A New Take 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 being 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—one she casted simply by standing in front of me!—said that anything I would do would be met with a reaction, whether good or bad would be based on my own reaction. 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. No, Princess Celestia, as she said. 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. The Princess, 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 was still sitting on my skin just below my hairline, felt 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. When we were chatting back in her room, everything seemed fine." 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," Princess Celestia said as she pulled me 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 probably 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 younger men paused their movie and stood up, and the mechanic in the back looked up, smearing black sludge on her dark skin as she wiped her face with the back of her hand. "This is Jennifer Hawkins," Celestia continued. "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 dark blue canvass now that the sun had set. The clouds actually had a cartoonish look to them, all poofy and rounded, almost like I could touch one. I actually stopped, which caused 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 saw was 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.

There really was something about this place... something unreal. It seemed so vibrant, and much more colorful than home. At the risk of sounding a tad cliché, this whole world felt so mystic, so magical, like it was right out of the mind of a child. And it just didn't sit right with me. I was so used to the cold breezes that blew in from the Great Lakes, so used to my school schedule that brought me and all my friends together, so used to seeing that same dent in my locker as I swapped my math book for history, so used to going home and sitting on the bench in front of my piano and playing when I got bored and didn't want to read...

"...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." I croaked out, letting Celestia's protective aura wash over me. Whoever Celestia is, she was a friend, I could feel that. "...I just don't understand." I felt Celestia sit down and bring my body closer to her own, using both wings this time to envelop me in a warm blanket of soft, downy feathers. Even her gold collar felt warm.

"...To feel like you have been torn from your home," Celestia said to me calmly, "...I can never truthfully say that I know what that feels like. However, after seeing nearly all of the humans that cross over to our realm, I have gained a small bit of insight. It hurts, doesn't it."

"Mm-hmm," I hummed out while nodding into her neck.

"...I must tell you something," my protector whispered in my ear. She carefully unwrapped her wings from me and looked me dead in the eye. "...Humans are a brand new species here on Equus. And even though there are only a few here in the castle, you are among friends here. We ponies are the most common sentient species in Equestria, and we are a friendly race. Well, most of us are. We all will keep you safe, and we all will be here for you." Celestia gave me a very, very small smile. "You just remember, if you need anything at all, just let us know. We'll all try to help you adjust to your new home."

"N-new home?" Me repeating the last part of her sentence set Celestia on edge. "What... do you mean? Can't we go back?" We held each other's eyes for a few seconds before the Princess took in a deep breath.

"...Two years ago, after our seventh human arrival, you saw him in the lounge, the youngest one?" I nodded to let her know that I did, indeed, know of the teen she was walking about. "My sister and I were able to isolate one of the portals. It constantly reappeared in one corner of the royal gardens, so we had prepared for it's next showing. We spent days waiting for it, but on the eleventh night, it ripped open. He was torn up pretty badly, but once the human was safe and on his way to the hospital, we caught the portal, prevented it from closing, and prepared a squadron of our guards to investigate the other side." Celestia closed her eyes and shook her head. "It was not pretty. The portal is a one-way path, and when our guards entered, they were battered, beaten, and tossed around within the magical tear. We managed to get most of them out before any fatal damage was done, but... even so, we lost a few good lives that day." Princess Celestia took in another breath. "...Whatever is on the other side of that portal took three ponies and scattered them across the plane of existence. They may still be alive somewhere, but we do not know.

"After seeing what we saw that day, we concluded that it is too dangerous to try and reenter the portal, lest somepony ends up in another dimension just as you have, or die on their way there." Once again, Celestia pulled me close to her and pushed my face to her neck. "I'm sorry, but there is no way to return."

...No way back... No way home... What a bombshell. I... I think I may had just broke. I couldn't move, couldn't blink, couldn't breathe... My heart felt like it was being crushed, and my bones burned with fear, sadness, and something else I've never felt before. I felt as if I was watching myself from third person, and the screen I was watching had no speakers. Celestia was saying something, trying to get my attention, but I just couldn't hear her. I could no longer feel the warmth she radiated, could no longer smell the scent of nature that flowed through the windows.

"...Let's go," I said curtly, my hearing clicking back on. A look of worry flickered across Celestia's calm demeanor, but she turned around and continued to lead me to my new room. My new... home. No, that would never be. I'm nothing more than a stranger in someone else's home. I'm a guest. And an alien. Stranded in a strange, colorful new world with talking ponies and only a handful of other humans, apparently.

