Irony's Tale

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11.
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33.
Chapter 34.
Chapter 35.
Chapter 36.
Chapter 37.
Chapter 38.
Chapter 39.
Chapter 40.
Chapter 41.
Chapter 42.
Chapter 43.
Chapter 45.
Chapter 46.
Chapter 47.
Chapter 48.
Chapter 49.
Chapter 50.
Chapter 51.
Chapter 52.
Chapter 53.
Chapter 54.
Chapter 55.
Chapter 56.
Chapter 57.
Chapter 1
Chapter 3
Chapter 17
Chapter 44.

Chapter 2

I finish rinsing my hair and say, "What the fuck is what?"

He points at my hips and says, "That, dude! When did you get ink done? And why did you choose your hips? I mean those are pretty badass, but still, on your hips?"

I look down at myself and then almost fall over from shock. On each hip I have a vibrant tattoo that I've never seen before. It takes me a moment for my brain to make my mouth work, "What the holy FUCK! Where did those come from?!"

Jim's head drops to the side as he looks at the tattoos in contemplation. "Man, they almost look like cutie marks. Or at least they would, if they matched." He looks up at my face with confusion in his eyes.

"Dude, I swear I don't know where they came from! Wait a minute...it was you, wasn't it? You decided to prank me for my birthday, didn't you! I'm gonna get you back so bad for this dude!" even before I get halfway through my statement I can see he's shaking his head vigorously.

"No man, I swear I had nothing to do with those. I haven't even seen you in a few days, how could I have done that to you?"

"Oh shit...are you sure you don't know anything about these?" I ask, even though I know the answer. Jim never had a good poker face, if it had been him he'd be grinning to beat the band and laughing by now.

"No way. You didn't go out and get drunk last night, did you? Maybe got a little ink done while under the influence?" he asks.

"I haven't had anything to drink in weeks. Not to mention you know just how much it would take for me to get so sloppy drunk that I wouldn't remember. No way would any of the parlors around here give a guy some tattoos while he was that wasted," I respond, calming down as I try to figure this mystery out.

"At least it's great ink, not some shoddy job. And really dude, they are badass. It could have been worse, you could have ended up with a freaking butterfly tramp stamp or something," Jim tries to console me.

"I guess you're right," I say, looking at the tattoos more closely. One is a shield with a blacksmiths anvil on it, with a hammer and tongs crossed above the anvil. The other is a shield with a hand wielding a flanged mace surrounded by a purple starburst on it. I've seen that mace before, I think.

"Wait. Did you say they look like cutie marks?" I ask.

"Well, yeah they do, or like I said, they would if they were matching. You know, from My Little Pony," he responds, as if I could have forgotten the show. We were big into it when it came out ten years ago, and like everyone else in the fandom we were sad when it ended five years later. We called ourselves bronies, even though we were never nearly as fanatical as a lot of others who wore that moniker.

"Do you really think I could have forgotten where cutie marks are from?" I ask.

"Well...you seem to have gotten a couple of tattoos and forgotten about them, so...maybe?" he responds sheepishly.

"Touché sir...good point."

We finish our showers and get dressed then leave the gym together in Jim's car. It's sort of a ritual with us to have steak and eggs at the local mom and pop diner after we work out together, so that's where Jim takes us. Soon we are sitting across from each other in a booth, me drinking orange juice while he enjoys his coffee, black of course. I never had developed a taste for coffee, only drinking it when I really needed to.

We were talking about nothing of importance, when the conversation turns to ponies, and we start discussing the merits of each of the Mane Six. It doesn't really take us long to come to the same conclusion we always have, that Twilight Sparkle is still best pony. We then move on to discuss our favorite episodes and our second favorite ponies. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation our food comes, and our waitress chimes in with, "My favorite episode is the second Trixie episode, where she has the Alicorn amulet. I always liked that even though Twilight fooled Trixie and beat her soundly, she tried hard to not hurt Trixie's feelings."

Jim and I both gawked open-mouthed at our waitress, Sherry. We'd been coming here for years, and knew Sherry for most of that time, but neither one of us had ever known she was into MLP. She laughed at us and said, "What, you can be bronies, but I can't be a pegasister?"

We both blush, and I say, "We just never had any idea you watched the show too. The things you learn about people, I guess."

She smiles at our discomfiture and says, "Well, I've known for a while now that you two were bronies, so I finally decided this was a good opportunity to tell you I like ponies too."

Jim kind of freezes up for a moment, and I know that he's been thinking about asking her out for a while now, so I smile at Sherry and say, "Would you like to come over to Jim's to watch a few episodes with us later today?" I then flick my eyes from her to him a couple of times.

She smiles at Jim, getting the hint, and answers, "I think that would be great. I get off here around 5, so how about 6?" I tell her that would be great, and then write directions down on a napkin for her, including Jim's phone number.

Once Sherry has headed back to the kitchen to get someone else's food, I dig into my eggs while Jim just sits there looking thoughtful. I reach over and poke him with my fork and say, "Equestria to Jim."

He shakes his head and says, "Thank you dude. You knew I wouldn't ever be able to ask her out, didn't you?"

I just smile at him as I take another bite of egg. Jim never had been real smooth with the ladies, always being just a tad shy. Frankly I'm just glad he wasn't mad I was trying to help set him up.

"Irony, you're always watching out for me. I know I don't always show it, but I appreciate it," Jim says to me.

"No problem, little bro," I say in response.

We dig into our steaks and plow through our meals as only a couple of Marines can, finishing in no time at all. When Sherry brings our bill, she smiles and winks at Jim. I take one look at the bill and slide it over to Jim. He laughs and says, "So I should buy you breakfast because it's your birthday?"

"Nope. Just thought you might want to see that," I say, grinning.

Jim looks at the bill and grins back at me. Sherry left him her phone number on it, along with a note saying that breakfast was on the house. We both stand up, and as Jim turns away I pull out my wallet and drop a fifty on the table for Sherry, knowing that our breakfast probably came out of her pocket. And also knowing that Jim would do the same if he had it to give. Besides, he owes me a night on the town and that is going to cost, I grin as I think about that.

***

"Dude, get out of the shower! It's 1730, Sherry will be here soon! You'd better not be spanking the monkey in there!" I yell at Jim, pounding on the bathroom door to hurry him along. I walk over to the TV and queue up My Little Pony so it's ready when she gets here. I then walk into the kitchen and grab a can of cola and some celery from the fridge. I'm sitting on the couch still munching on it when Jim comes out a few minutes later.

"Out of all the snacks I have here, you choose rabbit food," he ribs me when he sees what I'm eating.

"Hey, gotta watch my girlish figure," I reply, laughing.

"Yeah sure, whatever dude," he says while he opens the fridge and looks inside. Just then the doorbell dings and before I can even attempt to stand Jim is practically running for the door yelling back at me, "I'll get it!"

"Hi Sherry! Welcome to my humble abode," I hear Jim say as he shows Sherry in. I wave to her from my seat on the couch.

She waves back and says, "Nice place. Glad I finally get to see it. Oh, I brought a guest gift. My mom always taught me to not show up without a gift when invited to someone's house for the first time," she hands Jim a bottle with a bow on it. Jim whistles and holds the bottle up for me to see.

"Bro, Sherry brought us the good stuff!" he grins at me, brandishing the bottle of Jameson Irish whiskey.

"Did she ever! Eighteen year old Limited Reserve! Now that's a nice bottle of whiskey!" I grin and hop off the couch to take hold of the bottle. "Thank you very much, Sherry! How did you know this was our favorite?"

"Actually, I brought it for purely selfish reasons, it's my favorite too," she replies, smiling broadly.

Jim turns to me and says, "Bro, this is a great way to celebrate your birthday! Good whiskey, great company, and ponies!" He holds up his fist and I give him a 'bro-hoof'.

"Wait, Henry, is it your birthday today?" Sherry asks me.

"Yup, 25 today. A whole quarter of a century," I say.

"Happy birthday! I wish I had known, I would have brought you a gift too!" she protests.

I hold up the bottle as I say, "oh, this is present enough for any sane man. You couldn't have done better, thank you."

Jim punches me in the shoulder and says, "Hey, that's for all of us!"

"Nope, you owe me, remember?" I laugh at the look of chagrin that appears on his face. "Just kidding man, just kidding!"

Jim growls at me as he grabs the bottle out of my hands and marches into the kitchen. He shortly returns with three glasses each with two fingers of the amber liquor in them. He hands Sherry and I each a glass and raises his in a toast, "To my brother turning 25 today! To making new friends, and to ponies!"

We all clink glasses, seconding Jim's toast. Then Sherry says, "I'll turn 25 next week myself, guess I'll have to invite you guys over for a party."

Jim gets kind of a funny look on his face and then says, "I turn 25 next week too. What day is your birthday? Mine is May 1st."

"Mine's on the 2nd, but only just. I was born a few minutes after midnight on the second," she responds.

"Wow, that's a big coincidence," I say to them, smiling a little at the vagaries of fate.

"I'll say, especially since I was born only a few minutes before midnight of the 1st!" says Jim.

"Wait, I thought you two were brothers. How can you both turn 25 a week apart?" asks Sherry, perplexed.

Jim looks at me and grins. "Care to handle this one, 'big brother'?"

"We were adopted at birth. We come from different birth parents and were born six days apart. Our mom and dad were getting on in years and wanted two children, so they adopted us both at one time," I answer for him.

"Okay, that explains it. Thought I was losing my mind for a moment. Now you were both in the Marines, right?" Sherry asks.

"Yeah. We actually served in the same unit, too," answers Jim.

"Wait, how did you manage that? Don't they have rules about family members serving together?" she asks.

"They do, but we have different last names. Our parents had us keep our birth parents last names, so we would always know where we came from. That and a request made to a friend of the family ensured we would serve together," I say in response.

"Wow. I knew you two were close, but you are really close. I've never known siblings that wanted to spend that much time together before, especially as adults," Sherry says.

"You could say we're close alright. Even more so after Henry saved my life," says Jim, smiling at me as I flush red with embarrassment.

"Jim, you would have done the same for me. Besides, I got lucky," I say.

"I sense a story here. Spill!" exclaims Sherry, looking from one of us to the other.

"Really it's nothing," I say, trying to deflect the conversation.

"I wouldn't say it's nothing," says Jim, not letting me off the hook. "Henry here threw himself on a live grenade that the enemy had thrown into the middle of our camp. He saved the entire squad. He even got a medal for it," says Jim, leaving out one important detail.

Sherry looks at me in wide eyed shock, like she had never seen me before. There is a reason I never tell this story to anyone. I don't want to be treated differently because I once did something that almost anyone would do in the same situation.

"Wait, if you threw yourself on a live grenade...then how are you still here to talk about it? I know they have made great strides in prostheses, but the blast alone should have killed you," says Sherry, beginning to suspect that Jim was having her on.

"Jim here is leaving out one very important detail," I say, glaring at Jim. "The grenade didn't go off. It was a dud, much to my happy surprise."

"You still saved all our lives, big bro. Everyone in the squad agrees with me. And so did the review board, that's why they gave you that medal you refuse to wear," adds Jim.

"I think it's amazing too, and so brave. You could have been killed!" says Sherry. She then adds, "By the way, what medal are you talking about?"

Jim looks at me and I shake my head. He proceeds anyway, "He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his 'unparalleled act of valor'. He refuses to wear it, or be acknowledged for it. The squad threw a party to thank him and celebrate, and the bum didn't show up!"

"That wasn't on purpose! I told you I got held up!" I gripe at Jim, wishing I could melt into the floor and disappear. Sherry just seemed to be in shock. I finally just walk away and out into the backyard, trying to get a hold on my emotions.

What Jim didn't understand, what no one understood, is that I wasn't being modest. I genuinely hate thinking about that incident. I should have died. The fact that I didn't was a wonderful blessing, but it left me damaged in a way no one seemed to understand. When I jumped on that grenade, I knew it was the right thing to do. My life flashed before my eyes, the whole thing, and while I didn't regret anything, I felt that something huge was missing. I could sense that something vast was wrong. Every night for a month afterwards I woke screaming from my dream, knowing in my heart that it meant more than I had ever realized before.

I hear the door open behind me, but I don't bother to turn around, instead I continue gazing out over the fields behind Jim's house and watch the sun set behind the hills. Instead of talking to me, whoever is behind me remains quiet, maybe watching the sunset the same as I. When I finally master myself I turn around to see both of them sitting on the back step just watching me. Neither one of them says anything, but I can feel that maybe they understand just a little bit of what I'm dealing with after all.

"I'm sorry I walked out, I just..." I begin, not knowing how to finish the sentence.

"No dude, no need for you to apologize. I'm the one who needs to apologize. I'm sorry man, I know this has been eating at you. I can't help but push some, mostly because what you did means so much to me. I know how it worked out, but it didn't have to be that way. What I saw that day, and what I've always seen in you, is how much you care for those around you. I know you love me, and I know you would jump on that grenade every time for me, but I also know you would do that for anyone. You are selfless in the extreme. You are the protector; I think it's in your blood. It may even be your destiny, if you believe in that kind of thing. What I'm trying to say is that you are amazing, and not everyone would do what you did, despite what you think. I hope that you can someday understand how special that makes you."

Jim stands and pulls me into a real hug as he finishes his speech. We haven't hugged like this since we were kids, and I can feel wetness on my shoulder from the tears flowing silently down his face. I hold him tightly and I can feel my cheeks are wet too. I can't even remember the last time that I wept for any reason. I whisper into his ear, "I love you brother, don't ever forget or doubt it."

After a few moments we awkwardly end our embrace, both pretending we don't see the tears the other has shed. We turn back towards the house and see that Sherry is standing, and her cheeks are shiny with the wetness of the tears she has shed for us. Jim and I each hold a hand out to her, inviting her to join us and I say, "Trixie, I..."

She takes our hands and just smiles at us and shakes her head. I realize there aren't any words for the situation, and that none are needed. It is then that I realize this has bonded the three of us in a way that none of us could have anticipated.

Chapter 4

"Are you a girl now?" asks Jim.

"No. Not yet, anyway," I answer, pulling my waistband out and glancing down to make sure.

"But...what if you become a girl?" he asks.

"You'll have a sister?" I reply, trying to make light of the situation. I really don't want to think about that right now. My heart is thumping in my chest at the mere thought of that potential change, though.

"I'm serious man, what will we do?" he pushes.

"It doesn't matter! We'll still be in this together, no matter what happens to her," interjects Sherry, immediately clamping a hand over her mouth. "I mean him!"

"It's okay...I mean, I already have purple hair, and if it happens I'll deal with it," I say, trying to get past this conversation. Truthfully though, I'm freaking out a little bit, mostly because I'm pretty sure it's true. I'm not only turning into a pony, but a female one at that. Oh god, what am I going to do? I look up at them, "Sooo...how was your lunch date?" I say, trying to take our minds off this unpleasant topic of conversation.

Both Jim and Sherry blush and look down at their feet. Oho...this is going to be good, isn't it? I think to myself, chuckling.

"Did you guys have more than lunch?" I say, watching them closely. It's a good thing I am, because they both blush a deeper shade of red, and that spot on the carpet must be really interesting, because they can't seem to take their eyes off it.

"Oh wow...you did, didn't you? You two are so bad!" I rib them, chortling.

"I...I..." Jim tries to say something, but can only stammer. Then it dawns on me, "You two spent the night together, didn't you?!"

Sherry nods her head slowly, now so dark red she's almost purple. I walk up to them and pull them into a group hug and say, "Well it's about time! You two have been into each other for a long while now. I can't believe how long it has taken for you guys to get together!"

"I...I'm so embarrassed," Sherry finally squeaks out. I smile at her and pat her on the back.

"It's okay! Don't be embarrassed! I think you two were meant for each other, or I wouldn't have tried to get you together," I tell her.

Jim turns to Sherry and pulls her close to him, saying, "I've had a major thing for you for a long time. I was always too scared to actually ask you out. If it weren't for Henry, I probably never would have gotten up the courage. I think you're amazingly beautiful, and I hope you want this to be more than a one-time thing."

"Well, like Henry just said, I've liked you for a long time too. I kept hoping you would ask me out, but you never did. I started thinking maybe you weren't interested. I can't tell you how happy I was when your brother invited me to watch ponies with you yesterday! I guess I should be really glad I finally told you guys about liking the show," Sherry shares with Jim.

"Well, my work here is done!" I say, laughing. "Success!"

I leave them standing there and walk into the kitchen, realizing that I'm pretty hungry, having skipped lunch to do research. I open the fridge and look inside, finally pulling out a bag of prepackaged salad, some shredded cheese, bleu cheese crumbles, cherry tomatoes, a cucumber and the ranch dressing. I set them on the counter and go to the pantry to get out a can of black olives, sunflower seeds, and garlic croutons. I get a plate and proceed to make myself the tastiest salad ever, slicing up the cucumber and olives to go on top.

About the time I finish making my salad, Jim and Sherry walk into the kitchen holding hands and smiling at each other. I sit down at the small table I have just off the kitchen and gesture toward the salad makings I have left on the counter and say, "If you're hungry at all, please feel free. Sorry, but I'm not waiting, I'm starving!"

"Maybe you're not turning into a pony...maybe you're turning into a pig," Jim joked, pointing at my salad piled high on my plate.

"Oink, oink," I responded.

Neither Jim nor Sherry are hungry so they just sit down at the table with me while I eat. Nobody says anything for a few minutes. Jim and Sherry seem to not know what to say, and I am too busy eating. Finally it seems that the silence is getting to Jim so he asks, "Did you get to work in your shop this morning like you wanted to yesterday?"

I nod and reply, "Yeah. You know, speaking of that, I should show you what I've been making recently. It's..." I trail off, not really knowing how to explain it.

"It's what?" Jim says.

I just shrug and say, "You'll have to see for yourself, I guess."

Sherry looks at us, a confused look on her face before she asks, "What do you make in your shop?"

"He has a whole forge setup and makes all kinds of stuff out of steel," Jim answers for me, as my mouth is full.

"That's pretty cool! What did you make this morning?" she asks.

"Today, just a mace." I reply.

"How can you make MACE out of steel? Doesn't that involve chemicals?" she says, perplexed.

"Not MACE, as in pepper spray, I'll bet he means like a medieval mace. Kind of like a big club made out of steel," Jim says to her.

Sherry facepalms and says, "I am sooo dumb sometimes."

"Nah, you just don't think about ancient weapons like I do," I smile as I reply.

"What's so big about you making a mace this morning?" my brother asks, getting us back on track.

"It's not the mace so much, though I think it's important. It's more what I made last week that might mean something," I say.

"What--"

"You'll have to wait and see," I cut Jim off with a wave of my hand and a shake of my head, as he starts to speak.

"You and your secrets, sheesh!" he gripes at me.

I just wiggle my eyebrows at him and go back to eating, soon finishing my huge salad. I have to stop myself from licking the plate when I'm done, it was so good. I get up and put away all the salad makings, not really hurrying because I can see it's bugging Jim. Once I finish putting it all away I rinse my dishes and put them in the dishwasher, washing my hands afterwards. Now that Jim seems about to burst I walk towards the door and say, "Aren't you coming?"

Jim quietly grumbles to himself as he gets up, but Sherry is grinning ear to ear, having picked up on what I was doing. It just goes to show that no matter the situation siblings will tweak each other to get a response.

I lead them out to the shop and open the door, ushering them inside and turning on the light. Sherry looks around my shop in awe, slowly walking along and gently touching a few things.

"This is wonderful Henry. Did you make all of these?" she asks, pointing to my storage shelf quite literally packed with items I created.

I simply nod, surprised at how genuinely impressed she is.

"May I?" she asks, pointing to some of the work. I nod my approval and she hefts a piece of art that I made quite a while back. "Wow that's heavy! But it's so beautiful! You made this from scratch?"

"Yeah, I usually start with bar steel and work from there. Most of the time I kind of trance out and make whatever comes to my hands. Sometimes it is more artsy and sometimes it's useful," I respond.

I walk over and pick up one of the helms I made last week. It is a barbute design, but has a much wider nose area than any helm I've ever seen before. I hand it to Jim without saying anything. He takes it and looks it over, then shrugs and puts it on his head.

"This doesn't really fit dude," he says to me, removing the helm. "It also doesn't cover as much of my face as I would have expected. I nod to him and then hand him the smaller of the two breastplates I made, the one with the holes in the back. Again, I make no comment as he turns it over in his hands.

"What the hell is this?" he asks me.

"I'm pretty sure it's a breastplate," I reply.

"Okay...but for who, or maybe I should say, what?" he says, understandably confused.

"I think it's for a pony," I say quietly.

"When did you make this again?" he asks.

"Last week. I made both helms and these two breastplates last week," I say, gesturing to the other helm and breastplate on the shelf.

"Oookay, that's freaky. So you somehow knew, subconsciously at least, last week that you were going to turn into a pony?" he seems flabbergasted.

My face goes slack and my jaw drops as my mind connects the dots. I've known much longer than that, haven't I? I thought to myself, remembering the dream I'd been having all my life.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Jim asks me, worry clear in his voice. Sherry comes over and stands next to him, a worried look appearing on her face as well.

"I...I...oh my god!" is all I can get out for a few minutes as it all hits me and my brain reboots.

"Henry! Are you okay?" Jim grabs my shoulder and shakes me, finally snapping me out of my stupor.

"Wow. I, um, have something rather unbelievable to tell you." I say, looking around for a stool to sit on.

"I need you to listen to me with an open mind. A very open mind," I say as I pull over the stool I found and sit down. "And I suggest you both sit down for this."

They each grab a stool and sit down near each other and Sherry takes Jim's hand as they listen to me begin my story.

"Okay, to begin with, ever since I can remember I have been having this weird dream. I've never told anyone about it, not even you Jim, because it scared me so badly when I was little. As I got older it scared me less, but I still didn't want to share it with anyone. It just seems too personal for that, but now I think it's time for you to hear it." I start, still kind of scared to be talking about this. I then describe my dream for them:

***

"Hello Discord," I say as I casually turn the page. My relaxed demeanor is a front, I’ve never trusted him fully, despite entreaties from others.

"Hello Irony," he responds, seeming ever so slightly put out that he hasn't surprised me with his presence. Though he doesn’t fully know the extent of Royal Guard training, especially one who guards a Princess.

"So,” I look at him the time has finally come, then?" I ask, it’s time to seem relaxed, though also time to be ready to deal death. I knew this confrontation would come. I had warned each of the Princesses on numerous occasions that he could not be trusted. I was certain of his betrayal. Too bad I couldn't be wrong.

"Indeed it has. You should feel honored that I see you as enough of a threat that I shall remove you before putting the rest of my plan into action," he casually waves his eagle’s claw, “And you will also provide the proving ground, if this spell works, you will be gone, if not.” He shrugs, “You will be dead.”

He begins to chant:

For Five Score! Divided by Four!

I have already leapt to my four hooves. My motions seem sluggish, almost like I am moving through molasses in January.

Your Memories Removed! Your Body Confused!

I push on, knowing I only have one chance before I am dust.

For your insolence you must pay,

I have managed to grab my flanged mace. I leap at the eldritch abomination, my snarl turning to a scream as I close the distance.

Cast off to a land far far away!

Time slows as I get ever closer to him, the source of chaos in our universe, the one whom harmony must be forced upon.

Irony's removal, to meet my approval!

Will I make it? Will I stop him before he can wreak the havoc he clearly intends to?

Your mind shall be weak, your outlooks bleak!

I am raising my mace over my head to strike.

Forgetting everything and living like a fool,

I am bringing the mace down in an arc at my foe. I can see it in my hand, moving with agonizing slowness, preparing to crush the Lord of Chaos' skull.

You have all lost, now no one can stop my rule!

He finishes his incantation and snaps his claws just as I feel the mace make contact. Then everything goes blinding white and then darkest black.

And then the screaming begins...

***

"Dude, that sounds ripped straight from the final episode of MLP, you know that right?" Jim says in disbelief.

"I know! I know! But it isn't, I swear. I have literally been having this dream since I was too young to understand what it was. And I have most certainly been having it since long before the last generation of My Little Pony came out!"

I grab hold of my mane and tail and hold them out for Jim and Sherry to see, "I had another dream just last night, before my hair changed and I grew a tail, and my hair in that dream was these exact colors and this pattern! And my fur was the same color as that around my new ears."

I then stood and walked over to the shelves again and picked up the mace, and walking back to them I say, "And I had this exact mace, this mace is the same as the mace in all my dreams."

"It's the same as the one on your cutie mark too!" stated Sherry excitedly.

I blink a couple of times and pulling my waistband down enough to study the marks on my hips say, "You're right; I hadn't made that connection yet."

"Not only that, but now I'm positive that I will be a female pony when this is done. At least, I was in my dreams, and this is too much coincidence for me to discount them," I stop for a moment and look at the armor again. I pick up the smaller one and examine it. "And I don't think this is for me."

"What do you mean it's not for you? You said yourself you think it's for a pony. Who else could it be for?" says Jim, eyes wide in astonishment.

"I'm...not sure who it's for," I say. Though I have my suspicions, I think looking at Jim curiously. "But I know it's not for me, because I didn't have wings in my dreams." I point at the holes in the back of the armor, "Those holes are almost surely to fit the wings of a pegasus pony, and I'm now sure I won't be one."

"Whoa, dude...this is all too heavy for me right now," says Jim, rubbing his hand down his face. He has paled visibly.

"I wonder who it's for, since it's not for you," says Sherry, a somewhat wistful look on her face, reminding me of her confession earlier about kind of wanting to be a pony.

I hand her the helmet and indicate she should put it on, which she does. "Maybe it's for you," I say, teasing her a little bit.

"If only...but somehow I don't think so," she says, removing the helm and looking it over. Suddenly her eyebrows shoot up so high I think they're going to come right off her head, and she holds the helm out to me, pointing to the inside.

I look inside and see something I hadn't noticed before: evidently when I made it I put a nameplate inside, and on the nameplate it read simply 'Flash'. I suck on my lip for a moment and then grab the other helmet and look inside. On the inside of this one I see another nameplate. This one reads 'Irony'. I say the name out loud, already knowing that it means me. I take the helm in both hands and raise it over my head, then lower it down onto my head. I can't believe it, but it fits perfectly over my mane. I can feel how well it fits everywhere but the front of my face, and I realize it must be because I don't have my muzzle yet.

I look up and realize that Sherry and Jim are staring at me. I shrug and hand the other helmet to Jim, pointing to the nameplate inside. Jim looks at it and says the name out loud. I think I see a spark of recognition in his eyes, but it is gone so quickly I may have imagined it.

Sherry picks up the other armor, as Jim is looking at the helmet, and holds it up, barely. "Okay, who is this for? If you're going to be a pony, then who did you make this for? It looks like it's meant for a human woman."

"Maybe that's for you," I joke, taking it and holding it up to put it on her. She obliges me and I slide it onto her. It is a very poor fit, being way too large for her small frame. I laugh at how it is almost falling off of her as she strikes a muscleman pose. Even Jim is laughing now at her antics.

I help her out of it and put it back on the shelf, "I have no idea about that either. The only question I've answered about all of these pieces is that this," and I point to the helmet I'm still wearing, "and the mace, are for me personally. Not that I have any real idea how a pony uses a mace. If I was going to be a unicorn, then maybe...but I'm not, I'm an earth pony." I finish with certainty.

I stop for a moment as I realize that I'm starting to accept all of this as the truth, and that I am no longer so afraid of what is happening. Maybe it's because I finally have a clue as to what is missing. I also realize that if my dream is accurate, then I was a pony before.

"I was never supposed to be human," I suddenly blurt out, seemingly completely out of left field to Jim and Sherry, I'm sure.

"Do you mean because of your dream?" asks Sherry, immediately picking up on where my mind had wandered. I just nod.

"But that's...just a dream," Jim finishes lamely, realizing what Sherry and I had already realized, that there are entirely too many coincidences in all this.

I shrug at Jim and say, "I don't think it's 'just' a dream anymore. With every passing moment I become more certain that it isn't a dream at all, but a memory. A memory from before I was born, or reborn, or whatever."

"Well, what else happened, then?" Jim asks me skeptically.

"I don't know. I don't have any other memories of before. I don't know how to explain it, I'm just sure that this is a memory though," I answer, though I see that Jim is still not fully accepting what I know.

I look at my watch and realize we have been out here for a long time. I remove my helmet and put it back on the shelf with the armor and other helmet. Jim and Sherry stand as well and we prepare to leave. Before we leave though, Sherry walks over to my project shelf and takes one more look at what's on it. She picks up something and brings it over to me and says, "I think this might be for you too."

I look at what she has and give a start, realizing it's a shield I made months ago. On the front of the shield I engraved a design, a six pointed star.

"That's Twilight Sparkle's cutie mark, isn't it?" Sherry says and I nod in confirmation. "It also matches the mace half of your cutie mark.

"What?" I ask, dumbly.

She grabs the waist of my pants and pulls them down to show my hip and points, saying, "There, around the mace, it's the purple six pointed star that Twilight has." She looks at the mark a little more closely and her hand shoots up to cover her mouth as she gasps, "A hand..."

I try to look at it more closely, but Sherry's other hand is in the way, so I move her hand and look at my hip. All I see is the shield, with the purple star, with the mace on it. And holding the mace is a...hand...oh, I get it. I shrug, having no clue what it could mean. I mean, I saw myself in my dream, and I was a pony.

"Maybe it's a reference to having been human now?" I say, but Sherry is already shaking her head.

"If that's your cutie mark, then it would have been that way before you were ever made to be human. Not that I have any more idea than you do," she says to me.

I shrug again, not any closer to understanding, and put the shield on the shelf next to the helmets and armor. I think she must be right about the shield, though like the mace I am not sure how a pony could wield it. I usher them out of the shop and turn off the lights before closing and locking the door.

"Hey, Henry, do your feet hurt or something?" asks Jim as we walk back to the house, looking down at my feet.

"No, why?" I ask in response.

"Well, you're walking kind of funny..."

I look down and realize that I'm walking on the balls of my feet, like a tip-toe walker would. I force myself to flatten out my feet, which is more difficult than I would have thought.

"I haven't walked like that since I was a kid," I say.

"I remember. You walked like that all the time when we were little," says Jim.

"Do you remember when I had to have that tendon lengthening surgery because of it?" I ask him.

Jim nods and says, "I remember you had to have casts on your ankles for weeks after that, and walked with a walker too."

"Do you think maybe it's because you were supposed to be a pony?" Sherry puts out there.

I scratch my head, "Dunno...maybe?" I look down and realize that, without realizing it, I have gone back to walking up on my toes. I shrug my shoulders and decide not to worry about it, for now it's more comfortable to walk this way.

"I bet there are a lot of things from your past that you didn't have an explanation for that could be explained by the fact that you weren't supposed to be human!" exclaims Sherry excitedly.

"You're probably right..." I say, trailing off as I briefly think about my life growing up. "But I can't think of anything in particular that sticks out. I mean, Jim and I grew up together and the only thing I can think of is the toe walking thing. What about you, Jim? Can you think of anything?"

Jim just shakes his head, evidently drawing a blank as well.

Sherry, looking a little crestfallen, says, "Darn, I thought I might be onto something. Okay, so what do we do now?"

"Maybe we should check the internet to see if there is anything circulating about other people becoming ponies? If my dream is actually a memory, then I shouldn't be the only one that got banished. Unless Discord's plan failed..." I say, thinking out loud.

"That's a great idea! And if we find evidence of other people becoming ponies, then maybe we can meet up with them. Maybe we can gather together and come up with a plan for what to do next," says Sherry.

I lead the way back into the house and turn on my computer. After it boots up I start searching the web for news about strange occurrences first, thinking that someone else might not understand what is happening to them right away. There really isn't much on that front, mostly just talk about tensions heating up in the Middle East, but tension is always high there anyway. I then do a search for blogs with posts about transformations, filtering out anything werewolf or vampire related. I also realize I need to filter out the RPs, or role-players, who are pretending to live the life of a transformed pony.

"Arghh..." I push back from the computer in disgust, having come up completely blank. I turn to Jim and Sherry and ask, "Do either of you have any ideas?"

Jim shakes his head no, and Sherry shrugs but says, "Not really, but could I take a crack at it? We really shouldn't give up after only an hour or so."

"You're right, but sometimes searching the web is so frustrating! I hope you have better luck than I did," I tell her as I rub my eyes, only too happy to relinquish the computer to her care. "I know it's not productive, but I'm going to go watch a little TV and try to take my mind off this for a little bit, let me know if you find anything."

"No problem, it doesn't take all three of us to watch one screen anyway," answers Sherry.

"You want to come, Jim?" I ask him.

"Nah, I'm going to stay here and see if I can't be of any help," he replies, smiling.

It's good to see him so happy, even if my life has gone to shit, I think to myself, really glad they have finally been brought together.

I wave a goodbye and mosey out of the room and head to the living room and turn on the TV. I flip some random channels, not really finding much interesting to watch. I finally stop searching and just leave it on the history channel, which has some World War II documentary playing. I'm usually not really big into war documentaries, but this one doesn't seem too bad. As I'm watching the show I start to analyze the tactics on both sides, and soon am thinking about how I would fight that war with ponies instead of modern military equipment. Somewhere in my musings I fall asleep.

***

I realize I must be dreaming when I see that I am in full pony form. I try to look around at my surroundings. I quickly realize that, unlike my last dream, I have no control of this one. I can only see what my body looks at, which leads me to believe this is another memory rather than a true dream.

I am standing at attention in front of four ponies. Wait, those aren't just any ponies, those are the Princesses! I realize in shock.

"Irony Smith, also known as Irony Shieldbreaker, do you know why you are here?" Princess Celestia asks me in her regal voice.

"I do not, dear Princess. I only hope that if it is for a failure, that I may rectify that failure," I hear myself reply stiffly, evidently assuming that I was about to be called on the carpet for a misconduct or failure of some sort.

"Princess Twilight Sparkle has informed us of your recent actions, and we have decided that they have merited a royal response," the Princess continues.

I kneeled before the Princesses, bowing my head to the floor, "I bow to your wishes and accept full responsibility for my actions, including any punishment you wish to mete out."

Princess Luna steps forward and says, "We have decided that your actions are deserving of recognition."

Before I can process what Princess Luna just said, Princess Cadance steps forward and says, "You shall be presented with our highest award."

Twilight steps forward as my eyes widen in shock, and places a medal on a ribbon around my neck, saying, "The Diamond Equestrian Sunburst."

"In recognition of your exceptional performance in the protection of Princess Twilight Sparkle, and given your fairly recent joining of the Equestrian Royal Guard. You shall be elevated to the rank of Captain, and will be given the task of forming a Royal Guard for Princess Twilight Sparkle. A guard which you shall head until such time as you can no longer fulfill your duties or are dismissed," stated Princess Celestia, smiling down upon me.

I see that Twilight is beaming at me as she claps her hooves in approval. I am in utter shock at the turn of events. I...I was head of Princess Twilight's personal Royal Guard? Holy Shit!

I feel my body rise to its hooves at the Princesses gesture. I also feel tears sliding silently down my cheeks at the incredible honor I have just been given. Twilight comes over and wraps her hooves around my neck in an intimate embrace. She whispers into my ear, "Thank you. Thank you for saving me. Thank you for always being there when I need you."

Then the dream fades...

***

I wake up from my dream to see that the World War II documentary is over and some history of the old west is on. I look at my watch and see that it's after 2000, and realize that I've been asleep for quite a while. I use the remote to turn off the TV and stand up. Only to fall face first onto the floor. What the fuck just happened? I try to stand up again and fall back against the couch. Something seems wrong with my feet, I can't keep my balance.

I look at my feet and reach down to check my shoes. I find the shoes are extremely loose and come right off my feet when I tug at them. Hooves...Not feet anymore. Can't say I didn't see this coming, I think to myself, sighing. I throw the shoes in the corner, realizing that I don't really need them anymore, and make another attempt at standing.

This time things seem to go a lot more smoothly, either because the shoes are off, or because now I know what I'm trying to do. I stand still for a minute, just trying to learn my new balance point, before taking a step. Walking actually doesn't seem all that difficult now that I've got standing figured out. It's a little odd walking on hooves, but isn't any weirder than the rest of what I've been going through.

I walk down the hall, lightly touching the wall every few steps just to make sure I keep my balance. As I walk down the hall I am glad that I don't have hardwood floors, so I don't have to hear myself clip-clopping around the house.

I walk by the computer room and stick my head in to see how progress is going on the computer search only to find Jim and Sherry making out on the couch in there. I pull my head back without saying anything so I don't disturb them. I continue down the hall to the master suite and, realizing I need to use the facilities, head into the bathroom.

I stand in front of the toilet and drop my pants and briefs then reach for my member so I can do my business, but nothing is there. I drop my gaze to my crotch in shock. Taking in the missing genitalia, I begin screaming, "OH FUCK, OH FUCK, OH FUCK!"

Chapter 5

Jim and Sherry come charging into my bathroom after hearing me scream, and I instinctually turn towards them, still screaming obscenities. They come to a screeching halt and cover their mouths with their hands as they stare at my condition.

"My DICK is GONE! My BALLS are GONE! Jim, I'm a FUCKING GIRL!" I can't seem to stop yelling at the top of my lungs. Safe to say I am not handling this well...

"Henry, calm down! Pull your pants up! You're going to be alright!" says Jim, trying to stop me from screaming.

"Everything is NOT going to be alright! I'm turning into a fucking pony! And I've just lost my Goddamned DICK! This is as far from alright as I think I've ever been!" I reply, still yelling.

Sherry walks over to me and pulls me into a hug, thankfully ignoring the fact that my pants and underwear were around my ankles. I wrap my arms around her, squeezing her tightly as I begin to sob.

"Shh...we're here with you. We'll take care of you, I promise," she whispered into my ear as she stroked my back and just let me cry.

After a few minutes, Sherry takes me by the hand and leads me out of the bathroom and into my bedroom. My sobbing has quieted down quite a bit, but tears are still running down my cheeks and I'm hiccoughing every few moments. She helps me pull my pants up and then sits me down on my bed then sits next to me and holds my hands in both of hers.

"I'm okay now," I say, though it is an obvious lie because I'm still in shock, but I have to say something.

"Not yet you aren't, but you will be," Sherry says to me in a firm yet gentle tone. I can only nod back to her. Sherry turns to Jim and says, "Jim, would you please order us a pizza or something? We're all going to need to eat soon."

Jim finally comes out of his own stupor when Sherry repeats herself for the third time. He can't seem to speak yet and just nods his head a bit too quickly before leaving the room.

After Jim has gone Sherry scoots closer to me and pulls me into another hug and I hold onto her like she is my only lifeline to sanity. After a few more minutes I am able to pull myself together a little bit and I lean back, releasing Sherry.

"I think I'll be okay now," I say softly. Sherry gives me a reassuring smile and squeezes my hands in comfort. "I'm sorry for freaking out so badly. I was pretty sure this was coming, but it was still too much for me when I saw."

"It's a pretty crazy thing to have happen to you. I don't think I would take it very well if I suddenly grew a penis," she tries to comfort me.

"That's true, but I'm supposed to be made of sterner stuff than this. I'm a Marine! I've lived through actual combat! Hell, I jumped on a grenade and I didn't freak out like that!" I lament loudly, working myself up a little bit.

"Henry, this is way different from fighting. Plus, you were trained for combat before you ever saw battle, right?" Sherry says, taking my hands again.

I nod slowly, "I guess you've got a point. It's not like they have classes about suddenly changing species and genders. But I know I can do better than this. These changes aren't done yet, I know they aren't. I need to keep better control of myself."

"I think you'll be fine, after all, this is probably the hardest part of the change for you. In our society men value their organs highly, and you served in the military which actually increases the importance you put on your penises. Frankly, I'm amazed that you aren't curled up in the corner rocking back and forth in the fetal position bawling. I would say that was a minor freak out compared to what you could have had," Sherry points out.

"Thank you, Sherry. I'm so glad you are here for this. I don't know what would have happened if it had been just Jim and I," I say.

"You would still be screaming, and I'd be passed out on the bathroom floor from the shock, without her," says Jim from the bedroom doorway. "Thank you for being here with us. I know I couldn't have handled this nearly as well without you here. We both owe you so much."

"Neither of you owe me anything; I know that if it were me going through this that you would be there for me," Sherry states, to which Jim and I nod our heads.

She's right; we would do the same for her. We've known each other for quite a while, even though we really only became this close as of yesterday there is still history there, I realize.

"Even though we've only really been this close since yesterday, it feels like we have been this close for a long time," I say, giving voice to my thoughts.

"It kind of feels like we wasted a lot of time...I wish we had become this close a long time ago," says Jim, walking over and pulling Sherry into his arms. She lays her head on his shoulder and nods, looking over at me and mouthing the words 'thank you'.

Wow...if I didn't know better I would think they'd been a couple for years, instead of just now becoming one. This is so crazy... I think to myself.

"I--," I'm cut off by my phone ringing. I pull it out of my pocket and glance at the number that comes up and groan. "It's Kaitlyn," I tell Jim, and his eyes widen at her, as usual, horrific timing.

I answer the phone, "Hey sis."

"You know I hate it when you call me that," comes the reply from the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I know you do, that's why I do it," I reply.

"You're a regular riot. Do you have a cold? You sound kind of funny," she asks me.

"No, I'm fine, maybe it's our connection," I say.

"Maybe that's it. Sooo...what are you up to?" she asks me, rather coyly.

"Umm...not too much," I reply, lying through my teeth. Oh only in the middle of the freakiest thing to ever happen to me, but it's not much!

"Good...I kind of need a favor," she says.

"What kind of favor?" I ask with caution.

"I need you to pick me up," comes her reply.

"Pick you up? When did you get back to town?" I ask, bewildered.

"Actually, that's why I need you to pick me up...I'm at the airport," she says a little sheepishly.

"You're at the airport? What are you doing here? Why didn't you call?!" I ask, almost shouting by the end of the last sentence.

"Henry, relax, I'm calling now, okay? I didn't exactly think this through when I bought my ticket and got on the plane...I just felt like it was time for me to come back. I've missed you a lot. And I want to try again..." she sounds like she might be crying a little bit, so I start to feel bad for yelling.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you...this is just really unexpected, that's all. I...I can't come right now, but I can send Jim," I say, trying to soothe her hurt feelings.

"Please, Henry, I need it to be you. I...I really messed things up between us before, and I need you to be the first one I see," she pleads.

Shit! Shit, shit, shit! I yell at myself silently, already knowing I'll do it. I'm now just trying to figure out how I can go out without being seen too much.

"Okay Kate, I'll be there in about half an hour or so...you remember my car, right? Just watch for it out front of the airport and I'll pick you up."

"Thank you Henry. I'm at concourse 'A'. I'll come out when I see you," she says before hanging up.

"Dude...I mean...oh never mind that; dude, did you really just agree to go pick her up at the airport? Are you crazy?! You remember what you look like, right?" Jim asks me, looking at me as if I have grown a second head, and it's an ugly one.

"It's fine, I'll just wear a hoody, and that'll cover the hair and ears. No one will see my feet, er, hooves. I won't be getting out of the car," I say to Jim, trying to placate him.

"But what if--" he starts to speak, but I cut him off.

"No, it doesn't matter. I've already said I'll go, it's my decision," I say.

"We'll grab our jackets and go with you," he says, but I shake my head.

"No, I need to do this alone. We have some things we need to discuss alone," I say. He starts to speak, but I cut him off with a motion of my hand. "That's final. You two stay here, I'll be back soon."

"Henry, I didn't know you had a sister," says Sherry, confused.

"We don't," says Jim flatly.

"What do you mean? He called her 'sis' on the phone!" she says.

"She's not our sister," I reply. "We just always called her that because she was almost like a sister to us. We've known her since we were little; she used to tag along with us when we would go on adventures. Then we all grew up..." I trail off, a faraway look on my face, thinking about the past.

"What happened then? Why did she leave? And why don't you seem happier to have her come back?" Sherry asks me pointedly.

