybe this link persisted to the barrier and shown itself in Aether’s Cutie Mark as the crescent moon. However, I know that is a bit far-fetched, so I have another theory that if it’s not a moon but the tail of a shooting star as I suspected, then a shooting star could represent Aether’s dimensional travels.”

I was about to protest against their speculations on my Cutie Mark till I heard about this magical mirror Celestia mentioned, causing me to ask, “What’s this about a magical mirror?” This caused not only Celestia to go wide-eyed but Twilight as well, which caused me to cock an eyebrow in surprise. Narrowing my eyes, I then stated, “This better not be another alternative dimension problem, and you better not be tied to this Twilight.”

After a moment of silence, I threw my forehooves into the air as I shouted, “Oh come on! What is wrong with you ponies‽ Is Princess Luna the only princess here with any common sense!”

As Discord snickered at Celestia’s and Twilight’s discomfort, Rainbow butted in when she yelled, “Give Twilight a break! She only went when Sunset Shimmer stole the Element of Magic!”

“Who’s Sunset Shimmer?” I asked as I tilted my head.

“Sunset… is a former student of mine…” Celestia answered. She then reared her head back as I gave her a flat stare.

“...Okay. I’m not mad at Twilight anymore… but I’m still mad at you Princess Celestia,” I stated with rage evident in my voice. “Also, there is no way anypony is going to use me for more of this dimensional stuff. I cross the line at fixing the problems you made princess, nothing more,” I declared as I crossed my forelegs over my chest.

As Twilight was about to open her mouth to protest, Celestia raised her hoof to stop her, before placing said hoof on my shoulder. “Aether, nopony expects you to do anymore than you already have. You have done more than anypony could ask for, much less for one that is a stranger to our world.”

I cocked an eyebrow as I asked, “Really?” to which I received a nod in reply.

“I don’t see what’s the big problem though, you’ve been to hundreds of worlds,” Rainbow commented.

“Well, let me see what could make me not want to do that kind of stuff anymore… Well, there was the several times I had to flee for my life from a horde of creatures that wanted to eat me. Then there was the time where a mob of natives wanted to burn me alive. Oh, I can’t forget the time that some native wanted to hunt me down and put my head on a wall,” I responded in a deadpan manner.

My answer gotten the obvious reaction of everypony gaping at me, until Luna broke the silence as she asked, “Wait, how doest thou know that the native intended… that?”

“Well… while it was hunting me, I manage to stumble across its home. I thought to use it as a hiding place for a time, but… well let’s just say what I saw pretty much said the native’s intentions,” I answered, shivering at the memory.

“Wait a minute,” Twilight said as she turned her attention to Discord. “You knew about Aether being from another world, and you were here right after the princesses closed the portal. Why didn’t you tell anypony about this?”

“Simple my dear, no pony asked me about it,” Discord said with a flip of his paw.

“Why you no good two timin’ varmint!” Applejack yelled.

“Please, like anypony would believe me in the first place. Besides, I knew Aether would be able to fix any problem that dear old Celestia has caused.”

“Well, why didn’t you lend a… paw and help the princesses close the portal? Unless you were behind that,” Rainbow accused.

“Why Rainbow, you wound my heart,” Discord replied as he fell over, kicking a leg out like he just died. He then disappeared to only reappear right behind Fluttershy as he asked, “Fluttershy my dear, do you honestly think I’m behind this?”

“Well… I…” Fluttershy started to say as she looked at the angry Rainbow and then at Discord her looked at her with watery eyes. “I don’t think you would do something like this… this seems more… harmful than chaotic.”

Before Rainbow could make some kind of retort, I cutted in, “Then why are you here Discord? I know you enjoy chaos, but I highly doubt you would showed yourself then after it all ended.”

“Finally a pony that doesn’t want to point a hoof at me the moment they see me. To be honest, I did enjoy seeing you and the princesses deal with that mess the portal was spewing out. However I also came here to congratulate you on fixing the problem Celestia caused.”

“Fixing the problem? Wait, does that mean…”

“Indeed you little alien, the barriers have been restored, more or less.”

“Wait, how can you tell?” Twilight asked. “And more importantly, why would you care?”

“Why Twilight, I couldn’t have aliens coming in and turning Equestria into a wasteland, if what Aether told me is correct. It would be fun at first, but then there would be nothing left. Then it would be dreadfully boring. Besides, I’m the Spirit of Disharmony, of course I would know when the barriers aren’t normal.”

Letting out a sigh of relief, I said, “Well, that’s good to know then, no more things slipping in. Now we just have to worry about something coming in intentionally.”

“Intentionally? Are you saying that we could still have something dreadful come to our world?” Rarity asked, lifting a hoof to her mouth in shock.

Nodding, I answered, “Yes, though I have no idea when they will come. Could be in months, could be in years, or maybe even centuries later. But I do know that they will come, you can’t have so many probes lost without anypony noticing. Some species will investigate, eventually. For now though, we have a bigger problem.”

“Another problem, what danger must we face now?” Luna questioned.

“...All the stuff that came out of the portal?” Seeing blank looks, I facehoofed as I continued, “We need to gather all the stuff that came out and inspect it carefully. You may not think so, but it is possible that something dangerous came out.”

“I’ll have the Royal Guard screen the forest,” Celestia replied.

“Okay… just make sure that they actually prevent ponies from getting into the forest this time.”

“This time?”

“Your Royal Guard are horrible at their job. I was able to sneak in, take some shards that I had hidden, and got out with not one of them wiser. I even tossed a rock at a tree, only to see one guard investigated, then went on patrol like nothing happened.”

“I’ll… have a talk with them when I can,” Celestia said as she blinked at that revelation.

“Be sure that you do… I just realized something…” I said as my ears folded down.

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

“Remember the last time something happened over White Tail Woods?”

“Of course we remembered, who can’t forget an explosion out of nowhere like that?” Rainbow complained.

“Well… who would be interested in checking out something that normally doesn’t happen around here?”

“What are you talkin’ abo…” Applejack started to say before her eyes widen. “Apple Bloom!” she yelled as she turned tail and ran in what I think may be the direction of Ponyville.

This of course got Rarity to make the same realization as she shrieked, “Sweetie Belle!” as she quickly followed Applejack.

“...You don’t think the Crusaders would come here… right?” Rainbow asked, only to receive a deadpan look from me.

“Rainbow… it’s the Crusaders. On another note, we really need to keep them away from this stuff, unlike the explosion, I have no idea what dangerous stuff came out of the portal. For all I know, it may turn one of them into a horrible monster.” My words of course led to the predictable result of causing the rest of Elements to freak out before they ran off to follow their two friends, with the Royal Guard following suit.

“Do you really think that could happen?” Celestia asked.

“Eh, it’s a possibility, though highly unlikely. Still, best they get find the Crusaders before anything happens.”

“Then why art thou not following them to aid your friends?” Luna questioned.

“Cause I have enough excitement in one day. Also, if they see me with my Cutie Mark coming out of the forest, it’ll only make them want to come in even more,” I explained as I rubbed a hoof against my head.

Still… how am I going to explain this to them without them getting anymore terrible ideas…

Author's Note

With that, Distorted Fate is about to come to a close, with just the epilogue to help close some things up a bit. However, many will say, "But you left too many things unanswered or incomplete!" My answer to that is, what do you think that means then?

Epilogue

So it was just the two princesses, Discord and me sitting there in the forest as I rubbed my forehead anticipating another potential headache. However, before silence could truly settle, Celestia broke it as she asked, "Do you really think Equus could be invaded still?"

"...Probably. It really depends on the species that manages to establish some form of contact with this world. There are some friendly species or groups out there, but there are a lot more hostile groups or just groups that want to take advantage of anything," I answered.