My vision blurred, and I reached up to rub my eyes with the back of my right wrist. The sleeve of my hoodie came away slightly darker. Was I crying? It didn't feel like I should be, it felt more like... I shouldn't feel at all. Whatever my body was doing, I couldn't be put behind it. Like me walking right now. I couldn't say I was doing it, it was like I was on autopilot. I guess Celestia noticed this too, as she hugged me closer to her was we walked.

Eventually, we turned down another corridor. It was a bit deeper in the castle, so no windows were present on the walls, and I could see why; Doors peppered the walls in the windows' places. Golden plaques sat on the left of each of the double doors, with large numbers engraved on the surface and filled with a dark stone-like material to emphasize the numbers. Odds to the right, evens to the left. We walked down until Celestia stopped in front of door number eight.

"This is your bedroom," Celestia said to me, trying to get me out of my little trance. "...If you ever find yourself lost, just locate a guard and tell them your room number. Yours is number eight."

"Thank you," I mumbled quietly, but not impolitely, I hoped. Celestia opened the doors and led me inside.

It honestly looked like a very fancy hotel room. The room looked like it may have been... eh, maybe twelve by twenty-five feet? Really wide. And the ceiling was at least eleven feet up. The floor was covered in a plush white carpet, and a few pillows and bean bags were strewn across the floor. There were two beds in the room, each I think would be a queen size. Royal red covers with strips of golden fabric along the edges served as blankets for each bed, and four fluffy pillows sat against the headboards of both. Short dressers made of a light brown wood with golden handles sat at ends of each bed for any type of clothing we may have. I looked around and saw an open doorway to the right of the room that led to a large bathroom. Through the doors, I could see tan and white tiles making a checkered pattern for the floor, a kinda low sink with a mirror, a toilet, and a hamper next to the sink.

"I should bring this to your attention," Celestia finally voiced after I finished looking over the room. I looked up and over at her, then followed her gaze to a small shelf near the door leading to the hall. It was completely bare, save for a small round dark blue disk that made it's home on the top shelf, which actually came up to my collarbone. "This is a power pad," Celestia said informatively. "Most humans that arrive through the portal have quite a few things taken along with them, including you. A number of books and cereal boxes came with you, and you may receive them later if you so please. But, back to the power pad." Celestia nudged my butt with her hoof, making my phone clatter against her hoof guard through the fabric of my loose skinny jeans. "Most humans carry with them a type of electronic device. I can't remember what Rebecca calls them, but with hers and Michael's help, we developed this pad. You'll meet them later."

"...What does it do?" I asked her slowly.

"Just place your device, if you have one, on the power pad and it acts like a charger of sorts." Celestia gave me a light chuckle. "We ponies haven't developed the technology needed to charge your devices through the normal way, as Rebecca put it, so this universal charging pad should help."

I cocked my head to the side as I reached into my back pocket and brought out my phone. I stared at my small reflection in the black screen for a moment before I reached out and gently set it on the power pad. Almost as soon as I did, it briefly vibrated to let me know it was charging.

"Wow," I breathed.

"There is also one in the bathroom," Celestia informed me. "Just in case a new piece of technology arrives that's home is with the sink. Dean has warned me about these 'electric razors' of your world." Celestia shook her head, a smile on her face as she did. "Why anypony would electrify a metal blade, then apply it to their body, I will never know."

"Mm-hmm," I lazily replied, looking at the lone painting that hung over the small shelf. It was an old oil painting, and it had a small tear near the bottom left corner, but all-in-all, it was still very beautiful. It depicted a lone pony in silver armor atop a spiky cliff side, with a orange and pink sunset behind the knight. The significance of the painting was lost on me, but it was still a sight to see.

"Well, I'll let you get some rest." I turned my head back towards Celestia, who's halfway out the door. "Breakfast is served at eight, but if you miss the initial serving, there is plenty of fresh fruit leftover all the time. If you wish, we'll have an alarm clock sent up to your room so you can keep track of time. Rest easy, Jennifer."

"Thank you, Princess." My feet acted on their own and pulled me away from the doorway and towards the bed closest to the bathroom. I heard the door click shut behind me, and I let myself slump over the dresser at the foot of my new bed, bruising my shins in the process. Cursing through the sudden pain, I brought the rest of myself onto the soft mattress and curled up into the smallest ball I could, hugging my knees and slowly rocking back and forth on my backside.

