The View from Rock Bottom

by Fickle Wood

Rating: teen
Tags: Drama, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Berry Punch, Dark, Alternate Universe, Other, Original Character, Sex, Human
Length: 93463

Meet Jack Taylor, a brother, son, and self-defined psychic. Jack is about to begin a long ordeal in humility and perseverance, one he may not very well survive without some friends, which is something that’ll be hard as a mare named Berry Punch.

Sometimes we set our sights on doing something so much, that we become blind to what is happening in the here and now.

Meet Jack Taylor, a brother, son, and self-defined psychic. Jack is about to begin a long ordeal in humility and perseverance, one he may not very well survive without some friends, which is something that’ll be hard as a mare named Berry Punch.

General story content and reasons for all tags below the break, which will spoil some of the story, but will also give you a good idea of what you are getting into. Massive spoilers in additional tags.

• PoV - Deep First Person: Focus will be on the protagonist for all story arcs. There will be, unless my pre-readers stop me, a single short interlude chapter between each arc focusing on another character in the story.
• Sex Tag: General acknowledgment of gender, allusions, innuendo, and situations. May venture into, but not describe, sexual acts. This story will never move to mature nor contain clop.
• Gore Tag: Nothing excessive in the story yet, but some things will happen at the end of the first arc which will require the tag. None of the gore will be described in any graphic detail and will stay well within the teen rating. Will warn about the gore in an author's note at the start of the chapter it happens in so that readers who read this story before this tag was deemed necessary will not be caught off guard.
• Alternate Universe Tag: Both the human world and pony world are AUs.
• Dark Tag: Story isn't excessively dark and will never be, but this tag is here for the darkness ready to come up from below the surface. Don't worry about encountering much death in this story since it'll be minimal to non-existent.
• Drama Tag: Expect a lot of dialogue since most of the action is going to social interaction, though there will be some physical action.
• Human Tag: Pony turned human through mind/soul swap. You will see physical humans through memory dreams and a couple visions, but the protagonist human will be the main focus.
• OC Tag: The only major OC in the story so far is an umbra (shadow pony)/earth pony hybrid named Due Process, but more will follow.
• Berry Punch Tag: The protagonist is thrown into her life and has to live with her reputation.
• Other Tag: Currently for Surprise, who in this AU is one of the Mane6 in place of Pinkie Pie since she is a major character.
• AU Changes Tags: Pinkie Pie replaced by Surprise. Surprise is characterized like a toned-down Pinkie Pie and offers her own brand of strangeness. Adult Spike Through Duplication of Twilight's Age and Mind at Hatching, Applejack's Parents are Alive, Fluttershy is an Earth Pony, Fluttershy is an Orphan, Fluttershy Adopted into Apple Family, Alternate Element Loadout, Alternate Mane Six, Alternate History, Alternate Applejack Parents
• Content Tags: Alcohol Use, Confusion, Damaged World, Disbelief, Dreams, Genderbent, Genderbender, Genderswap, Human in Equestria, Human in Pony, Lies, Loss, Male to Female, Memory Loss, Mind Swap, Mistaken Identity, Overwear, Incredibly Rational Protagonist, Religious Concepts, Reliving Memories, Rule 63, Secrets, Single-Minded Protagonist, Soul Swap, Suffering
• Additional Character Tags: Seven Deadly Sins, Envy, Gluttony, Greed, Lust, Pride, Sloth, Wrath

Published 2016-01-04 02:50:01 UTC
Last updated 2016-09-30 13:24:41 UTC

Wayward Plans 1.1

I watched the snow fall from my parked car, while I built up the nerve to lie. It wasn't like I had trouble lying, I did it on a weekly basis, but this week I'd already done it once. The date had slipped my mind this year, which I think was a sign that everything had finally become normal. That was until the lawyer called a few days ago, with the good news that the life insurance company was finally going to honor my parents’ life insurance policies.

I suppose I should've been happy. The money would be enough that I could quit my jobs, then return to drawing and painting things for a living. The money meant something more though, it meant I had to finally accept my parents were dead. That my sister would only know our parents through photos, videos, and me.

I shouldn't be doing this. I pulled out my phone, scrolled through the contacts to Katherine's number, then called it.

“Jack?” Katherine said, and sounded tired.

“Hey, Kat. Did I wake you up?” I checked the time on my phone, and knew for certain it wasn't her bedtime yet.

“Nah, school was just draining today. You coming home soon?” A hopeful tone was in her voice.

I’m an awful brother. “No. Sorry, Kat. I have to take extra work when I can get it, at least until the lawyer comes through.” Half true at least.

“But this is the second time this week. Can't you skip it tonight and watch a movie with me instead?” The question sounded more like a plea than an honest question.

“Kat…” Maybe I should…

“But…” I knew what she wanted to say, but I also knew she wouldn't bring it up. “Alright, please stay safe.”

“I will. Goodnight, Kat.” No. I need it tonight of all nights.

“Goodnight, Jack.”

I slipped the phone into my pocket and left my car. The chill of November a constant reminder of where I was and what happened eight years ago today, the day that filled me with regret that I'd never be absolved from.

(0) (0)

I awoke on my side to a terrible headache and a horrible stench. I continued to lay on my side and kept my eyes closed, as I didn’t want to worsen my headache with light. What happened last night? Kat. Remember talking to Kat about… Oh… That explains the headache.

“Here I thought I knew my limit,” I said, but the voice I heard was very feminine, if not a little hoarse from dehydration and muffled for some reason. At that moment, I noticed that things were off with what I felt throughout my body. My hands and feet felt like they weren’t there, with new sensations in their place and elsewhere. I slowly opened my eyes to avoid the sting of light, which wasn’t a problem with how dim the light was, and wasn't prepared for what was before me.

The first thing I noticed was my hair, I distinctly remembered it had been brown and trimmed, but the locks of hair in my vision were mulberry and thick. Did someone dye my hair? In the middle of my vision looked to be a muzzle that was the color of mauve. I ran my tongue over my new flatter teeth and found my mouth much larger, which removed the possibility I had a mask on. I rolled off my side to my stomach, then pushed myself up with my arms so that I was on my rear. I looked down at my arms and was further confused by what I saw.

What were previously arms and legs now appeared to just be legs, and all four were mauve like the muzzle on my face. I moved my new left foreleg and found it flexible to the point I wondered if I was double jointed, but the hoof on it was what stole all my attention. The hoof had a soft pad, which I could mentally pull in and push out in a completely alien feeling way, with a hard thin nail wall, that partially surrounded the pad in the shape of a horseshoe. I moved my right forehoof up to meet with my left, pushed both pads into each other, then pulled the pads to find some sort of suction gripped them together.

I shifted my head and inspected my rear to find a tattoo on my side, a grape bunch and a strawberry, the most normal thing so far really. Further back I discovered I had a small tail with long mulberry hairs, but I didn’t feel it, and it was limp. The back hooves that were stuck out from under me were my next stop, which also had the strange alien pads, though they weren't nearly as interesting as my forehooves had been, and I doubted I'd be using the pads on them often. My self-exploration continued to my underside to find my nipples were above my pelvis and had gained a little fat, which led to the discovery of a lack of something and addition of something new. Well… that's… interesting... and my nipples are now... yeah. Kinda normal… if not used to everything being on someone else... further apart... and looking entirely different. Not like my ability never let me experience the feeling of both things... though those were human... not whatever these are from. The stupification must've lasted for at least a minute before I regained my senses and pushed all of the irrelevant information out of my mind. At least I’m not a giant insect or something else equally horrifying, just a horse-like mammalian creature.

Now some would call me strange in how I'd reacted to things so far. To awake as an alien creature and the opposite gender would be to most quite a shocking thing. The thing was that I was the definition of strange, at least as far as I knew. It wasn’t like I hadn’t experienced being something other than human before, but unlike those times, this didn’t seem to be in something’s memories. This isn’t any creature’s memory, since I’m in control, instead of just along for the ride. Maybe I was adopted and actually an alien coming into shapeshifting powers? Hope not, the eye thing took years to get under control. Whatever, need to figure out if I’m in danger.

I attempted to get my mind off of my body and evaluated the room I was in. The bed was just a metal bed frame against the wall and lacked any bedding. A little bile was on the edge of the bed, with more bile pooled and partially dried around a drain in the middle of the room. The room was obviously a cell with no window and a barred door, but the stone architecture and dim lighting reminded me more of a dungeon than anything a police station would use. A metal sink was across from my bed, with what appeared to be a metal toilet next to it, but the bowl was in the floor. A lone lit torch in a sconce shone light into my cell through the bar door, casting lines of shadows along the floor and on the back wall.

The dungeon was eerily quiet, but maybe it was because I expected the stereotypical dungeon sound of moisture dripping. The subject of my body came back to my mind, but this time about my head, specifically my ears. I brought my new forehooves up to my head and noted that my ears weren’t on the sides of my head. I slowly moved my hooves upwards and found a pair of floppy, animal-like ears. The ears were limp and unresponsive, regardless of how I manipulated them with my forehooves. The only thing I did know about the ears was that I could hear through them, even if sounds seemed to be muffled due to their collapsed state.

Not a lab, good. The medieval architecture with indoor plumbing should rule out time-travel. Nowhere in town or the state has a place like this though, at least not publicly. Dream? I looked at my left forehoof and then the wall to my left. Pain is a good way to tell, but pretty sure this isn’t a dream already. I wound up my left foreleg and hit the wall to my left with the side of my forehoof as hard as I could. My strike caused several unexpected events to occur on top of the pain that proved this wasn’t a dream.

The first event was that the impact dented the wall and sent cracks outward along it. The second event was a blue glow almost instantly filled the cracks and dent. The third event was when what looked like electricity shot out of the wall into me and pain surged through my new body, but I was strangely paralyzed in place, instead of losing bodily control. The final event happened when the cracks and dent repaired themselves back to perfect condition right in front of my paralyzed eyes. All these things combined sent my mind into a flurry of thoughts, which was good since thinking was all I could do beyond stare disbelievingly at the wall and smell singed hair.

Super strength? Security system? Unorthodox reaction to electricity? Self-repairing walls? I wasn’t sure what to make of all the new information, other than I might actually be a shape-shifting alien, with super strength, that could extract memories from things. I found it better to focus on the craziest thing, instead of focusing on the fact that I actually was a prisoner. That was until I felt myself tilt to one side as the paralysis began to wear off, though unfortunately not all at once, as I found myself unable to actually stop. The impact with the floor was fairly painless, but my frame of reference might've been off due to my recent electrocution. It was the wet bile that I found under the dried layer that really made the fall bad since the stench was horrible and the liquid soaked into my new coat.

I wasn’t sure why, but as I laid on the floor, I felt the need to laugh and laugh I did. It was a hysterical laugh, one I had little control over. My laughter started to die down though once an important thought popped into my head. It was a thought that I had to focus on, one that I decided I couldn’t let go, no matter how far down this rabbit hole I went.

Katherine.

No matter what, I had to focus on Katherine. That was what I did for the past eight years, and that was what I'd do here. She was all that mattered here and nothing else. The fact I was a female quadruped with super strength didn’t matter. I inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled it, the smell of the bile barely phased me. I struggled back to my hooves due to the slickness of the floor, but a little bile wasn’t going to put me down. Once my hooves were all planted on the ground, I took a glance outside my cell and met eyes with another horse-like creature like myself.

I'd lived for years with what I simply called my ability, though what it actually was I didn’t know. The closest thing it could be considered was a psychic ability, but that idea was taken completely from fiction due to lack of proof that others like me existed. At times I even thought I might just be crazy and imagined it entirely, like the few doctors I'd seen about it had said and dismissed any claims to the contrary, sometimes with added legal threats or trying to institutionalize me for clearly, to them, a sociopathic stalking behavior, but I refused to dismiss, or was able to even forget, the things I knew after using it.

It was the sudden surprise of someone being there combined with my already fragile state that allowed my ability to activate upon looking into this other horse’s eyes. As the world faded away, I was reminded of why I called my ability a curse at one time.

(0) (0)

Damn it! I slipped! I thought, the fact that I let my ability just activate like that infuriated me, even if it was understandable. There was also the other fact that I was female outside of this memory, which made me feel slightly more vulnerable than usual, but I tried not to think about what could happen to me and focused on the memory instead.

My vision was filled with what looked to be a medieval village at night and a dark gray muzzle, though the muzzle was flatter than my current one outside of the memory. The night was a surreal sight with how strong the moonlight was and how it bathed everything in sight, but it could've just been that this being had excellent sight in the dark. The sound of hooves clopped below as this horse walked and a loud indistinguishable voice could be heard nearby.

When this horse turned a corner, a strange tree-like structure came into sight, which glistened in the moonlight. The tree must've been a usual sight to him though, as his focus was squarely on someone that was throwing bottles at what appeared to be a magenta colored bubble. This particular someone happened to have the exact same mane and coat colors I had, which gave me a new crazy idea about my situation.

Here I thought a week could finally go by without Berry causing a disturbance. Lucky that Twilight is such a pacifist, not even Berry’s training could help her avoid the wrath of an angry alicorn, a someone that sounded male thought, then the memory faded away as he continued his advance toward the strange sight.

(0) (0)

My sight returned to me and things were exactly as I'd left them, except for the worried look on the stallion outside my cell. He had fern green eyes, a short black mane, and a dark gray coat. The clothing he wore was a navy blue police uniform, complete with a hat that his ears poked out of. The look on the face of the creature before me seemed almost human, but his facial expression was beyond what a human would be capable of and his eyes were huge. I didn’t know what to compare the overall sight of him to really, aside from an animated movie where the animators made everything so realistic, that if they hadn’t made something that didn’t exist, then you'd have questioned it being animated at all.

“Berry? Are you okay?” The stallion said, and concern was clear in his tone.

I knew I should've said something to him, but I was still processing the little I'd seen from his memory. The town that I'd seen, and was pretty sure I was in, looked practically medieval up until the weird tree-like structure. There had also been that magenta bubble, but I decided to not focus on that. The thing I focused on was the other horse he'd thought of as Berry, the one with the same colors as mine and was just addressed as. So this is either some kind of possession or I’ve swapped minds with this talking horse named Berry? First might mean I’m dead and the second might mean a drunkard is currently in control of my body. Suppose there are other possibilities that are less supernatural or crazy, but I need to get out of this cell first.

“Berry?” The concern had grown in his voice.

“Yes?” I said, not really sure what I was doing.

“Berry, are you angry with me?”

“Who are you?” Confusion was clear in my voice.

“So, you're mad at me.” He let out a sigh. “Look, I don't like dragging you here any more than you like being locked up. You can't, however, throw bottles at our princess, then call her home, and I quote, ‘A blight on Ponyville's landscape!’. You're lucky she isn't pressing charges. Suppose she just has given up on you like everypony else by this point,” he said, with a bit of sadness in his voice at the end.

Princess? Everypony? “I’m…” How to best approach this? “I’m very sorry for doing those things. When can I leave here?” Probably best to save the crazy talk for when I’m not locked up.

“Sorry?" He seemed slightly surprised by the word. “Well, seeing as Princess Twilight isn’t pressing charges and you didn’t resist arrest, I don’t see any reason to keep you here any longer. I'll go get a washcloth and soap so you can clean yourself off, then we can process you out.” He left my sight, but his hooves continued to sound out as he went further away.

Just what is going on? At that moment, a familiar yet somewhat alien feeling made itself known, the feeling of a full bladder. I looked over at the metal bowl in the floor and dreaded the fact I needed to use it soon. “Well, no time like the present.”

(0) (0)

“Ready?” the dark gray pony said, that hadn't told me his name yet, with a set of big keys on a big metal ring in his mouth.

How does he speak clearly with those in his mouth? I looked my forehooves over to make sure they were clean of the bile I'd cleaned up, though the fact I'd walk on them didn’t elude me. “I think so,” I said, with all the uncertainty of my situation.

“I could keep you in there longer if you want.” A smile lightened up his features.

“No thanks.” I tried to sound amused.

“I don't know, you cleaned up your mess for once. I think this stay might be doing some good for you.” His smile turned mischievous.

“Please no?” Don't have time for this.

“Please? Yep, this is doing you some good. I'll just leave you in there until tonight.” He turned to walk away.

I ran up to the cell door, uncertain if he was actually going to leave me here. “No! Wait!”

He turned back to me. “Relax, Berry. I'm just pulling your reins.” He unlocked the door by manipulating the keys with his mouth.

Eww. Is hygiene even a thing around here? Well… for all I know their mouths could produce a very antibacterial saliva. I stepped back from the door so that he could push the door inward, then followed his lead past more cells just like mine, all of which contained bedding on their bed frames. Can’t blame them for removing it if Berry is a drunk. My tail hair dragged behind me due to my unresponsive tail, something I'd be sure to see trimmed short like the stallion had in front of me if this situation lasted longer than today, but it didn’t seem to impede movement.

We arrived at a set of stairs that looked to curve up, and I stopped at the base of the stairs, while the police officer continued up them. The reason I stopped was due to another revelation about my body, one that was more perplexing than shocking. How have I been walking?

Out of all the changes I'd experienced since I'd awoken, how I walked was the only thing I hadn't questioned. It was such a simple thing that I'd overlooked it completely and the reason had been that I hadn't experienced any trouble. I'd shifted from biped to quadruped, but the only difficulty that had appeared was my unresponsive tail when I took care of the call of nature and cleaned myself of bile. I looked down at my legs and tried to figure it out. So when I move my left foreleg forward like this I move my back right— I was interrupted from my thoughts when I lost my balance and fell flat on my stomach, with my legs completely outstretched in front and behind me. I unsteadily stood back up onto my hooves and was very unsure about it all. This is like someone talking to you about your tongue position, isn't it?

“You coming, Berry?” the police officer said, loudly, from somewhere up the stairs and out of sight.

“Yeah!” Okay, just have to not think about walking. Easier said than done now since it's all I can think about. I inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled it to clear my thoughts. What else can I think about? Convincing the police officer I'm not who he thinks I am without sounding crazy! I took an unsteady step up the staircase. Now how do I do that? My next step came much easier than the first as I got lost in my thoughts, the sound of each hoof that landed a background noise. It'd help if I could comprehend how this happened. This is like some Kafkaesque horror playing out, but I suppose it could be worse, it could be a Lovecraftian one instead.

“There you are, Berry. Get lost?”

So where do I start? Hello, I don’t quite seem to be who I’m supposed to be today? Hi, would you point me in the direction of someone with intimate knowledge of space and time?

“Berry?”

Now I’m sure you’ve heard your share of drinking stories, but I think mine just might trump them all? I’m an alien and would like to talk to your leader?

“Berry!”

“Huh?” I looked around and found myself in front of a glass door, that looked out on a sunny day.

“I still have to process you out. You do want your things, right?” I heard a slight sound of concern in his voice.

“Um… Yes?” Where did I go just now? Unlike the jail, the police station was very modern with dark gray carpeting, light beige walls, and fluorescent lighting. He led me back through a small waiting area and past another police officer at the front desk.

The pony at the desk looked male if the dark gray one’s similar flatter muzzle was any indication. His navy blue police uniform didn’t look as good on him compared to the dark gray stallion, due to the fact his coat was a royal blue. He didn’t have a mane on his head, but a copper colored and finely trimmed beard seemed to sprout out over the coat hairs on his face, though how that worked was beyond me. He gave me an intimidating look with his silver colored eyes, which made me shift my focus back to the dark gray coated stallion.

We arrived in a room with some shelves on the left wall that contained straw baskets and a wood counter in front of them, while the right side of the room had several tables and chairs I assumed were for visiting with prisoners. Across from the doorway we entered through, I saw the stone staircase I must've taken from the jail, which was framed in a round stone arch. Wonder what the story is behind the shift in architecture.

The dark gray stallion went behind the counter, pulled out one of the baskets with his mouth, then moved it to the counter. I joined him at the counter so that I could finally try to convince him I wasn’t who he thought I was. He opened up a drawer and took a paper out of it, then began to remove items from the basket.

The first thing he pulled out was a bottle of vodka. “One-half of a bottle of Stalliongrad Stud Vodka.”

Stalliongrad? What? “Now this is going to sound crazy, but I'm not Berry.” I placed my forehooves on the counter that he was using to sort out Berry's possessions. “I have no idea who you are or where I am.”

“One-third of a bottle of Brayico Burro Tequila.” He pointedly ignored me.

Brayico? “My name is Jack Taylor and I'm a human.” I pointed at myself with my left forehoof. “I don't know how I got here or why I'm in this body, but I need you to help me.”

He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, but shook his head and continued to process me out of custody. “One full bottle of Wild Pegasus Whiskey, thankfully.” The relief he expressed over the whiskey being full seemed less like concern for Berry’s health and more for his strangely.

“Could you stop doing that and talk to me like a human being! Well… technically pony being, but…” Not getting anywhere with this guy.

“Not in the mood for one of your games today, Berry. One bit purse with 36 bits.” He dropped a simple cloth bag on the desk, with a tighten drawstring keeping it closed.

“Game? This isn't a game! This is somehow my life!” I looked him straight in the eyes and focused on them intently, with the goal to get something that would knock him off balance.

(0) (0)

I felt a soul-crushing amount of emotion before anything else appeared. The grief and regret were familiar, but the sheer intensity of it was almost paralyzing. When the dark gray muzzle came into sight, with tears that distorted his vision slightly, I was surprised to find he was just staring at a wall of names that reminded me of a memorial. The wall was bathed in that surreal moonlight from before, and I could tell that he was sitting on his legs, with what felt like grass underneath. His vision seemed to be focused on one name in particular, and that name was Fair Procedure. This isn't going to be a memory I can use in good conscious… great. I thought, then focused on the memory.

“I don’t even know what to say, Fair. The last time we spoke I was furious with you. I'd thought we had something special, but for you, our relationship was just a part of your career plan. My father just had to have someone continue his legacy and if his only son wasn’t going to, he'd settle with a handpicked daughter-in-law instead,” he said, toward the wall as he barely managed to keep himself together.

His emotions shifted to an intense anger and he sprung up on all fours. “Why did you feel like you had to tell me?! I had been happy the entire year we dated! I'd even proposed to you! Did you finally find some equinity in your soul?! That the fact you were going to marry me based on a lie was too much for you? What did you think would happen? You knew how much I hated my father!” He seemed to calm down with the outburst and sat back on the ground, this time on his rear.

The grief and regret washed over him again. “Sometimes I wish you'd just left me in the dark, then I wouldn’t have transferred to Ponyville and been happy when I died with you. Now the only pony I care about is slowly killing herself and nothing I do or say seems to matter. Tonight though, we could've had a disaster and it was because of her. What hope do I have when not even a princess can help her?” The memory faded away, but the emotions were sure to stay with me afterward.

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My sight was my own again, or I supposed actually Berry’s. The coat hairs on my cheeks were wet it seemed from my emotional trip and the officer pony seemed somewhere between confused and concerned. I took my hooves off the counter and averted my eyes, somewhat ashamed for using my ability.

“Berry? What's going on? You haven’t started using drugs have you?” he said, the sound of fear in his voice.

Damn it, the last thing I need is someone thinking I’m a drug addict on top of an alcoholic. “Honestly? No clue if Berry is a drug addict, but nothing feels off. Well, except for the fact we're ponies and talking, but I think that might be the new normal,” I said, though the emotions that carried over from the memory prevented me from saying it without sounding dishonest.

“Berry, is this a part of some new game of yours? I want to say it's poorly thought out, like when tried to fake amnesia, but the whole creepy silent breakdown thing you just did and then denying it is strange.”

“The reason things seem strange is because they are. I’m telling you that I may very well be an alien and want to prove it. What can I do or say that'll make you believe me?”

“How about some honesty? What was that breakdown in your cell about earlier?”

“My sanity breaking? I don’t know really.”

“So you didn’t set off your cell’s security, so I'd come check on you, then fake the whole breakdown, so I'd feel sorry for you? Something that Berry has done several times in the past?”

“No…” I don’t like where this is going.

“Okay, what was that breakdown about just now?”

Well, I’ve already committed to telling him I’m an alien, no sense in holding anything else back. “I’m psychic and I was reliving one of your memories.”

He rolled his eyes. “So, your idea to just keep piling things on until it all makes sense?”

Time to prove it. “You were full of grief and regret, sitting in front of a wall with names on it. The name you were focused on was Fair Process and—”

“You shut your mouth right now!” he said, with anger, an anger that I was intimately familiar with.

“I…” Fuck, this is like that therapist all over again. I didn’t even know that time I was describing the guy’s mistress instead of his wife.

His anger seemed to simmer down, but it didn’t leave him. “This is a new low, Berry. Using our past relationship like this. What? Did you decide today you just wanted to hurt me? Well, that isn’t going to work. I’m not as easy a target as Princess Twilight,” he said, in a leveled but clearly angry tone.

So, Berry was the alcoholic he mentioned in the memory… great. No sense in trying for another memory, can’t be sure of what Berry would know with a relationship this close. “Sorry?”

He inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled it, the anger seemed to leave him with the process. “You better be, though I seriously doubt it.” He began to process me out again. “One key ring with assorted keys.” I looked at the keys and noted they were about the same size as the jails.

Guess it makes sense if they use them with their mouths, but eww. Hopefully one of those keys is a house key; the only thing that could make this situation worse is if I have to deal with being homeless.

“And one pair of tan saddlebags,” he passed the paper he had been reading from to me along with a pen. “Please sign your name to agree that these are all of your possessions and are in the same condition as they were taken from you.”

I grabbed the pen with my left forehoof and noticed I could hold it almost like I normally would. At least these pads are somewhat useful. Doubtful I can shoot a bow and arrow anytime soon, not that I ever wanted or needed that skill. I went to write my name down but was stopped by the police officer.

“Sign with your mouth, Berry. You know your hoofwriting is atrocious.”

Seriously? They write with their mouths when their hooves are just as useful? “Between writing with my mouth or writing with the closest thing I have to a hand now, I'm going to write with the one that's somewhat familiar.” I attempted to write again, but he stopped me again.

“At least use your right forehoof, you know you aren't left-hoofed.”

“I’m left-handed and I’ll have you know I took calligraphy in art school!” I wrote my name down before he could protest, then passed the pen and paper back to him.

“Berry, you never went to art school and if this isn't legible I’ll…” He stared at the paper with wide eyes.

“See? I told you so.” Score one for me finally.

“Well… it's surprising how well you wrote this name, but ‘Jack Taylor’ isn't your name. This isn't even how you spell ‘Tailor’.” He passed the pen and paper back to me. “Write your name down, Berry.”

“No.” I began to pack Berry's things up in the saddlebag but pointedly ignored the alcohol.

He let out a groan. “Berry…”

After I put the keys and bag of what I could only assume was money away, I hooked my head under the straps between the saddlebags, then slid them down onto my back. “I think our business has concluded here.” I walked back toward that door he'd stopped me at.

“But there is protocol and procedure! You didn't even take your alcohol!” I heard him shout behind me as I passed the blue stallion.

“I'll dispose of that alcohol for you, Process!” I heard the royal blue stallion shout back toward the dark gray stallion apparently named Process, and sounded quite amused with the situation overall.

“You aren't helping, Knocks!” I heard Process shout back at the royal blue stallion that seemed to be named Knocks.

What's with these names? I pushed the door open and left before I had to deal with Process more.

(0) (0)

No sense in going very far yet in this strange place. I spotted a typical wooden bench and approached it. I climbed up and turned around on the bench like I'd normally sit, but after I took a glance at my new equipment I decided to sit sideways with my legs folded under me and tail offering some degree of modesty, though the very human-like design of the bench left me puzzled. I wanted to say I'd handled this situation very well with all things considered. I could've tried to convince Process earlier than I did, but if I had, then I might not have left that cell as soon as I did. There was also the fact that I had been coming to terms with all this, I was still coming to terms with it really.

None of this made any sense. Yesterday I was a male human, and today I was a female pony. Time and pain were too consistent for everything so far to be a dream, and I was fairly certain of my mental health to rule out this being a delusion. What does that leave me with though? “Hell, for all I know the Twilight Zone actually exists and I’m in it,” I said, to myself.

I decided to clear my mind and took in everything around me. The buildings reminded me of a medieval village with their thatched roofing, but the hearts scattered here and there in the architecture, along with the pristine cleanliness quickly broke that illusion. Several ponies in all sorts of coat and mane color combinations seemed to go on with their day normally along the dirt roads, but at the same time, it felt like they gave a wide berth to me. When my gaze drifted to the sky, I spotted a new sight that made me question my sanity further.

Up in the sky were ponies with wings. What? Some were just flying along somehow with barely any flapping, but a few were at work it seemed. The flying ponies at work were physically moving clouds in the sky, and one moved what looked like a storm cloud over some shrubbery, then jumped up and down on the cloud to make it rain, which changed the cloud from dark gray to white. What?! I felt my left eye twitch under the stress of my concept of reality being broken.

“Whatcha doing, Berry?” a high-pitch female said, out of sight to my left.

I averted my gaze away from the sight that tested my sanity and toward the source of the new voice instead, which I regretted instantly. My sight was filled by a pair of pale violet eyes, which activated my ability instantly due to the sheer surprise of them being there.

(0) (0)

A beautiful blue sky and a sun that didn’t seem to hurt to look at filled my vision, well, someone’s vision that had a small rounded white muzzle, which seemed to indicate this was a female pony. I stopped focusing on the muzzle when I realized this body had the sensation of two extra limbs. It had been some time since I'd used my ability on an animal with what I felt, but I knew instantly what I was feeling were wings, though the strangeness of six limbs didn’t leave me. Bah! It's how large these new eyes are, isn't it? Well… nothing I can do about it now. Might as well enjoy the experience, I thought.

It was the realization of the wings that I noticed that whoever I was was flying. They seemed to be flying upside down for some reason, something that seemed like it'd be unhealthy to do often and was lost in thoughts that this memory didn’t seem to contain. Must be a daydreamer.

“Well, if it isn’t Rainbow Trash,” what sounded like a young boy said, but it didn’t seem directed at whoever I was.

Whoever I was, rolled over to fly upright, which I noticed was effortless for them compared to flying upside down, and a curly canary colored mane fell slightly into their vision. They focused on a group of three small and young looking winged ponies that stood on a cloud somehow. One had a dark brown coat with a light gray mane, while another had a harvest gold coat with a brown mane, both of which were bland looking compared to the third of the group. The third had a messy mane with almost every color of the rainbow aside from indigo, a pale cyan coat, and rose eyes that had tears in them.

No tattoos on any of them. Must be a rite they go through later on in life. I thought, and continued trying to make sense of this world I was lost in.

Oh! New friends! a young female sounding someone thought, who'd probably get on my nerves eventually with how high-pitched her voice was. Her feeling of happiness was intense as she flew silently toward the group.

“Leave me alone. I didn’t do anything to you guys,” the multi-colored mane filly said, that I guessed was female due to their rounded muzzle and voice, and looked to be about the same age as my host, at least based on the muzzle in view.

“My dad said her dad was a famous musician until he killed himself with drugs,” the one with the light gray mane said, and sounded like a boy.

“My dad wasn’t a drug addict! He died in an accident! My mom said so!” the multi-colored mane filly said, with fury in her still wet eyes.

What did mom say? Oh! I need to introduce myself! my host thought, then stopped right behind the two that were taunting the multi-color maned one and hovered in place. “Hi! I’m Surprise! What’s your names?” Surprise said, though in her enthusiasm it came out as a shout.

The two that were taunting the multi-color maned filly took flight, due to the ironic surprise that Surprise had caused them, and screamed in fright. The one with brown mane sounded like a girl in its scream, but once both of them turned around I noticed that they both had the flatter muzzles, which I concluded they were both male from. The two colts both had manes that partially covered their eyes, something that seemed to me wouldn’t be good for flying, but I could tell the brown maned one had green eyes, while the light gray maned had blue eyes. The multi-color maned one seemed to be confused with what had happened, but she seemed to be happier than before after witnessing the two bullies be frightened.

Serves them both right, I thought, glad these kids got some sort of payback for insensitivity, which was hopefully only a byproduct of their immaturity, though some people never changed.

Something in common already! Surprise thought, then swiftly flew up uncomfortably close to the colt that had sounded like a girl during his scream. “I can do that too!” she said, then promptly let out a squeal.

“Get away from me you freak!” the brown maned colt said, who then promptly pushed Surprise away. She took the energy from the shove and turned it into a backflip in the air while making sounds of enjoyment.

A stifled laughter could be heard from the light gray maned colt. “You have to admit, Hoops. You did just sound like a filly,” he said, then started to laugh.

The brown maned colt’s face went red with embarrassment, then looked at the other colt with anger, which even I had to admit looked cute. “Shut up, Dumbbell!” Hoops said.

I forgot about the personal space thing again and I made two friends mad at other… I have to fix this! “So whatcha three doing?” Surprise said.

“None of your business,” Dumbbell said.

“Is it a game? I’m really good at games,” Surprise said.

“I highly doubt that, freak,” Hoops said.

“What? Afraid I’ll beat you both?” Surprise said.

“No!” Dumbbell and Hoops said in unison, then looked at each and smiled.

Yes! Friendship saved! Now to form bonds of friendship that'll last forever! “Bet I can beat you both in a race. If I win you have to stop…” I don’t even know her name! “One sec!” Surprise said, then flew down to the multi-color maned filly.

The multi-color maned filly had dried her eyes and looked at Surprise with confusion. “Um… Hi?” she said.

“Quick! What’s your name?” Surprise said, in a hurried tone.

“Rainbow Dash,” Rainbow Dash said, with an even deeper look of confusion.

“Great!” Surprise said, and flew back up to the colts. “If I win you have to stop being mean to Rainbow Dash.”

“What do we get if we win?” Dumbbell said.

“Yeah!” Hoops said.

“Whatever you want,” Surprise said.

The two colts looked at each other with smug looks on their faces.

“Deal! Be at the flight course in five minutes,” Dumbbell said.

The two colts flew out of sight and Surprise shifted her attention back to Rainbow Dash. Surprise landed on the cloud, which felt damp and soft, then gave Rainbow Dash a wide smile.

“Why are you sticking up for me?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Because that's what friends do and I want to be friends,” Surprise said.

“Aren’t you afraid you’ll lose and have to do whatever they want?” Rainbow Dash said.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I was good at games,” Surprise said, with a wink. The memory faded away right after the wink.

I was happy that the memory I'd just witnessed was a good one.

(0) (0)

My sight returned, and I saw an older Surprise somehow hovering upside down in front of me by barely flapping her wings. Thankfully, she had moved at least half a pony's length away from me so that her pale violet eyes weren't nearly as close as before, but she was still uncomfortably close. Her coat was white, and, like most ponies I saw, wasn't wearing anything, not even a pair of saddlebags, but it made sense for her to forgo saddlebags due to her apparent tendency to fly upside down, while her canary yellow mane and tail were both a curly mess.

“Hey, Berry! Thought I broke you for a moment there with that blank gaze and drool you had going on. Most ponies cry out in joy when I surprise them, come to think of it, you generally do too. Well, that's unless you’ve had one too many. How much have you had anyway?” Surprise said.

I brought a hoof up to my muzzle to wipe away the drool. Longest memory I’ve had from a person in a long time. Last time that happened, the person called an ambulance. At least I know the name of who I’m talking to for once today. What is she anyway? A pegasus?

“Berry?” Surprise said, and gave me a thought filled look.

I need to keep my thoughts on the here and now. “Hello. Are we friends?” I said, and made a smile.

“Of course we are, silly. I'm friends with everypony and I've known you since I came to Ponyville. Oh! Are you playing amnesiac again? That was fun last time until you got tired of me re-introducing you to everypony.”

Ponyville? First that Stalliongrad alcohol and now this? Is this a sign of something? Well… she seems nice enough and it sounds like she'd believe me… though if she believed Berry had amnesia, then I don't know what good this will do me. “Good. Now I want to tell you some things and I want you to pretend we've never met before. Okay?” Come on, humor me.

“Can I pretend to be a princess?” She gave me a hopeful smile.

Why… not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, or pony in this case. “Sure. Now then, my—”

“One second!” she said, then flipped over right side up and flew into a nearby alley. I noted a tattoo of three purple balloons during her aerial acrobatics.

Did she just ditch me mid-sentence? Just as I was about to decide if I'd lost my mind, she flew back out of the alley with a paper towel tube taped to her head. Why she had a paper towel tube on her head was something I decided not to question, general questions about this mare seemed best left unasked really.

She landed on the bench, then gave me a smile. “Proceed.”

“Hello, my name is Jack Taylor and I'm a human.” How many times am I going to say that? Hopefully no more after today.

She brought her left forehoof up to her chest. “Greetings, Jack Tailor the hueman. I am Princess Surprise, Princess of Party, ruler of the Party Kingdom, and protector of the party ponies. You are welcome to partake in the festivities of my kingdom, but please refrain from being a party pooper,” she said, in a proper tone.

Her voice is a lot less annoying like that. “It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Sur—”

She dropped her hoof from her chest. “Oh no no no, I don't stand on ceremony or titles, that'd just get them all dirty. Please just call me Surprise; all my friends and party subjects do,” she said, with her normal tone of voice.

I jinxed it, didn't I? “Okay, Surprise it is. I've arrived in your kingdom beyond my control and seek to return home, but there are several problems that are preventing me from returning home. My first problem is I have no idea how I got here. The second problem is I’m no longer in my human body, but in this pony's body, that you know as Berry. My final problem is said Berry is a miscreant and frequent liar, so I'll have trouble finding anyone that'll help me,” I said.

“Wow, that's a sad story Be… I mean, Jack. I offer all that I can do to help, but sadly my talent doesn’t lie in magic.”

Magic? That's seriously a thing here? Would be nice if it is and she isn't just playing up the princess part. “Is there truly nothing you can do for me?” Man, I'm really getting into this.

“I can personally throw you a party. I'm an expert in the science of parties.” She seemed very serious about her expertise with parties.

Seriously? “Alas, I fear a party could in no way help my current predicament.”

“But parties can solve any problem! I should know, I’m the Princess of Party after all.”

Need to keep this on track. “You mentioned magic earlier. Do you know of any experts in magic? I'd prefer an expert in science though.” Please let all of this actually lead to a solution.

“Oh boy! Do I have a treat for you! My fellow princess Princess Twilight Sparkle is the Princess of Magic and good with science to boot! She can solve any problem, though… she sometimes causes them in the first place.”

Why does that name sound… damn it! That's the princess that Berry insulted! Maybe she isn't too mad to hear me out? “I'd be ever so grateful if you could escort me to Princess Twilight Sparkle, Surprise,” I said, and hoped that this Princess Twilight would actually be helpful.

She dropped her happy face and looked at me with a sad one. “I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Jack. Berry made Twilight really sad.”

“And that's exactly why I need her help! I don't want to be treated like Berry any longer than I have too! Would it help if I apologized on Berry's behalf?” I have a feeling a lot of apologies will be in order before any of these ponies will believe me… or at least stop thinking it's an act and start thinking I'm actually crazy instead.

“Wow! You really are different po… hueman, Jack. Berry never apologizes! She just blames everypony else instead.”

Good, the more stuff I do out of character, the more likely one of them will believe me. “So can we go see Princess Twilight Sparkle now?”

“Yeppo!” She took flight and resumed flying upside down with a walking pace flight away from me.

I removed myself from the bench and followed Surprise toward our destination. Watching her fly upside down with that paper towel tube brought a smile to my face due to the pure absurdity of it all. This pony is helping me in more than one way today it seems.

(0) (0)

Berry was right in one respect, this place is an eyesore. As I followed Surprise toward the castle, I tried to figure out why someone would build such a thing. The castle was shaped like a tree from the base, while the castle-like part looked like a treehouse, and was topped with an abstract representation of a star. Small crystals of various colors hung from the tree and a flag with an eight-pointed star waved in the wind. Out of everything, I did have to admit that it did look like it sprouted out of the ground. This is supposed to be a castle for royalty? Is it meant to be a show of wealth that they built an entire castle shaped like a tree out of crystals?

“Coming Jack?” Surprise said, who waited on the landing outside the doors to the castle and still wore the paper towel tube.

How hasn’t that paper towel tube fallen off? “Yeah, just taking in the sight.” I walked up the steps as she opened the door to the castle, and continued to look up at the castle. The main balcony makes sense for addressing subjects, but did they have to make it basically a really expensive tree house?

“Why, thank you, Surprise, for holding the door open for me. You are such a dear,” a refined sounding female said, in front of me.

“Huh? Rarity, wait!” Surprise said, with urgency.

I turned my sight away from the castle in time for my vision to be filled with the side of a white coated pony’s head, right before we bumped into each other. For the white pony, it was a simple matter of a fall onto her rear to the landing, but I had been ascending the stairs, so the fall for me was a lot more painful. I fell backward and bumped back down the stairs, then the fall ended when I landed on my back at the base of the stairs. “Ow… Why does pain follow surprise? Are they friends?” I said, and let out several groans.

“I don't think I know any ponies named Pain. I know a Gain, but no Pain.” I heard Surprise say.

I adjusted my head to get a look at my assailant. The pony at the top of the stairs got back on her hooves and seemed more concerned with her dress than to see who she ran into, but it gave me a chance to inspect her at least. She had a white coat and a purple mane in a bun hairstyle. Her mane had a light blue morning glory flower pin in it, but the pin only served to draw my attention to the horn on her forehead. The dress she wore covered whatever her tattoo was and seemed to be styled after the autumn leaves with very realistic looking overlapped leaves, that went from yellow to orange then red. Did I just bump into the princess we were looking for? Damn it!

“Dreadfully sorry for bumping into you—” Her blue eyes met mine, then narrowed. “Berry.” She said the name like I'd killed her cat, which for all I knew was a possibility, marched down the stairs, while continuing to glare at me, then stood in front of me on the last few steps. It took quite a bit of effort to prevent my ability from triggering, but the fear of what this scary unicorn might do if she thought I was ignoring her gave me the strength.

“Hi?” I flashed her a smile and hoped it'd break the tension in the air.

Anger seemed to radiate from her to the point that I feared it might be enough to create a hot zone. “Miss Punch, you have some nerve showing your face here the day after you slighted Twilight! Everypony in town knows that Twilight isn't comfortable with her princess-hood or castle! I needed to arrange an emergency spa visit just to make Twilight feel better today! So unless you have come here to apologize, I strongly advise you leave posthaste!” I got the sense of implied bodily harm from her tone.

Miss Punch? So that means my new body and former host’s full name is Berry Punch? I got back on my hooves and tried to get some semblance of power in this currently one-way argument. “Actually, an apology is part of the reason I’m here with Surprise.” I tried my best to stay calm with the mare. Getting mad at someone for telling me off about something I haven't done isn't going to get me anywhere with my current body situation.

“I…” She seemed shocked by my statement then turned her head back toward Surprise who'd just been looking on at our conversation from the landing. “Is this true, Surprise?”

It took her a moment to realize that Rarity had addressed her. “Yep!” she said, and broke her lost look with a smile.

Rarity gave me a quick look before she returned her attention to Surprise. “Surprise, swear to me that you'll stop her from getting near Twilight today unless she Surprise Swears to you that she is here to apologize to Twilight today and that she is not here to hurt Twilight's feelings today.”

“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a muffin in my eye!” she said, while she went through some movements with her forehooves.

“Good.” She returned her attention to me. “And Berry?”

“Yes?” I was a little afraid of what she might say next.

“Put on some overwear before you leave the house next time! There is such a thing as public decency laws! Not that you ever pay attention to those!” she said, before she nudged by me. I'd expected her to hit me in the face with her tail, but I noticed as she passed it was cut short.

Overwear… What? I picked my saddlebags off the ground where they fell from my fall and reascended the stairs of the castle. Once I reached the landing and attempted to enter the castle, Surprise stopped my entry with an outstretched foreleg. “Huh? What gives Surprise?”

She lowered her foreleg. “I Surprise Sweared to Rarity, that I wouldn't let you near Twilight today unless you Surprise Swear me, that you'll apologize to Twilight today and aren't here to hurt her feelings today.” She actually seemed serious compared to all the time so far I had been around her. Well, that was if you ignored the paper towel tube taped to her head.

“Yeah, I promise to apologize for Berry today and promise I'm not here to hurt Princess Twilight's feelings today.” How old is this Princess Twilight? One mare made her upset just like that? Well, it's a given that Berry seems to have a knack for making ponies upset, but still. I attempted to enter the castle again, but she stopped me again.

She dropped her foreleg again. “No no no, you have to make a Surprise Swear. Berry never makes those and you aren't Berry. Right, Jack?”

Well, she called me by my name so I'll humor her and say I Surprise Swear. “I, Jack Taylor the human, hereby Surprise Swear to apologize for Berry today, and that I'm not here to hurt Twilight's feelings today.” I once again attempted to enter, but she blocked me yet again. “What?!” I was losing my patience with this mare. What does she want? A blood oath?!

“You have to say the words and do the movements, otherwise it doesn't count. Oh, wait! You're new here. Okay! Repeat after me! I hereby solemnly swear, to apologize to Twilight today, and I'm not here to hurt her feelings today.”

“I hereby solemnly swear, to apologize to Twilight today, and not be here to hurt her feelings today,” I said, and rolled my eyes at this whole thing.

“Cross my heart!” She moved her left foreleg over the right side of her chest.

“Cross my heart.” I repeated the motion and found that my heart was indeed in the opposite location of a human’s. Great. Not only have organs been replaced, but they all aren’t even in the same places. Next, I’m going to hear that I have unheard of ones.

“And hope to fly!” She outstretched her left foreleg toward me.

“And hope to fly.” I mirrored her.

“Stick a muffin in my eye!” She switched to her right forehoof and placed it over her closed right eye.

At least this isn't gruesome as the human one. I made sure to close my eye like she did. The last thing I need is an eye infection. “Stick a muffin in my eye.”

“I, Princess Surprise, hereby permit you entry into the Friendship Rainbow Kingdom castle.” she said, with that proper tone from earlier.

Are we seriously still playing that game? Is that seriously the name of the kingdom? “Thank you,” I said, as I finally entered the Friendship Rainbow Kingdom castle. Well, that settles it. This Princess Twilight Sparkle must be a child and personally named her kingdom.

(0) (0)

Even the inside is made of crystal. The floor looked like crystal tiles of a glacier blue, partially carpeted over by royal purple carpeting with a gold trim, that had a design of some sort going through it. The design on the carpet was either supposed to be a visualization of the wind, or an artistic representation of tree roots. Banners that were royal purple, with gold edges, had a similar design to the carpet and hung from the purple crystal walls. Electric light fixtures were situated high up on the wall and lit the place well alongside some small colorful crystals that glowed. There were even regular white candlesticks in sconces, but their pristine condition seemed to indicate they were for show or emergencies.

As we walked further into the castle, I realized something strange about it, which was saying something with everything else so far. Where are all the guards? When I thought of castles, I thought of guards guarding them in medieval times, which from the look of the town, was the era this place was in. Sure, there were those people that renovated castles to live in, but it wasn’t like they trained their own personal guard to man all the walls. Well, I suppose if they lived in a castle then they'd have enough money to hire security, but it wasn’t like those people would carry around swords and wear suits of armor. That was, unless the rich people, that hired the guards, were really eccentric.

“Hey, Surprise. Does Princess Twilight have a guard?”

Unlike on our way here when she flew upside down the entire way, Surprise had settled down with a walk and constantly shifted her ears to listen for something. “Nope.”

“Why doesn't she have one?” This pony just seems to pose question after question.

“Doesn't need one.”

“This land is so peaceful she doesn't need protection?”

“Heh, not really. We face a problem nearly every week and a threat to Equestria about the time a new season is either beginning or ending.”

If that's true then why wouldn't she have a guard? Maybe their idea of threats isn't really that threatening? What did she mean by we? “Could you give me an example of one of these threats?” What would these ponies find a threat? Can't be that bad if a guard isn't needed.

“Well…” she stopped her walk, seemingly deep in thought over these threats, while I continued forward and stopped by her side. “One time we had an infestation of parasprites.”

“What's a parasprite and how bad are they?” Some sort of insect? Know sprite is a pretty wide term.

“Bleh, only one of the most disgusting and troublesome creatures in Equestria. They eat everything in sight and make more of themselves once they've eaten enough.”

“Everything? Even ponies?” Don't say yes.

“What? No! They're herbivores just like us! Wow… now that I think about it… Twilight's spell could've gone a whole lot worse,” she said, with a visible shiver.

“Spell?” What was it she said about Princess Twilight? Causing problems with magic. right?

“Yeah, Twilight decided to cast a spell on them so that they'd stop eating all the food. The problem was that when they stopped eating the food they started eating everything that wasn't food. Took a whole week to fix all the buildings, since we didn't have many ponies inspired enough to sing. Personally, I blame the lack of baked goods.”

Singing? Baked good? “Faced any threats bigger than a swarm of insects?”

“Well, this one time Discord the Spirit of Chaos broke free, reversed our elements, and turned reality upside down. That wasn't nearly as bad as the parasprites though, since there was chocolate rain during it and plenty of baked goods afterward. Really, a disaster that has baked goods at the end isn't that much of a disaster.”

Is she for real? Well, that Discord sounds like big enough threat to warrant a guard. “What do you mean when you say ‘we’?” She's including herself in it, so maybe she and some others are along the lines of a guard for this princess, but called something else?

“Oh yeah! Because I'm a princess right now! I didn't mean the royal ‘We’ like Princess Luna uses sometimes, I meant my friends and myself.”

“So, do you and your friends have combat training that you use to protect Princess Twilight?” If this mare is an elite soldier, any enemy she's ever faced would've seriously underestimated her.

“Protect Twilight?” She seemed to find amusement in my question, as she took a short moment to laugh. “Twilight is a princess, silly. Though that doesn't mean we aren't always there for her anyway; friends always stick together through thick and thin.”

“Okay, I'm missing something here, so remember that I'm not from here. Are you saying that a princess here is an actual protector of the land and deals with threats personally?” What kind of monarchy is this where a princess does that?

“Correctamundo! Princesses don't do that where you're from? Where are you from anyway, Jack?”

That's a good question I may actually have an answer to with things so far. “Surprise, is there a place called Stalliongrad here?” Maybe I misheard Process?

“Uh-huh, is that where you're from? Hammer and Sickle haven't talked about any body-snatching creatures from there when they talk about home.”

Hammer… and Sickle? No, must keep my questions relevant. “I didn’t choose to be Berry Punch let alone snatch her body. Brayico?”

“¡Sí! I get a lot of my party supplies from there. Donkeys sure know how to party, though Cranky is an exception. Is that where you’re from?”

“I’m fairly certain I’m from somewhere you have never heard of.”

“Oh! Is it unpronounceable in our language and just a glimpse of it would cause madness?”

“No… Why do you ask that?” Am I going to need worry about Lovecraftian horrors here?

“Because that's where Discord said he's from.”

“The same Discord that threatened Equestria?”

“He's reformed now.”

“You just forgave him for doing something like that?

“Of course we did, though not everypony trusts him yet. So, where are you from?”

Well, if they can accept someone that threatened them, then I’m in clear in terms of my safety. Now to describe where I’m from… “A planet called Terra that follows the rules of science and magic is fictional… probably.” Best to keep an open mind. “Now then, it could be I'm in a virtual reality, but VR isn't this advanced yet. Even if VR is secretly this advanced, what would the purpose of putting me in one that looks like it was designed for a child? There is also a major problem with that theory.” Never seen anything fake have memories, and my ability doesn't behave the same way when looking at recorded eyes of any kind.