The two princesses looked at each other in concern before Luna spoke what they had on their minds. "Doest thou have any recommendations on this matter?"

"Unless you have some way of making it so that the nothing can come here, best I can offer is have some ponies ready for... well anything truth be told."

"We have the Royal Guard, would not they suffice?"

"Hardly by the looks of them. Sure you have magic, but unless every member of the guard can cast spells like you two, I doubt they would last long against... anything I have seen to be honest."

"...Discord, dost thou hath anything to aid us in this matter?"

"Sorry Luna dear, but I simply can't do anything to prevent anything interdimensional from coming over," Discord answered. "Besides, that would be preventing chaos, and don't you two give me that look. I'm not going to bring anything over, nor will I stand back if something comes over that could do some serious harm. Can't have fun in Equestria if there isn't an Equestria in the first place. Now that I'm not needed here, I'm off to have some fun. But here's a little gift from me to you Aether." Discord snapped his fingers, disappearing as something suddenly blocked my vision.

"...What did he put on me this time?" I asked.

"...A giant costume head that... resembles you," Celestia answered. Taking it off, I saw that it was indeed a costume head version of my own, though its eyes... are ridiculously large spheres that stick out of the head in a slightly disturbing way. I then notice that it wasn't the only thing Discord left for me, for there was a matching body costume for the head, scores of figurines in one pile, stacks of shirts that had my face on them, and a fifteen foot tall statue of me with a deadpan look on my face.

"This has to be some kind of sick joke," I finally said after staring at all the stuff for a minute.

"I take it you're not one for glory."

"Nope. Seeking glory is something that would only do more harm than good in the long run, in my point of view at least."

"...Aether, while I assured you that nopony will expect you to d—"

"Just say what you want and I'll give you my answer," I dryly cut in, giving Celestia a flat look as I waited for her to get to the point.

"Very well, based on what you have told us, I believe that I will take you up on your advice on forming a team devoted to handling any future dimensional issues. Since you're the only pony on Equus that has any experience in interdimensional matters, I wanted to ask you if you would train this team."

"...I have the body of a filly, Princess; do you really think anypony would take me seriously enough to be trained by me?"

"That wouldn't be a problem, the Royal Guard will fol—"

"Having the Royal Guard being trained for this role is a horrible idea," I cut in.

"What dost thou mean?" Luna asked.

"Simple, their original training would be too ingrained into their minds that it may cause them to jump back into old habits that won't suit that role. Your Royal Guard follows some structured system, but to prepare for what may come, you have to toss any structure out the window. My former line of work relies on adaptability," I explained.

"I see, so we have to have fresh recruits for this team that Equestria needs. As to your physical state, we can assign a Royal Guard to enforce your decisions," Celestia replied.

"That's assuming I take the position, which I haven't."

"I see, how unfortunate. I suppose we'll have to do with an open minded commander from the Royal Guard. Though I wonder how they will utilize the Maralus core," Celestia said as she averted her eyes away from me.

"...Are you trying to trick me?" I asked as I gave her an irritated look.

"Hmm? I have no idea what you mean. I'm just looking out for my ponies," Celestia answered in a tone that spoke of false innocence.

Scowling, Aether said, "That's not going to work on me, many ponies from where I come from often try to trick others to get what they want. So drop the act already, cause I'm not going to fall for it."

Sighing, Celestia replied, "For one as young as yourself, you show wisdom beyond even the years of an adult. Is there anything I can do to convince you to further aid us?"

Tapping a hoof against my chin, I decided to weigh the outcomes. First case would be if I accepted the position, I would have to endure trying to train peaceful ponies into agents that wouldn't fall apart at any scenario. That, however, would be a miracle based on the stories of how many times Ponyville was sent into a panic. Second case would have some inexperienced fool train a team that would most likely get slaughtered, as well as possibly open a dimensional rift in a fashion that probably would doom this world. ...Buck, I have no choice but to do this after all. Though... I could set things up in my favor still...

"Fine, but only if we do this under conditions set up by me," I answered.

Celestia smiled before she said, "As long as they are reasonable. I know how young foals like yourself can be with their demands."

After giving her a short glare, I replied, "First, the training of the team has to be done in Ponyville."

"In Ponyville? We know that thou are attached to thy family and friends, but we could simply have a chariot pick thou up for the training sessions in Cantorlot. There exists a training academy for the Royal Guard that can be used for the training of this.... team," Luna responded.

"While I would like to stay close to my family and friends, it's more of the matter that this academy is designed for training guards, not ponies that would be following my line of work. This forest would serve as a useful training grounds, and since Ponyville is nearby it makes it a more suitable location. Furthermore, they will be going into the Everfree forest frequently after they have some training. From the stories I heard about that place, it would be the closest to matching the kind of stuff we should expect in other dimensions. This would help me ensure that they get the best training they could receive."

"That is a thoughtful and understandable request, are there any others?" Celestia asked.

"Yes, I would prefer to have volunteers for this team you want to form but they have to be young adults, like one would expect for recruits. No experienced adventurers who think they can handle anything, they would just be the same kind of problem as a trained Royal Guard would be. Furthermore, while I promise that whatever I do for my training will not cause any serious harm to anypony unless they caused it themselves, I want to be able to not have any outside forces manipulate my training methods. If I'm going to train anypony, I'm going to give them the most realistic scenarios I can to make sure I get rid of any ponies that wouldn't make it in the real deal."

"Once again, I can't find any fault in your request. Is that all?"

"Just one more thing, I want Luna to throw that statue of me at you."

This caused the two princesses to blink at my request as Luna said, "What."

"This is not a childish request, it's both the means of venting out my rage for you Princess Celestia as well as an effective means of teaching you a lesson of not messing around with alternative dimensions," I calmly said as I kept a straight face.

"No," Luna deadpanned, causing me to give her a shrug.

"It was worth a try. Though I wonder, why haven't you made any requests on me revealing all my knowledge of the other dimensions and stuff related to that?" I asked as I looked at Celestia.

"Cause there's no need. Twilight will naturally want to be the one to first learn all the information you possess, and she would pass all that to me," Celestia said with a smile that nearly looked like a smirk to me. Regardless, her words had truth to them that caused me to pale under the thought of what Twilight would do when she finally had the opportunity to question me.

...Buck.

Author's Note

Sequel here: Astral Aegis

Chapter I: Rise and Shine

Some people like to have the sun shining in their eyes as they wake up. Others don't. I'm one of the latter kind of folk, as I groaned when the rays of the sunrise struck my eyelids. Mumbling to myself in irritation, I went to rub my eyes with my hands, only to feel something hard against them. Opening my eyes a crack, I went to take a look at whatever was wrong with my hands, only to receive the sight of them not being there. Instead, I end up staring at a pair of dark purple hooves. Blinking stupidly at the sight, my eyes finally widened as what I saw finally registered in my mind. Tapping the two hooves together, I finally realized that my hands had turn into these things before me. This can't be real, I thought to myself before shaking my head and thinking that this was just some twisted dream, or a nightmare, perhaps, and that any moment I would wake up and laugh it off for its pure silliness.

As funny as it seemed to me to have hooves, and possibly facing a total species change, I enjoyed being like this in a dream as much as I would like it in reality. I preferred to just escape this dream, and I never had the knack for lucid dreaming. So, like any folk knows, causing injury to oneself is always a good way to jolt out of the dream. Holding my right “hoof” high above my left arm, I brought it down with as much force as I could.

...