...So... this is it... My new home. A land filled with cartoony colors and talking ponies just as pastel-slathered as the rest of the world. And my old home... Back in Warren, what would happen? What was happening? Was anyone worried about me? What of my parents, what where they going through right now? ...But, if it's still the seventh of March, then I would only have been gone for a few hours. But... my family... my friends... Would I even see the again? Celestia said that it was impossible to return... but in her story, she said that the portal took three of her ponies. Maybe chucked them out into a different world like me. Maybe, if I got lucky, I could do the same and be sent back!

Maybe, just maybe! Every once in a while, the portal opens in the royal gardens, and a new human comes through. If I waited for it like Celestia, her sister, and her little ponies did before, then I could make it home! My real home!

...Oh, who was I kidding. I was grasping at straws there. If by what Celestia told me, even if I could survive the thrashing I would apparently get, what were the chances of finding my own universe among them all? God Almighty, how I wished this whole thing was just a dream, but I knew better than that. The achy feeling of when I first woke up, the feeling of Dean's arm around me, Celestia's fur on my skin... You can't dream that kind of stuff and actually feel it.

This whole thing doesn't make sense! Magic portals? Talking ponies? No, back to square one; magic? Seriously, what's going on? Magic, the thing of fairy tales, something early mankind has wished for since the dark ages, is real!? Is it, really? A mystic force that can do nearly everything... And apparently it brought me here...

I crashed my forehead against my knees, clutched the fabric of my jeans as tightly as I could, and screamed into my legs as loud as I could. All my confusion and anger went into that vocalization, and it rumbled and vibrated through my legs and up my spine. The feeling was unpleasant, and forced me to stop myself from doing it again. But I wanted to. But I wanted to just scream and thrash and sleep this whole thing away. Hopefully, I would wake up in my bed back in Michigan and not... on Equus. A little therapy, some counseling, and back to finish school. Unlikely, but a girl could hope.

The realization of my position sapped the strength from my body, yet tensed ever muscle to the point of cramping. An idea of how to deal with this, and my aching shins, began to shine in the perpetual darkness I felt surround me; a nice, hot bath.

I pulled myself off the bedspread and onto my feet, shuffling as I did and kicking my left shoe off. Same with my right as I shed my hoodie and placed it on the dresser. Knowing I was alone, I pulled my shirt over my head and dropped next to my sweater, then set to work on unbuckling my belt. For some reason, I was finding the piece of plastic a lot harder to remove than before, but managed to fling it across the room at the end. Bad part; my jeans were still attached at the belt loops. The two items fell into a heap onto the other bed, the dirty blue fabric and white belt standing out against the vibrant red blanket.

I stretched my arms backwards, but bending my elbow back forced the adhesive gauze Dean had put over my IV feed mark to tighten and pinch my flesh. A growl, a literal, primal sound that I never thought I would ever hear a human make, escaped my throat as I basically ripped the gauze from my arm, followed by my bra. I tossed both of them onto the bed behind me, slipped out of the last piece of clothing I now had on, and sauntered over to the door leading to the bathroom.

But just as I had taken my second step, I heard the doors click open and creak softly as they swung on their hinges. Too much had already happened today, and I just really didn't want to deal with anything right now. Dean walked into the room, and I kept walking to the bathroom.

"Hey, Jenny, I'm here with—Oh! So sorry!" I heard him stumble back and bump into someone else, as a two separate 'oofs' came from the door. Dean muttered another apology to his partner, and I merely waved a hand back at them as I grabbed the doorknob in front of me.

"Don't care. Bath now." And I shut the door behind me, leaving Dean and whoever else it was in my dust. I looked around the bathroom and took in the scene.

A large bathtub stuck up from the floor and attaches to the wall immediately to my left. It looked big enough to bathe a hor—You know what, I'm not even gonna say it. Yeah. It's big. Too big for my taste, but whatever. A low leveled sink is against the far wall, embedded in a countertop with drawers below. A circular mirror sat on the wall right above it, letting anyone, or anypony, give themselves a lookover as they washed. A toilet was stationed a few feet from the sink, and had a soft-looking placement rug in front of it so one could rest their feet on something that wasn't cold tile when they needed the porcelain throne. The rug was a regal red—like so many other things in the bedroom—and it even had a partner seated next to the bathtub to avoid any slips when someone left the water.

But, what really caught my eye was the object Celestia had informed me of; the second power pad resting atop the countertop next to the sink. It was just begging to be used, and since this whole situation is just one crockpot of utter nonsense, I might as well entertain it.