"She--"

"She had a major crush on him," Jim interrupts me; looking at me while he speaks of things I didn't know he knew, "she hated that he saw her as a little sister. So she got him drunk one night and tricked him into her bed. Henry didn't react very well the next morning. He kind of freaked out at what she'd done, not that I blame him. What she did was tantamount to rape. So, anyway, Henry yelled at her and called her a few choice names, none of which I'll repeat here. She ran away crying and then left town."

I just stare at Jim, my jaw practically hanging down to the floor, "H...How did you know?"

"Because, you schmuck, she came crying to me about it. She spilled the whole story to me and admitted how stupid she was. And told me how much your rejection hurt her. But I knew long before that how she felt about you, it was obvious to everyone! You should have known! But you were blind to her feelings, which is why she finally resorted to something so drastic. What she did was wrong, but I was angry with you for a long time because you had hurt her so badly," Jim admitted.

"I...I...wish you had talked to me about this a long time ago. I never had any idea you knew what happened. You weren't the only one angry with me. I hated myself for a long time because of the way I overreacted. I reacted so poorly because I was scared. Part of me was afraid I had done something to her, at least until she admitted the truth, then I was enraged that she would do that to me. I never should have talked to her the way I did, but by the time I'd calmed down and went to find her, she was gone," I respond, my head hanging in shame.

"Yeah...you kind of have me to blame for that," Jim says sheepishly.

"What do you mean? What did you do?" I ask.

"Well, she was heartbroken, and didn't have any money. I suggested she go see some relatives or something and gave her money to get a flight out of town. Now I feel kind of bad about that, but at the time I thought it was the right thing to do," he says.

"I understand bro, I probably would have done the same thing," I reply.

He nods to me in confirmation as I pull a dark hoody out of the closet and slip it on, pulling the hood up over my head and securing it tightly with the drawstring.

"I don't know how long I'll be, so could you guys make up the guest bed while I'm gone? I know you don't live far away, but would you guys please stay here tonight with me? I'll feel better knowing that you're here for me," I ask them.

"Of course we will, you didn't even need to ask. We aren't leaving you until everything is fixed," answered Sherry for both of them.

"Thank you. I'll be back," I say, grabbing my keys and wallet and heading out the door.

I climb into my car and put the key in the ignition. I hit the kill switch under the dash and turn the key, the engine roars to life and I back down the drive out of the garage. I turn out onto the road and put the hammer down, roaring away from the house.

As I'm driving I start thinking. What am I going to do about Kaitlyn? What am I going to tell her about what's happening to me? And probably most importantly of all: What are my feelings about Kate?

I ponder that last point most of the way to the airport. At first I think I feel conflicted, thinking about the anger I felt at how things were left, but then I realize that I'm scared, not angry. I'm scared that this won't work. I hurt so badly when she left. What if she's angry? What if my condition freaks her out and she leaves again? I think back to when I couldn't find her to apologize. I felt like a hole opened up in my chest, and that hole was still there. I haven't had any real relationships since, not being able to convince myself to really try. It wasn't until after she was gone that I realized my feelings for her went beyond her being my 'little sister'.

Maybe this will be a second chance... I think to myself hopefully, although I know that it is more likely to end up in disaster, especially with the current situation.

Before I know it, I see the signs for the airport, and pull off the freeway and make my way to the terminal. I pull up into the waiting zone right outside the 'A' concourse area. I see Kaitlyn's familiar form come out from the building, pulling a suitcase behind her. I pop the trunk so she can load her bag into it. Soon she is opening the door and sliding into the passenger seat.

"Hi," she says, a little bit shyly.

"Hi," I barely manage to whisper as I look at her. I feel the blood rush to my face in a blush, which I hope the darkness hides from her.

"Thank you for coming," she says.

"You're welcome," I say. "I'm glad you came."

"Me too. It just feels right," she answers.

Out of the corner of my eye I see a police officer walking toward my vehicle and realize I've overstayed my welcome. I nod to the officer and put the car in gear, slowly merging with the light traffic as we head away from the airport.

Rather than take the freeway, I decide to take the back roads as we aren't in a hurry to get home. Or at least I'm not.

"So...it's been a while," I say, finally breaking the silence that has arisen between us.

She laughs lightly and says, "That's the understatement of the week. It's been almost three years. Speaking of which, how have you been?"

"Well, mostly I've been doing okay. Been trying to keep busy. Finished building my forge and finally finished restoring this baby," I say, patting the dash lovingly.

"I see that, and she looks beautiful!" Kaitlyn says with true excitement in her voice. She knows just how important this project was to me.

"How about you? What's new in your life?" I ask her.

"Not much new. I've been kind of mooching off my aunt and uncle for the last couple of years. They don't seem to mind, but I still feel bad about it, but I haven't been able to find and keep a good job. Never should have dropped out of college, I guess," she shrugs.

"You're welcome to stay with me as long as you like, though it may be a bit crowded for a few days. Jim and Sherry are staying with me, at least tonight," I tell her.

"I'd like that, as long as they don't mind. Isn't Sherry that waitress that Jim had a crush on?" she asks.

I nod, "Oh yeah, I finally got them together. Only recently, actually."

"Why are they staying at your place?" she asks quizzically.

"It's kind of a long story, I'll explain it later," I say, not looking forward to when we have that particular conversation.

"Henry...I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for what I did. It wasn't right. I knew you saw me as a sister, but I couldn't control myself. I treated you horribly, and then I ran away. I've spent the last three years trying to build up the courage to face you again. I've been afraid that you would hate me... Do you?" she looks so sad sitting there; I know exactly how she feels.

"Kate, I don't hate you. I never did. I feel that I'm just as much to blame as you were for that whole situation. I was completely blind to how you felt about me, even though you weren't hiding it. I think I was in denial about my feelings for you, so I couldn't see what you felt. I had locked you into being my 'little sister' and was afraid of how my feelings toward you were changing. Yes, what you did was wrong, but it was also an act of desperation. I'm so sorry that I reacted the way I did. I was horrible to you. I went to find you later, but you were already gone..." I respond to her, my hands gripping the steering wheel tightly.

She reaches over and takes my right hand in both of hers and says the words I hoped she would say, "Henry...I don't know how you feel about me, but I know I need to be straightforward with you. I love you. I loved you then, and I still love you now. And not like a sister would."

I quietly pull off the side of the road and stop the car. I turn to her and say, "Kaitlyn, I've loved you longer than I was ever willing to admit to myself. I don't know what's going to happen, but now, but I love you too. And most definitely not the way a brother loves a sister."

She smiles the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, and ever so briefly my heart is bursting with joy. But then reality intrudes its ugly head as I think about what else I have to tell her. I can't pretend this isn't happening to me, and I can't hide it from her...or at least, I won't hide it.

"What's wrong Henry? You looked so happy for a moment, but now you look sadder than I felt when I ran away," she asks me, her smile slipping off her face.

"I have to tell you something, and I'm not really sure how," I say.

"Oh shit, you've got a girlfriend don't you?! I knew it was too good to be true!" she started.

"No, no! Nothing like that!" I try to reassure her.

"Then what? What's wrong?"

"I...have to show you, but it's freaky, okay? It's going to shock the hell out of you, so please try really hard to remain calm, okay?" I say to her, pleading with my eyes for her to understand.

"Okay, I promise not to freak out...too much," she says, with a small smile, probably thinking that I'm being overly dramatic. She should really know better, that's not my style.

"Alright, here goes the neighborhood," I say, pulling my hood back and facing Kate. She gasps.

"What did you do to your hair? When did you grow it out? Why would you dye it like that?" she asks me, evidently not noticing the ears yet.

"It's not dye. And yesterday I still had it buzzed short like I always do. Feel it," I say in answer.

She reaches up and runs her fingers through my mane and says, "It's really soft...it's not a wig is it?"

I shake my head in response and say, "Pull on it." So she does, gently at first, then a little bit firmer. Finally she gave it a great yank. "Ow! Holy shit! I told you it's real, and it's attached! And I'd like it to stay that way!"

"I'm sorry; I just couldn't believe that it's real. I didn't mean to hurt you," she says.

"Oh my god, what is that?" I hear her say as her hand suddenly shoots out and touches one of my ears. Then she pulls on it too!

I holler in pain and tears start streaming from my eyes. Kate yanks her hand back and covers her mouth. "I'm sooo sorry!"

I reach up and gently rub my ear and say, "Yeah, that's attached too...and evidently VERY sensitive."

"But...what the fuck is it?" she asks, stunned.

I turn my head to the side and lift my hair back so she can see that I no longer have an ear on the side of my head. "They're my ears. They moved, and changed."

"What kind of surgery did you have? Why would you do this to yourself?" she asks, not understanding.

"I didn't. I would never do this to myself. Maybe we should continue home. Jim and Sherry are there, they'll help me explain it to you," I say, trying not to have my feelings hurt that she thinks I would choose to do this to my body. I pull the car back out onto the road and resume our journey to my house.

After a few moments of silence she says, "I'm sorry I thought you would have surgery to have that done. I just don't understand what's happened to you. Can you help me to understand?"

"Well, I don't really understand it myself. Yesterday I was normal, or at least as normal as I usually am," she laughs a little bit at that, which makes me smile. "I seem to be turning into an equine. A pony to be more specific..."

"But...isn't that impossible?" she asks.

"Well, yesterday I would have said so, yes. But as it is happening to me, I have become a believer in impossibilities. The hair and ears aren't the worst parts," I say, shuddering a tiny bit.

"What could be worse?" she asks.

"Well, like I have a tail too, for starters. Oh, and I have hooves instead of feet now..." I trail off as her eyes get round as saucers. Then I quickly finish by saying rather quietly, "And I'm not male anymore."

"Come again?" she says, seeming to not want to believe her ears.

I give her a hard look, "You heard me. My penis is gone. It actually happened not too long before you called me to say you were in town. I had just finished freaking out about it and managed to calm down. I'm still not comfortable with it, either."

"But, but...but..." she is completely at a loss for words. It's almost enough to make me laugh, if the situation wasn't so far from funny I probably would.

"Yeah, I know, that should be impossible, but trust me, it's not. Poor Jim and Sherry got an eyeful when I started screaming in the bathroom. They ran in to see what was wrong and literally caught me with my pants down. I'm not sure I'll ever live that down," I say, trying to see the funny side of all this. It's hard for me to do right now, though I can kind of see a point down the road when I might be able to laugh about it all.

Kaitlyn throws her arms around me and sobs into my shoulder, "Oh Henry, you poor thing! Why does this have to happen to you? You've never done anything to deserve something like this to happen to you!"

I'm just glad she believed me, I was afraid she wouldn't, and that she'd hate me because she was sure I was lying to her. Thank you Lord! This could have gone soooo much more poorly. I give a silent prayer of thanks for that rather large miracle.

I wrap my arm around Kate and hold her to me as we get close to home. After a few more minutes she calms down a little and dries her tears. Then she looks up at me and says, "I love you. Whatever you are going through, we will go through it together, okay?"

I pull her tighter and say, "You have no idea how much that means to me. I love you too, Kaitlyn."

We finish the drive in relative silence. Pulling into the driveway, I hit the garage door opener button, and then pull into the garage once it's open enough. Once inside I hit the button again to close the door, then climb out of the car and go around to the passenger side to help her out of the car. I pop the trunk and pull her suitcase out and carry it inside, while I have my arm wrapped around her.

Inside we are greeted by Jim and Sherry, who give Kaitlyn and I each a hug. Then we kind of just stand there for a moment, Jim and Sherry holding hands, and Kate and I holding hands.

Jim looks at our hands pointedly and says, "So...I take it you two worked things out?"

I chuckle and pull Kate to me and wrap my arm around her shoulders and say, "I think so." She looks up to me and, smiling, nods. I lean down and kiss the top of her head.

"I'm glad to hear it. Welcome home Kate," Jim says.

"Thank you Jim...I've missed you guys," Kaitlyn replies.

Now that we're home, my mind finally acknowledges an ache I've been living with for a little while now, and I reach back to my tail. I massage the base of it, and then pull it out of my pants, "Oh man, that feels soooo much better! I've been sitting on it for like an hour."

Sherry covers a giggle at my reaction and Jim says, "So, I take it Henry filled you in on what's going on?"

"Not all of it yet, but we can do the rest over some dinner," I say. "Speaking of which, what did you two decide we are having?"

"We ordered a couple of pizzas to be delivered, they should actually get here pretty soon," says Jim.

"Sounds good, I'll get Kate settled in while we wait for it to arrive," I say, taking Kate's hand again and leading the way down the hall.

I'm about to lead her into the guest room when she stops me and asks, "Do you mind if I sleep in your room, at least for tonight? I really don't feel like being alone. I can sleep on the floor."

"That'd be great. I don't really want to be alone, either. But if anyone is going to sleep on the floor, it'll be me," I reply, leading her further down the hall to the master suite. I lay her suitcase on the bed. Kate closes the door to the bedroom and the walks up to me, suddenly seeming shy.

"Hold me, please?" she asks quietly.

"Of course," I say and wrap my arms around her. I look down at her, realizing just how much I tower over her. She's only about 5' 4", and probably no more than 115 lbs. soaking wet.

She leans her head back to look up at me and then rises up on her tiptoes, realizing what she wants, I lean down and kiss her thoroughly. I kiss her the way I've wanted to for a long time. The way I'm pretty sure she's wanted to for a long time too.

While we're kissing she reaches behind me and starts running her fingers through my tail. It's a little unsettling at first, but feels really good. I groan my approval into her mouth. She then reaches her other hand up and very gently starts touching my ears, running the tips of her fingers over the fine fur and up the outside of them.

I back up until my knees hit the edge of the bed, and then I sit down and pull her up into my lap as we continue to make out. Now she's running the fingers of both hands through my mane and I return the favor with one hand while I'm holding her in my lap with the other.

After a few more minutes of this we finally come up for air. She smiles up at me and says, "I have wanted to do that for so long. I can't believe I finally got to, I thought this day would never come."

I smile down at her and tweak her nose and say, "I'm just glad that the day has come. I'm so glad you've come back."

"Hey, I just remembered you had a birthday yesterday! Guess I can give you this then," she says, unzipping her suitcase and reaching inside.

"Give me what?" I ask.

"This!" she says as she pulls out a purple pony plushie from her bag with a flourish. She presents me with the Twilight Sparkle Alicorn plushie.

"Hey, you remembered! Thank you so much! Where did you get it? I haven't been able to find any for a reasonable price," I say in great appreciation, hugging her tight again.

"Of course I remembered. How could I forget? I may not have been into the show all that much, but I paid attention to what you liked. As to how I got one, let's just say I have my sources," she grins at my excitement.

I'm still holding the plushie and staring at it when we hear a knock on the bedroom door, to which Kate replies, "Come in."

Sherry opens the door and sticks her head in, "The pizzas are here. Come on down whenever you're ready."

Kate jumps off my lap and says, "Yum, I'm starving!"

I stand up and, tucking the plushie under my arm, follow Kaitlyn and Sherry down the hall and into the dining room. Jim is setting out plates and cups for us as we walk in. We all sit down at the table and start dishing out the pizza.

Everyone digs into their first slice, and I immediately spit my bite out, saying, "Gross, I think something's wrong with this sausage."

The other three look at each other and shake their heads, Jim saying, "It tastes okay to me. Are you sure there's something wrong with it?"

I take another bite to be sure and immediately spit it out too, "Yeah, it tastes bad!"

I offer the piece to Kaitlyn to try; she takes a bite and shrugs, "Tastes okay to me."

Okay, what the hell? Why does it taste weird to me? I think, looking around the table. Then it hits me, Oh...well, I guess that makes sense. But it sucks! I love sausage on my pizza!

"I think it's because of my...changes..." I say, giving voice to my realization. "Dammit, I hadn't thought about missing out on meat...I love meat!"

I sigh and start picking the sausage off the pizza, as well as the pepperoni. In the end I'm left with black olive pizza, which is okay. "Good thing I like black olives."

Kaitlyn rubs my shoulder in condolence, "That sucks...I know how much you always loved good meat, especially bacon and sausage."

"Oh dude, no bacon? That REALLY sucks!" chimes in Jim. Sherry smacks his arm lightly, but is chuckling too.

I shake my head sadly, "I hadn't even thought about bacon...man, what the hell?"

Chapter 6

"Well, maybe this is a good time for me to ask about what is happening to you.” Kate asks, she looks me up and down. “What IS happening?"

"Well, you see, it's like this..." I start, and fill her in on what has happened so far and what we've figured out about why. By the time I finish we've eaten the rest of the pizza, me sans meat, and have adjourned to the living room.

"And, in short, I'm becoming a pony," I finish with.

"Wow, um...” she sighs, her eyes moving from side to side, “just wow. If I didn't have physical proof right here in front of me, there is no way I would believe it. It just comes across as a fantastical tale,"

"Yeah, tell me about it. This certainly isn't how I thought my 25th birthday would go. It kind of feels like 'Happy Birthday, Surprise you're a pony! Oh, and by the way you're not a guy, either,' it's really pretty freaky. I'm still kind of trying to wrap my head around it," I say.

"Speaking of... so you're really a girl now? Like as in you have a vagina instead of a penis?"

I nod, "Yeah, I've got great timing. You finally come back into my life and now I'm the wrong gender. I'm sorry Kate." I hang my head, finding my body wants to heave in sobs.

Kate takes my hand and lifts my chin with her finger, "That doesn't matter to me. Maybe this makes me weird, but I really don't care. I've wasted all this time without you, and I'm not wasting any more. As long as you'll have me, I will be by your side."

I look into her eyes for a long time, searching. "Really?" I ask, barely a whisper. Kate nods her head with a smile.

"Thank you," I whisper, tears forming in my eyes, "I want you with me always."

I pull her into my lap, wrap my arms around her and kiss the top of her head. She leans her head back and I kiss her beautiful lips. More than a chaste kiss, but not the soul searchingly deep one that I'd like to deliver, since we aren't in private.

"Ookay... so, not that I'm weirded out by my, um, sister making out with another girl, but..." Jim says, trailing off to silence as I glare at him. "Sorry," he says sheepishly, turning a little red.

My glare transforms into a beaming smile, "Just kidding bro, I can understand it being a little bit unsettling. I'm not going to pretend to be something I'm not, though."

"Of course not. I don't want you to, it's just new... you know?"

"Yeah, I can understand,"

Sherry pipes up, “Although Jim was being a bit of a blockhead, I think maybe what Jim was trying to actually get to is, what do we do now? Do we wait for your changes to be complete and just continue living our lives? Who do we tell? Who can we trust?"

"And something that's been bothering me," Jim says, "is, going on the theory that your dream is a memory, Discord was planning to banish other ponies. Where are they? We can't find any trace of other people becoming ponies."

"Unfortunately, the answer to all of your questions is: I don't know. All I do know is that this transformation isn't stopping, and if it keeps up at this rate, I'll be a full pony by the end of the day after tomorrow at the latest. Frankly, I have not a single clue as to what that will mean for the all of us," I look at my hand, that is going to turn into a hoof, really? "The one question you asked that I can answer is that I don't want to trust anyone yet. This is something new, and people like to experiment on new things. They want to find out what happens and poke and prod. I really don't want that."

“We won't tell anyone, and we'll do our best to protect your secret. We won't let anyone experiment on you," says Jim, as Sherry and Kate nod in agreement.

"I really appreciate that," I say. "And Jim, your question has been bothering me too. I can't be the only one, unless of course, Discord failed. Unfortunately, I doubt that he did. The others are entirely too trusting, they never believed like I did that he would turn on them. Would have been nice if I'd been wrong..."

"So right now we just wait?" Sherry asks.

"Unfortunately, yeah. Not a lot we can do. We'll keep looking for promising leads for the next couple of days. If we don't find anything by then, we'll formulate a new plan," I say.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. Now, um...not to be insensitive but, what do we call you? I mean, Henry doesn't really fit anymore,” Jim flushes, “sorry to say."

"Maybe you should call me by my real name." I say with a smile.

Sherry pipes up, "What is your real name?"

"Irony."

“Irony?” Kate says dubiously, “That's an interesting name. What does it mean?"

"I don't remember, at least not yet." I say with a shrug.

I look up at the clock and say, "It's getting late and I'm pretty tired. Jim, you and Sherry can use the guest bedroom if you like. Kate, are you still planning on staying with me?"

She nods and puts her hand on my shoulder. Unconsciously, I nuzzle her hand gently.

“Great. Goodnight guys," I say as I stand and hold my hand out to help Kate stand.

"Goodnight Irony," says Jim, an odd look on his face as he tests out the new name.

“Goodnight," says Sherry with a small wave.

I lead Kaitlyn back to my bedroom. Once we're inside, she closes and locks the door with a smile. She then reaches up and puts her arms around my neck and pulls me down into a kiss. I wrap my arms around her, kissing her back thoroughly. Soon my hands fall below her waist and cup her ass, squeezing it lovingly.

I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist, sighing happily as she does. She leans her head back a little to look into my eyes, "I've wanted you to pick me up and hold me like this since we were teenagers. I've always loved how strong you are both physically and mentally, and that you're strong without being hard or mean. You were always like my rock... until I screwed it up. I'm sorry for that, I regret all the time we've missed with each other," she finishes, leaning her head on my shoulder, a pair of tears sliding down her cheeks.

I run the fingers of one hand through her hair and kiss the tears from her cheeks, "Shhh... we don't need to dwell on the past. We're here now, and that's what matters. Besides, we don't know what would have happened otherwise, I may never have realized what I really feel for you."

She has a small, gentle smile on her face as she replies, "I suppose you're right. We'll just have to make up for lost time, right?" Then she presses her mouth to mine once again, her tongue slipping between our paired lips and searching out mine. I gladly oblige her searching appendage, wrestling it with my own tongue, groaning in joy as I do.

She pulls back from the kiss for a moment, smiling at my mouth trying to follow her to continue the kiss. She reaches her hands down to the bottom of her shirt and lifts it over her head, revealing her beautiful breasts lovingly embraced by a very nice, lacy black bra. I whistle in appreciation, "Nice bra."

She blushes a little and says, "I hoped you would see it eventually, though I didn't really plan on throwing myself at you quite this quickly. I hope you don't mind..."

I grin, "Oh, I'll get over it, I'm sure. But I think you're still wearing too many clothes, at least for what I plan to do to you."

"Oh my, and whatever could that be? You naughty, naughty girl..." Kate trails off, a little bit of a funny look on her face. "Okay, so I'm a little slow... I just now realize that you not being a guy, um, affects things in the bedroom."

I kiss her lightly on the lips, "Not for what I'm planning to do to you, at least not yet. But I understand if it's a little too weird. I mean, I kinda am getting to live every guy's fantasy, but maybe it's not your fantasy..."

Her responding kiss helps to relieve some of my fears. Then she says, "I've never been with a girl before, but I think in this situation I'm feeling a little bit adventurous. Kiss me like you mean it."

I pull her into me and do just that, reaching up her back with one hand while I continue holding her ass with the other. I unclasp her bra with my free hand and pull the straps down off her shoulders. Her luscious breasts fall free of the cups, revealing already hard strawberry pink nipples surrounded by silver dollar sized areoles. I lean in and lick her nipples, one after the other, causing her to gasp.

I tease her nipples for a few minutes, lightly licking and flicking them with my tongue, before taking one into my mouth and gently sucking on it, nibbling it with my teeth. When she starts moaning I switch nipples and grasp the breast I just left with my free hand.

"Oh my god," she pants, wrapping her fingers in my mane and holding my head to her chest. "Whatever you are doing, don't stop!"

I flick her nipple with my tongue while I work the other one with my fingers. I then lay her on the bed and wrap both hands around her breasts as I flick each nipple with my tongue, back and forth. I lick down her stomach to the waist of her pants, then push the waist down with my fingertips and lick around the band of her matching black panties, "Mmmm... matching undies, I like."

Kate giggles, which turns to a gasp as I lick the front of her underwear down her slit. I lift her legs and push her pants down, licking down her thighs as I do. I continue down and lick behind her knees, eliciting another gasp from her followed by a soft moaning. I reach down and pull her pants the rest of the way off her feet, kissing the tops and bottoms of them as I do. I then lick the bottoms, causing her to giggle uncontrollably.

"Stop, stop!" she begs me.

"You're so evil," she laughs when I stop and grin at her.

"Muwahaha... yes, yes I am," I laugh evilly before licking her feet again and then up each leg back to her panties. I kiss around her thighs and then lick the sensitive skin where her thighs meet her waist and down between her legs to just shy of her cloth covered lower lips. I inhale the scent emanating from her sopping wet pussy, becoming exponentially more aroused by the pheromones she is emitting.

"You smell and taste amazing! Your juices are making my blood boil! I've never been so aroused before in my life," I pant as I reach my hands up and wrap my fingers into her panties and then rip them from her prone form. She squeals in excitement at my roughness.

I can resist her hot snatch no longer, I begin by lapping at her juice covered lips, teasing each one out with gentle nibbles from my lips and teeth. I drink up the juices that flow out of her, soon my face is smothered in her essence.

Kate wraps her fingers in my mane again, holding my face to her neatly trimmed pussy, and cries out, "Don't you dare stop, oh god that feels so amazing!"

I drive my tongue deep inside her hard, fucking her hot box with my face. I hear her cry out again as I begin exploring her inner walls, massaging her with my extra-long tongue.

As Kaitlyn's moans reach a fever pitch I pull my tongue slowly out of her quivering vagina, and lick her lips again, then lick up to her sensitive little nub. I slowly lick around her clit as I slide first one, then two fingers slowly in and out of her. I hear her start panting, and it gets louder and louder.

Suddenly I wrap my lips around her hard clit and pull it into my mouth and clamp my teeth on it while I lick it relentlessly with my tongue. I feel her body start to shudder around me. I add another finger to her pussy.

"Oh God, I'm CU--" is all she manages to get out as her body explodes around me, her juices spraying my chin. She screams louder than I have ever heard, and then a string of expletives comes flying out of her mouth, "Oh fuck, oh shit, oh god damn!" I grin internally to myself as I draw out her orgasm until she starts hitting at my head to make me let go of her clit. I finally release the sensitive little organ, only to lick all around her soaked crotch and then up her body to her breasts, pausing momentarily to lick and suck her nipples one more time before kissing up her throat to her lips. I deliver a soul-searing kiss as her body finishes spasming and then whisper, "I love you Kaitlyn."

Between gasps she replies, "I. Love. You. Too... Irony." Hearing her say that, and using my name, makes me smile from ear to ear.

"I've never felt anything as amazing as this feeling I am feeling right now," I tell her. "Hearing you tell me how much you love me... accepting me for who I am... I have no words to describe these feelings. Thank you Kate." I realize I am almost weeping with my joy.

Kate slowly sits up, puts her arms around my neck and pulls my head to hers, pressing our foreheads together. She kisses me gently and says, "You are amazing. And I'm not just saying that because you have just given me the most amazing orgasm I have ever had, either. You have always been an amazing person, and now I know you're going to be an amazing pony too. You have a strength of character that makes everyone around you respect you. I think that's a lot of what drew me to you, and then eventually fall in love with you, in the first place."

"I find you to be equally amazing, Kate. My life hasn't been the same since you left, and now that you're back, even though it's only been a few hours, I never want you to leave again. Promise me you won't," despite my best efforts, a tear slides down my cheek at the thought of losing her.

She looks me in the eye and says, "I will never willingly leave your side again, this I promise you. You, my dear, are stuck with me. Forever."

I smile and whisper, "Thank you, Moon Shadow."

She looks at me a little funny so I ask her, "What?"

"Did you just call me... Moon Shadow?" Kate asks.

I think back on what I just said and say, "Um... I guess so? That's kind of weird, isn't it?"

"Yeah, kind of... but just for a moment it felt... right. Like it resonated. Now that's weird," she says.

I nod, then shrug, figuring it's just a slip of the tongue. And Speaking of Tongues... I lean over and lick Kate's earlobe and nibble on it.

She giggles and turns into my lips and kisses me gently, "Are you ready for your turn?"

I nod, feeling myself getting a little damp just thinking about what she's going to do to me.

"Good, because I want your first time to be special," she says, pulling my shirt off over my head. She rubs her hands and fingers over my chest, feeling the well-defined muscles that my religious workouts have given me. Her hands knead the muscles, relieving some of the built up stress I hadn't even realized I had.

"Oh wow that feels good," I groan in appreciation. She just smiles at me as she continues to massage my chest and arms.

"Lay on your stomach so I can do your back," she tells me, to which I quickly comply.

As I'm lying on my stomach she begins massaging my back, moving up and rubbing my neck and then down to my lower back. At this point I'm almost continually groaning, it feels so good. "I haven't had a good back massage in over three years," I say.

"You haven't had anybody rub your back since I've been gone?" she asks.

I shake my head, "Nope. I haven't had anyone touch me in a long time."

She gasps, "You mean... nobody? Since I left?"

I simply nod in reply. She says, "You poor fool, whatever am I going to do with you?"

"Stay with me and rub my back every day," I joke.

She slaps my back lightly and says, "Maybe not every day, but we'll see." I can practically hear the smile in her voice as she goes back to rubbing my sore muscles.

She pulls my pants down below my tail and begins rubbing the base of my tail. I moan in excitement as I feel her rubbing it, "Wow, that feels amazing!" She strokes it a few more times, then massages the base of the tail and runs her fingers through the hair.

"Okay, this may seem weird, but that is getting me so hot right now," I say.

Kate leans forward and bites the base of my tail and says, "I don't really know why, but it's exciting me too. Of course maybe it helps that you have such an amazing body already."

"You just want my plot," I tease her and she laughs.

"You're right, I do, now give me that plot," she says and bites me right on said plot. I flick my tail and slap her with it.

"Did you do that on purpose?" she asks me.

"You know, I did, but I didn't really expect it to be so easy. Sorry," I say.

She bites me again in forgiveness and then backs down my legs and starts pulling my pants off at the ankle. I wiggle my hips and legs to help her in her endeavor. She finally gets the pants down, along with my briefs. She then starts massaging her way up my legs. Once she gets back up to my waist she says, "Now turn that sexy body of yours over, I want to see the front."

I turn over, a tiny bit nervous about showing this side of my body. Kate climbs up my body and soothes my fears with a passionate kiss. She then breaks the kiss and, giving me a smoky look, starts kissing her way down my chest. I watch her as she kisses her way, she stops and kisses my pecs and I notice in an offhand way that my nipples are gone. She continues further down, licking and biting each of my ab muscles.

I then see her kiss her way up two little bumps that I don't remember having before. And then she nibbles on something and I feel a tingling sensation that I have never felt before in my life. Wow, that feels amazing! What the hell is that? I think as I moan loudly in pleasure.

"Wow, what was that?" I ask her when she pauses for a moment and I can form words again.

"I think those are your teats," she says, reaching down and gently pinching them, causing me to arch my back.

"Oh god, is that what it feels like when I play with your nipples? I've never felt anything like that before," I say to her, slightly out of breath from moaning.

"Hmm... let's see," she says and then leans down and sucks one of my nipples into her mouth and nurses on it in earnest.

"Ohmygodohmygod..." I scream as I feel an incredibly intense burst of pleasure from my pussy. Fluid leaks out of my steamy vagina at a prodigious rate.

"Did you just cum from me sucking on your nipple?" Kaitlyn asks, then leans down and licks the juice dripping out of my slit and groans, "Oh my... if I knew women tasted so good, I'd have done this a long time ago!"

I am in too much of a state of shock to respond. She takes my silence as confirmation and dives back into my slick hole, licking it like an ice cream cone. She slips a finger into my tight pussy, slowly working it in and out, back and forth. I gasp loudly at the feeling, then she takes my clit between her teeth and starts sucking on it, while pinching one of my nipples between her fingertips.

I scream out, even louder than before, as I drench her face in more of my girl pony cum. My orgasm doesn't stop there, though, as she keeps licking and biting my clit and pinching my nipples. I scream out over and over again, as wave after wave of pleasure overcomes my body until I finally pass out from sensory overload.

Chapter 7

"Get up you lazy piece of shit!" I hear a voice I don't recognize say.

I start to stir, only to feel an excruciating pain as I'm kicked in the side by a booted foot.

"I said get up you stupid fuck! Get your ass out of bed now or I'll fucking bust your face in!" the voice yells at me.

I feel my body rise up off the floor, where evidently I've been sleeping. I look down at the floor and see the blanket that had fallen off me when I stood and remember this is where I belong.

What the hell is this? I think to myself as my body starts to move of its own volition. It seems that it at least knows what to do, even though I don't have a clue. I walk out of the shack I've been in and accept the meager piece of bread and cheese shoved into my hands as I walk out to the field.

I look around and see farmland everywhere I look, field after field of corn and remember that it's my job to start picking, along with the others. I look down at my body and it isn't how I remember it. My skin is loose over my flesh, I can feel that I have strength, but I'm a lot leaner than I remember. I'm wearing little more than rags. Good thing it's not cold, I guess, I think to myself.

I get to the corn and start picking it, throwing it into baskets that are nearby, one ear at a time. I'm working in a group of about ten people, most of them smaller and frailer looking than me. I can't remember how I got here.

As I'm trying to figure out how I got here and how long I've been here, I feel a searing pain on my back and hear the crack of a whip.

"You stupid lazy oaf! Move faster you fucking moron! If you don't pick up the pace you don't get no lunch or dinner," came the vehement voice from behind me. I don't even bother looking to see who is speaking; I just try to pick up the pace.

A few minutes later I stumble and feel the whip again. This time I am angry and turn toward my attacker, a retort upon my lips, but they are having none of it and begin to whip me in a frenzy. I try to raise my hands to protect me, but my body doesn't respond and I fall to the ground. I don't know how many times I am whipped, but it is still going on as I slip into unconsciousness.

I wake after an unknown amount of time, my body screaming in pain. I moan and can feel hot tears streaming down my face from the agony.

Suddenly I look up, sensing something awry, and see that my body is enveloped in a purple light. I feel very strange, my pain is stripped away, and as I look at my body it begins to change. I'm floating there, my body changing, when everything goes black and I know no more.

***

I awaken slightly confused, my dream having dulled my wits. I find I am not alone in my bed, then my mind starts to piece together the events of the previous evening.

I lift the blanket and look down at our entwined forms, grinning as the details from last night all come back to me. I gaze upon Kaitlyn's beautiful body and lick my lips at how yummy she looks. Then I turn my gaze upon my own body, knowing that there are going to be more changes that have taken place while I was asleep.

I can see that my teats are more pronounced and find, upon touching them, that they are even more sensitive than last night. I look further down and see that my legs are completely encased in midnight blue fur, and that it is creeping up my waist. I can also see that there are some patches of fur on my arms, and that my musculature seems a little less well defined.

I sigh after cataloguing the changes I can see, wondering if there are any that I can't see yet. I wrap my arms around Kate as I feel her begin to stir.

"Morning," she mumbles to me as she stretches. She never has been a morning person, I laugh silently to myself.

"Good morning, beautiful," I say to her.

She finishes her stretch and says, "Your voice is higher pitched. I thought it was a little bit last night, but wasn't sure because we hadn't talked in a long time. Now, though, I can definitely tell the difference."

"Really?" I ask. "It sounds the same to me. Strange."

She kisses me and says, "I like it. You sound more like what you are, my girlfriend."

I laugh lightly, "I suppose that's true. It's still a little odd being a girl after 25 years of being a guy. One thing I'm glad of, though, is that my sexual preference hasn't changed." I grin at Kate and wiggle my eyebrows.

"Yeah, well evidently mine has!" Kate laughs and swats my shoulder, "Show a girl one night of sexual bliss and suddenly she becomes a complete slut!"

"What can I say, you've shown me how wonderful this new body can be... I can't believe I passed out from the pleasure you gave me! That's never happened to me before!" I say in disbelief.

"Well, I can't believe you had multiple orgasms your very first time as a girl! That is so unfair!" she replies with a grin.

"That's only because I have such an awesome lover," I say and watch as she blushes.

"Yeah, well, that and you have REALLY sensitive tits," she teases me.

I laugh and say, "I guess that's true. I never knew nipples were so sensitive!"

Kate just smiles at me and hops out of bed, headed toward the bathroom. She shoots me a glance and says, "Dibs on the shower," and runs inside.

I jump up and run after her and catch her just as she's climbing into the shower, with the hot water already running. I follow her into the shower and kiss her, running my hands all over her body. She grins at me and says, "Behave yourself; we need to actually get clean. I'm pretty sure I smelled breakfast before coming in here, so we can't take too long."

I give her a pouty face and say, "Okay, if I have to..." giving her puppy dog eyes.

"Well...maybe just a little bit of making out..." she trails off as I play with her nipples.

In the end we take more than a little while, and use up all the hot water before we are done. We have to finish shampooing our hair with cold water, and are both shivering by the time we get out. Totally worth it, though... that was SO amazing! I can't believe how hot I am for Moon Shadow! I think to myself. Then my silly grin slips off my face as I realize what I just said. I called her Moon Shadow again... what does it mean? I quickly put the goofy grin back on my face so Kate doesn't see my look and ask me what's wrong. I don't want to try to explain this until I know what it means.

Kate dries herself off fairly quickly, while I am having great trouble with my mane and tail, "Ugh, I never knew washing and drying this much hair could take so much effort! How do you do it so quickly?"

"Well, you actually have more hair than I do now, especially if you count your tail. But the answer really is just lots of practice. It's one of the reasons women take so much longer than men to get ready to go anywhere," she replies.

"I guess I'll never be able to complain about how long you take getting ready. Seems like I'll be the holdup," I say.

"Oh, definitely. And I can't imagine how you'll do it without hands..." she trails off, realizing that may be a tender subject.

"I guess I'll just have to have you wash and dry me," I say, trying to make light of her comment.

Kate smiles slightly in gratitude and says, "We might be able to arrange that."

"Good, then I won't have a dirty mane and tail all the time. You know what they say, cleanliness is next to godliness. Or something like that," I say.

Kate smirks at me and pulls out a brush and begins to brush her hair, "You'll want to brush your hair too, otherwise it'll become a ratty mess and be impossible to deal with."

She hands me the brush as she finishes with her hair and I stand in front of the bathroom mirror, confronting my new visage. I notice that all of my facial features are subtly different. None of them are changed enough for me to say what has changed, but the overall cast of my features is decidedly more feminine. Of course the purple hair doesn't really help with that situation. I sigh as I start trying to run the brush through my mane.

"This is a lot harder than it looks," I say to Kate.

"Here, let me help you. You'll never get it done at that rate," She says as she comes over and takes the brush from my ineffective fingers and starts pulling it gently through my hair.

"Thank you," I say as I watch her in the mirror as she works.

"No problem, it's just like brushing the sister I never had's hair," she teases. I scowl at her in the mirror. She kisses my cheek and says, "I'm just teasing you."

"I know," I sigh. "It's just a little hard... everything keeps changing. I think I'm getting used to being female, but looking in the mirror and seeing the changes... I don't know. I'm not even sure what is bothering me more, transforming into a pony, or being a girl. Every time I look at myself, I'm different. The changes are becoming more pronounced."

"I can't pretend that I have any idea of what this is like for you, but I do know that I wouldn't handle it nearly as well as you are. I also know that you are beautiful, if you don't mind me saying. It may sound odd, but I really like your mane, and I think your tail is sexy," she says, blushing at the last. I swish my tail at her to show it off a bit and smile.

"Thank you... it's oddly comforting to hear you say that. I think I'm going to be okay, I just have my moments, you know?" I say. She nods in reply, rubbing her face in my mane.

"I suppose we should get dressed and go have breakfast," I say, not particularly wanting to end our time together, but knowing that we should start the day.

"Yeah, you're right. Besides, all of our nocturnal activities have made me quite hungry this morning," she grins at me and now it's my turn to blush.

"Well, we did expend quite a bit of energy," I say with a smirk. "And had a lot of fun."

She laughs and heads out to the bedroom while I watch her naked body intently, licking my lips at the view. She turns her head and catches me and says, "Oh stop it, you. Come get dressed."

"Okay, okay... fine! Party pooper!" I retort, moving out of the doorway and into the bedroom.

Kate just shakes her head and laughs at me and pulls some fresh clothes from her suitcase. I can't keep from watching her as she starts putting on her clothes. She's just as sexy putting on her clothes as taking them off... I think to myself. She catches me watching her again and, laughing, throws her underwear from last night at me. I catch them and hold them up to my nose, inhaling her scent. I can immediately feel my new sex getting damp again.

I shake my head, trying to snap myself out of it. Have to focus on moving forward! Can't let myself get distracted. I chide myself. I step over to my closet and, opening the door, begin to peruse my clothes. I look through all my clothes and realize I'm dissatisfied with everything in my closet.

"Oh wow... I think my transformation from male to female is complete," I comment aloud.

"What do you mean?" asks Kaitlyn, tilting her head to the side to look at me.

"Well, I just went through my entire closet... and realize I have nothing to wear! It's all so boring..." I say, feeling just a little silly.

Kate laughs and says, "Oh, you're right, you are totally a girl now. Well, let's see..." she comes over and starts poking in my closet. Soon she pulls out a pair of dark blue sweat pants and a black Tee shirt. "It's not great, but really all that you have that will fit right now, but... hey, do you have a pair of scissors?"

"Yeah, what do you need them for?" I ask, rummaging through one of my dresser drawers and finally coming up with a pair.

She takes them from me and says, "You'll see." Then turns and does something to the sweats with them. She turns back and hands the sweats to me, saying, "There, those should fit better now. Let me see your underwear."

I just shrug and hand her a pair of my underwear, which she immediately cuts a slit in and hands back to me, "Try them on."

I pull them on over my hooves, up my legs and onto my waist. Kate comes up behind me and fiddles with my tail for a moment and I realize that she is maneuvering it through the slit in the briefs she just made. I take the sweats from her and put them on, finding the slit in the back of them and working my tail through it myself.

"Wow, that's a lot more comfortable than either shoving my tail down my pants or wearing the pants under it!" I thank Kate with a grin.

She tosses me the shirt and I put it on. Now we're finally both dressed and ready for the day. I take her hand and we start clopping our way down the hall to the kitchen, where I can hear Jim and Sherry talking quietly.

"Well hello, Miss Irony," I hear Sherry say as I step into the kitchen. "You look very nice this morning."

I blush a little at her compliment, "Thank you Trixie, you look very nice yourself."

She gets a funny look on her face, "Did you just call me Trixie?"

"Yeah she did," Kate answers from behind me. "If it makes you feel any better, she called me Moon Shadow last night."

I flush a bright red now and mumble an apology.

"It's okay," says Sherry. It's obvious to me that she's confused but decides to let it go.

"So... which one of you is the screamer?" asks Jim with a huge smirk on his face.

I didn't think I could get any redder, but I do as I slowly wave to him, wishing I could just melt into the floor and disappear.

"Jim! Behave yourself!" Kate reprimands him.

"I'm just teasing... though I actually thought it would be you, Kate. It didn't sound like He... um, Irony to me..." Jim trails off, realizing he's put his foot in it by the look on Kate's face.

Before she can say anything he raises his hands in a warding off gesture and says, "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean anything by it."

Kate just continues to glare at him as I turn away to hide my red face, for all the good that it'll do me. I spot a bowl of freshly sliced fruit and help myself to some of it, putting it on a plate and getting a fork out of the silverware drawer. I get another plate and put some fruit on it for Kate too.

While my back is still turned, I hear Sherry come up behind me and whisper to me, "Don't let him bother you, he's just trying to make light of the situation."

I nod my head, knowing Jim even better than she does and knowing this is how he deals with things that are hard for him to get a handle on. Always with the joking when things got hard.

"Truth be told," she continues, "I was worried that my screaming might have kept the two of you awake..." And she blushes too.

"Well, I did hear you, but didn't want to embarrass you like Jim did Irony," Kate interjects.

"I didn't hear anything... I passed out from Kate's, ah, ministrations," I whisper. Sherry covers a gasp with her hand as she looks from me to Kate.

"Oh my... I've never experienced anything like that, though admittedly last night was close..." Sherry says quietly, not wanting Jim to hear and get a big head.

Speaking of Jim, "Hey, what's with all the whispering? I said I was sorry, and I mean it. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, Irony. I just wanted to tease you two a little."

I look over at him and say, "Okay, I'll forgive you just this once."