"Fuck, that hurt!" I yelled out, retracting my right arm as I swung my left arm in pain, before the realization once again struck me. "That... hurt... but that means..." I said to myself, as my brain put two and two together. You're not supposed to feel pain in a dream, but here I was, with my left arm, if it is an arm, hurting from my self-inflicted injury. My first reaction, like anyone would normally have after realizing that they just suffered some kind of major changes to their body, was to have a bit of a panic attack as my lungs rapidly took in as much air as they can. However, I soon realized that it was rather pointless to have a panic attack, since it wouldn't do me any good, so I started to take control of my breathing, calming myself down.

Okay... so this is all real, no point at dwelling on that for now. What I really need to do is figure out what happened to cause this... change, as well as figure out just how much I changed... might as well do the latter first, I thought to myself, as I began to inspect myself. Looking upon myself, I saw that my shape had changed drastically, noting that my body structure had changed from a bipedal to a quadrupedal based on the fact that what appeared to be my now rear legs were of similar length to my forelegs. Looking behind my legs, I spotted that I still had a tail, except it's more hair and less bone and flesh then it was before, but at least I still had a tail, cause losing my digits was bad enough already.

Judging it was time to finally observe my surroundings, I swing my head around as I took full view of wherever I am. Before me, I saw what appeared to be a simple forest, with small wildlife roaming about, appearing to be nonthreatening, for now. Resolving that it was time for me to try to get moving instead of just laying here in the grass, I planted my hooves on the ground as I slowly lifted myself off it, starting with my rear before the rest went up in the air. Now I faced a new issue; figuring out how to walk with four legs instead of two.

Letting out a sigh, I gingerly took a step with my right foreleg, before feeling my rear left leg being stretched out, leading to me to move that next. It was slow going at first, with me occasionally faceplanting into the dirt every time I got impatient and tried to speed up my pace. Eventually, I spotted a small pond, which I approached as quickly as I could without getting more dirt up my nose. Taking a look at the clear water, I could make out the face of a dark purple furred creature that either had hair or possibly a mane of a silver color with dark blue streaks running through it in some places. There were dark purple ears poking out, turning this way and that at every sound I heard, as well as a matching dark purple horn sticking right out of that blue streaked silver mess on top of my head. But what really caught my attention was my eyes. They had silver pupils, but the real eye catcher was how huge they were. Rarely had I seen creatures with eyes this big, but there I was, one such creature myself as I stared at my own reflection.

"Well... now I have giant..." I started to say, before noting that my voice sounded oddly feminine to my ears. As I see my eyes widening in my reflection, I look down below myself to take stock of what's below. Seeing what I have feared, I return to look at my reflection as I grunted to myself. "Typical, it figures that something like this was gonna happen to me," I said to myself as I reminisced the memories of the various crap that I had been through. Letting out a sigh, I simply decided to move on, wanting to see if there is anything else to wherever I am beside this forest.

It took a few hours, which involved the onset of hunger and the discovery that my diet had shifted to that of a herbivore based on the structure of my teeth, to lead to my first try at grass- which, by the way, isn't nearly as bad as some people would think. That, or my species change made it much more palatable to my taste buds. I finally reached the outskirts of the forest, only to spot the first signs of civilization. Sighing in relief that I wasn’t stranded in some world devoid of sapient life, I made my way towards what appeared to be some village or town, unable to tell which since I couldn't fairly compare this place without seeing more population centers of this world. Though I was throwing all caution to the wind, based on how unusually peaceful the forest was compared to previous worlds and dimensions that I was forced to visit, I judged that this world must be much more friendly compared to some other worlds. All in all, even with all the extreme bodily changes I suffered, it seemed to me that this would be a good trade off if I could face the possibility of living the rest of my life peacefully.

As I was lost in my thoughts, I finally started to enter the town proper, before, for the third time that day, I made a startling revelation. Stopping in my tracks, I began to take note of all the creatures around, which, while thankfully appearing to be of the same species as whatever I was currently, all stood a full head above me. Furthermore, I took note of the coloration of their coats and manes, judging those terms to be the most appropriate based on how thick the coats where and how much hair the mane had, and noticed that they came in a riot of so many colors that for a moment it rendered myself dizzy from the sheer color overload my brain had to process. Moments later, after adjusting my eyes, I began to ponder why this species had so much color variation compared to the species of other worlds, as well as why I was so much shorter compared to the rest of them before I caught the sound of playful laughter to my ears, turning my head towards the source of the noise.

Before my eyes were a few of the creatures playing among themselves that had the same height level as I had. Based on how they were acting, as well as the height difference, they appeared to be children, which lead me to a startling conclusion. "I'm... I'm a child?!" I blurted out, as I began to ignore the creatures around me as I comprehend my current predicament. I'm stuck... in a foreign body... where I'm now female... and I'm a child to boot! I thought to myself. Sitting down on my rear, I remembered the memories of my old childhood, and shivered at the thoughts of having to go through something similar to that once more, much less puberty again, which brought up another shiver. Taking in several breathes, I simply stood up again and resumed my walk, wanting to inspect more of the town before I made any plans as I shoved the revelation of a second childhood to the depths of my mind.

Exploring the town, I was able to behold the sights and wonders of this mysterious and colorful place. Observing the species that surround me more closely, I learned that there were three distinct races to the species, ones with horns like mine that appeared to be able to levitate objects in some kind of aura that also surrounded their horns, which seemed to be a possible cause for the levitation, which I took note of in the hopes that I could learn, thinking that it would help offset the loss of my hands. The second race lacked a horn, instead having wings on their backs that enabled them to fly, which confounds me due to their wings being too small to generate enough lift to enable flight, hence causing me to wonder if there was a secondary ability that confers this race the ability of flight. The third race bared no horns nor wings, and as of yet displayed no special abilities that my eyes could observe. However, I did note that this third race, and sometimes the winged race, carried goods via gripping them with their mouths if they were not using these odd bags they wear on their backs. I shivered at the thought of carrying things around in my mouth, choosing to make learning how to use my horn to levitate objects a high priority.

Suddenly, I felt something tapping on my shoulder, causing me to jump and turn around in shock. All the while I entered a crouching position, my ears flayed against the back of my skull, appearing to be ready to take action as ingrained instincts took over for the moment. Years of roaming hostile worlds and dimensions would certainly ingrain these instincts into anyone, assuming they survived the trials of such places first. Before me stood an adult member of the species, which appeared to have concern on its face due to my reaction. Thankfully, despite being a species that I have seen no similar analogs to, their faces seemed to bare similar expressions to other sapient lifeforms that I had met in the past. Blinking for a moment, I assumed a more relax pose based on what I had observed so far as I tilted my head at the species as I wondered what it wanted.

Keeping its look of concern, the creature before me finally spoke, upon which I made yet another startling revelation. As words left the creature's mouth, I could not understand a single one of them. While I've been to many worlds and dimensions that certainly would have species that would have differing languages from one another, the method of travel that I normally had to take normally confer the means to understand these differing languages. This lead me to two cold hard facts. One, whatever brought me to this world or dimension wasn't my usual method of travel. Hence I had no idea of figuring the means of leaving this place if necessary, leaving me utterly trapped in this world as a result. Second, and currently more important, I had no damn way to talk to these creatures.

As these facts processed in my mind, I just simply stared at the creature with wide-eyed pupils, causing it to prod me once more before saying something again in its language. Unfortunately, instead of thinking this through like I normally would, all these shocking events finally ground the gears in my head to a halt, as I just responded, "I am utterly screwed." As my luck would have it, the creature didn't understood a thing I said, and simply started calling out to the rest of its species in concern, causing them to gather around the two of us, thereby trapping me for whatever fate has laid in store for me. With how things have been going so far for me today, I wouldn't be surprised if things just kept getting worse.