I spun on my heels and opened the door once more. I quickly made my way over to my bed, and caught sight of Dean slamming the door behind him. He turned around, his face firmly pressed against the door as he spoke through it, though it was too muffled for me to really make out. Knowing he's a nurse and that he's already, most likely, seen me nude, but him acting like this... I suppose me yelling at him a few hours prior made it known I don't like to be messed with. And this whole damned world is messing with me right now, so my slow, sad, foul mood must be noticeable.

"Jenny," Dean spoke with his head still against the door, "is everything alright?" I ignored him and grabbed my iPod, yanking my earphones from them and dropping them on the floor. "Jenny? Are you okay?"

"...No, Dean," I said quietly as I made my way back to the bathroom. "...I'm not okay." I heard Dean swear as I closed the bathroom door again.

With my music device in hand, I strode over to the sink and placed my iPod on the power pad. After a few seconds, the screen lit up with a familiar icon, and I swiped it away to unlock the screen. One single tap sends me into my playlists, and I set the device on shuffle, so no order would be formed, just random songs. Hopefully, it can still play in stereo.

Jumpy music began to flow through the room, and for a second, the lights flickered. I sighed and sat on the edge of the bathtub, the cool glazed material beneath me chipping away at the warmth in my flesh. The rubber stopper was stuck in the drain, the faucets were turned, and hot water poured from the spigot. Steam floated towards the ceiling as I adjusted the temperature of my bath. I turned back to watch the mirror fog up like I used to do at home, and I saw something that... I just couldn't explain.

Floating above my iPod, literally right above the screen, was a transparent sphere the size of a basketball. It pulsed in sync with the music, growing spikey and jolting when the tempo changed. Colors were added when the song took a different path, and they swirled inside the sphere, giving it an eerie presence that... just shouldn't have been. It was something you should only have seen on the screen of a computer, but...

I stood. I took a step closer. My arm reached out slowly. The sphere kept pulsing with the music. I felt my breath hitch as my fingers made their way closer to the orb of light. And then I felt it. My hand was enveloped in the music, and I could feel every base change, every tone, every note. It tingled, and shook the flesh on my bones. My nails felt like they were the surface of a drum that was being pounded. My bones vibrated to keep the song going.

It was unreal, this sphere.

It was something that should not be here.

And yet, it was something that should be here...

It was magical.

...Fuck this world. I want my real home, with my real friends and my real life, not this... cartoonish world of magic and sugar-coated ponies. I want to go back and see my parents, go back and finish school, go back and never think about this place again. But if what Celestia said is true... then that can't happen. I'm lost... Lost in this place, and no map can ever lead back to the place I belong. I wonder if the aliens in all those kiddie movies ever felt like this?

I was brought out of my low-thinking trance by a loud knock on the bathroom door.

"Jenny?" The voice belonged to Dean. "Are you okay in there? I hear music, and I need to inform—"

"Buzz off Dean!" I shouted at the door. "Just let a girl stew in her misery for a while, okay!?" I sat back on the edge of the bathtub and adjusted the water so it would be a bit hotter. Not even a second later, I heard the door click open. "Dean, if you take even one step into this room, I swear to God, I will make sure that there will be one less human living in this castle!" The door clicked shut immediately after I said that, and I huffed. "Stupid."

I made my way back to the tub and sat don on its edge once more. The water level was rising to create the optimal depth, so I let it run a few seconds more before I turned the water off. A new song replaced the jumpy music I had been listening to for the past few minutes, bearing a much softer contrast as well. Sparing a glance over at my iPod, I could see the magic sound sphere had changed in size to a little bigger than a softball and kept a blue tint, instead of bouncing from color to color like before. My head dropped, causing my hair to touch the water. Kinda, sorta on autopilot, I slid into the water, shivering at the sudden temperature change. I had gotten the water a tad hot, almost to the point of burning, but... it really didn't matter. What's a little skin irritation, right?

...Why did this have to happen? Everything was going perfect back home. I was doing well in school, I was happy with my family and friends. Makes me wonder what everyone was doing. How was Breanne doing? Or Janet? Or Sandy? What would they think when I don't come to school tomorrow, or the next day, next week, forever from now? And my parents... When I don't come home. How heartbroken they would be when the cops tell them they couldn't find any trace of me. How I felt right now, knowing I wouldn't be able to see them again probably.

My chest heaved, and my lungs locked up. I felt my face heat up, and not just from the water. I knew this was gonna happen, I pretty much welcomed it. So, knowing what I had to do, I pulled my legs up to my chest, planted my forehead on my knees, and cried my heart out.