Jim stands and, walking over to me, pulls me into a real hug and whispers another apology into my ear. Then, leaning back and looking at me, he says, "I kind of forgot for a moment that you're my 'big sister' now instead of my brother. It won't happen again, I promise."

I punch him in the shoulder and say, "Hey, just because I'm your sister instead of your brother doesn't mean I can't still kick your ass. You'd better remember that." I grin, and he returns my grin.

"Careful Irony, too much testosterone and you might turn back into a dude," Kate warns, making me laugh.

"If only it were that easy!" I say.

Kate gets herself a cup of coffee and gratefully accepts the plate of fruit I hand her, taking a bite of some honeydew melon between sips of coffee.

"So, how are you guys this morning?" she asks.

"Pretty good, we slept pretty well," Sherry answers as Jim takes her into his arms. "How about you?"

Kate smirks, "Well, I've just found out I'm a lesbian, and I never want to go back...oh and I slept well too."

I shake my head, laughing, and then say, "I slept well. Except..." I trail off for a moment and then continue, "I had a horrible dream."

"What kind of dream?" Kate asks, concern plain in her voice, so I explain my dream to them, leaving nothing out.

"Do you think it's another memory?" asks Jim, seeming concerned.

"Well... I don't know. It felt like my other dreams, so yeah, it felt like it could be a memory. But I was human in this dream, at least until the end... and I know I have never experienced that in my human life," I respond.

"You said your body was transforming... were you turning into a pony?" asks Sherry.

"I'm not entirely sure... but I suspect so," I answer her.

"What do you think it means?" asks Kate, nibbling on her fruit.

"I wish I knew. My dream about Discord made sense in how it pertains to what's happening to me now, but this doesn't really make any sense at all," I say.

"Well damn, when you said you had another dream, it got my hopes up that it would help us figure out some more about what is going on," says Jim in frustration.

I nod, "I hoped so too. It's really irritating not having a clue as to what's going on," I say.

"Speaking of which, I want to spend some more time today researching the net. I think there's something out there to find, I just need to ferret it out," Sherry says positively.

"Okay, that makes sense, and it at least is more than nothing. What should the rest of us do, though?" I ask the group.

"I keep in touch with a couple of the guys from our old unit, Jack and Tom, you remember them?" Jim says and I nod in response, knowing where he's going with this... Jim continues, "You know they always had a way of knowing things that no one else could find out..." He trails off, looking at me for permission.

I sigh, "Yeah, you should call them, but don't tell them about what's happening to me, just see if they'll share any information they have on strange happenings. I hate to involve anyone else, but if anyone has a clue, it'll be them."

"That leaves you and me," Kate says to me. "What should we do?"

"Frankly, I'm open to suggestions. It's not like there's a lot else for us to do. Guys?" I say, at a loss for where to go next. I feel utterly useless.

"Do you still have all of mom and dad's old stuff in storage?" Jim asks me out of the blue.

"Yeah, I do. Why?" I return, not understanding what he's getting at.

"Well, it occurs to me that there might be some clues in their stuff, namely the old adoption paperwork, or maybe some letters or articles that could help. Did you ever go through it?" Jim explains.

I shake my head, "I never did. I just couldn't do it back when we put it in storage, and later it didn't seem important. It's a long shot, but I suppose it's possible they knew something, or had some information they didn't understand, that could help. Good idea, Jim. Kate and I will go over to the storage unit and begin searching. If you find anything call me, I'll have my phone."

"Okay. I don't know if any of us will find anything, but better that than sitting around twiddling our thumbs waiting for the inevitable, right?" Jim states. I nod and clasp hands with him before Kate and I say our goodbyes and head out to the car.

"How much stuff do you have left over from your parents?" Kate asks me.

"Unfortunately, quite a lot. I've got a 10' by 30' storage unit that is almost full of their old stuff. I guess you accumulate a lot of stuff over a lifetime. The good news is we shouldn't have to go through all of it, just their old paperwork. The bad news is that there is still a lot of paper to go through, and I'm not sure how well organized it is," I answer, unlocking the car and opening Kate's door for her.

"How long do you think this will take?" she asks as she slides into the passenger seat.

"Well, unless we get lucky, my guess is most, if not all, of the day," I say.

"I guess we'd better get moving then," Kate responds, smiling hopefully up at me.

"Indeed," I respond, climbing into the driver's seat and cranking the engine over.

The engine roars to life and I back her out of the garage and down the drive. It doesn't take long to get to the storage unit, as it is pretty close to my house. We pull up to the automatic gate and I enter my code. Once the gate opens wide enough I pull through and down an alleyway to the unit I rent. These units open to the outside, so I just pull up alongside it and get out of the car. I use my key to unlock the roll up door and lift it open.

We step inside and I pull the chain on the lone light bulb, revealing what was left of my parents' things after they passed away. I stop for a moment as I feel a wave of emotion flow over me. Even after all these years... seeing the things from their lives still has a profound effect on me, I realize in sorrow.

"Wow... this is going to be harder than I thought," I say. "I didn't think seeing all their old stuff would bother me this much."

"Are you going to be okay?" Kate asks me.

"Yeah... I will be. Not like we have much choice, anyway, right? We need answers, and they might be in here," I say in response.

After another moment I right the overturned dining room table that has been, up to this point, occupying the side wall near the door. I then grab a box marked simply 'papers' and set it on the table, "I'll dig through the boxes and see if I can get all the ones with paper in them out here, can you start digging through this box and see if there is anything important in there?"

"No problem," Kate replies, opening the box and digging in.

I start shuffling boxes around, setting any that say anything about paperwork aside and opening others to be sure they aren't mislabeled. I soon have found four more boxes full of papers. I move them up next to the table and continue my search. After another hour of moving and opening boxes I have found two more likely suspects but, more importantly, I have managed to make my way through all the rest of the boxed items in the unit.

I carry the last two boxes to the table and, setting them down, say, "Well that's all of them, eight boxes of papers out of all those boxes."

"I finished the first box and am about halfway through the second one. The first box was all old receipts, and this one seems to be old tax information. Nothing too exciting yet," Kate says, pushing her hair out of her face.

I grab a box at random and put it on the table, open it up and start to dig. This box seems to be Jim's and my old report cards and school work that mom must have saved for us, but I diligently work my way through the whole thing before moving to the next one. The next box is a bit more promising. The first packet I pull out has mom and dad's marriage license as well as certified copies of their birth certificates. The next pack of papers I come to has Jim's and my birth certificates, as well as our adoption papers.

"Jackpot," I say.

"You find something?" Kate asks me.

"Not necessarily, but this is what I was looking for as the most likely place: adoption papers," I tell her.

I begin looking through the file on myself first. There isn't a lot in it, but what is there has a fair bit of information. I was born to a 16 year old mother who didn't know, or wouldn't admit to knowing, who my father was. There was a note in the file suggesting that my existence may have been due to rape and that my mother was afraid to reveal the truth. I clench my jaw tightly as I read that, I hope either that isn't right, or that the bastard who sired me in this world got his in the end. Sadly, I will never know...

I slowly calm myself down and continue reading the file. I immediately went up for adoption and amazingly enough went from the hospital I was born in home with the parents I had grown up with. That's amazing... especially since mom and dad always said Jim and I came home with them at the same time. Wait, why was I in the hospital long enough to go home at the same time as Jim?

I look, but there isn't an explanation about that in the adoption file. Next I look at Jim's file, and his comes across as a little more normal. Born to teen parents, both listed on his birth certificate, mom 16, dad 17. Adopted within a few days of birth by our parents. Okay, nothing really interesting in his file, not that I expected there to be, I think to myself.

I set the adoption files, birth certificates, and our parents' marriage and birth certificates aside to take home with me and continue digging in the box. The next things I pull out of the box appear to be medical records.

Out of curiosity I open the first one. The folder contains the records from my birth. I pause for a moment and then take both folders and sit down on the ground with my back up against the wall.

"Did you find something?" Kaitlyn asks me, looking up from the box she is going through.

"A minor mystery, and maybe the answer in the form of my birth medical records," I reply. "I doubt it'll amount to anything, but I want to know for sure now." Kate nods and goes back to digging through her box.

I reopen the folder and start reading, a lot of it is vital signs and the known medical history of my birth mother. Then down at the bottom of the page is a note stating: baby boy being held for observation due to abnormal skin color. It goes on to explain: At first believed to be O2 deficiency, baby O2 SATs remain normal. Then it states: Mother refuses to breast feed, and I quote, "That blue monster."

A note added at a later date states: Abnormal coloring lessens day by day, normal hue is returning, baby expected to be ready for release in five more days' time. The last note on the page states: baby boy returned to normal healthy color this AM, scheduled for release later today. That note is dated the same day that I was adopted by my parents and taken home, the same date that Jim was adopted.

Holy shit! I think I just found my smoking gun! No way is it coincidence that my skin was dark blue like my fur is now when I was born! I exult to myself before calling Kate over and sharing my find with her.

Kate looks at the medical report and I see her eyes get really wide, and then she says, "Well...I would say that is indicative of your situation. How fucking crazy is that? It can't possibly be a coincidence that your skin was not only blue, but dark blue, at birth. The fur growing in on your body is midnight blue, for crying out loud!"

I nod to her in response and then say, "I'll take this home with us and read the rest later. This is interesting, but it doesn't say how I came to be here. I'm going to read Jim's report and then finish that box. Have you found anything important?" I ask.

"No, not a damn thing," she replies, shaking her head.

"Okay, we'll keep looking, there might be something still," I say. Kate nods and goes back to work on the box of papers on the table in front of her.

I open Jim's medical record and start perusing it. It's actually almost identical to mine, in that we were both born in the same hospital and had healthy vital statistics when we were born. I look down at the notes section and see that there are a couple of notes, the first one says: baby boy under observation for apparent jaundice, skin more orange-gold than usual yellow color. The next note says: tests for usual causes of jaundice all come back negative. The last note, dated the next day, states: baby skin color starting to return to normal, with no cause found for original jaundice, being held overnight with planned release tomorrow.

I lean back and think, Whoa, does this mean what I think it means? Can it possibly be? No... it can't be. I mean, what are the odds? They have to be like winning the fucking lottery or something! I feel... I don't know for sure what I feel.

"Kate, can you come here for a moment? I need you to look at this and tell me what you see," I say, trying to keep my voice calm.

"What is it?" she asks as she comes over. I hand her the file and she begins to look it over. After a couple of minutes of looking she stops and looks at me, "Does this say what I think it says?"

"I don't know... that's why I'm asking you, to see if you see the same thing I do," I say.

"What I see... is a second baby born in less than a week with an abnormal skin color, this time golden orange instead of blue, but still, without any kind of assignable cause. What I think I see... is another pony, with a different color of fur. One that matches the normal skin color of a human being a bit more closely, and so may be discounted as a normal malady. But what do we tell Jim?" she finally asks me.

"I'm not sure. We could be wrong, it could be nothing and we're just jumping to conclusions. But I guess we'll know for sure in a few days," I say.

"What makes you so sure we'll know then? What's so special about the next few days?" Kaitlyn asks.

"My changes started on the morning of my 25th birthday, starting with the cutie marks on my hips, and I suspect that if he is going to exhibit the same kinds of changes, that it will be on his 25th birthday. Which is the 1st of May," I reply.

"I'd forgotten his birthday was the 1st, which is funny because you would think I of all people would remember it. I remember now, how we used to celebrate all of our birthdays together, because yours is so close to his, and since the first of May is my birthday too..." she trails off, obviously thinking about the coincidence.

I ponder the new information for a few more minutes and finally say, "I think we need to warn him of the possibility. We don't know for sure, but I'd rather say something and have nothing come of it, than say nothing and have it come to pass. I know I would have liked some warning, even though it probably really wouldn't have helped."

"Yeah, I think you have a good point. I know I would want to know if it were me," she says, thoughtfully.

I hold my hand out to her and ask, "Would you come and sit down with me for a little bit?"

"Of course I will," she says, taking my hand and lowering herself gently into my lap.

I sit there quietly for several minutes, just holding her close to me. I kiss the top of her head and just look at her, deep in thought. I squeeze her tightly and finally say, in a low voice, "Kate, I think I need to tell you something."

She glances back at me and smiles a small, faintly sad, smile. Then she speaks quietly, "I think that maybe I already know, Irony. I have kind of been wondering about it since last night. And then what I heard this morning made me think even harder about it." She groans lightly as she stretches her legs and arms out, then, "When is Sherry's birthday?" she asks me.

"Um, just after midnight on May the second. She and Jim thought it was an amazing coincidence they were born only minutes apart, since he was born just shy of midnight on the first. I thought it was kind of a crazy coincidence too," I respond, still being rather quiet.

“So we have to tell them, don’t we? We can’t leave them in the dark about this, even if it comes to nothing in the end! But how do we tell them? We can’t just come straight out and say, ‘hey, by the way, you guys are both going to start turning into ponies in a couple of days too.’ What are we going to say?” Kate asks me, almost desperately pleading with me to provide an answer.

"I think that's almost exactly what we're going to have to do, though. There really isn't a gentle way to put this. We have to be honest and up front with them, we can't beat around the bush about it at all. I just hope they don't think I've lost my last marble with this transformation. I'd rather not be committed, or experimented on," I say, trying to make a joke at the end, but it just falls flat.

"That's not funny, Irony. Don't even joke about things like that. It would destroy something deep inside me if you were taken away like that," Kate says, almost crying.

"I knew it as soon as I said it, I'm sorry baby," I say to her, squeezing her tight again.

"I'll forgive you this time, just don't do it again," she says. Then she asks me, "So... do you know who they are? What ponies they will become?"

"If I'm right, and the more I think about it, the more I believe I am, Sherry will be 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' and Jim is Flash Sentry. I guess only time will tell..." I trail off.

I bite my lip for a moment and then decide I can't leave it to chance... I say to Kaitlyn, "Baby, you do know what this means, right? It means..."

She lays her head on my shoulder and sighs into my neck and I feel a tear drop onto my skin as she says in a barely audible whisper, "It means that I'm Moon Shadow, doesn't it?"

Chapter 8

"What if I don't want to be?" Kate asks me, tears openly streaming down her face now.

"I..." I try to speak, but nothing comes out as she pulls away from me.

Abruptly she stands and stalks away from me, her arms wrapped around herself as if she's clutching her humanity to her like a shroud.

"What if I don't want to be a pony? I can't just accept this!" Kate is almost yelling now, our moment of closeness shattered by the fear she is obviously feeling.

"Kate, it's--" I try to say, but she cuts me off with her hand, violently slashing the air.

"No! I can't talk about this right now!" she starts walking away, each step full of anger and fear.

"Kate, where are you going?" I ask, making to follow her.

She turns and stares me down, "I don't know, anywhere but here for right now. I need to be alone." She spins on her heel and starts storming off.

"Wait! Here, take the car. I don't want you walking out there alone," I say, running up to her and pressing the keys into her hand. She stares at me, as if she's expecting a trick.

"Thank you," she finally says, deciding I'm not going to try to stop her. She gets in the car and turns over the engine, revving the engine before spraying the area with gravel as she tears off.

I stand there and watch her until the car passes out of sight, then I hang my head and sigh sadly at our predicament. Maybe having advance warning of the changes isn't as helpful as I thought it would be, I think to myself.

After a few more minutes of introspection I pull out my phone and dial Jim's number. He answers after the third ring and I ask him to come pick me up at the storage unit.

"Why?" he asks. I tell him that I'll explain when he gets here. He accepts my evasion and tells me he'll be here soon.

"Thanks," I say, hanging up.

I set to work, gathering the information I'd found and packing the rest of the boxes away. It doesn't take me very long to clean up, so I have everything locked up and am sitting with my back against the door to the unit when Jim and Sherry pull up in Jim's truck. I wave carelessly to them as they come to a stop.

Jim leans his head out of the window and says, "Um... where is Kate, and where is your car?"

I just shrug and gesture with my hand, indicating everywhere and anywhere. I slowly stand and walk over to the truck and jump in the back, holding tightly to the folders I have in my hands. I lean my head back against the cab of the truck and ignore Jim's questions and wait for him to take us home. He finally gives up and drives out the gate and points the truck towards my home.

Once we reach the house I silently lever myself out of the back of the truck and walk into the house, dropping the folders on the counter in the kitchen as I walk by on my way to my room.

I know that I should say something to Jim and Sherry, but I just can't bring myself to talk right now. They leave me be, sensing my mood and accepting my need to be alone.

What are we going to do? I didn't think it would be easy for her to accept, but I didn't expect her to run away either. I really hope she calms down soon. What about Jim and Sherry? Should I really tell them? How will they take it if I do? How will they take it if I don't? My thoughts continue to get more disjointed from there as I have a bit of a meltdown.

Then the room starts spinning and I fall onto my bed as I pass into unconsciousness...

***

I find myself floating in a black void, surrounded by nothingness.

Where am I? Am I dreaming? I wonder, searching in vain for any kind of reference point, or anything at all to see for that matter.

I feel a lurch in my stomach, as if I'm falling, and suddenly find myself staring down at a farm. In the distance I can see a large, glaringly white house adorned with tall columns. Nearer to me, beneath my feat actually as I am floating ghost-like over the landscape, there are people working in the fields.

Peering more closely at the workers in the fields, I can see they are, without exception, very shabbily dressed. Their clothes are torn and fraying, most are ill-fitted. I feel a jolt of shock as I realize that almost all of the people have extremely dark skin... It looks almost like some kind of plantation being worked by slaves. But why am I seeing this? This is distant history, not current events!

My attention is soon drawn towards one of the few fair skinned workers. He is a hulking beast of a man, towering over the others by many inches. On closer inspection he is probably barely into his twenties and his back is covered in ropy scars, as though from many whippings.

As I continue to watch him work I see another man walk into the fields wearing a wide-brimmed hat, with an old fashioned revolver holstered on his hip, carrying a whip leisurely in his hand. When the young man stops to stretch his back the whip immediately snaps out to draw a fresh line on his back. I hear him grunt in pain as he silently stoops back to his work.

Why does this matter? I ask myself, not understanding what I'm seeing. Suddenly I feel the lurch in my stomach again and the scene before me changes. I am still looking down on the farm, but I am much closer to the house. From here I can see the house is much larger than I originally thought, three stories tall with a footprint big enough to hold two of my house with room to spare on all sides.

My attention is drawn towards a flatbed wagon that is approaching the house, pulled by two mangy looking horses. In the back of the wagon I see a young boy chained to the floorboards. I am struck by what I see in his eyes: an inferno worth of rage, tempered with an ocean of determination. I have never seen eyes like that on another human being before.

When the wagon stops in front of the big house the driver dismounts and pulls the blanket from around the boy's shoulders as a well-dressed man strolls from the house to greet him. On the boy's back I can clearly see bright rivulets of blood through the rents in his over-sized shirt. My fists clench in anger and tears form in my eyes at the sight as I realize there is nothing I can do for this boy.

I see money exchange hands between the men and the well-dressed man takes hold of the chain between the boy's wrists, pulling the boy behind him as he walks away.

I feel the lurch in my stomach again as the scene changes yet again.

I see the big man from before, kneeling next to a prone form. Through the gore smeared all over the body, I can see that it is a young, dark-skinned woman lying there.

In the man's eyes I can see a mountain of grief that is shortly consumed by an incomprehensible rage. He stands and turns to the man with the whip, who is standing nearby, and says, "You've killed her!" as he lunges.

By some unholy miracle, the whip-man is able to just barely evade the lunging youth. He slams his fist into the back of the young man's head and steps back, letting fly with the whip, opening a flap of skin on his scalp.

The much bigger man, undeterred by the pain of his torn scalp, turns and leaps at the man with the whip. He catches the smaller man's arm with his left hand and pulls him toward his right fist, which connects with his face.

The whip-man's eyes roll up into his head and he falls to the ground. The youth picks him up and brings his anvil-like fist to bear again on the malingerer's ugly mug. Blood flies from the man's battered lips and his broken nose pours gore like a charnel faucet.

The big man's fist raises three more times before a board is shattered over the back of his skull by another man with a whip hanging at his belt. As the big man falls to the ground, the jackals surround him and begin to hit and kick his unresponsive form.

I feel the now familiar lurch in my stomach and am treated to yet another scene.

This time I see the boy again, a little bit younger, in a small stone hovel, kneeling next to a bed containing a haggard woman's corpse. I see the mountain of grief in his eyes and the tears he cannot keep from falling down his face. His young body is wracked with silent sobs at the loss of what I can only assume is his mother.

The man I remember from the wagon steps forward and, taking the boy by his shoulder, says, "Now her debt falls to you. I'll find a way to make my money from you somehow!"

The boy struggles and manages to yank his shoulder away from the hard-faced man, falling to the floor as he does so. When he stands back up the man backhands him to the floor, saying, "You'll do as you're told, you little bastard. Now come with me."

The boy warily regains his feet and quietly follows the man, but I can see the murder in the boy's eyes.

I feel the lurch once again, but this time I feel a shudder through my soul as my perspective changes. This time I see a familiar scene:

"Get up you lazy piece of shit!" I hear a voice I now recognize say.

I start to stir, only to feel an excruciating pain as I'm kicked in the side by a booted foot.

"I said get up you stupid fuck! Get your ass out of bed now or I'll fucking bust your face in!" the voice yells at me.

I feel my body rise up off the floor, where evidently I've been sleeping. I look down at the floor and see the blanket that had fallen off me when I stood and remember this is where I belong.

I walk out of the shack I've been in and accept the meager piece of bread and cheese shoved into my hands as I walk out to the field.

I look around and see farmland everywhere I look, field after field of corn, and remember that it's my job to start picking, along with the others. I look down at my body and it isn't how I remember it. My skin is loose over my flesh, I can feel that I have strength, but I'm a lot leaner than I remember. I'm wearing little more than rags.

I get to the corn and start picking it, throwing it into baskets that are nearby, one ear at a time. I'm working in a group of about ten people, most of them smaller and frailer looking than me.

As I'm trying to figure out how I got here and how long I've been here, I feel a searing pain on my back and hear the crack of a whip.

"You stupid lazy oaf! Move faster, you fucking moron! If you don't pick up the pace you don't get no lunch or dinner," came the vehement voice from behind me. I don't even bother looking at the man; I just try to pick up the pace.

A few minutes later I stumble and feel the whip again. This time I am angry and turn toward my attacker, a retort upon my lips, but he is having none of it and begins to whip me in a frenzy. I try to raise my hands to protect me, but my body doesn't respond and I fall to the ground. I don't know how many times I am whipped, but it is still going on as I slip into unconsciousness.

I wake after an unknown about of time, my body screaming in pain. I moan and can feel hot tears streaming down my face from the agony.

Once again I am floating in the black void with nothing around me, but this time it feels different. I look around and see a speck of purple light. Without knowing exactly how, I move closer to the source of the light.

Soon I pass into another scene and I see Twilight Sparkle, her horn alight with her purple magic, massive bright sparks shooting out the tip. She is concentrating intensely, her eyes closed.

Suddenly there is a loud boom and a burst of concussive force as a form surrounded by Twilight's magical aura pops into existence right in front of us.

"Oh no, not again!" she gasps as her eyes become fixed on the very large, well-muscled, midnight-blue earth pony that has emerged from the heart of the blinding magical aura.

The scene fades before me, and I am floating in the void, trying to make sense of all that I have seen. I...no way. Can any of this really be real? I wonder.

Though it seems like a long time, I don't know how long I float in the void pondering what I've seen before I start feeling a sense of dread, deep in my soul. My body starts to shake uncontrollably.

"IRONY!!" the scream comes so loudly in my psyche that I feel it coursing through my body.

***

I wake still feeling the scream flood through my body. Kate's in trouble! I don't know how I know this, but I do. I feel it with every fiber of my being.

I leap out of bed. Or at least I try to. Instead of the graceful leap, I end up summersaulting out of the bed and landing on my chin. I shake my head, trying to disperse the stars I am now seeing as a result of my fall. I yell for Jim as I try to ascertain the cause of my fall.

Well shit... I think as I take in my body, which has changed even more while I was unconscious. I'm not quite "full pony", but I'm not really that far off from it either. My hands aren't hooves, yet, but they might as well be. They're useless lumps at the moment. My legs don't want to bend the same way anymore. I can't stand upright on them, I keep falling over. My body is almost completely covered in fur now, though that seems almost inconsequential when compared with the rest of the changes.

How long was I out for? I think to myself, looking at the window and seeing that it is completely dark outside. Fuck, that means I've been asleep for hours! What the hell is wrong with me?!

Jim bursts into the room, almost knocking the door off its hinges. He surveys the room, looking for danger, before he comes over and kneels next to me.

"Irony, are you okay?" he asks as he looks me over for injury.

"Physically, well, my body is even more fucked up than before, but I'm not injured. I can't get up though, my body won't work right. Please help me back onto the bed," I say to him. He helps me get onto the bed, where I lay like an invalid.

"Sherry, it's okay, you can come in now," Jim calls out the door.

"So what was the yelling about? I thought you were being attacked, you sounded, well, afraid," he asks me as Sherry comes through the door and stands next to the bed.

"It's Moon Shadow. I mean Kate! Something is wrong, I'm sure of it!" I say, fear still gripping my heart.

"What do you mean, did she call you?" asks Sherry, looking worried.

"No, at least I don't think so. I haven't checked my phone yet. I just feel that she is in danger," I say.

"Where is your phone?" asks Jim.

"In my pocket, but I can't get it," I say, waving my useless lumps in the air. Jim calmly reaches into my pocket and pulls out my phone.

"You don't have any missed calls or new messages," he says, checking my phone for me.

"Dammit!" I exclaim.

"Slow down, where is Kate? You never explained what happened earlier," Sherry says.

"She and I... kind of had an argument and she took off. I gave her the keys to the car because I didn't want her walking out there alone. That's why I had to call you guys for a ride earlier. Speaking of which, what time is it?" I ask, looking around to see my clock is on the floor where I fell.

"It's almost two in the morning," Jim answers me.

"I was out for over 12 hours?!" I practically shout.

"Yeah. You were out pretty hard, too. We were a little worried because we couldn't wake you up," says Jim, "though we figured you must need it, so we didn't try too hard," he continues.

"What about Kate? Didn't you worry about her when she didn't show up?" I ask, incredulously.

"We were a little worried, but figured that if you weren't worried we shouldn't worry either," Sherry put in, worry showing plain in her eyes now.

"She's in trouble, we need to find her!" I state vehemently.

"How do you know she's in trouble? She's been gone for a long time, but that doesn't mean she's in danger. She might be staying over at another friend's house tonight," Jim says, trying to calm me down.

"Jim, I can't explain how I know; I just know that she is hurt or in danger right now. I feel it in my soul! We must find her!" I say, staring into Jim's eyes with determination.

"How are we going to find her? We have no way of knowing where she went, or what happened to her?" Sherry asks. "Do you want to go to the police?"

I shake my head, "The police won't be able to do anything, she hasn't been gone for even 24 hours yet. Not that I would trust them to find her before something happens."

"What about her phone? Did she have it with her?" Jim asks me.

"Good idea! Yeah, she had it alright. We can trace her using the GPS!" I say, smiling at Jim's idea.

"I'll call Jack again and see if he'll hack into the cell network and trace her phone for us. We are going to owe him big for this though," Jim says, shaking his head.

"I know, but let me worry about how to pay him back later. If he balks, hint that you have something interesting to share with him, but don't tell him anything," I tell Jim.

"And what is this something interesting that I'm supposed to know?" he asks, though I'm sure he already knows.

I gesture to myself and say, "I think this is pretty interesting. And I'm guessing he doesn't know anything about it, or you would have already shared it with me. Right?"

"Yeah, neither he, nor Tom, knew anything of interest to us about this," Jim replies.

Jim steps aside as he pulls out his phone and dials Jack, having a quiet conversation with him in the corner.

"Irony, I'm so sorry that Kate is missing. We'll do whatever it takes to get her back," Sherry tries to comfort me.

"I just hope we reach her in time," is my response. Sherry just nods quietly.

Jim comes back over and says, "Jack says it'll be no problem. He said it's so easy that he'll do this one gratis."

"Yeah, which means we still owe him a favor, he's just not going to make a big deal of it," I say, knowing how Jack and Tom work.

"True, but like you said, we'll worry about it later. I didn't have to share anything with him, though I wouldn't be surprised if he suspects we're hiding something. He's definitely no dummy," Jim says.

"That much is true. Sometimes he was oblivious, but never a dummy," I say. Just then Jim's phone rings.

"It's Jack," he says, turning away to take the call.

"Okay, great, thanks Jack," I hear Jim say before hanging up again.

"He's got it, he's going to send me a link so we can track her phone from mine," Jim tells me, his phone chiming as it gets the link from Jack.

"Alright! Let's go then!" I say, trying to sit up to get off the bed. Jim gently pushes me back down.

"You aren't fit to go anywhere right now. Let me go see if I can find her. If she's hurt, I'll bring her back here or to the hospital. If she's in trouble, I'll recon and come back. Hopefully either I'll be back with her soon, or by the time I get back you will be able to come with me to get her out of whatever mess she's found herself in," he says, telling me something I already knew but didn't want to admit to myself.

"Please, Jim, take me with you! Help me get into the back of your truck, I need to be with you when you find her!" I say and he looks at me uncertainly. "What if our situations were reversed? Could you really stay behind if you knew Sherry was in danger?"

He sighs and shakes his head, "No, no I couldn't. Okay, we'll load you into the back of the truck, but you have to stay there okay?"

"Okay, but grab my stuff from the shop so we have it just in case. I want to be prepared for the worst," I say. Jim nods and helps me up and supports my weight as we walk out to his truck. He drops the gate and lifts me up into the back.

He fishes in my pocket for the key to my shop and goes inside, soon returning with an oversized burlap sack stuffed full. He throws it in the truck next to me and I look at him, saying, "What's all this? I meant the AR-15 and camo gear I have in a ruck in the loft."

"I...I don't know what I was thinking. I'll be right back," he says as he hurries back to the shop. I manage to get the bag open with my deformed hands and peer inside.

Why did he bring these? I think as I look. In the bag is the mace, shield, helmets and armor that I showed him yesterday. Maybe he's not thinking straight, I think in confusion at Jim's lack of judgment.

Soon Jim returns with the ruck and AR-15, throwing the ruck in the back with me and putting the AR in the cab with him.

"Ready?" he asks me.

"Are you?" I return, raising my eyebrow questioningly.

He nods and hops in the driver seat, starts the truck and backs it down the drive. We both wave to Sherry as we leave. She waves back and turns to go back into the house.

Jim tears down the road at top speed. After a while on the road I realize I don't know where we're going. I tap on the adjoining window. When he opens it I ask, "Where are we going? How far away?"

"We still have over an hour to go, according to her GPS. I'll stop a ways out and we'll go in incognito, with the lights off and as quietly as this truck can go," he yells back to me.

I nod in reply and hunker down for the long drive as he closes the window again.

After a few minutes of staring out into the darkness, I get a bit restless. To take my mind off my worry I decide to look in the sack again. The only object in the bag that I have any hope at all of putting on is my helmet. After some careful consideration, I am able to use the lumps at the end of my arms to hold the helmet and raise it to my head. It slips on surprisingly easily, and fits better now than it did before. It takes me a few moments to realize why. My lower face now extends in a pony muzzle, something I failed to notice in the panic I'd been feeling since I woke up from my dreams.

I lean my head back against the cab of the pickup, trancing out a little bit as I try not to let my fears overwhelm me. I come back to full awareness when Jim slows and stops the truck. We seem to be in some kind of industrial park. He opens the window so that he can talk to me and says, "We're close now. According to the GPS, she is in a building about two blocks from here. According to the map it's a medium sized warehouse. I wonder what she was doing over here?"

"It doesn't matter, let's go," I say with feeling.

Jim nods and, turning out the lights, continues on slowly to get closer to the warehouse. Once we are within a couple hundred yards, Jim stops again and turns to me, "I don't see anyone keeping a watch or anything, do you?"

"No. I don't see anyone out there. Though I can hear loud noises coming from inside. It sounds like metal grinding or something like it," I tell him.

Jim pulls the camo jacket out of the ruck and says, while slipping it on, "I'll go check things out. I'll keep an open line between us using the headsets of our phones. If you see anyone give a whistle over the line to let me know. I'm going to be running silent, okay?"

I nod and tell him, "Be careful."

Chapter 9

Jim takes the AR-15 and a couple of extra magazines with him as he goes to recon the warehouse. He moves silently towards the building, slipping up on it like an assassin creeps up on a victim. Once he reaches the wall he presses himself up against it and sidles along to each window, carefully peering into each one before moving on to the next.

Shortly after Jim reaches the rear corner of the building and turns it, I see someone come out of the front of the warehouse and light a cigarette. I whistle quietly into the headset and then whisper, "One guy just came out the front, he's standing there smoking." I hear two short taps come over the line in acknowledgement.

The guy stands there smoking for several minutes. He finishes his cig and drops it to the ground, stepping on it. He walks to the corner, fiddles with his belt, and then starts to piss on the building. He finishes his business and zips himself back up. He's about to turn to go back inside when he looks down and seems to see something. He decides to investigate, walking along the wall towards the back of the building.

"Jim, the smoker is heading towards the back of the building. I'm not sure if he saw a footprint or what, but you may have been made. He appears unarmed," I say quietly into the headset. I hear the two taps of acknowledgement again.

I watch as the smoker continues along the side of the building. Just as he reaches the corner, Jim steps out from the shadows and wraps his hand around the guy's mouth while he pins his arms to his chest with the other arm. Jim then adjusts his grip to cut off the guy's air. Jim struggles with the guy for several minutes, until he finally passes out from the choke hold. Jim gently lowers the guy to the ground and then drags him around the back of the building.

A few minutes later Jim breaks the silence, quietly saying, "Irony, I can see Kate. She seems okay, but they have her tied to a bed. There's a curtain blocking the window, but there's enough of a gap for me to see her. We need to regroup and figure a way to get her out of there."

"Are you sure she's okay?" I ask, keeping my voice down.

"Yeah, she seems fine...wait, there's a guy coming into the room. Oh shit! No you don't you bastard! I'm going in! Irony, call the cops or something!" he starts yelling obscenities and I hear glass breaking. Then I hear several shots from the AR.

My fear and panic turn to anger in a heartbeat and, without any further thought, I'm leaping out of the truck, grabbing my mace and shield in the process. I race across the open ground and slam into the door, with my shield raised in front of me. It explodes open and I barrel through it, shield-checking the guy who gets in my way. An audible crunch can be heard from his chest as he flies backwards and hits the ground hard, landing in a heap that doesn't move.

I barely register that he's out of my way before the mace is up, crashing down on another dude's head. His skull splits like an overripe watermelon, gobbets of blood and grey matter come spraying out, painting the wall in gore, almost like a slaughterhouse movie.

I stalk down the corridor, my rage keeping me moving. The hall opens into a large bay area. In this area I see several cars in various stages of disassembly. I spot my 442 in a far corner, seemingly untouched. It isn't important, so I ignore it as I make my way further into the large bay, looking in all directions to get my bearings.

Several mechanics spot me, but they turn tail and run, so I let them go unmolested. I hear another gunshot from across the bay, drawing my gaze that direction. I see there is another corridor leading off from the bay on that side. I start jogging toward the hallway. As I come within fifteen yards a man appears, leveling a 9mm pistol at me.

Just as his finger begins to tighten on the trigger I leap, hitting the ground with my shoulder and rolling with it as I hear the bark of his pistol and the bullet pass above me. I finish my roll and bound to my hooves, the mace already swinging in a wide arc. The head of the mace takes him in the left hip, splintering bone and pulping his flesh. The resulting scream echoes around the shop louder than the pistol fire. He whimpers as he falls to the ground with a thud.

I stand over him, my mace raised over my head, and yell in his face, "Where the fuck is she?!"

"Fuck you, bitch!" he retorts, trying to bring his 9mm to bear on me. I lash out with the shield, knocking the pistol from his grip, breaking all the fingers on his right hand in the process. He cradles his now mangled hand against his chest with his left. "Who-- what the fuck are you?!" he cries as he gets a good look at me.

I threaten him with my mace, holding it against his chin as I rage in his face, "You can call me Irony, Irony Shieldbreaker. And if you don't tell me what I want to know, you won't ever call anyone anything again. Talk, you slimy piece of shit!"

"Okay, okay, anything! Just don't hit me again!" he pleads.

"Good," I point at the 442 with my mace and then tap his chin with it again and say, "there was a girl with that car. Where is she now?"

He very carefully points back down the corridor he'd emerged from and pants out, "Down that hall, 2nd left, 3rd door on the right. Look, I didn't touch her, I swear!"

My eyes narrow as I look into his, "What do you mean, you didn't touch her? Who touched her?!" My voice quavers with rage.

He pales visibly as he replies, "The boss claimed her for his own. I don't know what he did with her!"

I swing my mace and feel the explosive force as it crashes down.I look down to see the concrete next to his head shattered, spraying the side of his face with broken chips. He has slipped into unconsciousness from either the pain or the fear. He'll live, I decide, straightening up and heading down the hallway in the direction he'd shown me.

I race down the corridor at full tilt, my hoofstrikes echoing down the halls. In my haze of rage I don't care, nothing matters but reaching Moon Shadow before anything else happens.

Despite all the noise I am making, I still manage to hear a door open behind me. I spin, my arm straight out at, my mace at shoulder height. Shoulder height for me is head height for him. The foe has no chance to react as the metal connects with the top of his head, shearing his scalp away from his broken skull. His buddy is slightly luckier, managing to get a shot off before I ram the mace, tip first, into his chest, caving it in like a rotten pumpkin left out too long after Halloween.

I continue down the hall, leaving their still bleeding corpses in a heap behind me. While I am still a few yards shy of the turn I'm supposed to make, I see two guys with pistols in their hands come out of a door further down the hall. In a snap decision, I leap across the hall and crash through a door. I enter low, in case there is someone on the other side of it, but the room is empty of anything living. There is, however, a plethora of junk piled in the room, mostly broken office chairs and a smashed up desk.

I quickly throw a few of the broken chairs in the path of the door, not blocking the door itself, rather the pathway from the door. I push the desk over closer to the wall to create a hiding place and then I stand behind where the door will open.

It's a simple trick, but rather effective. The two goons, having obviously seen me, open the door cautiously. Their attention is on the desk, assuming I'm hiding behind it. They are taking aim at it when I kick the door closed and attack them from behind.

The first one doesn't even get himself halfway turned around before the mace takes him in the back of the neck, severing his spine where it meets his skull. As he falls bonelessly to the floor I am already turning to the second man. As he completes his turn, I bring my shield up in a devastating blow, catching him under his chin, tearing through his jaw like cream cheese. The edge of the shield becomes lodged in his nasal cavity, so I kick him in the chest and yank the metal disc away from his face.

Without bothering to look upon the carnage I have caused, I leave the room, racing down the corridor and skidding around the corner on my hooves.

Careering around the corner, my body slams into another man, knocking him to the floor. Looking down, I see that he is very well-dressed, in a suit which I can only assume is Italian. I also notice that he is holding a P90-LV SMG in his right hand. As he is still recovering from the collision, I shield-bash his right arm out of line and step on the elbow with my left hoof, crushing the joint.

As he screams I drop my mace and seize him by the throat, lifting him up with my right arm until his toes dangle inches above the floor. I growl into his face, "What did you do to Moon Shadow?!"

"Who?" he barely manages to choke out, his left hand slowly reaching toward the P90, which is hanging at his right side from a single-point strap.

"Moon Shadow!" I scream in his face, slamming him into the wall with enough force to dent the metal. "My friend! My mate, you fucking piece of shit!" I cry as I twist and ram his body into the wall on the other side of the hall, leaving an impression there too.

"Irony!" I hear from down the hall. I look in that direction to see Kate being propped up by Jim as they walk towards me. I drop the senseless man in a pile by the wall and leap to her side, dropping my shield to pick her up in both my arms. I hold her to me as I bury my face in her hair, tears coming unbidden to my eyes.

"Moon Shadow, oh my Moon Shadow," I say over and over into her hair as I caress her back with my hand. "Thank Celestia you're okay!"

"Irony, you came! I was so scared! I didn't think there was any way for you to find me!" she says, leaning her head back and showering my muzzle with kisses.

"I will always come for you, no matter what! I promise," I say with true feeling as I gaze into her eyes. "I was so afraid I was too late."

"Jim shot the guy who was about to rape me," Kate says quietly.

I look over at Jim with gratitude in my eyes, he simply nods in reply. Then he steps over to the guy in the suit and slams the stock of the AR into his head, knocking him out. He then removes the P90 and hands it to me. I take it, slipping the strap over my shoulder and letting it hang at my side.

While Jim kneels down to start going through the unconscious guy's pockets, I collect my shield and mace. Kate stays at my side every step of the way, which suits me just fine. Jim pulls something out of a pocket and tosses it to me. Catching it, I find that it's the key-ring with the keys to my car.

"Looks like he decided to keep it for himself," Jim says, "not that I can blame him."

I take Kate's hand in mine and, pulling her around to face me, look into her eyes and ask, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you in any way?"

"No, they didn't hurt me," she answers, shaking her head. "I don't think they'd decided what to do with me. The one Jim shot was giving me lecherous looks all day, but he'd been ordered to stay away from me by that guy," she points to the unconscious man in the suit. "Evidently he got tired of waiting for permission."

"He paid with his life for it, too," Jim says, standing up as he finishes going through the pockets.

I look at Jim pointedly, "Thank you for saving her from that."

"You would have done the same, for anyone," he says, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

I nod, and then say, "Let's get out of here. Moo-- Kate and I will follow you in my car." I close my eyes briefly at my slip as I realize I'd been calling her Moon Shadow since we found her.

Kate smiles up at me, squeezes my hand, and says, "Yeah, let's go."

We make our way back to the bay where all the cars are. I stop by the goon I got the information out of earlier and kneel down next to him. I check for a pulse and find he's still alive. I search his pockets and come up with a phone. I flip it open and dial 9-1-1.

"Please state the nature of your emergency," the operator says in my ear.

"There are injured and dead men at the chop shop at this phone's location," I calmly say and drop the phone on top of the unconscious guy's chest before the operator can reply.

I open the passenger door to the 442 and help Kate inside, then make my way to the driver's side and, putting the shield, mace and helm in the back, get in. I start her up and pull to the overhead door leading outside. Jim hits the button next to the wall and slips out, the AR at the ready. We drive over to the truck and wait for Jim to get in and start it. Then we follow him as he heads for home.

"I'm sorry I took off," Kate says after several minutes of silence, staring out the window.

"Don't be sorry for that. You needed some space, which I understood. I'm sorry that me giving you the car got you in trouble," I reply.

"It probably wouldn't have, if I hadn't driven so far that I got lost. I stopped to ask for directions at a shitty little gas station. When I went back outside, two of the thugs had guns and grabbed me. They kept talking about how rare it was to find one of these in such good shape," she says quietly.

"I'm sorry that I couldn't handle the news very well. Some part of me knew, but I didn't want to admit it to myself," she continues. "I spent a lot of time thinking, before and after I was caught. Do you know what I realized?"

"No, what?" I ask.

"I realized, after a lot of thought, that there is one very big reason for me to be glad that I will turn into a pony," she says, turning her head and smiling at me.

"What's that?" I ask her.

"You're a pony too," she answers, reaching out and taking my hand. I squeeze her hand tightly in mine. "In the end, that's all that matters to me anymore. You and I are together. Both of us being ponies will make it that much easier."

"Kate, I'm just glad you're okay, and that we're together again. It scared me to my core that you might not want to have anything to do with me. I even worried that you blamed me for what's going to happen to you," I say, sadness and relief warring on my face, a tear finally slipping free to glide down my cheek.

"How could I blame you? It's not like you infected me or something. This change is going to happen whether I'm here with you or somewhere else, right?" she says to me, I nod in response.

"One other thing," she says in a low voice, smiling beautifully at me, "call me Moon Shadow, please? I love you, all of you, and I know you love all of me too. I don't remember anything about being a pony, but I know that I am one now. I want us to always be together, and I accept who you are, which makes it silly for me not to accept who I am. Not when it feels so right to hear you say my name."