Chapter XII: Party Time

Surprises tend to trigger all sorts of responses from people. Some jump back or freeze up in fear, others won’t even be fazed by the surprise, and for a few, the surprise will trigger their fight-or-flight response. I was part of the third group, and my instincts had me go with the first option instead of the second. To make matters worse, the pony that ended up on the other end of my response was none other than Pinkie Pie.

"Owie owie owie..." Pinkie said as she nursed the bump on her head that I’d given her. Turned out that even if I was in a young child's body, I still knew how to hit hard. Unfortunately, Twilight and all the ponies that were for some strange reason hiding in the bakery, were glaring at me, while a few were at Pinkie's side, fussing over her.

"What the hay was that for?" cried Rainbow Dash, who was one of the ponies that was at Pinkie's side. Looking at Pinkie, I watched as she finally looked at me, her mane starting to fall and straighten as tears started to appear in her eyes. I heard a small whimper from her.

"Errr... I'm not good with surprises... was mistake... did not mean to hurt anypony. Sorry Pinkie," I said as a rubbed my right forehoof against my other foreleg. As crazy as these ponies were, I didn't really want to hurt any of them. Even my book throwing at Twilight's face wasn't strong enough to seriously hurt her. It was barely enough to stop her ranting.

Thankfully, my apology was enough to calm Pinkie down, her mane returning to its usual style as she instantly tackled me, hugging me tightly as she lifted me into the air as she said, "It's alright, Aether, it was just an accident." Still feeling shame for hurting her, I returned Pinkie's hug, only to hear a chorus of 'aw's from all the ponies around us, causing me to blush in embarrassment. I think I'm actually going native...

Before long, I broke my end of the hug. Fortunately, Pinkie placed me back on the floor instead of continuing the hug. Twilight, however still had an issue with my punch when she came over and said, "Even if it was an accident, Aether, you shouldn't hit other ponies when you get surprised."

"I did not mean to... it just happened..."

Releasing a sigh, Twilight was about to say something when Pinkie interrupted her, "Oh don't be a party pooper Twilight, it was an accident! Don't be a downer at Aether's party."

Looking at Pinkie with a raised eyebrow, I asked, "Party? This is my party?"

"It is silly! I wanted it to be a surprise ‘cause it's your 'Welcome to Ponyville' party, your 'Welcome to my family' party, your 'Congratulations on learning a new language' party, and-" Pinkie said before I stuffed my hoof into her mouth, though that didn't stop her from trying to talk.

"Okay Pinkie, I get it, it is my party, thank you." Pulling my hoof out of her mouth, I ended up receiving another bone-crushing hug from Pinkie before I was released again. As I was released from the hug, I saw that the party had officially started, with ponies talking to one another as they took part in the various activities Pinkie had set up. Before I could do anything though, I saw a familiar trio of fillies heading towards me.

"Hi there Aether! It's nice to see you can talk now!" said the unicorn filly. "Since you can understand us, let’s introduce ourselves, I'm Sweetie Belle."

"I'm Apple Bloom," the earth pony filly said with an odd accent.

The pegasus filly joined in as she said, "And I'm Scootaloo, and together we're-"

"THE CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS!" the trio said in tandem as they clapped their right forehooves together, their voices so loud that I had to cover my ears with my hooves, only to check after the exclamation to see if they were bleeding.

"Do you three have to be so loud? I could always talk, just could not talk in your words till few days ago," I complained. I was not in favor of being deaf at an early age. I took a quick look around, noting that Pinkie Pie and the others had left, probably so I could play with the fillies since we're around the same age, though I did see some other ponies flaying their ears back. Guess I wasn't the only one that found this trio's announcement to be too loud.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't know that... but anyway, a few weeks ago we saw that you didn't have a cutie mark, and..." Sweetie Belle said before stopping to check my flank. Seeing that it was still blank, she continued, "Since you can talk... in our language now, we were wondering if you want to join our club?"

Join their club? I don't think so, I like being able to hear still, I thought to myself as I opened my mouth to answer. Before I could get a single word out, another voice rang out, interrupting me.

"Why, what do we have here. The blank flanks have found another blank flank to join their stupid club." Turning my head towards the origin of the voice, I saw a pink coated earth pony filly that was wearing some kind of crown on her head approaching us, followed by a silver coated earth pony filly, both baring tattoos on their flanks, which I learned a week ago were called cutie marks. I remembered how absurd it was to me to learn that these flank tattoos denote a pony's 'special talents'. I recalled the thoughts I had that day. I wonder if there is a cutie mark for not being eaten by monsters on a daily basis.

As I muttered out the words 'blank flank' in confusion, Apple Bloom stepped forward as she said, "What are you doin' here, Diamond Tiara? This is Aether's party."

"Why, we were invited, of course, though if I knew it was a party for a blank flank, I wouldn't have come in the first place," the pony that I assumed was named Diamond Tiara said with a sneer. Huh, guess not everypony here is all nice. She must be the local bully by the sounds of things.

"You better not hurt Aether's feelings. This is her party, and she should be enjoying it, not dealing with you two," Sweetie said.

"Like I care about the feelings of some blank flank. Right, Silver Spoon?" Diamond said. The filly beside her gave a nod and joined in with her sneering. As the trio gave the two bullies fury filled glares, the duo just laughed as they did some kind of odd dance.

"Bump! Bump! Sugar Lump Rump!" they said before laughing at us again. Even though I knew they were mocking us, I found their little dance so hilarious that I just burst out laughing, drawing the duo’s attention.

“What are you laughing at blank flank?” Diamond asked as she glared at me.

They think they're better than us ‘cause they have those silly marks on their flanks? Even after they did that stupid dance? Guess someone has to one-up these brats, but I'm certainly can't do a thing about it yet. As long as I'm not fluent in their language, it would be easy for her to counter whatever I said. Oh well, guess it's time to for the usual stare down. Getting into the proper stance, I gave the duo my best Death Glare I had. Thankfully, despite being in a child's body, I seem to still be able to stare down other lifeforms, as the two blinked at my stare before shivering in surprise. My Death Glare has always been a valuable skill of mine. It helps avoid confrontations with various wildlife, which normally end with me running and screaming for my life.

"What... what are you doing?" Diamond responded, averting her eyes from my fury filled glare, as the other filly turned her head away to not have to look into my glare of death. I on the other hoof, kept up the glare, not saying a single thing as the trio beside me look at amazement at what I was doing. Eventually, the lead bully had enough when she said, "Come on, Silver Spoon. Let's stop wasting our time with these blank flanks," as she and her companion left us.

"Wow, I never saw a filly do that to Diamond Tiara before," Sweetie said.

"Yeah, I reckon I never saw Diamond get as flustered right then. How did you do it?" asked Apple Bloom.

Giving the trio a shrug, I simply said, "Eh, it was just a bad look I gave them. It will not work again though. Only works one time. They will not fall for it next time. So those two are always mean to you three?"

"Yeah, those two are always teasing us cause we don't have our cutie marks, always thinking they're better than us," Scootaloo said in an annoyed tone.

Hmmm... so those two are the local bullies, and it seems that they tease those that don't have cutie marks. Well, since there is always strength in numbers, might not be a bad idea to join this club of theirs, though I do need to find some earplugs. Looking at the trio, I asked, "So... this club of yours... what do you do in it?"

"Oh, we just do as many things as we can so we can find out special talents," Sweetie answered.

Rubbing a hoof against my chin, I found no issue with that reasoning, since I didn't know much about cutie marks anyway. "Eh, sure, why not, I will join your club."

Smiling in join, the trio bumped their forehooves together before Scootaloo said, "Alright then, tomorrow we'll take you to the club house for your initiation."