“What’s virtual reality?”

“It's… like a dream you can experience and interact with, when awake, that's made by a machine.”

“So it's like a video game! I love that one where you chase a dragon up a mountain to save a prince! What makes the world seem like it was designed for a foal?”

They have video games? “Reason I think this place is designed for a child is all the fantasy elements and how cute everything is.

“Don't get what you've seen so far that could be considered a fantasy. What’s the major problem?”

Of course she wouldn’t think any of this is a fantasy, she's currently a part of the fantasy. “The major problem is something I’m not comfortable talking about with someone I barely know.”

“A secret that you’ll only tell a close friend? Neat! It’ll be like a reward for being a good friend on top of reward in of itself of being a good friend!” she said, hopped into the air, then used her wings to flutter back to the ground.

“A parallel reality is another possibility since you pegasi are able to fly beyond reason. Might even be that all of reality has changed and somehow I was partially skipped.”

“Beyond reason? We can fly because of magic, duh. So you think that reality might've started this morning and everything we remember doing is a lie?”

“Yes…” I need to keep an eye on her. She's way too perceptive when it comes to this. Seems I guessed what they call themselves correctly at least. “Anything seems possible at the moment.”

“Anything? Oh! How about you are dreaming?”

“Ruled that out as time is consistent and everything is too detailed.”

She looked up at the ceiling for a moment with a puzzled look. “Well, let's go with this being a parallel reality since it wouldn't be very nice to treat ponies like they're…” She moved a forehoof up to below her muzzle and seemed to get lost in thought.

“Is the word you're looking for ‘fictitious’? ”

“Nah, I'm pretty sure it's a real word.” The straight face she kept looked convincing, but I wasn’t sure I could believe her talking about all this crazy, then missing something as simple as that.

I inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled it. Need to get this back on track. “What were your thoughts on parallel universes?”

“Oh, if you're from a parallel universe, why do you have Berry's body?”

Good question. “Evil forces? Evil is an actual force here, right?”

“Yup yup! All sorts of baddies are evil, but what would one want you as Berry Punch?”

Well, I'm not useful in any way. Unless… “Berry has made a lot of beings mad, right?”

“Yeah…” A look of sadness appeared in her eyes and her smile turned into a frown.

“Seeing as I have no enemies I—”

“You don't have a nemesis? Not even a rival?” A strange look of surprise washed over her face.

I'll just ignore that. “Seeing as I don't have any enemies and Berry does then it seems more likely someone here sent her away and left me in her place.”

“Kinda like that movie Weird Wednesday! Well, aside from you being an alien and not being Berry's mother or daughter which would be really weird because then that'd mean Berry has been an alien all along. Unless—”

“Surprise!” I said, with maybe a little too much force.

“Yes?” She drew out the word for some reason.

“Pretend you're a princess again since I think that's the only way you'll be anywhere near serious with me.” This is what my life has come to?

“But I'm always serious!” She straightened her back and legs. “Serious is my middle name,” she said, in a slightly lower tone of voice with a look in her eyes.

What I wouldn't give for her to talk and act like that all the time. “You have a last name?”

“Huh?” She broke her serious pose and went back to a more relaxed one. “No, actually. Guess I can't do that like Rainbow Dash does when I don't have a last name. Ahem.” She raised her head upwards and placed her left forehoof on her chest. “You may address Us,” she said, in the proper tone again.

“My situation is worse than I previously thought, Surprise. If Berry Punch is in my body then she could very well be destroying my life as we speak!” The longer this takes the more likely I'll be broke, in prison, or even lost custody of Katherine! Fuck! Why haven’t I been more expedient? Am I suffering from shock? I inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled it to calm myself down. Panicking will do me no good, I don’t even know if that's the truth.

“Fear not, Jack the hueman. Berry Punch has not done anything in her life that she could not recover from, so I verily doubt she will do so to yours.”

“What's the worst thing she's ever done?” Knowing that should ease my fears.

She dropped her regal pose and brought her left forehoof up to below her muzzle.“Hmm. Well, the worst thing I can think of where she got into the most trouble was when she illegally imported some absinthe.”

“Okay, that would've been pretty bad years ago, wh—”

“Which led to her being charged with smuggling, possession of a controlled substance, facilitating the delinquency of a minor. and accessory to the assembly of an explosive device,” she said, with a somber demeanor.

How isn't Berry in prison?! “Surprise! I’m pretty sure three of those are federal crimes where I'm from and that last one might even be considered an act of terrorism!”

“They are?” She resumed smiling. “Well, I'm sure Berry wouldn't do those things again. She did have to spend a month in the Ponyville jail for those first three, which come to think about it, has been the longest she's been sober since she picked up her drinking habit.” She dropped her smile back to a frown. “The last was more my fault though, so she just got community service for it.”

A month? Only community service! “What do you mean by your fault?” I thought she was a little crazy, but building a bomb?

“Well, when she gave me the absinthe—”

“Wait! You were the minor? How old were you?”

“19. Anyway, the absinthe gave me the inspiration for the best party ever as everypony said it was the best one I'd ever thrown! The only problem was that I couldn't figure out how to top it and Berry wouldn't let me have anymore because it was a one-time thing. So I borrowed the absinthe without her permission—”

“You mean stole.”

“Yeah… stole the absinthe from her.” She took on very shameful demeanor. “Once I had more of the absinthe, I had the inspiration for an amazing town-wide party, that'd last an entire day.”

“So where does the explosive come into this?”

“Well, during the party I couldn't shake the idea that the town-wide party was my crowning achievement so—”

“Is that how you became a princess?” That was too easy not to.

“Huh?" She looked up at the paper towel tube still taped to her. "Oh! Jack, I'm not really a princess, I've just been pretending.”

“I know…” Huh, thought she'd find that funny.

“Now then, during the party, I was feeling really sad that it might very well be my best party forever, so I decided to try drinking the entire bottle. All sorts of new ideas came to my mind, but none of them seemed big enough until Rainbow flew by and told me my party was the bomb.”

“So you decided to just make a bomb instead of throwing another party?” Absinthe must really live up to the nickname ‘The Green Fairy’ in this world.

“No! I decided to make a Party Bomb!” Uttering the name seemed to strike fear in her.

“What's a Party Bomb?” If she decided to create a bomb to end her party with a bang, then I'm seriously questioning this kingdom's judicial system and my current safety.

“Well, I'm not sure really. Everything gets really fuzzy afterward. Twilight made sure to put it and the blueprints in a safe place. All I know is that it had enough force to destroy all of Ponyville and would’ve turned all of Equestria into one massive party!” She resumed her smile again. “Thankfully, Rarity knew her shades so well and was able to disarm it in time.”

“Let me guess, it was the red wire?” Think I've just about had my fill of this girl.

“Nope, all the wires were shades of white and the blueprint said they needed to cut the ghost white one.”

“Of course. Anyway, could we find Princess Twilight soon? Life possibly being ruined here.” I let out a sigh and was tired I hadn’t got anywhere.

“What do you think we've been doing this entire time?”

“Standing here talking about threats and how you've even been one?”

“Waiting.”

“Waiting on wha—” I heard a strange sound beyond a nearby pair of doors, then the muffled sound of others in a conversation could be heard.

“On Twilight to return to the library.” She opened one of the doors, then entered the library.

We actually stopped here for a reason? I followed her through the doorway and hoped that this Princess Twilight was reasonable.

(0) (0)

What?! The library was a big round room with walls of bookshelves that went all the way up to a tall ceiling.Windows with tree designs in them shined various levels of light into the room, alongside a large crystal that seemed to be suspended in the air and shined a light of its own. The carpet went from wall to wall and had practical wooden tables with cushions around them, the cushions made me wonder how common chairs were in this society. All of those things combined didn’t compare to the books though, or more specifically what the books were doing.

I'd expected books when I entered the library, books were a given in a library still, even if back home they were phasing out paper books in favor of limited digital copies. The reason this library didn’t make sense was because the books were wrapped in a magenta glow and flying about. The source of it appeared to be the lavender colored winged unicorn with the same magenta glow on her horn beside what I thought was a dragon. The winged unicorn had a long dark blue mane with dark purple and rose highlights, but the dragon was something else entirely.

The dragon had a slender body with light purple scales, light lime green fin-like ears, dark green spikes running down its back, and a pair of folded leathery wings. Unlike the ponies, it stood on both legs and arms. The arms ended in clawed hands, which seemed like they'd be uncomfortable to walk on after a while, and the legs ended in clawed toes. It was a head taller than the pony next to it due to its longer and slender neck. If it stood bipedally on its legs, it'd have towered over any of the ponies I'd seen so far.

“Twilight, don't you have some more important things to do than looking up spells? Maybe some letters we got today?” the male sounding dragon said, accusingly.

“I am just looking over all the reform spells, Spike. There has to be one I overlooked in my past attempts with Berry,” the winged unicorn said, that seemed to be the Princess Twilight Sparkle that Surprise and I had been seeking.

“You can't solve Berry’s problems for her, Twilight. Last reform spell didn't even work when she realized all she had to do was close her eyes and drink blind instead,” the dragon that seemed to be named Spike said.

“Yeah, I thought the Eyes of Un-Obsession spell would work, but of course Berry found the loophole.”

“So why not just give up? Everypony else except for Surprise has given up hope for her.”

“Spike, if I give up on somepony, where will it end? I can not just stop trying when a friendship problem gets too hard. I just haven't found the solution for Berry yet.”

“Twilight! You told Rarity that you were over this!”

“I had to tell her something, Spike. If I had not, then she would have insisted on something like a slumber party, and I would rather not bother all my friends over being upset with one pony.”

“They won't see making you feel better to be a bother.” Sympathy was clear in his voice.

I wasn’t sure how to interrupt their conversation nicely, but Surprise seemed to be content with just walking toward them without saying anything. I decided to stop a pony's length behind them, but Surprise just walked until she stood next to them and inspected a book on a table, without their notice. Wonder if Princess Twilight is used to Surprise showing up and not announcing herself.

“I know, but they did enough for me by coming over today. Applejack has the shopping season to prepare for. Rarity needs to work on her winter line. Fluttershy is making sure all the animals are getting ready for hibernation. Rainbow is working on, as she calls it, her radical new Hearth's Warming song. And Surprise…” she stopped seemingly at a loss for words.

“Yes?” Surprise said, innocently, right next to them which made both Spike and Twilight take flight into the air with their wings. They'd turned somewhat sideways in their sudden flight and it allowed me to notice some other details. I noted that the scales on Spike’s lower jar were a very pale green, while Twilight had a tattoo that looked to be a pink six-pointed star over another white six-pointed star, with five small white ones surrounding it. I need to ask someone what all these tattoos mean at some point.

“Surprise!” Twilight and Spike said, in unison, shock clear in their voices.

“Twilight! Spike!” Surprise said, joyously.

Glad I'm not the only one she does that to. Someone really should put a bell on her. I decided to let their conversation play out until I decided on the least intrusive way to make myself known.

Twilight and Spike lowered themselves to the ground after they'd calmed down from Surprise’s introduction. “Surprise? Why is there a paper towel tube on your head?” Twilight said, quizzically.

“I'm a princess now, The Princess of Party to be exact,” Surprise said, like it was a fact, while I heard Spike stifle a laugh.

“And why are you a princess now?” Twilight said, as she continued to unravel the current actions of her friend Surprise.

“It sorta just happened today while I was out setting my ‘Make Twilight's Sad Frown Upside Down’ plan in motion. Well, I suppose it isn’t politically correct to wear a horn and pretend I’m an alicorn since Princess Hope isn’t one, but—”

“Surprise, what does all that have to do with your plan?” she asked, skeptically.

“Nothing at all.” she said, seemingly oblivious to Twilight's skepticism.

If I don't do anything I might be here all day. “Ahem.” I cleared my throat, as I tried to get their attention, with the limited success of Spike turning his head toward me, which allowed me to see his slitted green eyes. I noted that the very pale green scales from his lower jaw continued down his neck and chest before disappearing from sight when it kept going on toward his underside.

A look of shock was on Spike’s face which was then replaced with an angry look. “Twilight,” he said, angrily, as he kept his slitted eyes on me.

“One moment, Spike. So what was your plan, Surprise?” she said, still oblivious to me.

Surprise took a deep breath of air in a gasping way. “Well, at first it was just to find Berry and see if she'd apologize to you. I tried to ask Officer Knocks when she'd be out, but he got all grumpy with me and told me to leave. So I waited around the police station all morning until Berry was released and then surprised her. After a minute of acting like a zombie that wanted to eat my brain, she seemed a little strange, then she asked me to pretend that we'd never met. I asked her if I could pretend I was a princess and she said yes, so I improvised a quick horn. I know wearing a horn wasn’t right while pretending to be a princess, but I wanted to be able to cast spells. She told me her name was actually Jack Tailor, which was weird because in all the time I've lived in Ponyville, I've called her Berry Punch, along with everypony else, and I've never seen her sew anything. She also told me she was something called a hueman, and trapped here, then that led to talking about magic, which led to you,” she said, quickly and without pause.

She thinks I said I'm a tailor? Well, I suppose that's what my last name comes from, but no reason not to correct her. “Surprise, I did say my last name is Taylor, but it's just a last name and spelled with a 'Y' instead of an 'I'.” I said, and tried not to sound rude.

“Huh?” Twilight turned her attention toward me with her strong violet eyes. “Berry!”

“Jack Taylor.” I lowered my head and attempted to bow, but when I thought about how to move my legs it just resulted in a face plant. “Ow…”

“And you are already drunk.” Twilight sighed and turned her attention back to Surprise. “Surprise, what is going on here?”

“Duh, I brought Jack here to apologize for Berry so you could help her.”

“That is nice Surprise, but Berry is not going to apologize.” I heard no hint of doubt in her voice.

I pushed myself back to standing on all fours and managed to look only slightly less drunk, due to my unsteadiness caused by thoughts on leg movement. “Ahem.” I cleared my throat and successfully gained Twilight’s attention.“I apologize on behalf of Berry Punch, the former host of this body, for all past…” What'd be a good word here? Misdeeds? Crimes? Oh! “Transgressions,” I said, with a smile while Twilight looked at me in confusion.

“See? I told you so.” Surprise said, with a foreleg draped behind Twilight's head, while she smiled at me.

“She isn't apologizing for herself, Surprise.” Spike said, with some anger in his voice, and gained my attention once more.

“I can't apologize as Berry Punch since I’m not mentally Berry Punch,” I said, and knew how crazy I sounded.

“All it sounds like to me is you not owning up,” he said, then got up in my face trying to stare me down.

I felt myself on the edge of my ability about to activate, due to proximity alone to his eyes. It wasn’t like I feared he would kill me, but he seemed angry enough to hit me if I zoned out. “Well, I didn't come here to talk to a dragon.”

“Enough you two!” I heard Twilight shout and a magenta glow filled my vision. My entire body felt as if it was grabbed before I was pulled away from Spike.

“Not until she properly apologizes!” He pointed at me with a clawed finger, which I noticed was very sharp looking.

“My problem with Berry is between me and her, Spike.” she said, in a very chastising manner.

“Fine then! I can see when nopony wants my help!” he said, clearly not fine with things.

“Spike, don't be that way,” Twilight said, with a pleading tone.

“I’m out of here,” he said, then purposely nudged by me, elbowing me in the side as he left.

“Argh!” Twilight let out a frustrated sound. “Where are you going and when will you be back?”

“Wherever I like and whenever I feel like it,” he said, as he left through the open half of the double library door, then promptly slammed it shut behind him.

Well, looks like I just made a new friend! Let’s see how many more creature with sharp claws and teeth I can befriend! Why stop there though? Why not just go find this Discord guy! Actually… that might be a good idea if he warps reality. Okay, talk to the magical warrior princess pony first, and if that doesn’t work, we go find what may possibly be related to Lovecraftian horrors. “Yep, I need to revisit the question of my sanity.” I said, to myself.

“Got pretty close there to breaking your Surprise Swear, Jack. Didn't do it purposely though, so you're good.” I heard Surprise say right next to me. I'd just realized she'd moved when I hadn't noticed and was leaned on me with her hoof draped behind my head.

If she were an assassin I'd never see her coming.

“Surprise, would you please go and make sure Spike stays out of trouble, while I have a talk with Berry?”

“Okie doki loki!” she said, and quickly removed herself from me. I took a glance at her and found she was already hovering in front of library doors. She opened one door silently and went through it before she closed it again in the same manner.

Not even a breeze.

“You should put a bell on her,” I said, to Twilight, as an attempt to break the ice with some small talk.

“I tried once, the bell never rang. Think it might be chaos magic at work, but only Discord could tell me, and getting straight answers from him on chaos magic is impossible,” she said, very casually to me, while she seemed to forlornly look at the doors.

“So is Spike usually that…” What's a nice word? “Intense?”

“Nah, he just can get a little hotheaded and—” She shifted her attention to me and a look of realization hit her features as she remembered who she was with.

“Hello, I'm Jack Taylor,” I said, with an outstretched forehoof and hoped that I wasn’t overstepping my boundaries with a handshake, or actually hoofshake due to the lack of hands being involved. Really hope I'm not here long enough for things like hoofshake or everypony to become a part of my vocabulary.

She looked at me and my hoof before she rolled her eyes. “Berry, what are you trying to pull? I have far too many new friendship problems from Fillydelphia to deal with for me to play some game of yours.”

I placed my forehoof back on the ground. Guess they don't do that here. “I’m a creature from another world called a human. I woke up here in your land with Berry Punch's body. Seeing as everything that's going on seems impossible to me, I've concluded that magic is the cause. Well… it's the cause I want, as everything else I could think of would either be mental or technology that doesn't exist outside of science fiction. Basically, I’m starting with the craziest answer first,” I said, and tried not to sound crazy.

“Could you have at least come up with a better story, Berry?” she said, then let out another sigh.

Says the magical talking warrior princess pony. “Will you just hear me out? Please?” I wonder if please is actually a magic word here.

“Fine, but this better not take long.”

“Weren’t you just spending your free time looking for a reforming spell?” I said, and knew I shouldn’t have, but my curiosity got the better of me.

“I… How long were you and Surprise near us before Surprise made herself known?” She seemed caught off-guard, about what I couldn’t say.

“Well, we entered the library after Surprise had us wait outside the door until I heard a sound, then you and Spike could be heard.”

“You both just waited outside the library until Spike and I teleported in?”

Teleport? Well, guess that explains the sound I heard. “Kinda, but she didn’t tell me we were waiting. She just kinda stopped there during a question I asked her.” What in the world is going on here?

“Sounds like Surprise. How did you two sneak up on us? Were you in contact with her or did you run in right when she surprised us?”

“No, I wasn't in contact with her.” What was strange question. “We just walked right up behind you, well Surprise continued to walk until she was right next to you, then began reading a book that was open.”

“Impossible!” She pointed a forehoof at me. “Surprise might have done that, but there is no way you did it! Princess Celestia trained me to be alert at all times and I would have noticed your hoofsteps!” she said, and seemed very adamant about what she said.

“Well, I did. Guess you failed that lesson,” I said, and I noticed she seemed to react slightly to when I said 'failed'.

She placed her forehoof back on the ground. “Prove it. Walk right now without making a sound.”

“Fine, but I’m going to make a sound. You just weren’t paying attention earlier.” I focused on her while I walked around her. Both of our eyes widened at the sound my hooves made, which was absolutely nothing at all. They did make sound today, right? I didn’t just hear everypony else’s hoofsteps? Damn it! Now my thoughts are plagued by their words!

Twilight’s surprise quickly passed and she flew straight at me, which knocked me on my back and left us in a compromising position, something she seemed oblivious to as she gripped my right foreleg. I decided not to struggle with her as she inspected my right forehoof, which she did first with her own forehoof, then with her magic. The look on her face said she wasn’t getting the answers she wanted.

“How?!” Twilight said, and looked at me as if I knew the answer.

“Because…” Maybe I can end this madness. “Because I’m an alien from a parallel reality.”

Her right eye started to twitch, which reminded me of my recent concept of reality break with the pegasi. “Did Surprise and Rainbow Dash put you up do this? No, wait! This is Discord level pranking!” She looked around the room. “Come on out, Discord! The joke is over!” she said, to the room, with the only response a faint echo of what she shouted.

“Well, if this were a joke, then I’m sure whoever pulled it off is either glad they brought a camera or are kicking themselves for not bringing one.”

“What? Why?” she said, still oblivious to our position.

“Because, right now, you're straddling me.” I said, in a matter of fact tone.

She looked down and her face went red with embarrassment, which I wondered how it was visible through her coat, then removed herself from me by way of flight. As she landed a few feet from me, I pushed myself up from the floor to stand on all fours. “Sorry for getting carried away,” Twilight said, as she moved a forehoof in a circle and hung her head in shame.

“Apology accepted. Now then, I need your help. Who do we see about parallel realities and mind swapping?” I said, as I hoped that both said things existed.

She brought her head up and rolled her eyes. “Berry, you are not an alien, or as the proper term would be for a being from outside our reality, and not a being from another planet, an outsider. You were also never a changeling, possessed by evil, corrupted by chaos, or any other inane thing you have claimed since I have known you in the past two years. You are just an alcoholic that does not want to face reality.”

“These things exist, right?” I really hope I haven’t sounded like I read too much fiction all this time.

“Yes and no. Yes, it is possible to swap minds between creatures, but that kind of magical knowledge is heavily regulated. You can even copy one mind into another, replacing the original to a degree, but you already know of my experience with that. Yes, other realities exist, but after Discord’s arrival, Celestia and Luna started the E.P.A to prevent disasters such as that from ever happening again by strengthening the barrier between worlds. The E.P.A also monitors the barrier and could respond in the neigh impossible chance something does get through, though typically they just send Discord a ticket whenever he decides that showing another world is a neat party trick.”

“Wait, you said that Discord fellow can just open a portal? What good is your protection then?”

“It makes it neigh impossible for something outside our reality, like another being with Discord’s power, from entering our own and prevents anyone besides Discord from opening a portal on our side.”

Seriously? Neigh? I’m getting tired of these words puns. “Well, either this E.P.A isn’t doing their job or that Discord guy is responsible because here I am.”

“Berry, you don’t have the mind of an outsider inside your head. Just give it up already.”

Why did I think this would be simple? How do I… “What if I actually did? Isn't it your responsibility to protect your kingdom? I might very well be a threat and you haven't proven I'm not.”

“I could easily prove you are not, but I don't have the time today to get lost in your mindscape. Several complicated friendship problem letters arrived today from Fillydelphia and I have spent enough time focusing on you today.”

“Friendship problems? Seriously? How could friendship compare to me?” I said, with all the anger I felt over her prioritization of something so trivial. The moment I saw her eyes light up with fury, I knew I was in trouble.

“Me, me, me! That is all you ever think about, isn't it? Never Piña Colada! Well, you are not the only pony in Equestria that has had to suffer through loss! Applejack and her family have two more foals because of what happened. One of those foals doesn't have a blood relative to speak of, while the other wishes the only one she has cared about her!” Twilight said, angrily, with both of her wings fully extended, while staring me straight in the eyes.

I averted my eyes from her’s, as I didn’t want to chance zoning out in front of someone angry with me. She's scary when she's angry. Need to defuse this. I inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled it, which made the words I'd say next clear. “Okay, sorry. I'm just in a very confusing situation and place at the moment. Didn't mean to insult friendship or anything else.”

Twilight broke her anger with a slightly unnerving smile. “You know what? I think I have a book that will solve your current problem, Berry.” Her horn and she levitated a small book from one of the library's bottom shelves toward us.

“Jack Taylor is my name,” I said, very adamantly.

“Yeah, whatever,” she said, offhandedly, and made me wonder if these ponies had a word pun for offhandedly. The book finished its journey to us and I plucked it out of the air with my left forehoof. The book had a picture of a small colt and larger wooden wolfish creature, with a title that I had to read out loud, due to pure disbelief.

“You gave me a book called ‘ The Colt Who Cried Timberwolf ’…” I said, not really sure what to make of it.

“Yes, I'm sure you will find it very enlightening. Now please leave.” She pointed toward the library doors with a forehoof.

“Not until you help me!” I said, and stomped my right forehoof, as I held onto the book she gave me in my left.

“Enough!” she said, in very frustrated tone and began to make a ball of magenta light with her horn.

“Wait! What are you doing?” I said, not sure what was about to happen aside from it being magic. She stopped making the ball of magenta light from her horn grow larger and it shot it toward me.“Fu—” I was unable to finish my word before the world disappeared. My body felt like it was stretched then squashed for a moment before it was all over. A dark purple ceiling appeared, and I felt a sense of weightlessness for a moment, then gravity dropped me back first onto something soft

I rolled over, then sat up to find I was on an unmade bed with a strawberry theme to the bedding. It took a moment before my mind caught up with what had happened. I was just teleported away. It seemed she'd sent me to Berry’s house, which all things considered was probably the nicest thing a magical warrior princess could have done. I looked at the children's book, that I'd held onto, and tried to figure out what to do. Before I could begin however, I strangely felt an oppressive feeling of tiredness wash over me, that clouded my thoughts and zapped my energy.

“If I get—” I yawned. “out of this, I'm—” Another yawn escaped my muzzle and it was becoming difficult to keep my head up. “never drinking again,” I said, the fatigue heavy in my voice before I laid my head down to rest and lost grip of the book.

Author's Note

Proofreaders/Pre-Readers:
Busstop
Topaz Moon

In my early stages of planning this story I found it dragged far too often and decided to cut out a lot of things I brainstormed up. The current plan is to keep it as simple and straightforward as possible. So don't worry, Jack won't get sidetracked, at least not by his own choice. That doesn't mean the world is simple and straightforward though. :raritywink:

Last Grammar and Style Update: 2016-10-12 (You may notice all chapters up to 1.8 being slightly different than this one; that is because I've polished this chapter up to my current writing level and style. I plan to do this for all chapters eventually, but all the on and off proofreading I've done, for both my own story and some others, in the past two weeks has finally drained my perfectionism and charged my need to be creative.)

Wayward Plans 1.2

The heat inside was a welcomed relief from the cold of November outside, but the bar tonight was strangely quiet, with only one other patron at the bar and the bartender himself.

It was an all wood bar from the floor to ceiling and everything inbetween, while it lacked gaudy sport or locally targeted decorations. Sure, it had flat screen TVs everywhere, all of which were turned off, but the place didn’t do karaoke or anything else that would’ve kept me away. This place was somewhere I shouldn’t be, a place that said I didn’t care completely for my little sister, but I needed this small escape.

I unzipped my coat and stowed away my gloves, then took a seat at the bar on the opposite end of where the other patron sat; if I wanted to talk with someone tonight, I would talk to the bartender. I could have left at any moment, would have if I were a better person, and ignored the feeling that I should have already. The bartender walked over to me, who I knew on a first-name basis, and he knew I only came here for one reason. I never came here for friends or sex, I came here because he charged the least for the alcohol that I swore I wouldn’t ever bring home and the fact that this bar was close to home; I knew my limit and what I thought was safe to drive home with.

“Usual?” Mike said, his Manhattan accent still strong even after all these years I had known him. I suppose for some it might have brought up an emotional response, but I wasn’t even born yet for that terrorist attack. All I was glad for was that there were still enough Americans willing to fight in the war on terror that I didn’t need to worry about a draft, a war that would be won within the next decade or two.

“Yup,” I said, the fact that I drank the whiskey I did had lost its irony years ago.

Mike pulled a bottle of Jack and a shot glass out from under the counter, my bottle actually. Where I chose to sit hadn’t truly been in avoidance of the other patron, and would’ve probably sat right next to him if he had sat on this side. No, I chose this spot because it was where I had spent one night a week for the past couple years, and bought that bottle several weeks back. I had only made this place a weekly thing in the past four years, ever since I figured that Katherine was responsible enough to be left alone at night after school, and most nights; Katherine practically took care of herself after she turned twelve last spring.

“Do you want the TV on?” Mike pointed toward one of the TVs that was overhead.

“We still set on invading South America?” I said, doubtful things had changed since last I saw the news.

“Yep.”

“Even though all we want is to wipe out The First?”

“Yep.”

“All because they think we want to absorb their countries like we did in Mexico and The Middle East?”

“Pretty much.”

Things never really changed, why would they when you lived in the only true superpower of the world. At times I thought we might be headed toward a dystopia, but I had to admit that I was glad I lived in a country without fear about Katherine’s safety. Sure, we had a total lack of privacy in the country, but I grew up without the concept of privacy, and if you didn’t have anything to hide, then it didn’t really matter. Strangely, my ability never gained any attention from the government, so it went to show they didn’t know everything.

“Hello. Mind if I sit with you?” someone behind me said, and I turned to see who it was.

(0) (0)

I comfortably awoke embracing a pillow and had a blanket wrapped around me. At least my sleeping habits haven’t changed. The feeling of an empty stomach and a parched throat were also there, but they seemed the least of my worries. The world was silent and the room was lit only by the dim moonlight seeping in through a window. The darkness of the room couldn’t hide the muzzle in the middle of my vision though, which dashed the last hope that what I remembered had actually been a dream after all.

What was I dreaming about? The bar? Did I really get blackout drunk? Who was it I turned around to speak to? Regardless of how much I tried, I couldn’t recall anything beyond what I had dreamed. I unraveled myself from the blanket I had cocooned myself in and crept out of bed onto a strawberry red carpet. Care was taken in where I placed my hooves as I noticed even in the dim moonlight that empty bottles of all shapes and sizes littered the floor. Glad this isn’t my house… though I guess it kinda is. I noticed my hooves continued not to make a sound when they made contact with the floor or anything else I touched.

By the bed, I noticed an analog clock on a nightstand with a face that glowed and it read as just past one in the morning. Why did I just pass out like I did? Secondary effect of the teleportation? How long was I out? I was lost in a world I didn’t understand, so I decided to return some normality to my life, even if waking up at one in the morning wasn’t one of them. I hope this place has a shower.

I made my way toward the door, as I ignored the rest of the room until I had taken a shower, and noticed a toggle light switch that glowed with light. “Well, I think being in an alien world with an alien body is enough of an excuse to ignoring basic energy conservation,” I said, and toggled the lights on. I turned the textured door knob with ease due to be weird pads and flexible wrist, and pulled the door inward. The light from the bedroom illuminated the midnight blue hallway’s green carpet outside, which was littered with more bottles.

I carefully made my way toward another glowing light switch in the middle of the hallway. Wonder if anyone else lives here. I toggled the light switch and was met with the sight of more bottles, several of which looked to have had their contents spilled onto the midnight blue hallway’s forest green carpet at some point. Well, at least none of them are broken. Heedless of the possibility that others were asleep, I opened the door that was next door to Berry’s and turned the light switch on to a welcome sight, though it wasn’t a pretty sight.

The room was a bathroom, but it looked like it had seen better days. There was a strong odor of mildew in the room, at least I thought it was strong, but I did have to consider the fact my muzzle nostrils might be more sensitive. Dirty towels and washrags littered the grimy tile floor, which might have been the largest source of the mildew smell. I was hesitant to even step foot on the bathroom’s floor, but the need of a warm shower pushed me forward into the room.

I closed the bathroom door behind me and began to decide what to do. Going clockwise around the room there was a linen cabinet, a pile of dirty clothes and linens under a towel holder, a walk-in shower, a floor toilet in desperate need of cleaning, and a sink. I opened the linen cabinet to find it completely empty, something that I expected due to the pile next to it. Well, I’ll have a couple of hours to kill afterward, guess laundry is something I could do. That and clean up some of those bottles, or even clean this bathroom. I opened the shower door, ignored how dirty the shower was, and turned on the water.

The warm water was a welcomed relief, even if all the hair on my body that became soaked was a strange feeling, and I took the opportunity to quench my thirst. It seemed that Berry Punch at the very least remembered to stock a grape scented shampoo, alongside a strawberry scented body wash, and I decided work on the mane first. The fruit smell reminded me of the soaps I would buy for my little sister.

Katherine… I hope she is alright. If Berry has my body, would she have found her way home? Is Berry a threat to Katherine? Hopefully, if anything happened, Katherine would’ve called Rebecca. How would Berry react to a situation like this though? Other than a drunk, just what kind of mare is this Berry? Well, hopefully, there are pictures around to fill me in, or at the very least a diary somewhere in her room.

I finished lathering my mane and got work on the tail hair, which I knew was a waste of time with how it would be dragged behind me, but there wasn’t a reason to not be thorough. The idea of being thorough set my thought process on what I was going to do today.

So what is my game plan later today? Guess Twilight is my best bet in this world so far. There is that Discord I keep hearing about, but it doesn’t seem that he lives in Ponyville from what Process said about him visiting. Would be nice if Surprise showed up again. since she is the only one that has treated me nicely and entertained the idea of me being an ali… outsider. Pretty sure Surprise is just playing along like it is a game though.

I moved on to the body wash, which caused the mildew smell of the bathroom to almost completely be lost in the grape and strawberry smells. As I worked the body wash into the tattoo on my flank, that seemed to be my actual coat hairs colored somehow, I wondered about it and the ones I had seen so far.

Well, I know livestock owners brand their livestock, but these seem to be unique so far. What do they mean though? Process had a pair of weighing scales, which I know is a symbol of justice. Surprise had yellow balloons, and she said she was a party expert. Twilight had those stars… Because as a princess she is above everyone else and should be admired? So they mark their jobs maybe? What do a bunch of grapes and a strawberry mean though?

The feeling of the warm water was wonderful as I thoroughly rinsed the soap off of my body. I turned off the shower, wrung the water out of my mane, and then wrung the tail. Lack of a towel left me unable to dry my coat, but I shook what I could loose and stepped out of the shower. The sink with its drawers and cabinet base would be my next stop, which I hoped contained a hair dryer as a means to dry myself.

The medicine cabinet’s mirror above the sink was fogged up, which was something I preferred as I could use my ability on myself, which never ended well with the memories it chose. My search through the drawers turned up a cordless hair dryer, though it didn’t seem to be rechargeable or battery powered either from my examination, but it turned on regardless and I didn’t give it any more thought as I dried myself.

I wonder what kind of food Berry has. Pretty sure meat is out of the question, but not like I ate much meat before anyway. Oats seem likely, and I could manage to turn that in oatmeal even with my new body, though I was always more partial to grits. Fruits exist according to my tattoo, which hopefully means that Berry did something with fruit and has some in her house. Hay and flowers? Well, I guess I’ll eat just about anything, whatever keeps me going is all that matters really.

With all my hair thoroughly dried, which the hair dryer did surprisingly efficiently in such a short time, I moved on to dental hygiene. There were two toothbrushes in a cup near the sink. One was purple with strawberry red bristles in desperate need of changing with how worn the bristles were, but the other broke the theme with an orange-red body and dark orange bristles. I grabbed the orange-red one and chose an orange flavored toothpaste over a mixed berry one, then went to work on my flat teeth. The lack of a brushing sound was strange, but I felt it regardless.

So someone else does live here? Berry’s room wasn’t a master bedroom for sure, but this bathroom seems like something you would share with a sibling. Didn’t Twilight say something yesterday? Piña Colada and how I should be thinking about her instead of myself? Place sure doesn’t look fit for a kid though, might be an adult sister that is an alcoholic like Berry though. Eh, guess I’ll be waking up anyone in the house soon.

Finished with brushing my teeth, and a lack of floss or mouthwash to continue with, I left the bathroom to return to Berry’s room. With the lights on and myself wide awake, I took in the room.

Bottles littered the floor with accompanying stains in the carpet, alongside many discarded undergarments. The floor was carpeted in a strawberry red and the ceiling was painted purple like a grape, while both colors continued from their respectful places and met halfway on the walls. The room had typical bedroom things such as a closet, a dresser, a full body mirror, a desk, a nightstand, and of course the bed that I had slept on. The open curtain around the window that had let in moonlight followed the wall’s theme exactly, by being half strawberry red and half purple, and the colors were split at exactly where the wall’s colors split as well.

The aforementioned desk had a regular wooden chair in front of it, which was another thing I found strange, but the bench from yesterday had been the same way and comfortable to lay my back against. The reason as to why I had only briefly sat upright became the reason I made my way toward the dresser at that moment.

I opened the top drawer to find an assortment of undergarments, from plain white ones to some very risque ones, then picked one of the plain white ones and didn't stare at the more sexual ones any longer than I had to. It was while I held those white undergarments that something strange occurred to me about what I had seen yesterday, or more accurately what I hadn’t seen. I suppose it really just hadn’t been something on my mind, what with everything else, but now that I thought about it more I came to a revelation. The backside of every single pony I had glanced at had lacked any features.

Where my new equipment had been clearly visible, everyone else’s had been nowhere to be seen. I wanted to say I had just been polite, that I hadn’t paid attention to that part of their bodies, but the fact was I had looked at and seen the lack of gender specific anatomy without questioning it. My attention returned to the white undergarments, but I no longer held a white pair of undergarments, I held a mauve colored thing that felt like my coat.

“Gah!” I threw the thing away from myself in surprise, but what it did next on the floor surprised me further. The thing began to gradually return to the plain white undergarments I had held before I became lost thinking about the backsides of other creatures. I went over to it and picked it up again, then found it started to change back to my coats color and feel.

Didn’t the white mare Rarity say something about public decency and overwear? Well, that is one mystery solved at least. Seems like the police officer Process would’ve given me something to cover up… that or he hadn’t noticed I wasn’t wearing anything yesterday or the night before when Berry was arrested. My tail has been dragging pretty close to my backside with its limpness as well, so I guess only Rarity would’ve gotten a good look.

I got on the bed, as it was the only place I wouldn’t need clear room to lay down, and put on the aptly named overwear. With being arrested for public nudity out of the way, I removed myself from the bed, then returned to the dresser to see what other things it contained, actual pants high on my list of wants.

The drawer below the undergarments one contained skirts, and since I had no plans to wear anything feminine, closed it without another thought. The next drawer was an odd sight, it contained saddles, bridles, and blinders. What in the world? Why would sapient horses have these things? I closed the odd horse gear drawer and opened the last drawer to a sight that made me close it instantly. Note to self, never open the bottom drawer of Berry’s dresser ever again.

I tried to get my mind off the variety of things I had seen in Berry’s bottom drawer with a visit to Berry’s closet, which contained very little. A toga dress? Not sure I want to know what has happened in that. A khaki explorer's outfit? Oh man, is Berry Punch into roleplaying? A dress? Well, it looks nice with the purple to blue shading, but I’m not wearing a dress, that and it looks expensive. A black hoodie? No, I’m trying to get others to notice me, not get lost in the background. A wool sweater? Cute ghost horse design on it, but it sure didn’t feel cold enough for something like that yesterday. Don’t want a hat, so I’m not pulling down any of those hat boxes on the shelf above. Shoes just seem weird with there only being a pair each, though they look like they are meant for the back hooves only. I closed the closet door and moved on to the desk.

The desk’s surface was filled with notebooks, all of which looked well used and were labeled different things. The notebook that gained my attention right away was labeled experimental. I opened the book to measurements and complex chemical equations that made very little sense to me, but the regular information made it clear as to what it was. The name of the recipe was Five Hour Mana. Did something just take humanity and fantasy it with ponies? It was the notes on the product that gained my attention though and I started to read them.

Tests I held with the potion looked promising today but resulted in a small mishap. The earth ponies and pegasi test subjects experienced the intended effects, but the one unicorn test subject was a problem. I asked Amethyst Star, the local town organizer, to try the potion and upon ingesting the potion she experienced a magical cascade. It was quite a fascinating thing to see really, even after some buildings caught fire and I was turned into a cat before she passed out.

Princess Celestia herself showed up to fix the mess. Rarely see Princess Celestia just fly somewhere on her own wings by herself, though some very winded pegasi guards showed up a little later. Only took a minute for Princess Celestia to put everything back to the way it was and turn me back into a pony, though I did get a stern talk from her about the importance of safety. Princess Celestia also said the E.P.A would be paying me a visit.

Doubtful the E.P.A would want to recruit me. Don’t have much of an interest in potion making beyond this energy drink idea. Not like I can see the future, command timberwolves, or whatever else weird talent they want to make use of or keep under control. Guess I’ll have to ask dad for some money to pay whatever fine they hit me with.

I closed the notebook and mulled over what I had just read. Well, it seems Berry Punch wasn’t always how she is now. I looked around the room at all the bottles that littered the floor. Something just went wrong somewhere. I walked over to the mirror and finally saw the body I had been in since yesterday. My mane was still mulberry colored and the coat was still mauve, but I saw my mulberry eyes for the first time. The eyes were actually slightly darker than my mane, but that didn’t matter, it was what came to my mind about my ability.

I had learned how to prevent my ability from being activated over the past twelve years and decided that it was just something that I would ignore, especially once Katherine came into my life. How it worked or if I could do anything more with it than relive someone’s memory was a complete mystery to me. All I knew was that I needed to use it to prove who I was, no matter what it might mean I would have to relive. I’ve already seen the worst humanity can inflict on each other, doubtful any of these creatures could hold a candle to that.

I moved over to the bed and began to make it, an action that always brought to mind a saying. As you make your bed, so you must lie in it. I removed the saddlebags I had fallen asleep with from the bed sheets and equipped them again. The book Twilight had given me turned up in the tangled mess as well and I placed it on the nightstand next to the clock that read a little past two.

With the bed made and still quite a bit of time to kill, I decided to actually read the children’s book, though I had to read the name out loud again. “ ‘The Colt Who Cried Timberwolf’,” I said, then began to read the story out loud, a habit I had started the day I decided to be there for my little sister no matter what.

(0) (0)

I had finished the children's book and put it away in my saddlebags to return later, which seemed like a good way to earn points with Princess Twilight, and an excuse to bother her again. I learned from the book that timberwolves were wolf-like monsters made from trees and that the only thing lying will get you is a talk from Princess Celestia after she has saved the day. The children book’s happy ending seemed to indicate these ponies were very idealistic, but the fact that I had read those notes in Berry’s notebook with Princess Celestia, and the exact same outcome, seemed that my idea of realistic was askew in this world.

I left Berry’s room and began my exploration of the rest of the house. The first room I chose was the one on the opposite side of the bathroom next door to Berry’s room, one I guessed was another bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, so I pushed it open and turned on the lights inside to a child’s bedroom.

This bedroom had a tropical design to it. The carpet was a beach sand brown, the lower part of the walls had a straw fence along it and the rest of the walls were a sky blue, all tied together with a dome light that looked like the sun. Decorative fake tropical flowers were hung along the straw roof above the window with drawn straw blinds. There were a couple surfboards on the walls and a palm tree with white string lights sat in a corner next to the bed. The bed itself was made and had very colorful tropical flowers on the comforter.

The reason I called it a child’s bedroom was due to all the child things in the room. A hammock that hung from the ceiling held many stuffed animals in it. A toy chest clearly marked with the word toys sat against a wall. There was even a small table with crayons and coloring books on it. The room filled me with sadness to look at once I noticed all the dust that covered everything, whatever child had lived in this room hadn’t been here in awhile.

I left the doorway of the child’s room and went across the hallway. The two doors on this side of the hallway opposite the three rooms I had been in, were spaced enough that one had to be a master bedroom. There was also a set of stairs that led downstairs, but I liked to be thorough and decided to explore this floor first. I went back toward Berry’s room and tried the door opposite it, but the door was locked, though it lacked a keyhole and was probably a push button lock. Huh, maybe someone actually is home.

I walked back toward the only door left on this floor before I would need to go downstairs. Well, time to find out if anyone is home. I grabbed the doorknob and turned it, but the door required some effort to open, the reason became clear once I turned on the light inside and saw the state of the room inside.

The room looked to be a master bedroom, but the dust and cobwebs everywhere were a clear sign that the room hadn’t been in use for years. It didn’t seem to have a theme to it, other than modern from the look of the gray carpet and white walls. The lack of bottles on the floor told me that Berry avoided this room, but the why was what drove me forward into the room.

On a mahogany dresser with a mirror covered by a sheet were a collection of picture frames that I decided to investigate. The pictures were all covered in a layer of dust the completely obscured the pictures, so I pulled at the edge of the sheet over the mirror and cleaned off one of the larger ones.

The photo I had uncovered was a wedding photo of a couple that I was fairly certain were Berry’s parents due to their colors. The stallion wore a black suit over his white coat and both his eyes and straight mane were mulberry colored. The mare wore a white wedding dress over her mauve coat, with her eyes and a thick mane both being aquamarine. The photo hadn’t captured what their tattoos were, but I could sense what it had captured. All it would have taken was for me to focus on either of their eyes, but I felt that the photo wouldn’t contain anything more than irrelevant happy memories.

I uncovered more photos and stopped when I found a family one. The couple I had seen in the wedding photo were much older in this photo with Berry and a filly. They were all smiling straight at the camera in what looked like Christmas sweaters, but the sweaters were a little odd. Berry and her mother wore sweaters with cartoonish horse-like ghosts, while the father and filly wore sweaters with hearts on them. The filly had aquamarine eyes, a two-tone plum mane with a slightly lighter shade of plum alongside it, and a light lavender coat. Hopefully, it is as it seems, but I’ll know soon regardless.

Unlike the chaoticness of never knowing what I would get from people directly, though I did find that I could sway it if I focused, photos always captured the memories of what happened shortly before they were taken. I decided to focus on Berry’s eyes, since the more I knew about her the better, then the world disappeared.

(0) (0)

Glad I don’t need to know any of this. I thought, while the sight of liquid measurements and chemical equations filled my sight. I could taste the pencil in Berry’s mouth as she wrote down whatever she was writing down, and heard someone that was saying something, but it was indistinguishable. The cause of the indiscernible conversation simply due to the fact Berry hadn’t paid attention.

“Uh-huh,” Berry said, when whoever had been talking stopped, then the paper she was writing on was pulled from her sight. “Hey! What giv—” Her anger at the interruption was quickly replaced by fear and I felt her ears pull back.

Berry’s sight finally showed that she was in her room and on her bed. The only things different than when I had been in it were the lack of bottles, and an angry mare in a sweater who held Berry’s notebook. “What was I just saying to you?” the mare said, that I concluded was her mother due to the fact she had the same mauve coat color as Berry and was in both photos that I had paid close attention to.

“Um…” Darn it! Guess time! “You were saying how I need to reconsider my life goals?” I felt Berry make an awkward smile.

“What am I going to do with you, Berry?” Berry’s mother said, dejectedly, with a sigh. “I was telling you that everypony else is waiting on you downstairs for the annual Hearth’s Warming family photo.”

“Hearth’s Warming photo? In case you didn’t notice, it is the middle of October, Mom.” I know she likes to get started early, but this is ridiculous.

“I know, Berry. It’s just that your father and I will be in Manehattan for that social gathering that is happening right after Nightmare Night, and you know how busy we all can get. Do I have to remind you of last year when we postponed the photo? When you ran off without telling us and took a cruise with a pony you didn’t even know?” she said, and sounded very dissatisfied with the last bit.

“Hey, what was I supposed to do when Corona walked into the bar, after breaking up with a coltfriend, en route to an around the world cruise, with non-refundable tickets?” Have to see if Corona is interested in doing something like that again this year.

“Not drop everything you were doing and leave with nothing, but a tip jar of bits! We didn’t even know where you were until you showed up at our door on Hearth’s Warming Eve!” she said, with disbelief.

“Oh, not this again. How about we just save this for later and we go take the photo?” Really should reconsider Corona’s offer to be housemates.

Berry’s mother inhaled a deep breath and exhaled it. “Alright, we can’t just keep your father and sister waiting. Put on the matching crystal ewe sweater you bought last year, I still don’t understand why you had to have ours made with windigos on them.”

Berry removed herself from her bed and headed over to the closet. “They are a symbol of the love we share.” Berry said, happily, as she opened the closet door, then removed the sweater that I had seen in the closet earlier.

“So what are you working on, Berry? Seems like a lot of fruit is in this recipe for just one drink.”

Berry turned around and began to put on the sweater. “It’s a soda I’ve been working on for the past couple months,” she said, then stopped to pull her head through the sweater, which felt incredibly smooth and not itchy at all like regular wool. “All 23 fruit flavors combined with the carbonation really gives it a unique flavor, think the sugar and caffeine levels just need to be tweaked.”

Berry's mother went over to the desk and placed the notebook alongside the others there. “Unique enough to finally start your own business?” she said, skepticism heavy in her tone

“Nah, think I’ll put my soda shop idea on hold again,” Berry said, and walked out the door. On the way out, I finally got a look at the tattoo on her mother. The tattoo was a silhouette of an eagle, with long curved wings, that gave it a somewhat circular appearance.

I heard the sound of hoofsteps behind Berry. “Berry, I know you think that bar you work at is perfect for you, but I feel you are just wasting your talent making mixed drinks for alcoholics. With a business of your own, you could hire some ponies to run it, have more free time, find a nice stallion, settle down and—”

“Mom!” Berry turned around to face her mother. “Seriously?!”

“What? Your father and I were 18 when we got married, and you are 22.” She continued to walk past Berry. “Not like any stallion you meet in that bar is looking for a commitment longer than one night, and I’m pretty sure most of those mares are fillyfoolers looking to prey on you.”

Berry seemed to become filled with some strong emotions. “Would she still love me if she knew? Would dad?”

Guess same-sex relationships are still a big social issue here. Guess it was nice my parents would’ve preferred I was gay instead of wanting to go to art school. Suppose they would’ve preferred anything really, as long as it didn’t take me away from home… I thought, and tried not to dwell on it further.

“Berry? Are you coming?” I heard Berry's mother say behind her.

“Yeah,” she said, and turned around to follow her mother to the stairs. The emotions seemed to dissipate, but they didn’t go away.

“So did you hear about the new stallion in town?” her mother said, and began to walk down the stairs. “His name is Due Process, and I heard he is single.” I noticed she put some emphasis on single and Berry noticed too.

Berry followed her mother down the stairs.“Mom, you didn’t invite him over for dinner or anything did you?” Can’t believe she tried that with Big Mac. His sister I wouldn’t mind, that whole allure of mystery she has with wearing suits all the time…

“No, I didn’t do that,” she said, and reached the bottom of the stairs. “Though I did invite him to our Nightmare Night party.” She turned around and had a smirk on her face.

“Surprised you would try to set me up with a stallion like that, if what I heard he is was right.” Berry reached the bottom of the stairs where her mother stood.

“Berry, I’m not a tribalist or a speciesist. I just think that a mixed marriage can be a difficult thing on the foals the couple has, especially when the marriage is with a gryphon or a dragon. I could even accept you marrying a gryphon or dragon if they really made you happy.” She began to move again, this time into a living room.

Berry followed her mother into the living room, where the foal I had seen in the family photo was on the forest green carpet coloring, and the stallion I had decided was Berry’s father sat in an armchair reading a newspaper. The filly didn’t have a tattoo yet on her flank, and I couldn’t see the father’s tattoo due to the way he sat in the armchair, but both wore matching sweaters with hearts on them. A camera on a tripod was set up in front of a couch, apparently where they were going to take their photo, and had a wire going from it to a button switch that laid on the couch to remotely take the picture.

The drawing filly looked up from her drawing, then a wide smile appeared on her face. “Mommy!” the foal I decided was Piña Colada said, grabbed her drawing with her mouth, then ran over to her mother and Berry.