"I love you, Moon Shadow, and I'm never going to stop. This much change in our lives is a really big shock, but I know we can do it together. I'm glad you're here," I whisper to her, not trusting my voice to go any louder.

We drive in companionable silence for a while after that, just holding hands in the dark. I guess this day didn't end so horribly, I think to myself. Though I suppose it's really the beginning of a new day instead. Really, that's more fitting anyway.

As we get closer to home I look over at Moon Shadow and finally say, "I haven't told Jim and Sherry yet. After what happened... I just wasn't sure I should, you know?"

She nods slowly, finally saying, "I think that's wise. I know we decided to tell them, but I didn't handle it so well, and I already had an inkling about it. I'm not even sure they'll believe us until it starts happening to them."

"I'm not sure it'll matter in the end, either way it's going to be a big shock. At least to Jim it will be. I almost think Sherry will welcome it..." I say, remembering how interested Sherry had been in my changes.

"I think you might be right, Jim will probably have a much harder time with it than Sherry will. At least we all have each other, and we're together. Imagine what it would have been like if we were all apart," she replies.

I shudder at the thought of being all alone for this. It would have driven me insane to face these changes alone, I think.

"Yeah, I'm glad we're together in this," I finally say.

Chapter 10

We pull into the driveway as the sky is starting to lighten. Dawn is still a little ways away, but the night is definitely coming to an end. I hit the button to open the garage door, pulling the car in and shutting it down.

I open my door and slump over, falling out of the car, suddenly too weak to get myself up.

"Irony! Are you okay?" Moon Shadow asks, leaning over to look at me through my door.

"Are you-- Oh my GOD! Irony, you're bleeding! All that blood! JIM, SHERRY!!" she screams for help.

Sherry comes flying out the door into the garage at Moon Shadow's cry, "Kate, what is it?"

Then she comes close enough to see and covers her mouth at the sight of all the blood. The door panel and floor mat are soaked in my blood. I must have bled all the way home... wonder why I never felt it? I wonder, my mind fuzzy from the loss.

"Oh shit!" Jim states as he sees me lying there. He reaches down and gets an arm under me and starts lifting me. "Let's get her inside, to the bathroom!"

"Jim, my car's a mess," I say blearily as Sherry and Shadow help him get me into the house and down the hall, leaving blood drops and smears as we go.

"I know Irony, I know. We'll clean it up later, I promise," he says to comfort me.

They finally manage to wrestle my limp body into the bathroom and into the tub. Jim yells for a pair of scissors, which Shadow retrieves from my dresser, and then starts cutting my clothes off.

"No, no... you'll see me naked," I say, halfheartedly trying to push him away.

"It doesn't matter! I have to see where you're hurt!" he tells me, blocking my hands and continuing to cut. Soon he has my pants off and he can see the wound.

"Shit, you're still bleeding!" he says, inspecting the hole in my left thigh. He turns my thigh and says, "No exit wound, the slug must still be in there."

He calls for towels and bandages, putting pressure on my thigh while he waits for them to arrive.

I scream from the sensation, and my mind flees into the void.

***

I float in the dark for an unknowable amount of time. No visions or dreams come for a long time, much to my surprise. My consciousness simply floats, like a jellyfish in the current. Formless as the void itself.

After a wait so long I start thinking that I have died, I feel an ephemeral tug on my mind, and I'm slowly drawn to my bedroom.

I look down on my room, seeing myself lying in bed, covered with a sheet and blanket. Well this is weird, I think, look at me, I've gone full pony. And I can see myself. Is this what they call an out-of-body experience?

I see Moon Shadow enter my room quietly and sit down on the bed next to my body. She takes one of my hooves into her hand and begins to stroke it gently.

"Come back to me, my love," she whispers to me, and I can see the tears flow unchecked down her face as she gazes upon me. "Come back to me, I have news to share with you." I see her hand furtively move to rub her hip as a small smile breaks over her face.

The door opens and Sherry enters the room, followed by Jim and a man I don't know.

"Is she awake?" Sherry asks, to which Shadow shakes her head.

"She may sleep for a while yet," the man says. "She lost a lot of blood and will be weak even when she does wake. She needs rest for now."

Shortly after that they all file out of the room, Moon Shadow last to leave my side.

I return to the void, darkness surrounding me like a blanket once more. But I am not alone for long. A pony saunters up and sits next to me. I realize that it's my pony self. I look down and realize I am now in my human body.

Irony nuzzles her head under my arm and rests against my side. Neither of us speaks. It is odd to me how comfortable it is sitting here next to my pony self.

"We've been through a lot," she finally breaks the silence. I simply nod, somewhat at a loss for how to respond.

"It's hard to think about it all. We've had our lives turned completely upside down too many times. It's amazing we're still sane," she says, smirking at me.

I laugh, "Are we still sane? I'm sitting here, talking to a pony version of me, in my head, and I'm acting like it's no big deal at all. How sane am I really?"

"We learned how to compartmentalize our mind a long time ago, it was the only way to keep from going insane from the torture we endured so long ago. It's also the explanation for why you can accept this all. Our mind has been protected, and is now piecing itself back together. There is still much of us that is separate, but in time we will truly be one again. I look forward to that time," she looks at me a little wistfully, then her body turns to mist and merges with mine, and I am back in my pony body.

With our merging comes a misty memory of our mother singing us a lullaby in the flickering candlelight as we drifted off to sleep.

As the memory ends, I feel my mind falling back into my body.

***

I awaken to my quiet bedroom. I can see light shining in through a gap in the curtains. I figure it must be about mid-day. I am alone at the moment.

Sitting up I feel a little bit dizzy, but it soon passes. I open my mouth to call out and let everyone know I'm awake, but my throat is so dry, all that comes out is a light rasp. I decide to get out of bed and get a drink of water to help.

I slowly slide out of bed, mindful of my new body, and manage to stand there without falling down. Unfortunately, as soon as I try to take a step I faceplant directly into the carpet, my body crashing down with a thud that rumbles through the house.

As I am regaining my hooves my bedroom door opens and in comes Moon Shadow followed closely by Jim, Sherry, and the stranger I saw before.

Shadow throws her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly to her. It feels really strange to now be no taller than she is while on all fours.

"You're finally awake! We've been so worried about you!" she says, her voice muffled as her face is buried in my mane.

"Water," I finally manage to rasp out. Sherry runs back to the kitchen and shortly returns with a cup with a straw. I reach my neck out and take the straw in my lips as she holds the cup for me and drink greedily.

"More, please," I ask after I finish the cup.

"What happened?" I finally ask after the third cup of water.

"Evidently, you got shot," explains Jim, not really shedding any light on the subject.

"And what else?" I ask, arching an eyebrow at him.

"Maybe I can help with that," the stranger says.

"Who are you?" I ask, "And why are you taking a talking pony in stride?"

"To answer your first question, I'm Dr. Ray Stevens. I'm a veterinarian. As to your second question, I'm not. I tried to run screaming from the house the first time you spoke in your delirium while I was trying to remove the bullet from your thigh. Your, um, brother? Yes, your brother stopped me, with the help of your other friends. Frankly I have no idea what's going on, and am really hoping these last couple of days will turn out to be a really big dream!" says Dr. Ray.

"Okay, doc, what happened?" I ask him.

"When your brother realized you had a bullet trapped in your leg, he decided to call on me to come remove it. Which I did rather well, even with no prior experience, I might add. You lost a lot of blood, enough that I was almost certain you wouldn't make it, though I didn't want to tell them that," he says, looking specifically at Jim as he finishes.

"So...I managed to survive, at least it seems so," I say. "How long was I unconscious for?"

"Three days," Jim answers for the doc. "It's the 1st of May today."

"Well damn. Umm, happy birthday Jim and Moon Shadow, I guess?" I say, shocked at how long I was asleep.

"Don't you ever scare me like that again!" Shadow says into my mane, giving me a shake in emphasis.

"I'll try not to," I say quietly, wrapping a foreleg around her and holding her close.

"I have something to show you when everyone is gone," she whispers into my ear, and I can see a smile light up her face, easing the worry that has so recently taken up residence there.

I kiss her gently and whisper back, "I can't wait to see it."

"I hate to break up the moment, but I think someone should address one of the elephants in the room," Sherry says, stepping forward.

"What's that?" I ask, looking up into her eyes.

"What are we going to do with the good doctor now?" she asks.

It dawns on me then that the doctor now knows my secret. Damn, what are we going to do with him? All it would take is for him to tell one person and then who knows what would happen.

"What do you mean, what are you going to do with me now?" Ray asks, looking decidedly unhappy.

Jim slashes the air with his hand and firmly states, "Nothing. I gave you my word when you came with me that you would get home safely. We will take you home when Irony is better. As long as you keep your word to say nothing of what you see here to anyone, that won't change. You hold our lives in your hands. Do you understand?"

Dr. Ray nods and says, "I do. I swear I will take this to my grave.

"Now, if we're done with threats and fear, I'd like to examine my patient," says the doc.

"Please do and I'm sorry for all that," I say to him. He waves off my concern, moving up next to me and removing the bandage. Twisting my neck around, I can see several stitches just beneath my cutie mark on my left rear leg.

"This looks better than I would have expected for a three day old gunshot wound. I think you will heal up nicely. Obviously you can stand on the leg, so I think as long as the pain is tolerable, you can walk on it. Just don't overdo it for the next couple weeks," he says, surprisingly talking directly to me.

"I'm a veterinarian, but I don't have any experience with creatures that change their shape like you did. Having said that, I think your transformation helped to heal this wound. You should count yourself very lucky. That much blood loss would have killed almost anything else," Dr. Ray states, looking into my eyes carefully as he redresses the wound.

"Thank you for all that you have done, doctor," I say earnestly.

"And that ever so helpfully brings me to the other elephant in the room, if you'll excuse us for a bit, doc," says Jim, motioning for the doc to leave the room. Dr. Ray eagerly complies, probably afraid to hear some secret that we'd actually kill him for.

"And what elephant is that?" I ask Jim after the doc exits and the door is closed once more.

"You'd better get comfortable again, this might take a little bit for us to talk about," he suggests. I carefully climb back up onto the bed, with a little help from Jim and Shadow.

Once I am comfortably ensconced in the bed again, Jim begins, "Irony, when we got to the warehouse, you could barely move. Your body was in between a two-legged form and a four-legged one. I didn't count on any help from you at the warehouse, as I was sure you wouldn't be able to come if I needed you.

"So imagine my surprise when I see you rampage down the hallway and beat a guy almost to death with your bare hands. And I do mean hands," he says, looking pointedly at my hooves.

"I didn't have time to think about it in the moment, but I've had plenty of time since. Also, seeing you change to a four-legged pony got me wondering even more. You stayed bipedal until after the vet was able to remove the bullet. After that, you gave a great sigh and your whole body relaxed. Then you changed, your body flowing like water into its new quadrupedal shape. Do you have any idea how you did any of that?" Jim finally winds down, asking me the 64-thousand dollar question.

"I have no clue. I didn't even know I was doing it at the time. Though thinking back on it I can feel that there was a difference," I say, caught completely off-guard by this news.

"I was afraid you'd say that. Ever since I realized what'd happened I've wanted to know how you did it. It sucks that we don't have a clue about what all is happening to you," Jim says in frustration.

I shrug at him, knowing that worrying about something I can't change won't do any good.

Leaning in and whispering in my ear, Moon Shadow says, "You sure had one hell of a pair of tits when you were on two legs. It was enough to make me jealous!"

I laugh, which causes Jim to glare at me, "Oh come on Jim, lighten up. I have no idea what happened, or how it happened. Worrying about something we don't understand at all will drive you mad if you let it."

"How can you act like this is nothing? You've turned into a fucking pony! But not just a pony! You seem to have random transformations! Doesn't that bother you?!" he's yelling at me now. I can see fear and anger warring on his face.

"Jim, I have to accept this because there isn't a damn thing I can do about it. What good would it do me to freak out? I wouldn't feel better; I'd feel a lot worse! Letting my emotions control my actions would make this infinitely harder on me. Since I can't do anything about it, I have chosen to make the best of it. It helps to have someone who loves me here for support," at the last I look into Shadow's eyes and smile.

"Well I'm glad you and Kate can accept this so readily. I thought I was doing okay, but this is all too much for me," he says, shaking his head vehemently.

"Jim, please call me Moon Shadow, or just Shadow if you want," she said, looking at him pointedly.

"What-- why?" he asks her, confused.

"Well..." she stands up and rolls down her pants enough to show him her hip, which now has a beautiful cutie mark on it. It is a crescent moon, partially obscured by a night cloud, with a small six-pointed purple star just off the upper tip of the moon.

"Shadow, you got your cutie mark!" I say excitedly, wrapping my front legs around her in a hug.

Sherry squeals in delight and throws her arms around both of us. Jim just stands there, his mouth opening and closing like a fish. I look at him and can see his mind trying to process this new information. For a few moments I think it's not going to process and he's going to pass out, but he finally comes back to his senses and clamps his mouth shut.

Celestia, he looks unhappy! What's his problem, anyway? I think to myself as I look at him.

"Why the hell are you all so fucking happy about this?!" Jim roars unexpectedly.

"Jim, calm down!" Sherry yells at him, giving him a hard stare.

"I will not calm down! Evidently Kate is going to turn into a pony too, and you guys are happy about it! What the fuck? I thought we were going to look for a way to cure Henry!" Jim shouts. I can see he is at serious risk of coming unglued now.

"I imagine that I am happy for her for the same reason Irony is," Sherry starts, "it will be much easier for them to be together if they are the same species! What is your problem?"

"What is my problem? What is my problem?! My problem is everything is going bat-shit crazy here, and you all seem to be happy about it! What if you're trapped like this forever? What if it spreads to the rest of us? I don't want to be a pony!" Jim rants at us, his fists clenched at his side, his face a rictus of anger.

Ah, so that's why he's being so acting so damn weird. He's afraid of it happening to him too! I realize sadly. I guess he's in for a world of hurt soon.

I sigh sadly, "Jim--"

Shadow puts her hand on my chest and interrupts me, "Shut up Flash! This isn't some disease Irony gave me! We're all ponies that were banished to this world. I saw it for myself when my cutie mark appeared!"

"What did you just call me?" he asks, his eyes opening wide.

"Flash, that's your name! Yeah, you too, asshole!" Shadow yells at him, obviously angry at Jim for being such a dick.

All the color drains from Jim's face and I hear him whisper, "No... it can't be." Tears stream down his face as he storms from the room. I hear the front door slam and his truck start, and then peel out of the drive, roaring down the street.

I turn to Shadow and say, "That was pretty harsh."

She flushes and says, "I know, and I'm sorry, but he was such an ass. You're not diseased!"

"I know that, and really so does he. He's just worried about having to go through this himself. And you just told him in the most indelicate way that it will be happening to him, confirming his worst fear! Don't you remember how you responded?" I admonish her.

"I-- I owe Jim a really big apology," she hangs her head in shame.

Sherry, who tried to follow Jim down the hall, re-enters the room and says sadly, "Well he's gone. I hope he comes back okay."

Moon Shadow walks over to her and, putting her arms around her, says, "I'm so sorry Trixie. I didn't mean to drive him off. I was just so angry at him for saying those hurtful things to Irony. Please forgive me."

"It's not really your fault. I think he's been having nightmares about turning into a pony. He cries out in his sleep sometimes. He won't tell me about the dreams, though. The last couple of days he's been getting worse. His worry about Irony hasn't been helping," Sherry says.

"I'm still really sorry. I didn't know he was having such a hard time, but I still shouldn't have told him like that," Shadow apologizes again.

"Speaking of that, how do you know he's a pony too?" Sherry asks.

Shadow looks at me and I shrug, so she says, "Irony and I figured it out when we went looking through papers at the storage unit. Well, I should say we found evidence that suggested it, but now that I have my cutie mark again when I look at him I sometimes think 'Flash' instead of Jim. Kind of like I'm recognizing him. It's like when I look at you, I think 'Trixie' sometimes. It's been happening to Irony too."

Sherry looks at me and I nod, then I see the last part of what Moon Shadow said hit her. Her eyes get huge as she quickly looks back and forth from Shadow to me.

"I...I...I'm a pony too?" she stammers out quietly.

Shadow and I nod at her, then I say, "Not only are you a pony too, but you are the 'Great and Powerful Trixie'."

She squees in excitement, "Really? Really!?" I can't help but laugh at her exuberance.

"Wait," she stops for a second, "is it wrong that my favorite pony is... myself?"

I laugh again and say, "No, but it might be very Trixie of you... Muwahaha!"

Then Sherry gets a sad look on her face, "I wish Jim were here sharing this with me, and that he wanted to. I hope he'll be okay, he was so upset."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. This isn't the first time he's had a bad reaction to something life changing. He just needs some time to get things straight in his own head," I say.

"I remember how badly he freaked out when your parents died," Moon Shadow says, shaking her head.

"Yeah..." I say, drawing the word out long as I think back to then.

"What happened?" Sherry asks me.

"Well... he kind of disappeared, like he's done today," I say, not really wanting to elaborate.

"How long was he gone for?" she asks.

"A week," I say quietly.

"A week?! Holy crap!" Sherry almost shouts.

I nod at her, "Yeah, a week. And he wasn't really in good shape when he got back. It took him a long time to come to terms with their deaths. In the end he joined the Marines with me rather than really deal with it, I think."

"How long do you think he'll be gone this time?" Sherry asks, almost in a whisper.

"I wish I knew. I'm hoping not more than a few hours, but I won't be surprised if he's still not back tomorrow. I just hope he comes back before the changes get too far along," I answer.

Sherry pulls out her phone and dials, calling Jim I assume. Evidently he doesn't answer, because she leaves a message for him, "Jim, it's Sherry. I love you, please come back to me. It's okay, we'll get through this together."

I lean against Shadow and say, "This is not good, not good at all. We need to stick together. We need to think and work together, especially now that we have confirmation that there are more ponies in the world than just me. I'm still worried about how the humans are going to take this."

"I bet the bronies will be ecstatic," she replies.

"Probably so. Though just because they're bronies doesn't make them necessarily any safer than anyone else. They're still people, and not all of them are wholesome, if you know what I mean?" I say.

"Yeah, it'd be our luck to find some really bad ones and end up R34'd to death," Trixie chimes in as she walks up to us. I hold out a hoof and she leans in, so I can wrap my leg around her in a hug. Shadow folds her into a hug from the other side.

"It's going to be okay," I say to her.

"I sure hope so," is her only reply.

After several minutes of us sitting there holding each other, I finally break the embrace, inching toward the edge of the bed.

"What do you think you're doing?" Moon Shadow asks me.

"I'm going to relearn how to walk and then I'm going to eat something. I'm famished!" I reply.

"The doctor told you to take it easy," she reminds me.

"Take it easy is not the same as being stuck in bed," I remind her.

"You almost died!" she says, trying to keep me from getting off the bed.

"True, but I didn't. And now I need to rebuild my strength, which I won't be able to do from my bed," I tell her as I slip past her and slide off the bed, landing on my hooves.

"You'd better not get yourself hurt any more than you already are, or so help me!" she raises her voice at me.

After a couple of minutes learning to walk I am able to reach the bedroom door. I lift a hoof to open the door and quickly come to a realization. All the doors in my house have knobs, which I can no longer turn with my hooves.

I clear my throat and say, "Would one of you be so kind as to open the door for me?"

Shadow grins in triumph and says, "Now you have to get the rest you need!"

I turn around in preparation to buck the door. What the hell, it's my house. I'll fix it later. I think as I wind up my hoof.

"Irony! Don't you dare buck down that door!" she yells at me.

"If somepony would open it for me, I wouldn't have to," I reply with a grin.

"Alright, alright. You win," Shadow gets off the bed and opens the door. "Would have really done it?"

"Eeyup, I shore 'nuff would have," I say, mimicking Big Macintosh from the show. "Thank you, little lady." I giggle at the stern look on her face. I look over and see Trixie is trying to stifle a giggle herself. I wink at her.

Moon Shadow throws her hands up in the air with a growl, "You two are incorrigible!"

I trot down the hall with a grin on my face, until I reach the kitchen and see Dr. Ray sitting at the table nursing a beer. There are two more "fallen soldiers" next to him, but he doesn't appear to be intoxicated.

I wave a hoof at him and say, "What's up doc?"

He gives me a pity chuckle and says, "Yeah, because I've never heard that one before."

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. Besides, I'm sure you'll have to admit, it's the first time one of your patients said it to you," I say.

"Very true. My patients usually don't say much to me," he replies.

I walk up to the fridge and, opening it with my mouth, peruse the interior. I see there is a large bowl of salad that someone made and decide it looks rather tasty. I very carefully grip the lip of the bowl in my teeth and pull it from the fridge, shutting the door with my flank as I turn toward the kitchen table.

I set the bowl on the table and look at it for a moment. Then, deciding not to stand on ceremony, I climb up into a chair and bury my face in the bowl. Oh wow, salad has never tasted so good!

The doc finishes his beer and, setting the bottle with the others, goes to the fridge and pulls out two more. He sits down at the table across from me, pops the cap off one and offers it to me. I nod, so he sets it next to me. I pause in my eating and see that I have inhaled over half the huge bowl of salad. Note to self: going three days without eating, even if you're unconscious, leaves you REALLY hungry!

I reach for the bottle of beer, only just barely stopping myself from knocking it over with my hoof. Oh yeah...that is going to take some getting used to, I think. I shrug and lean my head over and, wrapping my lips around the neck of the bottle, lift it up and tilt my head back. I let the sudsy liquid slide down my throat until the bottle is empty.

"Not bad," I say after I drop the bottle back onto the table and letting forth a little belch, "but not nearly as good as the Apple family's hard apple cider."

"Never heard of that one," Dr. Ray says.

"Erm, it's a brand from back home," I reply, realizing I actually remembered the taste of the cider from back in Equestria.

"Home, you mean as in Equestria?" Trixie asks me. I look around and see Shadow next to her.

"Hi, sorry, I didn't hear you two come in," I say, "and yeah, from Equestria."

"Do you actually remember, or are you just quoting from the show?" she asks.

"I remember it. Funny how I remember something like that, but can't remember much else," I answer.

"I wish you could remember more. I want to know what it's really like," Trixie says wistfully.

"Maybe you'll remember more about home than I do," I say.

"Why would she remember more about your home than you do?" asks Dr. Ray.

"You don't want to know, doc," I say, looking intently at him.

"No prob. I asked out of habit, I'm naturally curious. I don't really want to know any more than I already do. I'm trying not to freak out here as it is," he responds.

"Well, you're damn good at keeping it hidden," I say.

"Yeah, well, I was in the army for a lot of years before I decided to become a vet. You get good at not freaking out, you know?" he says, I nod in response.

"I want to thank you again for patching me up. I probably would have died without your help," I say in appreciation.

"Maybe, maybe not. You seem to be a pretty hardy creature. Truth be told it's been interesting. Of course, that could be the beer talking," he replies, waving around the almost empty bottle in his hand.

"Now that I'm on the mend, you are welcome to go home," I say.

"Nope. Even if I wasn't well on my way to being three sheets to the wind, you may not be completely out of the woods yet. I'll stay a couple more days to keep an eye on you," he says, smiling at me.

"Okay, you're welcome to stay. Just don't try to make me stay in bed. I don't handle being cooped up well," I say.

"No problem, really I think you'll be fine. I just don't like taking chances with my patients," he responds.

"Well, this has been an interesting day," I say after a few minutes of silence.

"That is has," Moon Shadow agrees with me. She starts rummaging around in my cupboards. Soon she returns with four glasses and a bottle of Bushmills Irish Whiskey.

"I think we should raise our glasses, to old friends and new," she says as she pours.

"To friends, and to birthdays!" Trixie says, and clinks her glass with all of ours. We all drink, me with only a little difficulty.

We drink to our friends many times that afternoon, and into the evening.

Chapter 11.

*Jim/Flash*

Jim tore down Interstate 90 as if that was the speed limit rather than the highway number, trying to outrun himself. He'd left his town of Medical Lake behind only minutes ago.

It can't be true. No! I'm not going to turn into a pony. No way! Henry and Kate are crazy. They must be losing their minds from their changes, he kept trying to reassure himself, checking his hips for telltale signs of ink nonetheless.

‘See, no cutie marks on me. I'm no pony. I won't change,’ he continued to reassure himself as he sped along through Spokane, Washington.

Jim had no idea where he was heading, just away. North sounded good at first, so he continued onto Highway 395 towards Chewelah, Colville and points north. He kept driving, just trying to keep his mind clear. Every once in a while he was checking his hips for any sign of color.

When he reached the Canadian border and realized he didn't have his passport, thus no way to cross, he turned around and started back. Not really thinking straight, he almost ran out of gas, coasting in on fumes to a gas station in Colville.

Jim jumped out of his truck and began fueling. He looked at his phone for the first time since he left the house. He saw he had a missed call and voicemail from Sherry. He was too afraid to listen to the message. Afraid of how hurt and angry she might be.

‘She's going to hate me, I just know it,’ he thought to himself as he put his phone away.

As he was putting the hose back and collecting his receipt, he heard from behind him, "Just look at that pony, ain't it nice?"

Jim spun around and nearly screamed, "I'm no fucking pony! Leave me alone!" Then he jumped into his truck and laid down a 20-foot strip of rubber out of the parking lot in his hurry to get out of there.

Two locals looked at each other and shrugged, then continued their conversation about the Shetland pony one wanted to sell the other.

“How can they know? How does everyone know? No! I'm not going to turn into a pony! I just can't,” he told himself as he flew down the highway. Later, when he thought about it, he would wonder how he never got pulled over in his mad dash to get away.

Jim drove, making direction choices at random. Come dark he found himself in northern Idaho, deep in the forest, near Priest Lake. After he got his bearings, he remembered an old campground that he and Henry used to camp at. By the time he got there it was full dark and he realized it would be too chilly to sleep under the stars, considering it was only the First of May. So, he grabbed the sleeping bag he kept in the back seat of his truck and tried to get comfortable in the cab. It wasn't really very comfortable, but his panic driven flight had left him exhausted, so he fell asleep quickly.

***

Jim found himself flying through the air when he heard a feminine voice scream, "Flash, look out!"

He twisted suddenly in the air and a blinding white bolt of power barely missed him. He looked down and saw Trixie flinging spells from her horn at Discord.

With Discord's attention focused on Trixie for a moment, he flew in close and lashed out with his hind legs, kicking Discord in the back. Discord turned and lashed out with his claws, only barely missing his flank as he swirled away from the Draconequus.

As Discord chased him, he saw a boulder the size of a pony fly through the air and slam into Discord's side, knocking him from the air. Discord screamed in rage, flying down toward Trixie as she yelled to distract him, "I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, will banish thee Discord!"

While Discord was distracted, Jim gathered a cloud and bucked it as hard as he could, causing a massive bolt to discharge into his hooves. Flying toward Discord, he smashed his front hooves together, causing the bolt to arc from his hooves to Discord's head, exploding the head in a smattering of gore. Unfortunately, Discord's head regrew in a matter of moments, and now he was angry!

As Discord charged down upon Jim, Trixie gripped him in her power, squeezing him down into a sphere the size of a hoofball. Discord vanished from the magic and turned once more toward Trixie, chanting as he did so. Jim saw what was going to happen and flew faster than he ever had before, coming between Trixie and the bolt of power Discord flung at her.

As he felt his body scream in pain, Jim heard Discord's chant:

For Five Score! Divided by Four!

Your Memories Removed! Your Body Confused!

For your insolence you must pay,

Cast off to a land far far away!

Pony Destruction, Pony Abduction!

Your mind shall be weak, your outlooks bleak!

Forgetting everything and living like a fool,

You have all lost, now no one can stop my rule!

Jim screamed as he felt his body dissolve. There was a blinding flash, then nothing.

***

Jim woke with a lurch, smacking his head into the steering wheel of his pickup. He rubbed the sore spot on his head, cursing loudly. After a moment he sat up, scratching his hip as he looked outside into the darkness. Glancing at his watch, he found that it was just after midnight.

God, that was the worst one yet, he thought. He'd been having bad dreams for several days, but none had been so vivid or stayed in his memory so well. His worry for Henry and his personal fear of the transformation happening to him had plagued his dreams severely.

Damn, I think something must've bit me, he scratched his hip again. Better see how bad it is.

Jim slid out of the sleeping bag and pulled his pants down on the side so he could look at the bite. Only instead of seeing a raised red spot, he saw two clouds connected by a lightning bolt, with an explosion in the center of it.

Oh God, no! No, no, no, nonono!! This can't be happening! I know, I'm still dreaming! Yeah, that's it! Jim reached over and pinched his leg as hard as he could to wake himself up.

"OUCH!" he yelled in pain. No... I'm not asleep?! Shitshitshit!

Jim scrambled the rest of the way out of the sleeping bag, fell out the door of the truck as he opened it, and was almost running before he managed to regain his feet.

Gotta get away! he thought over and over as he ran. He ran until he fell headlong down a short cliff and landed face first on the beach, his outstretched hands only inches from the water.

Holy hell! Come on Jim, get a grip on yourself! You could have died if that cliff had been any higher. I know you're scared of this, but why are you freaking out so badly about it? We can do this, okay? You just have to calm down, he told himself.

Jim slowly rose to his knees in the sand, his chest heaving as he tried to calm down. He knelt there, breathing heavily, until he started shivering, before he managed to calm down enough to make his way back to the truck. He climbed into his sleeping bag and tried to go to sleep again, but he lay awake for a long time, trying not to think.

I...I'm really going to be a pony? What the hell am I going to do? he asked himself more than once. He finally fell asleep still trying to answer those questions satisfactorily.

As the sun broke the horizon, Jim woke from yet another nightmare where he turned into a monster from hell, instead of a pony. The dream quickly faded from his memory, though he could remember the one that woke him in the middle of the night clearly.

Once he got his bearings, Jim started his pickup and got back on the road. He still wasn't ready to go home, and had no destination in mind, so he continued to drive.

He decided South seemed like a good direction, so he started that way, not pushing his speed like he had the day before.

Jim still was trying not to think too much, afraid for where his thoughts might lead. Several times that day his thoughts turned toward home, but he was quick to clear his mind whenever they did.

After driving all day, he finally listened to his growling stomach and stopped to eat at a little roadside diner. When he stopped, he realized he hadn't eaten anything since before leaving the house the day before.

The bell over the door tinkled as he walked through and he heard a voice from the kitchen yell, "Take a seat anywhere you like, tonight's special is an 18 ounce Rib-eye steak with a massive baked potato and green salad, twenty-five ninety-nine."

"Sounds good, I'll take that," he hollered back. He takes a seat at a table in the corner, noting that the diner is empty except for an old derelict sitting at the counter drinking coffee. The coffee-drinker gives Jim an odd look as he sits down, then turns back to his coffee and minds his own business.

An older lady comes out from the kitchen, tying an apron around her waist, and brings over the coffeepot and a cup, "Would you like some coffee?"

Jim nods appreciatively, so she sets the cup out and fills it up. Then she looks him up and down, and seems to finally come to a decision about something.

"I usually wouldn't ask, but you look like you've been on the road a while. Can you actually pay for your meal? If not, speak up now and we'll arrange something. There's always dishes to wash and such," she stated without acrimony.

In response, Jim pulled out his wallet and dropped a couple of 20s on the table. Then he said, "I don't take any offense, ma'am. Truth is I slept in my truck last night and have been on the road all day, so I imagine I look like hell."

"You don't talk like no hippie I've ever met before," she said with a small smile.

"Hippie? Whatever would give you that idea?" he asked her.

"Really just your long hair, I don't know why you young people seem to think long hair on men is good looking. Though I have to admit it goes well with your face," she answered, winking as she left to refill the derelict's coffee.

What did she mean long hair? My hair isn't long. Heck, any shorter and I wouldn't have any at all, Jim thought to himself, running his fingers through his hair.

Wait a minute... how am I running my fingers through my hair? he stopped, pulling a long, pure-white lock of hair in front of his eyes. Oh shit! My hair! It's white! And REALLY long!

Okay Jim, don't freak out, he told himself, carefully standing up and walking quickly to the bathroom. Once there he took a long look in the mirror. He realized his hair wasn't just long; it was growing out of his neck and upper back, just like Irony's. The mane, for lack of a better word, was white instead of his usual dark brown, almost black. And his eyes! They used to be brown, now they were a very bright blue. He heard a low mewling sound, and soon realized it was coming from himself. Oh holy hell. I'm going to turn into a pony. I really am! Okay Jim, just like we talked about, don't freak out. We're going to be fine. You still need to eat, so go back and sit down. Remain calm. At least you don't have the ears or tail yet. Jim shudders at that thought.

After a couple more minutes, Jim left the restroom and sat back down at his table, shortly after that his steak arrived. Jim cut into it and started eating it like a starving wolf, which in a way he was. He polished off the steak in record time and went to work on the potato. After he wolfed that down he began on the salad.

Oh wow, this is good salad, he thought to himself as he ate. Better than the steak even!

Without Jim noticing, the diner had become rather busy, evidently hitting the dinner rush. When the waitress finally came over to refill his coffee and leave his bill, it was full dark. She set the bill on the table and went to top off his mug and dropped the coffeepot when she got a good look at him. The glass pot shattered like a bomb on the table, spraying everywhere, but she took no notice of it. She backed away from Jim with fear in her eyes. He looked up at her.

"What is it?" he asked her.

She lifted her hand and pointed at Jim's head and barely managed to whisper, "Your ears!"

Unfortunately, the diner had become quiet enough to hear a pin drop after she dropped the coffeepot, so everyone in the room heard her. Their gazes swung to Jim's head, and the room exploded in a collective gasp. Jim reached his hands up to his ears, only to find them not there. His hands searched up his head until he found them on top of his head, covered in fur.

"Oh fuck!" he moaned, jumping up. Everyone in the room shrank away from him as he ran from the room. He leapt into his truck, turning over the engine even before his ass hit the seat. People poured from the diner to stare after him as he fled the scene.

Once again Jim was tearing down the road, it was pitch black outside as the moon was hidden behind thick cloud cover. After a few minutes of driving, Jim felt an odd sensation at the base of his spine, so he reached a hand back to feel his lower back.

What is that? he thought, reaching further down the new appendage that had grown from his spine, feeling hair on it. He pulled it around and looked at his new tail, covered in pure, snow white hair just like his mane.

Jim wrenched on the wheel of the truck, careering off the road through a ditch, through a barb-wire fence, and into an empty field. It was an amazing amount of luck that he didn't flip the truck or crash into a fence post.

Once the truck rolled to a stop, so did Jim's mind. He blanked out, staring out the windshield blindly, while his brain tried desperately to reboot. It took nearly half an hour for him to come back to himself.

Dammit Jim! Don't do that! You could have gotten us killed! his brain screamed at him.

"Yeah, well I'm turning into a fucking pony, now I even have a tail!" he screamed right back, his voice breaking at the end.

What am I going to do? he asked himself, holding the offending appendage, unknowingly stroking it as tears began to flow.

You're going to calm yourself down and ask for help, his mind responded a few minutes later.

But I can't call Irony, not after all that I said to her. I was horrible! he argued with himself.

Isn't there anyone else who can help you? he tried to think.

Maybe Maddie? he thought, remembering his friend from college finally.

You know that's not who-- Jim squelched his mind as he fixated on Maddie, not even wanting to consider dealing with those who he had hurt back home.

He looked at his phone for a few minutes, then finally decided to make the call. The phone rang three times before it was picked up and a male voice said, "Yeah?"

Jim could hear loud music and shouting in the background. "Can I talk to Maddie?" he asked.

"She's long gone dude, and good riddance," came the reply.

"Where'd she go?" Jim asked, a trickle of fear in his voice.

"Don't know, don't care," the guy responded.

"It's really important that I get ahold of her," Jim said.

"Shit dude, I'm busy. She probably went back to Montana, or wherever she's from. Look, I've got guests, so bugger off," he replied.

"Wait! Do you have any way I can reach her?" Jim begged.

"Fine, I think she gave me her new number in case of friends trying to reach her.” Jim can hear him rooting around, “I didn’t really think I’d need it, but here's her new number, now get lost," the guy replied, providing the number and hanging up.

Jim punched the new number into his phone, but hesitated before actually calling. If she's having problems of her own, I really shouldn't bother her right now, he told himself.

She always said her brother lived in eastern Montana, Miles City I think? Maybe... he trailed off.

Putting his mind into neutral again, he got the pickup back on the road, pointed toward Montana. He drove until he almost drove off the road in exhaustion. Then he pulled off into a deserted rest stop, parked as far away from the buildings as possible, and rolled up into his sleeping bag.

***

Once again Jim was flying through the clouds at night. He looked around and saw Discord attacking the Wonderbolts. He saw Lightning Dust, Soarin, and Spitfire harrying the Draconequus, each of them trying to get a good hit in. Discord shrugs off their blows like they are gnats. Then he saw Lightning Dust charge up her wings and throw a bolt of blue-green lightning that connects with Discord's lion's paw. The paw phases out of existence for a moment, causing him to hiss in pain, but it reappears quickly enough.

"You are going to be trouble," he growled at Dust.

"That's my specialty, Discord," she replied, throwing another bolt, which he deflected without any harm.

Soarin flew in, kicking Discord in the jaw, obviously dislocating it. Discord grabbed his jaw, like the blow was nothing, and put it back in place, then sends a bolt of power at Soarin that he only barely dodges.

Jim lost sight of the battle as he helped the other Wonderbolt reservists gather a huge pile of clouds together. Then he saw Dust and Soarin peel off and land on a ledge a ways away to rest. He and the other reservists began bucking the cloud with all their might, sending dozens and dozens of lightning bolts at Discord, hitting him several times.

As Discord howls from the strikes, Jim turns around and slams his front hooves into the cloudbank, gathering a powerful bolt into his hooves. He turns towards Discord and slams his hooves together with all his force, causing the bolt to explode at Discord. Discord waves his eagle talon and the bolt dissipates before it can hit its mark.

"Flash, catch!" Jim heard Dust yell. He turned just in time to catch a bolt shimmering with her power in his hooves, which he then directed at Discord as Dust lashed out with her power at him directly. One of the bolts is batted away with no effect, but the other strikes the eagle talon, causing it to phase out of existence for a moment, causing Discord's counter attacks to miss both of them.

Moments later, Jim saw Discord bat Lightning Dust from the sky. He saw her slowly regain her hooves and spread her wings. She is shortly back in the air with the other Wonderbolts. Jim lost sight of her again as he made another run at Discord, narrowly missing being obliterated by a blast of power as he dove by.

When he lined up to make another pass, Jim saw Lightning Dust power up again, seeming to use more energy than before. He saw her unleash a massive bolt at Discord, while at the same time Discord threw a blast of his own back at her. The two magics intertwine, then the bolt reversed course and both magics struck Dust.

"NOOO!" Jim and Soarin echoed each other.

Mere minutes later Jim saw Soarin disappear in a blast of Discord's magic, followed shortly by Spitfire. In their rage, they were easy targets.

The order came down from the reservist leader to disperse, run and hide. Jim did so reluctantly, tears flowing freely at all that had been lost.

He flew for what seemed like hours until he saw a wagon that looked familiar. He flew down closer to get a better view and saw that the pony pulling the wagon was none other than Trixie. He landed near her and called out in greeting.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie welcomes your company, Lightning Flash," she said to him.

Despite recent events, he couldn't help but smile at how she referred to herself in the third person.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie has heard such tidings, and is trying to find somewhere to hide. Would you, Lightning Flash, join Trixie in her quest for somewhere safe?" Trixie invited him to travel with her after he explained what had happened.

"That seems like a good idea to me, too," he replied.

They trotted along together for the rest of the day, Jim staying on the ground to keep pace with Trixie. They camped that evening, sleeping next to a fire near the wagon.

Late in the night they were awoken by an evil laugh, "Ahh, Miss Lulamoon, you will not believe the trouble I went through to track you down," Discord said.

"And you, little Wonderbolt, your team is gone and your precious princesses are done for," he then said, turning toward Jim, smiling an evil smile.

"Fly, Flash, fly away!" Trixie yelled as she started throwing spell after spell at Discord.

Jim flew, trying to get in position for a strike when he heard Trixie scream, "Flash, look out!"

He twisted suddenly in the air and a blinding white bolt of power barely missed him. He looked down and saw Trixie flinging spells from her horn at Discord.

Unfortunately, Discord's head regrew in a matter of moments, and now he was angry!

As he felt his body scream in pain, Jim heard Discord's chant:

For Five Score! Divided by Four!

Your Memories Removed! Your Body Confused!

For your insolence you must pay,

Cast off to a land far far away!

Pony Destruction, Pony Abduction!

Your mind shall be weak, your outlooks bleak!

Forgetting everything and living like a fool,

You have all lost, now no one can stop my rule!

The scene went black, but Jim didn't wake up this time. Instead he heard the clip clop of hooves.

He turned around and saw a golden furred pony, with snow white hair and bright blue eyes. The pony had a cutie mark that consisted of two clouds with a lightning bolt arcing between them, with the bolt exploding in the middle of its arc, commonly known as an arc-flash.

"Wha--, who are you?" Jim asked fearfully.

The pony chuckled, "I'm Lightning Flash, you know me better as you."

"No way. Not me. You can't be serious," Jim replied, shaking his head vigorously.

"Eeyup. I turned into you 25 years ago, now it's your turn to turn into me," Flash said sadly.

"How can this be? What's going on?" Jim asked. He felt himself sink to his knees, his hands going to his head.

"What do you think? You've been having these dreams. Discord is what happened to us. He banished us here 25 years ago," Flash replied.

"So, what you're saying is I'm really a pony who has been living as a human for the last 25 years? Why am I going back to being a pony now?" Jim asked.

"The curse is finally wearing off. Five score divided by four. That's 25."

"I figured that out, "Jim says savagely at the pegasus in front of him.

Flash didn't react to Jim's outburst, instead he continued, "Everypony he banished will be turning back into their pony selves now."

"This is so crazy. It's all too much for me to take in." Jim moaned.

He felt something over his back, he looked over to see Flash sat next to him and folded his wing over the distraught human.

"Tell me about it. Trust me, I didn't sign up for this either," Flash said softly.

"But what do I do?" Jim asked.

"That, unfortunately, is all up to you. I don't have any idea either," was all Flash had to say.

"What do you mean you don't have any idea? You're the pony here, shouldn't you know what to do?" Jim almost yelled in frustration.

"Hey, I don't have any more memories than you do!" Flash yelled back. Both his wings spread in anger as he backed away from Jim, "My memories of my home are erased. I can't remember what I was, I just have glimpses of what was before. I can't do anything with it."

"Well shit! We're kind of fucked then, aren't we?" Jim replied angrily.

"You can say that again. Unless we can find somepony who knows more than us," Flash responded.

"Who knows more than us?"

"Irony."

Jim shook his head angrily, "No, I can't go back to her. I said too much wrong. I can't go back to her."

"You are going to have to figure out what to do. Living on the run won't help us one little bit."

Jim just shook his head in refusal and walked away. Flash didn't follow. Soon the dream ended.

***

Jim woke in his truck, confused at first by his surroundings. He took several moments to get his bearings. Once he remembered where he was, he looked in the rearview mirror and examined his face.

His face looked faintly stretched. His ears were still on top of his head, rather than at the side. His hair was officially a mane now, and still all white. He examined his hands, they felt a little stiff, but seemed otherwise unchanged.

Jim grabbed a hat from behind the seat of his truck and stepped from the cab, intending to relieve himself before continuing on. When his feet hit the pavement, he slipped and fell to his knees.

What the hell? he thought as he tried to regain his feet. Once again his feet slipped out from under him and he ended up on his knees. As he tried to stand again, his foot slipped out of his boot and he saw that his leg no longer ended in a foot. Instead he had a hoof.

Well shit, Jim thought, sitting down on the ground as tears came to his eyes. He sat there and cried for several minutes before he got up the courage to look at his other foot. When he looked, he saw exactly what he was afraid of. Both feet were now hooves. Proof that he'd lost yet another piece of his humanity.