Oh, great, they even have an initiation... well, it can't be as bad as some I’ve heard of before. I remember hearing about one where they have to literally give up a limb to join. No idea why anyone would want to join that organization, though. Giving the trio a nervous smile, I suddenly spotted a pair of adults heading towards us, an earth pony with an orange coat and a yellow mane with some hat on her head, the other unicorn with a white coat and a shiny purple mane.

"I see that you met our sisters, Aether. Let me introduce myself, my name is Rarity," the white coated unicorn said.

"And my name is Applejack, nice to meet you," the orange earth pony said, sticking a hoof out for a shake. Sticking my own hoof in her grip, I instantly regretted my action when she shook it violently.

Is that suppose to be a shake‽ That felt like she was trying to yank my foreleg off ! After Applejack released my hoof, I gingerly rolled my shoulder, grimacing in pain as I said, "Nice to meet you two."

"Quite," Rarity said, pausing as she peeked at my flank. "I suppose that my sister and her friends had invited you to their club of theirs, am I correct?" Giving her a nod, she sighed as she said, "Well, it's nice of you to make some new friends, but please don't let that poor... demonstration of what you do when you’re surprised happen around them. They tend to do some very surprising things, after all."

Cocking an eyebrow, I looked at the trio, only to see them giving me sheepish smiles. After looking at them for a moment, I returned my gaze to the older sisters as I said, "Thank you for the warning, but I think I will be okay. I done... some crazy things too."

"Heh, I reckon that those three will give ya a run for your money," Applejack said.

"Huh? 'Run for your money'? You can get bits for just running?" I asked, utterly befuddled by the statement.

Facehooving, Applejack replied, "I plum forgot, you used to speak a different language, so there was no way ya ta know our expressions. It means that they will surprise ya by how crazy their ideas can be."

"Ohhh... no problem. I think I still done crazier things than they do." From behind me, I heard the trio muttering among each other after hearing my statement, causing me to wonder what they were up to.

"My word, I think you're underestimating them. They even tried for their fire fighting cutie marks," Rarity said, amused by my instance that I have done weirder stuff then them.

"Err.. what's 'fire fighting'?"

"Oh dear, well, it's where one puts out a fire, understand?" Rarity answered.

Blinking in surprise, I gave the crusaders another look before mindlessly I said "Well, that sounds crazy, but I think I done crazier things still."

"What ya talking about? What crazy things have ya done?" Applejack said with a bemused expression.

"Well, I... er..." I said before stopping, as I remembered that no one here knew that I came from another dimension, or world (I'm wasn’t quite sure if this was in my own dimension or not), and that it would be best that no pony knew about that yet. "Errr.. tough to explain, I need to know more words before I can say," I continued, hoping that satisfied Applejack.

However, instead of accepting my excuse, Applejack narrowed her eyes, but before she could say anything, Rarity spoke first. "Well, that is a problem, you having to still learn more Equestrian. But I'm sure that a young lady like yourself will be able to adapt to it soon enough. Come, dear Applejack, let's leave these four to their fun and games." As Rarity leaves us, Applejack gave me one long hard look before following her friend.

What was up with her? It was like... she knew I was hiding something... hopefully she'll forget it the next time we meet, cause I certainly don't want to deal with that issue again, I thought to myself before I return my attention to the crusaders as we spend the rest of the time having fun at the party.

Chapter XIX: Promise

"Hey, shorty, how was your last job?"

"I don't want to talk about it, and stop calling me shorty, Kalin!"

"Hey, when everyone is over a head taller than you, the name sticks. Besides, why don't you want to talk about it? Were the natives trying to tie you up and roast you over a spit? Or did you end up going to another wild planet where you were chased by giant newborn bugs again?"

"It was a planet with a sapient species. Does that satisfy your curiosity?"

"Come on shorty, that barely tells me anything. We all have embarrassing stories to tell, so why not tell us your latest one?"

"... There was a Venanite infestation."

"Ouch... were there any efforts to rescue the natives?"

"No, the infestation is too far along. The V.D.I. had to wipe the planet clean. I was... barely able to get out alive."

"It always sucks when the Venanites get a ho-"

"Gah!" I said, as I awoke from a sudden feeling of something cold and wet hitting me in the face. Opening my eyes, I saw the Crusaders above me with a concerned Cheerilee, with Scootaloo holding onto an empty glass.

"Scootaloo, I don't think you should be waking ponies like that," Sweetie Belle said.

"Eh, she's awake now, so no harm done," Scootaloo said, only to receive glares from her companions.

"Aether, are you all right? What happened?" Cheerilee asked. Wait... why was I uncon- oh... yeah... that sun and moon deal... how the hell can these ponies move the moon, much less the sun‽

Rolling onto my hooves, I stood up as I sheepishly said, "Sorry, I am fine, just was... surprised by what I heard. I'm fine."

"By what you heard? You mean about the princesses raising the sun and the moon?" Cheerilee asked as the class tilt their heads in confusion. Grand. Guess it's short story time now.

"Errr... I never learned... err... that. Or anything from... before... so... I did not know that someone raised the sun, thought it did it by itself," I said, as I rubbed the back of my head with a hoof.

"How could you not know the princesses raised the sun and moon?" Diamond Tiara said, which earned her a stern look from Cheerilee.

"Now Diamond, you can't blame Aether from not knowing since she came from a different culture. It may have been possible that they didn't hear of the princesses before. Now everyone, back to your seats, it's time to continue the lesson."

As I returned to my seat, Cheerilee continued with the history lesson, which honestly made little sense to me, but I'm gonna just chalk it up to 'magic'. So I just sat there, trying to make heads or tails of the lesson until it was lunch time, at which point Cheerilee dismissed the class... classes are only in the morning... that explains why these foals are so behind in their education.

As we filed out of the the classroom, the Crusaders crowded around me, as Scootaloo asked, "Hey, Aether, do you have any more awesome ideas for a cutie mark like that rock climbing one?"

Are these fillies gluttons for punishment? I thought to myself as I gave Scootaloo a blank stare, before giving her a twisted grin as an idea came to mind. "Why yes, I do have some ideas..."

"Are you sure you want to do that Scootaloo?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yeah, I don't think this is a very good idea," Apple Bloom said, as the two fillies look up at the small obstacle course that I’d set up in some alleyway through the use of boxes and discarded wooden boards. I manage to set things up so that it was a course perfect for the practice of parkour, though explaining the matter was... difficult, to say the least. Eventually I had to resort to giving them a live demonstration, as I vaulted over and slid under various obstacles, eventually leading to a sort of climb on some wooden crates where I demonstrated a wall jump at the narrowest portion of the alley. Apparently by the expression of wonder the fillies had, this wasn't something you saw everyday in this world.

"Hey, if Aether can do it, so can I," Scootaloo said as I simply watched from the roof I was casually lying down on. While Scootaloo was confidant that she could repeat my performance, I had my money on her messing up before she even got to the wall jump. Before the other two Crusaders could say a thing, Scootaloo had already started, dashing down the alleyway to the series of wooden boards propped up on boxes of various sizes. As I watched her, she leapt over the first one, then tried to slide once she reached the ground underneath the next one, only to collide with the box holding the board up. Her crash instantly stopped her momentum, which only served to cause the board the box was holding up to come down on her head.

"Ohhh... that has got to hurt," Sweetie said as Scootaloo got up from the mess and resumed her run. She jumped over the third and fourth board, but misjudged the fifth one that was built for sliding under, as she tried to jump that one as well. Instead, her hoof caught onto the edge of the board, causing her to fall down face first into the dirt. If only there was some way for me to record this, I thought to myself with a chuckle as I watched Scootaloo get up and wipe her face clean. Still determined to mimic my own moves, she pressed on, jumping onto the crates near me for the wall jump. Once she reached the top of the crates, she jumped onto the wall next to them, then launched herself off of it.