Their mother removed the drawing from Piña’s mouth, the drawing surprisingly absent of saliva, and seemed to not know what to say about it. “It’s…”

Berry decided to get a good look at the drawing and I could see why her mother took pause. The crayon drawing was one of those family portraits kids would do with their house and the sun in the sky, but the family at the bottom was a little off. Piña and her father leaned up against each with smiles on their faces, but Berry and her mother were off to the side arguing.

“Wow, Piña! You made a really nice picture! Captured Mom and me perfectly!” Berry said, then nudged her mother to get her to say something.

“Oh, yes! I’ll… put this on the fridge after we take the photo. Um… why did you draw Berry and me this way?”

“Because Daddy says that is how you show that you love each other! Like how me and Daddy hug!” The exuberance and innocence of this filly were an astounding thing to behold.

“Noir.” Berry's mother said, toward the father, in a way that seemed to mean they were going to talk about this later.

The stallion slumped down in his chair and hid further behind the newspaper.

“Remember, you are always the one who start those arguments.” Berry said, to her mother, as she passed her and Piña, then headed toward the couch to get ready for the picture.

“Alright everyone, get on the couch.” Berry's mother said.

Berry sat down on the couch near one end, but left enough room for Piña Colada to sit next to her. Noir removed himself from his armchair, and I finally got a good look at his tattoo that was a half full wine glass, then he took his place at the other end of the couch where the remote was. Berry's mother finally sat down and the photo was just about ready to be taken.

“Remember to smile, everypony.” Berry's mother said.

Berry smiled toward the camera and I heard the click of a button right before a flash signaled the end of the memory.

(0) (0)

I put the picture frame back where it had been, which actually made a sound when I placed it on the dresser to my surprise, then tapped the side of the dresser with a forehoof to find it made a sound as well. The fact I would now hear the clip-clopping of my own hooves made me wish I did know how all my interactions in the world had silenced in the first place. Weird. Well, just another thing that doesn’t make sense.

The rest of the room was ignored since I didn’t want to get dirty from cobwebs or dust, and I decided to see what the room next door to the master bedroom and across from Berry’s was. The door opened much easier than the master bedroom’s door and what was inside made me angry after I turned on the lights.

“Seriously?!” I said, toward the clean master bathroom, cleaner than the one I had used at least. A layer of dust and some cobwebs were in here as well, but I was sure that the linen cabinet would be stocked. It had side-by-side sinks, a jacuzzi bathtub, a large walk-in shower, a floor toilet that was clean enough to use, and a linen cabinet twice the size of the other bathroom. The whole bathroom was covered in white marble from the large square tiles, the counter of the side-by-side sinks, the base that surrounded the jacuzzi bathtub, and even the walls. The only place that wasn’t marble was the white ceiling with its simple domed light.

I went through the bathroom so I could unlock the door for later use, though I hoped there would not be a later. The door unlocked with ease and I exited into the hallway. I headed toward the stairs and hit another light switch to illuminate the way down. I was daunted by the idea of walking down the stairs with four legs and my legs seemed to agree with the idea due to how shaky they had become. I looked at the banister and decided I would approach this in an easier way.

Time to try doing this the way I would normally. I moved forward and grabbed the banister with both forehooves, then pulled myself into a standing position. With only two legs to worry about I began to sidestep my way down the stairs, which felt like I was on a ledge and had poor balance, one step at a time. It was slow going and I was sure if anyone saw me they would laugh, but it got the job done without hoping I would just descend while not thinking about. I reached the bottom of the stairs, which I considered an achievement.

In front of the stairs was a door that had a separate top and bottom, which from what I saw yesterday was a normal sight, and had a glass heart shaped window to look out. The living room nearby was dimly lit by the moonlight, but I could still see it was like Berry’s room and the hallway in that numerous bottles were scattered about. Another room was adjacent to the living room, but the light did not seem to reach it. There was a hall between the stairs and living room wall that ended in another dark room, which I thought was most likely the kitchen.

The thought of food replaced all my thoughts on how I walked, which drove me forward to the dark room at the end of the hall. I found the glowing light switch inside and flipped it on to a sight I should’ve expected.

It was a kitchen, of that there was no doubt, but its condition was just as if not worse than the bathroom I had used. Everything was dirty and the smell of it made me feel sick. The sink was piled high with dirty dishes, and I was certain I had seen some cockroaches run into them when I had turned on the light. A breakfast table with four seats had more dirty dishes and some half eaten things rotting away. The checkered black and white floor was littered with food, and I noticed that the bottles were the most numerous here compared to everywhere else combined.

As much as the place made me sick, my stomach was still hungry for something and I made my way forward. I opened the fridge to the smell of something rotten and quickly closed it before it made me see if my empty-feeling stomach actually contained anything. The counter was next, where I opened a breadbox to find a moldy loaf of bread. I know I thought I could eat anything, but so far the only thing remotely edible was probably the cockroaches. Wait, could I even actually eat those being a herbivore? Well, I suppose I could, but overall I’d probably get sick no matter what and probably sicker if my body can’t handle any kind of meat.

I moved on to a cabinet above the counter and opened it to an unwelcome sight. The cabinet was filled with alcohol of all shapes and size. I didn’t even need to read the labels to know what most were, so I decided to save my time and not read what each inane one was called. I closed the alcohol cabinet and moved on to the one next to it, the contents of which made me proceed to open every other cabinet in the hope it wasn’t true.

I couldn’t contain my disbelieve and had to shout my thoughts out loud. “Who the hell needs eight cabinets of alcohol! No wonder all these dishes are dirty! There isn’t a single place to store them!” I said, my anger probably amplified due to how hungry I was.

I looked around and eyed three doors in the room. There was a solid door that was situated under the stairs and most likely led to a basement. Another door I was certain was a backdoor due to the fact a window showed the house ended at that wall. Then there was a pair of shutter doors, that looked to be a pantry and I dreaded what I might find inside. I went over to the pantry and pulled it open to a sight that didn't anger me, though I didn't like it.

The walk-in pantry had little to nothing in it, but I suppose I should’ve been happy something was in it at all. I walked into the pantry and took what was available, a sole can of baked beans that I decided to hold between my neck and muzzle. I moved over to the counter to find a can opener and spoon, but all I found was a spoon. I eyed the pile of dishes as the likely resting place of the can opener, but I had a better idea.

I removed the can from under my muzzle and placed it on the floor, took the spoon with my forehoof’s pad, then stabbed the lid with the same strength I had used yesterday on the wall. My efforts were rewarded with a nice puncture in the lid that I then proceeded to repeat until I was able to remove the lid entirely. The can of baked beans looked delicious, though I was certain most anything would’ve looked good to me with how hungry I was, and then I proceeded to feast upon the contents.

(0) (0)

After I finished with my depressing meal, I explored the adjacent dining room and living room, both of which contained nothing of interest. The clock on the kitchen wall showed it was around three in the morning, but my attention was aimed at the only place I hadn’t explored yet, the solid door that was in the kitchen. The door was locked, so I had pulled the keys from yesterday out of my saddlebags and tried them systematically. It wasn’t until I tried the very last key that the lock finally moved and I was able to open the door to more stairs that led down into darkness.

Stairs… Another glowing light switch was inside the door and I made sure to toggle it on. Dust was heavy on the wooden steps and the cobwebs were prevalent here just much as they were in the master bedroom. With both forehooves on the rail embedded in the wall, I descended into the unknown depths.

My descent went much easier than my previous descent from upstairs, but it might have been due to the fact my mind was elsewhere during it. What do I need to focus on when I use my ability on others? My attempt with Process… Oh! Due Process! Man, I can’t believe I didn’t put that together already after that memory of Berry’s. I reached the bottom of the stairs and looked around at what was probably a fortune.

The room was a wine cellar filled to the brim with wine, and the temperature down here was much cooler than the rest of the house. The room was as big as all the rooms above combined and the floor above seemed to be supported by the pillars with wine racks built into them. I walked by several of the wall racks and noted the years went from 890 to 990, though the bottles stopped at 998. It seemed there were all sorts of brands and types, but I noticed that one label was more prevalent than others. Lovely Vitis Vineyards.

Nothing else in the room caught my attention, though I was surprised this wine cellar wasn't connected to Berry's alcoholism as well. I wondered why Berry wouldn't drink any of this, but I guessed she couldn't bring herself to go anywhere in the house with strong emotional ties. The desolation of the house weighed on my thoughts, and I wasn't sure I wanted to know what happened to Berry's parents. This world just confuses me to no ends. It looks so happy and carefree, it even seems it was at one point, but it is like something left a mark.

I thought about the memorial I had seen in Process’s memory and wondered just what it was for. Should I even ask anyone about it? If was something horrible, and they think I’m being disrespectful, they’ll be even less likely to give me the time of day. Guess I’ll just have to find out through someone’s memory. I heard the sound of a doorbell ring out and the sound of knocking could be faintly heard. Who comes knocking at this hour?

I headed back toward the stairs, though I hardly acknowledged my movement as I got lost in my thoughts. Maybe a neighbor complaining about the fact every light in the house is on? Heh, neighbor. That word doesn’t even need to be ponified. Suppose it might be an alarming thing to see someone’s lights on at an odd hour. Maybe just a concerned neighbor then? Really hope so, I don’t think I can stand being berated again after Rarity, at least not without trying to knock them down a peg with my ability. Regardless… I stopped my line of thought as I realized where I was and what I was about to do.

I had my hoof on the deadbolt twist knob and was about to unlock the door. The problem with this scenario was, I didn’t remember putting my hoof there. I didn’t remember anything between that moment and after the doorbell had rung, other than what my thoughts were focused on. This happened before, didn’t it? At the police station, right? What was the prob— My thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell and more knocks.

I twisted the deadbolt knob, which made a scraping sound before it reached the unlocked position. I inhaled a deep breath and then exhaled it, which cleared my mind and prepared me for a possible beratement from an angry neighbor. With the doorknob in hoof, I opened the door to someone that had no right to look as cheerful as they looked at three in the morning.

“Berry!” said an orange-red coated unicorn mare. I mustn’t have paid close attention to either of the two horned ponies I saw before, as I hadn’t noticed the grooves that were a lighter shade than her coat. Her long mane was dark orange and amber, which partially fell over her right eye, while the longest part of it hung off to her left side. Something about her vivid green eyes unnerved me.

Damn it, I can’t go judging people on how they look. Need to remember their facial features are more exaggerated compared to humans as well. “Hello. How well do you know Berry?” I said, and gave her a polite smile.

Her demeanor instantly changed from happy and smiling to half-lidded with a smirk. “Oh, intimately.” She moved forward and embraced me in a hug with her neck. “You smell nice.”

I jerked myself backward toward the kitchen due to the unwelcome advance and it left me flustered. “I… Um…”

She crouched down on her front legs, but kept her back legs up. “Don’t you want to play, Berry?” She turned slightly and then I was able to see her tattoo, which was a lime wedge that looked kinda like a smile the way it was cut and situated. “You know firsthoof that my special talent is… finishing touches.” She stopped crouching on her front legs and then began to move slowly forward with a sway to her movement.

Fuck! “Stop!” I said, with the force that I thought appropriate to the situation.

“Huh?” She broke her stride and looked at me. “What’s wrong, Berry? You seem a little off tonight.”

“Just stay there. I need to collect my thoughts. Okay?”

“Sure?” I got the feeling that this mare wasn’t used to being denied from her puzzled look.

“Good.” Well, I know who that toothbrush belongs to now. No doubt about it, Berry is a lesbian, guess I would be too if— No, I can’t think like that. I need to do what I decided to do. I need to use my ability. “First things first, my name is Jack Taylor and I’m an outsider called a human. So what is your name?”

“You want to do roleplaying? I—”

“This isn’t a sex thing!” She seemed to flinch at my anger and be hurt by my tone.

“I don’t understand, Berry. Did I do something wrong?” It looked like she was about to cry.

Damn it, I’m being an asshole. “No, and sorry for my tone, but please answer the question. What is your name?”

“Corona… Berry, you know who I am right? Is this some kind of game?”

“No, to both of your questions. I—”

“Did Twilight Sparkle do something to you, Berry? I heard you bothered her twice in two days. Did she touch your mind?” Worry washed over her features and she began to slowly walk forward.

“No! Stay!” She stopped in place, and I backed up a little to increase the distance between us. “I want to do something, and you have to promise not to do anything, but stand where you are when I do it. Alright?”

“What are planning to do?”

“Well, this may sound weird, but I’m going to use an ability I have and see one of your memories.”

A smile showed up on her face and she began to laugh. “Berry, you had me going there for a sec—”

“If you will not listen to me, then I will ask you to leave,” I said, in a leveled, but clearly agitated tone that Corona seemed to flinch at.

“Um… okay, Berry.” She looked me over. “What do you want me to do?”

Finally, she is acting reasonably. “Like I said, just stay right there. Alright?”

“Alright.” A smile returned to her face,

Now what to focus on? Guess wanting something Berry wouldn’t know might work. I focused on her eyes, while I wanted a secret, and the world faded away.

(0) (0)

I felt it, something was wrong with the memory. There was a void before anything that should’ve contained emotion but contained absolutely nothing. The lack of emotion was a startling experience, even the few damaged memories I had experienced in my life contained flashes of emotion. Several things might’ve explained the emotions being muted, but the complete absence was beyond my past experimentations with my ability. This is really unnerving. Hope it doesn’t last long. I thought, while the void of emotion continued.

Corona’s orange-red muzzle came into view and it looked like she was on a ship from the railing and design of the deck, but what was beyond the railing was strange. Instead of an ocean of water, it seemed the ship was situated in a cloud and sailed in the sky. The reason I knew the ship was in the sky, and not just surrounded by an unnaturally thick fog, was due to a snow-capped mountain that the ship was lazily passing by.

As Corona walked, there was a feeling of something warm leaned up against her, which had a matching sound of steps as she walked. Corona turned her head slightly and eyed Berry Punch, who looked to be very tired due to the fact her eyes were closed and was leaned on Corona. Berry wore the same expensive looking purple and blue shaded dress I had seen in Berry’s closet.

You would think a mare that works in a bar could handle alcohol better. Have to remember to watch her consumption, don’t want her to kill herself with the stuff, just need enough to get her willing. At least she is an Earth pony, plenty of room for error, Corona thought.

Corona looked at a door and focused on the handle, which caused it to glow green alongside a strange feeling on her forehead. The door opened and she guided Berry Punch inside to a hallway, turned a corner, then stopped in front of a cabin door. Corona looked at a purse she carried and used her green magic again to pull a room key out of the bag, then opened the door before she placed the key back in the bag. They both went into the room before Corona closed the door behind them, then they went over to the full-size bed.

Well, we can see how receptive she is tonight. Berry staggered onto the bed, while Corona walked over to a mirror.

Corona had a simple white dress with a gold trim on herself, which she began to remove through the use of her telekinesis. Once the dress was removed she floated it over to a closet, opened the closet, then hung it on a hanger. She removed her overwear next, dropped it to the floor, and turned her attention toward Berry.

Berry had fallen asleep in the short time she had been on the bed and was still fully clothed. Lewd images filled Corona’s thoughts, and they were all of her and Berry. Oh, we can’t have that. We need to have each and every night memorable.

Damn it. Did I subconsciously want a memory like this? Corona did leave me flustered with how forward she was… Bah, this memory isn’t going to help me convince Corona at all, I thought.

Corona began to remove Berry’s dress with her telekinesis, but something strange began to happen. It was like when my experiences faded away normally, but instead of darkness encroaching upon my vision, the color was green. What the green meant was a mystery, but I was somewhat glad the memory ended before Corona did what she had in mind.

(0) (0)

My vision returned to me and found Corona had moved right in front of me. I reacted without a thought, my legs bent low and I hit her with both of my forehooves to the chest. My sudden assault sent her flying and out the door to land on the dirt outside, where she landed on her side gasping for the air I had knocked from her. Anger seemed to cloud my thoughts and I couldn’t sway my feelings. I walked forward toward the doorway and the gasping pony I had assaulted.

I stood in the doorway and some simple words came to mind that needed to be said, and I was afraid of what I might do if I didn’t say them. “I told you to stay still,” I said, calmly and coldly compared to the inferno that raged inside me. Corona flinched again at my words from where she landed, as she still tried to regain air and a bruise developed on her chest.

I closed the door and then collapsed to the floor. I knew I should’ve helped her, made sure she was alright, but in my current state, I was certain I might hurt her more. The anger within me was strong, unlike anything I had ever experienced; it was an anger I could only define as wrath. There was this need inside me, a strong urge that I barely suppressed, an urge I had never experienced before and it filled me with fear.

I hadn’t just wanted to hurt Corona, I had wanted to kill her.

Author's Note

Proofreaders/Pre-Readers:
Busstop
Topaz Moon

So yeah, I know this chapter dragged a little and was pretty slow. This will probably be the only time I ever do something like this again, just seemed appropriate for Jack to explore Berry's home, and with it explored I can use it in future chapters with ease. Not that I plan to have Jack do much there overall, but certain things will end up happening there later that are important to the plot. Yes, there is a plot, Jack isn't going to go in circles without any sense of progress.

Also, "overwear" comes from a FiMfic series I hold dear, which is "My Little Heartbreak" by "Jet Black 1980". It is one of my main inspirations for writing this story. If you are looking for something dark and depressing, then give the first story a read.

Last Grammar Update: 2016-10-02

Wayward Plans 1.3

I hadn’t wasted my time waiting for a reasonable hour to find someone to speak with. My time had been filled with filling a couple garbage bags full of bottles, and I found said bags within a laundry room behind the door I incorrectly thought the backdoor. A door in the laundry room did lead to a back alley though, and I left the bags of empty bottles I collected back there. Cleaning someone else's house was a little strange, but the fact I made progress on something felt good, even if it had been something trivial. I had even washed dishes and done laundry before I called it quits and rested on a couch in the living room. It was close to six in the morning according to a grandfather clock in the living room, which I had started during my bottle cleaning, which automatically adjusted itself to the correct time once I got the pendulum swinging, something that I had just accepted after a moment of bewilderment.

It was time to think about what I had avoided thinking about for the past three hours, my assault on Corona. I had checked to see if she was still outside after my rage dissipated to the point I felt in control of myself and found she was gone, so I concluded I hadn’t hurt her that bad. The biggest problem with the assault was that I didn’t know what had happened to me. Sure, the memory I had seen from Corona looked like it was about to head toward Berry being taken advantage of, but I didn’t care about that. Not that I was insensitive about rape, my ability had made me experience a few memories of it when I didn’t have as much control over my ability, both as victim and perpetrator. The only thing that came to mind was the green I had seen the memory end with and the fact the Corona’s magic was green. Was it Corona’s fault for what happened? Had she tried something?

A flame shone from a lamppost outside, and the surreal moonlight had disappeared completely, which left the lamppost an island of light in a sea of darkness. I was curious as to how long the darkness outside would last since it seemed like they would have better lighting for the darkness if it lasted very long. My plan was still to get help from Twilight, with finding out about Discord and the E.P.A distant backup plans, but nothing could be done until the sun rose. Both the grandfather clock rung out and the lamppost outside went out at the same time, which was six in the morning according to the grandfather clock, then immediately followed by the first sign of sunlight I had seen since yesterday. That was too perfect… Bah, the cycle of the day and night isn’t important, getting home is.

I removed myself from the couch, and then picked up the saddlebags I had laid on the nearby coffee table. On my way toward the front door, I stopped to look at the stairs, something I had done several times the past couple hours. Something seemed amiss whenever I thought about the stairs like I had forgotten something about them, but I pushed the thought out of my mind and focused on something that mattered. Katherine.

I unlocked the door and walked outside to meet with the fresh air of the morning. The hours I spent making the house a little more livable had made me less reluctant to use my mouth for things. Turning around, I removed the keys from my saddlebags, locked the door, and then placed them back in the saddlebags all with my mouth. All of the houses looked very similar, so I made sure to note the house’s number of 565 before I left, though I hoped I wouldn’t need to return here. Unsure of which direction the castle was, I chose a direction and went with it. As I left the street, I noted the street’s name, which made me groan. North Clip Clop Drive… Why do they name things like this?! My annoyance was short lived and I began my quest to find a princess.

(0) (0)

I didn’t know what is was, but I felt sick. The feelings had come about once the ponies started coming out of their houses, but beyond that, I hadn’t a clue what was wrong. I swore whatever it was seemed to change with the ponies I passed, as it shifted between a weariness throughout my body and a nausea feeling in my stomach, but the worst and most prevalent felt like I was being stabbed in the chest. I had dropped my goal of looking for Twilight’s castle and resorted to asking for directions to a clinic or hospital, without any success.

“Hi, could you—”

“Already heard about it,” a mint green unicorn said, and had a two-tone light blue and white mane, alongside an eye color that reminded me of the sun in how it shifted between yellow and orange. She looked annoyed by me, which was accompanied by strong feelings of weariness and nausea that stopped me from saying anything further before she passed by, but I did notice her tattoo was a lyre.

Fuck! What is going on with this body? I stopped and closed my eyes, then did a deep breathing exercise. The weariness diminished, alongside the other things I was feeling, but they were still there. I noticed the few ponies that were out this early did what the other ponies had done yesterday, in that they actively avoided me by switching over to the other side of the street.

One pony that was coming toward me wasn’t trying to avoid me, but that was because she had her eyes closed and seemed to be more interested in taking the scent of the morning air in. Maybe a pony like Berry would be nicer? What did Berry call them and Corona call Berry? Earth ponies? The mare coming toward me was an earth pony, had a pale yellow coat, and a raspberry mane with a slightly lighter streak of raspberry in it. I decided to intercept her before she opened her eyes.

“Miss, I need some directions to the nearest—” The mare’s green eyes shot open with anger in them, followed by a sharp and burning pain in my chest, which stopped me from saying anything more.

She let out a groan. “Your house is the other way, Berry,” she said, and walked by me without another word, but I did see that her tattoo was a rose.

I held a forehoof to my chest and fell to my rear. I tried another deep breathing exercise, but the pain didn’t go away as quickly as the weariness and nausea had. I closed my eyes to think, and hoped I could forget the pain by getting lost in my thoughts. Is it a heart condition? Guess the weariness might fall into that, but I don’t think nausea would. Food poisoning? I didn’t check the date on those baked beans and they tasted alright, but poison would affect the heart. My thoughts were interrupted by a new feeling, though I realized it was two intertwined.

The first feeling seemed to chase the pain and the other unpleasant feelings away, but it made me feel empty, though I felt like I could get used to it over time and decided to call the feeling Zero, due to how it felt like it destroyed everything and left a void. The second feeling felt really good as it soothed and energized me, but it was weak compared to the first feeling and I decided to call it One, due to how it made me feel whole, even though it was marginal. The strength of Zero and One went back and forth, but One seemed to thankfully be the winner after a bit. I basked in One’s feeling and heard the sound of hooves walking toward me.

“Um… Berry? Do you need help? Not that I’m judging your lifestyle, or think you are helpless. Just that you look like you could use some physical help, since you look like you are in pain and—”

I opened my eyes to see who the sweet female voice belonged to, which seemed to quiet her down. She was an earth pony, had a butter-yellow coat, and a long light pink mane that obscured one of her cyan eyes. Zero seemed to grow again with this mare’s nervousness and it reminded me that I wasn’t well. “Yeah, I’m not feeling too good. I think there might be something seriously wrong with me. Is there a clinic or something you could help me get to?”

“Are you sure it's that serious? I could just help you home.”

“I’m sure.” I stood up from the ground and felt sore all over, but One dulled everything else out, even Zero. I took a step forward, but I misstepped and began to fall. The mare in front of me reacted quickly and moved forward to catch me before I fell. The embrace the mare caught me in gave me a good look at her tattoo, which was a trio of pink butterflies with turquoise bodies. My mind was spinning and One grew to the point that all others feelings disappeared

She steadied me with her forehooves, then took a step back. “Are you sure you’re okay to walk?”

I looked at her, a smile on my face. My thoughts were lost in whatever I was experiencing and I had a desire to do only one thing. It didn’t matter that one of her eyes was covered, which would normally require concentration, as my ability felt as if it just needed for me to want to use it and I did without a thought. The world faded away, slower than the other times, and I saw the mare’s face fill with worry.

(0) (0)

What was that? Magic? The feeling that I had called One in my addled state of mind was gone, and I was actually glad it was, at least until I woke up. Reliving this memory would give me time to prepare for the euphoria, though how one prepares for a euphoria was beyond me. This world seemed to have no end in sight to what it would throw at me, but it just meant I needed to adapt faster and be more resilient. Hopefully, I have something to go back home to after I convince someone, but I can’t worry about that right now. Need to focus on what I can do in the here and now.

A butter-yellow muzzle and a light pink mane over one eye came into view, with rows of apple trees and a farmhouse beyond them. The evening sun was lowering, which gave the place a picturesque look. The mare walked at a slow pace along the dirt path and seemed to just enjoy being here. This pony felt different than the other ones I had experienced so far, but I couldn’t tell what is was exactly. Her body looked just like Berry’s, at least from the four pony types I had seen so far, but she felt different from Berry’s body like she was connected to everything around her.

The sound of someone shouting and drawing near was heard, but it didn’t seem to alarm this mare and it brought a smile to her face instead. The was something strange about the voice and I realized it was paired with the sound of a dog barking, both completely in sync with each other. The reason for this became clear as a brown and white dog bounded into sight, what the dog was doing was another blow to my sanity.

“Fluttershy! Fluttershy!” the dog said, enthusiastically, with a southern accent and female tone, but it had also just sounded like barks to me. The dog bounded on the mare that seemed to be named Fluttershy and licked her face repeatedly.

This all seemed to be normal for Fluttershy, and I really just needed to start accepting that anything could happen. “Winona—” Winona continued her slobbery assault as Fluttershy tried to get the dog under control. “Down, girl.”

Winona seemed to calm down a little and ended her greeting, but she still looked full of energy as they continued toward the farmhouse. “I have so many things to tell you about, Fluttershy! Like yesterday, I saw a rabbit trying to steal from the garden and chased him straight out of the farm.”

“Did the bunny have a blue jacket?” Oh, I hope Peter isn’t getting into trouble again.

“It did!” Winona did a backflip with her exclamation.

I’ll need to remember to talk to Josephine about Peter… again. “Feeling up for a race, Winona?”

“Yes!”

Fluttershy picked up her pace to a gallop and headed toward the farmhouse, while Winona went into a run. I could tell right away that she was holding herself back, that she was just matching Winona’s speed and trailing behind her on purpose. The race ended with them running through an arch with vines on it and Winona the winner, though only because I was sure that Fluttershy had let Winona win. Fluttershy hadn’t even broken a sweat, while Winona was panting heavily.

“I…” She stopped to catch her breath. “win.” Winona said, oblivious to the fact she had only been allowed to win, then continued to pant heavily.

"You sure did," Fluttershy said, in the same way as coddling a child.

Fluttershy looked at the farmhouse with a fondness for it. The house looked exactly like a barn right up to being painted red, but also had decorative apples painted here and there. The building was two stories tall, with what looked like a bell tower that had been turned into a room at the top. Fluttershy patted Winona on the head as she passed her and walked toward the horizontally divided door to enter the house. Home.

The delicious smell of something cooking filled the air inside. The room Fluttershy had entered from outside was a rustic living room with typical living room items. Fluttershy moved through the living room, passed the stairs leading to the second floor, and into a kitchen where a stallion was cooking at a stove. The stallion was an earth pony, had a slate gray coat, and a dull green mane, that was more horse-like in how narrow it was going down the back of his head.

Fluttershy walked up behind and a little to the side of the stallion, which gave me a good look at his tattoo of a single gold apple with a metallic shine. “Dad?” Fluttershy said, in a very meek tone.

"Hmm?" The stallion turned around and I saw his smoky gray eyes fill with joy. "Shy!" the stallion said, his southern accent sounding very smooth like a southern gentleman. He moved forward and gave her a hug with both forelegs.

“Dad, I was wondering, if it wasn't too much trouble that is, and if it were I would completely understand—”

“Yeah, you’re welcome to have supper with us tonight, like any other night.” He ended the hug, then moved backward a bit. “You’re always welcome in your home.”

“Thanks…” She idly circled a forehoof and held her head low. “Is there anything I can do to help?” she said, and lifted her head to give her father her full attention.

“Table still needs to be set, otherwise, supper is about ready.” He turned to finish up what he was doing at the stove.

“Um…”

“It’ll be five since Di is having a sleepover with her friends at Rainbow Dash’s. Unless AJ said she was stopping by also?” I heard hopefulness in his question.

“No… sorry.” She pulled out five sets of plates, bowls, and glasses from a cabinet, then headed toward an adjacent dining room.

“It ain’t your fault, Shy.” He raised his voice slightly to make sure he was heard. “I know you tried your hardest with AJ. She’ll come around one of these days. You got her to at least come home during the holidays in the past two years, and even got her to come to the family reunion last year.”

Hopefully, I can get her to have a family dinner at home on a monthly basis soon. Best not push it during the holidays though, so I’ll wait until January. Fluttershy finished setting the table and returned to the kitchen. “How has Piña been doing?”

“Well…” He turned the stove off. “I’m not really sure. I try to get her to open up more, but Ma has better luck than I do. The way she acts, it’s like we're raising both you and Big Mac again, what with how reserved she is and how little she speaks. Di and her friends invite Piña on their campaigns all the time, but she rarely says yes. Just ain’t right for a filly to spend all her free time drawing by herself.”

“Is she still drawing what she was drawing? I know Quack says it’s a perfectly natural psychological behavior, and Toola-Roola says she is just full of creativity, but…” Oh, I shouldn’t judge her. I just wish her drawing weren’t so scary.

“Yup, still the same. Well, not the same in quality, as Toola-Roola’s art lessons have been paying off, and the smiles she has going to and coming back from the lessons are worth the money alone.” He walked over to a horizontally split door that had its top half open.

“Well, if she is happy…”

A metal triangle hung from a thread next to the door, with a metal beater that also hung from its own thread alongside it. Fluttershy’s father picked them both up and held them both outside the door. “Soup’s on, everypony!” he said, very loudly, which caused Fluttershy to pull back ears, as he rang the triangle with vigor. After about half a minute of ringing, he placed the triangle and beater back where they had been. “When Ma gets in with Big Mac, you should ask her about the stories Piña tells her.”

“Piña is writing stories? What are they about?”

“Well, she ain’t writing anything yet.” He gestured with a forehoof for Fluttershy to come closer, which she did. “But I got a good idea for a Hearth’s Warming gift. A typewriter,” he said, quietly, into Fluttershy’s ear, then stepped back from Fluttershy. “As for what her stories are about, they are about the monsters she draws.”

“So… they are horror stories?” Oh, I can barely handle the pictures as it is.

“You’d think, but from what Ma tells me, the monsters are all peaceful and act pretty much like ponies.”

“Well, that’s nice.” Nice to know she still has some innocence left in her. I felt a smile form on Fluttershy’s face.

He let out a contented breath. "You should come around more often. Need more of your sweet face around here." He looked at her with a loving look, and he reminded me slightly of my father for a brief moment. "So, what have you been doing lately?" he said, and went toward some cabinets.

"Nothing much really. No new animals since I was here last. I had a picnic today with Twilight, and I brought along some baby bunnies to cheer her up." She watched the stallion take a couple large bowls and a gravy boat out of the cabinet. "May I help?"

“Sure.” They both went over to the stove and the stallion set the dishes down on the floor. Fluttershy picked up one of the bowls by the edge with her mouth, and then the stallion spooned mashed potatoes into it. “So what had Twilight down today? Yesterday?”

Once the bowl was filled, Fluttershy transferred the bowl to her back and headed toward the dining room. “Berry…” The name was said with a sad tone.

I heard a heavy sigh from the stallion, as Fluttershy placed the bowl she was carrying on the dining room table. “What did that fool mare do this time.”

Fluttershy turned around and headed back toward her father. “Well, I don’t know the details, but Spike said Berry showed up at the castle around midnight and wouldn’t leave. I think Twilight thought Berry was too tipsy to just teleport her home to bed alone, so Spike sent a note to the police and they took care of her.” She picked up another bowl, and then the stallion spooned collared greens into it.

“Well, it was the anniversary,” he said, solemnly, as Fluttershy transferred the bowl to her back, then headed toward the dinner table. “Still, no excuse for upsettin’ Twilight, that mare has enough to deal with as it is.”

“How did Mom, Piña, and Diamond fare yesterday? I would’ve come by, but the anniversary is one of my busiest times of the year, in both helping ponies cope and adoptions for pets.” Fluttershy placed the bowl next to the other bowl she had brought to the table.

“Ma spent most of the day working with Big Mac and didn’t say much about it. As for Piña and Di, they went to Sugarcube Corner, with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo.”

“I feel bad about it sometimes though, that the only time I can be outgoing is when everypony else is miserable. It makes me feel even worse that it doesn’t really hit me, even though we lost family too.” Fluttershy returned to her father and picked up the final bowl.

“It’s alright, Shy. We all weren’t that close to Uncle or Aunt Orange, not even Ma was, and Uncle Orange was her brother, but it hits her hard since he was the last in her family and had been trying to connect with her after their father died. Day makes me think about a lot of ponies really, don’t matter if they were family or not.” He spooned a very colorful vegetable stew into the final bowl, though what it was I didn’t know.

Fluttershy took in a deep whiff of the dish before she transferred it to her back. “The jambalaya smells really good tonight, Dad. Did you change the recipe?” she said, and went to place the final bowl at the table.

“I may have picked up some spices on my last pie run down south,” he said, and I heard the sound of something metal being filled.

Fluttershy placed the bowl of jambalaya on the table and then turned around to see her father had filled the gravy boat himself. “I… Um…” She looked back at the table. Serving utensils. She looked back at her father, who had a knowing smile on his face.

“I can get the rest from here, Shy. Go get Piña from her room. Swear, that girl gets so lost drawing, I have to remind her to eat some days.”

Fluttershy turned and walked back toward the living room, but stopped in the archway between the two rooms. “Thanks…” she said, quietly, and I wasn’t sure her father would hear her.

“For supper?” I heard her father say, confusion clear in his voice.

“No…” She turned around to look at her father, and she began to shed tears. “Well, yes, but for everything else as well. I don’t know where Piña, Diamond, or I would be if you hadn’t taken us into your home. I… just felt I had to say that after being around so many sad ponies yesterday.” She lowered her head and closed her eyes, all while the tears still flowed.

I heard hoofsteps, then Fluttershy was embraced in a hug. She opened her eyes to the dull green mane and slate gray coat of her father. “No, Shy. Thank you.” Fluttershy’s back began to feel wet with what I was sure were tears. “Every day we’ve had you in our lives has been a blessing. We may never know who your real parents are, but they saw fit to give you two things before they left you at our door. Your name, and a family that would love and take care of you.”

Fluttershy closed her eyes again and the memory faded away.

(0) (0)

My eyes were closed, and the sound of hooves galloping filled my hearing. I felt cold and my head was pounding, all while I felt something moving under me. With difficulty, I opened my eyes to see the ground swiftly moving by below some butter-yellow hooves. Butter should slide, not run. The rest of my body seemed unresponsive and my thoughts were muddled. I tried to think, but the pain in my head and biting cold I felt throughout my body was too distracting.

The body beneath me stopped suddenly, I heard the sound of something sliding, then the ride continued forward. Dirt changed to solid blue flooring like magic, which I stared at with amazement, not that I could stare at anything else. I heard frantic sounds that I thought were words, but I knew words only existed in alphabet soup. The sound of more hooves was heard and then my head was lifted up.

A horsey with a pale pink mane, a white coat, and sapphire blue eyes looked at me, then put her forehoof to my forehead, though my attention was focused on the little hat with a red plus sign she wore. She thinks she's people. I didn’t think she liked me looking at her hat because her expression changed and she pulled out a very pretty piece of crystal, then put the crystal in my mouth. I tried to eat the crystal, but my mouth wouldn’t respond. After a moment, the crystal began to beep and the mare pulled it out of my mouth, which caused her eyes to go wide, while mine got heavier and lowered.

Nurse Horse shouted something and the ride continued forward until it stopped again, and I was lifted onto a bed of some sort, so they must of saw I was getting tired and needed a nap. My view changed from looking at the solid blue floor to looking at a green wall with white lines that separated the green; I hoped all the green would be together one day. More horses began to surround me as the ride started up again, but I couldn’t name their colors and the colors couldn’t name me. The horses touched me everywhere, one even opened my eyes and shined a light on them. These horses were bad at putting people to bed, but it didn’t matter, my eyes knew I was tired and continued to close.

I felt myself be lifted up onto to something, then I slid into a crystal palace. The crystal lit up and filled what was left of my vision with a pretty light, but it couldn’t shine the darkness inside away, no matter how pretty it got. Overall, I thought the ride had been fairly fun and would definitely take Katherine on it later. My eyes closed as a loud sound filled my hearing, and then there was nothing.

(0) (0)

I awoke on my back and felt like I was tucked into bed, but I also felt something on my chest, and something else stuck in my right foreleg. My memory was hazy and I tried to piece it together. I was going to Twilight’s castle and… I felt sick. That butter-yellow mare came along and then I went to a farm. No, I used my ability and Fluttershy was the one on a farm, since I learned her name… from a dog? There was also some crystal at some point, which shined like a rainbow. There were other details from the Fluttershy memory I witnessed, but they could wait for later, I needed to find out what happened to me.

I opened my eyes to find myself in a familiar sight, a hospital room. Spent enough time visiting Mom at work to know one of these, but looks and feels better than the one she worked at. The bed I was in was surprisingly comfortable, alongside the pillow under my head. I was tucked into the bed on my back and my forelegs were above the sheet and left free.A couple wires were hooked up to my chest and went toward a nearby heart monitor, but my attention was caught on what was hooked up to my right foreleg, a glowing blue tube connected to a glowing blue bag, which hung from a pole that a blood bag would normally hang from. Well, I suppose that could be blood… because why the hell not. I couldn’t care less about what blood looks like here.

The walls were a forest green with white silhouette trees and the ceiling was a sky blue with a dome light in the center, while the flooring was a grass green linoleum floor. On the wall was an analog clock that read it was just past noon, though it lacked a time of day indicator, so it could’ve just as well been just past midnight. A sofa was against one wall, which had my saddlebags hooked over the back, an armchair in a corner, and a nightstand next to the bed. The room was square and lacked a window, which prevented me from figuring out if it was day or night, but had two opened doorways. One of the doorways looked into a dark room that I was certain was a bathroom, while the other doorway looked to be a hallway with its solid blue floor, green walls with white lines that separated the green, and another door across the hall that was closed.

I didn’t want to be here anymore, so I freed myself from the sheets and searched the bed for a call button. I found the call button, made from a crystal of all things, had been tucked in with me and pressed it to hopefully get answers as to what happened to me. After a moment, I heard the sound of hoofsteps in the hallway outside, and then a mare came into the room. The mare had a white coat, sapphire blue eyes, and a light pink mane in a bun with a nurse’s cap atop her head. The nurse’s cap had a red cross with hearts in the corners of the cross, and I saw that her tattoo was the same symbol as she walked toward the sofa. She sat on the sofa with all four legs tucked under her and didn’t say a word while she stared at me, though I felt like her stare was a judging one.

“So…” Man, this is awkward. “What happened to me?” I said, legitimately curious what they had found out. Didn’t seem like they had figured out I was an outsider though… at least that is what I was still going with until proven otherwise.

“Why don’t you tell me what you remember and I’ll fill in the blanks.” she said, and her tone betrayed no hint of emotion.

“Well, this started all started yesterday when I woke up in jail as the pony you know as Berry Punch. You see, I’m an outsider, at least I think that is the proper term, pretty sure I’m from another world. Anyway—”

“One moment.” The mare removed herself from the sofa and walked out of the room. After a minute she returned with a notepad and pen, then sat back on the sofa. She pushed a button on the pen, wrote something down, and then looked at me. “Continue.”

“Um…” Weird. “So like I was saying, I’m not actually Berry Punch, at least not mentally. My name is Jack Taylor and I’ve been trying to get someone to believe me. It’s just, the fact that I am a pony with as much credibility as a tabloid is making this hard.”

“Actually, most tabloids are more reliable than Berry Punch.” I wasn’t sure if she was believing me or humoring me, but I was leaning toward the latter as she continued to write.

“Now, what I’m going to tell you next I don’t tell many people. Everyone I’ve ever told about it thought I was a liar, crazy, or a stalker. So please, keep an open mind with it and everything else so far.”

“I’m all ears.” Both of her ears stood up straight, which reminded me of the fact my ears were unresponsive and limp.

“Well, I’ve had this ability for 12 years and it developed right after I left home. This ability I have is to look into other’s eyes and relive their memories. It was maddening at first, I couldn’t look someone in the eyes without it activating and nobody would believe me. I learned to control it over time, but I still slip every now and then.”

“Un-huh. So, tell me what happened yesterday.”

“Well, I… How long have I been out?” I had no clue if yesterday meant the first day I was here or the second and I had lost an entire day.

“You’ve been out since Miss Fluttershy brought you in this morning.”

“So, it’s still the same day?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” At least I haven’t lost a day. “So yeah, yesterday I woke up in jail as Berry Punch. Was let out of the jail by Due Process who I… Due Process is the name of the dark gray police pony, right?”

“Yes…” She looked at me strangely and wrote something done quicker than she had been writing everything else so far. I had figured out by this point that she was probably writing down everything I said. “That is his name.”

“Really need to stop interrupting myself. Anyway, I made Due Process mad when I tried to convince him I could see his memories. Left the police station and met Surprise, who took me to Princess Twilight. At the castle, I literally bumped into that white mare named Rarity and made her mad. Once Surprise and I were in the castle, we met that dragon named Spike and Princess Twilight the winged unicorn—”

“Alicorn.” The mare said, and the one-word interruption confused me.

“What?”

“Princess Twilight, alongside Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, are all alicorns”

“Okay.” Didn’t really care, but guess it might help to not accidentally insult royalty again. “Long story short, I made both Spike and Princess Twilight mad.”

“Shocker.” The sarcasm was heavy in her voice. “So is that everything? Didn’t just complete the day by breaking a Surprise Swear with Surprise. Just for completeness sake?”

“Yes, no, and no…” Well, I see where this is going.

She pushed the button on the pen and then threaded the pen through the binding of the notepad. “Well, I’m glad we got all the plop out of the way. Now tell me what you took.”

“Took? I haven’t taken anything!” Anger was building within me. I had just told this mare everything and she had written it off. Literally!

“If your mother could see you now she would be ashamed to call you her daughter.” The mare placed the notebook with a pen in it on the sofa, removed herself from the sofa to stand, and then stared at me with anger. “Berry, the facts are this! Miss Fluttershy brought you in this morning barely responsive! You had a fever that could’ve killed you and very well almost did! You are lucky we figured out your body was overloaded with magic! Without our expertise in all manner of magical maladies, you would be dead! Now tell me what you took because we can’t find a trace of anything in your system, not even alcohol, and I know that can’t be right!”

“Sounds like you aren’t experienced enough to tell when someone is telling you the truth!’ I did a deep breathing exercise to get my anger under control, I didn’t need to assault more ponies. “Look, I have a deep respect for nurses. My mother was one and—”

“Your mother was a martial artist!”

My anger began to grow again. “I. Am. Not. Berry! Can’t you fucking get that through your damn thick skull?!” I hardly ever cursed or yelled at someone, but I was angry, not just with this mare, but everything so far. I felt like this should’ve ended yesterday, that Twilight should’ve used her magic to access my mind.

Her anger broke and she looked confused. “Fucking? Dam? You aren’t even making sense now with what you are saying.” She did a deep breathing exercise and her facial features took on a pleading look. “Please, Berry. I just want to help. I couldn’t still call myself Drop’s friend if I didn’t do everything in my power to help either of her daughters. Just tell me what overloaded your body with magical energy.”

She reminded me of my mother, maybe it was just the fact she was a nurse, but it quelled my anger for the moment. “I am telling you the truth. Maybe what happened is because I’m an outsider. I don’t know anything about this thing you call magic in your world, other than the fact that reality itself is constantly redefined.”

The look on her face changed to one of resolve. “Berry, if you do not tell me, then I will see to it that you are admitted to the mental ward. I’ll even try to get you on suicide watch with a straight jacket and padded room! Don’t you dare think these idle threats either! I’ve worked at this hospital longer than anyone else on staff. And I know I could get any of the staff to do what I want when it comes to you.”

Nobody! Fucking! Threatens! Me! What little respect I had for this mare was gone. My anger reached a fevered pitch and I saw the words I wanted to say clearly in my mind.

“All it’ll take is a short visit to Quack and he’ll—”

I stared her straight in the eyes. “Shut up!” Her eyes went wide and she ceased to talk. “What is this glowing blue stuff flowing into me through the tube?” I said, not taking my eyes off her eyes.

“Pure mana, to replace all the magic we removed from you when we saved your life.” Her eyes were distant and voice monotone, but I was too angry to care why.

“Will I be fine without a complete transfusion?”

“Yes, but your natural earth pony abilities will be weakened, alongside any and all talents, including your special talent for several days.” The distant look remained in her eyes, and her voice stayed monotone.

I pulled the needle out of my foreleg and dropped it, letting the glowing blue liquid drip onto the floor. “ You will forget our entire conversation and all notions of committing me to the mental ward, or I will make your life as miserable as I possibly can.” I doubted this mare had the backbone to carry out her threats, with how quickly she caved under my intimidation, but an idle threat of my own couldn’t hurt. At least, I thought it was an idle threat, but I felt that deep down I meant every word.

I removed the heart monitor wires from my chest, got out of the bed, and then headed toward the sofa; the mare didn’t say a word or react at all to what I did. I took my saddlebags off of the sofa and then equipped them. The notebook with a pen in its binding seemed useful, so I put it in one of the saddlebags. I walked toward the doorway leading into the hallway but stopped in the doorway.

“Thank you,” I said, not expecting a response as I left.

Author's Note

Proofreaders/Pre-Readers:
Busstop
Topaz Moon

This chapter came about after I noticed how little attention and use I made of the planned Fluttershy appearance in the original chapter three. I also had Jack much more easily brush off the supposed illness, which will become clearer later on, if you haven't figured out what is going on yet. Fluttershy became an earth pony to balance out the ratio of pony types in my Mane 6 pretty much, and I wanted her to have a closer relationship with Applejack.

Last Grammar Update: 2016-10-03

Wayward Plans 1.5

The list of things in Equestria that made me angry was a short one, but it was growing. First, there was Corona, who I just didn't like, due to both the memory I had seen from her and the fact she hadn't done as I asked. Next, there was that nurse from the hospital, solely because she threatened me. I was somewhat conflicted over Spike since he was going through something horrible, but that clawing was inexcusable. They weren't numbered yet on my list, but if they were, then Twilight would be at the top of the list after her most recent action.

“You blinded me!” I said, and stood in a room I hadn’t even seen yet, due to my aforementioned blindness.

"And I will fix that in a moment. Do you feel any nausea? The ocular overload may have been too strong, but I am certain it, along with some other modification I made to the teleportation spell, should alleviate the nausea effect that most ponies who do not teleport often suffer from." Twilight said, like nothing was wrong.

“No! I don’t feel any nausea whatsoever! I do however feel like seeing if I can blind you!” I glared at where I was fairly sure she was.

“Fine.” I heard the sound a unicorn’s horn made when they used their magic.

I felt some sort of tingling sensation on my eyes, then the darkness began to recede, while shapes started to form. After a couple moments, I could make out Twilight and the room, but the room would have to wait since there was another problem with my vision.

“Great, let us begin—”

“Twilight… I’m completely colorblind now.” I said, cutting her off before she could whatever she had planned next.

“Wait, what?”

“You and the rest of the room are grayscale…” I was very unhappy.

“That… is unexpected.” Her horn lit up again, and I felt the tingling sensation again on my eyes, but the color didn’t return. “Better?”

“I’m still colorblind…” I intensified my glare.

A sheepish grin appeared on her face. "I will be right back," Twilight said, then disappeared in a not nearly as blinding flash as the teleport that brought us here.

Great, I should’ve just let the colorblindness problem go without mention. I let out a long sigh. The whispers in my head quieted down, and I knew what was about to happen. Do they just know Twilight left and think I’ll be more talkative without someone physical to talk to?

The presence felt strange like it was at a distance and eyeing me. Looks like I have you all to myself, at least for the moment, a female thought, and it was the one I had decided was Envy. I would ignore Envy, just as I had done to Lust, and the room was a perfect way to do that since it was full of interesting things.

The room looked like it was for astronomy since there was a large telescope in middle, but the lack of a skylight or nearby window would prevent its use where it currently was. My glance toward the ceiling made me aware of a model solar system above, with a planet as the center of the solar system, alongside a moon and a small sun orbiting the central planet.

The sight of the sun and moon orbiting the planet was enough for me to break my silence with Envy. “Does the sun and moon really orbit the planet, Envy?”

Yes, and you could possess them. All you have to do is want them enough and be willing to accept us.

“Huh… How does owning a sun and moon work?” I walked over to a table piled with parchment, which all seemed to be star charts.

You just… do, then get to decide when it is day and night.

“That doesn’t sound good for the planet’s ecosystem.” The star charts looked hand drawn, though the fact Twilight might’ve made them probably meant they were telekinetically drawn, or even hoof drawn.

Most plants are more dependent on magic than photosynthesis. You could even keep it night forever, like one of my previous agents wanted.

“How did that work out for them?” I was curious how detailed the model solar system was above since I was sure it was magical, so I went toward the large telescope.

They lacked the conviction and failed, twice. Tell me, Jack. Are you willing to kill to get home?

“I’m not killing anyone to get home, and I’m pretty sure you and your siblings don’t want me to go home.” I peered into the telescope and was surprised by what I saw.

The telescope allowed me to see the actual stars, and the sun above, which shined white like it should. I did a double take at the model solar system above, but I knew I wasn’t looking at it since the model’s only star was the sun. It seemed this telescope could be used indoors, without any loss of use.

I don’t think what you want lies in the heavens, does it?

“My only desire is to get home.” Where is Twilight? Once she knows I am what I am, then I can actually get help getting home.

That is something I could promise you.

There didn’t seem to much else of interest in the room. There were several more tables with odd devices on them, but I was vaguely sure they were very dated astronomy device, at least dated by my 21st century standards. The only other things in the room were: a couple bookshelves, the double doors I was certain would take me out of the room, and another set of doors where sunlight shone through the green crystal panels.

Envy’s offer was probably a damning one, but I didn’t have anything better to do with my time. “Go on,” I said, if only to sate my curiosity.

I would do everything in my power to get you home, and in return, you would do whatever I asked of you. A simple arrangement.

“And what is the extent of this power of yours? I don’t see much of you or your siblings’ influence in this world. Honestly, I think you all are desperate.” I drew nearer to the sunlit doors. The room’s floating light crystals in the corners lit the place well enough, but sunlight and fresh air would be nicer.

Do not question my power! I have torn kingdoms apart! Made weaklings into warriors! The screeching of Envy’s voice made it clear I had stumbled upon a sore subject, and beaten it thoroughly.

I pushed the sunlit doors open, then walked out onto the balcony to stare out at Ponyville’s landscape. The town lost a lot of its charm in the grayscale I was seeing it in, but I could pretend I was in an old detective movie. Heh, ‘The Case of the Transdimensional Blackout’. Once upon a time I had thought about becoming a police detective, but I didn’t want to use my ability to relive murders and other terrible things.