It was then that his bladder reminded him of why he'd gotten out of the truck in the first place, "Yeah, yeah. I know, you need emptied. But I'm in the middle of a crisis right now!"

His bladder was not to be bargained with, and he finally decided he didn't want to piss all over himself. He stood carefully on his new hooves and slowly walked toward the rest area bathroom. He was eternally grateful that they were still abandoned.

Jim's hoofsteps echoed down the hallway as he headed to the restroom. Once he reached it, he stepped up to a urinal and unzipped his pants. He reached in and got a bit of a surprise.

What the-- he looked down, holy shit! What he saw when he looked down amazed him. Okay, so maybe becoming a pony won't be all bad, he thought. What he was looking at was a bona-fide pony cock, mottled and with a flared tip. It was quite a bit larger than it had previously been.

After admiring himself for a few minutes, Jim finally finished his business and clip-clopped back to his pickup. Once back in the cab, he fired it up and got back on the freeway, headed for Montana.

Hours later, Jim's excitement over his new equipment had dimmed, as he'd been watching his facial features change in the rearview mirror. His eyes had gotten noticeably bigger, his face was protruding more in the beginnings of a muzzle, and he'd recently noticed that his teeth had changed too. They were now the teeth of an herbivore, all big and flat for crushing, instead of sharp for shearing meat.

He'd stopped at a fast food restaurant off the freeway to get a salad for lunch. When he pulled up to the pay window, the young teen had screamed her head off at his appearance. The manager had come to the window and freaked as well, pointing and cursing. Jim floored the truck, leaving without getting his food. He hadn't stopped after that, afraid of causing another scene.

Jim drove late into the night, once again only stopping when he couldn't drive any further. This time he pulled off into a copse of trees and parked his truck out of sight. He curled up in his sleeping bag and cried himself to sleep.

***

Jim had the same dream from the night before, showing him once again the fight between Discord and the Wonderbolts, followed by his flight and the confrontation between him, Trixie, and Discord.

Once the sequence came to a close, he was again treated to darkness and the clip-clop of hooves. He turned around to watch Flash arrive.

"What are you doing here again? Why can't you leave me alone?!" Jim shouted at Flash, his fists clenched at his sides.

"It's not like I have a choice. There is nowhere for me to go until you finish transforming back into me," Flash replied, his ears lying flat against his skull, his voice tinged with sadness.

"I'm going to find a way to change back, so don't get too excited about taking over my body!"

"I'm not trying to take over your body! I'm simply trying to get my life back. I don't want to displace you!" Flash cried at Jim, his head hanging as he could tell that Jim didn't believe him.

"Just go away! Leave me alone!" Jim screamed, turning and running into the dark.

***

Jim woke from his nightmares with a start, crying out. The memories of the nightmares that had followed his meeting with Flash faded within moments of his waking.

Jim immediately started the truck and got back on the road, ignoring his growling stomach. He didn't stop, except to get gas at unmanned gas stations. He didn't look at his reflection in the mirror, he couldn't handle seeing himself and the changes happening to him.

Ignoring everything but the road in front of him, Jim drove on. Sometime during the day he felt an extreme itching on his back. He ignored it, too.

Mid-afternoon he finally couldn't ignore his bladder anymore and was forced to stop. He threw on a hoodie to cover his features while he went in to the restroom. He noted that his fingers were trying to fuse together, and that the nail on each of his middle fingers was extra-large, growing out to cover the tips of the fingers to either side.

He managed to hold his screams in until he was back in his truck, then he unleashed all his fear in one long, extremely loud, seemingly unending scream.

Several minutes later he had regained a semblance of control, though it was quite fragile.

Jim realized that he wouldn't be able to continue his trek for much longer, and that it was time to call for help, before he couldn't even do that.

He pulled out his phone and, after some debate with himself, composed a text message.

‘Maddie, this is Jim, I need your help.’ Jim typed into the device and sent it. He stared at the screen for what seemed liked forever, until a response came. ‘Where are you?’

He looks at the message for a long time, finally he blinks a few times before typing, ‘I'm stuck at a rest stop on I-94. I know I’m east of Billings. Please help, I'm afraid’ he texted back.

It wasn't long before he got a reply, ‘We'll be there as soon as we can, sit tight.’

Chapter 12

*Irony*

I wake before anypony else in the house. We were up drinking until late into the night, and I'm pretty sure they will all have hangovers when they finally get up. I've never had much problem in that area, either due to my constitution or the fact that I always make sure to keep hydrated when I drink.

I hear a low groan next to me, and look over at Moon Shadow with a smirk. I remember her leaning on me as we walked from the kitchen to the bedroom. She looks so cute lying there, I think to myself, noticing the changes her body is going through. Her hair is now a sea-blue mane, her ears have relocated and are now covered in dark grey fur. Remembering my own changes, I look under the covers to see that she has indeed grown her tail, and it matches her mane perfectly.

I smile to myself as I quietly cover her back up and slip out of bed. I walk as quietly as I can on four hooves, leaving the room without awakening my partner.

I continue down the hall, trying to walk softly, but my hooves still make some noise on the hardwood floor. I finally reach the kitchen after what seems like an eternity. I look around the room, realizing that it seems bigger. Everything seems different from my new perspective. On all fours I am a great deal shorter than I was as a human, which has put a lot of things out of reach.

Hmm... Might need to ask Shadow and Trixie to rearrange some things before their transformations are complete, I think, realizing that soon none of us would be able to reach the upper cupboards.

Currently though, I can't get to the bowls I need for cereal. Unless I can duplicate my feat from the other night, I think. How did I do it?

I think on it for several minutes, but no answers are forthcoming. I shrug in defeat and try to think of another solution to my current problem.

Aha! I remember there are serving bowls in one of the lower cabinets. I manage to get the door open and grab hold of a bowl with my teeth. Awkwardly, I set it on the table, for the moment ignoring the bowls that fell out of the cupboard while I was retrieving it. I place my front hooves on the counter so that I can reach the boxes of cereal I keep there. I grab the first one I come to in my teeth, cranking my head to the side so I don't dump it all over the floor.

I set the box next to my bowl on the table, noting absentmindedly that it's raisin bran, and then try to open the top. After several frustrating attempts to open the flaps, I finally resort to holding the box steady with my front hooves, while I tear the entire top of the box off with my teeth, revealing the folded bag inside. It takes me several tries to unroll the top of the bag and pour the cereal in the bowl. In the end, I pour the entire contents into the bowl, spilling a fair bit around the tabletop.

Grumbling quietly to myself, I open the refrigerator door with my mouth and grab hold of the milk jug. I carry it to the table, set it down, and then stare at the lid for a moment. It's one of the twist-off kind, which was no problem before, but I worry will defeat me now. I consider just biting it off, but realize I won't be able to store the rest of the milk if I do. After a little more thought, I very carefully twist the lid off, gripping the cap gently between my hooves. It takes an eternity, but finally I have it off.

Next come the logistics of actually pouring milk onto my cereal, without dumping it all over the table and floor. I grip the handle of the jug in my teeth, slowly tilting my head to pour the milk over my flakes. I think I'm doing a good job, until I hear the sound of liquid hitting the floor. I stop pouring and carefully set the bottle down. I look at the mess I've made, my ears flat against my skull.

Well this sucks. I got more milk on the table and floor than on my cereal. I guess it's going to take a lot more practice before I'm used to doing things without hands, I think. After a few minutes of consideration, I decide there is no use crying over spilt milk, quite literally, and start in on the food that made it into the bowl, not bothering with a spoon.

Once I finish the cereal, I put my bowl in the sink, get some towels to mop up the spilled milk, and put the milk back in the fridge, sans cap. This is after trying for several minutes to put the cap back on the milk and almost dumping the whole thing onto the floor more than once. I make a mental note to ask one of the others to put the cap back on when they get up. When the milk is all mopped up, I drop the towels into the hamper and continue out to my shop, grabbing the key off its hook, using my teeth yet again, on the way out.

It takes me over twenty minutes to get the key into the lock and turn it, using my teeth. I almost kick the door down in my anger before the key slides in and I am able to get the lock open.

Using my mouth instead of hands is already getting old. How the hell do the ponies of Equestria not get nasty diseases from picking everything up in their teeth? I think to myself, feeling frustrated at the situation.

Once inside, I decide it is worth all the frustration. I can feel the calmness wash over me once again just from being in my sanctuary.

In no time at all, I have started my propane forge, put on my leather apron, and selected several hammers and bar stock to work with. I have already slipped into the trance I often fall into when I work. Hours pass in the blink of an eye as I heat and pound the steel.

"The Great, and Very Much in Pain, Trixie humbly requests you stop making so much noise," I hear come from the doorway, pulling me out of my trance. I stop hammering to look at her.

"I'm sorry, I never even thought about you guys being able to hear me up in the house," I say as I set down the piece I am working on. I have no idea what it is, but it doesn't really matter right now. It looks more decorative than useful anyway.

"Really it's my own fault for drinking so much last night. What I don't understand, is how you can be so active this morning after how much you drank last night. Why aren't you curled up in the fetal position, crying?" she asks me, her head dropping to the side as she looks at me.

"I've always had a good head for alcohol," I reply, shrugging my shoulders in embarrassment.

"Irony? Did you figure out how to change at will?" she asks, still examining me with considering eyes.

"What do you mean?" I ask, bewildered.

"Your two-legged form, did you figure out how to change at will?"

"Unfortunately, no. And believe me, I wish I had. Not being able to change made eating breakfast this morning a serious chore," I say, shaking my head.

"Then what are you doing?" she asks.

"The same thing I always do in my shop, creating," I reply, picking up my recent work and holding it out for her to see.

"That's not what I mean. I mean, what are you doing with your hands?" she says.

I look down at the hammer in one hand and the project in the other in confusion. Then it hits me: I'm looking at my hands. Whoa! Guess I can change when I really want to after all, I think. Immediately I am dropping to all fours as my body is forcibly changed to a quadruped once again.

"Wow! That was really cool to watch! Can you do it again?" Trixie asks me, barely able to contain her excitement.

"I don't know," I say. I sit down on my haunches and think about it.

How did I change this time? When did I change? And why didn't I notice it? I ask myself. I try to make myself change, but nothing happens.

"Nothing is happening," I say in consternation.

"You were working when I came in, maybe if you try to do some more?" she suggests.

I shrug and reach for the hammer I dropped when I went four-legged again. My hoof touches the hammer and I try to pick it up, but nothing happens. The hoof remains a hoof; the hammer stays on the floor.

"Nope, nothing, nada, zilch," I say, getting irked now.

"Try focusing on standing on two legs," Trixie suggests anew.

I sigh, but then decide to humor her. I focus on an image of me standing on two legs, walking upright. After a little bit I have to stop, my head is pounding now, and I am weak from the effort.

"Nothing," I say in defeat.

"I wouldn't say nothing, I saw your body shimmer, and I could have sworn I almost saw you standing upright, just for a moment!" she says, excitement plain in her voice.

"Yeah, well, whatever. Now my head hurts and I feel dizzy. I won't be trying that again for a while," I respond, holding my head in my hooves to keep it from falling off my shoulders and rolling away.

"I think you're onto something! You'll just have to practice more," she says, skipping happily from my shop.

“How is it she comes in with a headache, and when she leaves I'm the one who is in pain?” I murmur softly to myself.

I sit like that for several minutes, hoping the pain will pass, or that my brain will ooze out of my ears, but it doesn't. I finally give up and return to the house, albeit much more slowly than when I came out.

When I enter the house I see the good Doctor, Shadow, and Trixie sitting at the kitchen table. Shadow and Dr. Ray have their heads hanging low over their cups of coffee. Trixie is smiling at me over hers. The bold, bitter odor the coffee gives off hits me like an aluminum bat to the face, making me feel the need to vomit. I throw a hoof over my mouth and trot as quickly as I can on three legs to my bathroom, where I proceed to evacuate my breakfast rather noisily in a sacrifice to the porcelain goddess.

After my stomach is empty, and the dry heaves have subsided, I lay on the cool tile of the bathroom floor, my hooves over my head as I mewl piteously. My head is throbbing, I feel like a star has gone supernova in my head, there are blinding bursts of lights behind my eyelids. I feel tears squeeze out of my eyes, but am unable to stop them from falling.

I hear light footsteps enter the bathroom and then, "Oh sweet Celestia."

I slowly peel open one eye slightly to see Moon Shadow holding her hand over her nose and mouth as she reaches past me to flush the offal down the toilet. I close my eye again, even the brief moment of light sending shards of glass deep into my brain. A moment later I hear the faucet running and then I feel a cold, wet rag being placed over my eyes. Shadow gently lowers herself down next to me and caresses my neck, back, and shoulders.

"Migraine?" she quietly asks. To which I just whimper.

Thankfully she doesn't bother asking me any further questions. She just continues caressing me gently. In time, her soothing presence lulls me to sleep.

***

"Wow, okay, that really hurt dude," I hear a familiar voice call to me. I don't bother to look around, instead I sit in pure bliss. The pain is gone!

"Yeah, that hurt like a sonofabitch," I finally respond as the dark blue mare sits down next to me. I look down at myself and see that I, too, am in my pony form.

I look over at her and say, "You know, this is kinda awkward now that the transformation is done. Aren't we one now?"

"Yes, physically, the transformation is done. Yet, we have not fully integrated mentally and emotionally. I have been protecting us from our past," she responds.

"What is in our past for you to protect us from?" I ask, cocking my head to the side as I study her.

"It is too much. I cannot tell you, only show. But only if we are truly ready," she replies cryptically.

"I'm ready to know myself. I am ready for answers."

"Questions you may have, but are they the right ones for the answers I can provide?"

"If any of my questions can be answered, I will be satisfied," I state.

"Are you certain? There are answers there, yes, but also much pain," she warns.

"Do you have all of our memories?" I question the mare.

"We are missing many of our Equestrian memories. However, I can show you all that came before," comes her answer.

"What do you mean, 'what came before'?" now I'm puzzled.

"Yes, what came before our existence in Equestria. I have those memories in full and will share them, but beware, they are not all pleasant," she states, smiling sadly at me.

"Will you also share what Equestrian memories you do have?" I request.

She simply nods and then leans against me. My vision fades for a moment, and then another scene forms in front of us.

The midnight blue mare is still beside me as the vision unfolds.

We watch as a little human boy runs up and down a sandy beach while his mother looks on, smiling. They are dressed in rough homespun, the likes of which haven't been worn in over a century. After a moment I recognize the boy from some of my earlier visions. I realize with a shock that the boy must be me.

Suddenly he runs into the water. His mother yells for him to come back, but he doesn't listen. He continues deeper into the water, he doesn't heed her cries until it is too late.

The current sweeps his legs out from under him and he falls, his head slipping under the waves. His mother screams as she runs, plowing into the water with the single-minded mission of saving her son. She is almost swept away as well, but she manages to fight the current long enough to grab an arm and haul him back to shore. As she gets him onto the shore ahead of her, a wave knocks her down and sweeps her back into the water, almost dragging the boy back in too.

The woman struggles against the power of the ocean for several minutes before she is able to drag her sopping body from the water, sputtering and coughing up the briny liquid from her lungs. At last, she manages to drag the boy a little further away from the water, but then her energy is spent and she collapses around him, her body huddling his as she shivers.

I can sense that she has given all that she has, but I can also see, from the loving look she gives her son before consciousness flees her body, that she finds it well worth the effort.

The scene fades, then I see a more familiar scene. The boy is kneeling next to his mother's bed, where her body lies, her spirit having recently fled. The vision plays out the same as I remember from before, with the cruel man removing the boy from his mother's side. Then I see the boy being sold to the plantation owner. The memories come faster, each one taking only a moment to unfold. Each one is indelibly seared into my mind.

Next, there are years of memories: of being a slave, working every day in the fields, getting bigger and stronger. I remember falling in love with another slave, Marianne.

I remember fondly our brief times spent together, the first time we made love. Then I feel anew the rage and grief when I remember her destruction at the hands of one of the foremen.

Then I see the many beatings I receive, and again feel the rage at the injustices I endured. These memories end with the final beating I take, followed by my disappearance in a flash of purple light.

I see a corresponding flash of purple, then I see a midnight blue mare lying unconscious on the floor of Twilight's library, her flanks are blank even though she is obviously full grown. Twilight and Spike worry over her unmoving form. It takes me several moments to make the connection of the memories and realize that this is my appearance into Equestria.

After this, the memories are fragmented and there are many gaps. I realize they are my memories from my time in Equestria.

I remember the first time I was forced to kill: a changeling attacking my Princess, during the second changeling war. I remember the first time my rage led me to walk on two legs instead of four, when Princess Twilight had been injured and I feared for her life. I relive being awarded the position of leader of Princess Twilight's personal guard, at a time when I felt I should be punished for not protecting her better in the first place.

Finally I relive my banishment by Discord and the following rebirth here on Earth. Again.

When the memories finally stop, I find my face is wet and I am sobbing loudly. I turn to the dark pony next to me and say, "Our mother, it was my fault she died?"

The mare nods sadly, her ears drooping.

"And I'm not from Equestria?"

"Not originally," comes the simple reply.

"But where was I first born? When did I come from?" I beg.

"We were born in a little house, to our loving mother, near Savannah, Georgia, in the human year 1827."

"But how did I end up on Earth in the 21st century?" I ask, to which she only shrugs. That gets me to stand up. "What am I? Where do I belong? When do I belong?!" I'm screaming now.

"That is for you to decide, nopony else can make those decisions for you now," she says gently.

"I cannot choose any one time or place, for they are all important to me, but some of the happiest times I have ever known were as a pony. I vow I will make Discord pay for what he did to us, to all of the ponies!" I state vehemently.

She smiles at my look of determination and says, "There are two more things I can share with you, now. One is a piece of information: our Equestrian memories are not lost, only blocked from easy access. Someday we may regain access to those memories. The other is the memory of how to control your form. I will share it with you now, but remember that your alternate form comes at a price, however small it may be.

"Now goodbye, and hello again," she says to me as she leans against my side, melting into me. I can feel our minds merge, our knowledge becoming one. With that knowledge comes the memory she promised. I can feel both my forms. I can feel the magic, a magic I have because of the circumstances of my arrival in Equestria. I know now that I am a being, not of one world, but of two. I may not have been born in Equestria, but it is also my home.

"You were right, the memories are not all happy, but they are worth having," I whisper to myself as I walk away into the darkness, a little bit nearer to being whole.

***

Chapter 13

I wake slowly, feeling amazingly refreshed and at peace. My head is free of pain. I glance around and find that I am still lying on the bathroom floor, with moon Shadow leaning against me, asleep. I smile at how cute she looks, then lean over and kiss her forehead. She begins to stir, slowly opening her eyes.

"Hi," she says softly, "how are you feeling?"

In response I kiss her again, on the lips this time. She grins and kisses me back, her hand reaching up to cup my muzzle.

"So, I take that to mean you feel better?" she teases me.

"Very much so," I reply, nuzzling into her neck and shoulder.

"I know you didn't have a hangover, as I've never known you to have one before. What caused your migraine?" she asks, seriousness showing on her face now.

I explain to her about Trixie finding me in my two-legged form, how I went back to four legs when I realized it, and how that led to me trying to change consciously.

"I take it you didn't meet with success?" she says with a lilt in her voice, making it a question.

"Trixie said she thought something almost happened, but no, I didn't change then," I say, barely concealing a grin.

"And that led to you getting a migraine?"

I nod softly.

"I'm so sorry baby, I know how much you hate to fail," she sighs as she lays her head against me, closing her eyes.

I concentrate on my magic, as I learned from my memory, summoning it to transform myself. Where I had gone wrong before was concentrating on my body. It was like trying to push a cantaloupe through a knothole, or using a sledgehammer instead of a flyswatter. It is possible to do, but will end up messy and is going to hurt like a bitch.

This magic, which I can feel now that I know it is there, has only one purpose. Unfortunately, it is also unique to me. I feel the flow of power engulf my entire body. Calling upon it is easier than I expected, my body flows like water. It is a seamless transformation, making no noise and leaving nothing extraneous behind.

I run my fingers through Shadow's hair, massaging her temples, before moving down to rub her shoulders.

"Mmmm...Irony, that feels so nice. Your fingers are like magic," she purrs, her eyes remaining closed.

"I'm glad you like them," I whisper into her ear, grinning as I kiss the top of her head.

I rub her shoulders, then around her throat and down her chest. I caress her breasts, then squeeze them and massage them before gently pinching her nipples through her shirt. She moans softly as I tug on them.

Suddenly her eyes spring open and she leans her head further back, looking up at me. I grin at her and wiggle my fingers in front of her face. She gasps, then grasps my hand in both of hers. Her mouth is opening and closing silently, like a fish. I kiss the top of her head again.

"Close your mouth honey, you're starting to draw flies," I rib her. It is several more seconds before she regains her composure.

"I thought you said it didn't work!" she chastises me.

"It didn't."

"Then how are you doing it now?"

"It's kind of hard to explain, but basically I talked to myself while I was asleep, and remembered a few things," I say, wrapping my arms around her in a full body hug.

"Will you be able to teach me how to do it? I'd really like to keep my hands," Shadow asks me, smiling. Her smile fades a bit as I shake my head.

"I'm sorry, it's not something that I can teach you. It's inherent to me and, as far as I can tell from what I remember, completely unique to me as well," I tell her, my ears drooping a bit at having to give her bad news.

"You mean you were born with it?" she asks.

"Not exactly," I say, shaking my head. "Though I think it has been part of me since I first arrived in Equestria."

"Now you're just being cryptic. I know you're trying to tell me something, but I'm not getting it. Don't beat around the bush, tell me straight out, if you're going to tell me!" she says, her green eyes darkening in anger.

I sigh lightly, then launch, as best as I can, into an explanation of my past. At first, I plan to gloss over the details of my past, but soon realize that I want to share them with her. Moon Shadow is my heart, and I need her to know me. I decide to trust her with information nopony else knows about me.

By the end of my telling I am crying freely, and our positions have been reversed, now she is holding me. I swipe at my tears with my hand, but she pushes it away and kisses them from my face.

"You have a lot of sadness in your past. I'm really sorry I made you relive it like that," she apologizes, squeezing me tight.

"It's not your fault, I chose to share it with you. I love you, and don't want any secrets between us, not even by omission," I say, looking into her beautiful eyes.

"I love you too, Irony. Thank you for entrusting your past to me. I will do my absolute best to always be worthy of your trust," she vows.

"I know you always will," I reply, kissing her gently.

"Well, it sucks I won't have hands, but at least you will. That way you can scratch me where I can't reach," she teases me.

I lean in to kiss her again when I'm interrupted by a knock on the bedroom door, then I hear Trixie enter and call out, "Irony, Shadow, you two in here?"

"In the bathroom," Moon calls back.

"There you two are," Trixie says, sticking her head in the doorway. "I was beginning to think you guys had left or something. Oh hey, you're on two legs again!"

"Yeah, once I got over my headache I got it figured out," I reply, not wanting to get into the details.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie insists you teach her how to do it!" Trixie commands pompously, then slaps her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to issue an order! I was just hoping you could teach me how you do it."

"It's okay, no harm no foul. I wish I could teach you, but I can't, I'm sorry. It's not a learned ability, just something different about me," I say.

"Well, damn. Trixie hates it when she can't do something!" she stomps her foot, making me laugh.

Realizing our alone time is over, Moon Shadow and I help each other up and I ask Trixie, "So, what's going on?"

"Well, the Great and Powerful Trixie has come to the conclusion that we need to get supplies, before we can't go to the store anymore," she replies, much less pompously than before.

"Okay, I know you're turning into Trixie, but do you really have to talk about yourself in the third person?" I ask, cocking an eyebrow at her.

"I'll try to tone it down, but Trixie isn't doing it on purpose, she promises," she answers, sighing as she realizes she did it again.

"So apparently you really did talk like that. I hoped it was just an affectation from the show," I tell her. She simply nods, blushing slightly.

"You know, I think maybe I need to see some of this show. I never got into it when it was on, although I made sure I knew what you liked," Shadow says, looking thoughtful.

"That's a great idea, though Trixie is right, we need to buy supplies. And it has occurred to me that I need shoes," I say, smiling.

"Shoes? You want to get shoed? Like a horse?" Shadow asks me incredulously.

My smile widens, "Nope, not at all. I want boots. And I know just where to get them."

"Where are you going to get boots to fit your hooves?" Trixie asks. My smile changes to a wolfish grin.

"White's boots," I answer.

"Never heard of them," Trixie returns.

"They're the best custom boot maker I know of, though they're in the city. If I get measured today, I'll bet they can have them ready by the end of the week," I say.

"Isn't that awfully risky? Are you sure you want to go into the city just to have boots made?" Shadow asks me. "Aren't you worried about being seen?"

"Not really. I was before, but that was when I thought I might be the only pony. Now I know I'm not. I think the world is going to have to get used to ponies being here. Don't get me wrong, I don't want to cause a riot or anything, but I won't remain trapped in my own home any longer," I tell them.

"We'll still have to keep it low-key. Hoodies should help. Thank Celestia it's been a cool spring so far, so we won't look ridiculous," Moon Shadow suggests.

"When do you want to leave?" asks Trixie.

"The sooner the better," I reply.

"Okay, what about the Doc?" she asks.

"Let's see if he wants to come along. Maybe he's feeling as cooped up as I am," I suggest.

Trixie leaves to ask Dr. Ray if he wants to join us, leaving Shadow and I alone again. I pull her into my arms and, holding her tightly, kiss her like I wanted to earlier. Finally, we have to come up for air, but I don't let her go just yet.

"I thought you wanted to go?" she says, smiling up at me.

"Kissing you makes me want to stay in instead," I reply, wiggling my eyebrows.

She giggles and smacks my upper arm lightly, "You should have thought of that before insisting we go."

"That was rather short-sighted of me, wasn't it?"

"Very much so."

"Well, I guess we'll have to make up for lost time when we get back," I grin.

She snuggles her head under my jaw and almost whispers, "That would be lovely."

She pulls lightly against me, and I reluctantly let her go. She heads to the closet and pulls out a hoodie and a pair of jeans for me, then tosses them to me.

"What about underwear?" I ask her.

"We'll have to buy you some while we're out, your old ones won't do, and mine won't fit you," Shadow replies, snickering.

"Are you sure I can't just go without clothes? I've got fur covering my whole body already!" I whine teasingly.

"You could on four legs, but on two you show too much. Your breasts are totally on display, especially your nipples, and anyone who looks closely could probably see your slit," she chides me.

"Dang, well, commando it is then. Can't get the normals too excited, I guess," I say.

"Yeah. Of course, anyone who looks even halfway closely will know something is way off about us," she replies.

"Eeyup. Wonder if we'll make the six o'clock news," I joke, chuckling.

Shadow just shakes her head at me as I pull on the clothes she's tossed me. Once they're on I do bodybuilder poses for her, which brings the smile back to her face.

"Oh, stop it you, I already know you're built like a brick shithouse, you don't have to pose for me," she starts laughing when I make a face in response to her comment.

Trixie walks in while I'm posing and laughs at me too, "Dr. Ray says he'd like to come with us. He said he's feeling useless around here."

I pick up my old wristwatch off of the dresser and strap it on, then say as I glance at the time, "Well, then let's roll. It's already 1300 and we have a bit of shopping to do."

We gather up Dr. Ray on the way to the car. When I see the 442, I stop for a moment, remembering the last time I was in it several days before, "I completely forgot that I bled all over the driver's side. I'd better get something to clean it up."

Trixie stops me, "Flash cleaned it all up while you were unconscious. He said this was your baby and you'd insist on it being neat as a pin. It took him most of an entire day to get all the blood out."

I can see her eyes tear up as she mentions Flash. She puts on a brave face, but she's worried about him, I realize.

I take her hand and squeeze it, and smiling at her say, "He'll be okay, he's stronger than he thinks."

She puts a brave smile on her face in response. Moon pulls her into a tight hug and whispers something softly into her ear.

I watch them for a moment, then open and hold the door for them as they get into the car. After thinking for a moment I stick my head in the door and looking at them say, "Shadow, you've got a hoodie, but you don't, Trixie. Maybe we should grab you one."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie needs no hooded sweatshirt!" Trixie frowns at me.

I frown right back, "So you just want to scare the hell out of the humans when your ears reposition from the side of your head to the top of it? I'm going to draw enough attention, we don't need them to see ears actually move."

She flushes bright red, "The Greatly Humbled Trixie thinks she will reconsider. And is sorry for being so rude."

I smile at her to show no hard feelings, "It's not your fault, I'm pretty sure it's in your nature. I'll get you one, be right back."

I run back into the house and get a hoodie for her, and then an idea strikes me, so I dig in my closet for a moment and come up with a balaclava. Perfect. Should help me be a little less conspicuous, I think.

Returning to the car, I toss Trixie the blue hoodie I found for her and, climbing in, pull the balaclava over my head to cover my face.

"What's that?" I hear Trixie ask from the backseat.

"It's a balaclava. I wear it sometimes when it gets really cold in the winter, but now I figure it might help hide my face a bit. My muzzle still sticks out, but at least it's covered," I answer as I turn the key, the engine roaring to life.

As we back out of the garage and down the driveway, Dr. Ray looks at all of us from the passenger seat. He shakes his head, "Well, you two," he points to Shadow and Trixie, "can mostly pass for humans with dyed hair, but you," he points at me, "I don't know how you think you can pull this off."

I laugh for a moment, "Well, Doc, you should remember that people mostly see what they expect to see, at a distance anyway. Up close, nope, no way will I pass for anything other than a freak, but I don't really care anymore. I guess you could say I accept that I'm a freak and am ready to deal with it. Besides, who knows, we may even run into other people turning into ponies out there."

Everyone is quiet for a while after that, just enjoying the ride. I maneuver us onto the freeway and point us toward town. The freeway is mostly deserted, so I decide to punch it a bit and go roaring down the road at almost 90 for a couple miles.

"This sure is a sweet ride," the Doc says, "I haven't seen one of these in quite some time. Where'd you get her?"

"I picked up the body from a Spaulding's junkyard and started putting her together one piece at a time," I reply, smiling at his compliment.

"That took a lot of effort, I'm sure. Reminds me of my brother," he says, trailing off to a bare whisper I wouldn't have heard when I was human. Noticing the look of deep pain that crosses his face, I decide not to comment or question.

After a few more minutes, I slow as we enter the city, not wanting to draw undue attention. Traffic in the city is a bit heavier, but still pretty light, and we remain unnoticed for the rest of our journey. I pull into the unassuming parking lot and claim a space near the door.

Shutting down the engine, I open my door and slide out, then help Moon Shadow and Trixie out of the back seat. Dr. Ray climbs out the passenger side, steps to the boot builder's door, and holds it open for the rest of us as we troop inside.

I'm about to step to the counter and ask for some help when Dr. Ray holds up his hand to stop me. I look at him for a moment, then he says, "Let me handle this, I've got an idea."

I nod and step back as he walks to the counter and rings a bell there for service. In a few moments a young lady comes out and asks how she can help him. I hear him reply, "I need someone to fit my friend here for a custom pair of boots."

"I'll get you some help right away, sir," she tells him, then scurries to the back. A moment later a young man, appearing to be in his middle twenties, comes forward.

"Hi, I'm Burdy, I hear you'd like a fitting for some boots," he says shaking the vet's hand.

"Actually, it's my friend here who needs to be fitted," he says, pointing to me. Then he leans in and, speaking softly, says, "She has, umm, special feet."

The young man smiles, "I wouldn't worry about it, we've fitted all kinds of oddly shaped feet here, there's nothing to be embarrassed about."

Dr. Ray chuckles sardonically in reply, then ushers him toward us with a slight bow. Burdy smiles at us as he walks past and leads us over to a fitting station. He gestures chivalrously for me to have a seat, which makes me giggle lightly as I sit.

"Well let's see your foot," he says as he pulls a pen out from behind his ear and lays out a piece of paper to trace feet on.

I hesitate, suddenly feeling shy about letting him measure my hooves. Seeing my hesitation, he looks up at me and says softly, "Don't be afraid, I won't bite, I promise."

I finally relent and let him take my leg. He starts rolling up my pant leg and then suddenly stops, gasping. He looks up into my eyes, and notices the magenta color. His own eyes get really big as he puts two and two together to get 'what the fuck'. "Wh--what are you?" he stammers out.

I pull my hood back and lift the balaclava off my face. Then I say, "My name is Irony Smith, and I'm a pony. Please don't freak out. I really just want some boots, okay?"

"I...I...I...holy shit!" he says, whispering.

"Shhhh...we're not going to hurt you," I say, staring into his still-wide eyes.

"Are you really a pony?" he asks me, I nod. "Then why are you standing on two legs? And how can you talk?"

I sigh. "It's a long story, Burdy. I don't have time to go into it right now. We have places to go, stuff to buy. Will you fit me for some boots, please?" I plead with my eyes.

He shakes his head a couple times, then nods and says, "Of course. I'd be glad to measure you for a pair of boots."

He traces my hooves and measures them with a little tape measure. After several minutes he finishes his measuring and says, looking up at me, "Are you from Equestria?"

I laugh lightly and nod my head, smiling down at him. Oh yes, we have a fellow brony here.

"How did you get here?" he asks.

I lean down and quietly tell him, "Discord banished me here 25 years ago. Until a week ago I was a human, just like you."

He gasps again, "Really? It's all real?"

I simply nod.

"Oh my god! Is there anything I can do to help? I mean, besides your boots?"

"Well, you can keep your eyes out for other ponies and let me know if you see any. Here, take my number," I say, writing my phone number down on his business card for him.

"Of course! I'd do anything for you ponies!" he gushes. I lean forward and plant a kiss on his forehead in thanks. He starts blushing.

"How long until my boots will be ready?" I ask him.

"Oh, um...usually it'd be a couple of weeks, but I'll put a rush on them for you, you should have them in four or five days," he replies.

I smile at him and say, "Thank you so much, Burdy. You're amazing." He blushes even deeper at that.

I ask him how much it's going to be, he replies, "About 600 bucks. I wish I could give them to you, but then I'd get fired."

"I wouldn't accept them as a gift, I figured they'd be about that much. Don't worry about it," I tell him, smiling.

"Okay. You don't pay for them until you pick them up. We'll call you when they're ready."

"Thanks again, Burdy. I can't wait to get them," I say.

"You're more than welcome, Miss Irony. Thank you for coming in," he replies.

I start to cover my face and head back up, but then Burdy speaks up, "Um, Miss Irony, can I take your picture?" Then he starts blushing furiously.

I smile at him, "You're not going to put it on the internet, are you?"

"Oh, no Ma'am! I've just been a fan of ponies for a long time, and never thought I'd actually get to see one. It's for myself. If you want, I won't ever even show it to anyone else," he rushes out.

I put my hand on his chest, "Calm down, Burdy. Of course you can take a picture. Or better yet, how about Dr. Ray here takes a picture of us?" I turn to Shadow and Trixie, "You girls want to be in it too?"

They both shrug, reply in the affirmative, then drop their hoods as well. Burdy covers his mouth and gasps, and I can see tears trying to form in his eyes. Wow, he must really be a big fan, I think to myself. He's still standing there speechless as he stares at the other two ponies who are only beginning their transformations.

While he's stuck like that, I gesture for the girls to come stand in front, with Burdy and I in back. Burdy is well over six feet, and even though I'm not quite 6' 5" anymore, I'm not much shorter, either, so we tower over Shadow and Trixie. I put a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.

"They're ponies too?" he whispers to me, causing me to grin widely.

I whisper back, "Yes. They're transforming still."

I see him mouth 'wow' silently. I clap a hand on his shoulder and signal the Doc to take the picture.

"Say cheese everypony," I say. Dr. Ray takes the picture using Burdy's phone.

"Okay, we should really get going, we have a lot more to do," Shadow reminds us. I nod, and we all cover up again. We wave goodbye to Burdy as we exit the store.

I turn back for one last look at the brony before I let the door close and see him looking at his phone, and I swear I can see tears slipping silently from his eyes. He looks like his whole life has just been validated, I realize, and it makes me want to tear up a little, too.

Once we're back in the car and pulling out of the parking lot, Trixie speaks up, "Okay, we can't risk that again, if somepony else sees you and freaks out instead, we'd be in big trouble. The Great and Powerful Trixie says that she and Dr. Ray will get the supplies, while you two remain in the car."

I'm about to say something snappish in retort when Shadow stops me, saying, "You're right, Trixie, but could you please, please be less commanding when you suggest something?" Shadow looks at me, pointedly, and continues. "You should know that Irony has a low threshold for pomposity, okay?"

Trixie actually gulps, then looks at me and, her ears drooping, whispers, "Trixie is very sorry, Irony. She didn't mean anything by it."

I shake my head, then glare at Moon Shadow, "It's okay, Trixie. While Shadow is right, I don't like ponies being pompous, I also know you can't help it, it's part of your nature. I promise to do my best to be patient with you."

"Thank you," she says quietly.

I nod, "No problem. And you're right. I may not care if the world knows about me, but today, at least, we don't need the extra attention. Shadow and I will stay with the car."

With that settled, we continued on to our other stops, where we follow the pattern of Trixie and Dr. Ray going in and buying our supplies. Moon Shadow and I sit in the car, parked away from everypony else, and listen to music as we wait. This pattern works well for us until our last stop, at the farm supply store. At that store, Trixie and Dr. Ray exit rather quickly, almost running to get to the car.

Once the bags are stowed in the trunk and they're in the car, the Doc tells me we should probably leave post haste. I get us moving and ask, "What happened?"

The good Doctor turns and glares at Trixie, "Somebody couldn't keep their trap shut and let me do the talking."

Trixie sinks lower into her seat, and I see that she's crying and trying not to sob, "Trixie is so very sorry."

I look at Dr. Ray, "So what happened?"

"She kept talking in the third person, then started ordering the clerks around like she was their boss, and then she started yelling about what she would do if 'somepony' didn't work harder!"

Glancing at Trixie again, I see that she wishes she could sink into the seat and disappear. I look back at Dr. Ray and say, "We need to cut her some slack, she really can't help herself. Not to mention this is all new to her again. Nopony is chasing us, so we'll just count our blessings and go home, okay?"

Everypony in the car nods, and I take us home, thankfully without further incident.

Chapter 14

"Okay, it's time for a history lesson for Moon Shadow and Dr. Ray, and a refresher for Trixie and I," I say, having gathered everypony in the living room after we unpacked all of our recently bought supplies. I sit on my haunches on the couch, having reverted to a four-legged pony after everything was put away. I have a slight headache from concentrating on my magic for most of the afternoon, but I consider that a small price to pay for the major convenience of having hands and standing upright. I realized, after a few hours of holding the form, that it got harder to remain bipedal the longer I held it. It took more and more concentration, eventually resulting in a headache, which I also realized would probably turn into a full-blown migraine if I held the form for too long.

Which makes me wonder, if I manage to ignore the migraine and stay bipedal through it, will I cause myself permanent harm? Or could I even die from it? Not exactly a pleasant thought, but not something I feel I can ignore, either.

"A history lesson? What kind of history lesson?" asks Dr. Ray as he sits down, breaking me from my worried thinking.

"We're going to watch My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. As far as I can tell, it is a fair representation of Equestria, and our history," I say, looking from one face to another.

"Are you sure?" Moon Shadow questions.

"As sure as I can be without more memories. At the very least it gives us an idea of what home was like, and it'll help pass the time," I reply.

"Trixie thinks that what Irony is saying makes sense. We should see if we can learn something," Trixie is much more subdued, and I can tell she still feels bad about earlier.

The poor thing couldn't help that she used to be extremely pompous and arrogant. I'm glad that she is trying to control it; I know she doesn't want to be like that anymore.

I pat the seat next to me with a hoof, and she takes the hint, sitting down next to me. Now I am sandwiched between her and Moon Shadow.

"I don't think I can watch this show with you," says Dr. Ray, with a pained expression on his face.

"Is it because it's a show that was made for little girls?" Trixie asks.

"No. It's because..." he trails off, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

"It's okay, Ray. You don't have to tell us if you don't want to," I say, trying to put him at ease.

"No, I think he'd want me to talk to you, I'm sure he'd tell me it'd be good for me," he starts. "You see, it's my brother. He...he died about eight years ago. He was only 17 at the time."

The Doc pauses for a moment to swipe the tears from his eyes, "His name was Jake. To this day it's still hard for me to think about him, I always tear up. He was a great kid. He had an amazing future ahead of him, he would have been Valedictorian of his class if he'd lived. He'd already been offered a full-ride scholarship to Harvard.

"Then this show came out," he points to the TV where the show's menu is up, "and he just fell in love with it from the start. It quickly became his favorite thing to watch, to the exclusion of almost everything else. He even managed to get me to watch it with him a few times, even though I was ten years older than him and busy with my own life. Even though I didn't become a huge fan, I could see why he liked it. It was a great show, funny, witty, and always had a great message.

"He certainly wasn't shy about his love for the show, he wouldn't hide it. He once told me he couldn't hide it even if he wanted to, because it just spoke to him on a deep level. He said that something about the show resonated with his core.

"Unfortunately, we lived in an area that wasn't very tolerant of people that were seen as different. At first he was simply mocked at school, then the teasing became more merciless. Then his things were getting vandalized, once someone spray-painted the word 'Faggot' across his locker. He just scrubbed it off, without bothering to report it. When none of that deterred him, some guys, I always assumed they were from his school, well, they cornered him and beat him almost within an inch of his life.

"You know, I've had a lot of time to think about this over the last eight years. I was never able to help him at the time, because he didn't tell me, and our parents were in denial about it. I found out about it all afterward from our mom. You see, I was off at college myself, studying to be a doctor, and only came home on breaks and holidays.

"To this day, I think that if it had stopped after that one beating, he would have been okay. But he didn't give up, so they beat him again. And then again. The fourth time they beat him, they put him in the hospital for six weeks with broken ribs and bruised kidneys. But he wouldn't ever finger who did it, or allow charges to be pressed.

"I think the final straw came a few weeks after he was released from the hospital. Our father, may he rot in the seventh circle of hell for all eternity, stepped in and tried to make him stop watching ponies. He became verbally abusive, belittling him and questioning his manhood. Then he started hitting Jake.

"I'm pretty sure that was the straw that broke Jake, the fact that his own father, who had never laid a hand on him before, was calling him horrible things and hitting him. It broke him inside, and he never recovered.

"I came home for spring break, planning on visiting family instead of going out partying. When I came home, no one was around, but the house felt wrong, so I started looking for sign of anyone. The sight that greeted me when I opened his bedroom door will remain with me forever. Even if I live to be a hundred, I will never forget his swollen and purple face. I will never forget how his neck was bent at an angle, as if he was praying, or how the flesh of his throat was so puffy you almost couldn't see the rope that he'd tied around his own neck.

"The absolute worst part of it, though, was that he didn't hang himself from the rafters and kick a chair out from underneath himself. No, my brother, my extremely smart, loving brother, wanted to die more than anything else. And I think he wanted it to be known that he chose this, to the very end. He tied the rope around his own neck, and hung himself from the doorknob. He knelt there, head bowed, with the rope around his neck, only needing to sit up to save himself, until he died. He had to choose, every second of that agony, to stay there and die," Dr. Ray has stopped trying to wipe the tears away as they now flow freely down his face, dripping onto his chest in a veritable river.

"Oh, my sweet Celestia," I say, not knowing what else to say to that horrifically sad tale.

Ray nods, "Yeah, that about sums it up. For a while afterwards, I wanted to blame the show, but I realized it wasn't the cartoon's fault, it's just a cartoon meant for little kids. It was those around him that took intolerance to a whole new level that were to blame. I wanted to get revenge, but had nowhere to start, and I was paralyzed by my own guilt, knowing that I'd failed him when he most needed me. I still blame myself for not being there, for being blind to what was happening in his life.

"Then, a few weeks later, and I'll never know for sure how he arranged that little feat, I got a letter from him. In that letter he begged me not to blame myself, and not to hate the people that hurt him, not because he forgave them, but because he didn't want me to be hurt by my own hatred. He also told me how much the time I'd spent with him while he was growing up meant to him. Reading that made me fall to pieces.