Apparently, confidence can only get one so far, for instead of landing onto the opposite wall with her hooves, she instead landed with her face, followed by the rest of her body. Stifling a laugh, I simply watched as Scootaloo slid down the wall for a moment before peeling off it, landing on her back as the other two Crusaders run up to her with concern shown in their faces.

"Scootaloo, are you alright?" Apple Bloom asked as she helped Scootaloo onto her hooves.

"Yeah... I'm fine," Scootaloo said.

"I told you that you were not ready for the last part," I commented, watching the three from my perch above them.

As Scootaloo mumbled to herself and her face begins to redden, Sweetie asked, "How did you get so good at this?"

"This is simple, but I had a lot of practice. Also, do not feel bad Scootaloo, when I first started, I landed on my face a lot too," I admitted, hoping that the fact that I had similar mishaps on my first try at parkour would cheer her up.

Thankfully, it worked as Scootaloo chuckled to herself as she said, "You probably landed on your face so many times that you broke your muzzle."

Rolling my eyes, I jumped down onto the crates, only to hear someone yell out.

"What in tarnation‽ What are you fillies up to now‽" Looking down the alley, I saw Applejack coming down on us, fuming with anger as she carried a cart of apples via some sort of... saddle.

Raising an eyebrow, I jumped off the box as I saw the Crusaders grinning awkwardly as Apple Bloom said, "Hi there, sis. What are you doing here?"

"I was walkin' back to the farm when I plum saw Aether jumpin' off a roof and that-" Applejack paused as she looked at the rest of the alleyway before continuing, "-obstacle course you darn fillies had set up!"

As the trio began to sweat, I saw it was time for me to take over as I said, "What do you think? We are 'crusading' for our Cutie Marks."

Looking at the alleyway one more time, Applejack gave me a stern look as she said, "Let me guess, this was your idea, Aether. Didn't I told ya to not give these fillies dangerous ideas."

"This is safe, nothing here is dangerous," I said, deciding that after being caught in the rock climbing and now this, there was no point in hiding that I knew how to handle myself in situations where one has to take odd measures to get something done.

"Nothing here is dangerous‽ You plum jumped off the roof of a house!"

"It is safe when you know what you are doing."

"You are a young filly, I doubt that you know what you're doing," Applejack said as she glared at me.

Giving her a huff, I decided to demonstrate my wall climbing again, and before Applejack could say or do anything about it, I was on the rooftop again. "Do you think that I do not know what I'm doing now?" I asked, challenging her as the Crusaders gape at my open defiance.

Blinking in shock, Applejack shook her head clear before giving me a stern look again. "Now look here, Aether. This kind of stuff ain't something a filly should do, or even know about."

"Well, if the filly is normal, but if the filly has been living alone for thirteen years, then maybe this might not be so strange to know," I said, glaring back at her, causing her look to change from anger to shock.

"Well I... I mean... Aether you sti—" Applejack tried to say before I decided to hammer my point home.

"Applejack, I have live by myself for thirteen years, they were hard years, and I had to go through things that are not easy. Some dangerous things. I do not want to talk about them, and I can not explain them since I still do not have the words to explain them yet."

"Alright... alright. I'll won't argue on if you’re really able to do that, but you still shouldn't be showin' the fillies how to do that stuff. Now I want you to make a Pinkie Promise that you won't show the Crusaders that kind of stuff again."

"Pinkie Promise? There is a promise named after Pinkie?" I asked as I tilted my head.

"Yeah, it goes like this. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," Sweetie Belle said as she placed a hoof over her eye.

"Is that.. needed?" I asked as I looked at Applejack again with a skeptical look, who only gave me a firm nod. Sighing, I said, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my-ow!" as I repeated what Sweetie Belle did, except I poked my eye with my hoof. Next time I should close it if I ever had to do that weird promise again.

"Good. Now remember, Aether, breakin' a promise would be losing a pony's trust in you. And losin' a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend forever," Applejack told me, to which I was about to roll my eyes to when suddenly one of the nearby boxes open to reveal Pinkie's head that stopped right before my face.

"FOREVER!" Pinkie yelled in my face, to which I yelped and swung a hoof at her, for only her to dodge it. "I was ready for that one! Sorry for surprising you," Pinkie said before disappearing into the box as its lid closed. Rushing to the box, I opened it to find nothing inside. My mind completely numb, I looked at the rest of the ponies with a flabbergasted face.

"Yeah... that's Pinkie for ya, and you don't want to break a Pinkie Promise or she'll get ya," Apple Bloom said, to which the others gave a nod to.

...I think I just screwed myself over, I thought to myself, as I simply stared at them with my dumbfounded face.

Chapter XXVI: Blue

Another morning, another breakfast, another day of the twins creeping me out, another... wait, something seemed off with Pinkie Pie this morning, for she wasn't exactly displaying her usual level of excitement. This meant something was happening today that involved her, though it might be related to Twilight's friend who's coming over. Regardless, it didn't concern me, though. Since today wasn't a school day. I was probably going to spend the day with the Crusaders.

After I left the bakery, I was looking around for any sign of them until I noticed that the streets were less crowded than normal. Hmm... maybe some event is going on... maybe I should go find out what it is. I might be able to use it to distracted the Crusaders for the day, I thought to myself as I first headed to the town square. Unfortunately, whatever it was that was going on wasn't there, though I suddenly heard some ponies sneezing rather loudly. Turning my head towards the source of the sound, I received the sight of a blue Applejack and Rarity walking by, sneezing as ponies gave them a wide berth as they stared at the sick duo. The two seemed to making a beeline to their respective homes, or possibly the hospital, though their sneezing was making things difficult for them, since it literally sent them flying a few feet each time they sneezed.

Okay... I really hope that they don't have some kind of contagious disease, or a plague... I thought to myself as I turned away from them, only to bump into somepony, causing me to land on my rear. "Sorry abou-" I started to say before I actually got a look at whomever I bumped into, only to receive the sight of some... blue fuzzy... belly? As I looked at the owner of the belly, I received the sig- what the fuck is that‽ It was a tall creature, taller than any I seen on this world, and looked like some mad surgeon decided to sew together various parts of various creatures together.

"My my, what do we have here. It looks like an ordinary filly, but something tells me she is more than she appears to be," the creature said as his (assuming his masculine voice is related to his gender and not related to more surgery) body coiled around me, his face smiling at me with his single fang.

"What do you mean? Wait, who are you, what are you?" I asked, as I looked around, only to see the ponies giving an even wider berth to the creature around me. Really? When a monster like this appears and is trapping a foal, ponies just abandon them?

"Why, I'm wounded that you don't recognize me, Discord, the Spirit of Disharmony, and a draconequus since you asked."

"Okay... Discord... but what's a 'spirit of disharmony'? And why should I... know you, we never met before," I asked, causing him to blink in surprise as he frowned at me.

"What are they teaching ponies these days in those schools of theirs? Though, I was always in favor of the learning by experience route," Discord said as he snapped his claws while he stood straight, causing a desk to appear with me sitting in it. "Class is now in session."

"Wait... what?"

"No speaking during the lesson without being called on," Discord said as he snapped his claws again, causing my muzzle to disappear in a flash. At first, I simply blinked, before I placed a hoof at where my muzzle used to be. After feeling out my face for a moment, that is when I decided to panic, flailing my hooves around as I fell out of my desk. I was about to run around in my panicked state when I heard a snap, and felt my muzzle restored.

Looking at the creature, I said in my language, "What... the fuck.. what in limbo are you..." as I started to backpedal from him.

Curving his body to where his head was upside down, he said, "Hmm? What do we have here, a pony that can speak a different language. But not just any language, a language not of this world."