I was going to take a shot in the dark at Envy, but I was fairly certain I was right. “Face it, Envy. You’ll always be second best to Greed. He tells you what to do because you are a weakling that can’t think for herself.”

If you come to love anything here, I will take it away. Any chance you ever have of getting home will be stripped of you. And once one of my agents is done with you, you will accept anything I offer just to escape the horrors I have brought down upon you. Envy voice was back to normal, but I could tell it was angry.

“Alright, but you better work fast. I’m at most an hour away from convincing Twilight. Oh wait, you can’t even get your own agents to do what you want right now either.”

How—

“You and your siblings shouldn’t talk so much, you never know who might be listening.” I smiled, even though I was fairly certain Envy couldn’t see it.

Well, then you know what Gluttony and Pride are already putting in motion. It must be awful knowing every second that goes by is bringing you closer to us.

Envy was about to tell me more than I knew, and all it would take is some generalizations of who she mentioned and what they were capable of. “Well, Pride’s political connections might be problematic, but those probably take a decent amount of time, even more so to go unnoticed. As for Gluttony, he is barely more a threat than Sloth.”

You may be right about Pride, but Gluttony’s agent’s only problem is distance, and that distance shrinks all the time.

It was time for another shot in the dark. “Well, maybe. Still, a boat takes a while to cross a sea.”

Not that long. Envy smugness showed she was still oblivious to the fact I was milking her for information.

How long can I keep this up? “Also, one of them would stick out just as much as one of Greed’s gryphons or dragons.”

You would be surprised how well a zebra can go unnoticed.

“Eh, I can take him. Humans are the apex predator where I’m from, and the only reason zebras haven’t been wiped out back home is because we choose not too.” Heh, this is fun.

I’ll be sure he gets that little tidbit, wouldn’t want him to underestimate you.

I hung my forehooves over the balcony rail, and looked out over Ponyville, while I was happy about conning Envy for information. Of course, Envy could’ve lied about everything, but I didn’t get the sense she was lying. I just hoped I wouldn’t have to deal with any of The Seven’s agents since I seriously doubted I had a chance against a single one.

The ponies all seemed to be going on about their day normally, but I did notice something going on in the distance. A stage in the middle of a park was being set up, and it seemed to be for a music performance judging from the speakers I could see from the balcony. It had been a long while since I had gone to a concert, and it seemed that would have to continue.

I heard the sound of Twilight’s teleportation behind me. “Sorry, I took so long, but I think… Jack?” Twilight said, seemingly surprised that I wouldn’t stand in place the entire time.

“Over here, Twilight,” I said, then turned around and reentered what I decided to call the observatory. “Will I be forced to live a life devoid of the joy that is color?”

She rolled her eyes. “Stand still.” Her horn lit up, and a ball of light shot out of it. It was probably very colorful judging from the multitude of shades of gray coming from it.

I stood and let the ball of light hit me square in the eyes, which blinded me temporarily with a rainbow, then the world was back in color. “Like going from Kansas to Oz.”

“Huh? Where to where?” Twilight’s confusion was something that made me make a mental note of not making further pop culture references.

“Just a movie, don’t worry about it.” I closed the distance between me and Twilight, with only a pony’s length between us. There was this feeling I had that mind magic required direct contact, but I couldn’t say what gave me the notion.

“A movie? What is the name of it?”

“Doesn’t matter. Could you use your mind magic on me? Please?” I was tired of waiting and this needed to be done.

“I will be the one to decide what magic to use on you. Sit and don’t move.”

I didn’t like being told what to do, but I would play along. “Pillow?”

Her horn lit up, and a nearby sitting pillow levitated toward me, then my vision filled with her magenta magic. With one quick motion, the pillow flew behind me and I was forced into a sitting position.

“Thanks…” I said, annoyed by her magic.

I know how to steal her power, Jack. I could make you an alicorn. I had almost forgotten about Envy.

“You are welcome. Do not move.” Twilight moved in close, then her horn lit up.

“What are you doing?” Whatever she was doing felt like it was going through me, but I could feel it hitting me and passing through me the entire time.

“Doing a comprehensive full body scan. This will take a moment, but begin telling me everything you did since you woke up.”

“Okay. Well, I explored Berry’s house.”

“Mhm…” I heard a slight tinge of annoyance in her tone already.

“Took a shower, got dressed, ate a can of baked beans, and…” Should I mention the assault on Corona? Is Berry even open about her sexuality?

“Go on,” she said, her magic scan going through my heart.

Screw it. Berry’s life can’t get any worse. “I hit some unicorn named Corona.”

Twilight stopped in place right over Berry’s cutie mark, then let out a sigh. “Explain.”

“I was totally in the right. See, Corona just walked into Berry’s house looking for sex, and—”

“You are gay?!” Twilight ended her scan and seemed shocked by the revelation. My faith in her ability to do whatever it was she claimed she could do with minds and magic diminished greatly.

“Berry is. Technically, seeing as I’m a male in a female body, I guess I would be too since I like the opposite sex.”

I’m sure Lust will be interested to hear about that.

“You are transexual?!” Twilight walked back in front of me and looked like she didn’t quite know what to make of me. My only problem was that what she thought I was now wasn’t what I wanted her to think I was.

“Well, if I were stuck as a female, I suppose I would try being straight. Honestly, sex has never been that big of a thing to me.”

Twilight fell to her rear in front me. “You are bi and transexual?” Her lack of shouting my or Berry’s supposed sexual and gender identities seemed to mean she was calming down.

“Anyway, Corona tried to use her horn on—”

“No! No need to go into details! I already know everything a unicorn is capable of doing with their horn!” Twilight cheeks were red with embarrassment.

I rolled my eyes and decided to just skip over whatever Corona tried to do. “In short, she was aggressive, didn’t get that no meant no, and I hit her hard enough in the chest to leave a bruise.”

Lust’s similar stories always end the other way around, so look forward to that. It seemed Envy was trying to unnerve me, but it would take a lot more than that.

Twilight shot to her hooves and looked alarmed by what I said. “Are you saying she tried to rape you?!”

I continued to sit, seeing no reason to react to her outbursts. “No… Please stop overreacting to things. She just thought I was Berry, which I was when it came to the body. Just a simple misunderstanding.”

She calmed down after my words. “Are you sure? Is she okay?”

“Who? Corona? I guess? She walked away. As for me, yeah I’m sure.” I said, with my concern for Corona nonexistent.

Not caring about how someone you’ve hurt is doing? What kind of creature thinks that way and isn’t even tempted by our offers of power?

“Has… this relationship with this Corona mare been going on long?” Her curiosity was entirely misplaced, and it was all my fault.

“Twilight… I’m not Berry…” I stood, and was very tired of these questions.

“Argh, fine. Do you, Jack, know how long this relationship has been going on between Berry and Corona.”

“That doesn’t matter.” I stepped forward and placed a forehoof on her chest. “What matters is that I need your help getting back to my reality.”

Twilight looked down at my forehoof, then looked back at me. “Be—”

"Jack. Or did you not actually change Berry's name earlier?" Twilight may have been able to change someone's name, but I doubted she actually would since she didn't seem to be that petty.

Twilight gently removed my forehoof from her chest. “No, I did not actually change your name. Has everything you said been the truth?”

“Yes,” I pointed a forehoof at myself. “I am an outsider.”

“No!” She moved forward and put both of her forehooves on me. “About you being bi and trans! All the talk about some mare named Corona!”

I stepped back from Twilight, which caused her to lose balanced temporarily, then she used her wings to catch herself before she fell. “All that stuff doesn’t matter! I need your help!”

Having problems convincing her? If this is your best, then I would bet on Sloth getting an agent first before you convinced anyone, and he hasn’t had one for a little over 400 years.

A look of disbelief appeared on her face. “I am trying to help you!” She began to pace back and forth in front of me. “Is this your core problem, Berry? Are you afraid you’ll be ostracized? Ponyville is a progressive place!”

The anger I felt was intense, and the only thing I wanted to do was break something or someone. “Berry is just an alcoholic! Probably a sex addict as well! Whatever her reasons for being the way she is are most likely stupid and pointless! She is just some gutter trash! Nearly everyone else in the town knows that! All except for you and Surprise! Now forget about her and help me!”

Twilight stopped in place at my outburst. “Is that what you really think of yourself? That that is what everypony else thinks? Berry, I care about you, and I know Surprise does. I am even certain that Piña still loves you.” She began to walk slowly toward me. “Everypony in town just wants you to be a better mare.”

My breathing was heavy, and a pounding headache had begun. “No, they don’t! They don’t care about Berry! I know how they feel! The annoyance! The disgust! The downright hatred! Now shut up and read my mind!” All I needed to do was force her to use her mind magic, then this would all be over.

My harsh tone stopped Twilight’s advanced. “Berry, I am not going to waste time doing any mental manipulation procedures on you. All you need to do is talk about your feelings. Learn to love yourself, and not be afraid to be you.”

“If you will not read my mind, then I’ll read yours!” I glared into her eyes and wanted something to tear her apart, then absolutely nothing happened. For the first time in over 12 years my ability was absent.

You should really learn to conserve your magic better. Lucky for you, we can discreetly divert some magic to keep your copy ability from draining your entire reserve, since we’re pretty sure you would lose Spike’s ability, and we so enjoy being able to talk to you. Of course, you only get enough from us to stay in this constant state of magical exhaustion. You don’t know how to control your powers, do you? With those words, The Seven had gone from voices in my head to forces that were actually doing something.

“Enough with the lies, Berry. You do not have to lie anymore.” Twilight continued to close the distance between us.

“I’m not Berry!” I lunged at her, which closed the remaining distance between us, but my attempt to hurt Twilight was a failure. Each and every single blow I made was like hitting a brick wall, and each of my strikes didn’t feel like they carried any real strength to them.

Shame you don’t have enough magic to use your new body’s strength.

The only response from Twilight was a full embrace, with both of her forelegs and wings. “Shh, it is okay.”

I struggled in her embrace, but she was too strong. “Let me go!” My headache had increased in intensity.

“Okay, I will,” Twilight said, then gently let me go.

I held a forehoof to my head, though it didn’t help my headache. I couldn’t make her believe me through my ability, and violence wasn’t an option either. Several conclusions seemed to form in my mind from nowhere, and they were ones I could use to hopefully push her into using her mind magic, or mental manipulation as she had called it.

“Berry? Are you okay?” Twilight’s concern was unwelcomed and unwanted.

I knew what to say to her. “No, I’m not. Nothing is when you are involved.”

There it is. I was wondering when it would take over.

“Berry, I am just trying to help. We can work this all out. I am sure of it.”

“You can’t help Spike.” I began to circle Twilight.

“Wait? Spike? What about him?” I had caught her off guard, and I planned to keep it that way.

“Because of you, he's stuck with your memories, that keep telling him he is you.” My headache lessened in pressure.

The shock on her face said I was right about everyone not knowing everything about Spike, and I knew a great deal more than I should. “How? Spike wouldn’t—”

“Like he wouldn’t tell me you threw up on Princess Celestia after your first teleportation?” A smirk reared itself on my face.

“No, he wouldn’t talk about these things, not with you…” She didn’t sound sure of herself.

“You’d be surprised what some will say when it comes to the things eating them up inside.” The words came so easily, that I barely had to think about them.

Twilight flared her wings. “Lies! Spike has forgiven me for that!” Twilight calmed down, and she took on a sad look. “You are just trying to push me away with all of this. Why?”

Having made a full circle around Twilight, I stopped in front of her. “I thought you would understand pushing others away more than me actually. Isn’t that what you did to your parents?” With those few words, I hated myself entirely, but at least my headache was gone.

If you are ever trying to think of a pony name for yourself, I would advise the name ‘Sucker Punch’.

I saw the words cut deep into Twilight and break her composure. “You—”

“You told yourself it was just a dinner. That you could skip one. They’d understand.”

Her eyes began to tear up. “But—”

“But there just wasn’t ever enough time. There were so many more important things to do. There would always be more time later.”

“Stop it!” Twilight’s plea would go unanswered.

“Except there wasn’t more time later. Then you beat yourself up for never making the time. Question why you always thought those other things mattered more than family. Finally, you ask yourself if you could’ve done something to save their lives if only you had been there when they needed you most.”

The emotional dam holding back her tears broke, then she collapsed to the floor. “I… There was nothing I could have done… Not even Celestia could… If I had been there… If I had not stayed in Canterlot to study… I would be dead.”

I wanted to say I was sorry, but I had to take advantage of her. “Twilight, if you use your mental manipulation on me, then this can be all over. I’ll never hurt you again. You’ll never even have to see me again once I’m gone.”

Twilight removed her forehooves from her eyes and looked at me. Her horn lit, and I closed my eyes. I was certain she would finally do it, that I was done with all of this. The moment was short lived though, since all that happened was the sound of her teleportation.

My eyes shot open after I realized she had teleported away, and a quick survey of the room showed she had left it as well. “Damn it!” I said, with all the anger that was left in me.

This is all you will ever be without us. A failure, Envy thought, then her presence was gone.

(0) (0)

“Stupid magic. Stupid ponies. Stupid castle.” I sad, as I made my way through the castle’s corridors.

At least half an hour had passed since I last saw Twilight, and I was sure something magical was going on. Every door I tried was locked, and I swore I had walked through these corridors before, but knew I had walked in a relatively straight line. The fact I walked in a relatively straight line was the other thing that bugged me, since this place wasn’t that big from the outside.

“Hello? Is there anyone out there? I’m lost!” My shouts went without response, as they had every time I tried before. I wouldn’t blame anyone for ignoring someone as awful as me.

I kept running what I had said to Twilight through my mind, and the only question I had was ‘Why?’. The things I had said were awful, and I wanted to beat myself up for saying them, with the only reason I could come up with was that I had been angry. My anger hadn’t been an issue before I came to Equestria, since back home I was one to turn the other cheek, but here it just seemed to take me over.

“I’ll apologize to Twilight when I find her. It was just… the stress talking.” I knew I meant it when I told myself I would apologize, but I didn’t believe the stress excuse.

I couldn’t find stairs or even the observatory room I had left. The whispers continued in my head, but not a single one of The Seven had spoken to me since Envy had left. I doubted evil personified would help me in any way, at least without me accepting some damning deal, but the conversation would be interesting.

Does the connection work both ways? Do I even want to draw their attention? Talking to one of The Seven probably wouldn’t end well, but they were already doing something, so it couldn’t make the situation worse. Which one to try and communicate with though?

Sloth was a smart aleck, but he was probably the lesser of them all and seemed to be the most talkative. Lust seemed to be too focused on her core nature to be useful. Envy was downright annoying. Gluttony would probably be disgusting. Pride would be infuriating to speak. Greed seemed the most authoritative, like he told the others what to do. Wrath hadn’t said a thing.

I stopped where I was, since walking didn’t seem to do any good. “I can’t believe I’m going to try this.”

I would try Greed, since Sloth was annoying to talk with, and Wrath would probably be the worst of them all. Greed? Hello?

The whispers went silent, and a massive presence was suddenly all around me, which made me really small.

So you figured out it works both ways? Greed thought, with his deep and strong voice.

I found the thinking toward others annoying and unnatural feeling, so I opted to speak instead. “Ah! Excellent!” I began to walk again. “How is it going?”

My words were met with silence, though I knew Greed was still there.

“See, I was curious if I could contact you and your siblings. Is the way you and the rest speak telepathy? Does Spike’s ability allow him to speak to other telepaths, or—”

You’re stuck in a trap and want advice on how to get out of it… for free. Greed didn’t seem to like the word ‘free’, since he said the word with clear disgust.

“A trap? Is this Twilight getting back at me?”

You have no clue the kind of danger you are in. At least you have the sense not to take stairs it is trying to force you down.

“Stairs?” I stopped in place. “What stairs?”

My question was met with more silence.

I started walking slowly and eyed the walls around me. Is there some sort of illusion?

Ignore what I said. Just stop and don’t move. The castle can’t keep up that spatial distortion forever.

I touched each door I passed, seeing if they all were real, which they were. It was possible that Greed was messing with me, but I had a feeling it wasn’t. I began to feel the walls.

Jack, you are going to get yourself killed. You aren’t useful to us dead.

“Un-huh.” I came to a fork where the corridor split, one I had been alternating in a zigzag pattern, to keep my relatively straight. My attention was on the wall, which seemed a little off to me now that I paid it closer attention. This was the spot I knew I had seen the most, and if what Greed had said was true, the castle itself wanted me to go down some stairs.

If you follow my advice, I will grant you any power within my domain, without anything in return.

With those words, I knew whatever this castle was trying to do would be in my favor. I walked up to the wall, right where it struck me oddly, and touched it. The wall disappeared instantly, and a stairway leading down became visible.

“Neat.” Without another thought, I descended the stairs.

I am offering you something I haven’t offered in over a thousand years! The dragons were able to take over the world with the gift I bestowed upon their blood!

Once I reached the bottom of the stairs, I chose a direction at random, since it probably didn’t matter. “How did that work out for them?”

For the third time, I had said something that left Greed speechless.

“I may not understand magic, but I have figured out something about this world. If you and your siblings are evil, then good must also have a representation. If the world works like I think it does, then good always prevails over evil. The dragons failed at keeping the world because they used evil”

They failed because Wrath interfered! Greed’s voice was like thunder, and it probably would’ve caused me temporary deafness, if it had been heard through my ears.

“Yeah, I’m sure it’s a story for the ages.” I turned a corner and saw a unique set of double doors.

Every other set of double doors was mostly made up of a couple different shades of green crystal in a diamond pattern, while this one was so much more intricate. The door had a crystal mural on it, which was made up of a large oak tree sitting in a field of grass, and a rainbow overhead in a blue sky. The door gave off a feeling of pure goodness.

Jack, the reason you couldn’t see the stairs earlier was probably your subconscious trying to protect you. Somewhere in your mind, you know what the castle is trying to do will hurt you! Greed’s voice had gone back to its normal deep and strong voice, but he sounded worried.

“Probably the same part that makes it so the only way I remember walking is with four legs…” I stopped my stride toward the door.

See? It is only trying to help.

“And probably the same damn part that has left holes in my memory.” I was even more determined to find out what was behind the door and closed the distance.

Jack! My offer still stands! The powers I could gift you are beyond anything you could ever hope to attain!

I stopped right before the door. I wanted to open it, but I would at least hear Greed out. “Fine, tell me about these gifts you are offering.”

The first I could offer is the ability to gain size and strength, only limited by the things you possess.

“Sounds like something that would make the user a freak. Also, don’t plan to stay here long enough to own anything. Got anything else?”

The ability to gain skills in all things? It would require you to attain gold and keep it with you, but the skills would allow you to make money in all sorts of things. A bag of holding wouldn’t be that hard to afford after a while, so your skills would be limitless.

I eyed the door, certain I was about done entertaining the idea of accepting a gift from Greed. “Useful sounding. Side effects?”

A growing need to always be better than everyone else and an obsession with gold.

“Do all your gifts carry side effects that will alter my physical appearance or way of thinking?”

Yes. I was certain Greed had figured out that I wanted nothing from it.

“Well, thank you for your interest in my body, mind, and spirit. Sadly, I’m much more interested in what good has to offer.” I reached toward the door.

You idiot! You aren’t just dealing with good! You are dealing with good and or—

Greed’s voice and presence disappeared on contact with the crystal door. I felt like my mind was sharper and clearer than it had ever been. I just knew everything would be better once I opened these doors and walked through, so I pushed them open, then walked into the white light on the other side.

Author's Note

Proofreaders/Pre-Readers:
Busstop

This chapter was pretty much the end of the previous chapter. I probably should've waited until the last chapter was truly done, but the last chapter was getting long and I didn't want anyone interested in my story to wait any longer. Hopefully you enjoyed this.

Last Grammar Update: 2016-10-05

Wayward Plans 1.6

Faces were something I was good with, as some of my art would attest to, and I was sure I had met the man that stood in front of me before. The blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin were the most striking thing about him, but the familiarity went right down to his very facial features. He was a handsome man, that I felt either sex would find attractive, and I had to admit I would’ve loved to have some of his good looks. The only thing I found strange about the man was the fact he wore a black business suit, which was odd seeing as it was currently below freezing outside.

“Well?” he said, with a raised eyebrow, which made me aware of the fact I was staring.

What is he… Oh! He asked if he could sit next to me! “Sure, but I have to ask. Have we met before?”

The stranger took the barstool next to me and eyed me up and down. “Can’t say that I remember you. Where exactly do you think we’ve met before?”

Where indeed? Not here, and I haven’t been much of anywhere else in the world aside from California. “Have you ever been to California?”

“My job takes me many places, and I’ve been to California on multiple occasion. Do you remember when this might have been?”

It was crazy to think I would see anyone around here, that I had met in my old life, but this person just seemed so familiar. When would it have been? Definitely before my art career fell through. Oh! “Were you in California ten years ago? Around Easter?”

The stranger seemed to think deeply on the subject, then a look of realization hit him. “Yes! Was it at that art gallery? The one with the Heaven and Hell theme to it?”

Now I remember him, though the name still escapes me. “Well, the theme was actually ‘Heavenly Virtues & Deadly Sins’, but close enough. You won the pride one in the silent auction, right?”

“Yes, but I still don’t remember meeting you there. No offense, but you don’t look like the type of person able to afford the paintings they had.”

“Your name started with a ‘W’, right?” Wilson? Wallus? What was it?

He seemed surprised by my question. “My first name is William actually. And you are?”

I offered a hand and smiled. “Jack Taylor. I was the artist.”

He gave me a hard look, then shook my hand. “I’m sorry to say I don’t remember meeting you, but that is the name of the artist on the painting.”

“Probably the beard.” I used to keep my face shaved, but had taken to trimming it ever I returned home. “So what brings you to Idaho? Definitely doesn’t look like you are here on pleasure.”

“I…” William didn’t seem to know what to say.

I probably should’ve thought about this encounter more, but meeting someone who had liked something I painted was a rare opportunity. ‘Heavenly Virtues & Deadly Sins’ was the last time anyone would host art from me, which I shamefully wished sometimes hadn’t been for charity. Being falsely accused of consorting with terrorist did that do a career.

“Well, I think it’s about time I had a drink.” I turned back to Mike, who had been respectful of the conversation between William and I. “Hit me, and pour a shot for my friend here.” I turned back to William. “That is if he wants it.”

William snapped out of his confusion and seemed more alert. “Well, if you insist, then thank you. As to your question from earlier, I’m just here to survey some real estate. What are you doing here? Not that I couldn’t understand living in a place like this. Such a beautiful place.”

The sound of the whiskey being poured turned my head back to Mike. Once he finished with my shot, he began to pour Williams, but a shocking thing happened. Mike and the liquid he was pouring just stopped in place. I turned back to William to find he had also stopped.

“The hell—”

“Excuse me for the interruption, but I have some questions for you.” A female said.

Confused as to what was going on, I looked toward where the voice had come from and saw a woman. The thing that stood out to me first, that I was ashamed to admit, was the fact she was black, but Idaho was just such a white state. It seemed this woman was one that wanted to be noticed, since she had dyed her long wavy hair a dark blue, had a dark cyan eye color only possible with the use of contacts, and a pale blue eyeshadow on her eyelids.

As if everything else wasn’t strange enough about this woman, she wore a midnight blue satin dress, that went all the way to the floor. The dress had the image of a crescent moon over the dress’s black colored chest, while stars dotted her dress in various constellations, which were strangely only every single constellation I knew.

I stood since it felt like this was someone you should stand for. “Yes?” I said, bewildered by the sight of this woman. I had heard her voice before, but not until after now, which didn’t quite make sense to me.

“Who are you?”

“Jack Taylor…” I stared at her intently. There was something odd about her like she was more real than everything else in the bar. “Who are you?”

“I am Princess Luna, Co-ruler of Equestria, Protector of the Night, and Guardian of Dreamers.” She looked at her hands and seemed very uncomfortable. “What are we?”

Princess? Equestria? “Humans? What is going on?” My world had stopped making sense, which was another thing that felt like it should happen later.

“I’m not familiar with what a human is. Could you explain further?” This woman’s questions were beyond weird.

“How can you not know what a human is? We are humans.” There is something really wrong here.

She looked at herself again, then poked at her breasts with a finger. “Yes, it seems we are.” Her eyes wandered the room, and she became interested in a flat screen TV. “Where are we?” she said, then walked over to the TV.

“Mike’s?” Mentioning the name made me remember Mike and William had stopped moving, so I looked back at them, but they were gone. I knew for certain this wasn’t how things went the first time, but I wasn’t sure what the first time meant.

She began touching the TV with a hand. “In what land does this ‘Mike’s’ reside?”

“Idaho. Lady, you better start explaining what is going on right now!” I had no intention of violence, especially toward a woman, but I needed answers.

“Eye-duh-hoe?” she said, seemingly at a loss with the name. “What are the names of the neighboring kingdoms?”

“Answer me!” The screen of the TV she was inspecting shattered like glass, and she raised a forearm to protect herself.

“Curious…” she said, as she stared into a void of white that now occupied the spot where the TV’s screen had been, then turned back to me. “I’m not certain as to what is going on actually. This seems to be a memory-dream, but it floats in the dreamscape untethered to any creature.”

“Dream?” I looked around at Mike’s bar and saw cracks filled with light spreading.

Luna noticed the cracks and closed her eyes. Everything in the room rippled like it was made of water for a moment, then the cracks spread faster. The look on her face after she opened eyes said that whatever she had tried hadn’t worked as she planned. “What was the last thing you remember before now?”

With the realization I was dreaming, the cracks spread faster. “A light. I remember walking into a light.”

Everything shattered and disappeared.

(0) (0)

The scent and feeling of grass were there when I awoke. I didn’t remember falling asleep, but I must have at some point. William? Luna? The first name was new, but I was sure I had heard the name Luna before. Where I heard Luna before came to mind instantly. At the jail! Due Process mentioned her! Did that really just happen? Was I visited by someone in my dream? The absurdity didn’t last long once I remembered everything else that had happened in the past two days.

I wanted to hit myself for not realizing I was dreaming sooner so that I could’ve said more to Princess Luna, but I knew it wasn’t my fault. The dream had convinced me entirely that it was real, and I lacked any knowledge of after the event I was in to realize it. It almost felt like none of my failures were my fault actually, but I couldn’t think that way, and needed to strive to be better.

With great reluctance, I opened my eyes. All the colors in sight seemed to be so much more vivid like a veil had been lifted from my sight. The air was a joy to breathe, and I didn’t feel like I could get enough of it. I laid in a shade, that covered a large circular grass-covered clearing, with a forest surrounding the clearing.

Something was off, and I felt like I had lost something, though it didn't feel like it was something important. There seemed to be a gap in my memory, but it didn't worry me; there were no worries here. Where here was I didn't know, and that didn't really matter.

I noticed that my ears and tail were responsive here, and I could move them just like any other part of my body. There was a sense of completeness here like I finally had something I had been missing, and it was something I hadn’t had when I first woke up in Equestria. Whatever it was I had now, I didn’t want to lose it, and I knew I would lose it if I left this place.

I stood up and turned around to see a massive oak tree. The oak had to be at least 100 feet tall, with a trunk about half as wide as it was tall, and a canopy that covered nearly the whole clearing in a shade. Right at the base of the tree, where the roots parted unnaturally, was the door I entered this place through, situated in the tree itself. I was sure I could find my way back to the door easily since the oak tree towered above everything around it, but I had no plan of ever leaving this place.

Katherine will be fine without me, and I’m sure Berry is taking good care of her. If nothing else, Rebecca is there for Katherine, just like she was the past eight years. I began to make my way toward the treeline, without a care in the world.

(0) (0)

“Come on… just a little further…” I said, as a McIntosh apple hung from a limb just out of reach of my left forehoof, while I clung to the trunk of the apple tree with my other hooves. Tired of getting nowhere, I decided to deal with this issue as I had done with trying to convince others I was human, which was being bullheaded and reckless. I braced all four hooves on the tree’s trunk, then jumped off the tree with an outstretched hoof toward the apple. My forehoof brushed against the apple, but I was unable to get a grip, then I fell to the ground at the base of the tree.

“Ow…” The pain from the fall receded exceptionally fast, which I was thankful for. It was a time like this that I wished that I had been given the body of a pegasus, unicorn, or even a dragon. It was probably foolish to think I would even be able to use wings or magic, but the possibility would’ve made my current task easier, and a dragon’s hands would’ve made it simple.

I stood up and looked at the apple I had touched still swinging slightly. “All I want is an apple,” I said, then struck the tree with a forehoof, though without any real strength to the strike, since I didn’t really want to damage the tree for my inability to harvest fruit from it. The sound of something snapping was heard above, then I was hit on the head by something.

The strike to the head instinctively made me close my eyes and reach up with both my forehooves, which resulted in me falling forward, due to lack of three hooves on the ground. Pain receded amazingly fast again, and I opened my eyes to stare at the apple I had tried to take from the tree. I reached out with both forehooves, and picked up the apple, then sat up to look at the tree.

I probably should’ve thought that I knocked the apple loose when I touched it, but that didn’t feel right at all, so I did what felt right. “Thank you!” I said, joyously, to the tree, then began to eat the apple, which was without a doubt the best thing I had ever tasted.

The forest was a strange place, since it didn’t feel like an actual forest at all, and more like a massive orchard. Tree types were all organized together, and then seemed to be grouped by family, since this part of the forest only had apple trees, while I had seen peaches close to where the apples ended. It was also strangely immaculate, without a single piece of fruit rotting on the ground beneath any trees, nor any fallen leaves. Not even my recently responsive ears had picked up the sound of any animal life, with only the occasional sound of the breeze through the leaves of the trees.

I could get used to this place. Finished with the apple, I stood and chose a direction at random. It was strange to be carefree, like I was a child again, and was actually able to spend my time doing normal things. Not that my childhood was bad, but I would’ve preferred survival training to not be a routine family weekend activity.

My mind wandered back to my parents, but for once in a long time it was a subject that didn’t bring anger or sadness. Sure, they were wrong to get mad about my pursuit of an art career, but if I had listened to them, then I would’ve avoided all the trouble I got into. It wasn’t like I couldn’t have gone somewhere locally, then worked things out with them.

I had gone over all of this countless times, but I felt like what I was thinking was absolute. All of it is in the past anyway. The best way to say I’m sorry to my parents is just to take care of Katherine, don’t drink, and be happy. The realization of the fact I wasn’t doing one of those stopped my stride instantly.

The fact I just wrote off leaving here scared me and realized I should’ve listened to Greed, or even just trusted the feeling I had about the door to this place. Something was influencing my very way of thinking, which was something I hadn’t thought this assumed force of good would do. If good relied on changing the way the beings here behaved, then it was no better than The Seven.

Can I even leave here now? The apple trees around me were filled with yellow apples, which I strangely knew were called Golden Delicious, and just looking at them made my mouth water. It was time to test just how much danger I was in. The giant oak tree would be easy to get back to since I knew it was behind me, but I had no clue how this place would react to me trying to leave.

The plants attacking me seemed possible, but I didn’t get that feeling from this place. I was more likely just to forget why I wanted to leave here, so that meant I needed to at least run back toward the giant oak tree, and hope I would remember to keep going toward it. There was a good chance the double doors might be locked, but they were the only way I knew out of here.

Hooves braced to the ground, I took in a deep breath, then turned back toward the direction of the giant oak tree. I began a gallop, but after only a moment into my gallop, the world changed entirely around me. Apple trees were replaced with blooming magnolia trees, and the sound of a waterfall filled the air. My gallop continued forward, but the magnolia trees prevented me from seeing where the giant oak tree was.

Damn it! Good and evil aren’t as black and white as I thought! Nothing else beyond the instantaneous relocation seemed to happen, and my mind hadn’t changed as far as I could tell. The sound of a waterfall increased as I drove forward, and trees began to thin out. With luck, I could spot the giant oak again, but if this place could just move me again, then it wouldn’t really matter.

Upon reaching the shore of a pond, that poured out into a river, I searched for the giant oak. It didn’t take long to notice it above the waterfall that filled the pond with water, but something else drew my attention to the base of the waterfall, and that something wasn’t a thing at all. Sitting on a ledge of a cave entrance, at the base of the waterfall, with water pouring down upon him, was Spike seemingly meditating, since he had his eyes closed.

The sight of Spike was so unexpected that my mind went blank. I knew I had been doing something, but what that was eluded me. What was I doing? One word came to mind, but I didn’t understand why. Help? With what? I looked around, then at myself, but nothing seemed amiss. Oh well, Spike will be nice to talk to.

Getting to Spike was my new goal, and it was an easy task to accomplish. I approached the water, and got ready to dive in, but stopped for a moment to think about my overwear. The magical clothing was something I had just forgotten about, since it didn’t feel like I was wearing anything at all. The question of if it was waterproof crossed my mind, but a better question of why I was wearing them at all came to mind. With the decision I didn’t need my overwear anymore, I stripped them from myself and dove into the water.

The water was cool, but not too cold as to be uncomfortable, and it was in the water I found out just how flexible my pony body was. I chose to swim the breaststroke, since I wasn’t in any hurry, and was able to do the swim much easier. With my realization of how flexible I really was, I decided at some point I would see if I could learn to walk bipedally in this body.

Spike hadn’t noticed me yet, judging by his closed eyes, and continued to sit cross-legged. The waterfall that poured down on him was a gentle one, which was about three pony lengths wide, and barely added much of a current to swim against. I stopped in the water in front of him, paddling slightly to keep the pouring water’s current from pushing me away, and was enthralled by the sight of him.

I had looked at Spike before but felt different about him here in this place. The way the water poured down upon him made his scales sparkle in the sun. All four sets of his claws looked much duller compared to earlier, which was an improvement in my opinion. Even the pair of small fangs that stuck out on the sides of his muzzle seemed less intimidating, and more alluring in a fake danger way. Rarity had been right in that one malformed memory, he was a handsome drake.

“Spike!” I said, as loud as I possibly could.

His eyes shot open at my shout, then he clambered backward into the cave behind the waterfall. I pulled myself out of the water through the waterfall and looked at Spike a few feet away, who was still on the ground, with wide eyes. It seemed that overwear was waterproof since I saw nothing where there should’ve been something, which raised the question of how overwear worked for guys.

The cave itself was fairly normal, but there were a couple things that stood out to me. First, there weren’t any stalactites or stalagmites, which was odd seeing as a river flowed above and in front of it, which would increase their formation, due to increased precipitation. Another thing was that it was far too round and too smooth to be naturally formed, which I didn’t mind, and hoped Spike hadn’t called dibs yet.

“How did you get here?!” Spike said, still in shock over my intrusion.

“I walked through the door.” The urge to dry myself off overcame me, so I shook myself like a dog. Spike raised a hand to shield his eyes from the water I scattered everywhere. After I was done, I realized how rude I had been. “Sorry…” I gave him a sheepish smile.

He scrambled to all four. “Impossible! Only my friends and I are able to open the door! You shouldn’t have even been able to see the door!” The certainty these beings had in a world of uncertainty was bewildering to me.

I didn’t feel like arguing and had much more important things to ask. “Are dragons cold or warm blooded?” It was probably the single most important question that I had ever asked, if not by anyone in all of this reality.

He looked at me like I had grown a second head, so I checked but saw nothing there. “Warm…” It seemed like I had derailed the conversation, but in actuality, my questions were the difference between life and death, though it really had nothing to do with death at all.

After sitting down, I worked on wringing the water from my mane. “Is it true ponies can mate with gryphons and dragons?”

“Yes…” He looked like he regained his train of thought, which was the only type of train I could think of that could bounce back from a derailment so quickly. “That doesn’t matter! Tell me how you got here! How did you even find me?!”

My tail was next to be wrung. Why do Berry’s mane and tail have to be so curly when dry? I bet I can make them straight with magic. “Well, like I said, I walked through the door, but some stuff happened before the door. See, your castle had me going in circles with magic.”

“What? The castle?” Spike at least seemed to be open to the truth, which was good, since I didn’t feel like I could lie.

“Yeah, Greed said it was ‘spatial distortion’. Anyway, for some reason, I couldn’t see the stairwell the castle wanted me to go down, which was really strange since Greed pointed the stairwell out.” The reason as to why the stairwell had been hidden from my sight was a good question, but there were an insurmountable amount of more important questions above it. “What is the age of consent in Ponyville?

The look on his face was one of puzzlement. “16. Why?”

“Just respecting all that is good and orderly.” I stood, and was still wet, but not dripping at least. “After hearing everything Lust said earlier, it got me thinking.”

He gave me a hard look. “There is nothing that monster could’ve said that could lead to anything good.”

"But there is," I closed the distance between Spike and me in a single stride, then placed a forehoof on his chest, with the pad of it fully extended, and felt the smoothness of the pale green scales on his chest were. "Would you like to have sex with me?"

Spike's answer was swatting my forehoof away, then a shoulder bash to my chest, which sent me flying into the wall of the cave. I felt a sharp pain from the impact, but the pain dissipated quickly, just like falling from the tree and apple to the head had. As I laid on my back, the fact a teenager had just turned away sex confused to me to no end.

“What is wrong with you?! I know The Seven couldn’t possibly be influencing you here!” Spike said, clearly mad at me for some reason. “You…” He went quiet suddenly.

I propped myself up with my forelegs to see why Spike had gone quiet. He was looking at me wide-eyed, and his gaze was on my groin. “The offer still stands.”

He quickly looked away and covered his eyes with a hand. “Why aren’t you wearing overwear?!”

He clearly seemed uncomfortable with sex, so I decided to stop that line of thought. With a roll to my side, I was able to get back on my hooves, then faced Spike. “I wasn’t sure if overwear was waterproof, so I took it off before I swam to you. By the way, I’m modest now, so you can stop looking away.”

He turned his head and peeked at me from between his claws, then took the hand away. “Why did you do that to me?”

“The flash? I didn’t mean to do that. You were the one who overreacted and knocked me on my back.” I wasn’t mad at Spike for assaulting me since I had been too forward.

“No! Trying to have sex with me!” His eyes began to grow wet, and it wasn’t due to any of the drops of water that still clung to his scale from the waterfall.

“Well, when I was your age, that was what I did. Sex is just sex after all, and I’m not someone that believes in love.” I felt strange. There was something I had forgotten and needed to remember.

“How can you dismiss love?!”

“Wait, love is real here?” Here? Where else is there?

“What kind of awful world do you come from, Jack?”

My eyes went wide. I come from another world! I ran at Spike and pounced on him, which knocked him onto his back. “Spike! I need your help!” I said, with my forelegs wrapped around his midsection.

“Get off!” He tried to pry me off, but I had a good grip on him.

“No! I need you to promise you will get me out of here! Please!” Tears began to fall from my eyes onto Spike’s chest.

The sounds of my sobbing and the waterfall pouring down nearby were the only sounds I heard for at least a minute, then I felt Spike stroke my head with a hand. I looked up at him with hopeful eyes.

He had a kind smile on his muzzle. “Okay, I promise to get you out of here, but I need you to tell me what the problem is, and I would like for you to let go of me.”

I let go of him, then backed away to stand. “I’m forgetting myself here, and this place moved me when I tried to run back to the door. What is this place called anyway?”

Spike sat up straight, then stood up on just his legs, and towered over me. “Well, Twilight decided to call it the ‘Harmony Sphere’. I still think it could use a cooler name like ‘The Garden of Harmony’, or ‘Harmonia’, but she wants a name that describes it exactly. Anyway, it is a pocket dimension created entirely by Harmony. What do you mean you are forgetting yourself?”

It really hit me why he would walk around on his arms and legs, since being a dragon alone was probably intimidating enough to most ponies, without the added intimidation of height. “After I woke up, I—”

“Woke up? When did you fall asleep? It hasn’t been that long since I saw you and Twilight in the library.”

“After I walked through the white light getting here.”

“White light? Jack, all this talk of spatial distortion, hidden stairwells, and now white lights is getting a little farfetched. Harmony has never done any of that before.” He crossed his arms, with a look of doubt on his face.

“Please, Spike. I Surprise Swear I’m telling the truth. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a muffin in my—” In my haste, I forgot to close my eye. “Ow!”

“Heh,” He barely contained his laughter over my accident. “Jack? Did Surprise even tell you what a Surprise Swear was, or what happens when you make one?”

“No…” I’m going to have some strong words for Surprise if I don’t like what he says next.

“Of course not.” He uncrossed his arms and seemed to relax. “Typically she tells every new pony she meets about this, but I guess she thinks you are still Berry. A Surprise Swear is a promise, as you probably understand already, but it has some anomalous effects on those that make them.”

“And what are these anomalous effects?” If this is more mind altering stuff, then I’m going to seriously doubt why I thought accepting a gift from Greed was such a bad idea.

“First, you aren’t going to be very willing to break a Surprise Swear once you make one. It’s possible to break one, but not without some effort, and whoever you made it with somehow knows you broke it instantly. Don’t ask me how it works, since Twilight couldn’t figure it out.

Seriously? More mind altering forces? “What is with your world, Spike? Evil I understand altering the minds of others, but what about good, or Harmony as you called it? What about Surprise? You can’t possibly be fine with ponies going around and making pacts that alter their minds!” I threw both forehooves up in the air out of frustration, which I realized was a terrible idea, when my face met the cave’s floor.

“Are you okay?” Spike said, sounding at least somewhat concerned for me.

The pain from the fall was already gone, and I pushed myself back up to all fours. “Could you not stand on your legs like that? I don’t like having to look up that far at you.” I didn’t actually have a problem looking up at him but was just jealous of his ability to stand bipedally.

He looked down at himself, seemingly unaware of how he had been standing. “Sorry…” He plopped down on his hands, which still left him a head taller, but at least he wasn’t towering over me.

“Thank you. What were the other effects of a Surprise Swear?” Am I still under the effects of the one I made with Surprise yesterday? Wait, how does a Surprise Swear like my claim to be telling the truth work? Would it have automatically nullified and told Spike instantly if my claim had been false?

“There isn’t much more to it really. Surprise somehow knows where someone is after they break a Surprise Swear, which Twilight decided to set up an emergency response system between my friends and me with. Wait, has Surprise asked you to Surprise Swear not to forget her yet?” He had realized something, and it seemed to be something important.

“No? Why? Does she have some sort of insecurity?”

Spike moved a hand up to his muzzle and looked like he was pondering something. “And yet you remembered her and was able to make a Surprise Swear.” He didn’t seem to be talking to me now, and more like he was thinking out loud. “Guess it could be Berry’s Surprise Swear carries over to you since I’m sure Berry made that Surprise Swear at some point, but then that means the effects of the Surprise Swear are actually physical and not mental…”

I felt odd for some reason but couldn’t place what it was. A look down at my forehooves didn’t tell me what it was, nor was the source of strangeness found when I looked back toward my rear, which was missing my saddlebags. When did I last have those? I was fairly certain that I hadn’t even seen them since I awoke. Need to find them, otherwise Spike or Twilight is going to be mad at me for losing that children’s book.

Spike was lost in thought over something we had been talking about, though I couldn’t quite remember what it had been. I didn’t want to interrupt him, so I quietly moved away from him, and toward the waterfall. I can go look for my saddlebags, and he’ll never have to know I lost them or the book. Oh! I can put on my overwear while I’m at it! Spike will be happier with me if I do.

I dove into the water, and this time, I went with the much faster front crawl swim. My destination was where I was fairly certain I had dove into the pond the first time, and that was where I would find my overwear. Did I take my saddlebags off with my overwear? My memory failed me when it came to the saddlebags, and for some reason, the very subject of remembering seemed like something I should delve into at some point, but that could wait until after I got my overwear and saddlebags back.

My memory hadn’t entirely failed me, since when I pulled myself up on the pond’s bank I saw my overwear exactly where I had left it. I tried my best to dry off again, and this time, I dried off better and quicker, which I decided was due to the sun above shining down on me. Overwear seemed like a very silly thing to me now, but Spike would like me more for putting them on, and that was worth doing silly things for. As I got on my back to put on my overwear, the sound of water being displaced was heard behind me and back toward the waterfall.

Quickly, I finished putting on the pair of overwear. Why are pants and underwear called a pair anyway? The internet would’ve answered my question instantly, and I missed the ability to do that. Up above I saw Spike flying on his wings for the first time and had almost forgotten he had wings at all. I stood back up as he landed on all four, and saw a displeased look on his face, with water still dripping all over him.

“Here you are. You really shouldn’t run off like that.” He let out a sigh. “Come on let’s get out of here,” he said, then made to walk in the direction of the giant oak.

Before he could get far, I had to ask a question that was bugging me. “Why would I ever want to leave here?”

Spike stopped in his tracks, then turned toward me. “You were serious…” He was shocked by something, but I couldn’t tell what. “Harmony is causing you memory loss, maybe even changing the way you think.”

Memory loss? Way I think? Spike was acting weird and needed something else to think about. “Why don’t you stay here with me, Spike? We could be just like Adam and Eve.”

“How would we be like Applejack and Fluttershy’s parents?”

I couldn’t contain my laughter. “Are you,” I stopped to finish laughing. “telling me that their names are Adam and Eve?” A couple more snickers came out of my mouth.

“Yes? Their father’s name is Adamant Apple, and their mother’s name is Evening Primrose. What’s so funny?” Spike was out of the loop with the joke, and it was probably best left that way.

“Just something from a story. Nothing more.” Hmm… Spike’s wings would be useful for finding my saddlebags, and he doesn’t have to know one of his books is in them. “Could you help me find my saddlebags? I seem to have misplaced them somewhere.” I looked around but didn’t expect to see them anywhere nearby.

“We are leaving. Now.” He reached forward and grabbed a forehoof. I went along with him, at least until I ran out of questions.

“Why do you want me to leave here? Wouldn’t my being here and out of your life be the best thing possible for you?” We made our way toward a cliff face next to the waterfall, and he let go of my forehoof.

Spike lifted off the ground with his wings, then hovered above me. Reaching down, he hooked his arms under my barrel, and amazingly lifted us both up in the air, though I could tell he had difficulty with me along for the ride. It wouldn’t be much of an aerial climb since the cliff face was only about 15 feet. Is it more than 15 feet? A pony’s hoof would probably be what they use as a foot, and they are definitely not as long as a human foot… The world is right, America should finally teach the metric system as the only measurement system, then I wouldn’t be thinking about this.

“How would leaving,” He stopped to catch his breath, while he continued our upward climb. “you here in any way be good for me?”

We reached the top, then Spike brought me over to ground, and dropped me. Wish I had wings. Oh well, life isn’t fair. “By leaving me here nobody has to know about the fact The Seven can speak to you, or at least the six you’ve heard. Is Wrath the one you haven’t heard? I haven’t heard him yet and was wondering if it was because you couldn’t as well. Oh! Are you hearing them right now? Say hello from me if you can, since I stopped hearing them ever since I got here.”

Spike reached out a hand to grab one of my forehooves again but stopped before he touched me. “I come here sometimes when I don’t want to hear them and do some training I hope will eventually block them out. Are you threatening me with the fact you are going to tell someone about the fact I can hear them?”

Did it come out that way?! I need to fix this now or he’ll hate me! “No! I don’t want to destroy your life! I just thought you might not have thought about that!” I didn’t want him to hate me, and I didn’t want everypony else I had met to hate me either.

The look on Spike’s face was one of stark realization, and he pulled his hand back. “I…” He took a moment, which I guessed was to figure out which words he wanted to say next. “You wanted help finding your saddlebags?” The fact he sounded so uncertain about his words said he was more likely to be the one with memory problems.

“Yep!” I said, happy he had decided to drop the nonsense of me leaving here.

He looked away from me and didn’t want to meet my eyes. “Um… I can go look for them… while you just stay here. You must be tired from all the walking and swimming, right?”

“Yeah, I feel exhausted.” In truth, I felt like I could run a marathon, but I didn’t want Spike to feel bad about his own body. To further make my claim believable, I sat down and started to breathe like I was out of breath.

“Good…” He lifted off the ground and began to fly toward the faraway oak tree.

Spike seemed to think I would move since he looked back several times, but I just waved at him each time, to reassure him I would do as he said. After the third time he looked back at me, he stopped then flew back. He must've seen my saddlebags already from up there, and wanted me to know right away.

Alighting back on the ground in front of me, he grabbed one of my forelegs, then led me again toward where the giant oak was. “Did you see my saddlebags from up there?” I said, while the thought of being reunited with the canvas bags delighted me. When I get them back, I can draw Spike a picture with my pen and notebook.

“No, I’m getting you out of here.” Spike words weren’t the ones I wanted to hear.

I stopped in place, which caused Spike to be pulled backward suddenly. “You can’t make me leave.” Only I would decide to leave here, and that would never happen.

“Come on.” He jerked me forward violently, and I didn’t appreciate it one bit.

After pulling my foreleg out of his hand, I planted my hooves on the ground, and I felt something weird on my forehooves. Grassroots had sprouted out of the ground and snared around each of my hooves, which were just tight enough to keep me firmly planted on the ground, but not too tight as to be uncomfortable, and I felt like I was in control of them. “Neat.”

Spike looked at my hooves with disbelief, then pointed at them. “How?! You’ve only been here two days! Berry’s talent isn’t even in magic!”

“I win.” I blew a raspberry at Spike. “Now you can’t make me be mean again.”

Confusion swept over Spike quickly. “Be mean again? What are you talking about?”

“Well, I was mean to you when I said I would let Rarity’s secret out, which I don’t actually know by the way, and was just as mean to Twilight after we left you in the library. It just felt like I had to do it for some reason. Like something was making me be mean.” What I said to Twilight still weighed heavy on my mind.

“Something making you be mean?” He mulled the question over. “I know Lust was connected to you when you were mean to me but were any of them there when you were mean to Twilight?”

“Yes! Envy was there!” I had no idea what he was going on about, but I loved answering his questions.

“And Harmony is having this effect on you…” A smile formed on Spike’s face. “Jack, I want you to make a Surprise Swear.”

“Sure!” The grass roots receded from my hooves so that I could do the movement since a Surprise Swear didn’t count without the movements.

“Repeat after me. I, Jack Taylor, Surprise Swear to do everything in my power to resist forces that want to affect my mind, without my consent.”

“I, Jack Taylor, Surprise Swear to do everything in my power to resist forces that want to affect my mind, without my consent!”

“Cross my—”

“Cross my heart! Hope to fly! Stick a muffin in my eye!” I said, in quick succession, while doing the movements. Spike was going way too slow for my tastes.

“Well?” His tone was hopeful.

“Nothin—” It was like I had suddenly woken up from a dream. Everything that was important to me was just there instantly. Katherine. Home. Rebecca? The fact Rebecca came to mind so quickly was a little confusing, but it was understandable, since she was a good friend, and someone I wished was more than a friend.

“Jack? Are you all there now?”

“We are leaving here. Right now.” I said, and took one step toward the direction of the giant oak. Everything changed instantly around us from magnolia trees to a large field bathed in shade, with the crystal double doors out of here a short walk away. At my forehooves were my saddlebags, which I began to look through to make sure everything was still there, and just ignored the relocation. Magic was something I had finally accepted entirely and didn’t feel like magic could ever surprise me again since I knew anything could happen at any time.

“Instantaneous teleportation?!” I heard Spike say, and hoped someday he would become as enlightened as I was to the very nature of his universe, but doubted it was possible for him to ever achieve.