"It took me better than two weeks to be able to read his letter all the way through, I started blubbering like a little kid every time I tried to read it. At the end of the letter, there was one small bit of comfort. He told me how he'd arranged to get his revenge on those who had hurt him. His letter told me how he'd collected irrefutable proof of who had hurt him, and how he'd arranged for the state police to get that evidence now that he was gone.

"And it worked, too. A few weeks later, the state police made eight arrests. Seven boys from his high school, and our father. I should say they attempted to arrest our father, but he got away by dying of a heart attack as they tried to arrest him. I do wish I'd been there when that happened, to see the look of shock on his face as they read him his rights, and then when his heart stopped.

"Anyway, the seven boys were tried, as adults mind you, for three separate counts of aggravated assault, and one count of attempted murder. And the evidence was such that the charges all stuck. Even in death, Jake was a genius," Dr. Ray finishes, his tears having stopped and his eyes dry.

We all sit there in silence for several minutes, then I finally break the silence, "I'm so sorry for your loss. Your brother sounds like an amazing person, and I wish I had gotten a chance to know him."

"It's entirely possible that you did," the Doc says mysteriously, pulling out a faded, oft folded, piece of paper and looking at it.

"What do you mean?" I ask him, confusion plain on my face. In response, he just leans forward and sets the piece of paper in front of me. I gasp loudly as my eyes fall on it.

"But..." I look up at him, and he nods.

"My brother drew that after a dream he had one night. It was included with the letter he sent me. I never understood why he gave it to me, at least not until recently."

On the paper in front of me is a drawing. The drawing is a very good rendition of my cutie marks. Not part of them, not one of them, but both my cutie marks, side by side, in color. They are a perfect match to me.

"And that is the real reason I chose to stay. I saw those pictures, the ones I've looked at every day since they were delivered into my hands, on a creature I never thought I would see in real life. I couldn't just leave after that. My brother would have wanted me to stay, I know it."

After what feels like an eternity of me trying to form words, I finally get out, "When was his birthday?"

The Doc looks at me for a moment, then says, "May 1st, why?"

"Oh...my..." I can't finish as I am overwhelmed with emotion at the realization that a fellow pony is dead, and has been for a long time. I will never even know who he was, I realize, and tears come pouring from my eyes.

"She thinks he was a pony like us," Moon Shadow tells Dr. Ray, as I am unable to respond.

Dr. Ray's face pales visibly as he looks from one face to another. It is clear that he has no idea how to respond to that.

I climb off the couch and step over to him, laying my head in his lap as I weep at his, and our, loss. He tentatively pats my head, and soon is running the fingers of both his hands through my mane. After a few minutes, he lifts my chin up and looks into my eyes.

"Thank you. I finally understand what he meant in his letter when he said 'She will heal your pain'. Thank you, Irony, for being here for me. I never knew it, but I've needed to talk about this for a long time. You are an amazing pony, and I know he wanted me to meet you," he whispers.

"I'm glad I have gotten the chance to meet you. You are a wonderful person, and I can see that your brother was very lucky to have you to look up to when he was growing. Thank you for taking care of one of our own," I say to him, just as quietly.

"The Great and Terribly Saddened Trixie, invites you to watch ponies with three misplaced Equestrians in honor of your lost brother," Trixie says, taking Ray's hand in both of her own.

Dr. Ray hesitates, then with fresh tears threatening to spill from his eyes, nods in agreement.

Trixie and I retake our seats on the couch, offering to make room for the Doc, but he silently shakes his head, needing a little more time to think.

After a few more minutes of fussing around, Trixie queues up the first season, and presses play on episode one. We relax into our seats as the show starts.

It's been a while since I watched these earlier shows, I realize as I'm sucked into the show once again. Reminds me why I fell in love with this show in the first place. Though I suppose it helped that I was actually a pony all along.

Moon Shadow is cuddled up next to me on the couch, with Trixie sitting comfortably on the other side. I'm really enjoying the show when I feel Shadow tense up next to me. I look over at her, and she has this sad/angry intense look on her face. I'm about to ask if she's okay when she relaxes again and rubs her hand across my shoulder. I cock an eyebrow at her, and she mouths: later. I nod, then turn back to the show, not wanting to draw attention to her.

After a couple of episodes, Dr. Ray excuses himself, saying he's tired, and goes to bed. I can't blame him, knowing that this has been a very emotional day for him, as well as for us. I really appreciate that he stayed to watch some with us, especially when I know he must have been thinking about his brother the whole time.

I'm still thinking about the Doc, and his brother, when the first Trixie episode, 'Boast Busters', comes on. A few moments later I hear Trixie sobbing quietly beside me. I lean my head against her shoulder, thinking maybe she's now upset about how she's portrayed in this episode. I'm surprised when she wraps her arms around my head, buries her face in my mane, and begins to bawl like a newborn babe. It takes me several minutes to realize she's talking into my mane. Well, maybe blubbering is a better way of putting it, as I can hardly understand a word she's saying, but I realize she's apologizing over and over again.

Moon Shadow extricates herself from my right side and moves over to the other side of Trixie, wrapping her arms around Trixie to comfort her. Trixie turns and grips Shadow as hard as she was previously holding me, pressing her face into Shadow's neck. Now I can understand her a bit better.

"Trixie is so sorry. Trixie never meant to hurt anypony's feelings. Trixie didn't know any better. Trixie is so ashamed of herself. Please don't hate Trixie. Trixie is such a horrible pony. Trixie is so sorry."

She continues on like this, despite our best efforts to calm her down, through two more episodes after 'Boast Busters'. After she grabs hold of Shadow, I change form and pull them both into my lap, wrapping my arms around them, quietly trying to soothe Trixie.

"Shhh, it's okay Trixie, nopony hates you, I promise. You're our friend, and we care about you greatly," I try to calm her.

"But Trixie was so horrible to everypony. You should all hate her for how she acted," she cried.

"Trixie, I'm sure you didn't act that badly," I say.

"You're right. Trixie was much more horrible in reality than they show! Trixie is most horrible pony!" she bawls. I cup her face, raising it up to look into my eyes.

"Trixie, are you saying you remember what really happened?" I ask her slowly.

She nods, then breaks down again, "Trixie is a wicked, horrible pony! She is so sorry now! The Wicked and Horrible Trixie deeply wishes she could take back all she said and did!"

I place a finger over her lips to stem the flow of words, "Trixie, you are not a horrible pony. Maybe you were at one time, but everypony changes. And I know that you have changed for the better. You are our friend, and we are yours. I don't care what you did in the distant past, I only care how you act in the here and now."

"But how can that be? Trixie remembers all of the mean and nasty things she has done! How can anypony forgive her for that? Yes, The Humble and Apologetic Trixie is sorry, but that doesn't undo what she has done!" she whispers. I shush her again before she can start on another wailing rant about how terrible she was.

"We can't change what we have done in the past, that much is true. What we can change, is how we act in the future, and that is how we make up for our pasts. Yes, some things will follow and haunt you, but any good pony will be able to judge you based on your current actions rather than the distant past. Shadow and I care about you, Trixie. We love you like family. Here, now, in reality, we are your family. We will take care of you, just as you will take care of us. Don't ever forget that, okay?" I tell her, firmly.

"You... you mean it? You don't hate Trixie? Even knowing how horrible a pony she really is?" she sniffs.

"I really mean it. You are not a horrible pony. You are a wonderful pony, and I am glad to call you my friend," I respond, hugging her tightly.

"I'm glad to have you as my friend, too!" Moon Shadow adds.

"Thank you. Thank you, so much! Trixie will never forget how wonderful you both are!" Trixie gushes, a smile coming to her face.

I once again relinquish my bipedal shape, but stay cuddled up with Trixie and Shadow. We sit like that, in a big pile, and watch a couple more episodes, not bothering to go back to the ones we missed.

Surprisingly it is Trixie herself who begs off first, saying how happy she is that she has friends such as us. She leaves to go sleep in the guest room she and Flash have been sharing.

Shadow and I also choose to retire, she leaning against me as we walk down the hallway together to our room. She plops onto the bed, leaving me to climb up beside her.

"So...anything you want to discuss?" I ask her, looking at her from the corner of my eye.

"No, at least, not tonight. I think we've dealt with enough drama today, and besides, it's nothing big," she says evasively.

I look at her squarely, "Moon Shadow, if something is bothering you, then it isn't 'nothing'! Please, don't feel like you have to keep things to yourself because it will be a bother to me. You will never be a bother to me, I love you! What troubles you, troubles me. We're in this together, forever, right?"

She hangs her head for a moment, then looks up at me, "It bothered me, seeing Princess Luna as Nightmare Moon."

"That was a scary time in pony history. What about it bothered you? What do you remember?"

"I... I remember the Princess. I was her apprentice; I'm a Dreamwalker, or a Dreamer, whatever that means. I remember times spent learning from Princess Luna, and to see her like that scared me. I don't remember her being at all like that, and I don't remember being there when she was Nightmare Moon."

I scoot closer to her and lay my head on her shoulder in a pony hug, "I'm sorry that it scared you. Thankfully the Elements of Harmony were able to save her. What little I remember of her, she was a very kind-hearted Princess, and deeply regretted having let the evil Nightmare overcome her."

"She was an amazing mentor. I don't remember everything that being a Dreamwalker means, but I emember she was patient, and wonderful to me. Do you know what a Dreamwalker is?"

"No, but if I were to hazard a guess, I'd say it has to do with the dream work she was in charge of."

"I think that's right. I just wish I remembered more!"

"I bet, in time, you will," I yawn. "Sorry!"

"Don't be, silly, I'm just as tired as you," now she's yawning too.

She lies down and pulls me down next to her, and wraps her arms around me, "I love you, Irony."

"I love you too, Moon Shadow. Sleep well," I reply, but she is already gone. I lay my head down on her and soon join her in sleep.

***

I look around; I just fell asleep, what's going on. I trot around for a moment, looking at the darkness that surrounds me, and I can see stars everywhere, unlike the empty void I'm used to in my dreams.

I look down at my body; it's still the pony body that I've only just started to get comfortable in. I call out, "Can anypony hear me?" Only to hear my voice echo back and forth into infinity.

"Am I truly asleep? Or am I awake?" I muse to myself aloud.

"You are asleep, but it isn't the restful sleep that you're used to." A form coalesces out of the darkness. It's Moon Shadow. And she's fully a pony now. I trot up to her. She throws her forelegs around me. "Irony."

I pull away, "But how am I here?"

She looks down, "I don't know. You were next to me as I fell asleep; I think maybe I pulled you here with me."

"What?"

"I'm a Dreamer, as I told you. This is part of it. I remember Luna telling me that I'm the strongest in thousands of years."

"How much of this do you remember?"

She cocks her head to the side, "A little here, and a little there. I was just a student, and only for a couple of years until Discord happened."

"And seeing Nightmare Moon brought this out?" She nods at me then turns to the lights in the darkness.

"Do you know what these are?"

"Stars?"

She smiles coyly, "No, Irony. These are dreams. Of the billions of people in this world."

I look around, there are so many of them, they stretch on for what seems like forever, "Amazing. It's so beautiful!"

I hear a giggle, and I look over at her, she's back in her human form. She reaches out to me and touches my forehead. I hear her voice in my mind, This isn't even the best part, Love.

The world around us shimmers for a few seconds, then I'm in my home. But it's not. There is light here, but I don't see any lights on. I walk forward, then look down. I'm Henry again.

"What the hell?" even my voice is deeper.

I hear her voice coming out of nowhere, and everywhere, "Where we just were, is the space between the world of life and the world of dreams, this..." She appears and spreads her hands around, "Is the world of dreams."

"It looks like home."

"It is but a reflection of home. Look carefully."

I look around, the television is off, and the DVD's shift, moving. The books move on the book case, the titles shift from side to side. The chairs in the dining room, they move from right in front of the table, to being pulled out like someone is sitting. Then with another glance, they are back to where they belong. What the hell? Pencils and pens on the desk shift almost constantly.

"The more solid or stable something is, the stronger its reflection is here. The more it is moved, the weaker the reflection."

"What is it for, Moon?"

"A dreamer can control this; she can make it do what she wishes."

"And Princess Luna taught you all of this?"

Bright spots of color flood her cheeks, "Yes, and no."

I look at her, "Both? How?"

"She told me I wasn't ready for this place, because it is dangerous. But I ventured here from time to time anyway. My practice, my control, is very weak right now. It was stronger before, but not by much, I was still only an apprentice."

"And the place between dreams?"

"That was where we spent most of our time. She was teaching me to patrol the dreams of the ponies, how to tell when they were having a nightmare, when they were consumed by fear."

"And she had you help them?"

She nods.

"Amazing, but what can actually be done here?"

"All worlds are connected. Equestria, this Earth. I think I might be able to find our Equestria."

"Could you get to Equestria through this place?"

She shakes her head, "To do that, first I would have to find Equestria, and I don't have complete enough memories to be able to make it there, and second, I would have to enter here in the flesh."

"That's possible?!"

She nods, "But Princess Luna never told me how. I really hope that by searching here, I can find enough information to make it possible for us to make a way back to Equestria."

"You want to go back?"

She looks down, "I don't know if Luna survived Discord, but if she is alive, I need to find her, whether in Equestria, or here on Earth."

"Wherever you go, Moon, I'll be there with you." I wrap my arms around her. She smiles at me. Then the dreamscape begins to fade.

***

I awaken to find my Moon Shadow lying in my forelegs, she murmurs my name lovingly in her sleep. I nuzzle her, then I fall back to sleep myself, a smile on my face.

Chapter 15

I wake to a quiet house once again. I glance at the clock on the nightstand, where it confirms the time as 0500 on the nose. Even though I haven't been setting the alarm, I'm still waking up at my usual time. Kind of funny how our bodies and minds will unconsciously follow routine even when everything has changed, I think, smirking to myself.

I extricate myself from Moon Shadow, careful not to wake her as she is sleeping so peacefully. I slip off the bed, landing with a soft thud. Shadow rolls over in her sleep and mumbles unintelligibly for a moment before relaxing once again. I smile at her as I soak up her beauty. I notice that the changes have progressed in the night, and she is a bit closer to looking like she did in the dream world she showed me last night. She has a horn now, and it looks to be full sized. Her facial features are changing too; I can see her lower face is pushing out just a little bit, foreshadowing the muzzle that she will soon have.

Glancing a little bit lower, I see that she is flat chested now. I am going to miss playing with those, I sigh to myself. The rest of her is covered by the comforter, so I can't see what changes may have happened further south, but I can guess.

I stretch my barrel and legs, groaning a little at how good it feels. Have to admit, this body feels pretty amazing. I feel more at home in it than I would have thought I could after 25 years of being human. I feel so good, so incredibly fit, it makes me wonder what I can do, I think as I finish stretching. I decide I'll worry more about that after breakfast.

I start trotting down the hallway, pausing for a moment when I smell fresh coffee. I continue on into the kitchen, where I find Dr. Ray drinking a cup of coffee at the table as he reads the paper. He waves his mug in my direction in greeting.

"Morning," I say as I go by.

I look around the kitchen and think, Well, getting breakfast should be a lot easier today. I concentrate for a moment, summoning my magic, and find myself standing on two hooves instead of four. Thank Celestia, I can reach the bowls now.

I busy myself with gathering together some items for breakfast: a bowl of sliced fruit, some yogurt, and cheese. I briefly consider frying up some eggs, but decide I'm not ready to find out if my new herbivorous diet allows for them.

Grabbing a spoon from the drawer, I sit down across from the Doc, who still has his nose stuck in the paper, and scoop up some melon. In between bites, I say, "You're up early, how'd you sleep?"

He takes a sip of coffee, then looks up, intending to answer. Instead of speaking, he spews coffee all over his paper and the table.

"Whoa, what was that all about?" I ask as I move my food out of the danger zone.

"Well, I've never had a naked pony-girl sit down across the table from me before. Kind of caught me by surprise," he answers.

"Huh?" confused at first, I look down at myself, then clamp my arms over my breasts, covering them from view. I'm pretty sure my dark fur is unable to hide the fact that I am blushing furiously. "Urk...I'm so sorry, Ray. I'm not completely used to this new body yet, especially having breasts!"

I stand to go put on some clothes, but notice the Doc looking at my waist with a funny look on his face. I look down and realize he's staring at my crotch. I also realize just how very exposed my sex is like this. I immediately drop one of my hands to cover my crotch, feeling like I'm going to die of embarrassment. Ray starts sputtering, trying to apologize for staring, which makes me feel even more embarrassed, causing me to lose my concentration. I drop to all fours with a crash that reverberates through the house.

I turn and flee the room like the worst demons of Tartarus are after me, dying of shame. I crash through my bedroom door, almost knocking over Moon Shadow in the process, and run into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me. I sit in the corner, rocking back and forth with my arms wrapped around my knees in the fetal position, wishing I could just disappear.

There's a knock at the door, and I hear Shadow's voice, "Irony, are you okay?"

I try to say I'm fine so she'll leave me to my shame, but nothing will come out but a small croak. The door opens, and Shadow steps in, looking for me.

"Irony! What happened?!" she asks me as she rushes over and wraps her arms around me, dropping to her knees in the process.

"I...I just showed off all the 'goods' to Dr. Ray! I didn't even think about clothes when I changed. I'm so embarrassed, Shadow! What will I say to him? What does he think of me? I can't believe I just paraded out there all naked, as if I didn't have a care in the world!" I groan.

"Well, that's one way to start your morning, I guess. How did he take it?" she asks me.

"First he spit his coffee everywhere, then he was staring at me!" I cry.

"So...are you saying he liked what he saw?"

"How should I know? I think he was more in shock than anything else. What does it matter if he liked what he saw, anyway?" I ask, confused.

"Oh, no reason," she sighs. "You really shouldn't be embarrassed. You're beautiful! Yeah, as humans we wore clothes, but as ponies, not so much. It actually makes sense that you wouldn't think of wearing clothes. It's okay."

I hear a knock on the door, then Dr. Ray enters when Shadow calls, "Come in!"

"I wanted to apologize for staring at you, Irony. I...I'm sorry. Looking at you excited me in a way that I never would have expected," he stammers out.

Moon Shadow smiles a Cheshire cat grin and says, "It's hard to blame you, Doc. She is extremely sexy."

She stands and pulls me up to my hooves. I see Dr. Ray looking me up and down, so I glance down at my body, I changed without noticing again...why?

I reach to cover up my nudity, but Shadow grabs my hands to stop me. I give her a stern look, my ears lying back against my head. She looks intently into my eyes, "Don't hide your beauty," she murmers into my ear.

"You're so beautiful. I've never seen anyone as sexy as you," Dr. Ray whispers as he continues looking at me, then his gaze takes in Moon Shadow as well, "both of you."

Shadow pulls me into a kiss, first just a peck, then a longer, more thorough kiss. Then she's slipping her tongue into my mouth, playing with mine, sliding over my flat teeth and tasting my mouth. When she finally pulls back, she smiles at me lovingly, then steps to the side and faces Dr. Ray. We can both plainly see his excitement.

Shadow winks at me lasciviously and says, "You know, Dr. Ray isn't bad looking himself."

She slinks over to him, pulling me along by the hand until we are both right in front of him. Still holding my hand, she reaches out with her other hand to run it along his freshly shaven jaw.

My ears are drooped down to the side of my head, I'm not entirely sure I like where she seems to be going with this.

Shadow looks at me, then brings our joined hands up to touch Ray's cheek and jaw. He seems frozen there as she says, "He's not going to bite you, Irony. Or then again, maybe he will." She smirks at us.

He really is rather good looking, I think to myself, my hand now cupping his jaw of its own accord. Shadow, letting go of my hand, slips around behind me and pushes me closer to the Doc. My other hand reaches up to touch his face without me telling it to. Now, without any thinking on my part, my hands are sliding down his neck and across his shoulders and down his chest.

Oh Celestia, what am I doing? I think, my mind growing a little hazy as my hands continue down his chest to his waist. They stop there for a moment, resting on his hips.

I feel Moon Shadow lean up to purr into my ear, "He keeps himself in pretty good shape, doesn't he?"

My body shivers as I whisper, "Yes, he does." I'm just feeling, right now, all thinking has gone out the window.

I grip the hem of his shirt and pull it up and over his head in one fluid motion, revealing his firm chest and abs. I feel a hint of dampness in my overheated sex at the vision before me. Shadow's hands reach from behind and cup my breasts, lightly playing with my nipples.

Why can't I control myself? Why do I feel this way towards a man? I've never felt anything like this before! I think as my hands find their way to his chest again, playing over his muscled frame. I feel the definition in his muscles, his ribs. My body responds as I touch him.

At this invasion, Ray's paralysis is broken and he pulls me into his chest, his lips reaching for mine. At first he seems a little confused by my muzzle, but soon he's compensating for it, and our lips are wrestling furiously. My arms wrap around him, one hand gripping his hair, the other around his waist.

I feel one of Shadow's hands make its way down from my breast, across my stomach, and onto my steaming slit. She traces a finger over my nether lips, swirling it in my flowing juices before flicking my little nub, causing me to shudder violently from the pleasure that flows through me.

A mini-orgasm hits me like a bolt out of the blue, I cry out, breaking the kiss. Ray takes the opportunity to kiss and lick his way down my neck, across my collarbone, and down my breasts. He teases my nipples with his tongue, gently flicking them one at a time, then drawing a hot, wet line all around them before flicking them again.

Suddenly, he sucks my nipple into his mouth, making me gasp. Then I feel his teeth gripping my nipple as he continues to suck and tease it with his tongue. Moon picks exactly that moment to thrust the fingers of one hand into my pussy, while the other continues teasing my clit. I throw back my head and scream as I ride the wave of pleasure as I near the edge of a real orgasm.

I vaguely see a green glow out of the corner of my eye, and hear Shadow order, "Get her on the bed!"

Ray picks me up in his arms, surprising me with his strength, and carries my limp form to the bed. As he lays me down, he leans in and kisses me tenderly. I look down my body at him as he steps away, and see that he is now fully nude, his beautiful cock pointing in my direction. I'm shocked, I had one of my own for so long, and yet the thought of having his inside me simply makes me feel amazing. I want it. I feel my pussy clench. I need it!

Shadow comes over and starts kissing me and pinching my nipples, momentarily distracting me from the sight of Dr. Ray's member. Soon, however, Ray makes his presence known again by kissing my foot, my ankle, and up my calf to my knee. He stops at the knee on one side, then kisses up to the other knee before continuing further up my thighs.

Moon Shadow clambers on top of me and plops her dripping snatch down onto my face just as Dr. Ray starts licking my inner thighs and across my pussy lips. I moan incoherently as I bury my tongue in Shadow's molten core, lapping up her delicious honey as quickly as I can.

Ray's tongue dives into my juicy cunt, forcing a scream from my mouth and into Moon's folds. I can hear Moon's moans, getting louder by the second, as I alternate driving my tongue inside of her and sucking on her protruding clit.

Hearing her moans, combined with the Doc's ministrations and the taste of her dripping pussy in my mouth, has me flying toward the event horizon of earth-shattering pleasure.

Shadow, somehow sensing my inevitability, orders Dr. Ray, "Get up here! Bury that cock of yours inside her!" Her voice is strained with her own impending orgasm.

Ray obliges her, climbing onto the bed and taking hold of my hips, he plunges his throbbing meat inside me. I cry out throatily at the pain and pleasure, the sound muffled by Moon's boiling cavern. My body feels a definitive tearing inside, but my pain and pleasure center is confused, so it all feeds into my building cum.

After a moment of getting his bearings, Ray slides his cock almost all the way out of me, then thrusts back into me. Once, twice, three times.

"Harder, fuck her harder!" I hear Moon Shadow shout.

The Doc picks up the pace, slamming himself into me, our pelvises meeting with each thrust. I lift my legs and, wrapping them around him, use them to push him further into me. Shadow leans forward and, taking Ray's head in her hands, kisses him like she's going to suck his soul right out of its fleshy prison. She screams into his mouth as she slips into her ocean of pleasure, pushing me over the edge into the abyss. Ray plows into my slippery folds as they grip him in crushing waves, milking his cock for all they're worth.

A moment later, as Shadow is beginning to come down off her high, I feel Ray's body tense and his dick bursts inside of me, making my body respond with another wave of pleasure. My pussy pulls every drop of cum from him, until he falls over limp with exhaustion. Shadow crawls down my body and begins lapping at my slit, devouring every drop of cum she can find, causing my body to writhe with aftershocks.

Once the job is done to her satisfaction, she turns herself around and lays on top of me, kissing me thoroughly. I can easily taste the mixture of Ray's and my own juices all over her mouth. Ray leans over and kisses me, then turns and kisses Shadow as well. Afterward, he licks his lips and smiles down at me.

"That was fucking amazing!" we all say, almost in unison.

"Fuck, that was hot!" we hear from the bedroom door. I lift my head up to see Trixie with her pants around her ankles, and three fingers buried in her cunt.

"The Great, and Super Fucking Horny, Trixie is cumming!" Trixie gasps out as her legs buckle from underneath her and she slowly slumps to the floor, vocalizing her pleasure all the way down.

"Wow," is all I can say. What the hell has come over all of us? Whatever it is, that was A-Fucking-mazing! So maybe it doesn't matter what caused it... I decide.

"So, I think this is probably a first for all of us..." Ray says, making the rest of us laugh, even Trixie on the floor.

Once our laughter dies down, I kiss Shadow lovingly and say, "I don't know how you managed to make that happen, but thank you."

"Oh no, big girl, you did this all yourself, I just shoved...er nudged you in the right direction," she replies.

"Ladies, I would like to thank you both for the best time I've ever had, and probably will ever have. Honestly, I never thought my first three-some would be with two gorgeous ponies!" Ray chuckles lightly.

Trixie climbs onto the bed with us, and we pull her into our pile, holding her to us. "Thank you for holding Trixie. She misses Flash so much!" I see a tear leak from her eye and slide silently down her cheek.

"Oh Trixie, I wish he were here with you too! But we're here together, and we love you," I tell her as I wrap my arms around her alone in a big hug.

"Thank you, Irony," she whispers.

We all hold onto each other and cuddle until we all drop off into a light slumber.

Chapter 16

*Jim/Flash*

Jim sat at a picnic table, bundled up in his hoodie and winter coat. He waited for what seemed like a long time, drawing doodles in the spring snow still left on the table to distract himself from his worries. It hadn't really been very effective though, his thoughts kept creeping back to his situation.

I really hope this wasn't a huge mistake, he thought to himself, more than once. He constantly watched the entrance to the rest area, hoping, and yet fearing, to see his friend Maddie pull in. He grew more fearful with every car or truck that passed by, dread filling him that they would stop, that someone would see him and freak out like everybody else had.

He also became more convinced with every minute that Maddie wouldn't be able to accept what had happened to him, that she would scream and run away.

He continued to vacillate between those fears until he heard a female voice behind him say, rather loudly, "Five Score, Divided by Four!"

He twisted toward the voice, fell to the ground, and shouted as the words drove a spike of ice into his spine. When he saw who the voice came from, he thought he was going mad.

She...she's a pony too? Is everyone going to turn into a pony? ran through his mind as he lay there in the snow looking at the pegasus in front of him. His mind filed away the light blue-green fur and two-toned blonde mane for later consideration.

"Are you Jim?" she asked him, smiling at his nod of ascent. She waved to another pegasus, a stallion, who stepped forward.

"M-Maddie?" Jim asked the blue-green mare.

The pegasus smirked at him as she replied, "Wrong sibling."

The other pegasus, with light blue fur and dark blue mane, spoke, "I was Maddie, but now I'm Soarin."

Jim looked from one to another, fear plain on his face, Oh dear god, this is all so fucked up!

The female pegasus said, "I was her brother Mike, but now I'm Lightning Dust."

Jim pointed his hand--which no longer resembled a human hand at all, but instead something between a hand and a hoof--at the female, "So, you were Mike, a human male, and are now the mare Lightning Dust?" Jim pointed his protohoof at the other pegasus and said, "And you were my friend Maddie, a woman, and are now Soarin, the stallion?"

Both pegasi nodded in affirmation, then Lightning Dust said, "And you are?"

Jim looked down, tears filling his eyes as he realized what they wanted, and at his own conflict. He finally replied, "I was Jim. But I guess I'm not anymore. Now I've become Lightning Flash."

The blue-green pegasus sat down hard, and with a funny look on her face, asked, "The Wonderbolt reservist Lightning Flash?"

Jim looked at her, puzzled, and nodded.

Suddenly she dove at him, wrapping her front legs around him in a tight hug, "You helped me in the battle with Discord! I sent you lightning bolts for you to direct back at him, so we could attack from both sides at once."

"Are you sure? I mean, I've had some pretty vivid dreams the last couple of nights, I don't really know what to believe," he said, trying to sort things out in his head.

"Dude, those weren't just dreams, they were memories," Soarin told him.

"You mean all of that actually happened? Are you sure?" Jim asked.

"Best as we can determine, yeah," Lightning Dust replied. "I mean, I talked to my pony self after dreaming about the battle."

"I...faced something similar. That's how I learned who I'm becoming," Jim said, his face falling as he thought about how he'd reacted to his pony self.

Lightning Dust looked at Jim, "Lightning Flash, I know you were in the battle, but how did you not get banished then like us? How did you make it another day?"

So he talked about his dream, and explained how they were ordered to scatter after she, Soarin, and Spitfire were hit, "There was nothing we could do, he was just so damn powerful! We had no choice!" Tears started to form in his eyes as he continued, "I lasted most of a day before Discord caught up with me. I'll never again forget that feeling, the feeling that I was a fly looking at the swatter coming down on me."

"It's going to be okay, we'll make it all work out," Lightning Dust said, putting a hoof on Jim's shoulder. Before she could continue on, they were interrupted by headlights turning into the rest area from the freeway. "That's my wife."

"You're married? What does she think of what's happening to you?" Jim asked her.

Dust sighed heavily, "She doesn't really like it, but it's not like we have any say in the matter. We love each other, so we're staying together."

"But what about when you go back to Equestria?"

"I don't know that I will go back. Heck, I don't even know if we can get back. For now, my goal is for us to find as many ponies as we can, then help and protect them."

Jim nodded, and getting a flash of insight, said, "That's you, Dust, ever the protector."

This earned him a brief glare from Lightning Dust as the vehicle pulled into a parking space near them. Then she said, "Your wings aren't ready for you to fly with, yet, Flash. You can ride back with Soarin and my wife, Helen. I'm going to fly home. I'm pretty sure Soarin won't mind teaching you how to fly tomorrow."

"What will you be doing while Soarin is teaching me to fly?" Jim asked.

"Me? I'm going to work. Gotta pay the bills, you know?" she said as she hovered over to her wife, kissing her and speaking softly to her for a moment. They parted with another kiss before Dust took to the air.

"Hi, I'm Helen," she said, reaching a hand out to shake Jim's protohoof.

"Jim, er, Lightning Flash," he responded, as he tried to return the shake, without a whole lot of luck.

"Let's go!" Soarin said, leaping into the open passenger door.

Helen shrugged her shoulders and said, "She never was very patient, even as a human."

Jim nodded as Helen opened the back door and helped him into the vehicle. Once inside, he tried to buckle the seatbelt, only to fail miserably without any fingers left. Now I know what Irony felt like when she needed me to carry her out to the truck that night, he thought, his eyes shimmering with unshed tears as he thought about his brother/sister.

Helen, seeing his plight, reached across and snapped the belt into place with the well-practiced motion of someone who had raised children. Jim gave her a small smile in thanks, then turned and stared out the window as she pulled back out onto the freeway.

After a few minutes of silence, Soarin turned to look at Jim and said, "So, Flash, what brought you all the way out here?"

"I...I was running away," he finally mumbled in shame.

"What were you running away from?"

"Myself."

"Why?" Soarin asked, simply.

Jim didn't answer for a long time. Finally, just when Soarin was sure he wasn't going to, Jim replied, "Because I was afraid. I didn't want to turn into a pony."

"How did you know you were turning into a pony? Wait, are you a brony? Is that how you knew? When you saw your cutie mark?"

Jim sighed, "To answer your question, yes, my brother and I were both bronies. Though that's not how I knew."

Helen glanced back at him and asked, "So, then how did you know what was happening to you?"

"I watched my brother change," Jim covered his face with his malformed hooves.

"Wait a second! Your brother is a pony, too?! What was his name again?" Soarin asked excitedly, not noticing Jim's mood.

"Her name was Henry."

"That's right, I remember you used to talk about him all the time in school! You were always going on about how great he was, how you wished you were more like him. So, who did he turn into? Was it Big Mac, or Shining Armor?" Soarin didn't notice how every sentence he spoke caused Jim to fold further in on himself.

Helen, seeing what Soarin did not, finally reached over and smacked him upside the head, "Stop it, Soarin! Can't you see he's upset?"

He looked around at Jim, who had tears actively leaking from the corners of his eyes, and said, "I'm so sorry, Flash! I'm so oblivious all the time. I didn't mean to make you sad."

"It's not your fault. It's mine," Jim responded quietly.

"Since you weren't paying attention before, I'll remind you that he said, 'her name was Henry'. I'm guessing that means his brother is now his sister, kind of like what happened to you and Mike," Helen pointed out.

"Oh," Soarin said, his ears drooping flat against his skull as his face fell. "I'm sorry again for being so insensitive, Flash."

"It's okay."

Conversation dried up after that and they finished the journey in silence. By the time they got to Lightning Dust and Helen's house, it was full dark. Helen opened the doors for Soarin and Jim. When Jim tried to get out, he fell to the ground, his legs not wanting to support him in an upright position anymore. Helen and Soarin helped support him as they made their way into the house. They ate a big dinner, then after some further maneuvering, they were able to get Jim tucked into a guest bed for the night.

Once he was alone, Jim let the tears flow as he sobbed silently. After a time, he had no more tears to cry. He stared at the ceiling as he felt his body continue changing around him. By the time he slipped into unconsciousness, he could tell the transformation was almost complete.

***

Jim sat on his haunches as he stared off into the void. He'd already relived his last moments again and was waiting for the part that he'd dreaded all evening.

Finally, he heard the sound of approaching hooves. He didn't turn to see the approaching pony, already knowing it was Lightning Flash. The pony sat down next to Jim, and they sat in awkward silence for some time.

"Aren't you going to yell at me, or run away?" Flash finally spoke.

"No. I have to stop running sometime, guess it might as well be now," Jim replied fatalistically.

"Look, I'm sorry. I never wanted to come and take your life away from you. Just like I never wanted my life to be taken from me. This is all because of Discord."

"I know. And I don't blame you anymore. I'm sorry that I tried to."

"I would have probably reacted the same way. We're really not all that different, you know."

"I know. I don't want to fight who I am anymore. Will you help me?"

"Always. We are in this together. We are one."

Flash smiled at Jim, who returned the smile. They touched hooves, their bodies shimmered, then they melded into one being.

Once it was all over, the pony that was left looked down at himself and smiled, "We are in this together. No more will I fight who I am. Thank you."

***

Lightning Flash woke feeling much better than he had in days. He felt rested, and a measure of peace. All of his problems weren't gone, but at least he wasn't at war with himself anymore.

Before he could convince himself to roll out of bed, the bedroom door slammed open, hitting the wall with a crash. Soarin leapt through and started barking commands.

"Get your lazy ass out of bed, recruit! I want to see those hooves on the floor now!" the blue stallion bellowed.

Before a single thought could process through Flash's mind, he was out of bed, standing at attention, and saluting.

"Drop and give me 20 push-ups!" Soarin ordered. Flash was quick to comply, his body automatically falling back on his military training.

For his part, Soarin acted like it was natural that Flash follow his orders. He continued to put Flash through his paces, running the gamut from push-ups to squat-thrusts, froggers to wing-ups. They ended the PT with a five-mile run through the hillside.

Never have I been so glad that Irony helped keep me in shape all this time, Flash sighed to himself when they finally stopped to rest after the run. At least I didn't collapse in a heap at the end like Soarin! he thought rather gleefully.

"Okay, the run may have been a bit much," Soarin gasped out between pants. "Damn, how is it you're hardly out of breath? You can't be in better shape than me, you haven't had time to get in shape since transforming!"

Flash thought for a moment before answering, "Maybe our condition as humans affected how fit we are as ponies? I mean, Irony never let me slack off our physical training after we left the service. She always said, 'once a Marine, always a Marine'. I used to find that so irritating."

Soarin shook his head, "Maybe that's it. Well, you are for sure in better shape than me. Sorry about waking you up like that, but it seemed the best way. Dust and I both had to get used to walking on four legs again, and found that when we didn't think about it we had a lot less trouble."

Flash waved off Soarin's apology with the flick of a hoof, "No sweat. I know how muscle memory works."

Soarin stood and, smirking, said, "So, recruit, ready to learn how to fly?"

Flash nodded, grinning from ear to ear at the thought of hitting the sky, "Yes, sir!"

"Alright, we should start with the basics. Extend your wings," Soarin said, which Flash immediately did.

"Now slowly flap your wings, like this," Soarin extended his own wings and flapped gently in example, not attaining any lift, just showing the proper motions.

Flash watched Soarin for a moment, then mirrored his movements. Soarin nodded, then flapped his wings a little faster, lifting his hooves off the ground. He hovered there as he watched Flash try. After a couple false starts, Flash managed to hover as well, if a bit more wobbly than the blue pegasus.

"Looking good, recruit. Now, let's see. Race you to that cloud over there!" Soarin took off like a shot before he even reached the end of his sentence.

"Cheater!" Flash called as he flapped his wings, giving chase. Focusing all his attention on the winged creature before him, Flash quickly fell into a natural rhythm, each wingflap stronger and faster than the last. He reached the cloud shortly after Soarin, then watched as the other pony flared his wings and actually landed on the cloud.

"Whoa! You mean we can actually do that?!" he shouted in glee, before executing his own rather shaky landing onto the cloudtop.

Soarin threw his head back and laughed at Flash's exuberance and how he pranced across the white fluff of mist, "Yeah, we can walk on clouds. Pretty sure we can control weather, too."

"Sweet! I can't wait to try it!" Flash grinned.

"One thing at a time, one thing at a time. We'll figure it out soon enough, but we'll have to fly out to an unpopulated area, just in case something weird happens," Soarin responded, tempering Flash's excitement.

Flash nodded, "Good point. So...what should we do now?"

Soarin smirked, "What else? Fly!"

They both took off and flew for the rest of the morning, practicing and generally showing off to each other. By the time they landed back at the house, Flash was back in full flying trim.

"Thank you for helping me get used to my body again, and thank you for taking me in," Flash thanked Soarin as he enjoyed his third serving of lunch, a simple, yet surprisingly delicious, bowl of alfalfa pellets. At first, Flash had balked, but at a look from Soarin he'd decided to try it before judging. "And this alfalfa is delicious! I never would have thought it could be so good."

"You're welcome. I'm just glad we were here to help you. Dust and I want to help everypony who's going through these changes. Having gone through them ourselves, we know how much of a shock, and how scary, it is. Nopony should have to go through this alone, though I'm certain that a good number of them will," Soarin said thoughtfully.

Flash nodded, "I want to help too. I don't want the other ponies to be afraid of what's happening to them. It's not fair."

The two pegasi shared small talk over the rest of their meal, then headed out and into the sky once again. They spent the bulk of the afternoon in the air, trying to build up their stamina.

By the time Lightning Dust arrived home from work, they were worn, but happy ponies.

After they greeted Dust and exchanged some minor pleasantries, Dust asked, "So, what is your sad story? How do you know Maddie?"

"Well, it's pretty simple, really. We went to school together, at Texas A & M. I was a cadet in the ROTC at the time, and we shared a few classes. We started talking after class one day, and just ended up hanging out together after that," Flash answers.

"I'm assuming you continued on into the military. What branch did you join?" she asked.

"I served two years in the Marines, with my brother. We were deployed in the Middle East for most of it."

"So, what brought you to us?" Dust inquired next.

"Well, after Irony changed, I freaked out because I was afraid of turning into a pony too," Flash paused.

"Hold on a moment. Irony. I know that name. Wait, you don't mean Irony Smith, the earth pony? Irony, the Shieldbreaker?! Leader of Princess Twilight's personal guard?"

Flash nodded in response to each question.

"Whoa, she was a bit of a legend. Though I don't know how much anypony really believed. When did she change?" Lightning Dust seemed a bit taken aback.

"His...I mean, her, birthday was on the 25th of April. And while I don't know the legends you speak of, I wouldn't discount anything if I were you," Flash shared, pride evident in his voice.

Dust growled deep in her chest, "Dammit. Discord must have wanted her out of the way. Princess Sparkle didn't trust anypony else to protect her. She hated needing to have a personal bodyguard, but she accepted Irony. Irony was a good leader, and I'd often heard she was ferocious in a fight. I always had a lot of respect for her."

"Well, being human for 25 years didn't change her much. She's exactly like she was back then. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a problem to deal with before I left," Flash took the next several minutes to explain about Kaitlyn getting kidnapped, how they found her, and what happened at the chop shop.

"So, she's really a master smith? And she has already recreated her armor, mace and shield?" Dust laughed. "I feel very sorry for anypony who stands in her way."

Flash nodded again as Dust continued, "Now, I remember being briefed, as a leader in the Wonderbolts, about her, ahem...abilities. Dash would know, and Soarin here, too. But none of us were ever told how she came by them, only what she could do. Do you know anything more?"

Flash shook his head, "No, unfortunately, I don't know anything else. I only saw her do it that once, and she hadn't finished her original transformation from Henry to Irony at the time." His head hung in shame, his ears flattened against his skull, "It's part of the reason I ran way."

"Judging by how much you ate last night and today, you had to have been on the road since you found your cutie mark," Soarin added.

"Before, actually," Flash said sadly. "Irony figured out that Kaitlyn and I were going to change. Kaitlyn knew, but I didn't. I said some pretty nasty things about them turning into ponies when I found out she was going to transform too. So she told me, in the bluntest of terms, that I would be going through it as well. It freaked me out. I should never have said the awful things I shouted at Irony. Henry was my brother for 25 years. Even though he changed, I still love him. I had no idea what to do. He turned into a fucking pony! And then I find out that I was going to follow in his hoofsteps? I flipped my wig! Though now, I guess I'm thankful that at least I didn't have to go through the sex change like Henry did."

Dust moved to comfort Flash, but before she got to him he exclaimed, "Holy shit!" He jumped off his stool and began to pace.

Soarin, looking at him in confusion, asked, "What's wrong, Flash?"

"Sherry! Damn it all to hell! I just up and left. I can't believe I left her there. We were just starting to get serious, too!" Flash shook his head.

"Oh man, that's hard. Do you want to call to see how things are going back home?"

A look of near panic crossed Flash's face, he dropped to the ground and covered his head with his hooves, "She's going to hate me now. Heck, we're not even the same species anymore!"

Dust tried to console him, "I wouldn't count her out. Love is a funny thing. You might want to give it a shot."

Flash just continued to lie there, whimpering softly. When it became clear that he wasn't ready to face this particular problem, Soarin tried changing the subject, "How did you manage to survive for nearly twenty-four hours more than Dust and I?"

Flash looked up at Soarin from his place on the floor, "When the order to flee was passed down, we scattered. In every possible direction. I chose south, at random. When the adrenaline finally stopped pumping and I looked at my surroundings, I found myself near Appleloosa.

"I saw a lone wagon trekking across the desert. I recognized it as belonging to Trixie. You know, from the show? I stopped to tell her about what had been happening, but she already knew most of it. She asked me to go with her, it seemed like a good idea, and I was scared, so I went with her.

"We tried to get away from any populated areas, figuring we could hide out in the desert until Discord had finished his bag of tricks. Unfortunately, we were wrong. Evidently he had a very long list of ponies he wanted to banish. Late that night, while we were resting from our long gallop, Discord appeared right in front of us.

"I'll never forget the words he said: 'Ahh, Miss Lulamoon, you would not believe the trouble I have gone through to track you down.' Then he looked at me and said: 'And you, my little Wonderbolt. You are all alone now. Your team is gone, your precious princesses done for.' Then the most evil smile I have ever seen in my entire life spread across his wicked visage.