Those last words caused me to pause my backpedaling, as my expression turned from fear to curiosity as I asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Why, you think the god of chaos can't notice when something doesn't belong in the grand scheme of things, something that disrupts the nature and harmony of this world? You're practically a beacon of irregularity among ponies, if one knows what to look for, but we can't have these ponies know, so how about a change of scenery?" Discord said as he snapped his fingers, causing the both of us to teleport outside of town.

Snapping my head around for a moment, I let out a sigh as I turned my head back towards him. "What makes you think I am like this? Just because I speak... different words? What do you mean, 'know what to look for'?" I asked, as I tried to probe for information on how he was able to find me out, if he wasn't bluffing.

"You don't have to be so difficult, unless you want me to start spilling the beans to all the other ponies about your true nature," Discord said as he snapped his fingers, causing a bag to appear over my head as beans spilled out of it and onto my head.

"Would they really believe that? I do not think ponies will believe that me, a small foal, is not what I appear to be," I countered.

"Perhaps, but Celestia might not be so willing to take a chance with you," Discord said with a sneer.

Narrowing my eyes at him at the mention of one of the princesses, I asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, let's say that Celestia’s concern for the well-being of her ponies might force her hand in, let's say, taking drastic measures to ensure their safety."

"Tell me then, how can I, who is a small foal, can be a threat to other ponies?"

"Oh, it's not the size that matters, it's the fact that you may have knowledge that these simple ponies just can not even hope to comprehend, along with the fact that you just don't belong."

Raising an eyebrow, I asked, "What do you mean by me not belonging?"

"Oh, dear me. You, a creature from another world, do not know the consequences of not belonging to the natural state of this world? Allow me to explain," Discord said as he snapped his fingers, a lab coat and glasses appearing on him along with a floating chalkboard right behind him. "When a being comes from another world, or another dimension, to any other world or dimension, they weaken the barriers around the world. That would have untold consequences onto the state of the world, not only the fact that oth-"

"I know that already, but you are just trying to fool me," I interrupted, folding my forelegs across my chest.

However Discord's face took on an expression of shocked as he asked, "What do you mean? I'm not trying to fool you, though honestly that would be fun."

"If I am right about the word 'dimension' that you just used, that... problem only happens when a... when something comes to a world the wrong way," I said with a huff of annoyance. Considering that Discord can somehow see what I am, in some way or fashion, I judged that it was pointless to put up anymore appearances in regards to him.

"Wait, are you saying that there is a way for creatures to simply go to other worlds or dimensions without causing harm in the process?" Discord asked, a smile that only spoke of mischievous intent appearing on his face.

"Do not even think about it, unless you want to... go away for good," I said as I gave him a smug grin, confident that I ruined whatever ideas he was coming up with. Instead, he just laughed at me, causing me to scowl at him.

"You honestly think there is something that can kill me, the god of chaos? I can toy with reality as I see fit. There is nothing that can truly be a threat to me."

"...You forgot that I can not understand every word you said," I said bluntly, causing Discord's mirth to fade as he frowned at me.

"Oh right, hmmm... I am very powerful then, I can play with the sun and moon and everything. I can change anything I want into something else whenever it pleases me. Simple enough for you?" he said in an obviously mocking tone.

"Yes, I understood this time," I said dryly. "That does not matter, there are things like you out there, and things that can still get to you, or even eat you still. This world is peaceful, stick to it, it is safe. Out there, is so much... well... some many things go away for good so much, it is not a good place to be for anypony," I explained with the utmost serious expression I could muster, causing Discord's expression to match mine.

"Perhaps you have a point, though I wonder..." Discord said as he narrowed his eyes as he peered at me. He soon started to close in on me, causing me to rear my head back a bit as I wondered what he was doing. "Amazing, while you appear to have this otherworldly nature to you, I can't see any sort of distortions coming off you that would harm our world."

"Told yo- wait... how would Princess Celestia know about dimensions and other worlds?" I asked. If there were truly beings that know about the other dimensions, that might explain my strange entrance to this world, along with why that dimensional machine exploded mysteriously.

"Oh, I would love to tell you, but if I did, you may start getting ideas that a little filly shouldn't be getting," Discord teased. As I frowned upon him, he said, "Oh please, don't give me that look, it'll give you wrinkles." He snapped his fingers, causing a mask to appear on my face. Taking off the mask, I looked at it to see that it looked just like mine would if I was ancient.

"Ha ha, very funny, so what do you want from me?" I said as I tossed the mask aside.

"Nothing."

"...Nothing?"

"Indeed, nothing."

"...Are you serious?"

Letting out a laugh, Discord just grinned at me as he said, "All I need from you is to stay here. Since your presence is not going to cause any direct harm to the world's barriers, there is nothing for me to be concerned about in regards to you. However, your very nature will surely bring about some chaos, which I would love to sit back and watch. Just your language alone was enough to give Twilight fits. That reminds me, I have a date that I need to get to, but before I go," before he snapped his fingers, and I suddenly felt something around my barrel.

Looking to my side, I saw some string around it, before I felt some tugging force the lifted me off the ground. Looking up, I saw a mass of balloons lifting me into the air. Turning my head at Discord, I simply said, "Really?"

"Oh, just a little gift from your good friend Discord, have fun," Discord said before he disappeared, leaving me to float aimlessly in the air. With my transmutation magic being too underdeveloped to have an effect on the balloons, and my attempts on telekinesis failing due to the sheer number that were tied to me, I was left stuck in my predicament, which was only made worse by the fact that I was floating away from town.

Hours passed by as I was left to float in the air, as I wondered how long it would take for anyone to notice this mass of balloons in the air or the fact that I was missing, when I heard a voice calling out from below me. Looking down, I spotted Pinkie Pie looking up at me as she yelled, "Aether, what are you doing up there with all those balloons?"

"This was a gift from Discord," I answered, glad that I was finally found.

"Oh, you met Discord! You didn't get close to him right? He has the Blue Flu and it would be sad for you to catch that. It was sure nice of him to give you that gift of course, it looks like a lot of fun," Pinkie said.

After staring at Pinkie for a moment at how she could view this as 'fun', I yelled, "Yes, this is fun and all, but... GET ME DOWN NOW!"

Chapter XXXVII: Siblings

Looking at the two older siblings and Rainbow Dash, I gulped at the thought of how I was going to handle three angry mares at once. Whispering to Sweetie Belle from the corner of my mouth as I angled my head to hide it, I asked, "Did any of you talk to them?"

Letting out a short giggle, Sweetie Belle said, "We didn't have the time... and when we saw them coming they were mad already."

Groaning to myself, I look at the approaching adults to see their faces. Rainbow's face was the angriest of them all, though I already knew that it was mostly due to having the least amount of self-control compared to her peers. Applejack's face was locked into a bit of a scowl, her eyes projecting anger, but not rage, which meant that she may still be reasonable. Rarity, on the other hoof, just had a frown on her face, though her eyes had the look of someone who was annoyed. As the three came upon us, Rainbow was about to open her mouth before Rarity stick out a hoof in front of her face.

"Please Rainbow, like I said before, it may be best if we get Aether's side of the story," Rarity said.

"I know what you're feelin' Dash, but Rarity has a point. I'm plum angry about what I heard too, but it'll be best if we let her explain... this," Applejack, said, causing Rainbow to shut her mouth, but not without mumbling something to herself.

As the trio turned their attention towards me, Rarity open her mouth to say something, yet I decided to follow her earlier example as I said, "I can guess why you three are here, but let me say this then first. Most of what you heard is false."

Cocking an eyebrow, Rarity said, "Oh? So you didn't participate in a brutish fight?"

Blinking at that question, I thought to myself, Okay... news certainly travels fast here. "No... that is true, what else have you heard?"

