A New Everything On Life

ONLY THE SOUNDS OF rattling controllers, soft gunfire, and casual talk echoed through the room, but none seemed to reach my ears as my mind was screaming at me. At the moment, I was face to face with this large equine, Celestia as she introduced herself, trying to decide what I should do. All the others in the room just seemed so comfortable, even Dean spoke to her as if this was something you would see every day! But Celestia isn't something you could see every day! She's a damned horse with a horn and wings, straight out of mythology, I think. My mind was starting to revert to a more primal level, and a certain phrase kept popping into my head.

Fight or flight.

Something about Celestia just set my nerves on edge, and yet tried to calm me at the same time. These conflicting waves waged their arguments in my head. The part of my that wanted to scamper out of here had good reason. Celestia just seemed to radiate power, immense raw power, just as if she was some sort of deity that could kill me with a simple flick of her hoof. At the same time, this feeling would swell, then shrink as the calming aura surrounding Celestia tried to make me feel safe. She held something in her eyes, something that reminded me of how my mom would look at me when I had woken from a nightmare when I was in grade school. Sanctuary.

The part of me that wanted to fight... didn't want to at all. It changed over to the 'run-away-like-your-fucking-car-is-about-to-explode' side as soon as this whole thing in my head started. Celestia's powerful influence on me—simply by standing in front of me!—said that anything I would do would be met with a reaction, whether good or bad. I honestly didn't know if I wanted either.

After what must have been quite a number of minutes, Dean gave my shoulder a soft shake. When I didn't respond, he repeated his action with earnest, before placing a hand on my cheek and forcibly turning my head towards his own.

"Jenny? Jennifer, are you there? Jennifer?" He gave my other cheek a light tap. "Jenny, talk to me."

"I'm... here," I managed to squeak.

"Do you know where you are?" Dean asked me, obviously thinking I had just suffered an aneurism. And I think I may have too.

"...Uh... you said... Canterlot?"

"Is everything okay, young one?" I turned my head out of Dean's grasp to look at Celestia again. I just shook my head, not so much as an answer to her question, but to try and restart my brian. I mean, brain. Thinking organ. Celestia, however, must have interpreted my head motion as my answer, so in response Celestia pressed a wingtip to my forehead. She shouldn't exist. Humans are the only creature capable of speech, and I don't count those stupid birds that can imitate words. This had to be fake, just had to be. But Celestia... just seemed too real to be anything other than such. Even the tip of her wing, which is still sitting on my skin just below my hairline, feels too real. Soft, velvety fur on top of smooth, warm skin. The edges of her feathers tickled my cheek, and they were as real as the feathers of Sandy's cockatiel.

"Dean, are you sure she crossed over safely?" Celestia asked, snapping me out of my stupor. I felt an arm drape around my shoulders, which caused me to bring my own hands up and cross them over my chest, gripping the flesh of my arms as I tried to apply logic to the situation.

"She seemed to, yes," Dean started. "Her vitals were normal, and she had no trouble walking over here with me." I felt Dean's forehead press against the side of my head as he pulled me closer, trying to comfort me. "Jenny, are you okay? What's wrong?"

I let the question hang in the air for a moment or two, trying to form words, but... I just couldn't. I shut my eyes, covered them with my left hand, and shook my head again.

"...Oh... I believe I know what's wrong with her," Celestia said as she pulled my away from Dean with her wing. She kept me close to her side, using her wing as a bit of a blanket. "Dean," Celestia said slowly, lowering her head to look him in the eye, "did you... tell her about us ponies?" Dean's eyes widened a bit before he smacked himself, leaving his hand firmly planted on his forehead.

"No, I didn't. Completely overlooked it when we were talking."

"Dean, you know how important it is that we ease new arrivals into this," Celestia said in a soft scolding tone. "Seeing me here possibly scared Jennifer half to death, not to mention her mind must be stressing itself out trying to process this." I felt her move, and the side of Celestia's face entered my view. "Isn't that right?" she asked me. I just nodded at her. Celestia gave me a smile. "Would you like to go to your bedchamber? Perhaps have some time to think about this?" Again, I nodded. Celestia turned back to the rest of the room, making me turn with her.

"Everypo—Everybody, eyes forward, please." All of the large room went silent. The gamers had paused their game and gazed over the backs of their beanbags, while their spectator stood up and straightened her shirt, which didn't cover the last few inches of her belly. The other two men paused their movie and stood up, and the mechanic in the back looked up, smearing black smudge on her dark skin. "This is Jennifer Hawkins. She's the newest arrival in Equestria."

I got a hello of some sort from everyone in the room. The gamers gave out welcoming signs with their hands, the girl with them smiled and waved normally, the two movie-goers actually voiced their greetings, and the mechanic girl in the back gave me a mock salute with a friendly smile. I dumbly waved back to them all, and Celestia gave me a squeeze.

"Everyone, Jennifer here is currently having a difficult time with the situation, so I shall show her to bed for the day. We will postpone the normal meet-and-greet until she feels ready. Are you okay with that, Jennifer?" I nodded again, which signaled Celestia that I was apparently ready to go. She turned me around and we began walking to the door. "We'll conduct proper introductions later," Celestia said loudly so the whole room could hear, before lowering her voice to where I could only hear her. "As for now, I'll escort you to your room. I should explain what Dean had left out."

"Sorry about that, you two," I heard Dean mutter as he held the door open for Celestia and me.

"That's quite alright Dean, just bad timing on both our parts," Celestia said calmly. She guided me along the same corridor as Dean had, just the other way. But once we got to the turn, we continued straight ahead, away from the hall that led to the medical wing.

As we walked, I couldn't help but look out the windows. Outside was nothing but large fluffy clouds on an endless blue canvass. The clouds actually had a cartoonish look to them, all poofy and rounded, almost like I could touch one. I actually stopped, which causes Celestia's wing to slip from my shoulders, and stepped closer to the window to get a better look. I think the castle must have been build into the side of a cliff, because all I see is a long way down aside from the clouds. Looking from left to right, I could see a bit of land sticking up from the far right, and it was covered in greenery.

"...Are you okay, little one?" I turned back to Celestia and looked up at her. She, once again, pulled me closer with her wing, and  felt my arms go around her neck.

"...I just don't know what's happening."