"Trixie shouted for me to fly away as she started charging her horn to fling spells at the horrible monster. You know, she was actually a surprisingly good Mage. She managed to keep her cool as she launched blast after blast at Discord. When I saw him launch his curse, the one I'd already seen strike down so many other ponies, I just knew it was going to hit her. Without any active thought, I dove in front of her, hoping against hope that I could give her a little longer to somehow find a way to stop him."

Dust hopped off her chair, put a wing over Flash and said, "You two fought valiantly. I don't think anypony could have stopped him at that point. He'd already taken out the mane six, as well as the princesses. We were nothing more than mop-up operations to him."

Soarin joined them on the floor, and they all huddled there together, wings wrapped around each other.

After a while, Flash disentangled himself from the others. He excused himself and, exiting through the back door, flew up to land on a low-hanging cloud. He curled up, lay his head on his hooves and cried softly until he had no more tears.

Sometime after that Soarin hovered into view, saying "Hey Flash, mind if I join you?"

"Sure, pull up some water vapor," Flash replied, eventually. Soarin nodded and settled down nearby.

"Soarin, do you remember anything from Equestria?" Flash asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Feelings, insights, some bits and pieces. Not a lot of whole memories, aside from the fight with Discord. You?" he replied.

"Yeah, that's what I figured. It's the same for me. I remember that I was in awe of you and Dust, but I don't really remember knowing you very well. Now that I've met you again, I really wish I remembered more."

"Don't we all..."

"I suppose that is the simple truth."

"At least we remember our human lives. Those are still real."

"That is a good point. And as I recall, you were a bit of a nerd back in school," Flash teased.

Soarin blushed, "Yeah, well, that's still true. Of course, I remember you as a wannabe jarhead that didn't know the first thing about computers."

"Guilty as charged. You know, I'm still extremely grateful you took pity on me and helped me in those tech classes. Without you, I never would have made the grades to stay in the cadet program," Flash said, smiling.

"Yeah, well, it went both ways. You helped me to get out of my shell once in a while, taught me how to have a little fun. Though it seems I never figured out how to pick good boyfriends," Soarin laughed, then, gesturing at himself, "of course, maybe this explains why..."

Flash laughed politely, then asked, "Do you think that's why we never dated?"

"No. We never dated because you never asked. If you had, I would have said yes, though I suppose that might have complicated things now..." came the reply.

"Well, maybe things turned out for the best, in light of our current situation. Thank you for always being a great friend to me. I don't know what I would have done without you, then and now."

"I'm glad that we met. You're an amazing pony, Flash. Now we can work together again, this time to help the other stranded ponies," Soarin said, extending a hoof to touch Flash's shoulder.

"Thanks again, Soarin. For everything."

"No problem, always glad to help a friend. Hey, I don't know about you, but I'm pretty tired now. Let's hit the hay," Soarin yawned.

Flash nodded. They both stood up, said their goodnights, and flew down to the house and their rooms.

Chapter 18

*Moon Shadow*

Moon Shadow's dreams were troubled. She had always remembered her dreams, even when she was human, but now they were a lot more vivid. And, she had learned, some were more important than others.

Upon entering the dream, she quickly realized that it was no ordinary dream, and yet it wasn't the Dream World. This Dream had importance. She watched it unfold, instinctually knowing that she would be able to recall every detail when she woke.

She saw Irony appear out of the fog. With her was a much smaller pony, though the size of the other pony was all that could be seen, as Shadow's vision was clouded when she tried to gaze upon it.

She felt a pang of jealousy flush through her when the pony leaned against Irony, and she turned her head to kiss the other pony on the muzzle lovingly. The jealousy dissipated, however, when Moon Shadow saw herself excitedly trot up to the pair. She watched as her dream-self nuzzled the new pony and kissed Irony. The trio then faded away.

Another Dream began almost immediately.

Out of darkness there appeared a pegasus. Once again, Shadow could see few details, beyond that it was, indeed, a pegasus. The pony trotted forward along a clearly defined path, seeming to know it's way very well, until it came upon a split. At the fork in the trail, Shadow saw Irony standing proudly. The pegasus sat back on its haunches, frowning as it hesitated.

Suddenly, the paths lit up for Moon Shadow to see. Down one, she saw Irony lying flat on the ground, crying in defeat, her heart crushed. The pegasus soldiered on, though something in its bearing told Shadow that it would never be the same again. She saw herself, with tears falling freely down her face from some fierce sadness, caused by what, she could not tell. Beyond that, there was a great emptiness.

The other path was much longer, but it was also littered with death. Along the way, there were many dead ponies, though interspersed amongst them were ponies that were instead bathed in a halo of light, almost like a bright white aura. There was a great battle, hard-fought, but won. The victory, however, was tainted by a great angst.

Further along that path, she could see the pegasus plodding, with its head down. Every step the pegasus took changed it. Shadow could see bruises form, then open wounds, and finally, scars. Then it began to heal, moving with less pain, standing taller.

Her attention was drawn away from the pegasus, to a point further down that path. Her eyes widened and she gasped in shock at what she saw there.

At the very end of what Shadow could readily see, stood the same pegasus, battered and scarred, forlorn. And something that made Moon Shadow's blood run like ice through her veins: Irony's broken body, her blood spilled all around. She lay there alone, with none to aid her.

"No. No! NOOO!!" screamed Moon Shadow, her heart shattered. Sobbing, she fled the dream, but not before she saw that there was more to be seen beyond that awful vision, fogged though it was. She paid it little attention as she ran, trying to evade the truth of the Dream she'd just been witness to.

* * *

Moon Shadow stopped running when she finally realized that she had successfully escaped the horrifying nightmare. She fell into a heap and, laying her head on her hooves, cried until she ran out of tears.

Oh my dear Irony, why is your life destined to be so full of pain and suffering? she thought to herself as she lay there. Is it not enough that you had your first love murdered, before your very eyes? Or that you were ripped away from your own world, your own time, and even had your gender forcibly changed? Not to mention you were then banished from the new world, which you'd only just become accustomed to, to live once again as a human? It isn't right that you have had to suffer so, and will face even worse in the future, no matter which path your hooves are set upon!

Having finally calmed herself, Shadow looked around her. She soon realized that she had run from her own Dream, and into the World of Dreams.

Going to have to be more careful. I could get myself killed, she reprimanded herself lightly, knowing that anything that happened in the World of Dreams was completely real. If she died there, that was it, she would really cease to exist.

She regained her hooves, shaking off her sadness and fear as she did so, and began to slowly walk, her eyes searching every direction for danger, as though she could make up for her lapse with extra vigilance. She'd been practicing ever since she remembered that she had the ability to Dreamwalk. She still didn't have a lot of memories to go off of, so she had been surviving mostly by being cautious, listening to her instincts, and getting lucky.

She knew it wasn't wise to rely on luck, but she felt a pressing need to continue to learn, no matter the dangers she would face. Her foremost goal, after making it out alive, of course, was to find a way back to Equestria. She felt, deep in her soul, that they would be needed there, sooner rather than later.

That was, in fact, the reason she had sought out the Dream this night. Though, instead of the World of Dreams, she'd found herself watching visions of the future.

Now that she had recovered from the ordeal, Shadow decided it was time to return to her true purpose. Earlier in the day, she had remembered a fragment of a lesson with Princess Luna. What she remembered, was that if the need were great enough, that you could find something you'd never seen before, by focusing on what you were looking for, closing your eyes, and taking a leap of faith. This was a dangerous way to seek something, because of the necessity of closing your eyes while you stepped into a completely unknown situation. One wrong step would be her doom.

Shadow had decided that the need was, indeed, great enough. If they didn't find a way home, they would be stuck on Earth forever, with no real purpose other than survival. That was something that didn't bear thinking about.

She stopped walking, turned in a circle to ensure she was alone and clear of danger, then closed her eyes and focused on her need to find a way home, a way to Equestria. Once that was firmly in her mind, she took the blind step. The world shifted around her, which caused a lurch in her stomach, then she quickly opened her eyes and peered around in every direction, prepared to run or fight if she saw anything at all that seemed dangerous.

When she was certain that it was safe, she took a moment to better catalog her surroundings. What she saw didn't make much sense to her at all. There was a crappy looking little shed, surrounded by a field of grass, several larger buildings in the background. Her attention kept being drawn to the shed, even though it didn't seem to be of any worth.

Maybe I didn't do it right? she considered briefly. She closed her eyes and, concentrating more intently on her goal, stepped blindly. When she looked once again, all she found was that she was even closer to the dilapidated little out-building.

Okaaay... whatever I'm looking for, it must be in there, she realized. She stepped up to the door and tried to open it, but it wouldn't budge. That's odd... She visualized the door open instead of closed, trying to control it as she would anything else in the World of Dreams, but it remained steadfastly shut. She turned around and bucked the door in frustration when that failed, but it didn't even shake in its frame.

"What the hell?" Moon Shadow said aloud in frustration. Whatever is in there must be very powerful. Maybe it really is the way back home. But, if it is... then where the heck is this place?

Shadow paced around the building, building its shape in her mind so that she could find it again. Then she retreated a ways to see if she could find any indication as to just where in the world this phenomenon was.

No matter where she looked, she couldn't find any sign at all that would give her a clue. She ranged further out, but all she found was a river nearby. There were no other telling landmarks. After a time of searching, she finally gave up and walked back to the shack. Or tried to. When she returned to where the building had stood, she found nothing. Not an empty field, not a different building, but nothing at all. She spun on her hooves and found that the nothing was everywhere now. Everything that she had seen, only moments ago, was simply gone. She stood alone, surrounded by emptiness.

What...?

Shadow closed her eyes, having decided to try to reach the shack through her need again. When she took a step forward, it was like she ran muzzle first into a brick wall. She opened her eyes to see she was still surrounded by the nothing. A shiver ran down her spine, and she decided it was time to leave.

She sidestepped out of the World of Dreams, feeling relieved to be away from the exceedingly odd scene. She floated in the void, surrounded by pinpricks of light, the space between dreams.

I need to find Irony and tell her about this, she decided. She envisioned her lover in her mind, expecting her dream to come forth, but it didn't. Which led Shadow to one conclusion. She must not be asleep. Which means she's probably in her shop again, working at her forge.

Shadow sighed. The last several days had seen Irony closeted in her shop more and more. It was like she was driven by whatever she was working on. Whenever asked what the project was, she simply replied 'I have no idea... yet'.

Shadow and Trixie had both completed their transformations, but were still trying to get used to their new bodies. They'd spent a lot of time working on magic together, with some interesting results, but Shadow would have rather spent that time with Irony instead.

Trixie spent her nights crying herself to sleep. It was blatantly obvious to everypony that she was missing, and worried, about Jim, though she tried not to show it. Whenever the crying became too severe, Irony would carry her into their room and the three of them would cuddle in a pony pile to help comfort her. Usually, in the middle of the night, Trixie would extricate herself and return to her room. Shadow had noticed that, while nowhere near as obnoxious as she was portrayed in the show, that Trixie was a proud pony, and a scared one too.

***

Moon Shadow opened her eyes and, as expected, found herself huddled alone in the big bed. She levered herself out from under the covers and off the bed, then quietly trotted down the hall and out the door to the yard. Just as she knew she would, she heard the sound of a hammer striking hot steel as it reverberated from Irony's shop.

The moment she stepped through the door, she stopped dead in her tracks. She was treated to the sight of her lover; the midnight mare's form was bathed in a flickering orange luminescence as she gazed lovingly upon the steel rod as she applied the hellish fury of the forge fire.

Shadow watched in awe as the bipedal mare swung the glowing steel over to the anvil, a hammer having appeared in her hand almost like it had been magicked there. The inert implement seemed to take on a life all its own as it was swung over her head in a broad stroke. The hardened steel sang out in triumph when it imparted the force of the blow to the fiery bar of metal, throwing out an explosion of sparks in every direction.

Before Shadow could even fully register the sound that was emitted, the hammer was beginning its next arc, smiting the steel again, and again.

Moon Shadow was mesmerized by the scene before her. She watched, silently soaking up the sheer primal beauty that exuded from the love of her life. It took several minutes of watching before she realized that Irony was singing softly as she worked:

"Come little children

I'll take thee away, into a land

of Enchantment

Come little children

the time's come to play

here in my garden

of Shadows

Follow sweet children

I'll show thee the way

through all the pain and

the Sorrows

Weep not poor children

for life is this way

murdering beauty and

Passions

Hush now dear children

it must be this way

to weary of life and

Deceptions

Rest now my children

for soon we'll away

into the calm and

the Quiet

Come little children

I'll take thee away, into a land

of Enchantment

Come little children

the time's come to play

here in my garden

of Shadows"

As the song came to a close, so too did the ringing of the steel. Irony held up the piece, inspecting it critically, before setting it next to several other similar pieces. Then she looked up and smiled at Shadow.

"I thought I felt somepony come in, but I was in the zone..." she said sheepishly.

"It's okay, I know how you work. Besides, it was amazing to watch you. I never thought about it before, but I've never actually seen you in the creative process. It was... magical!" Shadow gushed. Irony blushed fiercely at the compliment.

"Yeah, well, I just wish I knew what it is that I'm making. I have a pretty good idea of how it will all go together, but... still don't have a clue what it is," Irony shrugged her massive shoulders.

"Hmmm..." Shadow studied the separate parts, a picture forming in her minds eye of what they would look like when attached, "I think... I think they're wing-blades."

Confusion was evident in Irony's eyes, "What are wing-blades?"

"You know, a weapon that a pegasus wears on their wings. They're pretty deadly."

"How do you know what wing-blades are?" Irony asked, bewildered.

"I'm not sure, just a memory popping to the surface, I guess," she replied with a shrug. "What's more interesting, is that they have to be custom-fit for every pegasus, otherwise they won't fold right, and will impede the pegasus' ability to fly. It makes me wonder whom you could be making them for."

Irony shrugged, "Well, maybe we'll meet this pegasus someday.” She looks down at the piece, “I was very precise in making my measurements for it. I bet they'll fit somepony, eventually."

"Maybe sooner than you can imagine," Shadow muttered, her mind drifting to her dreams again.

"What was that?"

"Oh, nothing. Are you going to come back to bed now?" Moon Shadow asked, changing the subject. She had decided that she didn't want to cause her love grief, and there was nothing they could do about her dreams right then anyway.

"I suppose I should," Irony replied as she stifled a yawn.

* * *

"That's great, Trixie! It's like my gaze slides right past you. You're not actually invisible, just not worth noticing to my mind. How difficult is it to maintain?" Moon Shadow complimented her companion as she popped back into existence before her.

"Trixie finds the spell only mildly draining, though she would be remise if she didn't point out that all it would take is a bit of concentration on somepony's part to see through it," the pale blue unicorn replied modestly, though she was practically glowing from the praise.

"Still, it seems pretty useful, and you could hold it for much longer than the Mask of Mirrors I was trying before," Shadow said, thinking of the illusion spell she'd been practicing. It was actually very effective at making a pony invisible. She had practiced bending the light around herself, and while it worked exactly as she wanted, it took a lot of concentration. That made it difficult to use for more than a few moments at a time. Trixie's spell seemed tailor-made for more practical applications.

"Trixie is certain she could use it for extended periods of time without too much effort," Trixie grinned.

"Great, at least we won't cause any accidents on the freeway just by driving."

"Oh good, then maybe I won't have to go shopping by myself anymore," said Dr. Ray as he appeared around the corner of the house, laden with grocery sacks. "Think you two can give me a hand with the rest of this stuff?"

"The Great, and Extremely Helpful, Trixie would gladly give you a hand. If only she still had any," the unicorn laughed.

Ray cocked his eyebrow in her direction, "I don't know which should irritate me more: the talking in third person about yourself, the self-aggrandizement, or that horrible joke!" He cracked a smile at the end to take the sting out of his words, though Trixie's ears wilted a bit just the same.

"Sorry. Tri-- I'll go get the rest," Trixie replied as she trudged around the corner.

Moon Shadow smacked the Doc upside the back of his head with her magic, "Be nice to her! She's trying really hard to tone things down! A lot of her personality can't be helped, not to mention how upset she is that Flash is still gone!"

"I was just teasing her," he replied as he rubbed the sore spot on his head.

"You should go tell her that. She could really use our friendship right now, okay?"

Ray nodded, put the bags in the house and went in search of Trixie, while Shadow saw to putting things away using her horn.

He found her leaned against the side of his pickup, sobbing quietly. He immediately knelt down beside her and took her into his arms, "I'm sorry, Trixie. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I don't intend to be a schmuck, it just comes naturally."

Trixie laid her head on his shoulder, letting the tears flow down her muzzle and onto his shirt, "Trixie knows you were only trying to jest. She just can't seem to control her emotions right now. Trixie is still sorry about our last shopping trip together. She tries hard to control herself, but it does not work. Please don't hate her."

"Don't think that. I couldn't hate you. Trixie is a good pony. I consider you my friend," Ray soothed her as he stroked a hand through her mane.

"Thank you. Trixie thinks of you as her friend too," she murmured, wiping her eyes with a fetlock.

"How about we work together to get these last bags?" Ray suggested, smiling at the pale-blue unicorn.

Trixie nodded, smiled a small smile, then surrounded all the bags with her magical aura. She lifted them and started walking toward the house, "Come on, slow-poke," she called back to the stunned human.

As they came around to the back, they saw Irony exit her shop and lift her arms above her head, stretching out her back. The midnight-blue mare waved at them, smiling as she did so. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, her phone started to ring. Without looking at the screen, she held the device to her ear, answering it, "Hello?" just as Moon Shadow exited the house again.

A moment later they all heard her gasp, "Flash?!"

Chapter 19

"Hello?" I say into the phone, having answered without really thinking about it. I've been in my shop most of the day, working on those wing-blades without stopping. A sense of urgency fills me every time I put them down to work on something else. It's strange, but I have learned to listen to my instincts.

"Irony? It's Flash," came through the phone in an unfamiliar voice.

"Flash?!" I gasp, realizing it's my brother.

"Yeah... Look, before I say anything else, I wanted to tell you how super-mega sorry I am for what I said when I left. I'm an asshole, and I was freaking out, but that's no excuse. Can you ever forgive me?" he pleads, and I can hear tears in his voice.

"Flash, I love you, and you'll always be my brother. I forgave you before you even made it to your truck. We all did. We just want you home with us again," I tell him, trying to convey how much I care for him in my voice.

"Are... are you certain? I've been so worried. I was beyond horrible. I thought you would all hate me for sure. Wait, what about Sherry? How do I talk to her about this? I just left. Oh, Irony, what am I going to do?" he was starting to spin up.

"Flash, calm yourself down. It's okay, I promise. Trixie forgave you, too. She just misses you. She's been lonely and afraid without you," I try to comfort him.

"Is she still staying there with you? Wait, you called her Trixie! She's changed too?"

"Yeah, your girlfriend is now the 'Great and Powerful' Trixie."

"Damn it all, I-- I wish I'd called sooner. I am such an idiot! Dust tried to convince me to call days ago, but I was too afraid. I'm so sorry," I shook my head to myself as he fell all over himself apologizing again.

"Hey! Stop apologizing, okay? Like I said, all is forgiven. And I do mean all, so stop worrying. Just come home to us. How far away are you, anyway?"

"Yeah, about that... I can't come home yet. Actually, we kinda need your help with something..." he says, worry plain in his voice now.

"What's your problem bro? Is it serious? You know that if it's within my power, I'd do anything for you," I reply, trying to remain upbeat. I figure he wouldn't be asking right now if it weren't serious, I only hope that it is something I can help with.

"Weeeellll..." he trails off, evidently not sure how to put it.

"So, I take it that it's pretty serious then. On a scale of one to ten, just how serious is it? And don't you dare say 'eleven', okay?"

"Erm... probably a solid nine, at least to those of us here."

"Who is this 'us', where is 'here', and what's the problem? It's time for you to level with me, okay?" I ask, slightly annoyed at his reticence.

"Okay. I've met some other ponies. I don't think you ever met my friend from college, Maddie, but, well... she and her brother are both ponies now. Soarin and Lightning Dust, respectively. And we have two other ponies that have shown up, Mindy and Cherry Punch."

"Cherry Punch? Don't you mean Berry Punch?" I interrupt.

"No, I mean Cherry Punch, but that doesn't matter right now. What does matter, is the federal agents that came today to try to shut us down!" his voice hits a higher octave at the last.

"Whoa, back up for a second! Shut what down? Why do you have federal agents bothering you?" I ask, confused.

"Sorry, I guess I skipped ahead. Lightning Dust owns her own electrical contractor company. And she bought a large farm. She's trying to set up a sanctuary for all the ponies that are transforming. She thinks there will be a lot more, and after talking to her and Soarin, I'd have to agree."

"It's good to know that we're not alone, I guess. Though, that means that Discord was a very busy Lord of Chaos. Damn. Okay, so let me make sure I understand you. This Lightning Dust wants to save all of us ponies, but now the government wants to stop her. Is that the gist of things?" I ask, pretty sure I have the right picture, and that I know what they need from me.

"Not quite, but close enough for government work. They actually wanted to take Dust in for questioning, mostly because she's refused to hide who she is. I don't think they would have let her go afterward, either. She's really shaken up right now," his excitement level is rising rapidly.

"Simmer down now. Now I think I've got the picture, I guess you can put the crayons away. I'm assuming that you're hoping I can use what pull I may have to fix things, right?"

"Pretty much. Is there anything you can do? Do you know anybody who can help?" he asks, and I can tell that he's hopeful, but also afraid too.

I think for a moment before I respond, "I just might have a big enough favor owed me to at least get someone to listen. I'll see what I can do, then get back in contact with you, okay?"

"Please hurry, if you can, I don't think it will be more than a day or two before they come back," he pleads.

"Don't worry, I should know before tomorrow morning. Okay, I'll talk to you soon."

"Thank you, Irony. Tell Trixie I love her, please?"

"I will. She loves you too," I say before hanging up.

I look around, I have an audience, two ponies and a human have been listening to my conversation, not that I can blame them. "So, you guys all heard what's going on?"

Moon Shadow and Trixie nod. Trixie, whispering, asks, "Is he okay? D-- did he ask about Tr-- me?"

I kneel down next to her, wrap my arms around her neck, and speak softly into her ear, "Flash sends his love. I could tell he misses you greatly. You are his biggest concern."

Tears drip down her muzzle as she smiles up at me, mouthing the words 'he loves me' over and over. I simply smile down at her and nod.

Standing up, I address everypony again, "Okay, I have a small op I need to plan. A war buddy I know owes me a favor. I have the beginning of a solution in my mind, but it won't be exactly easy to convince him that I am the one he owes the favor to. Ray, as much as I hate to see you go, I think it would be best if you returned home. At least for now. Things could get a bit dicey, tonight and later, and I would much rather there was no link to you."

The Doc starts to speak in protest, but I cut him off with a wave of my hand, "Please, just do it for me? I couldn't bear the thought of your life being ruined because of something I did, okay?" He nods in assent, though I can see his stubbornness in the set of his jaw as he turns to go pack his few belongings.

Turning back to the two unicorns, I ask them, "What I'm planning to do might be a little dangerous, though I'm hoping to avoid any actual conflict. Would you be willing to join me as my backup?" They both nod and respond in the affirmative. "Thank you. Let me grab a couple of things, then we'll leave immediately."

On my way to my room I meet Dr. Ray. I pull him into a hug, then kiss him gently, "No matter what, I won't ever forget you my friend. I hope that we will be reunited under happy circumstances soon. Please, take care of yourself."

His grip on me tightens, then he pulls me into another kiss. My eyes close as I enjoy the all too brief contact. "I wish we could do more, but I sense your urgency. Thank you for everything," he whispers to me as we part. I nod to him, too choked up at our parting to speak.

I continue to my room, pulling a duffel from my closet. I grab a few items I hope I don't need, and stuff them inside. I change into a set of camo fatigues that are slightly baggy on me now, pull on my new boots, and lace them up.

I open my safe, and pull out the P90 SMG I'd taken as a souvenir from the chop shop gang. Oh, sweet Celestia, I hope I don't need this. If I do, then things are sooo fucked. I tuck it into the duffel too, then I am trotting down the hall to the garage. The girls are already inside, the engine is running, and we're ready to go.

As we peel out of the driveway, me behind the wheel, I wave to Ray. Soon we are merging onto the freeway.

"Trixie, are you ready to try out your new spell?" Moon Shadow asks the other unicorn.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is always ready to help!" she replies, her horn suddenly alight with a pale-purple magical aura. As far as I can see, nothing is happening. I turn a questioning eye to Shadow.

"Trixie is making us a little less conspicuous. She discovered a spell that makes others see us as the most boring thing around, their minds don't even want to register that they're seeing us," she replies.

"What if someone runs into us because they can't see us?" I ask, only slightly worried.

"Trixie has already thought of this. She has cast the spell to only affect the inside of this vehicle. The rest of the car can be seen, though it should seem unimportant," she happily volunteers.

"Excellent work, Trixie," I compliment her. She blushes slightly.

* * *

We arrive at our destination a little bit before sunset. I park about a quarter of a mile away, then continue on foot alone to scope out my old 'friend's' house. I choose to go solo to reduce the risk of being spotted, against Moon Shadow's and Trixie's expressed disapprovals.

Won't Bob be surprised at how I look now... I quietly chuckle as I stalk along. We haven't spoken in a long time, mostly due to the fact that we were never really friends. There was never any bad blood or anything, but he'd pretty much avoided me completely after the incident. I think he was afraid to talk to me. Afraid I'd decide to not keep his secret anymore.

Or, more likely, his dad was afraid I'd spill the beans, so he ordered Bob to stay away. Wouldn't want to ruin his daddy's career advancement, after all, I ponder, taking up position to watch the empty house. Bob lives in a small, secluded, single story house in the back-country. He doesn't have any neighbors close, which I'm sure is just the way he likes it.

I hunker down as the shadows lengthen and start to pool together. I'm hoping he won't be out late, though I am more than prepared to stake the place out all night, if necessary. I've warned the others that this part could take a while. I plan to text them every 15 minutes and have told them not to worry unless I miss two in a row.

I'm just finishing an apple, core and all, when I feel my phone vibrate. The sun has gone completely down, leaving a purple hue to the horizon. With the trees that surround the area, it is already mostly dark. I shield my phone as I check the screen, not wanting the light to give me away. As I suspected, it's a text from Shadow telling me they've seen headlights headed my direction. I send them a quick acknowledgement, then prepare to accost my former squad-mate.

With anybody else, I could have just e-mailed or texted to arrange a meeting, then proven who I used to be. But, nooo, not with Bob. Of course, the bastard has to be off the grid, no phone, no computer. And he's so damn paranoid, I have to ambush him instead of knocking on the door... I sigh, really hating what I'm about to do. I honestly don't want to scare the shit out of him, but I don't have a whole lot of choice in the matter.

I watch as the aforementioned car comes down the drive, pulling up to the front of the house. It's an old beater, some 90s model Taurus that I don't recognize. The door opens, but there's no illumination from inside, so I can't make out who it is.

Well, this is it. I sure as hell hope it's him, or this... I cut the thought off, moving from concealment to grab him from behind. I snake my left arm around his throat and catch hold of his right wrist with my other hand. I twist the arm up behind his back, forcing him down to his knees at the same time.

"Don't even think about it," I growl into his ear, squeezing his throat a little tighter. His left hand slowly draws the knife I saw sheathed at his side, then drops it. I kick it away, then loosen the hold on his throat in response, but maintain my grip on his wrist.

"Who the fuck are you? What the fuck do you want?" he spits out.

"Now, very slowly, pull that 1911 I know you've got and toss it into the trees."

"Why the hell would I do that? Either you're here to kill me, so I should keep it; or you're not, in which case I won't need to use it. Which is it?" he calmly asks.

I laugh, "You haven't changed, have you Bob? Always to the point. Though, I have to admit, you remaining calm is new. Okay, I'm not here to hurt you, so I'll let you go. But we need to talk."

I release him, backing away a couple steps, raising my hands to show that I'm unarmed.

"Who are you?" he says with a slight tremor to his voice, looking up at me, trying to see my face in the darkness.

"Bob, I'm hurt. You don't recognize my voice? I suppose it was a bit deeper the last time you heard it."

He stares at me, confused, trying to pierce the darkness to see my face. I shake my head, chuckling, "Seeing my face wouldn't help you. I don't look the same anymore, either. You knew me as Henry."

He barks out a cynical laugh. "Yeah, sure, pull the other one. You may be one damned big chick, but you're a chick all the same. Don't know why you'd think I'd fall for that. Guess you think I'm pretty dumb," the last word came out as a yell as he dove at me, catching me around the waist with his arm, his aim to throw me over his shoulder.

Unfortunately, for him, he'd judged me by human standards. His shoulder hit me true, but his momentum was stopped cold. Before he could recover, I took hold of the back of his shirt and lifted him up to eye level, "Are you done? I am Henry, and I can prove it."

I set him back on the ground, though I don't release him, "I know your secret."

"Hah, nice try, but you don't know a damn thing," he retorts.

"Oh, really? So, I don't know how you almost killed your entire squad? How it was your grenade in the foxhole that day, not the enemy's?" I ask him, my voice harsh.

He's trembling, obviously shaken by that revelation, "H-- how do you know about that? Who told you? Nobody knows, except my father and H--"

"Henry. That's right. Like I said, it's me Bob."

"No way. Either Henry told you, or somebody else knew about it," he tries to reassure himself.

"I never told anyone, and nobody else even suspected. I'm assuming neither you, nor your dad, would ever tell anyone either. Tell your old man I said thanks for the medal, by the way. Really glad I didn't die," I snort.

His shoulders slump, "Henry would never have told you. He swore to me that he'd keep it secret, and he never, ever, went back on his word. I know he never even told his brother. So, I have to assume that you are telling the truth, then. Are you sure you're Henry? I just can't believe he'd ever have a sex-change..."

His statement catches me by surprise, and I start laughing; a good, deep, belly-laugh. When I'm finally able to speak, I say, "Damn, I don't remember you being so funny. Yeah, I'm sure of who I am. I didn't exactly choose to have a sex-change, thank you very much. I enjoyed my life as a man very much, thank you. No, this was forced on me, though I have come to accept it, I guess."

"What? You were forced to have a sex-change operation? That is seriously fucked up!"

"Not exactly. Can we take this inside? There's a lot more to explain, and you're going to want to sit down for most of it," I quietly ask him.

"Huh? Oh, sure. Come on in," he replies.

"Hold up, I need to call in some friends that you need to meet," I say, dialing my phone.He stops and listens as I call Moon Shadow. The conversation is brief, she confirms that they are on their way.

"Who exactly are these friends of yours?" Bob asks me nervously.

"One is my girlfriend; the other is Jim's girlfriend. They were my backup, just in case this didn't go well here."

"Okay, now I'm really convinced you're Henry. You always had a backup plan, just in case. They must be impressive ladies for you to trust them with your back," he compliments.

I nod, "They are indeed."

I turn to watch as my beloved 442 comes rolling up, with the love of my life and the Great and Powerful Trixie inside. The headlights illuminate us as it draws closer. I hear a loud gasp from behind me, and turn back just in time to see Bob level his 1911 .45 caliber pistol at me.

"What in the name of sweet Jesus happened to you, Henry?" he asks, his hands shaking so bad I don't think he could hit me if he had to. Though, that just means he is likely to hit Shadow or Trixie by accident if he fires, so I put my hands behind my head.

I see a green aura wrap around the gun, then it is yanked out of Bob's hand. He stares at it with a look of pure terror on his face. Moon Shadow screams from behind me, "How dare you point that at my Irony!"

The pistol crumples into a perfect sphere of metal, then the aura of magic engulfs Bob as well. She lifts him off the ground. In the glow the headlights have thrown, I can see urine leak out the bottom of his pant-leg, and onto the ground.

"Moon Shadow! That's enough!" I call to her.

"But, he was going to shoot you!" she roars.

"No, he wouldn't have. It just startled him when he saw my face, I'm sure. Isn't that right, Bob?" I turn to the floating human. He nods quickly, whites showing all around his eyes. "Please, let him go."

Moon Shadow sighs, "Fine, I'll put him down." She releases her magic while he's still in the air, dropping him down onto his knees with a loud thump.

"So sorry about all of this, Bob," I say as I lean down to help him up. He has a thousand-yard-stare in his eyes. Oops, I think we broke him...

I help him up the steps to his front door, retrieve his keys from his pocket, and open the door. Leaving Trixie and Shadow in the living room, I sit him down on a chair in his kitchen, then find a glass, and fill it with water. I help him take a few sips, he seems to be coming around.

"Henry? What the hell happened to you? What just happened? Can you use telekinesis? Was it some kind of government experimental program?" I put a hand over his mouth to stop the flow of words.

"No, it wasn't a government experiment. It's a long story, which I'll gladly share with you, but first, I need to know if you can handle another shock right now?"

"I... I think so. I mean, as long as it's not bad..." he replies, looking into my magenta eyes with something akin to awe on his face.

"Okay, here goes nothing. Girls, would you come in here please?" I call to the other room. They come around the corner slowly; Moon Shadow glares fiercely at Bob, a frown on her face. He scoots back in his chair, trying to climb the back of it.

"Wh-- what?" he sputters.

"Bob, I'd like you to meet Moon Shadow," I point, "and Trixie," I point again. "Moon Shadow is my marefriend, and Trixie is Jim's. That really isn't enough introduction for either of them, but it'll have to do for now." They both nod in greeting.

"They... they're... what are they? What are you?" he asks. I can see his brain trying to make the connection, and failing miserably.

"Bob, stay with me now. I'll explain everything, but you need to remain calm, okay?"

He looks up at me, I can see him working desperately to pull himself back together. Slowly, he has a measure of success. He blinks several times in quick succession, then speaks, "I think I'm going to be okay now. Just, no more surprises like that, okay? I have no idea what's going on here, but it's obviously weird as fuck. I'm not dead, am I?"

"No, you're not dead. And you're not dreaming, either. This is all very real," I say gently to him.

"Okay, so what is going on? Where did you come from?" he snaps his mouth shut, realizing he needs to let me answer before spewing out more questions.

"Well, it sort of all happened like this..." and I proceed to give him a Cliff's Notes version of what has happened to all of us.

"That is a truly fantastic story. If you weren't standing here in front of me, there is no way on earth that I'd believe it. But it has to be true. You're living, breathing proof!" he states in wonderment after I have finished the tale.

"I'm glad you believe me," I say, "because I need your help."

"What can I do to help you?" he asks, perplexed.

So I explain to him about the farm in Montana.

"But, how am I going to help you with that? It's not like I have any kind of power, you know."

"You don't, but your dad does," I say, my words heavy with meaning.

"Yeah, so my dad's a four-star. He could probably help, but why would he?" he asks me.

"Bob, was it your idea, or your dad's, to make up that story about what happened with the grenade?" I ask him, hoping like hell I'm right. Bob wouldn't have wanted to lie, I'm sure of it.

He squirms in his seat, which confirms my thoughts before he even speaks.

"The General thought it wouldn't look good for a U.S. Marine to have lost control of his own grenade. And... since you didn't die..." he trails off, shrugging his shoulders sheepishly.

"Yeah, that's what I thought. So, here's the deal: I don't want to out you, but your dad doesn't know that. He'll know that even a rumor to that effect would hurt his reputation. I need him to arrange for our protection, and for the farm to be a sanctuary. Will you call him for me?"

Bob nods, then says, "For you, I will gladly do it. You were willing to throw yourself on that grenade, even though you must have already known that I was the one who dropped it. You would have died for me, for all of us. You know, even though my dad gave you that medal hoping to shut you up, you really did earn it. And, I know you didn't need bribing to keep it secret. Thank you for that, too."

I grip his shoulder in a silent thanks, and hand him my phone. He quickly taps out a number, and spends the next hour talking to his father, the General.

* * *

Bob finally hangs up, "Okay, my dad is seriously pissed, but has conceded to your demands. He knows that if even a whiff of this gets out, it'll destroy his chance of becoming Secretary of Defense. The official word should go out on the wire today, by 0900. You have your sanctuary, but you'll have to find ponies yourself. The government is refusing to acknowledge what they're calling 'The Pony Problem' publicly. They're also not going to release any they may, or may not, have in custody."

I open my muzzle to speak, but he holds up a finger, "That point is non-negotiable, according to him. And he wants something in return. The FBI gets to interview, and do what he termed 'non-invasive' medical examinations on all three pony races. As well as a demonstration of each of their abilities."

"Damn, he drives a hard bargain, but it's better than I'd hoped for. I just hope it's enough. Thank you for your help," I say in reply.

We discuss a few more minor details, but in the end it all comes down to us getting what we want, at a relatively low cost.

I dial a familiar number, "Hey, Flash, I've got good news..."

Chapter 20

I toss the last duffel into the trunk of the 442, then slam the lid shut. I take one last stroll through the house, ensuring that everything is secured. We have no idea how long we'll be gone, so we packed anything we thought we'd need, and now I'm closing the house up.

Once again, I'm traipsing into the unknown. What have you gotten us into this time, Flash? I sigh. I've locked everything up, I even went so far as to hide most of my tools. I only wish I could take more of them with me, but we can fit just so much in the car.

I guess I should be thankful that we don't need to take much in the way of clothes. Well, except for me... I sigh again. My newly acquired fashion sense balks whenever I think about what little I packed for myself. Most of it is military fatigues, with holes cut in the seats of the pants for my tail. They're baggy on my humanoid frame, but have the added benefit of fitting me when I'm down on all fours, too.

I open the door to climb in the car... suddenly I'm overwhelmed with a nagging need to go back to my shop. I try to ignore it, but the urge just intensifies. I grit my teeth, slam the door hard, and march to the locked door. Grumbling to myself about how silly I'm being, I unlock the door, step inside, and look around. Okay, so... now what? I ask myself. Nothing comes to me. I throw my hands up in frustration. I turn to storm out, when my eyes fall on my project shelf. My eyes widen in recognition. Of course...

A strange feeling comes over me... slowly, almost in sacred awe, I pick up the jointed pieces of metal that I've been working so hard on recently. What Shadow told me were called 'Wing-Blades'. I hold them reverently...

I shake my head suddenly, clearing away the mental cobwebs that seem to have formed. What the hell was that? I look down at the object in my hands. Why am I holding these? I shrug, but take them with me when I leave. I re-lock the door to the shop, make my way back to the car, open the trunk, and put the wing-blades inside. Slamming the trunk again, I slip into the front seat, and start the engine.

"What was that all about?" Moon Shadow asks me.

"I'm not really sure," I answer, backing the car down the drive. Soon, we're on the Interstate, headed to the far side of Montana. Into the unknown.

* * *

"I guess we'd better stop for gas," I comment, looking down at the little red needle, which is now pointing firmly toward 'E' on the fuel gauge.

"Oh, thank heavens, Trixie is quite famished! Can we get some of those mini-donuts and a Squishee?" the light blue unicorn asks of me.

"Sure. Anything for you, Shadow?" I ask my marefriend, as I pull the muscle car up to the pumps.

"Nothing for me, thank you," she replies.

I shut down the throbbing power-plant, open my door, and step out to the life-giving, petroleum dispensing, receptacle and begin fueling. As I unlimber the nozzle from the car, I hear a gasp from behind me. I turn toward the voice, and see a woman backing away, slowly. Her mouth keeps opening and closing, much like a fish gasping for breath.

Her finger raises to point at me, and she finally regains the use of her voice, "M-M-Monster!" She spins on her heel, running as she screams. Her cries draw the attention of several other nearby people.

"What the fuck is that?!" I hear from more than once throat.

I drop the fueling spigot, and dive into the car. I turn the key in the ignition and say a silent prayer of thanks to Celestia when the engine turns over on the first crank of the starter. The tires lay down a long strip of rubber as I peel out onto the adjoining street, racing toward the Interstate once again.

"What the hell happened?!" I ask the car at large.

"Trixie is so sorry! She lost her concentration on her spell when she started thinking about food. I am sooo sorry, Irony!" the unicorn wails, in abject apology.

"It's okay, Trixie, it's okay. We're safe, no one is following us, so it's fine," I try to calm her down.

"There were a couple of people taking pictures with their phones, but I took care of that," Moon Shadow supplied. "I destroyed their phones, as well as the video system at the gas station."

"Good thinking, babe, though it might have been a bit extreme," I say, glancing at her.

"It seemed like the right thing to do at the time."

"Dear Celestia, I hope we don't have any more scares like that," I state, wiping nervous sweat from my brow. I hear my hope fervently echoed from both of my passengers.

* * *

Following Flash's instructions, we pull into the drive of a large farmhouse just as the sun is setting. I shut down the engine and lean my head against the steering wheel for a moment, before opening my door. I stumble out of the car, falling to my knees with my head in my hands. I shift forms, so that I'm sitting on my haunches, my head now cradled in my front hooves. My hooves drop to the ground, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"That is much better," I say to nopony in particular, glad to be rid of the headache that is the side-effect of maintaining my bipedal form overly long.

"Are you okay, Irony?" I hear Trixie ask me, as Moon Shadow leans against me, comfortingly.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just pushed a little longer than I should have," I reply, shaking my head and standing up.

"Love, you've always been too stubborn for your own good," Shadow nudges my side in reproach.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on, let's go meet everypony," I say, leaning in to kiss her gently before traipsing up to the porch.

Before I can even get all four hooves onto the porch, the door opens and a light comes on, illuminating our little party. A compact pegasus, with turquoise fur and two-tone blonde mane, hovers in the doorway. She floats there, checking us out, while I can't take my eyes off her.

The pegasus speaks, but I miss it entirely, I'm staring so hard. Finally, Moon Shadow nudges me. I look at her, blushing like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Thank Celestia for my dark fur, I sure hope she didn't notice. Shadow nods her head toward the door, indicating we should follow the pegasus. She has a mischievous smirk on her muzzle. Guess she noticed... I can feel my face getting even warmer.

We follow her into the kitchen. She introduces herself to us as Lightning Dust, then hovers around, checking us out some more. I catch myself staring again and look away.

I hear her hooves hit the floor, notice her wings are fully spread, and hear her say under her breath, "Damn, talk about a sexy gal!"

Snorting, I respond, "That's pegasi for you, heads always either in the clouds, or rolling down the gutter."

"Mostly in the clouds, big girl," she replies, making a visible effort to control her wings, and failing. Moon Shadow laughs at us, and I turn crimson again. She mutters something else, but it's too low for me to make out this time.

Using a wing, Lightning Dust points for us to sit down at the kitchen table. We all take a seat and are shortly joined by Flash and three other ponies. The others are introduced as Mindy, a unicorn; Cherry Punch, an earth pony; and Soarin, a pegasus I recognize from the show.

Lightning Dust calls us all to order, then drops a bombshell on us, "The United States Government has imprisoned ponies. This is unacceptable! We're going to go get them, but we'll have to leave soon, so that we can get to Billings well before sunrise. I want to hit them before dawn, when security will be at its lowest."

I look around the table. The only surprised faces are mine, Trixie's, and Moon Shadow's. I glare daggers at Flash, he obviously knew about this, and failed to mention it. He's doing his best to avoid my gaze, evidently finding something very interesting about the tabletop in front of him.

Lightning Dust continues, "This will have to be a quick smash-and-grab. I've done some practicing with my power, and I can consistently make a lightning bolt at will, though I've not been able to make time-displacement bolts yet."

Lightning bolts? Time-displacement bolts? She's a pegasus! What in the world is she going on about?!And she wants to do a frontal assault of an FBI office? Is she completely insane?

Lightning Dust has continued on, I've missed most of it, but it doesn't matter. "No," I state, firmly.

She looks at me, "What?"

"I said 'No', Lightning Dust," I answer.

"Dust will do, since we have two Lightnings here," she says.

"Fine, Dust then," I grit out. Is she purposefully missing the point here? "I said 'No'."

"No... to what, exactly?"

"Your entire plan. It's incredibly, colossally, stupid!"

Dust sighs loudly. Then she says, "If it's so stupid, then maybe you can come up with something better, Miss Guard Leader to Princess Sparkle!"