Everything that had been in the saddlebags was still there, but something new caught my eye, which was a necklace, and I pulled it out of the saddlebag it was in to take a closer look. The necklace chain was silver, and felt like it flowed between my forehoof pad’s grip. Hung from the chain was a silver bow pendant, with a silver arrow, that was tipped with a ruby heart, along with more ruby at the back of the arrow for its fletching. I felt like I should wear the necklace, but didn’t feel like anything was forcing me to do so. Eh, it’ll look nice. I put the necklace on, then followed it with the saddlebags.

I focused on Spike, who was still amazed something happened in a world where anything could happen at any time. “If we figured it out, then we would enter an entirely new age of civilization!” Spike’s dreams would have to wait until I was gone.

A sigh escaped my lips, then I reached back with my head to pull out the children’s book Twilight had given me yesterday. After walking up next to Spike, I prodded him with a forehoof, to get his attention. He looked at me, then at the book in my mouth.

“Why do you have a copy of ‘The Colt Who Cried Timberwolf’?”

I looked at Spike, and waited until he figured out why I hadn’t responded to his question. Silence drew out between us, and I felt like giving him a quick whack with a forehoof, but restrained myself. Spike’s eyes showed the signs of realization, then he promptly removed the book from my mouth.

“Because it belongs in your library. Let’s go.” I walked toward the crystal double doors.

“That’s nice, but my library already has…” Spike went silent.

There was no need to look back at him. I knew what he had figured out. Three, two, one.

“This is from my library! And it wasn’t checked out to you!” I heard Spike say, and heard him begin to move.

I pushed open the crystal doors, which had the crystal hallways of the castle on the other side, instead of a bright light. “Blame Twilight. She practically shoved it on me yesterday.” I said, then walked through the doorway.

“Argh!” Spike and Twilight’s groans were quite similar now that I paid closer attention, which didn’t surprise me in the least. “She is always taking books out of the library, then leaving them around the castle, without even bothering to check them out properly!”

With a turn, I watched Spike enter through the doorway, then saw the doors close behind him. In an instant, the doors were gone, and left behind an empty wall. “So, is that door still there, or does it—”

I felt a sharp pain in my head, then there was nothing.

(0) (0)

Everything felt wrong. No, it didn’t feel wrong, but right beyond belief. The eyes were closed, but I felt the familiar sensation of hands and feet, that I finally knew had five fingers or toes respectively. Everything was almost as it should be, but there was one issue, and that was I couldn’t move anything. Did I accidentally use my ability on Spike? No, this feels human. Is this a dream? I thought, hopeful it wasn’t a dream.

The eyes opened slowly, to the view of a hospital room. It was a typical patient’s room in a hospital, but I knew from just looking at the brown walls and accents of green everywhere it was the county hospital, which had been the one my mother worked at as a nurse so many years ago. The eyes looked down at the chest, and a hand moved to feel the wires attached underneath the patient gown. I knew without a doubt that hand was my own.

Still human… A female thought, and it was the very same voice I had become accustomed to hearing whenever I spoke in Berry’s body. Berry sat up, and looked around the room, then noticed the call button on the bed. Hopefully, the humans know what happened. I felt so alone and empty before I passed out. She pushed the button, and it made a small beep.

If this was actually happening, then the possibility I died or was crazy were gone entirely. She’d better not have done anything to screw up my life. I hadn’t been gone long enough for her to cause liver damage, but she could’ve done multiple things that were irreparable already.

The sound of footsteps was heard in the hall outside, then a female nurse appeared in the doorway. It had been some time since I had come to the county hospital, since Katherine and I stayed generally healthy, so this nurse was someone I didn’t know. She was white, with dirty blond hair, blue eyes, and had to be somewhere in her early 20’s. A stethoscope and blood pressure gauge hung from her neck, and she wore pink scrubs, with dark pink butterflies on them, which made her seem even younger. The joy at the sight of me, or at least Berry in my body, put a smile on her face.

“You’re awake! The doctor is going to be so surprised you woke up from the coma he diagnosed you with already! How are you feeling?” The nurse said, and was full of youthful energy.

“Fine. How long have I been out? Do you know what happened to me?” Berry said, and the sound of my own voice was comforting to me. Coma has to mean something bad, but if I woke up already, then maybe it isn’t life threatening.

She walked into, and took the blood pressure gauge into her hands. “Only about four hours. You just missed your sister and friend actually, but they only went down to the hospital cafeteria for something to eat. We still don’t know what happened to you yet, but you collapsed in the kitchen at your workplace. Now, I need to take your blood pressure. Are you fine with this arm?” She pointed to the left arm. “I’m Zofia by the way.”

“Yeah.” Ponyville Hospital would already know by now. These humans may have some advanced technology, but it can’t beat magic. What kind of name is Zofia anyway? Wish I had the knowledge slab.

Berry’s calmness and level-headedness were strange. The way she acted seemed more like the memory I saw than any of her recent behavior in Ponyville. She even seemed to have figured out how to use my personal tablet, which only had a fingerprint lock on it. Has she even said anything to anyone? Is she just living my life? Well, all things considered, that is probably the best outcome. I thought, then mulled over the idea of being less aggressive about getting home. I do have access to a library, and alternatives to Twilight.

Zofia finished taking my blood pressure, then hung the blood pressure gauge from her neck again. She reached into her breast pocket, and pulled out a thermometer, then applied a sanitation guard. “Say ‘Ah.’.” She said, then moved the thermometer forward.

“Ah.” Berry said, then closed her mouth after the thermometer was under the tongue.

After a few moments, the thermometer beeped continuously, and Zofia pulled it out. “The doctor will be with you soon, and I’ll tell your sister and friend you are awake pronto.” She walked out through the door and back in the direction she came from. If happiness were a treatment option, then Zofia’s attitude could probably cure cancer.

Berry’s gaze drifted to the foot of the bed, and seemed to fixate intently on the brown wall beyond. She let out a sigh, then rolled her eyes, but her gaze returned to the exact same spot as before. Her odd behavior carried on for a while, with the biggest thing being her throwing both arms up in the air, and a burst of anger, which all seemed to be directed at the empty space. It was as if a conversation was going on that I wasn’t aware of.

Is she… hallucinating? It seemed I did have something to worry about after all. At no point had anyone said she was outright crazy. Did they have too though? The alcoholism was already a sign something was wrong with her.

Berry broke eye contact with whatever she believed was there, then fell back onto the bed and continued to be angry about something. It isn’t my fault magic isn’t commonplace, or portals to other worlds only exist in stories here! I can’t just tear a hole in space to another reality like Discord! Berry’s breathing became more relaxed, and her anger receded. Sure, I could abandon Jack’s life, then go looking for magic, but I can’t destroy someone’s life like that… not like my own. The eyes grew damp, and a tear escaped to roll a cheek. Is this some kind of punishment? I’m trapped in a world I can’t escape unless I destroy someone else’s life, and even then I can’t be sure I will get home if I do.

My fears about Berry were somewhat dissuaded, but the apparent hallucination couldn’t be dismissed either. She cared about my life at the very least, so it was only right to do the same with her life. There wasn’t much to care for in Berry’s life, but I at least could not tell anyone else about Berry’s sexual orientation beyond Twilight, and apologize to Corona for the assault. The only question left was what this entire experience meant. Are Berry and I connected somehow? Probably magic…

The sound of sneakers running on linoleum broke me from my thoughts, and drew Berry’s attention to the door. Within a few moments, the owner of the sneakers was at the door, and braced one hand on the doorframe, due to the fact she was out of breath. I almost didn’t recognize her, since she had dyed her brown hair a dark red, which was something we were going to talk about soon, and it seemed Berry had just let her. Her new hair color looked alright with her green eyes and fair skin, but it made her stand out far too much in my opinion, though I didn’t expect anything to come of it at twelve years old.

Katherine. Berry and I thought, at the exact same time.

“Jack!” Katherine said, then rushed to the bed to give a tight hug.

I miss Piña. Berry thought, as she returned the hug.

Guess I’ll have to remember to repay the favor if I see Piña. Wish I knew if this was happening right now, or if it is a memory. There is no way to tell… or is there? Hope this works. I thought, then attempted to do the telepathy thing The Seven did. Berry?

Berry reacted, with widened eyes, and a quick look around the room. It had worked, and I knew this was happening now. I decided to act quickly, just in case this wasn’t permanent.

Be—

“I was so worried! The hospital called the school after you were brought in, and Rebecca picked me up. The doctor didn’t know what was wrong with you, and you wouldn’t wake up, then Rebecca talked about me staying with her. Nothing was making sense anymore, then that nice nurse told us you were awake, so I ran here in case you fell asleep again. I love you! Don’t leave me alone!” Katherine said, while not letting go of Berry. I had to listen to Katherine, but it looked like she had said all she needed to say.

“Um… it’ll be alright. I’m sure the doctor will have me on my hooves in no time.” Berry said, then her attention shot to the empty foot of the bed again.

Katherine loosened the hug, but kept both hands on Berry. “Hooves? What?”

“Feet! I… um… had ponies on my mind again!” Berry’s lie made me seem crazy, but at least it was Katherine she was saying it to and not a psychiatrist.

Berry! This is Jack! No clue how this is happening, but I can’t be sure this will not end at any moment! You should be able to communicate with me if you think toward me, though I can hear your thoughts as well, or the important ones at least. I thought, toward Berry.

Berry looked around, while Katherine eyed her with confusion. Berry seemed to understand what I had said, then stopped to apparently think, though I couldn’t hear her thoughts. The only reason I could guess as to why I couldn’t hear her thoughts now was the fact most just thought out loud in their own head, but could control what someone else heard if they were conscious of someone else.

Jack? Is that really you? Berry thought, toward me.

“Jack? What has been up with you the past four days?” Katherine said, and the number she said alarmed me.

Yes! Four days?! Have you really been in my body that long?!

Berry seemed to debate between answering Katherine or me first. “Just been overworked is all.” Yeah. Are you in my head? Please tell me you’ve been in my body in Ponyville. If magic isn’t in the equation, then we are both bucked.

“See, I told you that you work too much. Oh! That’s probably what made you collapse!” It seemed Katherine had decided to diagnose Berry’s condition.

Well, I’ve been in Ponyville, but unless I’ve been out for two days after I lost consciousness, then time is moving differently for us. Also, I’ve been having issues convincing anyone I’m not you, but I had Spike convinced the last time I saw him, so I’m hopeful things will be moving along soon. You know, if this whole me being stuck in your head isn’t permanent, but at least they know the issue.

Berry’s eyes drifted back to the same empty spot at the base of her bed, which I didn’t know what to say about. It just seemed like the best thing was not to upset her with the fact whatever she was seeing wasn’t there. How is Cor—

“Jack?” A familiar female someone said, and it wasn’t Berry or Katherine. For the third time, Berry’s attention was turned to the doorway, and it was exactly who I expected. Rebecca was dressed in her forest ranger uniform, with her black hair tied back in a ponytail, and dark brown eyes tinted behind her sunglasses. It was good to know she was there for Katherine in case something did happen to me, and the entire reason I had asked her to be Katherine’s godparent.

“Hey.” That is Rebecca, right? She has the same skin tone as Rebecca, but I can’t tell with all the clothes you humans wear, and how similar you all look.

Yes, and don’t point out she is Asian to anyone, especially her. For that matter, don’t be surprised when you see a black or brown person, then say something to them about it. I don’t want you to start a reputation of me being racist. It wouldn’t be the worst thing that could happen, but I’d rather my life was exactly how I left it.

“What took you so long? I’ve been here at least five minutes. Weren’t you worried about Jack?” Katherine said, in an accusatory way, with a finger pointed at Rebecca.

“Some of us know not to run in a hospital.” Rebecca looked at Katherine's pointed finger. “Or point at others for that matter.”

Katherine looked at what she was doing and stopped. “Sorry…”

“It’s alright.” Rebecca walked into the room and stood next to Katherine by the bed. “How are you doing?” She reached out a hand, and touched Berry on the left hand.

(0) (0)

I awoke to the feeling of being in motion, with my head and rear legs propped up. Am I… being cradle carried? My confusion led to me opening my eyes to the sight of Spike’s lower muzzle, who was looking straight ahead.

“What are you doing, Spike?” My mind was still waking up, so figuring out why anyone did anything was beyond my ability.

Spike stopped in his tracks, then looked down at me. It was somewhat surreal to see him from against his chest, and straight up at him. “Jack! You’re awake!” The wide smile on his face was unnerving, due to all of his very sharp teeth.

My eyes went wide at the sight of his terrifying smile, but I tried to keep calm. “Could you…” Not eat me?! “put me down?” My fear of Spike wasn’t going to go away anytime soon, especially with that grin bearing down upon me.

“I…” He tried to put me down, but seemed to have trouble deciding just how to do it. “Um…”

“Just lay me down…” I didn’t have time for this, and needed to discuss my options since I wasn’t sure if I should pursue Twilight anymore.

He laid me down on my side, then I reoriented myself to stand, while he went down on all four. “So what happened earlier? You were just talking, then collapsed suddenly. You aren’t a narcoleptic, are you? Pretty sure you can’t carry a condition like that between bodies, but I didn’t think an eye magic ability could be transferred either.”

“I went home…” The sudden sense of loss weighed on me, but I knew it wouldn’t be permanent. Hopefully not…

“You went home? Are you saying you were back in your world just like that? Dimensional travel isn’t that effortless, or at least it isn’t normally. What happened over there?” Spike’s interest was understandable, but I decided to choose my words carefully, just in case one of The Seven was listening.

“Well, Berry was in my body, so the fear I was a delusion of Berry’s mind, or that I might be dead are gone. I—”

“Wait, you didn’t know if you were real until now, and were worried you might be dead?” Spike’s inability to consider all possibilities would be very detrimental one day if he ever found himself trapped in another world as someone else, but at least he had me to prepare him for it.

“In the words of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, ‘Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.’. Seeing as I’m already—”

“But Surelock Homes said that in one of his books…” Spike’s interruption was able to interrupt my entire mental process, and left me speechless.

One of his? But… What? I thought I was able to accept anything, but I clearly wasn’t as free of reality as I thought. “Are you telling me this ‘Surelock Homes’ is an actual being here?” I waited with an open mouth and a raised eyebrow.

“Yes?” Spike clearly noticed something was wrong. “Don’t get too stressed over it. They are probably just parallels of each other. It happens, or at least in theory it does.”

I laughed, then I giggled, and made a wide smile. “I never gave creationism much thought until now, but with your world, I could believe it.” I calmed down a little, and tried not to think too hard about life, the universe, and everything. “Spike, I hate to ask, but could we get something to eat and drink? I need to figure out what I should do, and having someone to help me work out what those things are would help.” A spike of pain emanated from my forehead, and made me flinch, with gritted teeth.

‘Jack? Are you okay?” The worry in his voice was welcomed since it was good to know someone didn’t hate me here

“Yeah,” I held a forehoof up to my forehead. “Just a headache, or something. I’ve been having them today. You have some aspirin I could take?”

“Jack, I really think we should go find Twilight, or even take you to the hospital.” He reached forward with a hand, but I took a quick step backward to get out of his reach. “Jack?”

Damn it! What is wrong with me?! I wasn’t this skittish around him earlier! “Twilight and the hospital both couldn’t tell I am what I am. If something else happens, then we’ll do whatever you want, but I would really like to just think things out with you. Anyway, I think you should know what I said to Twilight before we talk to her.” My head began to hurt, but I didn’t let Spike notice.

“Alright…” He didn’t seem happy with it. “Come on, let’s go to the kitchen.” He turned and walked away.

I followed, but stopped after a moment. “Spike…” I had realized something.

He looked back over his shoulder. “Yes?”

The glare I gave him was one of fury, but I kept my tone leveled. “You were going to leave me in the Harmony Sphere earlier when you said you were going to go looking for my saddlebags.”

His eyes lit up with fear. He may have been a dragon, but he was also a guy, and I was currently a woman giving him the look all guys who had ever wronged a woman knew. “You know what?!” He turned his head away from. “I think we could use a good run! It’ll help digestion!” Spike said, then took off running.

“We are going to talk about this!” I said, then pursued him.

(0) (0)

The Harmony Sphere had done something to me, but it didn’t seem bad. It was like I was more open minded, and less driven toward Twilight. I wasn’t giving up on getting home, but thinking everything through more carefully. If I had to say exactly what was different about me, then it would be I felt more like myself, than when I first woke up in Ponyville.

It was nice to just stop and think things over with someone, which was made better by the fact that someone was making you a late lunch as an apology. Really, it was time for dinner, and Spike had offered, but I wanted something quick, so I could pick his brain. The subject of what I could and couldn’t eat was interesting, though I found the subject of Spike’s diet much more interesting.

“Are you kidding me? Gemstones?” I said, as I set at a crystal table in a crystal kitchen. It was a kitchen that could feed an entire castle, with multiple aisles for a team of cooks to work simultaneously in. Nearly everything was made of crystal in various shades of purple, except for the things that made sense; such as the metal cookware. The crystal appliances looked closer to modern human ones compared to Berry’s somewhat dated ones; such as the side-by-side refrigerator here and the classic top freezer model at Berry’s.

“Yes, and I don’t eat meat either,” Spike said, as he fixed me a simple peanut butter and jelly sandwich, along with some slices of apples he insisted were the best in all of Equestria, though I wondered how they compared to the Harmony Sphere’s apples, or if they were the ones he was talking about.

“But you could get nutrition from it?” I watched Spike finish the sandwich, then he sliced up a red delicious apple and a golden delicious apple. My knowledge of apples was another oddity in this world, but it was a mystery that could wait.

“Yes… and so could you.” He finished with cutting the apples, then laid them alongside the PB&J on a plate. “What did you want to drink? Got orange juice, apple juice, grape juice, milk—”

“Milk?” Should I even ask?

“Alright.” Spike missed the confusion it seemed, then opened the nearby fridge, to pull out a glass milk bottle. With milk in hand, he sidestepped to a nearby cupboard to retrieve a glass, then poured the milk in. He stowed the milk back in the fridge, then brought over the simple meal. “Enjoy.” He gave me a smile, and it was thankfully a closed mouth one.

I eyed the milk. I’m going to regret this. “What kind of milk is this?”

“Cow? Do you have cows where you are from?” He raised an eyebrow at me.

“Yes… How does that business work?”

“You go down to the market and buy it from them… what are you getting at here?”

It was time to end this line of thought. Hope Berry is able to deal with everything humanity has to offer. “No reason, just checking to see if it was the same.”

“Okay… Are you sure this is enough for… thinking about abandoning you when you needed my help?” The shame he felt was punishment enough, so I didn’t see a need to make him feel any worse, and I had important things discuss. He took the chair across from my side of the rectangle table, and relaxed enough that I was comfortable talking to him.

“How would I go about contacting this Discord I keep hearing about?” My headache came back with a sharp pain, but I didn’t let Spike notice. The sandwich drew my attention, so I took it in both forehooves, then bit into it. The explosion of flavor was like nothing I had ever tasted, and my eyes went wide with delight. Sure, the McIntosh apple I had in the Harmony Sphere was tasty, but this felt so much more satisfying.

Spike noticed my elation over the simple sandwich. “Wait until you try the apples. As for Discord… he just sort of shows up out of nowhere for no reason. He does have weekly tea parties with Fluttershy, but I wouldn’t try to bother him when it comes to time with Fluttershy. Twilight has a summoning spell for him, but she is only supposed to use it in emergencies.”

I put the sandwich down, then picked up the glass of milk to take a drink. The milk was another awe-inspiring experience, and I felt invigorated after only a couple sips. The thought of what the apple slices would taste like filled my imagination, but sadly there was an important conversation to continue.

“Of course it comes back to Twilight…” My headache had ended at some point, though I hadn’t noticed during my tastes of heaven. “What about the E.P.A.? Anyone in this town from there I could contact?”

“There is this one weird stallion in town who is a researcher for them, but I don’t think he would be much help. We don’t have an E.P.A. branch in Ponyville, which I’ve always thought we could use, but Twilight, I, and our friends are able to deal with most threats anyway. We’ve only ever dealt with two agents of The Seven because of me actually…” He didn’t seem happy about that last bit.

“Why—”

“Jack, I know I don’t have a right to ask, but—”

It was like a lightbulb turned on in my head, and I instantly knew what he was going to ask. “I, Jack Taylor, Surprise Swear not to let anyone know about the fact you can hear The Seven, to the best of my ability. Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a muffin in my eye.” I was pretty sure that was what he was worried about, and I found out I was right when I saw him grin at me, while I held my left forehoof over my left eye.

“Thanks. I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a relief that is to me.” Spike laid both hands down on the table, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then exhaled at the same time he opened his eyes. “The Seven haven’t gone after any of my friends or Twilight because they want me. They know if they do anything to anyone I care about then I will confess I can hear them, but if I confess without cause they promise they’ll hurt my friends.” He folded both arms, then laid his head down on its side on top of them.

There were many words I could have strung together in various ways, but there was one word in my dictionary that summed up exactly what I was feeling. It was a magic word really, with how it could mean so many different things depending on how and when it was used. It wasn’t as nice as ‘please’. ‘thanks’, and ‘welcome’, but sometimes life didn’t call for nice words. “Fuck…” I said, and debated if I should take a bite of either kind of apple slices in front of me, but a third option came to mind. “Want some apple slices?”

“No, but thanks,” Spike said, then he sat up. “Just being able to talk about this with someone is nice.”

“Do you want my opinion on your situation?” I grabbed a slice of golden delicious off my plate, then ate it. The sweetness of the apple shocked me, and made my mind speed up a notch.

“I know what you are going to say, but sure.”

“Yes, I am going to say you should just come clean, but I’m going to say more than you just should. The problem I see here is fear, and you need to get over it.”

‘Jack, it isn’t that—”

“It is a simple matter of weighing variables. You and your friends are capable in dangerous situations, aren’t you? You did say Twilight puts you through training of some sort.”

“Well, yes, but—”

“How did you do against either agent? You and your friends are still alive, so they must’ve gone somewhat decently.”

Spike stood up out of his chair on his feet, and hit the table with his hands. “Nightmare Moon and Tirek weren’t willing to kill, Jack! There are agents of The Seven out there that are willing to kill! I wouldn’t even be there for my friends! Only Twilight is likely to forgive me for keeping this from her, and that is because I don’t think she could bear to lose me, but she would still insist I go away to undergo training!”

I looked at Spike, and ate my lunch at the same time. There didn’t seem to be much to mull over, but I really wanted to eat more of the food. There seemed to be some information I was missing, but Spike would fill me in. The minutes stretched on as I ate and looked at him, while I waited for his anger to subside.

Spike sat back down in his chair, and didn’t seem to know what to do with my silence. “Are we done talking?” he said, while I drank another gulp of milk.

“Nope, I just wanted you to calm down. Spike, is being capable of murder a rare thing in your world?” Does the good guy never kill anyone here? Hate stories with heroes that aren’t willing to do what is necessary.

“Yes…” It looked like he was afraid to ask the question on his mind, but I knew what that would be.

“I come from a world without good and evil being real forces.” I finished my PB&J, while Spike mulled over what I said.

“What about order and chaos?” I could tell he was curious.

“No, they aren’t real either.”

The look on his face was one I was sure I had made when I was introduced to magic. “Are you saying you and your kind are neutral beings?”

“Unless neutral is being able to go anywhere on the spectrum of good, evil, order, or chaos at will, then we aren’t neutral either.” I savored the last few apple slices, while I tried to figure out how to get this conversation on some sort of track.

“I don’t think you understand what chaos is Jack since your kind sounds exactly like creatures of chaos.”

My food was gone, but I wouldn’t soon forget it. If that was what a quick and easy meal tastes like, then I can only imagine what a real meal would be like. “Maybe so, but we have come to the point of this divergence in the conversation. I am capable of anything, Spike. I define what is good, evil, orderly, or chaotic. I could kill if the situation called for it, but I would hesitate, to make sure it was the only option.”

“Jack! Murder is unacceptable, and you best remember that, or you’ll find yourself locked up in Tartarus! You aren’t in whatever screwed up reality you are from anymore!” Spike was seething, yet he kept himself under control. He removed himself from his chair, then took the dirty dishes to a kitchen sink nearby.

The thing that I was searching for had been reached, so I stood and walked over to Spike, who was trying his best not to look at me. “What would you have done if you had hurt me worse than you did? I noticed you blunted your claws, so I know you thought about what you did.” I drew my tongue over where Lust had healed my muzzle, and noticed an oddity I had missed. The teeth Spike’s claw dug through still carried damage from his claw, and made me wonder if my skull was also marred. Hopefully, Berry can get it fixed. Fixing teeth or bone is probably just a wave of a horn, or potion away.

Spike put the dishes in the dish rack, then turned his head toward me, with tears in his eyes. “I’m not a bad dragon, Jack.”

“No, but you aren’t a good dragon either.” I put a forehoof on his shoulder. “You know what you can be though?”

“No.” Tears rolled down his cheeks.

“A better dragon.” I took both forelegs, and wrapped them around his neck. My heart was pounding in fear from being so close to him, but I couldn’t let my own fear get in the way of this. If he was willing to just share his side of things with Twilight, then my story became believable by association.

“Tha-thanks.” He returned the hug, and my fear went into overdrive.

“Spike! End hug now!” It probably wasn’t very nice to shout in his ear, but I had to get away from him.

He quickly ended the hug, and took flight backward, which I was thankful for. The confusion returned to his face, as he looked around the kitchen and at me frantically. “What’s wrong?!”

I looked away, and was ashamed at letting my emotions get the better of me. “I’m afraid of you… I thought I could get over it quickly, but I don’t think I’m there yet.”

“Oh…” I heard the tapping of his claws touching the wood floor, which drew my attention back to him, and I saw he looked as ashamed as I felt, though I knew his shame had to be far greater than mine.

“Let’s… just go find Twilight. I still need to tell you what I said to her.”

(0) (0)

Spike took everything I told him about what I said to Twilight fairly well. The fact he had the idea that The Seven had been able to manipulate me helped greatly, though I still wasn’t entirely sure about that since my anger had been a problem after I woke up this morning. We stood outside Twilight’s room, while Spike formulated what he was going to say to Twilight, and if he was as good at lying as he was at keeping secrets, then I was practically home already.

“Just… don’t say anything unless I tell you to.” Spike said, quietly.

“Alright, but this would be easier if you just stopped keeping that secret, though I intend to keep to my Surprise Swear,” I said, and matched his volume.

Spike opened the door, and we walked inside. To say Twilight’s room was sparse was an understatement since the room was practically barren. The purple and blue crystal walls had various picture frames and banners hung on them, with a mirror above a small bookcase, while drawn curtains covered the windows. Twilight’s bed and an end table were the only other furniture on the polished glacier blue crystal floor.

Twilight’s four poster bed was a sight, with the mound of mainly purple crystal shaped into a crude tree, which I would be afraid to sleep under, with all that weight. Laying on top of the bed covers was Twilight, with her back to the door, while her ears stood up at attention to our entrance.

“Spike, I am fine, and do not need cheering up from whoever you brought with you. Thank you for coming, and goodbye.” Twilight said, while she kept her back to us, and sounded emotionally distraught.

“Twilight,” Spike looked at me, then back to Twilight. “turn around. We need to talk.”

She began to roll over. “Please just go a—” Her eyes focused on me. The look of surprise on her face was quickly replaced with one of anger, then she stood up quickly on her bed, with unfurled wings, and began to charge her horn.

“Twilight!” Spike stepped in front of me, and extended his wings as well. “No magic! We talk this out like adults!”

Her horned stopped charging, then she jumped off her bed onto the floor. “What is she doing here?! How could you tell her how my memories affect you?! Not even our friends know that about you! You said you forgave me!” Her eyes were tearing up.

“She is here because she is telling the truth! She really is an outsider! All that she was able to tell you about the memories is because she really can look into other’s eyes and relive their memories!”

Will Katherine and I yell this much when she is older? She is a pretty low maintenance kid right now, but the teenage years are coming.

Twilight pointed a forehoof toward us, though I couldn’t tell if it was meant for me, Spike, or both of us. “Why are you playing along with her?! I scanned her from head to tail and didn’t find a single anomaly! She could not even do that eye magic claim when I challenged her!”

Spike turned his head to me. “Why couldn’t you do it with her?”

“Magic reserves were too low, or at least that was what—” I caught myself before I brought up Envy. “Was what I think it was.”

“You know she was low on magic. She couldn’t do it because she didn’t have enough magic to do it.”

“Oh really?” I could tell she wasn’t believing what he said. “Well, if that is true, then step out of the way, so I can fix that problem.”

“You promise not to teleport her away, or do anything else like that to her?”

“Yes, now move out of the way.”

Spike did as she asked, which allowed her a clear line of sight on me. Twilight’s horn glowed again, and a beam of light shot out of it. The beam hit me in the chest, but I wasn’t sure what it was supposed to be doing other than lightly pressing into my chest.

“Um…” My head began to hurt.

“Stop resisting!” The beam intensified, and began to tingle on my chest.

“I’m not—” My head throbbed with pain,

Twilight’s took on an angry expression. “Argh!” The beam went bright.

I gasped in pain, both from a headache that felt like it was going to split my head in two, and the beam that was like a laser burning into my chest.

“Twilight!” Spike jumped in front of the beam, which didn’t seem to faze him at all, and I swore he glowed slightly.

My attention was on my chest where the coat hairs were singed. It had felt like she was burning a hole straight through me, but I was relatively fine aside from tenderness from when I touched the spot. My headache on the other hoof unrelentingly assaulted me with its pain.

“It is her fault! She was resisting the magic transfer! Not having enough magic to do something is the only excuse she has for her lie, so she refuses to take the magic that would disprove her claim! I do not know why you are helping with this lie, but I frankly do not care!”

“Twilight! She is telling the truth about being an outsider! I know because… because—”

“If you read my mind, and find I’m not an outsider, then I Surprise Swear to leave Ponyville and never come back.” I moved forward past Spike, who was looking at me. “Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a muffin in my eye.” I held my left forehoof over my left eye, and waited for Twilight’s reaction, while my headache strangely stopped instantly.

“Fine, I was already going to bring up banishing you from Ponyville at the next town meeting anyway.” Twilight conjured a quill and piece of parchment, then began to write something down.

“Twilight, you know you don’t need to do that.” It seemed Spike knew what she was doing.

“I am not being the princess that invades other’s minds. If I do it, then I do it by the book.” She finished writing whatever it was she was writing, then rolled up the parchment, and tied it with a string. “Rainbow’s concert is tonight anyway, and I am not missing it because of Berry.” The parchment disappeared in a flash, then she looked at me. “Be back here in the library at noon tomorrow.”

I looked her in the eyes, and barely felt the presence of my ability. “Understood.” With any luck, I would regain enough magic to use my ability by tomorrow.

Twilight’s horn glowed, and a pair of curtains covering a window were pulled open, then the large crystal shutters opened outward. With a flap of her wing she was airborne, then she shot out of the room through the open window, and disappeared from sight.

“I tried my best…” Spike said, and I turned to him. “Sorry.”

“You did a great job. Thanks.” I gave him a smile, and hoped he wouldn’t return it with a sharp-toothed one.

“What… happened with that magical transfusion anyway? You weren’t actually resisting were you?”

“No clue, but it gave me a horrible headache.”

“A headache? That is a weird reaction to a magical transfusion. Might be a side effect of your spirit’s bond with Berry’s body…”

“Spirit? The soul is an actual… Of course it is. Forget I said anything.”

“Do… you want to stay here at the castle tonight? We have plenty of room.”

It would be nice to be that close to Twilight, but I had a feeling she wouldn’t like it. “I better head back to Berry’s.” Surprise! I forgot I asked her to clear out Berry’s kitchen alcohol! She has the keys too… “Actually, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get in. I loaned the keys to Surprise. Will the offer still stand later?”

“Surprise? Why… I’m not even going to ask. Yes, just don’t come back too late. I had better go to Rainbow’s concert as well. Will you be fine finding your way out of the castle on your own?”

“Probably, unless your castle decides to run me in circles again, but I doubt it’ll do that this time.”

“Alright, see you tomorrow, and… thanks for not making me tell Twilight about The Seven.”

“You’re welcome,” I gave him a serious look. “but tell your friends soon. You shouldn’t live your life in terror of… insignificant forces such as The Seven.”

His fin-like ears drooped. “Jack, you really shouldn’t taunt them. They are responsible for the worst monsters in history.”

I turned, and walked away. “I’ll start taking them seriously when they bear their claws.” I stopped in the doorway, and realized how Spike might take that, then looked back at him. “No offense.”

“What—” He stopped, as if interrupted, then looked down at his clawed hands. “Oh…”

Which one of them is in your head? Are you sure they aren’t able to affect you too? I had many questions for Spike, but they were all ones about the very thing he didn’t want to acknowledge, so I decided to go with something simple. “Good night and good luck,” I said, and left Spike to deal with his own problems. Getting home is all that matters.

With any luck, I would be on my way home by tomorrow afternoon, but I knew that was being optimistic.

Author's Note

Proofreaders/Pre-Readers:
Busstop

Decided to just release this. Thought my story might be going too slow, but I guess I'll continue with how it's going. Next chapter diverts from the story a little, but it'll have important things happen, since whatever I write has some significance at some point, even if it doesn't seem like it.

Last Grammar Update: 2016-10-05

Wayward Plans 1.7

The sun was setting and the streets were almost devoid of life. I saw a few ponies here and there, but they paid no attention to me and were headed in the same general direction. It was an easy guess they were all headed to the same concert Twilight and Spike had mentioned, which was somewhere I was sure I wasn’t welcome, but I couldn’t care less about going there anyway.

Finding the way back to Berry’s house without directions was troublesome, though not impossible once I found the tall building I’d passed without much thought earlier in the day. The building was nowhere near as tall or big as Twilight’s castle, but it was easily three stories tall, if not four counting the spire at the very top. Earlier in the day it had been quite busy, with ponies coming and going, however now it was quiet and dark, aside from a single lit window.

Town hall maybe? My thoughts had been more driven toward finding Twilight earlier in the day, but now I was more open to finding alternative sources of help. What help a town hall would be was beyond me, aside from possibly having a map of the town, or bulletin boards full of information. There was no need to pursue the possible town hall tonight, and I very much doubted they were still open, so I walked on by without giving it any more thought.

“Hey, Berry! Wait up!” A somewhat familiar male said, which was accompanied by the sound of hooves galloping.

I stopped and turn my attention to the voice. It was Due Process dressed in his police outfit, though if what Spike told me was true about their identical manes and coats, then the stallion galloping toward me could’ve been any umbra, but I did notice he had the same fern green eyes as Due Process.

He stopped next to me, while I gave him a displeased look. “What are you doing around here at this hour?” His question sounded harmless at the very least, but all I saw him as was a dead end.

“Sorry, your ex-girlfriend is currently trapped in a parallel universe, with my human body. Please leave a message after the beep, which may or may not ever reach her. Beep.” I walked away from him and continued the search for Berry’s home. Heh, I bet Twilight would be more than happy to send me to Berry’s home.

“Beep? What the hay are you going on about? You’re still going on with that nonsense from yesterday?” I heard him say, then heard his hoofsteps start up.

Great, he is following me. “Would you prefer I lied? Pretended I was Berry?”

“You can’t pretend to be yourself, Berry. Why have you been acting so erratic lately? You may have bad habits, but you at least keep to them, and you haven’t been at any of the bars in town the past two nights I’ve been on patrol.”

Why go to bars when you basically own a small liquor store’s worth of alcohol? There were several reasons I drank at a bar, such as forced moderation, or the fact I spent my alcohol budget faster for less alcohol, but I rarely went looking for the possible company or sex. I stopped and faced him. “The name is Jack. Are you one of those obsessive exes?”

“What?! No!”

I had clearly caught him off guard with my question, and it seemed a waste not to press on. “Sure? Which one of you was it that ended the relationship?”

“Stop talking about yourself in the third person! You know it was me!”

This is fun, now what… Damn it! What is wrong with me?! My head began to hurt again. There were all sorts of things coming to mind about what I could say to Due Process, and they were all hurtful. Most of it was to do with the presumption that he was the only umbra in town, and that some of the ponies might treat him differently. The fact he seemed to often do night patrols led me to believe he might even avoid other ponies and was constantly plagued by feelings of loneliness as a result. I held my tongue and also held a forehoof to my forehead.

“Are you okay? You look like you’re in pain.” His genuine concern was annoying me.

I wasn’t okay at all since I was stuck in a place where nobody believed what I told them I was, even though they lived in a world where what was possible seemed limitless. Why do I care if I hurt him? Berry screwed up any chance she had with him, and she is obviously more concerned with Corona. Still, I’m not going to get anywhere making enemies. “Just a headache. Don’t worry about it. Please, just stay out of my business, and stick to your own.” I turned and headed in the general direction of where I thought Berry’s house was.

“I still care about you as a friend, Berry!” Due Process said, and thankfully didn’t follow me this time.

“Great! Call me when you care about Jack Taylor!”

(0) (0)

The sun had set, and the moon had begun to shine its unusually bright light. It was weird to still be able to see clearly at night here, where it felt like the changing of day to night was more akin to a dimmer switch being adjusted, than anything that felt natural. Still, the extra light lit my way through the empty streets, and where it failed to reach was supplemented by the fire of iron lamp posts.

After reading several street names I considered worse than Berry’s street of Clip Clop Drive, I arrived back at Berry’s house. All the lights in the house were off, so I knew at the very least Surprise had come by, but something wasn’t right. My eyes felt like they were being strained when I looked at an empty place a story up above the door.

The spot itself looked for all intents and purposes empty, but it strangely felt too empty. It might’ve been I was tired and imagining things. The problem was that I was in a world of magic, and I couldn’t think something was just my imagination since anything I could imagine might very well be real. I could get by with dismissing most of this reality, but I wouldn’t last long if I didn’t address possible threats.

What could it be though? A trap? Someone or something invisible? One of The Seven’s agents?! A monster that is naturally invisible?! A number of thoughts continued to fill my head was staggering, and they were accompanied by a growing panic. Run?! No! Test!

While keeping my eyes on the empty space, I slowly turned and reached back toward my saddlebags with my head. The item that seemed best for this situation was the one I hadn’t touched since it was put away, the coin purse. I bit down on the drawstring of the pouch and lifted it out of the bag. A brief note was taken of how it was probably heavier than everything combined in the other bag, which should’ve left the load unbalanced, but then I remembered I was in a world of magic and quickly brought myself back to the present problem.

Nothing had happened with the spot during what I was sure to be the most suspicious action for anything sapient to know I knew it was there, so I knew this was either something sentient, some magical trap, or a sign Berry needed to go to an optometrist. I would know soon if it were the first, but would probably just return to the Castle of Friendship to stay safe for the other two, or at least as safe as I could be in a place that a questionable force of good could alter.

After setting the bag down on the ground, I blindly loosened the drawstring, then pulled a coin up to look at. It was a gold coin about half the size of my hoof, with an embossed rim on one side, yet lacked any images or words I expected to find on currency. The thing that mattered was it did have some heft to it, which caught me off guard slightly since I was sure I was holding a single coin that weighed more than a whole bag of apparently identical coins, but quickly remembered to just file it away as magic.

After carefully replacing the purse in my saddlebags, I eyeballed the spot that had been the focus of my attention the past couple minutes. It was probably foolish to think I would hit the spot with a single coin toss, and it would be suicidal to pick up the same coin closer to whatever this was, but I was strangely confident I wouldn’t miss. Please don’t be a giant invisible spider. Please don’t be a giant invisible spider.

The coin was held horizontally in between my left forehoof’s pad like a tiny frisbee. I pulled my foreleg back, made sure my aim was correct, then flung the coin. Damn it! Super strength! Somewhere between an arrow and bullet were the speed at which the coin flew, and after only a few moments the coin hit the empty spot, then simply vanished.

“What—” I said, before things really got weird.

The coin reappeared spinning upward, alongside a pegasus flipping hooves over head, with a white coat and canary yellow mane I had become familiar with. Surprise? I stood stupefied as Surprise fell back first to the ground in front of the house’s front door. No sounds of pain came from the pegasus that had appeared out of nowhere, and the only movement from her was the twitching of a leg.

Please don’t be dying! I ran up to the pegasus, and inspected my unintentional victim. Her pale violet eyes spun about unfocused and unsynchronized, a bruise had already begun to form where the coin had hit her on the forehead, while the wings and legs seemed to be unbroken. She was still alive, but a blow to the head like this had to be taken care of immediately, or her condition of being alive would only be temporary.

“Surprise?! Are you alright?!” What do I do?! Move her?! Did I make her break anything when she fell?! Which direction is the hospital?! I hadn’t missed much of the human world during my short visit in Equestria, but a phone and an emergency number would’ve been nice.

Her response was a tight closing of her eyes, then she opened them again, with them now looking in opposite direction. A smile appeared on her muzzle, then she began to laugh. “Heads!” Surprise said, abruptly.

Maybe Process is still—

The coin I had thrown earlier landed with a smack on the exact same spot on her forehead it had hit before. The impact made Surprise flinch and close her eyes, then she reopened her eyes, and they were back to normal. “Did I win?” she said, and I wondered if she knew what had happened, or even what was going on right then and there.

I decided just to ignore what she was asking. “Is anything broken?” I looked around for any help, but the streets were devoid of life.

She sat up, and I backed up, while not sure if I should stop her, or if I’d accidentally hurt her more if I did. The coin on her forehead slid down the top of her muzzle, and she caught it in a forehoof, without letting it flip. “Heh, got it right again,” she said, while looking at the gold coin in her forehoof.

It seemed we were both good at ignoring each other, and I would have to delve into her special case of madness. “Right about what again?” I knew I would regret whatever she said next.

“The coin toss.” She held the coin up out toward me.

I carefully took the coin from her, then swiftly threw it in a saddle bag. “Okay… Are you okay to walk? I think you need to go to the hospital.”

“Why?” She placed her forehooves in front of her, moved her back legs behind her, then stood and began to test her limbs.

“Because… I hit you in the head with a coin… and you fell a story…”

“Which one?” She finished testing her limbs out and seemed to be perfectly fine in that respect.

It was strange, but I understood what she was asking. “Not a story as in one that is told or read, but the measurement of a building by its floors and ceilings. How about you point us in the direction of the hospital, and let the doctors and nurses there decide how fine you are?” I may have been trying not to care about anyone here, but I wasn’t going to let someone die because of something I did, even if she was sneaking around on me somehow. Questioning how she was able to turn invisible seemed best not to do.

“Oh, that kind of story. I was wondering how I felled a story. Wouldn’t be very nice to cut a story short. We can’t go to the hospital, since we need to head to the concert, but first I have to show you what I did to your house. Why do you have a toothbrush in the same colors a mare like Corona would use? Are you two friends? When did that happen? Do you remember why you threw a bit at your house earlier? Oh! That reminds me! I was looking through your dresser’s bottom drawer earlier and was wondering—”

“I threw that bit earlier because I didn’t know you could turn invisible, and didn’t have a clue what you were! I have no answers to anything else you asked, or were going to ask, and never will!” I said, loudly. It wasn’t that I had a problem talking about sexual things, but just that I didn’t have any need to think about such things. There was also the fact that I saw any recreational use of Berry’s body as something strictly off limits and really hoped Berry would do the same with my body.

Surprise took on a confused look. “Huh?”

“Look, I’m not comfortable talking about the things that are in that bottom drawer, so go consult a zoologist if—”

“No.” She shook her head back and forth. “You saw me earlier?” Her interest was peaked about something, and it seemed she wasn’t going to drop it.

Can’t even dismiss reality here without someone making me face it. “Yes, though I didn’t know it was you. Do you not know it is rude to spy on people? Are you autistic?”

Her excitement spread to her wings, and she began to hover off the ground. “Nah, well, unless you count my party throwing as an art. You just saw something out of the ordinary, and your first thought was to throw something at it? What was it you thought you saw anyway?”

“Yes, because I thought it might be something dangerous, and I wasn’t going to run away from something that very well could follow invisibly. Also, what I saw was an empty spot, that strained my eyes, when I looked at it.” I let out a sigh, and was getting tired of dealing with Surprise. “Could we deal with your possible concussion? If you don’t want to go to the hospital, then how about a friend who could keep you awake?”

“Hmm…” She seemed deep in thought over something, but I doubted it was the answer to my latest question.

“Sur—”

My words were interrupted by Surprise’s sudden disappearance, and the intense strain my eyes felt when looking at where Surprise was.

I closed my eyes to alleviate the pain the sight in front of me caused. “Stop doing that! It hurts to look at you!” I said, and was reaching my limit of caring about this mare, even if I had hurt her.

“You… remembered me?” I heard Surprise say, and I opened my eyes to the normal sight of her, or at least as normal as a magical talking big eyed pegasus pony could be normal.

“Yes, I developed a wonderful thing called object permanence as an infant.” I stomped my left hoof on the ground. “Is there a point to any of this?”

She fluttered in the air in front of me with an open mouth, and looked me over. “Are you sure you weren’t saying what you just said to an imaginary friend?”

“The only friend of mine here is you, but I—”

She disappeared again, and I chose to just look away. “You know what, Surprise? I’m done—”

A force hit me from the front, and knocked me on my back. For a brief a moment I struggled to understand what I was in contact with, even though I knew it had to be Surprise, since at the same time I felt like I wasn’t in contact with anything at all. There was no sense or nonsense for me to latch onto during that brief moment, but it ended as quickly as it had come.

“How?!” I heard Surprise say, then I turned back to meet her muzzle to muzzle.

“Do you ever feel life is a constant series of events repeating themselves over and over until you are driven insane?” I said, as emotionlessly as possible, then just laid back for whatever questions she was going to bombard me, that I had no answers to.

“What’s wrong?” She lifted off me, which caught me by surprise, and the irony wasn’t lost on me.

I didn’t feel like moving anymore, and continued to just lay on my back, while I avoided looking at Surprise. This day just will not end… “Everything is wrong. I’m alone in a world, with a horrible identity. Nobody believes a word I say. I’m pretty sure I am or someone I’ve met is trying to be molded into your world’s equivalent of the anti-christ. Worst of all I have no clue what is going on most of the time, and I’m pretty sure I’m going crazy.” A sigh escaped my lips. “At least I have an appointment with Twilight tomorrow, which is probably able to go just about every which way wrong.”

Silence reigned for a couple minutes, and I wondered if Surprise had finally left me in peace, so I rolled over to my side, then pushed myself up to a sitting position. Surprise sat opposite me, with a blank stare, and relaxed breathing. It looked like she was actually thinking about everything I had said, for better, or for worse.

Surprise came out of here deep thinking, and looked at me. “What’s a ‘christ’?” she said, and had picked the one part I saw best not to talk about any further, since it got closer to breaking the Surprise Swear I had made with Spike.

“Don’t worry about it.” I stood up, and made to go around her. “I’m just tired and rambling.”

A wing shot out to block my way to the front door, then Surprise stood up. “Please, Berry. You know how much a cure to my condition means to me. Have you been working on it again? Did you do anything special today?”

“Jack.” I glared at her, which made her fold her wing back against herself, then I walked toward the door.

Thankfully the door was unlocked, so I opened the door, and walked in, but didn’t bother to close the door behind me. No point in locking a door, when the person wanting in can pick the lock. The scent of lemon assaulted my senses, and even in the near darkness I could tell the carpet had been cleaned.

“How much of the house did you clean?” I said, and walked into the living room just enough to turn on the light switch. The carpet in here had also been cleaned, along with the furniture’s upholstery, and every wooden surface polished.

“Everywhere, except the attic, though I did replace the pull-down attic ladder pull string. Do you like it?” Surprise said, and she closed the front door behind her.

I turned off the living room’s lights, and turned on the lights for the corridor and entrance. On a half-moon wall table sat the keyring I had given Surprise earlier in the day. “Well, thanks for that. Helps to not have a slum to return to in my so far futile attempts to convince someone I’m a creature from a parallel reality.” I walked over to the keyring, and stashed it away in my saddlebags, with my mouth. “How did everyone figure out this Discord I keep hearing about was a being from a parallel reality?”

“He is made up of a bunch of different animal parts, altered reality however he pleased, and said so. Jack, could we talk about you being able to see and remember me when I’m using my ability on purpose?” She was trying to be nice, but the answers she wanted were either to do with what I was, or due to something else I didn’t have a clue about.

“So did you get rid of the alcohol in the kitchen?” I walked toward the dark kitchen, and toggled the lights on.

The kitchen was spotless, from the now reflective tiled floor, to the fruit stocked countertops where I had left the dishes I had cleaned. It didn’t matter that Surprise didn’t believe I was what I said I was, since this gift was above and beyond what I had asked of her. My mood wouldn’t even be soured if the cabinets and fridge turned out to be filled with health food.

“Yeah, except for a couple wine bottles I put in the cellar. Jack, please.” Surprise said, and the fact the only indication Surprise was behind me was due to the sound of her voice unnerved me.

“Don’t have any answers, aside from the fact I’m an interdimensional being. Can Discord see you when you do whatever it is you are able to do?” It was a question that had probably already been answered, but removing the possibility that only creatures from here were affected was one thing to check off. I decided to see what she had done to fridge, since the last time I was here it smelled like something had died in it.

“No, and he used to be scared of me for some reason. He still hasn’t told us why, even though he is our friend now. What did you do today?”

“Not much.” I opened the fridge, and was met with the scent of more lemon. Whatever was rotten had been removed, and a large selection of fruit juices filled the top shelf, along with various other things on other shelves, in bins, or in the door itself. The label of ‘Lovely Vitis Vineyards’ on a container of grape juice stood out to me, so I grabbed its handle with my mouth, then walked over to a counter to place it down on. “Just apparently missed out on some kinky sex thing, had a near death experience, made a dragon angry—”

“I thought that near death thing was exaggerated, wasn’t it?” Surprise’s interruption would be met with delay in turn.

I began to search the cabinets for a glass.

“They’re above the sink.” Surprise said, which was appreciated, and decided to repay.

“Thanks, and no it wasn’t exaggerated. Also, before you ask, they didn’t care enough to stop me from leaving, so that’s why I’m not still there.” I pulled a glass out, and put it next to the grape juice, then began to fill it with said grape juice.

“Jack, that can’t be true. Nopony that works at the hospital would let anything personal get in the way of helping anypony.” Her view of this world really needed to be dimmed.

With the glass in hoof, I turned back to Surprise. “They did, and if you don’t see how everypony treats Berry, then I’m not surprised she is an alcoholic. Nopony gives her a chance to be anything…” I let out a groan. “I’m going native.”

Surprise looked away and down at the floor, but I could still see her contemplative face in the reflective floor. “Did…” She looked back up at me. “Did anything else happen today?”

“Made Twilight mad,” I took a sip of the grape juice, which was another form of pure ecstasy. If the food and drink was this good here, then I couldn’t imagine why anyone would have substance abuse problem, but then again the drugs probably reached an even higher plateau I couldn’t imagine. “then wandered into that terrifying place you call The Harmony Sphere.”

“Ponies don’t just wander into The Harmony Sphere, Jack. I, or one of my close friends has to open the door. Wish Twilight would let me hold parties there.” There it was again. The incessant need to be certain of anything here. Quite frankly, I was beginning to doubt any rule of my own universe mattered that much if this one existed as well.

“Maybe I’m the exception to all rules? Seems like everyone is throwing a whole lot of cannots, but I just keep doing the impossible anyway.” I focused on drinking the glass of grape juice, while I eyed Surprise.

A frown appeared on her face. “Fine. What happened in The Harmony Sphere?”