Before Rarity could continue, Rainbow flew up to my face as she said, "How about the fact that you're only into fillies and that is why you're hanging with the Crusaders!"

"Rainbow! I thought you were going to restrain yourself," Rarity admonished as Applejack bit down on the tip of Rainbow's tail before dragging her away from me.

During all that, I could only facehoof and groan to myself. "So you three... really think I would just play with my friends only for a kiss session?" Beside me, I could hear the Crusaders making various signs of disgust, with even Scootaloo gagging a bit.

"Well, you do have those per-" Rainbow started to say before Applejack and Rarity slammed a hoof over her mouth as they smiled widely at us, while I just facehoofed with the other hoof, covering my face with both of them as I released an even louder moan.

"Hey, why did you stop Rainbow from telling us what Aether has?" Sweetie Belle asked.

Pulling down my hooves from my face, I said to Rainbow, "Nice job there Rainbow." Turning my attention to Sweetie, I replied, "Do not ask Sweetie Belle, it is something related to my parents." Eyes widening, I saw Sweetie nodding her head, the other two nodding as well when I laid my eyes upon them.

"So... was what Rainbow said true, Aether?" Applejack asked, her fury less directed at me and more at Rainbow as she let go of her tail, but not without shooting her a look.

"That is the one thing that is false. The Crusaders are my friends, and I do not think of them in that... way," I answered before I grimaced, sticking out a tongue at the idea. "Honestly, why did you three actually thought that about me? You really should not let... what is that word..."

"Rumors?" Sweetie supplied for me.

"...Yeah... rumors. Thanks Sweetie," I said as I looked at the three mares. Their anger soon faded into embarrassment, Applejack circling a hoof against the ground as Rainbow looked to the side, blushing a bit from her now pointless rage.

"Well, dear, that is a relief. Though I have to ask, what caused those rumors to surface in the first place?" Rarity asked.

"Do you three happen to know the colts called Snips and Snails?"

"Pfft, of course we know them. Hard to forget that they led an Ursa Minor to Ponyville when Trixie first came here," Rainbow answered. "Wait... they were the ones who started those rumors?"

After giving Rainbow a nod, Rarity asked, "I know those two have a penchant for... not thinking things through properly, but what would possess them to come up with such an idea?"

"It was from me telling them that I am not interested in colts. Somehow they came to those ideas and ran off to tell everypony before I could do a thing. I thought other ponies would know better to believe them... but it seems like I was wrong about that," I said dryly. "So where did you three heard about this?"

"Well, I heard it from Carrot Top while I was settin' up my apple stand."

"Heard it from another member of the weather team."

"I overheard somepony talking about it while I was out getting groceries."

"So... that means the entire town has heard this rumor..." I said in an exasperated tone. Dropping my heads into my hooves, I continued, "I can not believe that those two could cause that much damage so quickly."

"Now don't you worry about that. We'll get the word out about that rumor bein' false," Applejack declared.

"Indeed. It is my duty as a fair citizen of Ponyville to dispel that horrid rumor," Rarity said.

The two mares then looked up at Rainbow, who was tapping a hoof against her chin. A short moment passed before Rainbow said, "Here's something I don't get, why would you tell those two that... oh..." before her muzzle split into a wide grin.

As Rainbow started to open her mouth, I decided to cut her fun short as I said, "Say it and I will start saying the stuff that you three do not want me saying, ever," as I pointed a hoof at the Crusaders. This caused Rainbow to go wide-eyed at my implications as she shut her mouth, though I could still hear her muttering to herself.

"What? Stuff we can't hear?" Apple Bloom asked.

"Same answer from before," I answered, ending their questions, but Scootaloo only glared in response to the idea that she was being kept in the dark about something.

Clearing her throat to get everyone's attention, Rarity said, "Well, while it’s good to know that those rumors are mostly false, I believe that we need a more private talk with Aether on the matters of the fight and... other things. So, girls, would you so kindly move along? I assure you that Aether will be able to follow you shortly."

"But Rarity, Aether already had to a talk with Miss Cheerilee and Pinkie Pie about the fight," Sweetie Belle whined as I raised an eyebrow at whatever intentions Rarity has in mind.

"Now, Sweetie, we all have our own concerns that we wish to express to Aether, but I believe that it would be best for her if you three didn't hear them," Rarity said before giving me a look that told me to help.

Sighing, I said, "It is alright Sweetie, I do not think this will take too long. This might be something that I like to keep as private, like my... parents... I will meet you three in the clubhouse, how about you start getting ready for our next crusade?" I said, causing the three fillies to nod glumly before heading off. After they are out of earshot, I look at the Rarity as I said, "Okay, what is this about now?"

"Dear, you don't have to be so blunt about it... I'm just curious about your distaste in... romantic relationships with colts. I know that you're more mature about that subject, but I was wondering if you perhaps didn't know about some of the reasons that mares and stallio-"

"I know that sex leads to foals," I deadpanned, though my blatant use of the word 'sex' caused both Applejack and Rarity to blush, though Rainbow wasn't phased by it.

"So... you're not interested in havin' any foals in the future?" Applejack asked. Odd she's aski- no wait, she's big on family. Of course she would ask something like that.

"Having foals, is probably not going to happen since I will not have any interest in dating colts ever. Raising foals... ask me years later, because that is a different matter," I answered.

"Well... okay... but are you not interested in dating anypony?" Rarity asked.

"Why are you three so interested in my love life?" I groaned, causing Rarity to blush from my statement. "Look, I do not know if I will be interested in fillies or not, I only know for certain that I will not like colts. Ask me again in several years, maybe I might develop interest, maybe not. Can we just drop this now?"

"Alright Aether, we'll drop it then. Go have fun with your friends. Hopefully they learned somethin' from bein' grounded twice about doin' things too dangerous for ‘em," Applejack replied. Giving the trio my farewells, I started my trip to the clubhouse as I steeled myself for whatever plans the Crusaders have in store for today.

"I can't believe you actually punched Diamond like that!" Scootaloo exclaimed, as I dumbly nodded at her. The moment I arrived at the clubhouse, I was bombarded with talk of the fight between Diamond and me, if you can call it a fight. "I knew you were awesome, not as awesome as Rainbow Dash of course, but you were amazing out there!"

"I never thought that you win that fight like that. I mean... well... I knew that in a fight between you and Diamond that you would win, but I didn't thought you would win so easily," Apple Bloom said.

"You three... must really dislike her a lot," I replied.

"Well yeah, she and Silver Spoon have been teasing us since forever!" Sweetie said.

"You’ve got to teach me that headlock you did on Diamond. It looked like she would never get out until you let her go," Scootaloo demanded. Upon hearing that demand, I just looked at her with a look that said 'are you fucking kidding me?' "What? Why are you giving me that look?"

"You just got finished with your punishment... and now you want me to teach you something that will only get you grounded again? Do not answer please... I am just not going to teach anypony how to do that," I stated.

"Awww... but it looked to cool." Scootaloo complained as I rolled my eyes.

"How about we just move onto getting our Cutie Marks? I am wondering what you three decided to try this time," I said in an attempt to change the subject.

"Oh, we're going to try bungee jumping!" Sweetie Belle said.

"Oh... um... what is bungee jumping?" I asked.

"Wait, you don't know what bungee jumpin' is?" Apple Bloom asked as all three looked at me in surprise.

...Really? They are trying another 'extreme' thing? How many times do they need to be grounded till they learn their lesson? I thought to myself. "What... it is not like I am going to know every 'extreme' thing out there. Can anypony explain to me what it is?"

"Oh, it's where we get a rope, tie it to some bridge high over a ravine, and jump off it."

"...What the buck?"