• • •

I OPENED THE DOOR with a towel wrapped around my body, and glanced at around. Dean was sitting on the end of my bed, talking to three little ponies. Unlike the great white princess, who had quite the height, all three of these ponies looked like they barely hit four feet tall. One of them was clad in golden armor, kinda like Celestia's, but more... well, more. She, at least, I think it's a she, because of her long eyelashes. She had an eggshell white coat, blue eyes, and a dirty blond mane. I also noticed a horn sticking out of the top of her head. The second armor pony was a tad broader, chiseled would be a word I could use. His armor was a weird shade of purple, his coat was a dark grey, and he had a bright blue mane sticking out from under his violet helm. His golden eyes stared right at Dean as he talked, and... Oh Lord, I think he was some kind of pegasus, but all the feathers fell off of his wings; they looked kinda leathery. The third pony had no wings or a horn, nor was he wearing any armor. He was just sitting there, waiting for Dean to finish. He was an earthly brown, with a dark greenish-blue mane. His eyes were a more solid shade of green, kinda like evergreen green. Weirdly enough, he had a tattoo on his ass. It looked like a grey circle with a star cutout in the center. Celestia had a sun on her flanks... Wonder if it's some sort of cultural thing? Did the armored ones have them too?

Dean finished his sentence before looking over at me, his face contorted with worry. With a silent word, the two armored ponies took their leave and exited the room. The other pony just sat there, cautiously eying me. Dean got up and walked over to me, his hand raised to put it on my shoulder. I simply sidestepped around him.

"Don't touch me right now," I said curtly. I quickly moved to my bed and sat down on the edge. Unfortunately, the towel I was using was most likely made for a pony, and therefore was too short to conceal anything as I did. My hand brushed something as I sat down, and I saw my clothes had been neatly folded and placed in a pile. I quickly destroyed the pile and threw my shirt over my toweled torso, then slipped on my underwear just as fast. Now that my towel was free, I used it to continue drying my hair. Twenty minutes is not long enough when you have hair that touches your waistband.

"Jennifer, can we talk?" I looked out from under my towel just in time to see Dean take a seat next to me on my bed. He looked me right in the eyes. "Have you been crying?"

I turned away and rubbed my eyes with the towel. "Of course I have. Who wouldn't if they were in my predicament?" I asked him.

"Can you tell me what you think your predicament is?" Dean asked in return.

"What are you, my therapist now?" I snapped at him.

"I can be, if you need." Dean looked like he was about to put his hand on my shoulder again, but thought better. "I'm here to help you, Jennifer, just as I have helped some of the others adjust."

"...What if I don't want to adjust!?" I yelled at him. I turned completely so my whole front was facing him and dropped the towel. "What if I don't want to adjust, Dean? What if I don't want to live here!?" I yelled. "I was happy back in Michigan! I had all I needed there; my friends, my family, my job, my school, everything!" I could feel my anger boiling up from my soul, and right now, all I could do was let it out. "And now I'm told that not only have I been sucked through the fabric of space and thrown into a world of cartoony ponies, but that I'm stuck here with no chance of returning!? What's to adjust to!? Nothing! There is abso-fucking-lutely nothing relatable here! I didn't want this! I don't want this!" I had to pause to wipe my eyes again. "I don't want this! I want... I want..."

Dean, throwing all caution to the wind, took my shoulders and pulled me close. One arm snaked around my back, the other cradled my head, preventing me from leaving the cradle of his neck. I wanted to hit him, to push him away, but... I just couldn't. I wrapped my arms around him and broke down for the second time today. The second time in an hour.

"I don't wa-hant this..." I sobbed into his chest. "I do-hon't... I wanna go home..." Dean began to rock back and forth, slightly swaying me with him as he rubbed my back. "I just... wanna g-go home."

"I know, Jenny. I know." Dean held me tighter as I racked his body and my own with my sobs. "We all know what this feels like."

I don't know how long we sat there. It could have been minutes or hours, but Dean seemed content to just let me cry myself out. The brown pony decided that it would be best to leave as well, giving the room to us alone. Dean spent the next timeframe sitting on my bed with me, carefully combing my hair with his fingers as my crying died down. We did all this in silence. Not a single word was spoken, not a single movement went unappreciated, and even though I didn't feel any better, I finally relaxed enough to fall into the void of unconsciousness.

I did not dream that night.