The last drop of the grape juice fell from the glass into my mouth, and I walked over to the kitchen sink. “Lost my mind, ate an apple, found my mind, stumbled upon Spike, lost my mind again, had a one on one session with Spike, lost my mind for a third time, then Spike helped me find and keep my mind. Pretty much everything that happened to me today.” I said, then pulled open a drawer next to the sink for a dish rag, and cleaned the glass out in the sink.

“What do you mean by ‘lost your mind’?” The curiosity I had heard before reappeared in her tone.

“Place kept making me forget my priorities and goals.” I finished cleaning the glass, and stowed it in the disk rack next to the sink, then turned back to Surprise. “I’ve decided I don’t care for your force of good. I’ll take my world of good and evil only being defined by society any day.”

“Harmony wouldn’t do anything bad. Are you sure…” Surprise trailed off, but I knew what she wanted to ask.

“Were you going to say ‘Are you sure it wasn’t the alcohol?’. What about anything I’ve done so far has remotely said I’m intoxicated? Do you just expect Berry to be drunk all the time?” I said, accusingly, then went to put the grape juice container away.

Silence and a look of shame were the only responses from Surprise.

With the container of grape juice back in the fridge, I turned back to Surprise. “Un-huh, thought so.” She isn’t going to go away until I give her an answer. “Have you ever met someone who has had a near death experience? Maybe that’s why I can see you when you do whatever it is you do?”

“Well, no, but Twi—”

“Twilight doesn’t know anything!” Gah! No reason to get angry. This forced charade will be over by tomorrow afternoon. “Sorry for that.”

“What happened with Twilight today?” She had the good sense to at least stop asking me the same question.

“Almost nothing and that was the problem.” I walked by her, and back into the corridor between the stairs and living room.

“She still wouldn’t look inside your mind?” Surprise said, and the attenuation of her voice told me she was still following me. “Weird. When you—”

I stopped and gave her a glare of my shoulder.

An uncomfortable smile found its place on her muzzle. “When Berry gets really out of control, like a couple nights back, that’s when Twilight does those mind organizing sessions on her.”

“Organizing?” I said, then continued my stride, and stopped again at the base of the stairs.

“Yeah, she can sort anypony’s mind out if they ask her to, like make them smarter, or help with sad things.”

“Surprise?” I said, and began to ascend the stairs.

“Yes?” she said, then decided to bypass the stairs by flying.

“Do you plan on leaving tonight?” Once I reached the landing at the top of the stairs, I hit another lightswitch, and saw the second floor’s hallway carpet had also been cleaned. The fact Surprise had cleaned the house this well in a little over six hours was quite astonishing.

“Yeah, once you see everything I did. I fixed the hinges to the master bedroom,”

It was time to tell her she went above and beyond in assisting me in my alcoholic recovery. Maybe even make one of those magic oaths she called a Surprise Swear to never indulge in alcohol again. She clearly wasn’t going to listen to the truth, and it would all be the truth, even if I had already decided to never get drunk again already.

I turned and looked down at her from the landing. “Surprise, you’ve gone-”

“and organized your—” She dropped from the air down onto the stairs, while her eyes went wide.

“-beyond… What’s wrong now?!” There was absolutely no reason whatsoever for her to freak out, aside from somehow guessing exactly what I was going to say.

She held herself low to the stairs, then slowly crept toward me, while staring at me.

I looked around to see if anything was amiss, but the only thing strange going on was Surprise’s behavior. “What are you—”

She brought a forehoof up to her mouth. “Shh. Don’t move.”

If she tackles me, I’m so going to claim self-defence on any actions that follow… Bah! Who am I kidding? Any retaliation to her crazy would just land me in hot water with someone, and I don’t need any trouble. Not when I’m this close to progress. I braced myself for whatever she planned to do.

She seemed to be trying to keep herself at an angle, while looking at me, and finished her slow ascent at my forehooves. Slowly her left forehoof reached forward, and touched the silver bow pendant on the necklace I had found in my saddlebags after my trip into the Harmony Sphere. A fascinated look appeared in her eyes, then she promptly pulled it toward herself for a closer look, and pulled me along with it.

“Pretty!” Surprise said, oblivious to her rudeness.

I slipped out of the necklace chain, and let her hold the pendant, while I gave her a disapproving look. “Did you know that taking something away from someone is rude?”

“Huh?” She looked at the pendant again, then back to me. “This is your’s?!”

“Yes…” The look in her eyes made me take a step back.

A wide smile grew on her face. “Where’d you get it? Was it a gift?! Did Due Process give it to you?! Are you two back together?! Is it an engagement gift?! Have you picked a date?! Can I—”

“Quiet!” I stomped my left forehoof on the floor, then promptly found my hoof inside the floor.

“Um…” Surprise looked at where my forehoof went through the floor.

My forehoof came out of the floor easily, but a hoof sized hole remained in the carpeted floor. “Huh… thought the house would be made stronger for a family of earth ponies… Give me my necklace back.”

She held the necklace out, and I went to grab it, but she pulled it away before I could grab it.

“Wait! I need to test something,” Surprise said, then promptly did her semi-disappearing act, which was still painful to look.

I closed my eyes this time, and tried not to get too angry, though she didn’t leave much room for understanding. “Unless you want to meet the same fate as the floor, then you better be visible when I open my eyes! One—”

“Huh, thought it might be the pendant. Here,”

I reopened my eyes to see she wasn’t an eyesore anymore. “Thank you.” I snatched the necklace out of her forehoof, and put it back on. “Now, please go home,” I said, then turned and went down the hallway.

“I don’t need to go home. So why is your pendant enchanted so nopony can see it normally? Did you join a secret society? Can I join? When do…”

I tuned Surprise out and looked into the rooms as I passed them. The rooms were only illuminated by what light bled in from the hallway, but I could tell what Surprise had done in each. Piña’s room was straightened up, and didn’t look like a child had ever been there, which made the room a little less depressing. The master bedroom had been completely cleaned of webs, and all the sheets on everything were gone, so I decided I would be sleeping in there tonight.

“If you are staying here tonight, then you can sleep in Berry’s or Piña’s room. Master bedroom is mine.” I said, heedless of the fact she was lost in her crazy.

“Is the dress code robes, or some form of… Huh?”

The bathroom between Berry’s and Piña’s room was immaculate, but the master bathroom would be where I would relax tonight. Berry’s room was mainly straightened up, like Piña’s room, but I did notice the strawberry bedding had been replaced with a grape one. My self-guided tour of the house concluded outside the master bathroom, which was just as well cleaned as the rest of the house.

Surprise flew in front of me. “So are you happy now?” she said, and seemed eager to hear my answer.

“I am…” I can’t believe I’m going to say this consciously. “head over hooves.” I forced a smile. “You have made things so much more pleasant for the remainder of my stay in your world.” I tried to move past her, but she continued to block the doorway into the master bathroom.

“No, you aren’t.” She gave me a sad frown.

“Yes, I am!” I widened my smile to a point I didn’t think possible, but quickly remembered what was possible was really just a suggestion nearly everyone had taken as an order.

Her lips were pursed and quivering. “Your ears and tail are drooping just like they were yesterday.”

“Oh! Yeah, I think they are broken.” I shook my head back and forth, which flopped my ears about.

“Huh?!” She flew above me and began to touch my ears.

“Haven’t worked since—”

A strong and prolonged shrieking came from Surprise, and it was the last thing I could stand from her.

I swung a forehoof at her, but she deftly dodged it. “Just give me a few minutes to myself,” I said, then moved into the master bathroom. I closed the door before she could follow, and locked it.

“Jack! We need to get going to the concert!” Surprise said, through the door, and tried to open it.

“Only place I’m going to be is the shower!” I let out a sigh, and was grateful to finally be relatively alone.

A pair towels and washcloths had already be put on towel rack next to the large walk in shower, so I didn’t need to retrieve any from the linen cabinet in the room. I sat down and swiftly removed the overwear I’d worn almost the entire day, then stood to remove the necklace. The pendant was another mystery to solve at some point, but for now it would just have to remain as such, and I placed it on the sink’s countertop.

I’ll take a hot shower, then deal with Surprise if she is still here after. I thought, then grabbed a washcloth and entered the shower.

The choice of soap in the shower was simply one bottle of liquid soap, which was an all-in-one soap for mane, coat, and tail. The bottle said for stallions, and had a musky scent to it, which was alright for me, then I began working it into my mane. After a few moments I noticed something amiss with my tail, then turned to look back at it.

In the shower with me, with her tongue sticking out, and focused on lathering my tail between her hooves, was Surprise.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” I said, then jerked my tail away from her, and remembered that I’d forgotten to lock the master bedroom door to the master bathroom.

The sudden jerking of my tail out of her grasp left her with a confused face, then she looked at me. “What does ‘hail’ have to do with a hot shower?”

“What are you doing?!” I imagined Surprise as the victim in that one old horror movie shower scene, if only to stop myself from considering actual violence.

“Helping you get done with your shower sooner, so we can go to the concert,” she said, with a seemingly innocent smile.

“I don’t…” Damn it, she isn’t going to take no for an answer is she? Well, there are other ways to get rid of someone. “Surprise, will there be a medical tent at this concert?”

“Yes. Why?”

“And will some of your friends be there?”

“All of my friends will be there. Do you need to see anyone in particular?”

“Will there be a crowd so thick, that by the time the music starts you could easily be separated from someone?”

“I guess?”

There were plenty of opportunities to get rid of her at the concert. “Great, continue doing what you were doing to my tail.”

“Are you sure you want to smell like a stallion? I could get Berry’s soaps from the other bathroom.”

“Hell yes I’m fine with smelling like a stallion.” Guess I’ll have to start identifying as transgendered if I’m stuck here long. Maybe even do some crossdressing, which might actually help convince others I’m not Berry.

Author's Note

Proofreaders/Pre-readers:
Busstop

So yeah, this chapter was going to be around 17k long, and it got to 12k, but I had to scrap 9k because it just wasn't working out how I thought it should. Biggest problem was that Surprise didn't get the spotlight she needed, and it cut too quickly to the concert. Another problem was just how uninspired my writing felt at the concert, and I wasn't getting done what I needed to get done.

Last Grammar Update: 2016-10-06

Wayward Plans 1.8

The last social event I had gone to was a Halloween party at Katherine’s school last week. Katherine had dressed as some teenage book series heroine, which I only knew was some sort of post-apocalyptic science fiction, while I had just picked up a hooded black robe, fake scythe, and fake sword. Given the time to think about my costume choice, it was difficult to say if I had been subconsciously thinking about death, even if the upcoming anniversary had completely slipped my mind.

“So, do you have a job?” I said, and had decided to try unraveling the mystery of Surprise, while she led the way to this concert.

“Yep!” Surprise said, in a happy yet oblivious way, and didn’t seem to think I might want to know what that job was, while leisurely flying toward our destination, or at least I hoped that was where we were going.

The streets had others walking the streets as we got closer to this concert Surprise was so insistent on me going to. I didn’t know who was playing, but that was because I hadn’t asked, and the reason I hadn’t asked was because I didn’t care. My goal was to make sure Surprise was still fine after my coin toss, then abandon her at the earliest opportunity. Any legal things like negligence would be completely nullified and would be one less thing to come back at me later.

A sigh escaped from my muzzle, which wouldn’t be the last Surprise got out of me. “What is your job title, and what do you do?”

My question seemed to spur her to look up at the sky, which was cloudless. “Captain of the Ponyville weather patrol, and I organize the local weather schedule. Ponyville’s weather was a mess before I got here.”

What is up with their world? Is it broken, or are they just able to enforce order on everything? Questioning things too deeply was just a headache waiting to happen, so the weather was added to the pile of topics not needing to be explored further. “So, is the party throwing a hobby?”

She turned around but continued to fly in the same direction backward. “Nope, I’m also the town’s officially sanctioned party planner.”

We turned a corner, and a massive herd of at least a thousand beings came into sight, though it seemed to mainly consist of ponies. On the flat grass covered ground before the concert stage were earth ponies and unicorns, with a group of cows in the mix, while pegasi hovered in the air above. If there were any other creatures in the throng, then they were obscured by the ponies or too few to notice.

“If I ask why you didn’t mention it when I asked about your job title, are you going to say because I only asked about one?” I said, then began to search for a medical tent among stalls and other tents surrounding the central area where everyone was.

“Nope.” She turned back around and flew normally. “Throwing parties is too much fun to consider it a job, even if I do more paperwork for it than the weather patrol. Like this one time my friend Cheese Sandwich and I threw a party, which I had no idea there was so much extra paperwork—”

I spotted the red cross on a tent. “Surprise. Medical tent. Now.”

“Kay!” She looked toward the medical tent, then within a blink of an eye was hovering outside the tent.

I stood stupefied, as I tried to process the fact Surprise moved a considerable distance within a timeframe I couldn’t even begin to process. No need to think. Magic. Anything and everything is possible. I just keep moving for—

Within another blink of the eye, Surprise was hovering back in front of me, which caused me to rear up on my hind hooves, but I quickly found my balance, alongside my anger for Surprise again. “Don’t do that!” I said, before she could say what was most likely going to be asking me if I was coming, while I pointed my left forehoof at her.

A strange look appeared on her face, but she shook her head, which cleared it away. “Don’t do…” She looked back at the tent, then back to me. “Oh, I skipped the space between here and there. Sorry, that just happens sometimes, and I can’t control it like the disappearing thing.”

“Let’s just go get you checked out.” I began to walk toward the medical tent, but Surprise had that strange look on her face again. “What?”

She looked me up and down. “Nothing… but… isn’t that uncomfortable?”

My gaze shifted downward, then I realized I had been standing on my hind legs for the past minute, which also caused me to lose whatever balance I had been unaware of and fall forward. I should’ve put my forehooves out to catch myself, but the confusion from the temporary bipedalism left me too stupefied to do anything other than stare at the incoming ground. Strangely, I stopped falling, then noticed the white legs to the left and right of my vision.

Things had become strange again, but I tried to sort it out. First I looked up to meet muzzle to muzzle with Surprise. Next, I remembered the legs holding me up were forelegs, and that I had a pair as well, so I placed them both firmly on the earth below. Finally, I remembered why I was where I was, alongside proper manners. “Thanks… Come on.” I said, then headed toward the tent again.

Surprise followed without another word, and I was even more confused about her, myself, and the world than earlier.

(0) (0)

Surprise and I stood outside the medical tent, which was simply a rectangle medium-sized white tent, with red crosses on it. From the outside, it didn’t look like it could hold many patients, so it would be insufficient in any major disaster, such as a stage collapse. Still, I was probably just being pessimistic, and nothing irreparable had happened in my time here yet, so anything more than this tent might’ve very well been excessive.

“Okay, what do you say when they ask how you were struck on the head?” I said, and was making sure Surprise made the fact known that the injury to her head was entirely her own fault for sneaking around.

“It was my fault entirely, and you were only protecting yourself from an unknown danger.” Surprise said, with a smile. “We really don’t have to get me checked out though since Twilight says I inexplicably heal faster than most pegasi, and it was just a bit. Now if I had been hit by a sky chariot like that one time as a filly, then I could understand being worried, but even then I bounced back in a couple days.”

“Just do it for me.” And then we are done for tonight, and hopefully forever after noon tomorrow.

“But we could be getting soda, popcorn, cotton candy…”

I led the way into the tent, while I tuned out Surprise’s listing off of every single thing we could get at the stalls and tents. The interior of the tent was lit by white crystals hooked onto bars along the walls, which was a part of the tent’s frame. Twelve blue cots were lined up in two rows of six, with a pillow on each, and asleep on one of the cots in the back next to medical supplies was the nurse pony I had met earlier in the day.

Her again. Out of everyone I had gone off on in the past two days, I felt that the hearts and red cross cutie mark nurse had been the most deserving of my ire. She had threatened me with institutionalization if I didn’t admit to what imagined drugs I had taken, even though their tests had proven at the very least I hadn’t taken anything. Still, it wouldn’t hurt to mend things with her, since it wasn’t like she could do anything now.

“ice— Hi, Nurse Redheart!” Surprise said, loudly, and almost directly into my ears.

Redheart awoke startled, and fell off the cot, then scrambled to her hooves. “What happen?! Where’s the emergency?!” she said, before her panicked eyes focused on Surprise and I. “Berry… what did you do now?” The groaning in her voice told me she was just as excited to see me again as I was her.

“Please make sure she’s fine,” I pointed back toward Surprise. “then you don’t have to see me anymore today. Technically, if things go extremely well at noon tomorrow, then you will never see me, Jack Taylor, again.”

“No, we are talking about earlier today. Doctor Horse and I got an earful from Twilight about professionalism, which I didn’t even deserve, and I know you must’ve said something really hurtful to Doctor Horse for him to say ‘I just let her go.’ without any explanation as to why.” Redheart walked over to a bag on the floor in the back, and reach into it with her head, then came back out with what looked like a crystal wand-like device hanging on a strap from her neck. “Up.”

What I had decided was probably an actual wand was made from a rose colored crystal. Its handle was cut in an octagon and came out to a point at the bottom end of the handle. Set in a gold mount at the top of the wand was a round ball tip. For some reason, I found the device fascinating, and it hadn’t even done anything yet.

Surprise walked past me, and jumped up on a cot, then sat down on her rear. “Do I get a sucker afterward?” she said, sweetly.

Redheart rolled her eyes. “Fine, but you have to sit completely still.”

“Kay!” Surprise said, then looked back at me. “Gotta get them to promise it upfront, or they’ll try to weasel out of it, and finding a monkey to chase them around a mulberry bush at this time of night is nearly impossible.”

“So, what do you have to say about today at the hospital, Berry?” Redheart said, while walking up to Surprise, then took the wand hanging from her neck into her right hoof.

Guess I’ll have to apologize first, and not expect one in return either. “Fine, I’m sorry for yelling at you, and for leaving the hospital.”

“Don’t move, Surprise,” Redheart said, and the top of the crystal wand lit up in a pink glow, and made a whirring sound.

Surprise reacted with an almost statuesque stillness of looking straight ahead, while her breathing was barely visible.

“Berry, I didn’t even see you leave, let alone speak to you.” Redheart was annoyed, but didn’t take her eyes off of Surprise, and moved the wand slowly over Surprise.

Lying? Seriously? I had expected not to get an apology, but outright denial of even speaking to me was beyond believable. She was trying to hide the fact she had threatened me, and the fact she had just let me leave right in front of her. “So, that’s how you want to play this while someone is around?”

“You’re the only one playing games here, Berry. I don’t know why you are apologizing for something that didn’t happen on top of what you did do, but I really don’t care. What did you say to Doctor Horse?”

It was time to see if Surprise had been lying about people forgetting about her when she did her disappearing act. “All right, I’ll tell you once you are done with Surprise,” I said, and couldn’t help myself from smiling.

“Fine,” Redheart said, and continued her examination of Surprise, or at least I thought that was what she was doing since I didn’t know anything about the wand in her hoof. After a minute, the wand dimmed out and ceased its whirring noise. “You’re perfectly fine, Surprise. Knowing you, that bruise on your forehead will be gone by tomorrow, so I don’t even see a need for a cold compress. My only medical advice is to avoid further contact with Berry, even though you think what she does isn’t entirely her fault.”

“It really wasn’t her fault this time though. I was phased out, and got in the way of a coin toss.” Surprise said, and sounded much more convincing in her own words, than the ones I had told her to say when somebody asked.

“Surprise,” Redheart turned around, then headed to the back of the tent. “you have to be more focused on not letting that happen. If you were seriously injured and knocked out, then nobody would be able to help you.” she said, then used her head to reach into the bag she had taken the wand out of. After a moment of movement, she came back out of the bag with a wrapped yellow sucker bit between her teeth by the stick.

“Lemon!” Surprise said, joyously.

Redheart returned, then removed the sucker from her muzzle with a hoof, and offered it to Surprise. The sucker was swiped by Surprise from Redheart’s hoof quickly, and I noticed that the wrapper began to deteriorate into sparkles the moment it was removed. By the time Surprise had the lemon sucker in her mouth, the wrapper had completely disappeared.

“I’m still waiting to hear what you said to Doctor Horse, Berry,” Redheart said, and sounded like she was losing her patience.

Huh, guess they don’t have to worry about some non-biodegradable trash. “In a moment. Come here, Surprise. I need to ask something of you.”

“Okay,” Surprise hopped down off the cot she had been sitting on, and came closer to me. “What do—”

I grabbed her behind the neck and pulled her down to whisper in her ear. “Do your disappearing act. Nurse Redheart is lying about earlier today.”

“But—”

“Trust me, please.” I released Surprise from my hold, and she used the opportunity to look back at Redheart, then back to me.

“What are you t…” Redheart said, then began to stutter.

Surprise disappeared in an instant, and the seemingly empty spot strained my eyes to look at. Thankfully, she seemed to recall the discomfort her ability caused me and moved off to the side between two cots.

“t… t… What were we talking about?” Redheart said, and seemed lost.

“Quick question. Who was the last patient you saw tonight?” I said, and wanted to see how far this craziness went.

“I… haven’t seen anyone tonight. Berry, something doesn’t feel right here.”

I so wanted to nag her until she called me Jack, but it wasn’t worth the time. “Another question. Do you know a pegasus by the name of Surprise?”

“No? Why are you asking these questions? Did something happen?” She began to feel her head with her right forehoof, then stumbled upon the wand hanging from her neck. The wand’s presence seemed to confuse her further as if she didn’t remember it being there.

“I’m asking these questions because that is what curious ponies do, and yes something did happen. I have one more question for you.” I pointed a hoof toward the empty space Surprise occupied. “Do you feel your eyes being strained when you look at that spot?”

Redheart looked where I pointed, but there didn’t seem to be any eye strain for her. “No. What happened?” She removed the wand from around her neck, then began to use it on herself.

“Nothing much. Just a pony dropped out of existence apparently, and I’m the only pony who remembers they existed, or exist as far as I’m currently concerned.” There would be more creatures saying certain things were impossible, but I knew they were wrong. Nothing was impossible here, and anyone who said they couldn’t do something just hadn’t tried hard enough.

The wand turned off again, and Redheart gave me a funny look. “Are you feeling alright?”

It took me a moment to realize what could’ve caused her to give me a look, but I realized it was the fact I was giving her a wide grin. I made a quick giggle, with my teeth still clenched in a smile, and wasn’t sure what was so funny. “Yes. What do you have to say about your behavior at the hospital today?”

“My…” The anger I saw on her face earlier today resurfaced. “My behavior?! You mean when I did everything in my power to keep you alive after who knows what you did to yourself?! What about your behavior?! You just walked out of the hospital!”

Her anger was infectious. “I’m talking about when you came to the hospital room! You blew off my entire story, then threatened me with psychological institutionalization!”

“The last time I saw you was when you were asleep on your hospital bed!” Her adamance to be right was infuriating.

I had proof contrary to her lies, and Surprise was going to see this liar for what she was. “Really now?! Are you sure you don’t want to change that story?! Because I can destroy that blatant lie in an instant!”

“Stop insisting I’m lying! Get out of my medical tent while you’re at it!” Redheart braced all four of her hooves on the tent floor and looked like she was just about ready to kick me out of the tent.

I reached back with my head into the saddlebag containing the notepad, then pulled it out to show to her. “Wa…” I rolled my eyes, resisted hitting myself with a forehoof, then removed the notepad from my mouth with my left forehoof. “What do you have to say about this?”

“You stole my new notepad! I was looking all over for that earlier today!”

“Look at it!” I wound my left forehoof back, and was about to throw the notepad at her, but remembered something I had written in it. Pros and cons about Spike. “One second.” I sat down and flipped through the notes.

“Those are private!” Redheart said, but didn’t move to take the notepad away from me.

“Uh-huh.” I found the page I wrote down the things about Spike on, with the big thing being about how he could hear The Seven, or at least six of them anyway. How to get rid of the page completely was an issue, but one I quickly resolved by tearing the page out with a forehoof, wadded it up, then threw it into my mouth. The paper didn’t taste very good, nor was it specifically pleasant going down my throat, but it was gone.

“Why…” I looked up to see Redheart confused again, and her confusion seemed to have also broken her anger. “Why did you eat a piece of paper just now?”

“Surprise Swear.” I gave myself points for not questioning the fact I remembered the note in the heat of anger, and that I chose to eat said note without hesitation. If this was what Surprise Swears were actually capable of, and it wasn’t just some fluke, then I was going to see how creative I could be with them at some point.

Redheart was left speechless. She raised a forehoof like she was about to ask me a question, but placed it back on the ground. Her actions did give me another question to ask before I got our conversation back on track.

“Do you even remember me mentioning a pony named Surprise earlier?” I grabbed the notepad out of my left forehoof with my mouth, stood up, then moved it back my left forehoof.

“No? Are you sure you mentioned this pony?” I could tell she wasn’t lying about this, and I wondered if she thought she was telling the truth when it came to earlier today as well.

So they even forget about Surprise retroactively? “Don’t worry about it.” I walked forward three-legged, then offered the notepad to Redheart. “Now tell me to my face you don’t remember writing everything I told you down in this.”

Cautiously, she reached toward the notepad with a forehoof, took it out of my grasp, then began to read the notes within. Her eyes grew wider with every page she read until she looked confused again. “What is this?” She turned the notepad around to show me the drawing of a human I had drawn for Spike.

“Work in progress drawing of human. That’s what I really am.” It was probably the wrong time to start trying to convince someone I was a human, but there really wasn’t a best time either.

She turned the notepad back around, then gave the drawing another look. “O…kay. Be— ”

“Jack, at least until we sort out who is crazier between the two of us.”

She seemed offended by my words, but there was fear in her eyes as well. “I’m not—”

“Fine. Until we figure out if I’m crazy or if you are unfit to be a nurse.” Something had happened to Redheart earlier today, though I had trouble remembering the exact details due to how angry I had been.

The words ‘unfit to be a nurse’ set off something in Redheart. Her eyes went wide and mouth opened slightly in a quivering motion. “No… there has to be a… perfectly rational reason why I don’t remember writing any of this.” She recollected herself and gave me a hard look. “Tell me exactly what happened earlier today.”

I brought my left forehoof up in the air and started moving it in a circular motion to try and jog my memory. “Well, you showed up, I started explaining my story, you left and returned with that notepad, wrote everything down…” I put my left forehoof back on the ground and narrowed my eyes at her. “and threatened to institutionalize me. Pretty sure I mentioned that last thing earlier, but it is worth repeating.”

“I’m sorry if I said that…” She let out a sigh. “Jack. Did anything else happen?”

“Thank you for apologizing and remembering my real name.” What else happened? I got angry, then… “Well, I think you went catatonic.” It sounded right to me, though I felt that same feeling I got when trying to remember what a human looked like. I desperately need to start writing things down.

“Catatonic?” A worried frown appeared on her face. “I became unresponsive right in front of you? You just left without saying anything to anyone about me?” She focused her eyes on me and left her mouth open in disbelief. “What is wrong with you?!”

“No, the question here is ‘What is wrong with you?’.” The arguing hadn’t gotten me anywhere, so this change was a welcome. Sure, I should’ve probably been a little gentler, but it wasn’t like I had said anything offensive about her possibly onsetting mental degradation. Hell, maybe she is the drug addict here. Not like nurses haven’t been known to get hooked on prescription drugs in my world.

Redheart collapsed backward onto her rear and still held the notepad in her right forehoof. “I filled in the blanks without even thinking about it…” She looked at the notepad, then her eyes began to tear up. “I remember your room’s call button light lighting up and making the noise… walking there…” Tears fell from her eyes along the sides of her muzzle. “I didn’t find your room empty, I found myself in your empty room.”

Seeing the tears made me realize I had gone too far, then another headache began to set in. Not sure what to do, I looked over where Surprise simultaneously was and wasn’t, which I had forgotten hurt to look at. “Stop doing that and help me with this.”

In an instant, Surprise was visible again and wore a frown on her face. “I don’t know how.”

The ears on Redheart’s head stood up at Surprise’s voice, then Redheart looked Surprise’s way. “Surprise?” Redheart’s confusion seemed to help her recollect herself, which allowed her to stagger back up to her hooves, though she almost stumbled back down due to forgetting her right hoof still held onto the notepad. “You know it is rude to spy on ponies when they don’t know you are there.”

“Sorry…” She averted her eyes away from both of us and began idly moving her left forehoof in a circle on the floor. “Jack said you were lying about what happened at the hospital and wouldn’t tell the truth with somepony else around, so I gave her the benefit of the doubt.”

“I…” Redheart turned back to me. “Sorry, I have to go,” she said, transferred the notepad to her mouth, then trotted by me and out of the tent without another word.

“So…” I turned to Surprise. “I was kinda right about her not telling the truth.”

The frown hadn’t left Surprise’s muzzle. “Did you have to say she might be unfit to be a nurse though? That’s like saying I couldn’t throw parties anymore, or you couldn’t mix things,” she said, and sounded as unhappy as she looked.

Was it? It didn’t take long for me to answer that question, “Yes.” I said, then turned to exit the tent.

“You can’t mean that.” The heartbroken tone in her voice almost got to me.

Within a few steps of exiting the tent, I turned around to face Surprise with an angry glare. “I’ll keep trying everything I can think of to convince you all I am a human, at least anything that won't land me in jail.”

Surprise turned her sight upward and raised both her forehooves into the air, while flapping her wings to keep herself from falling. “Argh! That’s the problem!” she said, then returned her angry gaze to me. “You are only doing slightly less than what Berry has been doing for years!”

She has the nerve to be angry?! “I—”

“No!” A quick push from both of Surprise’s forehooves caught me off guard, and knocked me to my rear in the entrance to the tent. “You are going to sit there and listen, missy!”

This felt like when I insulted the importance of friendship in front of Twilight, though this time all I had done was tell someone they might be unfit to do their job, so Surprise wasn’t going to get an apology. “Fine,” I crossed both forelegs and narrowed my eyes at her. “but we are through once you are done talking, and I mean it, so make sure whatever you’re going to say is really the last thing you want me to ever acknowledge hearing from you.”

“Fine…” She crossed her forelegs and used her wings to lift entirely off the ground, while an unhappy frown appeared on her muzzle. “Not like I didn’t get used to being ignored as a filly.” With a deep inhale then exhale, she collected herself. “The problem with this whole Jack Taylor the hueman act is the fact you aren’t doing anything different, less maybe, but not different.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m sure Berry claims she is an otherworldly being all the time.”

“No, but she argues and makes ponies feel bad all the time. The last three times she did something like this she actually changed how she acted.”

“Come on, tell me what I could do to convince you and everyone else I’m a human, aside from inexplicably being able to remember you exist even when you don’t to everyone else, and being able to relive others’ memories just by looking them in the eyes.”

“Wait, you can do what now?” She dropped out of the air onto all four hooves.

“Didn’t I…” I uncrossed my forelegs and abandoned any look I was purposely giving her, while I tried to remember everyone I had told about my eye ability. Due Process, Corona, Redheart, Spike, and Twilight. Didn’t showcase it for Redheart, and wasn’t able to do it with Twilight. “Guess I forgot to mention that to you, though telling and even using it—”

“Was that what happened yesterday when you spaced out on the bench?” Surprise’s interruption was just as unexpected as the question she used to interrupt.

“Yes?” I raised my left brow at her.

She tilted her head at me. “Does that have anything to do with why your hooves stopped making noise, like mine always do, afterward?”

Damn, she is observant when she wants to be. Maybe partially having a little bit of whatever she has is the reason I can see her? “Yes, and it is probably the reason I’m immune to your thing now. I found out I can temporarily copy things from creatures here and apparently gain odd information like apple names, though it never did this when I was human. Are you actually believing me now, or are you just pretending again?” I said, then stood back up on all four.

Surprise closed her eyes and smiled. “I only pretended because you asked me to,” She opened her eyes and made a puzzled look. “which was kinda weird since I thought you weren’t Berry when you walked out of the police station yesterday.”

“What?!” I left my mouth open in disbelief.

“Yeah, you said ‘Now I want to tell you some things and I want you to pretend we have never met before.’, and I’ve been trying to pretend ever since, but you sure haven’t made that easy. Sorry for slipping at Berry’s house after I found out you were immune to my thing, but I thought Berry might’ve found a fix, and was going to taunt me with it instead.”

“I…” The idea of Berry finding a solution to Surprise’s problem and not offering it to her gave me pause, but I cleared my mind of the cruel idea. “What made you think I wasn’t Berry before we even met yesterday?”

“You don’t walk like Berry. She moves with more of sway to her step. Like this.” She turned around and walked further into the tent, with a sway to her rear and tail that almost reminded me of Corona’s this morning, then turned around to face me. “While you walk so perfectly it’s almost mechanical.” Her walk forward was noticeably different in that each step was placed perfectly in front of each other, with little to no sway to her rear, and even went to the point of copying my limp tail. “And that’s the reason I thought you were a robot at first.”

“A robot? At first?!” I knew a lot of nonsense went through Surprise’s head, but she had to be going outside her own reality with this robot idea. “Are you telling me robots exist in your world?”

“I don’t know, but it always pays to pay attention, especially when you are paid to pay attention to ponies paying for things.” Surprise looked around the tent. “Do you think Redheart will send somepony else to replace her here?”

“Probably, and don’t change the subject. Why didn’t you say anything this entire time?” I shot my right foreleg into the air out of frustration. “You knew I was trying to convince ponies I wasn’t Berry!”

Surprise rolled her eyes. “Duh, I had to make sure you weren’t a robot, then I had to make sure you weren’t a changeling. I swear, Jack. It’s like you aren’t listening to a word I’m saying.” she said, and sounded sure of herself and her reasoning.

“That makes no sense! What I was doing nullified any possibility I was some kind of replacement infiltrating your society!” My left foreleg joined my right in the air. “Not that doing that has gotten me anywhere! At this point, I feel like I should’ve badly pretended I was Berry Punch instead!”

She gave me a scrutinizing look. “Are you sure you aren’t from where Discord came from? Maybe you have draconequus where you’re from? Huh, do you think draconequus is like deer, or would it be draconequuses? Draconequi?”

“The first or third! Second might be etymologically correct, but it doesn’t sound…” Why the hell am I shouting about pluralization? Slowly, I lowered both forelegs to the ground, then tried to remember what I had been going on about.

“Aww.” Surprise said, and her disappointment further confused me.

Things need to be simplified here. “Surprise, please answer my next question as straightforward as possible,” I said, but knew I was asking the impossible of her.

“Kay!” The smile with her tongue poking out was less than reassuring.

“Do you believe I am a human?” Regardless of the answer, I would be done with Surprise right then and there for tonight.

She pulled her tongue back into her mouth, then stared into my eyes intently. “If you believe you’re a hueman, then I do too.”

“Great!” The smile I gave her made her smile as well. “Show up at Twilight’s castle at noon tomorrow, so you can back me up alongside Spike since Spike alone is for some reason not enough to convince her. Goodnight.” I said, then turned around and exited the tent.

“Alright, let’s go… Goodnight?! Rainbow Thrash hasn’t played yet!” Surprise said, and began to follow me.

It looked like I would need to ditch her after all.

(0) (0)

Ponies went about their business around us with very little attention paid to the confrontation between Surprise and I. The reason for the lack of attention was probably due to the fact no shouting or violence was being conducted, though a couple vendors looked our way in-between their sales of food and drinks. Between the two of us, Surprise was the only one with the energy to win, but I wasn’t going to let her win easily.

“Come on. Please,” Surprise said, while hovering in front of me.

I tried to go around her, but she blocked the way, as she had several times before. “Surprise… I don’t care about hearing your friend’s band play. Just let me leave,” I said, and was about ready to just lay down on my side, and try silent protest.

“Just stay for one song, then I won’t try to stop you from leaving anymore. I Surprise Swear it.” She went through the hoof gestures, though omitted the words, which I almost cared enough about to bring up, but decided not to.

That promise was enough, and I would hold her to it. “Fine. When are they playing? I feel they should’ve—”

“11 minutes and 22 seconds from now, if they start on time. Yay!” Surprise did a quick flip in the air, then alighted to the ground. “This calls for something to celebrate with.” She looked around for something, seemed to spot it, then disappeared, but it wasn’t the kind of disappearing that made my eyes hurt, and that meant she had to have done that skipping thing instead.

I looked around for any sign of Surprise, but I didn’t spot her anywhere, nor did I notice any spots that strained my eyes. “Huh… I did say I would stay for one song.” The idea of trying to ditch Surprise crossed my mind again, but one song wasn’t asking much of me.

There didn’t seem to be any reason not to look for a nice spot where the stage speakers would be in front of me. I wasn’t going to go anywhere near the massive congregation of creatures currently situated in front of the stage, so that meant I was headed to behind the back of the crowd, which was also conveniently closer to where the park ended and the dirt roads of the village began. Surprise could fly and spot me easily as well, so staying where she had last seen me wasn’t that big of a deal, and I could easily wave her down due to her easily identifiable colors.

As I trotted past ponies, I saw the looks again, though the looks were mostly of the judging or annoyed variety. They might’ve been giving me the looks when I was with Surprise, but the nice thing about Surprise was that she garnered almost all of my attention when she was around. Overall, I didn’t really care what they thought of me at the moment, since by noon tomorrow they would see me for what I really was, and just paid enough attention to avoid them, while they did the same.

Will I become a government coverup once Twilight sees inside my mind? Probably, since everyone apparently thinks it is impossible for things from outside their reality to get into it. Do I get to see inside my mind when she does her magic? What does my so-called mindscape she mentioned even look like? An art gallery? Something more personal like the family house? I probably shouldn’t have even been trying to logic out anything to come, but there were few things to occupy my mind with in the present, and I didn’t want to get my hopes too high by thinking about what I would do when I got home.

In an attempt to take my mind off the possibility of unforeseeable delays in getting home, I paid a general attention to the mix of creatures around me, while continuing my way past the vendors to the fringes of the concert area. Most of the concert goers were gravitating toward to center mass in front of the stage, but a few had taken to the idea of not joining the herd and choosing to lay out on blankets on the outskirts.

The first beings I noticed were a couple of what looked like a male donkey and a female donkey, though they seemed to be an older example of donkeys, and were too interested in each other as I drew nearer to the outskirts of the park to notice me. They were both brown coated, though the female was lighter than the male, and their manes differed greatly from the female having a dark brown mane, while the male had an orange mane, with yellow streaks going through it. The oddity of seeing the new race was short lived, and I paid them no further mind.

Another pair I noticed out of all the pony pairs laid out on the outskirts was one that consisted of an unusually large, red coated, orange maned, earth pony stallion, alongside the rose cutie mark earth pony mare I tried to ask for help earlier in the day. The strange thing about the large red coated pony was that a name came to mind when looking at him, and that name was Big Mac, which was a name I had only heard in that one memory from Fluttershy, but as I adjusted course to go further back I noticed the cutie mark on the stallion was a large green sliced to show the inside of the apple, and felt certain he was who I thought he was.

First I’m naming apples in the Harmony Sphere I’ve never bothered to learn the names of, and now I’m naming ponies I’ve never met? Did I get some knowledge from Fluttershy’s memory that wasn’t directly in it? I let out a sigh as I walked further back past everyone. It doesn’t matter. When I get back home, I can just go back to pretending my ability doesn’t exist, alongside this entire world.

Far in the back, my eyes were drawn to a combination of colors I had seen three times, and they belonged to the very same mare I had been thinking about at that moment. Standing alone, and turned toward the town, was the butter yellow coated, pink maned, butterflies cutie marked, earth pony mare I had learned to be named as Fluttershy. It didn’t take much to guess she was waiting for someone, but I didn’t see thanking her for saving my life to be that much of an intrusion, so I angled my trot straight toward her.

The noise of my hooves made Fluttershy’s ears stand at attention, then she casually looked my way. The sight of confusion appeared on her face, which was no doubt due to the fact she expected me to still be in the hospital. As I came to a halt a next to the red and white checkered picnic blanket she stood on, she turned around to face me entirely. “Berry?” Fluttershy said, and sounded as confused as she looked.

I opened my mouth to inform her of my name, but closed it before I uttered a single word. What’s the point? No need to complicate this beyond the gesture of thanking her. “I see you are waiting on somepony to arrive, so I’ll try to keep this short as possible. Thank you for apparently saving my life from whatever happened to me earlier today, and you have my eternal gratitude for what you did,” I said, sincerely.

She blushed and shirked away from me, which caused a large strand of her mane to fall in front of her left eye completely, then she looked down at the picnic blanket. Her mouth opened to mutter something, though I failed to understand a single word she said. After she finished saying whatever she said, she looked me back in the eye.

“Sorry, I didn’t catch any of that. My ears don’t seem to work properly.” I quickly tilted my head to the right, then the left, which flopped the non-functional ears about. “Could you say that again at the same level you said ‘Berry?’?”

The blush increased, then she looked to the side away from me. “Um… I… just did what anypony else would do…” The mare’s modesty was about the same as her naivety.

“No, I’m pretty sure I would’ve died on that street, with everypony who walked by thinking I was passed out drunk. I’m just lucky you came along when you did since that was when whatever I was suffering through became worse.” My words elicited a look of shock on Fluttershy’s face, and I knew I should’ve chosen my words more carefully. Movement on a dirt road in the town far behind Fluttershy caught my attention, though I couldn’t make out what it was.

She quickly brushed the strand of hair in front of her left eye back behind her left ear, which allowed me to see her horrified wide-eyed stare. “Don’t say such horrible things! Somepony else would’ve helped you!” I wasn’t sure if she was trying to convince me what she was saying was true, or herself.

Diffusing the situation before it got out of hoof needed to be done quickly. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Look,” I pointed my left forehoof at the figure trotting their way toward us. “I think whoever you were waiting for is coming.”

Fluttershy turned her head to look, and I took that moment to turn around completely, then began to trot away. My pace wasn’t one of outright running away, but I had said my piece, and didn’t want to deal with any new creatures tonight, though the shape of whoever Fluttershy had been waiting on had looked like a pony.

“Berry! Wait!” Fluttershy said, and her shout drew the attention of several of the ponies laid out in the area.

Big Mac made the motions to get up, but the rose cutie mark mare stopped him by placing a forehoof on him and saying something, then he stopped, though he stole glances our way every now and then. No one else seemed particularly interested in us beyond Fluttershy’s shout, and most continued what they were doing before the interruption.

I stopped in place and didn’t bother to turn around. The sound of a set of hooves was heard behind me, and within a moment Fluttershy galloped into view, then stood a few feet in front of me. A tired look was all I could muster in response since tired was what I was of everything.

We stared at each other in an awkward silence for at least a minute before Fluttershy opened her mouth to speak. “I… wanted to talk about… some things.” Fluttershy said, and her meek behavior was beginning to annoy me.

I looked around, then decided that where I stood was good enough. One song was all I was staying for, and hopefully, the band would begin to play before I had to listen to another pony berate me. Surprise was still nowhere in sight, but that hardly mattered due to the fact I hadn’t said I would listen to the music with her. “Say what you want, but leave when the music starts,” I said, and stared at her. If she got too annoying, then I would just see if my ability was back to normal.

“Alright.” She closed her eyes for a couple moments, then reopened them to look me in the eyes. “I was coming to talk to you this morning about your recent behavior concerning Twilight, but now I want to talk about what happened this morning. What happened to you?”

I looked toward the herd in front of the stage for any sign of the band coming on stage, but nothing seemed to be happening there yet. Everyone else laid out in view had forgotten about us, even Big Mac had ceased his glances our way. Depending on Fluttershy’s next few words, I would either be having a pleasant chat, or I would use my ability the same way I used it to convince Spike I wasn’t Berry, though the lack of evil voices would probably lead to the failure of the attempt. “No clue and the hospital couldn’t figure it out either.”

Fluttershy frowned, looked down, seemed to steel herself for whatever she was going to say next, then looked back into my eyes. “Was this morning you being careless, or…” She adjusted her gaze behind me and seemed hesitant to say whatever it was she wanted to say, but seemed to overcome whatever held her back, then returned her gaze to me. “or was that some sort of suicide attempt?”

Anger was what I felt toward this mare. She had the nerve to surpass everyone else’s accusation of lies, alcohol, and drugs, with the idea of suicide. “You don’t know me!” My feelings about suicide were strong from a personal experience.

I gained everyone’s attention with my shout, which spurred Big Mac to stand up and face us, though he didn’t make a move toward us yet as if he were analyzing the situation. I didn’t care if the draft horse-like pony got involved or not, since I could say what I wanted to say to Fluttershy before he could reach us.

“I’m not some emotionally unstable weakling, nor an inconsiderate ass who doesn’t think taking their own life will affect others!” The orange maned donkey stood up and faced us as well, with a disgruntled look on his face, though I didn’t care what I had said to draw his ire. My shouting didn’t seem to affect Fluttershy at all, as she just stood there looking at me and listening. Tears began to collect in the corners of my eyes. “Those that commit suicide should just be forgotten instead of—”

“Hey, Berry!” I heard someone shout behind me, and finally realized I had been hearing the sound of a gallop since my first shout.

I quickly turned to face whoever had the nerve to interrupt me. The who was a light orange earth pony mare, though it took me a moment to notice her actual coat color since a navy blue suit covered her coat from hoof to neckline. Her long pale yellow mane billowed behind her as she galloped straight at me, while her striking green eyes intensified a furious look on her face. The name of this mare popped into my head from seemingly nowhere.

Applejack. I stood and stared at her as she continued to head straight for me. It was like my eyes were drawn to her by some force outside my control. Only one thought occupied my mind, and it wasn’t what I would do when she reached me, nor did it make much sense. What am I missing?

“Applejack! No fighting!” I heard Fluttershy shout behind me in a more authoritative tone than she had used so far, which confirmed my foreign and unexplainable knowledge I had about the apple related ponies, though Applejack didn’t show any signs of stopping.

Applejack closed the distance between us and stopped within inches of our muzzles colliding. “Shut up,” she said, with a refined southern American accent, then quickly turned around. It wasn’t until I saw her back legs tense up that I realized what she was about to do to me, and it rhymed with the word that came to mind upon my realization.

Fuck. With only seconds to react, I brought both forelegs up to protect my face and closed my eyes in preparation of the pain I was about to experience. The feeling of a force of air hitting me from the front was felt, but no pain or contact of any kind came with it. Sounds of something hitting the ground multiple times in front of me came to my attention, so I opened my eyes and lowered my forelegs back to the ground. The sight in front of me was a strange one now.

On the ground, a few feet away laid Applejack, who had her eyes closed in pain and a forehoof to her forehead. There were several scrapes on Applejack’s face red with blood, though none of them bled much, while the navy suit she was wearing had torn in several places. I looked around in front of and behind me for what or who had caused Applejack to end up on the ground, but no sign of anything or anyone beyond me presented itself. Everyone behind me was standing, seemingly in shock and awe at what had happened, while I tried to figure out what had happened.

Does it really matter what happened? I had somehow escaped any physical harm from a pony’s buck and that was the only thing that mattered. All I needed to do was file away whatever I or someone else had done as magic and forget about it.

“Applejack!” I heard Fluttershy shout again, but this time, it was in a more distressed tone. She ran past me toward Applejack, who was attempting to stand and grimacing in pain, then tried to stop her from moving.

The sound of galloping was yet again heard behind me, though I noticed the clip-clopping was much heavier than either Fluttershy’s or Applejack’s had been, which gave me a pretty good idea which pony it was. Upon turning my back to Applejack and Fluttershy, my guess of Big Mac was confirmed, but I noticed something different in his eyes compared to Applejack’s fury, and that difference was fear. I smiled and relaxed my posture since I knew he wasn’t going to attack me.

“Fluttershy! Let me up! Big Mac is gonna get himself hurt!” Applejack said, behind me, and the sounds of struggling followed right after.

“No, and he isn’t,” Fluttershy said, and the certainty in her tone was so absolute it was unsettling how right she was.

The ponies and two donkeys nearby were looking at me, with the same fear I saw in Big Mac’s eyes, though the disturbance I was causing hadn’t reached the attention of the herd in front of the concert stage. The fear made me strangely feel good and in control of the entire situation, which allowed me to realize I could turn this into an opportunity.

Big Mac finished his gallop a few feet away from me and made a gulping motion before opening his mouth. “Le-leave,” he said, though even his deep voice didn’t hide his fear, but bravery was doing something even when you are afraid, and that made me respect him.

“Alright,” I said, very chipperly, which caught him by surprise. “However…” What confusion I had caused him was replaced with fear again. “I would like to say something to everyone here before I do. Is that fine?” I was going to say it anyway, but I was enjoying being polite.

“F-fine.” he said, then backed away in a hurry.

I thought what I was going to say through, then cleared my throat. “Hello, ponies and donkeys of Ponyville! I address you tonight to enlighten you to something you all will undoubtedly enjoy!” Confusion began to spread throughout the crowd. “All of your collective annoyance, disgust, and hatred toward Berry Punch has finally come to fruition! You see, since noon yesterday, I, Jack Taylor, have assumed the role of Berry Punch in your community.

“I have no plans to play the drunkard, nor the pitiful daughter who can’t just accept her parents are dead and move on. Quite honestly, I’m surprised you’ve dealt with her existence for as long as you have. If we could alter the minds of others where I come from like you can here, then we would just reprogram the degenerates of society into more useful beings.” They seemed somewhat horrified by my words, but that was my goal. “Oh! Sorry, I’m getting off topic here, though I bet ‘sorry’ isn’t a word you’ve heard in Berry’s voice for quite some time!

“In closing, I ask you all to rejoice and spread the good news! Berry Punch will be gone for as long as no creature in this world cares she is gone, and from what I’ve learned so far, I doubt even her own sister will object to the alternative I am offering! Thank you, and enjoy the show!” I said, finishing the reverse psychology filled speech, though I truly wondered if anyone would believe my replacement speech, even with the part pretending to be so candid about basically murder.

Nobody said anything, though the crowd was full of different looks that suggested I had at least planted the seed for discussion, which was all I could ask. I moved forward toward the oblivious mass of creatures still waiting on a concert within minutes of starting, if not less. The ponies on the outskirts in my path moved out of the way without a word, and it didn’t take long to move past them into the empty grass field that separated them from the main herd.

I looked back over my left shoulder to see any effect I had on anyone that had heard my speech. Some continued to stare at me, while most couples returned to laying or sitting next to each other. Big Mac had returned to rose cutie mark mare, who was saying a lot more to him than he did to her, and I got the feeling she was enamored with him after the bravery she had witnessed him seemingly commit.

Applejack was now standing, and although I couldn’t hear her, I could tell from the way she was speaking and waving her foreleg in Fluttershy’s direction that she was angry. After a minute, Applejack turned, then walked away. Fluttershy hung her head low, walked back to the spot where her picnic blanket was laid out, then laid down. I felt somewhat bad that I had caused so much with a simple attempt to say thanks.

Turning back toward the main herd, I was met with the sudden sight of Surprise hovering in front of me. The shock of her being there was short lived, and I recollected myself almost instantly. She had an unsure expression and holding what looked like three milkshakes, which going from left to right were colored white, brown, and pink, to her chest with her forelegs. Knowing what I knew of her so far, I was sure she had been hovering just out of sight for some time.

“Well? When did you get back, how much longer till the concert begins,” I pointed my left forehoof at the milkshakes. “and is one of those for me?” Being as direct as possible with her was a necessity by this point.

“Um…” I appreciated that she gave time to answer my questions, but it wasn’t like I was asking her anything that required much thought. “Around the time Fluttershy told you to wait… one minute and 42 seconds from now…” She looked down at the milkshakes within her possession. “Yeah, which flavor do you want?”

“Which do you like the most?” I didn’t care about myself in this situation, but I did see something nice I could do.

“Chocolate is my favorite. Do you want it?” The smile and enthusiasm she showed in offering me her favorite was heartwarming.

“No. Which flavor would Fluttershy like the most?” Will she pick up on what I’m going to ask her to do before I even say it?

“Oh, well, Fluttershy likes vanilla the most out of the big three. Is that the one you want?” She was completely oblivious to where the conversation was going.

“Nah, I’ll take the pink one.” I moved forward, then moved my right forehoof under the pink milkshake since that one was closer to and easier to grab the milkshake with. Surprise released her forelegs’ grip on the milkshake, which allowed me to lower it down to be held atop the hoof. “Could you do something for me?”

“What is it?” She continued to smile and hover in the air.

“Go deliver that vanilla milkshake to Fluttershy and keep her company. I ruined her… date with Applejack?” I didn’t get the feeling their relationship was anything more than sisterly, but I could’ve been wrong. “Are they lesbians?” It was time to see just how blunt I could be with Surprise.

Surprise giggled at my insinuation. “No, they aren’t marefriends.” The amusement she was having about my blunt inquiry was unexpected. “They just usually end up where the couples are because of Applejack’s—” She stopped speaking suddenly and blinked her eyes several times. “Because Applejack and Fluttershy both don’t do well in crowds, but Fluttershy is always trying to get Applejack to socialize more and thinks they should at least be near other ponies.”

What did she omit about Applejack? It was strange how Surprise changed the subject like that but in the grand scheme of things it didn’t really matter. “Please, just go keep Fluttershy company. I need some alone time.”

“You promise to stay for at least one song? I know you didn’t Sur—”

“Surprise, I don’t need some magical promise to keep me to my word. I said I would stay for one song and I meant it. Now then, thank you for this milkshake and tell Fluttershy I’m sorry for the trouble I caused,” I said, and meant it.

She hovered in the air with a blank expression for a few moments, then a pleasant smile formed on her muzzle. “You’re good at being a pony,” she said, then flew past me without another word.

I sat down, then held the milkshake between both forehooves and took a sip through the straw in it. Cherry?

The massive herd a fair distance away erupted in a chorus of cheers, then I heard the sound of a microphone being adjusted.

“Hello, everypony!” A somewhat raspy female said. “Before we start tonight, I would like to thank you all for showing up to see the coolest, awesomest, most radical peg—” The voice stopped suddenly when the mic picked up an incomprehensible shout from someone. “band in all of Equestria! Rainbow Thrash!”

The crowd cheered again even louder than before.

It was nice to just relax and enjoy the moment. Ever since I woke up in this world, it had seemed like I was hitting a brick wall over and over again, though a brick wall wasn’t probably the best analogy for what I had dealt with so far since an actual brick wall seemed like an easy thing to hit with the body I had been given. I couldn’t do anything else tonight, or at least anything constructive to my situation, so enjoying the break was the best thing to do. Nothing could ruin this time alone.

A fast tempo and aggressive music began to play.

“Metal?!” Almost nothing could ruin this time alone.

(0) (0)

As I walked the deserted streets of Ponyville, the sound of the concert distant and incomprehensible, I thought about Rainbow Thrash. I had stayed for more than the one song I promised to Surprise. Initially, it was just to finish the milkshake Surprise had given me, but the band had showcased a unique sound that kept me around.

First, the singer, who was the same female I had heard before the music began, was very passionate and even instilled fear in me with the songs about manticores or changelings. Second, the guitarist was so perfectly in sync with the vocalist I had the feeling the vocalist was also the guitarist, though I hadn’t bothered to find out if that was true. Third, the bassist was passionate, accentuated the guitar and vocals, and was even the driving force in one song. Fourth, the drummer’s drumming was complex and distinct. Lastly and most surprisingly, the band had a keyboardist, which left a mystifying effect on the music.

Overall, Rainbow Thrash wasn’t bad, just outside my taste of music. I probably would’ve bought some of their music for times when I wasn’t in the mood for the usual. Thinking about owning any of their music made me wonder where this world was at technologically, and if the music would be stored on something as old as a vinyl disc or something more magical; not that I hadn’t known a few people in California who thought listening to vinyl was a magical experience in itself.

What had made me leave before the concert was probably even half over was simply the fact I was tired. I just wanted to get back to the closest thing I had to a home, then sleep away the hours that were between me and getting home. All I had to do was show up at Twilight’s castle tomorrow for it all to end.

A strange soft noise from nearby broke me from my thoughts. The sound built up to a hum before receding back down the sound spectrum, then began to build back up again. Searching around me for the source of the sound proved fruitless, but just as I was about to ignore it I noticed a faint pink light radiating onto the ground below.

Looking down, I was met with the culprit of the sound and light, which was the pendant on the necklace I had found in Berry’s saddlebags earlier today, but I noticed something else odd about it as well. The necklace, along with the bow and arrow shaft, remained silver, but the ruby colored heart shaped tip and fletchings had inexplicably turned pink.

The light and sound coming from the pendant were oddly comforting. Why in the world is it doing this now? Heh, isn’t glowing blue, so orcs aren’t— A hard hit to the right side of my head interrupted me from my thoughts and knocked me to the ground. The sound and light my pendant was emitting ceased.

My vision was blurry. The punch, or at least I thought it had been a punch, left me more than in pain; it left me drained to the point I was barely able to move. I had a good guess as to who it was that had attacked me and strained myself with a roll onto my back to see if I was right; I was.

Standing over me, in a pinstripe suit, was Applejack, and had applied several adhesive bandages to her face where there had been scrapes earlier. Anger radiated from her face and stance. “I don’t know how or what you did to take me down in one hit earlier, but you ain’t gonna get so lucky this time!” Applejack said.

I probably should’ve been scared, since I was probably about to be beaten up, but I could barely muster enough energy to move let alone be scared. With great difficulty, I managed to move my left forehoof up to my chest and lifted the pendant into my line of sight. The tip and fletchings of the arrow in the bow of the pendant had gone completely clear. “This is your fault,” I said, and didn’t feel the least bit silly for talking to an inanimate object; I felt that all things should know my disdain for them regardless of their state of animation.

“You brought this on yourself! Now get up!” She kicked me in the side with the side of a forehoof.

The kick made me groan, though something strange happened for a moment. It had been something visual, like one of those subliminal message images flashing by in a video. I couldn’t be sure, though I swore I saw myself, or at least me in Berry’s body, from another angle somehow.

Why couldn’t she just knock me out with that first punch? I looked at her and into her eyes to see if I could escape the initial effects of a beating that way, but I didn’t even feel the faintest sign of my ability. It looked like I was going to have to talk my way out of this; I was as good as beaten up already with my track record in conversations. “Before you hit me again, could you tell me exactly why you are doing it? I wish to avoid repeating any transgressions Berry has committed in the past.” If I was lucky, the droning of my voice would at least dampen her need to inflict violence.

“Ya know what you did, so cut the act and fight me!” Applejack said, then struck me in the stomach with the bottom of a forehoof.

It happened again. Alongside the pain and gasp from me, an additional view appeared for a second, and I knew the perspective had been from Applejack’s point of view. For that brief moment, it was like I had been in two places at once, with two different bodies; the experience was the most disorienting thing I had encountered in this world so far.

Guess I’ll just have to pretend I am Berry. I broke eye contact with Applejack by closing my eyes, then relaxed on my back. “Sorry, I get so blackout drunk sometimes I can’t remember anything. Would you please tell me exactly what I did, so that I can mentally connect the pain you have and are going to inflict upon me to the misdeed? Whatever lesson you are trying to teach me will be lost on me otherwise.” What I said was as close as I thought Berry spoke, or at least what I picked up from the notes in her bedroom and photo memory.

The background noise of the concert was the only sound that filled my hearing for a minute. “Fine,” Applejack said, in an unsettling calm voice. “This,” She struck me in the side hard enough to flip me over onto my stomach. “is for preying on Twilight when she was emotionally vulnerable.”

The perspective shift happened again. It was a lot less disorienting with my own eyes closed, but feeling like I was in two different places at once was still very jarring. I didn’t know what was going on, but a sense of dread overtook me as I watched Applejack calmly take another few steps toward me from her eyes before it cut-out again.

“This,” I felt what could only have been both of her forehooves come down on my back. “is for being callous about suicide.”

Yet again, Applejack’s perspective was added onto my own. I tried to focus on Applejack’s senses over mine, which dulled the pain, but not by much. Trying to rationalize what was happening was futile in this world, so I focused on something more realistic, like the fear Applejack might just kill me. I watched Applejack move over me so that I was in between her legs, move her right forehoof under my right side, turn me over to face her, then opened my own eyes to stare up at Applejack, but felt too weak to say anything. The sight and other senses from Applejack’s body cut-out again.

“And this,” Instead of another attack, she placed both forehooves on my chest. “is for ruining my favorite suit.”

I gasped as I regained Applejack’s senses. I didn’t know what she was doing, other than the fact I was losing my sense of pain and vision in Berry’s body, but I could see from Applejack’s side that Berry’s coat, mane, and eyes dulled as she continued doing whatever it was. The focused look on Applejack’s face told me she wasn’t going to stop.

Applejack! Stop! That strange energy I was feeling earlier is her soul! I heard a new female say, with an unrefined southern American accent, or at least thought I had heard before realizing the words hadn’t been heard through either my or Applejack’s ears.

The colors of Berry’s body continued to fade and I had lost all feeling in it. Applejack was seemingly consumed by anger and didn’t react at all to the distressed voice that she had apparently been in contact with.

Suddenly, a third perspective was added on top of mine and Applejack’s. It was the sight of two hands on the steering wheel of a moving car, but it wasn’t just any pair of hands on any car’s steering wheel, they were both mine. I didn’t have the time to think about how Berry had learned to drive a car in no more than four days, as I noticed Berry’s sight blur, head droop downward, then the car drifting into the oncoming lane and on a collision course with an 18 wheeler truck.

The horror of my situation left me unable to think of anything I could do. I was about to die in one world, while a pony in control of my body was going to get into an almost certainly fatal car crash in another.

You’re gonna kill her, Applejack! Like you killed me! The unknown female said.

Those words broke her out of whatever trance she was in and caused her to take her forehooves off of me, then stumble over her hooves as she distanced herself from me.

Berry’s vision refocused, then she noticed the danger she was in and turned the steering wheel a hard right to avoid the now heavily breaking and horn blowing 18 wheeler. Her attempt to correct her course was too much though and sent her off the road into the snow. After a few tense moments of the car plowing through snow, it stopped. I was safe in one aspect, but I still laid half dead, if not more, on my back in Ponyville.

Applejack’s perspective was focused largely on my breathing, though I saw the color was slowly coming back to my mane and coat.

Applejack! What the hay was going through that cotton-picking mind of your’s?! Not only did you try to start a fight again, but you kept attacking somepony who couldn’t even fight you back, then almost killed them in the process! What part of ‘soul’ made you think it was okay to keep draining her?! Whoever she was, and I was sure it wasn’t any of The Seven, she was livid with Applejack.

Berry had recollected herself and seemingly put figuring out what had happened to her as a secondary problem to the primary one, that she couldn’t reverse back onto the road. “Guess it's time to figure out who to call for stuck cars,” Berry said, then as she was pulling out my phone the perspective cut out.

Tears distorted Applejack’s vision. “I-I don’t know. It was like the in-instant I put both my f-forehooves on her I lost c-control of myself.” Applejack said, then moved a foreleg up to her eyes and wiped her tears on her suit’s sleeve. “I felt that she didn’t m-matter anymore. That e-everything would be b-better without her around.” A sob escaped Applejack’s muzzle. “I’m just a m-monster the E.P.A. should’ve l-locked away in T-Tartarus after I k-killed you as a filly. No, I shouldn’t have even been b-born, then you w-would still be alive.”

I tried to move, but I could barely lift a forehoof; the only help I would get any time soon would be from the same mare that almost killed me only moments ago. My eyelids felt heavy, but I tried my best to stay conscious by paying attention to Applejack and the unnamed female voice.

Applejack, you know how I died wasn’t your fault, so pull yourself together. Should’ve would’ve could’ve never did nothing for nopony. You hurt Berry and now you’re gonna help her to try to make up for what you did to her. She might think of you as a monster after tonight for the rest of her life, there might even be some ponies that get the same idea once what you did gets out, but the only thing that matters is you do the right thing, right here, right now.

More sobs came from Applejack. “Wh-what if I accidentally t-touch her and it hap-happens again? Granny, I couldn’t l-live with t-two deaths to my name. Not even Flut-Fluttershy could talk me out of en-ending things at that point.”

Granny? Applejack’s first use of any name for this female voice didn’t quite fit. The voice I heard sounded fairly young, though there was the possibility she had been a young grandmother, or even that what I had decided was a ghost could alter the sound others heard.

I know, Applejack. One is already too much for you or anypony else to bear alone, but you have your family and friends to help shoulder the weight. Just trust in yourself and you’ll get through this day like every other day up till this point.

“Alright,” Applejack said, then took a step forward. “Just like—” Applejack froze and the perspective from her flickered.

What’s wrong? Why’d you stop?

“A four… no… five-way struggle…” Applejack’s voice had gone monotone and she stared at me blankly.

Applejack? Say something to me!

“Limitless…” Applejack said, then collapsed the ground, while I lost her perspective as well.

It was nice to only be seeing out of my own eyes, though I could’ve done without the growing pain I was feeling as my nervous system regained strength. I didn’t feel good, but I decided I wasn’t going to die tonight, which in a world of magic I was pretty sure I could will to be true. All I needed was a nap, then I would become friends with Applejack by Surprise Swearing not to tell anyone about any of this.

The slow and steady sound of two sets of hooves getting closer to me came to my attention, but whoever they were would have to wait until after my nap.

Tomorrow will be the end. As I felt a pair of forehooves touch me, I lost consciousness.

Author's Note

Proofreaders/Pre-Readers:
Busstop
Snuffy

So, here it is, after over two months since my last update. I honestly don't try to alienate everyone reading this, but I know that this chapter took things even weirder than before and I'm sorry if this was the chapter that I lost you on.

Now then, if I had to say anything else along the same level as what happened at the end of this chapter will happen again, then I can say that something on that same level will happen halfway into the next chapter and continue until the end of the arc, which is two more days in story time and who knows how long in writer time.

Last Grammar Update: 2016-10-06

Wayward Plans 1.4

It was plain and simple, I was angry. Not the kind of anger like a maelstrom, but the kind that drives you toward something, and that something was going home. These ponies hadn’t listened to a word I’d said so far with their constant dismissal, and I was sick of it. Sure, their behavior had been understandable, but I was done being understanding. That nurse had shown me what they were really like, they were all bark and no bite, or all neigh and no buck in their case. I hadn’t run into any other staff on my way out of the hospital room I woke up in yet, but I would tell them off just like that nurse.

Typical doctors. Like always, they can’t figure out what is wrong with me. Of course, their first thought is drug use, but at least back home they would run their blood tests and stop asking that nonsense. If they can’t move past the accusation of drug use here, then there is no reason to stay here.

The green walls and blue linoleum flooring gave the hospital a much more inviting look than most hospitals I had ever seen, even the patient rooms themselves looked inviting with all the nature themes I saw in the open ones I passed. I wasn’t quite sure where I was going, with my anger still fresh and burning from my encounter with that nurse, but I felt like I was making progress toward my goal of getting home, and that was enough for me. I pushed open one-half of a pair of doors and saw the light of day through a pair of glass automatic sliding doors, further down this corridor and through what looked to be the waiting room.

I continued my way toward the exit but heard the sound of hooves running and the doors opening behind me. My movement was ceased when a dull cyan glow filled my vision. "Ah ah ah, Miss Punch," A male said, behind me.

The sound of hooves continued, but at a much slower pace, and a stallion came into view. The unicorn stallion had a light amber coat, a dark wood brown mane, cerulean eyes, and a dull cyan glow coming from his horn. This stallion stood out from all the other ponies I had seen so far with his doctor’s coat, a stethoscope slung behind his head, and small reading glasses that were hooked over his muzzle, but the clothing and accessories did make sense.

“You have to stay in bed until we figure out what happened to you. Now will you go back to your room quietly or do I have to call an orderly? If we have to go with the second, we will also have to strap you to the bed, and that wouldn’t be very comfortable,” the doctor said, or at least he looked like one.

The dull cyan force that surrounded my body disappeared and I looked him straight in the eyes. “Leave me alone,” I said, and kept my voice level, even though I wanted to yell at him for threatening me and give him a quick jab with a forehoof to the face. The stallion's eyes went wide and distant, then he walked back the way he came from.

I walked toward the sliding doors but gave a look toward the receptionist. The pony was an earth pony mare, had a dull blue coat, a mint green mane, purple eyes, and a simple red cross on her nurse’s cap. All it took was a look from me for her to freeze up and not say a word to me. The doors slid open, then I left the hospital without another thought.

(0) (0)

I felt like I could do anything since I had left the hospital with just words and a stern attitude. I swore I had been this confrontational before when the pleasantries didn’t work, but I felt different. Maybe I just hadn’t been in the right mindset? If I keep this up, I know that Twilight will cave into my demands, then this will all be over. The ponies continued to avoid me, but I didn’t care, I didn’t need them. I had seen the top of that crystal castle finally, and I made my way in the general direction of it through the winding streets of this village.

“Hey, Jack!” I heard a familiar someone say above and behind me. The voice of the only pony that had been nice to me, well the only other with Fluttershy now, the voice of Surprise. I wasn’t in the mood for or even needed her anymore.

“Go away!” I said, then turned around to give her a good look of my eyes, but she was nowhere to be seen. Am I hearing things now? I turned around to continue my way toward the castle and found Surprise stood in front of me instead. “Gah!” I said, then fell back onto my rear, with my tail sticking out in between my legs.

“Sorry, Jack. I was trying not to surprise you, but you turned around right when I landed, and I didn’t have time to think about what I should say to not surprise you since I was busy trying to figure out if you were still Jack or if you were Berry. See, Twilight said she sent you home when I brought Spike back last night, but I realized later she didn’t say how so I went back to check whether she sent you back to your world or if she sent you to Berry’s home. When I got there, she said ‘Surprise! It’s midnight! Stop worrying about Berry!’, and then I said ‘I’m not worried about Berry. I’m worrying about Jack.’, then she made that groan she makes when she is frustrated and I took that as a hint to leave. Anyway—”

I finally recovered from the surprise and stood up on all fours. “Go away!” I said, while looking her straight in the eyes.

“Wow, you look just like Fluttershy when she gets angry! Whenever Berry gets angry, typically after she has had a few, her eyes get half-lidded and she starts fights. That reminds me! I saw Fluttershy and she said she took you to the hospital today. She didn’t know what exactly happened to you, but she said that the doctors said you suffered a magical overload that almost killed you. I guess Fluttershy just heard wrong though since here you are and not in the hospital. What did happen to you though?”

My anger was sapped by this mare, I just couldn’t be angry with her around. Annoyed maybe, but not angry. “Actually, Fluttershy was right, at least that is what the nurse said. As for what actually happened to me? No clue.”

“But they let you go from the hospital?” She looked me up and down with a puzzled looked on her face.

“Pretty much.” Give or take a stern word and mean look.

“Wow…” She seemed lost in thought. “Guess it is that earth pony resilience of your’s, or… well, Berry’s body that is.” She gave me a warm smile with closed eyes.

“Yeah, well I got places to be.” I walked past her and resumed going in the general direction of the castle.

“Huh?” I heard her say, then her upside down face entered my vision from above. “Where ya going?” she said, as she flew backward in front of me.

“Somewhere.” I can’t tell her where I’m going, she’ll want to come along and I need to be able to get back in that mood I was in earlier.

“Can I come?” It felt like she was a child with how innocently she asked.

Even if I say no, she might just follow me anyway. I’m not going to be able to make myself angry if she is around, she reminds me too much of Katherine, at least in her enthusiasm. I stopped and turned my head back at the saddlebags, then an idea struck me. I turned my head back to Surprise and hoped it would work. “Surprise, do you ever have parties with alcohol?”

“Sometimes, though I don’t drink any myself, still being underage. After the absinthe incident, I don’t ever want to touch any kind ever again really. Why?”

“Well, this morning I noticed Berry’s house lacked nearly any food, and I think I ate the last bit there was. I was hoping that you could buy some food for me and take the alcohol in the kitchen in exchange for whatever you think fair. Interested in helping me out? Just in case Twilight doesn’t help me again today.” Not likely though, from what I’ve heard, Twilight will be the easiest pushover.

“Hmm…” She seemed to mull over my offer. “Deal!” She flipped over and began to fly away.

“Wait!” She was going to need the house keys. I didn’t want her to get there and then figure out she couldn’t get in, which might lead to her seeking me out.

Surprise flew back toward me. “What?”

“You’ll need a key.” I turned my head and fished the ring of keys out of the saddlebags, then held them in my mouth before her.

“Oh, I was just going to pick the lock.” She grabbed the keys with a forehoof. “Anything else?”

I gave her a deadpanned look. “Did you seriously admit to me that you were going to break into Berry’s home? That you can pick a lock?”

“Um…” She looked a little sheepish. “Yes? Is that all?”

“If you would, please empty the entire kitchen of alcohol, but leave the wine in the wine cellar alone. I may not care for Berry, but she might get mad at you if you took any of what I think is fairly expensive wine.”

“You don’t like Berry? Why?”

“Have you seen her life lately?”

“Well, I guess stepping into someone else’s life at rock bottom wouldn’t be a very nice experience. Just…” She seemed to stop and formulate what she wanted to say next. “Remember that Berry is a being like you or me? I don’t know why it is that every time I seem to make any progress with Berry it just seems to disappear like it never happened, but I remember how smart she was. How she could look at someone who was feeling down and formulate the perfect drink to bring a smile to their face. And if they weren’t thirsty, she could lend an ear and know just the right things to say to make everything better.” She looked at me thoughtfully, with an uncertain smile. “If Berry were right here and right now asking me to get rid of alcohol in her house, well, I’d be very proud of her.”

“I’m sure she would.” I gave her a smile. “Now, if that is all, you can go now.”

“Yeah…” She turned and flew off, but not nearly as energetically as she had before.

Well, that should keep her busy for a while. I continued on my way and hoped for no more distractions. I may have found Surprise annoying in how she liked to ramble on, but I knew she had a good heart, and just didn’t want her to see the monster I needed to be.

(0) (0)

I had found the castle and was ready to confront Princess Twilight, but I had stopped at the base of the stairs that led up to the double front door. Stairs… I didn’t know what it was about the stairs, as they looked perfectly normal as far as stairs went, but I had this nagging feeling in the back of my mind I was missing something about them. Is nag a curse word here? I shook my head and ignored the feeling, then ascended said stairs to the front door and entered the castle.

It was strange to just be able to walk into the castle like someone had just left their front door unlocked and I decided to go into their house. I supposed it was more than a home though since Surprise had spoken of Princess Twilight as some protector of the land, but what exactly it was beyond a home I couldn’t fathom. If the castle were the central place of government here, then it should’ve been busy and full of the ponies. Maybe the government is completely autonomous outside of this princess and she just gets paid for being the protector of the village? Protection from what though?

The castle was the same as it had been yesterday, but it seemed so much more lonely than it had yesterday, something that Surprise had distracted me from. The glacier blue crystal tile flooring gave the place a cold feeling, though the royal purple carpet with its gold trim did warm it somewhat, if not only in a distant and detached way that the idea of royalty gave me. Suppose having someone that could fly and use magic as a protector would leave you with peace of mind in a world of uncertainties.

I tried to remember how far Surprise and I walked before we stopped at the entrance of the library, but my attention had been so focused on Surprise, that I hadn’t even paid attention to if we went around a corner or not. I knew the library was big and should’ve been along the outer edge of the castle due to the windows, but for all I knew the library could’ve been bigger on the inside and right in the middle of the castle. Anything seemed possible in this world, which I probably should’ve been in awe of, but all I could think about was the fact that my life back home could be falling apart.

A pair of doors stood out to me for some reason, regardless of the fact every other doorway had a pair of doors and looked the same as it. I opened both doors and was met with the library from yesterday. The library itself was a little different than before, due to its lack of flying books and alicorn princess, but Spike was here with his back to the library's doors, along with a pile of cushions that said dragon was laying atop. I tried to remember how Spike had treated me yesterday. What would the term be for him? All smoke and no fire? Bet he is just like the rest of them, ignorant and unwilling to listen. My anger began to grow.

The dragon seemed to have heard the doors open and sat up, but kept his back to me still, and I heard a heavy sigh come from him. “Look, Twilight. I’m sorry for how I acted toward Berry yesterday. It’s just she brings out that obsessive side of you, and that never ends well when faced with a problem you can’t solve.”

I continued my casual walk toward him, with no interest in correcting him. Why does he think I’m Twilight? Does she have a habit of silent treatment when angry? Well, catching him off guard might make him more willing to tell me where Twilight is, or at the very least give him a well-deserved fright.

“Fine, I’ll apologize to Berry next time I see her.” He began to turn around. “So how is—” His eyes landed on me, and went from surprise to confusion in quick succession. “Berry?” He removed himself from the pile of cushions to stand on all fours.

I stopped my stride and looked him straight in the eyes as angrily as I could, but he didn’t seem intimidated at all, just like Surprise wasn’t. Figures that the being with claws wouldn’t be intimidated by me, though can only guess as to the reason Surprise wasn’t. I couldn’t fuel my anger, not if he was sincere in what he said. Might as well get something nice out of him. “Well?”

“Shouldn’t…” He looked me up and down. “Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”

“Where is my apology? You said you would apologize next time you see Berry, and you are seeing her right now, even if I’m still Jack Taylor.”

His facial expression changed to a look of disbelief. “Does that really matter right now? We heard from Rarity, that Fluttershy took you to the hospital today, and the doctors said you almost died. Why are you on your hooves and here?”

“Well, they didn’t see fit to stop me from leaving the hospital, so it must not have been that bad, that or they just don’t care enough about Berry to keep me there for a 24-hour observation, which I could understand. The reason I’m here is because Princess Twilight failed to help me yesterday.” It was all basically the truth.

He stood up on both legs and crossed both of his arms, which showed off how slender his body was compared to the ponies I had seen so far. “So you possibly almost die and your first priority is to find Twilight?”

I gave him a smile. “Pretty much. So where is Princess Twilight? She already said she could do something with my mind, which will hopefully prove to you all that I am what I say I am.”

He raised a scaly eyebrow and had a smirk on his face. “A liar?”

I walked straight up to him, my eye level at his stomach, and looked up him. Damn, he is tall on two legs. Guess he wears overwear as well. “Where. Is. Princess. Twilight?”

He uncrossed his arms and took a step back toward the pillows. “She went to the hospital a little while ago.”

“What happened to her?”

“Nothing, she went there to see you. Mysterious magical occurrences are her specialty.”

My left eye began to twitch. “You have got to be kidding me!” I fell to my rear, with my back legs stuck out from under me, while my front legs were off to the side. “Heh, she came looking for me and I went looking for her.”

He went back to standing on all four, which seemed to mean that he was done trying to look intimidating. “Well, she’ll come back here eventually, not like the doctor would’ve let you go if you had suffered something life threatening.”

I made a small chuckle at his statement. “They did though…”

“What are you talking about, Berry?”

I looked at him and tried to get a sense of the kind of person he was. Straight talk isn’t working. I know I can anger him with ease, but that won’t get me anywhere. Sympathy maybe? “Have you ever thought about how awful it would be to be Berry Punch? To just wake up one day hated by everyone?”

He sat down on his rear and copied my pose. “Berry, I—”

“Jack.” I wouldn’t be called Berry anymore, I would make sure of that.

“Seriously, Be—”

“Jack.” I gave him a look that I hoped conveyed how serious I was.

“Fine, Jack it is. Happy now?”

“Yes.” I gave him a smile. “So you were saying?”

He rolled his eyes, then gave me a serious look. “Jack, I don’t hate you.”

“So you’ve never thought if Berry Punch were just to disappear, that your’s and everyone else’s lives would be better?” I gave him a knowing look, someone who showed as much anger as him yesterday had to have had that thought.

He looked away for a moment, a moment of hesitation in what he wanted to say. “No.”

“Really now? Well, you’re a better being than I. If I met someone like Berry, I wouldn’t want her in my life. How do you deal with her?”

He looked around a little, seemingly confused by my question. “This is getting really weird.”

“When was the last time you had a real conversation with Berry?”

“Never? She is typically too drunk to talk with, though she sure can argue.” He let out a small sigh.

“If I were an imposter, you wouldn’t even be able to tell?”

“No?”

“How do you tell if someone is a…” What were they called? Not shapeshifters, but— “Changeling?”

“Weren’t you claiming to be an outsider?”

“Yes, but it seems like the same thing would apply.”

“Not really, changelings are masters of disguise and manipulation. We hardly know anything about them, other than their need to consume love. While an outsider would be, well Discord, since Discord is the only outsider ever. See that is the problem with this story of your’s, you went beyond plausible. Changelings or a magical entity are within plausibility, but you are claiming that you have the mind of an outsider in you. The Equestrian Protection Agency would’ve been alerted to a breach between worlds, that is the whole purpose of their existence.”

“Have they ever had a breach of this barrier between worlds?”

“I guess? Everything they do isn’t public knowledge.”

“What do they do that is public knowledge?”

“Well, in short, they advance science and train agents to address threats.”

“I think this E.P.A. of your’s isn’t as good as you think it…”

“I’ve seen them in action, trust me, they are.”

I let out a sigh. “Seems we have come to a standstill. You refuse to believe or offer me a way to prove that I am what I say I am.”

“If it helps, you haven’t been as terrible to be around so far.” He flashed me a toothy smile, which showcased his fangs.

I looked around at all the books, which gave me an idea. “Have you read many medical books?”

“A few…” He gave me a scrutinizing look. “Why?”

“Ah, well I’d like for you to diagnose me in a moment.”

“I’m a librarian.” He gave me a deadpanned look.

“That’s alright. Doctors have always failed me when I do what I am about to do.”

“And that is?”

“Is there a type of magic that requires eye contact?”

“Sight magic, but you can’t do that.”

“Hmm, I always thought it was a psychic ability, but that is an answer. Ready for me to relive one of your memories?”

“I don’t know, are you going to do something really stupid?”

“Great! Begin diagnoses!” I looked him straight in the eyes and the world faded away.

(0) (0)

Was that a cruel thing to do? Wonder how long he’ll just sit there thinking I’m playing a trick on him. Will he nudge me to try for a reaction? I’ll probably be knocked over when I wake up, and hopefully relatively unharmed, I thought, while I waited for the memory to begin.

Before anything formed, I felt a wave of anxiety wash over me. I can’t do this, I thought, but at the same time felt as if I hadn’t, and was terrified for seemingly no reason at all. It was as if failing had become the only possible outcome to everything, that there was nothing I could do to pass the test. Test? What test? What is going on with this memory? There was something really wrong with this memory like it was trying to do something to me.

Sight and sound came into focus, but it was all wrong, there was no way this was Spike’s memory. The muzzle in sight wasn’t Spike’s scaled light purple dragon one, but a lavender pony foal’s muzzle. I focused on what I was feeling throughout the body but noticed a distinct lack of extra limbs that would’ve been wings, though I did feel a horn upon the head of this filly. I was at a loss, as it seemed that even my ability decided to stop following the sense I was used to.

This lavender filly was seated on what felt like a cushion and was looking at an analog clock on an aquamarine wall, with even her hearing attuned to the clock’s constant ticking. What’s taking so long? Did they forget about me? No, this is probably a part of the test! They are testing my patience! The filly thought, and she sounded somewhat like Twilight.

The sound of a conversation could be heard, but it was indiscernible due to the fact this filly hadn’t paid attention to it. What if they ask me to transmogrify something? The only book I read on that was ‘Apples to Oranges’! I don’t have the magical skills to do any of that yet!

A dark brown coated earth pony stallion, with a long straight black mane and piercing blue eyes, obstructed the filly’s focus on the clock. The stallion removed a tray from his back with a forehoof, which was when I noticed how half of each of his legs’ coat hairs were black from knees to hooves, then lowered it down toward the filly to reveal several small glasses of water. “Glass of water?” he said,

The anxiety this filly was under increased with this new development. What do I do? Do I take one? What if waiting on the current filly to finish her entrance exam takes so long I need to go tinkle? They might call my name and fail me for not being here! But what if I have to recite a series of verbal spell? If I don’t drink any water, my mouth might get dry and I might misspeak a word! I could very well unleash dark forces upon Equestria! I don’t want to go to Tartarus! I wasn’t sure exactly what the filly’s facial expression was, but I was pretty sure it was along the lines of abject horror.

The stallion raised an eyebrow at the filly. “Child, if you are this worked up about your entrance exam, then you’ll have a streak of gray alongside those other colors in your mane by the time you graduate. Want a tip that will help you succeed in almost any situation?”

I doubt one tip is that good. “Sure…” the filly said, in a very resigned way.

“There are only two things you need to become a great mage: an open mind and a vast imagination. If you have and use both of those today in your entrance exam, then I’m sure you’ll pass it with ease,” he said, and gave the filly a smile.

“Really?” There was a lot of doubt in her voice.

“Really. Now, how about a small glass of water? You never know, passing the entrance exam might be as simple as saying a few sentences. You don’t want to have a dry mouth if that happens.”

The filly levitated one of the small glasses of water in her magenta magic from the tray, gulped down the mouthful, and then levitated it back onto the tray. “Thanks,” she said, and I could tell she meant it due to all the anxiety she had seemed to melt away.

“You’re welcome, and good luck.” The stallion transferred the tray to his back and turned to walk off, which gave Twilight a look at his tattoo of an open book, but it looked a little off to me. The tattoo was fine really, with its simplicity of a red outline and squiggly lines on the pages, but it looked like it could’ve been centered and skewed slightly better, like all the others I had seen. Overall, it was a minute detail that didn’t really matter, something that just bugged me from artistic consistency.

What does an open book mean? That he is honest? The filly looked at her flank, which lacked a tattoo. Wish I had my cutie mark already. It seemed that the tattoos were called cutie marks, though I wasn’t sure if that is what the adults called them yet. Her obsession with the clock and it's ticking seemed to be at an end, which led to her setting her attention on a pair of ponies nearby and their previously indiscernible conversation.

The pair that sat on pillows next to this filly seemed to have been lost in their own conversation since the beginning of this memory. The first was a light gray unicorn mare, with a two-tone mane of purple and white in a similar style to Princess Twilight, while the other pony was a gray-blue unicorn stallion, with a dark blue mane. Neither were looking Twilight’s way, so I couldn’t see either of their eyes, which made me give pause and briefly think about the obsession my ability had given me when it came to eyes.

“Night Light, you need to stop worrying. Twilight is completely prepared for the entrance exam.” the mare said, sounding very tired.

“What if—”

“The entrance exam is just a test of basic magical skill and knowledge when presented with a problem. She has learned everything she needs to pass,” the mare said, cutting off the gray-blue stallion before he could say anything more.

The gray-blue stallion let out a sigh. “I know, Velvet. I just want to make sure we’ve done everything for Twilight, just like we’ve done for Shining Armor.”

“And we have.” Velvet looked back toward who I now knew was Twilight, but I wondered how she got her wings and became a princess, though magic is probably the answer. “Isn’t that right, Twilight?”

“Mhm!” Twilight gave both the ponies an eager smile.

“Well, I’m glad to see you aren’t worrying anymore.” Velvet turned her attention back to Night Light. “Now if only we could get your father to stop.”

The sound of hooves perked up Twilight’s ears, then she stood up and turned her attention to the end of the hall. A light brown coated earth pony stallion, with a black mane, and green eyes came into view. He had a pair of cherries for his cutie mark, which drew Twilight’s attention.

Hmm… He is an earth pony, and they often do have nature related cutie marks, but that is a generalization and almost tribalistic assumption. Could it be he is simply good at pairing things? Why would he work here at the school though? Oh, I wish I could just ask him, but I don’t have the time. Twilight gave the stallion a smile and I heard the sound of her parents getting to their hooves.

“The judges are ready for your entrance exam, Miss Sparkle.” The light brown stallion said, sounding somewhat tired.

“Was that last filly taking her entrance exam this entire time?” I heard Velvet say, and Twilight turned her head to look at her mother.

“No, ma'am.” The stallion let out a heavy sigh. “That filly did take up a great deal of time though, and we shouldn’t keep the judges any longer than we have to. Follow me please.” He turned back the way he had come from. Twilight’s parents walked past Twilight before she realized she was supposed to go as well and followed her parents.

What the hallway looked like was hard to tell due to how little attention Twilight paid her surroundings, but I did know the floors had big dark blue and light blue tiles, while the walls were aquamarine with a couple dark green horizontal lines running along them. Twilight’s attention seemed to be focused on her parents’ flanks, a behavior that back home I would’ve questioned thoroughly, though understood the reason in this case. The attention did give me a look at their cutie marks though, where the mother had three purple stars, while the father had a large yellow crescent moon with a smaller white one inside.

“So did that filly blow up the exam room?” Night Light said.

“Well… I can tell you both, but I’d advise you don’t say anything to the judges. I think a fuss would only hurt your daughter at this point.” The light brown stallion said.

“Politics?” Velvet asked, in a tone that seemed to mean she knew the answer already.

“Yes.” The light brown stallion let out another sigh.

Twilight’s attention was still on her parents’ flanks, which seemed to mean her fixation on things like the clock from earlier wasn’t an uncommon behavior. It would be neat if Mom’s writing talent was passed down to me in the form of spellcrafting, though I think I would like some form of Dad’s talent with light alteration more. The books said that talents aren’t always passed down though, but Shining’s talent with barriers is a form of alteration, so that gives me a good chance. That filly from earlier was so certain of everything with her cutie mark. Wish I had her confidence. I don’t even know if my talent is in magic yet…

“So they let her have as much time as she needed with her exam?” Night Light said.

“No, she actually finished it in record time.” The light brown stallion said.

“Really? Then what took so long?” Velvet said.

“She had a show prepared for the judges and the judges couldn’t refuse with the family she comes from.” The light brown stallion let out a groan.

Everyone stopped in front of a pair of blue doors, with metallic gold colored lever handles on them. The light brown stallion opened the doors and gestured for everyone else to go inside. Twilight followed her parents into the room and began to look all around, with the sound of the doors being closed behind her.

The room looked to be a small lecture hall, with its theater seating and a podium off in a corner opposite the door, which had large globe next to it. The floor was the same large light blue and dark blue tiles from the hallway, while the walls were light green, with dark green accents and trim. The room lacked much else, aside from banners that hung from the ceiling of various designs and a blackboard on the wall, which led to Twilight finally setting her eyes on the group of four ponies, who were up and at the back of the room behind the theater seating.

The group of unicorns was made up of two mares and two stallions, who wore various forms of clothing that I only noted due to the fact so few ponies wore more than overwear. Going from left to right, which alternated from mare to stallion, their coats were: yellow, light blue, beige, and gray, while their manes were: faintly purple, gray, brown, and black. They seemed to already be scrutinizing Twilight, while she and her parents went to and stopped in the middle of the room.

“Has the filly been educated in the required basic magical knowledge?” The yellow mare said, in a very professional tone.

“Yes, ma’am.” Velvet said.

“Very well. You two move off to the side and she will remain in the middle to await her test,” The yellow mare said.

Velvet turned to Twilight and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Remember, analyze the problem and you’ll solve it with ease,” she said, then walked off toward the side of the room.

Night Light turned and gave Twilight a hug. “You’ll have this wrapped up in no time and we can go to Donut Joe’s afterward,” he said, then joined Velvet to the side of the room.

Twilight centered her attention on the judges but didn’t seem anxious or worried about the entrance exam. An open mind and a vast imagination, that’s all I need. Just like… Who said that? Mom? Dad? Some great mage? This filly couldn’t have forgotten that dark brown earth pony stallion already, it was barely a couple minutes ago. It seemed this memory continued to elude any sense of logic.

“Hopefully this one doesn’t refer to herself in the third person,” the beige mare said, in a whispered tone toward the gray stallion next to her.

“Or claims herself great and powerful,” the gray stallion said, matching the mare’s tone, with a snicker at the end.

“Act professional you two,” the light blue stallion said, keeping his voice on the same level as the other two.

The sound of the doors opening drew Twilight attention toward them. The light brown stallion, that had led them to this room, pushed a cart into the room, with an egg in a bed of hay on top of it. The stallion left the cart next to Twilight, then walked backward out of the room, with his head held high. closing the doors on his way out.

The egg itself was light purple with dark purple spots all over it, while the cart had a picture of the egg’s shell split in two, with a dragon in the middle. Dragon egg. Dragon mothers are considered one of the fiercest creatures in Equestria and beyond, known to even abandon their hordes if the safety of their unhatched eggs would be put in danger defending it. Orphaned dragon eggs are known to become as hard as diamonds if they go without their mother’s flame for too long, but remain capable of hatching, even centuries later, and only require a flame from a dragon of their own kind to continue maturing toward hatching. Twilight looked toward the judges.

“Well, Miss Sparkle?” the yellow mare said, while the gray stallion at the other end of the line turned his head to cough.

Twilight looked back at the eggs and furrowed her brow. What they’re asking me to do is impossible… Isn’t it? The hay is obviously there to catch the inattentive student that thinks a simple fire would hatch the egg since that egg is close to unbreakable and wouldn’t need the hay to cushion it. How do I solve this?

So, if that is right, then all they want is for her to point out they are asking the impossible? Trick questions are the worst. I thought, bored with this useless memory, that was somehow in Spike’s head.

They can’t be asking me to do… Sadness washed over her and she began to frown. They only want a sorcerer.

Well, she failed. At times I wished I could end these memories early, but I had never found a way to end memories prematurely.

They must already have enough regular fillies and colts… Well, I have to at least try. Twilight closed her eyes and formed the image of the egg in her mind, which she then imagined hatching, while a painful feeling built up in her horn and she made a straining sound. The painful feeling in her horn dissipated, with the sound of what I thought sounded like electricity sparks shooting off. She opened her eyes to see the egg exactly how it had been, unhatched and sitting upon the cart, motionless, then closed her eyes again and tried to do it again. It didn’t seem she could gather the magic as well this time, as the feeling in her horn dissipated before any spark sounds could be heard, then she opened her eyes to look at the egg.

The sound of a yawn was heard, and Twilight turned her attention back to the judges to see it was the light blue stallion who had made the sound. The yellow one held up a leg and looked at a wristwatch she was wearing, though I supposed it was a pasternwatch in this case.

“We don’t have all day.” The yellow mare said, in a very impatient tone.

The sound of a hoof landing drew Twilight’s attention to her parents, where Velvet held a foreleg in front of Night Light, which barred him from moving forward. Night Light looked somewhat angry and was looking at the yellow mare, but Velvet shook her head to say no, and he pulled his hoof back, then just made an angry snort.

Twilight returned her attention to the egg and continued to imagine the egg hatching. First, she tried what she’d tried before, then switched over to the other side to try it again, without any results. Maybe I can do sorcery with hoof gesture magic, like that one earth pony mage. She ran back over to the other side where she started, stood up on her hind legs, which for some odd reason felt familiar to me, then began to do movements with her forehooves. No. I felt bad for this filly, as she dropped back to all four, then ran back to the other side to try the horn thing again, since she clearly knew the answer to this test. No. Failing yet again, she jumped up on the cart itself, and tried the hoof motions again, while straining herself as she had done with the horn attempt. No!

I was certain her attempts were painful to watch for everyone here, and whatever she was straining within her made my viewpoint actually painful. This filly had just overthought the problem. The dark brown earth pony stallion, that had given her the glass of water, had even hinted toward a solution she might not think of pursuing.

With the attempt on top of the cart a failure, she jumped off, and stood on her hind legs again, with said act giving me that same nagging feeling I had with stairs. The balance Twilight showed on her hind legs was impeccable, especially once she began to do a back to front wave with her forehooves over and over, but it didn’t seem to have any effect on the egg. I wasn’t sure this filly had much more in her with all the fatigue I felt setting in, but it seemed she still had at least one more try in her since she dropped back to all fours and ran over to the other side of the egg.

This would be a great time to earn my cutie mark through the dire moment circumstance! My life is over if I don’t pass this! Over! Twilight closed her eyes, with the image of the egg hatching in her mind taken to a whole new level of detail, in that it shook, slowly cracked, and a small claw burst from the shell. The magic seemed to actually build throughout Twilight’s entire body this time, with her horn, hooves, and two spots on her back tingling. Just as something felt like it was about to happen, the sound of sparks came from her horn, and she collapsed to the floor. I… failed.

Twilight pushed herself up off the ground and hung her head in shame, with her eyes closed, most likely not wanting to see the disappointment from her parent or disapproving glares from the judges. “I’m sorry for wasting your time,” Twilight said, in a heartbroken tone.

Barely a moment after Twilight had uttered her words, an earth-shattering sound rung out and the room began to shake, but neither of those things mattered with the surge of magic I felt build up in Twilight's horn. The pressure in Twilight's horn was beyond anything she had mustered so far, which caused Twilight an immense amount of pain, then she lowered her head toward the direction of the dragon egg with her eyes clenched shut. The magic seemed to pour out through her horn, but it only seemed to stall the pressure building in her horn, and it seemed this magic was building everywhere else in her body as well.

With the sounds of something cracking, all senses from Twilight’s body were lost, almost as if the memory had ended or were at the beginning again. After what couldn’t have been more than a minute, all sensations came back, but they weren’t the ones Twilight had before. I did notice that the memory became much clearer and felt like normal, unlike earlier with the slight confusion I was experiencing.

I’ll have to take notes later and— I paused in thought and wondered where this need to take notes came from. What the hell am I thinking? I… Well… Taking some notes wouldn’t be a bad idea since I did steal that notepad from that nurse at the hospital, but only because it might help get me home. I focused back on the memory and tried not to be disturbed by the fact I was somewhat more attentive than before.

The eyes were closed still, due to a severe disorientation that even I had trouble ignoring, but I knew the feeling of hooves had been replaced with the feeling of hands and feet, alongside what I was certain were wings on the back. All sensations of hair seemed to be entirely gone and replaced with an odd sensation of skin covered in something hard, not to mention something going in a straight line from the middle of the scalp and down the back. After I noticed the ears had moved position from the upper to middle side of the head, I tried to focus on smaller details, but the eyes shot open to a strange sight.

Huh? Twilight thought, at least it sounded like her, but it was debatable due to what was in sight.

I knew for a fact I wasn’t Twilight anymore, at least technically I wasn’t, since beyond the light purple scaled muzzle was the filly Twilight, with the cutie mark she had when I saw her as an adult. It seemed that these cutie marks weren’t tattoos at all, but it was just another thing to file away as irrelevant, since if it didn’t get me home, it wasn’t worth my attention. I was certain I was Spike now, which cleared up the strangeness of this memory, and the whole mind copying adult Twilight mentioned just fell into place.

Spike looked at Twilight’s cutie mark, and seemingly hadn’t realized the situation yet, Stars? No… Sparks! Six of them? No, wait! Seven! The most magical number! I got a cutie mark in magic! Spike thought, with a smile on his face, a smile I was sure would be gone soon.

Twilight was staring up at a pony I knew was Princess Celestia, as I had seen her illustrated in ‘The Colt Who Cried Timberwolf’. Twilight’s parents’ eyes were also fixed upon Princess Celestia, but the princess was stealing glances toward Spike. At least I know what Princess Twilight was talking about with the mind copying now. Guess it didn’t screw Spike up too much. Wait… Is Princess Celestia’s mane ethereal? I thought, and was mesmerized by Celestia’s mane.

Princess Celestia seemed to demand attention with her sheer presence from everyone in the room, as she was taller than any other pony I had seen so far, with a pair of wings and a horn that were also much larger than the average pony. I noted how this princess actually dressed the part, with gold shoes shaped like the fleurs-de-lis going up from the base, along with a gold torc and tiara, both of which had a large amethyst each and went well with her magenta eyes. The mane and tail had to be the most striking thing about this princess though, since they both seemed to just flow from her in an ethereal blend of cerulean, turquoise, cobalt, mauve colors.

Celestia turned her gaze to Twilight, though her ears swiveled toward Spike. “Twilight Sparkle,” she said, and it seemed like how you would address someone instead of a question.

“Yes?” Twilight and Spike said, at the exact same time. A silence fell upon the room and the four ponies in view looked toward Spike, though I was sure the judges out of sight had their eyes on Spike as well.

A sense of dread washed over Spike, which was understandable given the situation, and I could relate to the whole new body aspect. What? I… Spike thought, then his right eye began to twitch, as his new world view had finally caught up with him

Celestia let out a sigh. “I can work with this,” she said, though it seemed more like a thought she had said out loud. A light gold aura wrapped around Spike’s body, which broke him out of his mental breakdown, then levitated him toward herself and placed him next to Twilight.

Spike looked at Twilight and she did the same, then he turned his head with her to look up at Celestia. “I don’t understand. What—” They both said together, then Spike turned his head back toward Twilight to find she had done the same.

“I don’t quite know yet, but I’m sure we’ll figure it out together, that is if you want to be my personal protégés here at the school,” Celestia said, which drew Spike and Twilight’s attention back to Celestia.

“Huh?” They both seemed at a loss and continued to steal glances at each other.

“Well?” Celestia said, and sounded amused at Spike and Twilight’s actions.

“Yes!” they said, in unison.

“Now then, with that out of the way, I think we should think of a temporary way to address you two.” She brought a forehoof up to her muzzle and looked Spike and Twilight over. “You will be Twilight,” she said, pointing toward Twilight, then pointed toward Spike. “And you will be Sparkle, at least until we think of something more permanent. Now let’s test it out. Sparkle?”

“Yes?” Spike said.

“Good! Twilight?”

“Yes?” Twilight said.

“Excellent! Mr. Light? Mrs. Velvet? Could you come over here?”

Spike and Twilight looked over at Twilight’s parents, and I supposed they were his as well, though Twilight was also kinda his mother as well. “Yes, your majesty,” Twilight’s parents said, while bowing down, then stood and walked over from the side of the room to stand behind Spike and Twilight.

Spike and Twilight turned their eyes back toward Celestia, both still at a loss. “Now then, we are going to take a trip to the E.P.A. Headquarters to run some tests on Twilight and Sparkle. Has…” Celestia stopped and looked down at Spike and seemed to contemplate for a moment, then looked back at Twilight’s parents. “the child much experience with teleportation?”

“No…” I heard Velvet say, then Spike turned his attention away from Celestia and looked up at her with a smile on his face. She looked at him with an uncertain look, which turned his smile into a frown.

I’m just some magical accident and she doesn’t want me. Spike thought, then I felt his ears and spikes droop, before he turned his attention back to Celestia and the sight of her seemed to brighten his mood slightly.

“Well, it would be a good idea to put a forehoof on them, so they don’t suffer the nausea effects,” Celestia said, and looked toward Velvet with a look, that seemed to indicate something to her.

She probably doesn’t even want to touch me. Spike’s eyes began to become damp and he was on the verge of crying.

Celestia let out another sigh and lifted up a forehoof, but before she could move it forward a weight was on Spike’s back, which brought a smile to Celestia’s face. Spike looked over his shoulder to see Velvet had a forehoof on him.

“This is going to take some time to get used, but everything will be okay.” Velvet said, and gave Spike a reassuring smile, which he returned with a smile of his own.

“Alright, this will be over in a moment,” Celestia said, then her horn began to glow.

Spike turned his head to look at Twilight. “Um, congratulations on your cutie mark,” he said, which gained her attention.

“Huh?” She looked at her flank and her face lit up at the sight of her cutie mark. “Yes!” she said, then broke contact with Night Light to jump into the air with her excitement.

“Twilight!” Night Light said, but the teleportation began before he could grab hold of her.

The feeling was just as it has been when Twilight had teleported me away, with the same feeling of being stretched and squashed, before it was all over. The room had changed to a pure white room from floor to ceiling, with nothing in view, aside from the beings that had teleported into it. Twilight fell to the floor and looked a little woozy.

“I don’t feel so—” she said, then threw up, right on Celestia’s right foreleg. Twilight’s eyes went wide with horror, and gasps were heard from Velvet and Night Light.

Spike cringed at the sight. Glad I’m not her right now. Spike thought, then looked up at Celestia to see her reaction.

Celestia had a blank expression and lifted up her right foreleg to look at it.

The sounds of sniffles drew Spike’s attention back to Twilight, who looked to be on the verge of crying. “Please don’t banish me from Equestria! I haven’t had time to learn a second language yet!” she said, in a tone somewhere between a wail and plea, while tears poured from her eyes.

A snicker was heard and Spike turned back to Celestia to see she had a smile on her face, which turned into a joyful laugh. “Twilight,” She took a moment, to get her laughter under control. “I’m not going to banish you.” Celestia’s horn lit up, and with a flash of her light gold magic, the bile on her and the floor was gone. “The reason this room is empty and white is due to that happening from time to time.With that out of the way, how about we get those tests out of the way?”

“Really?” Twilight said, and tried to wipe the tear from her eyes with the fetlock from a forehoof.

“Really. Now let’s get those tests over and done with, then we’ll have some cake.” Celestia said, and the smile she had seemed to say she looked forward to the cake as well.

Spike leaned forward and stood with both his hands and feet on the ground. This feels weird. He looked up at Celestia and began to walk with her. Everything is going to be alright.

The memory faded away, with the flowing ethereal mane of Celestia the last discernible thing.

(0) (0)

My sight came back to me, though it had turned sideways, and my head was on one of the pillows Spike had been perched upon. The sound of whispers filled my hearing, at least, it seemed to. There was something odd about the whispers, they were indiscernible, but not because they were to too low to hear. The whispers just weren’t understandable, even though they sounded clear. Hopefully, whoever are whispering, are whispering about me, and the fact I’m telling the truth. Getting tired of this identity issue.

I inhaled a deep breath, exhaled it, then pushed myself up to a sitting position. Spike had moved to a nearby table and was hunched over a book, mumbling something to himself. I looked around to find the voices I heard whispering, though no one else was in the room, and the whispers didn’t shift position with the turning of my head.

Am I hearing voices now? Well, technically they are whispers… Are indiscernible whispers better than voices? Guess the whispers aren’t telling me to do anything, but the fact I can’t hear them might just mean I’m failing at being crazy… Okay, failing at being crazy is a good thing. I thought, and pushed myself to all four, then had a fun idea.

I walked over casually to the left side of Spike, and the sound of my hooves didn’t seem to alert him to my presence. He was still mumbling, but the proximity allowed me to make out what he was saying.

“Some sort of practiced trick? A psychosomatic condition? Twilight could figure this out…”

I began to smirk. “What are you doing?” I said, and tried to sound innocent.

“Trying to figure out what is wrong with Berry,” he said, and didn’t even look my way.

Oh, this will be fun. I needed to have some fun. “What’s wrong with her?”

“I don’t know.” He let out a sigh.

“Well, shouldn’t you take her to a hospital?” I said, then let out a few snickers.

“She was just at the hospital and they missed whatever it is. I also don’t want to move her since I don’t know what is wrong with her, and I can’t go anywhere, since I don’t want to leave her alone.”

“Wow, how very nice of you. Checked on her lately?”

He turned right to looked back at where I had been. “Where’d she go?!” he said, panic clear in his voice.

I decided I had had enough fun and raised a forehoof to tap him on the back. He turned to face me and seemed to be unable to process the sight of me.

“Hi!” I said, and flashed him a smile.

He turned back to look at where I had been, opened his mouth, then closed his mouth, seemingly at a loss for words.

“So, did you figure out what just happened? You’d be the first in my life to ever figure it out. Why, think of all the publicity! You could even write a paper on it!” I said. Wait… Paper? Where’d that come from?

“So… it was a trick,” he said, and his features said he was displeased.

“Oh, no! That was no mere trick.” I stopped for a moment to think about my ability. “Well, it kinda is. Not everyone can relive another person’s memories.”

“Be—”

“Jack!” I narrowed my eyes at him.

He sighed again. “Jack,” He rolled his eyes. “you can’t do that. Even if you could, you couldn’t use it on me, I’m immune to all forms of magic that affect the mind.”

“Technically, my ability doesn’t affect others, it affects me. I know everything I experience has to go on in my mind since my ability doesn’t require constant eye contact. It’s like I download a video and play it personally in my head.”

“Download?” He seemed to be at a loss with the word.

“Oh yeah, you’re a fantasy creature living in a fantasy world. Give me a second to figure out how to describe it to you.” What is applicable here? Something magical probably…

“There is only one person living in a fantasy world here and that isn’t me…” he said, though I didn’t feel it was important enough to address.

Oh! The memory! He would totally get it if I made it analogous to his creation. Best to approach it slowly though. Might be a sore subject. “Alright. I can explain it to you, but you have to promise not to get mad at me and be civil, since I’m going to bring up the memory I saw, and I don’t know how touchy you are about it.”

“Sure, at the very least, this should be entertaining.” He walked over to a nearby cushion and sat down on it in an upright position where his arms were still fully extended.

I followed his lead and picked a cushion opposite him to sit on, and sat upright like him.

“Alright, the memory began with… Okay, I need to ask a question first. Is your… existence a sore subject?”

“No,” he said, without any hint of emotion.

“Okay, well the memory began with a feeling of confusion like it was trying to make me believe I was Twilight.” He opened his eyes wider. “Pretty sure I’m still suffering from it a little actually since I kinda want to take out the notepad I have and write this all down. Any of this ringing a bell?”

“Go on.” There was a hint of something in his voice, it sounded almost like curiosity.

“So, what came into sight first was a clock, with Twilight’s hearing—”

“What time was on the clock?”

“I…” I closed my eyes and tried to remember what the time had been. It hadn’t been important enough to me to note at the time, but I could always remember foreign memories perfectly… for better or worse. “4:51.”

“Was the clock analog or magical?”

“It was analog, at least it looked analog to me. Don’t you remember the ticking?”

“Vividly…” He had a distant look.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how much of her life do you remember?” This was more than I could’ve hoped for. He could relate to my ability.

“Everything…” he said, and it seemed like I shouldn’t press further, but my curiosity got the better of me.

“How far back?”

“I remember being in the womb…”

“I… Okay, I know this a world of magic, but can beings here seriously have memories that far back? Humans don’t start making permanent memories until after about three years old, that is if I remember correctly.” Katherine doesn’t even personally remember our parents…

“No, they can’t.” A pregnant silence formed, and the irony of the term didn’t pass me by unnoticed. “Just go on.” I knew not to press him for anything further.

“Now then, Twilight thought about: them taking too long, that they forgot about her, that the waiting might very well be a test, and worried she might have to do transmogrification. Do you believe me yet? About reliving other being’s memories?”

“No, you could’ve gotten this information from Twilight. Ponies love talking about the events leading up to them getting their cutie marks in detail.” It seemed like her cutie mark was a sore subject with him, at least from the way he said it.

“Does she normally include throwing up on Princess Celestia in the story of her cutie mark?” That mention of that shot his eyes wide open and leaned forward. The whispers from earlier increased a few decibels, but I ignored them since whatever they were wasn’t important.

“Details!” he said, and I didn’t mind that he was demanding it.

I’ve done it! Finally! With him, I can get Twilight’s help for sure! I felt giddy, and I didn’t even mind how close that word was related to equines. “Okay, she threw up because Princess Celestia teleported you and your… Okay, I don’t want to ruin this with a hot topic. Do Twilight’s parents consider you their child as well? That is if you don’t mind answering.”

“They did…” he said, with a sad tone, and lowered his head.

“Oh… sorry. I know how it is to be estranged to your parents.”

He shot up on all fours and looked at me with anger. “Are you rutting kidding me!”

I pushed myself back up to all fours. “Calm down, that’s why I asked. You said you wouldn’t get mad earlier. Remember, this is about my ability.”

His anger seemed to dissipate and sadness overtook his features. I was sure he was on the verge of crying.“How can you talk like this?” The way he said those words, it spoke volumes to me.

“Oh…” All I can think of are the cliches for this. Well, at least I can pick the best cliche. I’m sorry for your loss never made any sense. “My condolence. I’m sorry for upsetting you.”

“Just… go away,” he said, and that made me stand up straight.

“No, we were making progress. You were surprised by the whole throwing up on Princess Celestia. You almost believe me.”

“You probably just heard that from Princess Celestia… or something.” There was no question in his tone, he didn’t believe what he was saying.

“I can repeat everything I saw, from start to finish perfectly! Like the dark brown stallion!” The whispers increased in speed like a frantic discussion was ongoing.

“There wasn’t a dark brown stallion on that day. Leave.” He seemed very adamant about it, but I didn’t get the sense he was lying.

“He had a straight long black mane! Piercing blue eyes! The hairs from knees to hooves were black!” The whispers increased in volume again, and I could almost tell what they were saying.

“There was only a light brown stallion that day!” he said, though is was close to a snarl.

“Do you remember the glass of water?”

A wave of confusion washed over him and broke his anger. “I… I…”

“How about the advice he told Twilight?” I took a moment to remember the words exactly. “ ‘There are only two things you need to become a great mage: an open mind and a vast imagination. If you have and use both of those today in your entrance exam, then I’m sure you’ll pass it with ease.’. Any of that ring a bell? His cutie mark was an open book!” With the mention of the stallion’s cutie mark, the whispers stopped being whispers and became clearly defined voices, voices that sent a shiver down my spine. I wasn't hearing them through my ears; I was hearing them as clear as my own thoughts.

We must own her. She is more valuable than even the dragon,a male thought. It sounded massive and shook me to my core with every word.

Why does she have an ability like that? I should be able to grant that! It isn’t fair!a female thought. It sounded very entitled, like a spoiled child, but it was obviously a woman’s voice.

All good things in time, dear. We just have to work together and you’ll have plenty of time to figure it out. If it turns out you can’t figure it out though, we could always see if it is genetic. You know much I enjoy procreation,a second female thought. It had a sultry tone to it, but it definitely wasn’t in any way inviting.

Just some ugly earth pony if you ask me. Too fat, doesn’t keep her mane or coat groomed, and worst of all a mixed breed. Would be doing her kind a favor if she just walked into the Everfree at midnight. Really though, only the unicorns are worth a look anymore, but they won’t even be worth a glance at the rate they are going,a third female thought. It sounded like some snobbish people I’d dealt with before my art career crashed and burned. I found this voice infuriating with the elitism it showcased and its casual support of suicide.

This one, I know this one. She knows how to indulge in liquid pleasures. If we are taking our focus off the dragon for her, than I might just be moving up the ladder. With my knowledge and her talent, we could be consuming things that I’ve only dreamed of! A second male thought. The enthusiasm in its voice and the tone it used made it clear that whatever it had in mind wasn’t wholesome.

The voices didn’t seem to know I could hear them, though I supposed hearing them was misnomer since they were like the thoughts in memories. I was fairly certain I was experiencing another weird magic thing, but why was the question.

“The water was there… I remember drinking the water… But where did the glass come and go from?” Spike seemed to be lost in confusion, which was fine since I had a new thing to worry about.

Hate this magic stuff. Everything is just called magic and I get nothing more from there. It has to at least follow cause and effect, right? Earlier I wasn’t hearing these voices and now I am. The changed happened between while I was… reliving a memory. No, it couldn’t have… but it is the only cause available and they mentioned a dragon several times.

“Those words… I remember them, but nopony ever said them…” Spike’s memory issue was another strange thing, but he didn’t matter right now, I did.

There was also the whole thing Twilight brought up about my hooves not making noise. She said it was impossible and that Surprise could only do that… and I used my ability on Surprise. Am I copying things? My ability never did that before, not that I ever noticed at least. I wasn’t in a magical land full of talking creatures either, so that might have an effect on my ability.

Do any of you have agents near or in Ponyville? The dragons and gryphons in my employ would stick out and draw the attention of the E.P.A. on the way there, the first male thought.

Some ponies envious of others that didn’t lose anyone in the Manehattan incident, but nobody deep enough in it to hear me. My agents elsewhere are too committed to obtaining the things they desire for them to listen to me, at least for now, the first female thought.

Ponyville is far too wholesome for any of my active agents. There is also the problem almost all of my active agents are being hunted by the E.P.A. I miss the days when the E.P.A. was blindly groping their way forward in the dark, like innocent foals trying to act like adults. My agents could get up to some really kinky things back then, the second female thought.

Like I would have any agents in Pony— the third female thought, before she suddenly couldn’t be heard anymore.

The sudden and abrupt silence was eerie. I wanted to take comfort in the fact the voices weren’t in my head and talking about me, but there was something wrong with this silence. It was like I was being watched and something was breathing down my neck.

Did you know it is rude to eavesdrop?a new third male thought. Compared to every other voice I had heard, this one didn’t seem to have any clearly defined characteristics, aside from the smart aleck tone he used.

My eyes went wide at the realization the voice had spoken directly to me.

Just as I thought, you can hear us. The others get caught up in their discussions and fail to notice the little things, but I pay attention to everything. How can that be though? Does that unique eye magic carry benefits beyond reading memories? Your mannerisms have changed greatly from previous observations as well, so it could be your story of being an outsider is true. Why don’t we have a nice chat? Just intend your thoughts for me, or you could speak out loud, though then my siblings would instantly know you can hear us. I promise you don’t want them to know.

I looked at Spike, who was still lost in his confusion, then treated this voice in my head like a phone call and walked out of Spike’s sight.

Who are you? I thought, to the unknown speaker in my head.

Well, I could answer that question with a meaningless name, but I’m highly doubtful you want the name of some nobody. I suppose you could call me The King of Nobodies that Never Did Anything, but that seems like an awfully long name. No, the real question you should’ve asked is ‘What are you?’.

I could tell this conversation was going to be annoying, though this wasn’t exactly a conversation since there were no spoken words. What are you?

Well, that is a complicated question that spans the entire history of this planet. Some of my siblings would say the beginning of the universe, but they just say that to appear bigger than they are. They don’t want beings truly knowing that they depend on life to exist and that life could destroy them. One of my brothers tried to destroy us once actually, though using gender specific pronouns isn’t the best way to describe us since our astral representation changes anytime a stronger being than the last wields one of us.

This thing was testing my patience. I had to be very specifics with my questions. What do I call you?

Well, I’ve been called many things by many different things. Let’s see they’ve called me: acedia, apathy, hebetude—

What do the ponies call you?I felt like this thing was wasting my time.

Oh? Why didn’t you ask in the first place? The ponies call me Sloth, Sloth thought.

I may not have been a religious person, but I knew enough about most modern religions to recognize where this was going. My next question would be simple and straightforward, one I didn’t want the answer to. Counting you and your siblings together, are there seven of you?

Why yes, there are. It seems you are quite knowledgeable for an outsider, or where you come from also has us.

With that, I knew what I was dealing with. The danger of this thing was unknown, but out of all of them, Sloth always struck me as the lesser of Seven Deadly Sins. The fact I was now dealing with living concepts added a whole new level of danger to this world, but it didn’t mean I had to be rude. Well, this has been a very enlightening thought exchange. Thank you for the information, but I must get back to trying to get home. Have a good day.

Jack, we are far from done here. I haven’t even offered you my deal.Sloth dropped its smart-aleck tone for a cold and straight one. I swore the room temperature dropped as well.

I’m fairly certain I do not want anything you have, but thank you for considering me.I may not have known much about this world, but making deals with evil forces was certainly not a good thing.

You will listen to my deal and consider it, or I tell my siblings you can hear them and you will never have a moment to yourself ever again.

The threat lost some of its sting with the fact that I was fairly certain I had gotten this ability to talk to them through Spike and could probably get rid of it… I hoped. Regardless, I wasn’t going to test this thing. Well, if you put it that way, I would be more than happy to hear and deliberate upon your offer.

Good, now then. My deal is quite simple really. Give up your quest to go home.

In return for what exactly? Deals typically have more than one party making demands of the other.

Local time manipulation and instantaneous teleportation.

What happens if I accept your deal?This was a situation I couldn’t ignore when it came to my goal of getting home. These things had talked about their agents, which were the first real danger yet.

You would become my agent and do whatever I ask of you.

There was more to this. It couldn’t be as simple as that.What do I lose if I make this deal?

Most beings never ask that, though typically they are too deep in our vices when we are able to contact them to really lose much more. Putting it simply, when you accept a deal with one of us, we become a part of you. You wouldn’t ever have any regrets about your choices or actions ever again.

Okay, I’m dealing with psychopaths, great,I thought to myself, glad I had that privacy for myself. Their interest in me was the only other thing that was a mystery. Why are you and your siblings interested in me?I thought, to Sloth.

I think you’ve asked enough question. Choose, though I think I already know your answer.

Yeah, sorry, but I have no interest in your deal. Now, is this where you go and tell your siblings about me hearing them anyway? Just to spite me for not accepting your deal?I probably shouldn’t have challenged him, but I felt certain he was going to do just that.

Well, it seems you aren’t gullible enough to think any of us will keep to our word, but in this case, I will. I’ll give you a word of advice though. Don’t continue to pursue the dragon. He may not listen to us, not that I bother much with him, but he doesn’t want anyone to know he can hear us. Of course, you could always use that against him, but then they’ll know as well.Sloth thought, then it just felt gone. The voices returned to fill the void Sloth left, but they had returned to indistinguishable whispers.

I looked back over at Spike to find him still confused. I didn’t know what I had said exactly to make it happen to him, but I felt bad for doing it to him. Does this happen often? A glitch in his… Programming? Conditioning? Brainwashing? Should I just leave him like this? Are there options other than the ones Sloth offered?

I had found someone willing to believe me, but it seemed he carried some risks. Now the question was if those risks were worth the help. I felt an urge to list the pros and cons, so I sat down, then pulled the notepad and pen I had taken from the hospital nurse out of my saddle bags. The notepad was fairly empty, aside from a few personal notes on a couple patients, one of which being me, I noticed the page on me was filled to the brim with names of things that I could only guess were drugs, compared to the simple comfort notes for other patients.

I found an empty page and began to list things. Spike is close to Twilight, so he could help me. Spike is close to Twilight, so he also could hinder me. He can perfectly remember all of Twilight’s memories, so he knows in those cases I’m telling the truth. Suffers from some sort of cognitive function problem related to Twilight’s memories. Hears evil incarnate and doesn’t listen to it. Admitting to him I know about the voices also lets them know I can hear them. I stopped to think about The Seven.

Okay, so things that share their names with religiously defined vices are actually alive here. They want me for some reason and were discussing agents. Agents seem to be beings that have heard them and accepted deals like Sloth offered me. So… I’m already in danger. I looked over at Spike. Not pursuing him further is just what Sloth wants me to do.

I picked up the notepad, put the pen back in the ring binding, then stored them both back in a saddlebag. With my mind set on what I was going to do, I pushed myself back up to all fours and walked back over to in front of Spike. He had stopped muttering and just stared forward.

“Spike? You okay?” I said, not really sure what to do.

He didn’t respond at all to what I said. It was a little unsettling and felt like I was being paid back for every person I had ever worried using my ability. I walked right up next to him and touched him with a forehoof, then shook him, which also didn’t register any response.

Do I punch him? Pain might just knock him out of this. Don’t think he would be too happy about it though. Is there— An idea popped into my head, a very strange one that I felt could work. I licked my lips, then gave Spike a kiss.

Spike’s eyes focused on me, and his facial scales went red with blush. “Gah!” he said, as he pulled himself away from me, though he tripped up his arms and legs in his haste and sprawled himself out on the library’s floor. “You… you…” he stammered out.

It worked! It seems a kiss is magical here. I need to remember more fairytale stuff. I decided I should stop him from going comatose again. “Yes, I kissed you. Now then, how about you help me get home?” I said, trying to treat what I had done as casual as possible.

“But… my first real kiss… suppose to be…” The words that came out of his mouth sounded like something a school kid would say.

Well, if I’m good at doing one thing to Spike, it’s causing him to break. I let out a sigh and walked closer to him, then held out a forehoof. “Get up.”

He looked at my hoof like it was an alien object, then grabbed it briefly to put himself back on four limbs, before quickly retracting his hand. “That… didn’t count as holding hooves… did it?”

I couldn’t help smiling at the thing he was saying. “How old are you?”

“19… physically and mentally. Not linear time-wise though.”

“No, it didn’t count as holding hooves. Wouldn’t it be holding hands for you?”

He looked at a hand, and I really meant looked at it, like it was a foreign thing. “Yeah… I guess it would.”

“So, could you help me now?” I said, and felt like I was close to getting home.

“With what?” he said, seemingly serious.

“Me being an outsider? Reliving Twilight’s memory? Recounting every detailed asked of me?”

“Be—”

I narrowed my eyes at him.

“Jack, you’ve only raised the question of if you have some form of eye magic, which though rare, and I’ve never heard of a form of it like the one you claim to have, is possible. It isn’t like you can bend the fabric of reality like Discord.”

I’ll show you what I can bend… There wasn't any way to convince these beings. My reputation was Berry’s reputation and that was all anyone could see. Their trust in the E.P.A. overruled any claim I could make about being an outsider. Even my ability could just be reasoned out as magic. “I give up,” I said, then fell back to my haunches.

“Give up what? That your name is Jack? The whole story of you being an outsider? Your claim to be able to use eye magic?”

“You.” I gave him an angry glare, while I pointed at him with a forehoof. The act of pointing didn’t quite have the same gratification for some reason. “I give up convincing you. Just like you’ve given up on Berry.”

His face took on a new expression with my words, and I was pretty sure it was a look of shame. He sat down on his haunches as well, closed his eyes and let out a long sigh, then looked at me. “Fine, how about you tell me what you are and what where you come from is like. How well you can describe those things will show that you are either making this all up or that your claim is possible.”

I perked up at his words. “Really?”

“Yeah, it isn’t like I was doing anything better with my time today.”

“Great!” I couldn’t help, but smile. He was at least listening to me. “Okay, well a human is…” I drew a complete blank, which caused me to become terrified.

“Jack? ‘A hueman is’ what?”

I didn’t know. I knew I was one, that humans didn’t normally have an ability like I had, but what a human looked like was a complete blank. All the weird feelings I had throughout the day finally made sense. How stairs gave me pause. Why it had felt so familiar when Twilight had stood on her back legs. The fact I knew what hands and feet felt like instantly from the switch to Spike’s body. Even just now when I pointed at Spike with a forehoof. I just had to fill in all these blanks.

“Jack?”

“One sec.” I reached back into my saddlebags, which gave me that same weird feeling I had with everything else that had come to mind, then pulled out my pen and notepad. This was a puzzle I had to make the pieces for.

“What are you doing?” His curiosity would have to go unfilled until I was done.

I decided to try for a simplistic anatomy diagram. Has to walk on two legs, four is too animalistic, and any more than four would delve into a horror I have no interest in imagining. I drew the legs to the length that seemed normal and copied Spike’s three toe configuration due to lack of anything else to go on. A torso is a given. I couldn’t be certain of exactly how a human torso looked, but I drew what looked normal. Arms with hands, since I know we can grip things and anything else would also be too animalistic or horrifying. The hands were drawn with three fingers and a thumb, just like Spike’s, but it didn’t feel exactly right. Head…

“Jack, your stalling is only hurting your claims.” The annoyance made it clear I couldn’t delay any longer.

The head was left completely undefined since I couldn’t decide on what a human face looked like. “This is a human.” I turned the notepad to Spike.

He seemed to study my drawing for a moment, then returned his gaze back to me. “Alright…” The skepticism in his tone wasn’t something I wanted to hear. “You can draw?”

I looked at my drawing and knew I would be revising it over and over later, then stowed it away in my saddlebags. “Yes, though typically much better than that.”

“And you know Piña Colada, Berry’s sister, is talented with drawing as well?” He was getting at something here.

“Yes… I learned about that in a memory from Fluttershy, which I experienced while she took me to the hospital.”

“And did you know talents tend to run in pony families?”

Great, even showcasing my own talent hurts my credibility.I let out a long groan. “No, I did not. I’m beginning to think your entire reality is out to get me.”

“Typically happens when your own reality is made up of lies…” The way he said those words didn’t sound like him being smart. No, it was him lamenting about his own lies.

“Anything you wanted to ask about humans? Like our society and technology? Can’t personally go into any technical details, but I can give you generalizations.”

A smirk came to his face. “I think I’d rather hear about this supposed eye magic ability of yours. Can all huemans do it, or are there different kinds of huemans?”

“I… Well, I’m the only one that I know of with it…” Even I knew how bad my story sounded, but it was the truth.

“So, in this parallel reality of your’s, you are one of a kind?”

“Doubtful, I just never found anyone like me. How rare is eye magic here? Know anyone with it?”

He took pause at my question. “No, natural eye magic is pretty rare among civilized creatures. It is typically a stigma in society, due to the fact that vampires had and used a form of it, at least before that disease was eradicated.” If he did know anyone, he certainly wasn’t going to tell me.

Of course, vampires exist here, or existed according to him, though I don’t take much faith in the claim they are gone. I felt tired, both mentally and physically, then decided to lay down with my forehooves on my muzzle. “Words really can’t get me anywhere here, can they?”

“You could prove you actually have eye magic to me though. If you really do, and Twilight never noticed it the past three times she tried to help yo—”

I may have been on the floor looking up at him, but all I needed was a glare to correct him.

“Tried to help Berry, then I could convince her to take the time to examine you mentally. Twilight wouldn’t even need to file a request to use her mind magic with E.P.A. this time since she is a princess this time around.”

It was all I could’ve asked for. “How do I convince you?”

“Well… I suppose you would have to use it again…” He seemed reluctant to the idea now that my claims might actually be real. “Can you control what you see? Like when and what you see.”

Of course, he’d be worried now. He is afraid I might find out about the fact he can hear The Seven. Suppose it is time to lie. I couldn’t even remember if I had lied at all in the past two days. “Yeah, if I know what to look for.”

“Alright.” He closed his eyes, seemingly to focus on whatever he wanted me to see. “What I want you to tell me is what my mom said to me after I came home upset about some teasing, that had happened at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. It happened nine years ago, at the end of August, though I can’t remember what day it was.”

“Okay. Spike?” He was missing something about the situation.

“Yes?” he said, with his eyes closed.

“I need to see your eyes…” I made sure my displeasure was clear in my voice.

His eyes shot open. “Oh! Sorry…” He made a bashful grin, while his scales went slightly red with blush, though not nearly as red as they had when I kissed him.

I sat up with my front legs extended and my rear legs tucked under me. “Don’t knock me over this time.”

He looked sheepish, while he scratched the back of his head with one of his hands.

I focused on his eyes and the world… didn’t fade away, but I felt light headed. Thankfully I was sitting, as otherwise, I was sure I would’ve collapsed, and instead was able to continue sitting with my legs outstretched.

“Jack? Are you alright?” His concern was genuine, at least I had that.

“Sure.” I gave him a smile and tried again. It took more effort than usual, but with focus, the world finally disappeared properly.

(0) (0)

Senses began to come into to focus, first hearing, then… it stopped. Nothing else formed and left me with a severe sensory deprivation, an entirely new experience for me. I didn’t even feel the mental presence of Twilight or Spike, so I doubted I would even get thoughts. Damn, I don’t even feel alive like this. I thought, the situation extremely unnerving.

“What is wrong with me? Is it because I’m a dragon?” Spike said, and sounded just as he had outside of this.

“No, Spike. It isn’t because you are a dragon. Please, just leave it at the fact I’m not interested.” Rarity said, and I knew it was her, her tone of voice was unmistakable.

“Do you think I’m ugly?” With that, I was certain this was a memory of a romantic rejection.

“No, you are a very handsome drake. I could even introduce some mares that are interested in you.”

“But I don’t want to be with them! Was it my etiquette at dinner? I went over several books on it, but if I made a mistake, I could improve!”

“Spike…” She let out a sigh. “If you Surprise Swear not to tell anyone, then I’ll tell you why I’m not interested in you.”

“I… cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a muffin in my eye.” He sounded so defeated. I doubted he had really wanted to know.

“Well… I’m a…” Whatever it was, it seemed like it was something painful for her to admit. “I’ve never told anyone this, Spike. I don’t think anypony would look at me the same again if it got out and it would ruin any hope I have of a fashion career in Canterlot.”

This was another situation I felt like I was intruding with my ability. I supposed that I was always intruding really, but this felt overly so. This was two people having a very private conversation and… I would use whatever this secret was against Rarity, but only if the need called for it.

“Hello?” a new female said, and it was familiar, but I couldn’t quite place it.

“I think it would be better if I just showed you, Spike.” A low constant sound was heard, and I was fairly certain it was the sound of a unicorn using magic. Strangely, there was no reaction from either Spike or Rarity to the new voice.

“Rarity? Is that you?” I knew for certain I had heard this voice recently.

“I…I don’t know what to say, Rarity,” Spike said, and sounded shocked.

“Spike? Are you the one in need?” Dread filled me as I realized where I had heard the voice.

“Do you hate me?” Rarity said.

“Fear not! Whatever this is will soon be over!” one of The Seven said, and from I had heard it say earlier, I decided it had to be Envy.

The sound the unicorns made when using magic was heard again, then there was nothing.

(0) (0)

All the wonderful senses beyond sound were back, so I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath, then let the breath out as I opened my eyes. “Okay, Spike. That memory didn’t…” Spike was standing and looking straight at me, with my notepad in his hand.

“What are you trying to pull here?” Spike said, with anger in his voice and eyes.

I knew what this meant and I let out a sigh. “They know now, don’t they?” A presence was felt and my skin felt like it crawled.

You are just full of surprises, aren’t you? And here I was just telling Spike that all you needed was a good rutting, a female thought, and I could tell it was the third voice I had heard due to its sultry tone. I was certain the voice belonged to Lust.

“Are you working for them?” He took a defensive stance. “Are you an agent for one of them?” His accusations annoyed me.

“The only one I answer to is myself, and I’m pretty sure any deal they offer carries with it damnation, so they have a snowball's chance in Hell of me accepting any deal they offer.” I may not have been a religious person, but I did like modern religion from a fantasy lore viewpoint.

Are you some sort of beaver in this parallel reality of yours? Do you even understand probability?Lust seemed deeply confused by my words, which was something I didn’t think possible for a personification of evil.

“A dam nation? A snowball’s chance in hail? You aren’t making sense!” The way he said the words. How he said I wasn’t making sense. It was just like how the nurse had reacted to ‘fucking and ‘damn’ back at the hospital.

“I think we are having a synonym and foreign word problem here. Would you relax and let me explain?” Lust and whatever other evil that listened wouldn’t like it when they knew what I had said, but I couldn’t care less about them, at least not until they did more than talk to me.

“Fine,” He relaxed somewhat. “but this better be good.”

“Great! Let’s start with ‘hell’. To you, it seems you think I’m saying ‘hail’, as in ice that rains from the sky. For me? It means a place of evil and suffering, where wicked people are punished after death for eternity. By the way, it is spelled ‘h’ ‘e’ ‘l’ ‘l’. The idiom ‘Snowball’s chance in Hell.’ refers to the fact Hell is often thought of a place perpetually on fire.”

So what you are saying is that there is no chance whatsoever? You’d be surprised how many beings we’ve broken, that claimed the exact same thing. The way she said that was troubling, but I could deal with it later… hopefully.

Spike didn’t look like he knew what to say to my explanation. “Punished? As in tortured? For all eternity?” He sounded horrified.

“Yeah…” Note to self, avoid as many horrible things as possible, especially ones that actually exist… Well, I suppose Hell could actually exist now… and just about anything else. “So yeah, that’s the word hell, though I typically use it as an exclamatory. As for ‘damn’, which is spelled with an ‘n’ at the end, that refers to wicked people sent to Hell, though I just use it as a curse when I’m angry.”

He looked me up and down like he was seeing me for the first time. “And how can you hear them if you aren’t working for them?”

“How can you?” I was being smart with him now.

“I… just can… like an umbra, but worse,” Spike said, the admittance hard for him to say.

I felt bad for him, since my ability was actually useful, while his only tortured him.

“And that is why I can.” I was sure this was another thing The Seven would value me even more for, but dissuading any of Spike’s fear mattered more.

You can copy things too? I bet an ability like that offers a lot of room for experimentation. Anything else you want to share? Fetishes?

“What?” Spike said, clearly not following.

“I only noticed it after getting this hearing evil ability, but it seems I can copy things from anyone I use my ability on. Like yesterday, I used my ability on Surprise and gained her… I don’t even know what to call her ability. Perception filter? Noise nullification?”

He put a hand to his forehead, apparently trying to process everything. “None of this makes sense. If you are an outsider, like you say you are, then the E.P.A. has some sort of hole in its security. The only other explanation is that you are an agent for The Seven, but that makes even less sense since they wouldn’t risk exposing me.”

I stood up, then stretched my legs and back. “Well, the first is the truth. The second would go against my morals.”

He retook his defensive stance. “But either way, you are dangerous!”

I rolled my eyes made a very horse-like snort with my muzzle Damn pony body. I wasn’t going to get in a fight, especially with something that had claws and sharp teeth. “I surrender myself to you.”

“What?” My ability to cause confusion seemed to have no end.

“I am within your custody. Let’s find Princess Twilight and have her sort me out.”

“You… Just like that?”

“I’ve been telling everyone I meet I’m an outsider for the past two days, and I even came straight to Princess Twilight. I haven’t exactly been afraid of anyone knowing what I am. Hell, after Surprise talked about how you’ve treated Discord, any fears I may have had were gone.”

His abandoned his defensive stance entirely, though he still looked confused. “You are basing us off of how we’ve treated Discord? Really?”

“Yeah, the best and the only way you should judge others based on what they have done in the past, but you should also always allow the possibility of change, otherwise someone bad can never be better.”

Don’t expect that from any of our agents, Jack. Once they are ours, there is no turning back. Short of tearing us from them that is, but that typically ends badly for most of our agents and is the reason most are sent to Tartarus.

“Huh…” The realization of something made itself known on Spike’s face. “I need you to Surprise Swear not to say anything about The Seven,” Spike said, his tone very fearful.

Poor Spike, he continues to put up this facade of his. He really needs to just learn to take what he wants, be it valuables or the joys of the flesh.

“Now, I could do that, but I don’t know how I could keep to it. Since I need Twilight to see I’m not Berry Punch.” Getting home was my only concern, not what happened to Spike.

“I can tell her you aren’t Berry Punch. See? Problem solved! Now, please, Surprise Swear you will not tell anyone about The Seven.” His tone shifted to panicked.

“No, I think she needs to see what I truly am. I feel the mind magic she knows will do that perfectly, and that is the reason I can’t promise you anything. Holding back anything wouldn’t be good for me, and maybe not even possible in the first place.”

You know, most creatures would be apprehensive to letting someone else into their mind. Of course, I would love to actually get into yours, since it is a playground with no end. How about that? You could experience pleasures that are only limited by your imagination.

Spike moved forward and placed a hand on one of my shoulders. “Please?”

Bah, I do need a friend… Well… I do already have Surprise, but she is just humoring me. I needed more information. “What will happen to you if someone finds out you can hear The Seven?”

His ears drooped and he plopped himself down on the floor. “I would have to go away…”

“Like to an insane asylum?”

He stepped back in surprise. “What? No! I’m not crazy! I would just have to go through the same training umbra fillies and colts go through.” He let out a long sigh. “I can’t be away from my friends that long, they need me, especially so with Twilight.”

“What’s an umbra?” It probably wasn’t important, but I figured I might as well learn what they were.

“Oh, I guess you wouldn’t know about them yet. Well, they are a pony type descended from Prince Sombra and Princess Hope, who are the rulers of the Crystal Empire. The umbra almost always have a dark gray coat and black mane, just like Prince Sombra, though their eyes can be any color. That one police pony in town, Due Process, is one by the way, and even has Prince Sombra’s exact same eye color.”

“So, what happens to umbra fillies and colts?”

He made a couple embarrassed laughs. “Sorry, I can get a little carried away. Equinology is one of my favorite subjects. Um, so yeah, when umbra reach age seven they develop the ability to naturally communicate with The Seven. The E.P.A. has a training program they put the fillies and colts through to wall themselves off mentally from The Seven, and in doing so are invulnerable to evil magic, alongside being able to use their shadow magic, without fear of negative effects.”

Magic they don’t deserve! The sultry tone was lost from Lust’s voice, replaced with pure malice.

“Seriously? You don’t want anyone to know so you don’t have to train? I don’t see why I should Surprise Swear not to tell anyone now.” I was irritated Spike had wasted my time with something so trivial.

“You don’t get it! Those fillies and colts spend years just walling off the one or two of The Seven that is attuned to them! I’ve heard six!”

You don’t want to wake the dragon, do you? Not that I would mind. I like it when things get rough. Lust’s tone had returned to normal, but the tone shift it had done made it clear this thing was monstrous.

I stood my ground. “All it sounds like to me is you not facing your problems! Every moment you don’t tell anyone just makes it worse! The truth always come out in the end!”

“It doesn’t have to! All you have to do is Surprise Swear you won’t tell anyone!” He looked around the room frantically, though he was probably just desperately thinking of a solution. He stopped his search and looked back at me. “If you don’t promise, then I’ll discredit you.”

“So, you would damn Berry Punch to another reality? I don’t think hearing The Seven is a genetic thing for you. I think you can hear them because at heart you are just like them.” I tried to inflict as much damage I could with each syllable.

He reeled from my words, dropping my notepad in the process, and stepped back. “No, I’m—”

I wasn’t going to let him recover and pressed toward him. “Hey! Now I see why you want to keep this a secret. It’s because you know that once they find out they’ll see you for the monster you are and no longer be your friends!”

Bleh, I hate when Sloth is right. Why couldn’t you be a xenophiliac instead? This just complicates matters.

He cried as he backpedaled. “That isn’t—”

The power I felt pouring my anger out was exhilarating, It was the same high I had experienced at the hospital talking at the nurse. It was the exact same thing I had denied myself with Corona. “Well, seeing as you aren’t above threats, how about I make one of my own? If you don’t do everything in your power to get Twilight to help me, I will tell anyone I can about Rarity’s secret.” It didn’t matter I didn’t actually know what it was, just the fact one existed at all would be enough.

Spike stopped in place, seemingly shocked by what I had said.

“Her career in Canterlot will be ruined. All because—”

Showtime! Lust gleefulness surprised me.

“No one threatens Rarity!” Spike said, but he sounded just like the first male's voice I had heard in my head, one I decided to label Greed.

It all happened so fast. His pupils turned red, the white of his eyes turned green, and an ethereal purple energy flowed out from the corners of his eyes. My eyes were so transfixed on his, that by the time I noticed the green and purple energy on his right claw, it was too late. The claw dug deep into the left side of my muzzle, scraping along bone and teeth as its owner raked it back toward himself.

I stumbled backward onto my rear, my gaze still transfixed on Spike, as his eyes turned back to normal, with his eyes transfixed on the bloody claws of his right hand. I could see a deep blackened gouge on top of the left side of my muzzle, but it just didn’t register to me. My left forehoof moved up to the left side of my muzzle, then felt the blistered skin and exposed teeth there. I’m hurt. I thought, and with it came the pain.

My attempt to scream out was met with a choke, as the feeling of something spread from my muzzle throughout my body. It literally felt like something was crawling underneath, a horror I continued to be unable to scream about. Convulsions rocked my body twice, before I fell forward, followed by more pain I couldn’t express as my muzzle hit the floor.

For the first time, I felt Berry’s tail move, alongside her ears, both of which had been limp for the entirety of my time in this body. My legs moved of their own accord to stand, my sight focused on Spike, then a grin formed on my muzzle. The grin caused more pain, but I was unable to express it, I wasn’t able to do anything.

Having problems, Jack?

The horror of what was going on filled me with terror.

Oh, I love that feeling. You should learn to enjoy things more. It isn’t like I’m going to kill you.She mentally giggled, then moved the body toward Spike.

Spike noticed the movement and looked my way, a different kind of terror than the one I had filled his face. “Jack! I—I didn’t mean to!” He realized what he had done, though I didn’t think he realized everything yet.

Lust moved closer to Spike, leaned down to sniff at the blood on his claw. then began to lick the blood off of them.

“J—Jack?”

Lust licked his claws clean of blood and looked at him. “Mhm. Sorry, Jack isn’t, as the ponies would put it, in control of the reigns.” Lust said, and it was the exact same sultry voice I had heard in my head, not Berry’s.

“No… That voice… You can’t…” He began to back away again.

Lust moved toward him, with extra sway added to each step. “Oh, but I did. Your dark magic infused claws, combined with the magical exhaustion of this body, made it a simple act. Now I’m in control of this body, if only for a little bit, but I’m going to make the most of it. I think it’s about time you lost your virginity.”

“No! Let her go!” His expression took on a panicked look.

“Oh? Is that what excites you? Well, if you insist.”

I felt in control again and began to do the only thing that the pain from muzzle wound called for, scream.

He stopped in place at my screaming. “No! Stop it! Don’t hurt her!”

I lost control again and my need to scream went unfilled.

“Me? No, I didn’t do anything just now.” Lust turned the head to show him the damage he had done. “This is why she screamed.” She moved a forehoof up to the wound and parted the burned flesh slightly, eliciting more pain I couldn’t express.

“I didn’t mean to!” His backstepping resumed, but he would run out backpedaling room soon with the wall of books behind him, that became closer with each step.

“How did it feel, Spike? You can try to deny my brother, but he always gets what he wants. Greed has been a part of dragons for millenniums, and not you or those dragons in Fillydelphia are going to ever change that.”

“This is all a bad dream, that’s—” He backed into the wall of books and turned his head to see what he had backed.

Lust galloped forward, reared up on the hind legs, then planted both forehooves to the left and right of Spike’s head on the wall of books. Spike turned his head back to Lust, who was now face-to-face with him.

“Let’s make it a wet one.”

Spike tried to duck away, but Lust hooked both forelegs around his long slender neck before he could, then we tumbled to the floor, with Lust on top.

“How about we both get rid of the overwear? I have so many things to show you.” She rubbed a foreleg over what I was sure was his crotch.

“No!” Spike rolled us over so that he was over on top, then tried to pry himself free from Lust’s grip. “Get off of me!”

“I’m trying to get you off. I swear, you need to be a more attentive student. Of course, I don’t mind disciplining you.”

Spike managed to unhook Lust, then pinned all four legs to the floor, with his arms and legs. “Get out of her! I’m not going to fall prey to you!”

Lust tried to struggle, but he had pinned the legs well. “Is it my demeanor? Oh, I know what will get your blood pumping.” Lust made a pout with my lips. “Spike? Would you be a dear and move these packages to my bedroom?” Lust had changed her voice exactly to Rarity’s.

Spike looked shocked at the voice change. “Shut up! That isn’t going to work!”

“You can just put them down by the bed. What is in them you ask? Oh, just some special toys I ordered for us to play with together.”

“Shut up! I’ve accepted what she is!”

“Yes, I guess you have.” Lust said, in her normal sultry voice, then formed another grin, which aggravated the muzzle wound further. “Spike! Oh, Spike!” she said, like she was looking for him, this time using Twilight’s voice.

“No…” He wasn’t ready for this.

“There you are! I desperately need your help finding something!”

“Shut up!” He shook us and hit my head on the floor, Lust didn’t even flinch at the pain and just smiled on.

“It is a matter of utmost scientific importance! I need you to find my g-spot!”

“Leave her out of this!” Tears began to run from his eyes.

“I see how you look at her. How you want to be with her. I keep telling you to just go into her bed one night and take her. Why, I even think she might feel the same. You just both think that the other will reject them, that you’ll be left without anyone to call family. Don’t worry, I’ve overseen every brother and sister couple. You’ll be unbreakable! Why, you aren’t even actually brother and sister, so it could be public too!” Lust said, in her own voice.

“I just want to be left alone…”

The sound of a door opening and closing was heard through the active ears on top of my head, accompanied by the sound of a set of hooves getting closer.

“Looks like our time will have to be cut short, Spike. Don’t worry about Jack, if you don’t say anything, we can take care of her. Now to make sure Twilight doesn’t ask questions.” Lust said.

The pain in my muzzle disappeared and was replaced with an intoxicatingly good feeling, that spread throughout my body. I was aware I was in control again, but I just laid there under Spike’s restraint, and basked in the feeling, while the visible wound on my muzzle disappeared, and the unseen wounds felt whole again.

Too bad I have to burn up all the dark magic in you, would’ve loved to assert control for a little bit longer later, but Twilight would notice it. Enjoy the pleasure and remember, as an agent for me, you could experience this and more for the rest of your life.Lust thought, then its presence just felt gone, while both my ears and tail went limp again.

“Spike! I need everything we have on scrying spells. Berry was not at the hospital and the ones I know are not…” Twilight said, before going silent.

I looked over at Twilight, as Spike did the same, while he continued to restrain me.

“Argh! Spike!” Her horn lit up and she disappeared in a flash of light, then reappeared right next to us. “Spike! Let her go right this instant! I do not care what she said to make you cry! You knew she went to the hospital today for some unknown, but potentially fatal reason! That is not how we treat potentially sick ponies!”

“I…” He looked back at me and seemed reluctant to let me go. I would’ve probably been just as reluctant to let a potentially possessed person free back home as well, that was if such things actually existed back home.

“Now!” she said, and I was glad I wasn’t on the receiving end of her anger.

Spike removed his hands from my forelegs, which allowed me to roll off my back and stand. I looked at Spike, who had an uneasy look on his face, then looked at Twilight. How do I use this to my advantage? She’ll get angry if I accuse Spike of anything and the truth has failed me too many times already. Is it time I started lying?

“Berry?” Twilight said, and gave me a quizzical look.

My eyes teared up and I began to sniffle, which came easy for me, then lunged toward Twilight. My unexpected embrace made her whole body go rigid and make her wings shoot open, while I cried onto her. Her posture relaxed after a moment, and then I felt her rub a forehoof on my back.

“Shh, it’s okay. Whatever you did, we can fix it. Spike? What happened?” she said, her tone had relaxed along with her body.

“Nothing…” He didn’t sound very convincing.

“Spike, I will find out what happened. The only question is if you tell me or if I have to find it out directly from Berry’s memories. I promise if you don’t tell me, I will be much angrier with you.”

“Just Berry… being Berry.” He tried to play it cool, but I knew he was afraid at any moment I might say something. It didn’t matter that Twilight wouldn’t believe me, it was just the fact I might plant the seed of doubt in her mind.

“Uhuh.” She didn’t sound very satisfied. “Berry, I need you to calm down so I can ask some questions and run some tests, alright?”

“Mhm.” I ended my embrace with Twilight, sat down on the floor, then wiped at my eyes with my forehooves’ fetlocks.

Twilight’s horn lit up for a moment, then a quill and piece of what looked like parchment materialized, though I seriously doubted the parchment was made from animal skin… or my new worldview still needed some adjusting. “I need you to tell the entire truth, Berry. I want to know everything that happened between after you woke up this morning and when you left the hospital,” she said, then lit up her horn again to levitate one of the cushions in the library toward herself and sat down on it.

I looked back over at Spike, who seemed a little calmer, then returned my attention to Twilight. “What I believe is the truth or what you think is the truth?”

“What are you saying?” She raised an eyebrow at me.

I gave her a serious look. “That you don’t want to hear the truth that doesn’t fit your current worldview.”

“Is this about yesterday? Be—”

“Jack.” I stated my name simply and clearly.

“That isn’t your name…” She seemed displeased.

“My point exactly.” I crossed my arms at her.

“Fine.” She began to write something down on the parchment she had floating in her magic.

“What are you writing?”

“Well,” She finished writing down whatever. “if you insist that is your name, then there has been a grievous error.” She cleared her throat. “I, Princess Twilight Sparkle, Ruler of the Friendship Rainbow Kingdom, hereby decree that Berry Punch resident of Ponyville is henceforth named Jack Tailor.” She had a smile on her face. “Still insist that is your name now?”

“Did you spell ‘Taylor’ with a ‘y’?” She was either joking or serious, it didn’t matter which. Win-win situation.

“Berry, if I actually did this, it would be properly spelled with an ‘i’. You aren’t seriously okay with this, are you? I will do it, I swear I will.”

“I don’t think Berry Punch will like it very much, but I’m sure she can fix it when she gets back.” I just smiled on at her inconsequential threat.

“Twilight,” Spike finally made himself known again, not that I had forgotten him. “don’t let her get to you.”

“Spike, I do not need royal advice, but thank you for your concern.” She turned her eyes back toward me. “Last chance.”

“Do it!” I had both forehooves in the air and was practically cheering her on.

The parchment rolled up in her magic, a tie materialized on it, then it disappeared. “There we go, Jack Tailor will be your name once it is processed. Any other legal corrections need to be made?”

“I need a mental exchange between realities.” It wouldn’t hurt to try.

“I’ll get right on the paperwork for that.” The sarcasm was strong in this one. “Okay, Jack.” She materialized another scroll. “What did you do today?”

I looked over at Spike again. “Does he have to be here?”

Anger crept into his features. “What are you getting at?”

I turned back toward Twilight. “Well, he’s a guy, and there are some things I need to mention that I’m not comfortable talking about around guys.” She’d be angry later when I told her I just said that to get rid of Spike, but I was tired of him. He was a coward, the whole evil seeing through him made me uneasy, and… I was a little afraid of him.

Realization slowly dawned on Twilight. “Spike, would you go make lunch? I have not had it yet and I doubt you have either.”

“I’m not hungry,” he said, very resolutely.

“Would you just leave then?” Irritation crept into her voice.

“It’s my library.” His irritation level increased as well.

“Fine, we will go somewhere else.” Her horn began to light up.

“Wait!” I had just realized I was missing things.

“What, Jack?” Twilight said, the annoyance fairly high in her voice.

“I need my saddlebags…” They had fallen off during the struggle with Spike, and I hadn’t paid attention to them. I looked around and noticed them a few feet away, next to the wall of books. I made the effort to stand, but before I could, Twilight had them in her magic and laid them across me.

“I need my notepad as well…” I pointed toward where it had been dropped by Spike. Twilight levitated the notepad over, then I stowed it away in my saddlebags.

“Anything else?” Twilight said, annoyance edged back into her voice.

“A sitting pillow?” I pushed my luck.

She looked over at a pillow, grabbed it in her telekinesis, then flung it at me. I grabbed the pillow before it hit me, then before I could say anything else, a flash of light blinded me.

Author's Note

Proofreaders/Pre-Readers:
Busstop
Topaz Moon

Happy April Fools! The only joke here was my writing skill! :derpytongue2:

Last Grammar Update: 2016-10-04