I stare her down until I see her wings wilt a bit, then say, "Dust, we're talking about the FBI here. Do you know what is the FBI's version of SWAT? It's called HRT, as in 'Hostage Rescue and Tactics'. Many police departments send their SWAT agents to them to get trained. They will kick your team's ass. This isn't some kind of video game, and I, for one, don't feel like being a bullet-sponge. I'm an earth pony, and with the armor I have, I know I could absorb a lot without dying, but attempting things your way would be tantamount to suicide!" I slam my hoof down on the table, leaving a deep impression in the hard surface. I look in awe as Mindy’s horn lights and the table glows softly as it is repaired. I glance at the magenta pony who smirks back at me.

"Well, fine, if direct action won't work, then what? We can't use stealth! In case you hadn't noticed, we're all ponies! The humans will just lock us up if they see us," Dust replies in a bit of a huff.

"We'll have to be smart, Dust. You made it all the way to the Canterlot performance team of the Wonderbolts. You don't get that far just by being good on your wings. Use that brain of yours, come up with something!" I reply, a tad testily.

"You're the guard leader here, you come up with something!" she almost shouts back at me.

I shake my head, "You don't want my plan. I'd call the whole thing off! Breaking into a fortified installation without any kind of advanced weaponry, no diversion, and no way to hide ourselves, will make it a fool's errand."

Now it's her turn to slam a hoof down onto the table, marring it in a similar manner, impressing me with her strength, "That is unacceptable! They are our ponies! They belong with us, not locked up!" Mindy giggles as she performs the same repair again, though Dust doesn’t notice it.

I give her a hard look, "Then what is your plan?"

She stops, and through her eyes I can see her mind working furiously on the problem. She looks around the table at us, and I swear she has an 'Aha!' moment. I half expect her to shout 'Eureka!' Her muzzle forms itself into a most disturbing grin. She turns to Mindy and says, "I've got it! Mindy, how would you like to get captured by the FBI?

Mindy looks at her, confused, "That doesn't sound like very much fun."

Dust's grin widens, "Oh, trust me, this will be very fun indeed."

Mindy shrugs, and giggles, "Then count me in!"

Dust proceeds to explain her plan to us, and I have to admit that it's pretty ingenious. She ends the conversation with, "Okay, Irony, Mindy, and I are going to head out."

Flash jumps in with, "Hey, Trixie and I should go, too!"

Before we can respond, Trixie speaks up, "Oh no, not I. Trixie has been maintaining that spell all day, and is exhausted. She needs her rest, but Flash should go with you. It's always good to have an extra pair of wings available." Flash looks crestfallen. I'm sure he was hoping to have some time with her.

"Spell?" Lightning Dust asks.

"Oh, just a little misdirection spell. The Great and Powerful Trixie simply made the interior of the car so uninteresting, that no one's gaze would be able to focus on us. We are ponies after all, and a pony driving a car would definitely have caused a sensation, and most likely several accidents. I used the spell to mask all of us," Trixie replies, smiling.

Dust whistles in appreciation, "That is a great idea!"

There's some small talk after that, but not a lot. Lightning Dust hops off her bench, seeming to finally be able to close her wings, which have been flared open the entire time we've been discussing the mission. She brushes up against me on her way by, causing an electric jolt to shiver its way down my spine. Then she flicks her tail up into my face, giving me an incredible view of her glistening nethers. I can't take my eyes off them as she continues into the living room, a big grin plastered on her muzzle.

"Love, you need to roll your tongue back up, and put your eyeballs back in their sockets," Shadow whispers into my ear, with a titter of laughter.

I can feel my face burst into flame anew. Oh, damn, I'm such a dirty slut! I'm more lecherous as a pony than I ever was as a man! I hang my head in shame. "Sorry," I whisper. She just smiles at me, then follows the turquoise pegasus into the living room. I sit there for a moment, trying to get a little control of myself. I feel a slippery sensation between my legs, and realize that I've been oozing since I first laid eyes on Dust. Sweet Celestia, what will Shadow think of me?!

I finally decide that I can't put it off any longer, and head into the other room as well. I enter the room just in time to hear Dust finish a phone conversation. She turns to me, and says, "My truck is outside, we can take it. Mindy knows how to drive stick with her magic."

I smile smugly, "Nah, let's take my car."

She wiggles her eyebrows at me, "So soon? We only just met, and you can't wait to get me in the back seat?"

She laughs as I turn red, again! "No, no, it's not like that!" I insist. "It's just that I have an awesome car, and it'll outrun any of those diesel monstrosities you have out there."

"Yeah, and my wings will smoke whatever car you have, but we need to be able to take everypony."

"There'll be plenty of room for all of us, Dust. It's a 1970 Olds 442."

She looks thoughtful for a moment, then shrugs her wings and leads the way outside. She turns to the magenta unicorn, "Can you handle that, Mindy?"

Before she can answer, I say, "No need." Then I concentrate. I feel my shape change, my perspective shifts higher, and a dull ache settles in behind my eyes. Not long enough out of this form, but I'll manage, I tell myself. I turn to Dust, and it's my turn to grin at her, because her wings have shot out to the sides again. Aha, wing-boner... guess that much of the fanfiction is true!

I hear Mindy say something to Dust about anthro-ponies, as I open the driver-side door. I push the seat forward to let Mindy and Flash into the backseat. Dust opts to skip the door altogether, simply jumping through the open window of the passenger-side. I slip in behind the wheel, crank the starter, and say, "Let's make some miles."

* * *

Other than Mindy taking over my stereo at one point, it's been an uneventful trip, which I'm thankful for. The pain behind my eyes has ratcheted up a notch, but is still bearable. The speedometer hasn't dropped below 120 since I first hit that speed, and the Olds seems to be loving it. It's almost like she is alive and being opened up like this is feeding her soul.

I love this beautiful machine. I have an intimate connection with her. I've personally installed every bolt, every instrument, and every piece of wire in her. I spent the last five years of my life putting every spare moment, and dollar, into reviving this sexy monster.

I remember when I first saw you, I think to my car, you were a sad, broken frame, with a few scraps of sheet metal hanging off of you. But, I could see your beauty. Immediately, I could envision you complete. They warned me how much it would take to restore you to your former glory.

When I started rebuilding, there were a couple of collectors who'd tried to buy her from me. I'd steadfastly refused to sell. And then I really pissed them off... Instead of doing a restoration, and making her original, I'd done my best to upgrade her with more modern parts, while keeping true to what I saw as her story.

My musings are interrupted by Lightning Dust rolling down her window. She says, "I'm going to fly," and jumps out the window, spreading her wings to catch the air.

"What the fuck is she thinking?!" I scream, cranking my head over to watch her keep pace with us for a moment. "We're going over 120 miles per hour!" I shout, hearing pride and excitement in my own voice at her ability. She picks up her pace, and leads us along the highway for the next hour, or so.

"Shit!" I say with feeling. I've just noticed the flashing red-and-blue lights of a cruiser behind us. I hear a tap on my window, and look over to see Dust keeping pace with us.

I lower the window, and she says, "Keep going, I'll handle this!"

I nod, and keep an eye on her in the rear-view as she falls behind us. I watch as she lands on the cruiser's hood. The cop slams on the brakes, fish-tailing to a stop. I begin slowing down, then remembering what Dust said, I hit the gas again. Before long, I lose sight of Dust and the cruiser, as they fade into the distance.

A few moments later, Dust is pacing us again on the passenger side. I open the window, and she gracefully slips in through the window, plopping into the seat with an excited grin on her muzzle. "And, the problem is no more!" she exclaims with a flourish, turning her grin at me. She takes a couple of moments to describe how she disabled the officer, and put in a call for assistance so that she wouldn't lay there unconscious all night.

"What were you thinking? You know they're going to go ape-shit now, don't you?" I berate her.

She shrugs her wings, "Better than having them go to extreme measures to end a high-speed chase! I had to stop them quickly, or more cars would have joined in the chase! As it is, they're going to go to the downed officer. She may have trouble walking for a while, but she'll be fine. In the mean-time, she won't be making our lives any harder."

I sigh loudly, rubbing my eyes as I let off the accelerator. We coast down to the speed-limit of 75. "We're getting close, we need to be at least a little stealthy," I explain.

Dust replies, "I want to save these ponies. That is my only concern."

* * *

I shake my head gently, as I watch the last of the 19 ponies we've rescued get into the van that Dust has arranged. She has one of her employees driving it. She quietly assures me that he's a trustworthy human. I simply nod at her words. I'm distracted by the things I've heard the ponies saying as they load into the waiting vehicle. It seems they've been brainwashed into believing that their transformation is due to some kind of virus. They are all convinced that they're going to be cured eventually. How can they be so blind? I just hope we can help them to see the truth. I snort a little laugh, Unless, of course, we're the ones who are fooling ourselves.

The rescue went off way easier than we'd planned. Dust, Flash, and I hadn't even had to do anything. The plan called for us to create a distraction, so that Mindy could teleport the ponies out of the holding cells without being seen, after allowing herself to be 'caught'.

We never even had a chance to do anything. An air-raid siren had gone off, completely distracting all of the humans. At first, we'd thought we were caught before we'd begun, but instead, we watched as the federal building emptied out, black SUVs barreling down the road in the opposite direction out of town.

After that, the escape had been a piece of cake. Mindy teleported all of the ponies in one fell swoop, something I consider pretty damn amazing!

Mindy and Flash follow the rescued ponies into the van. Dust tells me that they're going to accompany the rescuees back to the farm, giving them our cover story on the way. Dust and I climb into my car and start toward her home.

* * *

"You're pretty quiet," Dust says, breaking the silence. We've been on the road for about 45 minutes, with more than three hours still ahead of us.

I glance over at her, "Sorry, guess I've been lost in thought."

She waits a few minutes for me to elaborate, then finally asks, "So... what are you thinking about?"

You mean, other than how I really want to stop this car and do deliciously naughty things to you? I squeeze my thighs together, and shake my head, to help dislodge that thought. Slowly I answer, "I guess I'm just trying to understand how all of those ponies could so easily ignore their dreams. I immediately felt like they were a window into what was happening. Though, maybe it's different for them. I've been dreaming about Discord my whole life."

"Wait, what?!" she turns toward me, her face full of shock.

"What?" I ask, glancing at her.

"Run that by me again. The part where you've been dreaming about Discord your whole life..."

"You know, I'm sure you've had the dream, right? The one where Discord banishes you?" I have to fight the urge to look into her eyes, keeping them on the road.

"Yeah, I've had that dream, but only since my birthday. Before that I didn't know anything at all about ponies, or little girl cartoons. I was a 35 year old man, for Christ's sake!" she replies.

"Whoa... I... I've been having this dream ever since I can remember. Every year on my birthday, and more than once when I was faced with a tough decision in my life. I dreamt about it every night for two weeks when I was trying to decide if I wanted to join the Marines," I continue, describing my dream to her in great detail. She sits silently, her jaw dropped open, and listens until I finish my tale.

"Holy cow! I can't imagine having a dream like that as a little kid. What did your parents think about it?"

"I never told anyone. Not even Flash. Not until the changes started happening. You're the first pony beyond Flash, Trixie, and Moon Shadow that I've told about it."

"I... feel honored that you would share that with me, then," Dust says quietly after a minute.

"It feels good to share it with somepony who understands. Speaking of which, how much do you remember?"

"Not a lot. Not yet, anyway. I keep getting small bits and pieces, sometimes even a whole memory, but not nearly enough. You?"

"I don't remember much at all of Equestria, beyond my arrival there," I mutter, lost in the one memory that is complete.

"You remember being born? Are you serious?! That is so cool!" Dust exclaims, bouncing in her seat excitedly.

"Huh? What? Oh, no, I don't remember being born. I doubt anypony could remember that," I reply, confused.

"But, you just said you remember arriving in Equestria!" she almost shouts.

"I..." I trail off, trying to show only a poker face.

"Hold on! No way!" now Dust is turned in her seat, completely facing me. I don't know how, but she looks confused and excited at the same time. "What are you saying?"

"Nothing," I state, staring intently out the windshield at the road.

"No, not nothing. You can't let something this big slip and expect me to just leave it alone! Please?" she gives me the most adorable puppy dog eyes, and I find my resolve crumbling.

"I..." I sigh, "fine, I give up. Flash trusts you, so I guess I can too." I pause for a moment to gather myself, "I... I'm not Equestrian. At least, not originally." I glance over at her. Her jaw is resting on her chest, her mouth wide open in shock.

I continue, "I was human, here on earth, and was accidentally summoned to Equestria by Twilight, I’m not certain exactly when it was, but it was before she became a Princess."

"Holy Fuck!" Dust yells. "Are you shitting me?"

I glance at her, and can't help but grin at the look on her muzzle.

She bursts into giggles, "Damn, you really had me going there for a moment!"

"Oh, that's all true. I have two full sets of memories of growing up on earth to prove it," I say, all mirth gone from my voice.

"Wow..." she trails off, staring at me in disbelief. She finally regains her composure, "That is so unbelievable, but I can't figure out why you'd lie about it, either. So, I'm assuming that you're telling the truth. This is so freaking crazy!"

"Tell me about it," I sigh again.

"So, tell me more. Like, how old were you when you went to Equestria? What was it like growing up in, what, the seventies? Or would it be the sixties? I bet that was interesting!"

I raise a hand to cut off the flow of her words, "I was 24, or 25, when Twilight's spell brought me to Equestria. I don't really know for sure, that's just a rough estimate. Age was a little less important in those days, I guess..."

"What do you mean? How can you not know exactly how old you were? Did you live under a rock, or something?" she grills me.

"Yeah, or something," a tear rolls down my cheek, though I'm fighting it.

"I'm sorry, Irony. I didn't mean to bring up something hard. You don't have to tell me anything; you don't owe me your story. I'm sorry I pried... I always stick my hoof in it..." she trails off, shrinking in on herself.

I reach out a hand, brushing it along her muzzle, then down her neck to her shoulder. Why did I just do that? That seems rather intimate... I push the thought aside, then speak slowly, quietly, "It's ok Dust, you didn't know, and maybe it'll help you understand what kind of pony I am."

I pause, give her a watery smile, and continue, "I was born in Savannah, Georgia, in the year 1827..." I tell my entire sad tale with her, leaving nothing out. It surprises me how good it feels to share it with the turquoise mare. I find the few questions she asks to be refreshing, rather than annoying. For some reason, I feel like I can trust her, like she's the right pony to expose my past to.

We talk the rest of the way back to her home, quietly. She shares her past with me, too. Even telling me about things she wasn't proud of about herself. By the time we arrive, I feel that I know this pegasus very well indeed. For some reason this fills my heart with warmth. The same kind of warmth that fills me when I think of Moon Shadow...

Chapter 21

I wake up to a nuzzle from Moon Shadow, having immediately passed out beside her sleeping form when I came to our shared room this morning. She whispers into my ear, "Wake up, sleepy-head. It's time for you to rejoin the land of the living."

"Ugh," I groan in reply, cracking one eye to glare at her. She just laughs at my ineffective look.

"So... how'd it go?" she asks me, a mischievous smile playing at her lips.

"Fine," I answer, a tad groggy still. "Actually, a lot easier than anticipated. It was almost anti-climactic."

"Oh, I know all about the mission. That's not what I'm talking about," she smirks.

"Huh? Then what do you mean?" I ask, my confused mind refusing to process.

She licks her lips lasciviously, "How about your drive back with Lightning Dust? Just the two of you?"

"I-- it... it was fine," I stammer, turning noticeably red.

"Uh-huh. So, fine is the only word you have to describe a four-hour drive, with just the two of you? What did you two talk about?"

"We talked some, mostly about our pasts. She's rather easy to talk to..." I trail off, smiling slightly as I think about Dust.

"Is talking all that went on?" she teases me.

"Y-y-yes. I swear!" I sputter. She starts laughing uproariously at me.

"You should see your face right now! You've always been such an easy mark!"

Shaking my head, I transform and pull on a pair of camo coveralls. "I noticed something off about the 442 this morning when we pulled in, but I was too tired to investigate. I'd better go check it out now," I mutter, fleeing the bedroom with my tail quite literally tucked between my legs. Her laughter follows me all the way down the stairs, and out the front door.

As I cross the front porch, I notice Flash basking in the afternoon sun. I catch his eyes with mine, then motion with my head for him to follow me. He catches my meaning, slowly gets to his hooves, and trails behind me.

At the car, I gesture for him to take a seat, while I get the small toolbox that I brought along with me. I pop the hood, and bend to the task of finding the problem I'd heard on the return trip.

After a few minutes, Flash has finally screwed up his courage enough to speak, "So... Hi."

"Hello."

"Irony... I'm sorry. About everything," he hangs his head.

"I told you before, everything has been forgiven. I love you, little bro, so let's not rehash this again. Why don't we talk about something new, instead?"

"Like what?" he asks, confused.

"Well, why don't you tell me about our host?"

"You mean Dust? What do you want to know about her?"

"Just tell me what you know."

"Dust is pretty great. She was a man before this all went down, just like you. Her wife has been really supportive, and her kids are pretty cool, too.

"Wait, she has kids? Wow, that has to be tough on them. How old are they?"

"Her son, Dylan, is fifteen, and Hannah is ten. They--"

"Hold on a sec. Her kids are 15 and 10? How the hell is that possible? We were all banished for 25 years, which means that everypony turning back is 25. Something's not adding up here," I interrupt, dropping a wrench as I turn a questioning look at him.

"Yeah, well, when she was human, she was 35, not 25 like the rest of us."

"Now that you mention it, she said something about being 35 last night, but I didn't make the connection. How in the fuck did that happen?"

"You remember she mentioned her time-displacement bolts?

"I do. I just chalked that up to her being a bit nuts," I say, twirling a finger around my ear in the universal sign for crazy.

"Well, she's not. She could really cast them, back in Equestria. They make anything they hit phase out of time. Whatever it is disappears, never to be seen again.

"Where does it go?"

"I don't know. I don't think anypony knows. They just go away. Forever."

"What, like in that Jack Black movie, Envy? Like his spray, Vapoo-Rize? That is weird as hell!"

"Yeah, kinda, but hey, they work. That's all I really know about them. As for why she was 35, that I was actually witness to. She charged up her power for a massive blast, but when she unleashed it, Discord's curse mingled with her magic, then hit her. The only thing we've been able to figure is that the two magics combined, and changed her curse from 25 to 35 years, but also made her be born 10 years earlier than the rest of us."

"Damn, and I already thought this situation was fucked up. I guess hers is even more so than ours," I say, shaking my head a little sadly.

"DINNER!" we hear yelled from the front door, interrupting our thoughts.

Flash jumps to his hooves and is off like a shot. He always did hate to be late to a meal, I laugh, then hurry to follow him. We go inside and take turns washing up, then sit down at the table with Dust, her wife, and their kids. Moon Shadow sits next to me, and I pull her into a side-hug.

I glance over at Dust's plate and notice she has a steak on it, something I used to enjoy very much, but now fills me with disdain.

She catches me looking, and asks, "Problem?"

"Meat? Are you serious?" I say, shaking my head.

"Well, sure! We've found that pegasi can eat meat without any problems, and I always loved it as a human," she replies.

"I loved it too, but I can't eat it at all anymore," I lament.

Smirking at me, she leans down and takes a bite of the meat her son has just finished cutting up for her. A grimace spreads across her muzzle, and she finally spits the meat back onto her plate.

"What the hell?" she cries, taking another bite, shortly spitting it out with the same look of distaste on her face. I can't help but return the smirk she was so recently giving me.

"I had a chicken sandwich just the other day, and it was fine!" she turns to her son, "What kind of steak is this?"

Looking confused, Dylan answers, "It's beef. Should I have done something else? I think we’ve got elk, and venison too."

She shakes her head, then gingerly sniffs her steak. By the look on her face, I don't think it smells very good to her at all. Her ears wilt, "This sucks!"

"Tell me about it. I had the same reaction when I realized I would never eat bacon again," I commiserate with her.

"So, chicken, fish, and venison don't bother you, but this beef steak does?" Helen asks, quizzically. She takes a bite of the steak off Dust's plate and pops it into her mouth, "Nothing wrong with it, honey."

I can see Dust thinking for a moment, slowly she replies, "In the show, cows can talk, but chickens and fish can't... maybe it has to do with their sentience? Like we wouldn't eat other people here? At least, most wouldn't..."

* * *

I turn back to the car, slip behind the wheel, and crank the engine. She roars to life. I lever myself out the door and stand over the engine once more. I listen carefully, I still hear something off. I reach in to adjust the carb a little more, and suddenly she's back to growling like a tigress on the prowl. I smile to myself, realizing that when I was human I wouldn't have heard the problem until it had gotten worse. We ponies really do have it better than humans, I chuckle to myself.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie demands to know what is so funny!" Trixie expounds, leaning against my side. I drop a hand to her shoulder, smiling at her over-acting.

Glancing over at Flash, I notice him grimacing, "Something wrong, Flash?"

He shakes his head, a little too vigorously to be believable, "N- n- no nothing's wrong."

I shrug, "Okay, well, I'm done here. She's purring like a kitten now." I reach in to turn the car off, then spin on my heel and head back toward the house. "Either of you coming?"

"No, Trixie is going to stay here and talk to Lightning Flash," the pale blue unicorn states.

I look back at Flash in time to see his ears wilt at her tone. Guess not everything is perfect yet.

"Suit yourselves," I guess it's time to face Moon Shadow, and admit to her what I've been feeling toward Dust... I hope she can forgive me. I really, really wish I understood why that mare is having such an effect on me.

I drop down to all fours on the way up to the room that Shadow and I are sharing. Every step takes me closer to having to confront my feelings. I push myself to keep going, not letting my fear stop me from facing the mare I love.

I pause for a moment at the door, take a deep breath, and enter the room.

"The carb was out of tune. Not a problem to fix..." the rest of what I'm going to say is forgotten when I notice Moon Shadow and Lightning Dust are both in the room. And they're both crying. I turn to Dust, about to say something unpleasant, when Shadow jumps up, and kisses me very thoroughly.

We finally come up for air, and Dust reminds me of her presence, "Uhm... Hi..."

I sit back on my haunches, looking at her, "Hello, Dust. Is there a reason you're in my room?"

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Shadow give her an encouraging look, confusing the hell out of me.

"Yes," she finally replies, quietly.

I wait for her to continue. Finally, when she doesn't, I ask her, "And, that reason would be?"

Instead of answering, she suddenly rushes forward, pressing her lips to mine.

* * *

* Lightning Flash and Trixie*

Flash watches Irony leave. Every step she takes away from he and Trixie fills him with dread. Dread of what he is going to say to the mare that he loves, at least when they were both human. What if she doesn't want anything to do with me? What if I hurt her more than she's been willing to admit? I... he wallows in his self-pity, his ears lying completely flat against his skull; his head sinks down between his front hooves, touching the ground. He ashamedly hides from Trixie's gaze.

Unseen by Flash, Trixie watches him, every moment her demeanor becoming more flaccid, more depressed. When five minutes pass, without him so much as looking up at her, Trixie turns to leave, her head hanging low, her heart breaking.

She stops, one hoof still in the air. Trixie cannot leave it like this. She brings her hoof back to earth, raises her head high, and turns, with as much of a haughty air as she can muster. Tri-- no, I! I must know if this is the end. I won't let our love just fade away. If this is to be the end of us, then I will face it the best way I know how.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie must know! Do you still love her?" she can't help the way her voice quavers, trailing off almost to a whisper at the end.

Flash's head shoots up, he gives her a hard, but confused look, "Of course I still love you! I will love you forever, no matter what!"

"Then why do you avoid Trixie? Why do you hide away? You won't even look at me!" she wails.

Flash's head sinks again, "Because I am so full of shame. I am lower than low. I hurt the one I love more than anything else in the world. I am a most worthless pony. I--"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie orders you to stop bathing in your own self-pity!" she commands. "Trixie would not fall in love with a craven pony, so do not act like one! I love you! I wish to be with you for the rest of my life. Every moment without you, tears at my heart. The longer I am away from you, the more I hide behind my stage persona. Standing here before you, I can finally let it slip away, if only for a moment. If I must lose you, then so be it! But, I will not let you throw our love away because you made a mistake!"

"B-b-b-but..."

"NO! No buts. Do you love me?" Flash nods quickly.

"Do you want to be with me?" again, he nods.

"Do you believe that I love you?" tears dripping from his muzzle, Flash nods once more. "Then you must accept that I have forgiven you, and come to me."

Sobs wrack his entire body as he hiccoughs his way to his feet. He stumbles to her. Trixie wraps an arm around his neck, pulling him to her chest, as he wails.

"Truh-t-t-Trixie, I love you, with all my soul! I'm so sorry that I messed up so badly. Thank you for your forgiveness. Please be with me forever!" Flash blubbers into her fur.

"Shhh..." Trixie shushes him, after a time, "A very wise pony once told me that there is magic in forgiveness. Magic to heal, in forgiveness given, and forgiveness received. Of course I forgive you. Trixie loves her Lightning Flash." She smiles lovingly upon the pegasus, tears silently dripping from her own eyes.

* * *

*Lightning Dust*

My lips are pressed to hers, but she's not responding. Her entire body stiffened up in response. Oh no, Moon Shadow was wrong. I pull away. I can't even look at her now. I just stripped myself bare for her, and she's not interested.

"I…" my ears fall, I hang my head, and head to the door, "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." Just as I'm about to open the door, I feel arms around me. She picks me up and then kisses me back, aggressively. All I can do is open my mouth to her ministrations, I melt against Irony's body. For what seems like forever, and also seems like no time at all, our tongues intertwine. I feel my body responding, strongly. My arousal starts to leak from my marehood. And she hasn't even touched me down there yet. My wings extend to a painful state. I don't care, her kissing me feels so damned good.

I wrap my forehooves around her. I can feel full breasts under my chest, she apparently changed so she could easily pick me up. Everything she is doing feels awesome. I've only been female for about a week, and I've had to deal with the fact that this pony I am is attracted to mares as well. Though, in retrospect, becoming attracted to stallions would probably be weird for me. All thought blasts from my mind, as she shifts one arm to hold my weight by placing her other arm underneath my rear. So close, and yet, so far. I pant heavily into her mouth. I want everything this mare will do to me, and I want to do everything I can to her. I feel the sensation of movement and then I'm placed on the bed. As I'm sat down, her body ripples again, and she's back to her normal self. She hops onto the bed with me and kisses me again.

"I'm sorry about not responding immediately. You caught me completely by surprise," she whispers in my ear.

"Oh, it's okay. I'm good at catching ponies by surprise. I'm just glad you want to," how do I tell her I'm aching for her touch? I feel another body join us on the bed. I look over, and my eyes go wide, "Moon shadow?"

She giggles, "Is there enough for me too?"

Irony and I say in unison, "Of course!"

Dammit, my first threesome, and I had to lose my penis to get it. My wings are painfully erect. I turn to Irony, and use a hoof to gently push her onto her back. I climb half on top of her, tasting her lips once again. I shift my ministrations down her neck, feeling her body respond with every caress of my tongue and lips. I am getting so aroused, I had better be careful, I'm leaking. I get to the bottom of her chest, heading to the south, when I feel a soft tongue on my inner thigh. All I can do is moan in pleasure, as Moon Shadow plays gently with my marehood, simply teasing me, but damn, it feels so damned good. I find Irony's teats, gently bringing them into my mouth one at a time and sucking them. I hear her suck in her breath as she twitches underneath me. This is a nice feeling.

Then a tongue enters me. It's like pleasurable lightning throughout my body. Moon is deliberately avoiding my hypersensitive clit, she's just focusing on my folds and the entrance. I can barely stand. It's time somepony else feels this amazing. I gently spread Irony's lips with my tongue, and get my first taste of her marehood. My wife had mentioned that alien pony mares taste way different than human women. I get to find that out first hand. Irony tastes amazing! I push my tongue in as far as it will go, feeling her body twitch as the pleasure I'm giving her arouses her further. Moon Shadow then gets a heavy gasp out of me by switching to my swollen clit. She runs the entire length of her tongue against the sensitive nub. Then I have to scream out in pleasure, as she takes it gently in her teeth, and rubs the tip of it with her tongue.

My first orgasm of the night washes over me. I swear, we took less than five minutes to have me screaming! After it finally subsides, I can finally let my eyes focus. Irony needs her first one too, then I'm going to have to work on Moon Shadow. I push forward to do to Irony what Moon did to me. Long, slow laps of her clit, and then finally teasing the tip of it with my tongue, as I gently hold it in my teeth. In a matter of moments, Irony is bucking underneath me, her orgasm taking hold. I can feel her arousal gush from her, all over my lower jaw. I lap up what I can, this pony tastes better than anything I could ever imagine. After her orgasm subsides, I look over at Moon, she's grinning and looking at me.

"It's pretty nice to be a mare, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is," I advance on her, she ends up on her back again as I kiss her. I'm lost in Moon Shadow's taste, we share the taste of Irony's juices for a long moment. Then, I start working my way down her body. Shortly, I'm down at her folds, my rear in the air, and my tail lashing from side to side. I feel a set of teeth on my wing, right where it joins my body. Apparently somepony knows pegasi erogenous zones better than this pegasus. A hoof gently parts my lips, and teases my clit. My entire body shakes as another orgasm takes me. I have a feeling that I'm going to break any personal records when it comes to orgasms tonight. My moans of pleasure turn into screams, as the second orgasm intensifies. The first one left me weak, this one is threatening to make me comatose. God, I hope the kids are asleep right now. I fight to remain coherent enough to keep playing with Moon's marehood. She tastes almost as good as Irony does. And all I can do is keep on trying to pleasure her. Though, in moments, her rear legs clamp around my head and she bucks against my face as her first orgasmic cries pierce the air in the room. I keep up playing with her clit as she rides the wave of pleasure. The lights in the room are overwhelmed with the brightness coming from her horn. It sparks and sputters as she finally comes down from that high. I finally let her go.

"I hope we aren't being too loud," I mumble.

Moon giggles again, she's got a cute giggle, "I've got you covered, Dust. I cast a sound deadening spell around the room, nopony can hear us."

"So, you can scream your lungs out and the only one to hear you is us?" Irony asks.

She nods.

"Good," Irony leans forward, kissing Moon Shadow. Now I get to watch them for a minute. Irony and Moon have moved into a sixty nine position, though it's a bit of a stretch for the smaller unicorn. I watch them for a minute, then I gently push Irony's marehood away from Moon, replacing it with mine in a more comfortable position for the unicorn, then I dive in on Irony. For at least the next hour, we are all tasting each other. Our moans only interrupted by the occasional scream as one of us peaks. Though we flip several times, both of them taking their turn at me, and I get to play with both of them. Irony shows Moon some of the erogenous zones on pegasi, and she shows me how sensitive the horn is on unicorns when they are aroused.

We finally fall asleep in a heap, the bed is soaked with our arousal and sweat. Now that is the best way to fall asleep.

Chapter 22

I awaken slowly, stretching my legs out in a full-body morning yawn. Glancing at the window, I realize that I've slept later than is my usual. Guess last night's activities tuckered me out... that Dust sure is a wild pony! Then again, so is Moon Shadow. I gaze lovingly at my still sleeping marefriend. I still can't believe she's okay with my feelings for Dust. Heck, she seems more than okay about it. I swear I saw her giving Dust encouraging looks last night!

I shake my head to dislodge the amorous thoughts trying to take root. I'm still working on that, when I hear a knock at the door. Ugh, who could that be? I wriggle off the bed without disturbing Shadow, stumble my way to the door, and open it to see the turquoise pegasus I've been thinking about floating there.

Dust's muzzle splits in one of the biggest shit-eating grins I've ever seen, "Damn, smells like a brothel in here! Oh, and nice mane, by the way."

I reach a hoof up to my head in response, feeling just how matted my mane is. I shake my head, smirking as I say, "Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure you helped with both of those things. I guess we'll have to air the room out."

"As for your mane, a shower will fix that right up, too. Don't worry about running out of hot water, we have on-demand water heaters," she wiggles her eyebrows at me suggestively.

I back away from the door to let her in. I swear she giggles when she sees Shadow passed out so cutely on the bed. She smiles at me again, then turns more serious, "I think something big happened during our mission."

I cock an eyebrow at her, so she continues, "The news said that something matching the signature of a cruise missile crossed the Canadian border into the US, but it didn't explode."

I think for a moment, then it hits me. If this were an actual cartoon, a light bulb would have just turned on, over my head. "Rainbow Dash!" I state with confidence.

"Are you sure?"

I nod. "It has to be. Since it didn't explode, it wasn't a missile. Besides, why would Canada fire at us? We've never had those kinds of tensions with them. So, it had to be a pony. A pegasus, and a fast one at that. Though, not just fast. Incredibly fast. Not that many pegasi are that fast. The only two I can name off the top of my head are you, and Rainbow Dash. And you were busy the night before last."

Her grin reappears, "Last night, too."

I feel the blood rushing to my face as I continue, "That aside, they couldn't have been tracking you. When you were flying, you were close to the car, which would have masked your signature, not that they would have seen you anyway. Tracking in the interior of the country is mostly focused on commercial jets, which rely on transponders. I doubt they'd notice a pegasus flying, unless you went over a few thousand feet, in which case they'd probably think you were an ICBM. I can only imagine the commotion that would cause."

Dust opens her mouth to reply, but is interrupted by Soarin busting into the room, "Dust, I just got a text message; the feds have shown up at the farm!" He skids to a stop, like he's hit a wall, and his nose crinkles at the smell, "Holy Christ, this room has one hell of a funk to it!" He stops, looks at me, taking in my mane, glances at Shadow snoring lightly on the bed, and finally his gaze falls on Dust, who is practically glowing a beet red. Suddenly, he quite literally falls over, laughing fit to bust his stomach.

Dust and I look at each other, and I'm certain my face is the same shade of crimson as hers. Our gazes drop to the floor, trying to hide from our mutual embarrassment.

"Oh, Celestia, I can't believe it, sis! You've only been a pony, and a girl, for a week, and you're already getting it on!" he is barely able to get out around his chuckles.

"Dammit, Soarin, do you have to tell the entire world?!" she says, causing her brother to break out in fresh peals of laughter.

I sit down next to Dust, and she leans into me. Wow, that just feels so right, I sigh contentedly. Looking down at her, I see it dawn in her eyes what he said when he first entered the room. She looks up at me, "The feds?"

I nod, not surprised, "When it wants to, the government can actually move pretty fast."

She looks at the floor for a couple moments, deep in thought. Then turns back to me, "Irony, you and Moon Shadow stay here for now. We don't need that kind of complication right now," she turns to Soarin, "let's haul some ass!"

They take off like shots, on their way before I can even say goodbye. I feel strangely saddened at the loss of Dust's presence. Wow. I'm done for. I am seriously gone on this mare.

I hear Shadow stir behind me. I turn to her, as she lifts her head. She smiles at me, "Did I just hear Lightning Dust?"

I nod, a little sadly, and explain to her what she missed, including my feelings and thoughts about the turquoise pegasus.

A radiant smile breaks out on her muzzle, and she runs a hoof through my mane, "She is a pretty amazing mare."

I hang my head, "Shadow. I... I think I'm in love with her. Like, really in love, with a capital 'L'. I'm sorry. I never meant for this to happen..."

She shushes me, with a hoof over my mouth, "I know, my love. I could see that the first moment you two were together." She lifts my chin, so that I am forced to look her in the eye, "You have no reason to feel guilty, or ashamed," I open my mouth, but she silences me with a look, and continues, "before you protest, ask yourself: does your love for her in any way diminish your love for me?"

I close my mouth, and seriously think about my feelings. I... I still love Moon Shadow just as much! She's right. How does she know so much?

Slowly, I speak, "I still love you just as much as I've loved you for so much longer than I ever realized. But I love Lightning Dust. How is it that I can love you both so much? Why doesn't it take away from my love for you?"

She flashes her dazzling smile at me again, "That's just the way love works. The more you share, the more you have to share. The more you give, the more you can get. And, just so you know, I talked to Dust. I'm pretty sure she loves you as much as you love her. You two are so cute together."

I sit there, speechless, as Shadow saunters past me, planting a kiss on my forehead on her way by, "See you in the shower."

I shake my head, turn, and follow her to the bathroom.

* * *

"Helen, do you guys have a place where I can work out? More than just stretching?" I ask, running a hand through my mane. I'm wearing a pair of black gym shorts and a white V-neck tee, with a sports bra underneath, which Shadow made me wear. She'd told me that I was too well endowed in my anthro form to go without, especially since there were kids in the house.

Helen turns and smiles up at me, saying, "Oh, yeah, Mike included a workout room for me when we built the house. There's a weight machine, and a heavy bag in there, as well as a treadmill and elliptical."

"That sounds pretty good. Do you mind if I avail myself of it?"

"Not at all. Mi casa es su casa," she replies. I can't help but smile in return at her upbeat personality.

I slip on a pair of fingerless exercise gloves as I walk in the direction that Helen has indicated her workout room is in.

I find the room without any trouble. Stepping inside, my breath is momentarily taken away by the gorgeous view out the far wall. The entire wall is made of glass. Through it I can see a beautiful stained deck, with a built in hot tub. Beyond that is the lake, with a dock leading almost right up to the house. The lake is surrounded by trees just coming into bloom, spring finally having its effect here. There's also a nice-sized boat tied up at the end of the dock, just begging to be taken for a drive.

Damn... Very not bad! Evidently Mike spared no expense for his wife. Only other thing you could ask for is a sauna, but alas, you can't have everything! I chuckle to myself. Turning my back on the view, I set to work, warming up and stretching. Once I feel sufficiently limbered up, I face the heavy bag, noting that it's a good quality, 200 pound bag. Who here could possibly have needed one this heavy? I wonder, finally deciding that they probably just didn't do anything half-assed.

I start slow, taking a few practice jabs to test the heft, and recoil. Soon, I ramp up the power of my blows, working up a rhythm to keep the bag from swinging too far in any one direction. I lose myself in the exercise, enjoying the simple thrill of physical activity. I've missed working out, not having been able to go to my local gym since my transformation. I've kept up on things like push-ups, crunches, and squats, but there's nothing quite as great as going to town on a bag, or pushing yourself on the weight bench.

I come back to myself when my breathing starts to become slightly labored. I realize that I'm drenched in sweat, soaking through my lightweight top. Wiping sweat away from my brow with a hand, I turn to the weight machine. Looking it over, I decide that even though it's not as good as free weights for what I want, it is way better than nothing. I set up for squats, adjusting the weight to its maximum setting, and begin doing reps. I do a set of 15 squats, then pause for a few seconds before beginning another set.

Completing my fifth set, I glance up as some movement catches my eye. I pause, then see someone is peeking around the edge of the door, watching me. Ignoring them, I start another set of 15, though I keep an eye on the door, curious as to who is peeping at me. It's a couple more minutes before I catch enough of a view of my admirer to identify him: Dylan, Lightning Dust's son. By the time I decide I'm done with squats, he is standing openly in the doorway, avidly staring. I continue to ignore his presence, reconfigure the machine, and start to do lat pull-downs, front and back, still using the maximum weight of the machine.

After a couple of sets, Dylan has made his way fully into the room, and appears to be studying me. Finishing out a few more sets of reps, I gently lower the weight, not clinking at all, and fully focus my eyes on the boy for the first time.

"Something I can help you with?" I ask, wiping my face with a small towel I brought with me.

"H-how strong are you?" he stammers quietly.

"Honestly? I don't really know. I haven't had a chance to push my limits yet," I reply, solemnly.

"You were using all the weight plates, that's like 250 pounds!" I can hear the beginning of excitement in his voice.

"That's really not that impressive for squats."

"Maybe not, but you did like 200 of them. Though, really it's the pull-downs I find amazing! I've never seen anybody do that much weight, let alone do reps with it," he states. It takes me a moment to place the tone in his voice: awe.

"I actually know a lot of guys who could do more than that," I shrug, not really comfortable with how impressed he is.

He steps up close to me. I see his nostrils flare as he inhales my scent. His eyes glaze just a little bit. He reaches a hand out to tuck a tuft of my mane behind my ear. I hear him mumble, "You're so beautiful..."

Suddenly, he's mashing his lips against mine in a wild kiss. I sit there stock still for a few seconds, in complete shock, before I pull back. I resist the urge to slap him, reminding myself what it was like to be a fifteen year old boy with hormones raging.

"Dylan!" I shout. "What do you think you're doing?!"

I see fear, distress, and embarrassment fly across his face, before it settles into the most crushed look I've ever seen. He turns to flee, but I catch his wrist in my powerful grip. He jerks his arm a few times, "Let me go!" Tears are running in rivulets down his cheeks.

"Dylan! Calm down!" he gives another half-hearted tug, then stands there woodenly, waiting for me to release him.

I slowly reach up with my other hand, gently wiping the tears away. Poor kid. He is kind of cute, though waaay too young. I smile at him, "It's okay. You kind of caught me by surprise."

A measure of relief enters his eyes, "You... you're not mad?"

I give a little chuckle, "No, I'm not mad. Actually, I'm kind of flattered. Though, I am a little old for you."

"You're not that much older than me! I heard my da-- Dust, talking, you're only 25! That means you're only 10 years older than me. That's not that much!"

I feel my lips curl into a smirk, "I hate to tell you, Dylan, but I'm a lot older than you realize."

"Don't patronize me! I don't care how old you might really be. All I know is that you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen. I don't care that you're not human!"

I shake my head, sadly, Dammit, I don't want to break his heart... "Dylan... I don't know how to put this gently... I'm in love with Lightning Dust. And strange as it is, she's your father, which makes this a little weird for me. I think you're handsome, and could actually see you as a possibility, if you were a little older, and if I wasn't already in love with two other ponies. Please, please, please, understand."

Another fat tear rolls down his cheek. He swipes at it with a sleeve, then smiles bravely at me. I release his wrist. Instead of pulling his arm back, he catches my hand in his and holds it for a moment. He gives it a squeeze and lets go, "I think I do understand. I guess I really appreciate that you didn't give me the brush-off. Thanks for giving a damn about my feelings."

He turns to go. As he turns, I see how hard he's trying to hold back more tears, but his face is contorting, and I catch a glimpse of one fall. Once again, I catch his wrist, more gently this time. I pull him into a hug. He doesn't struggle; instead he breaks into sobs, tears practically gushing from his eyes, like the Multnomah Falls. He buries his face in my shoulder, blubbering nonsensical words. I softly stroke his back, humming quietly right into his ear. I wrap my arms around his body, pull the boy into my lap, and rock him until he finally cries himself out.

Dylan wipes his face with his palms, trying to clear away the tears and mucus, but really only manages to smear it around. He looks up into my eyes, and stammers, "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry f-for so completely losing my shit right there."

Giving him serious eye contact, I say, "It's been a hell of a week. For everypony. I mean, everybody... But, most especially for you, I'll bet. This has to be incredibly difficult for you to wrap your head around."

He nods, keeping his gaze focused on mine.

"Your dad... well, he's still here, but is also not really your dad anymore, huh?" His head bobs up and down a couple more times.

"Let me guess: you suddenly feel like you have to be the man of the house. You feel like you need to pick up the slack, and keep things together for your mom and sister, don't you?"

"Y-yeah," he looks down, trying to hide the look of abject failure that has come over his face.

I grip his chin firmly, pulling his head up until we're eye-to-eye again, and slowly state, "Dylan, you've done an awesome job of keeping yourself together during this whole mess. It's something that should never have fallen to you, but you've done well with it anyway. Frankly, I'm quite impressed. You're going to grow into an amazing stallion, er, man, one day soon."

"You really think so?" he sniffs, running his sleeve across his nose.

"I really do. You know something else? Lightning Dust is awfully proud of you, too. She told me so herself."

"Sh-she did?" He asks.

I nod, "She did."

"Thank you, Irony. Thank you for being here for me. I haven't really known how to cope. Everything has been messing with my head. I feel like my entire world has been turned upside-down."

"It's okay. And I'm glad to be here for you. As your friend," I give him serious face again, "but only as your friend, okay?"

He blushes, but a small smile peeks through, "I think I can accept that. I'm really sorry for ambushing you. I have no idea what I was thinking..."

I can't help but laugh, my muzzle splitting into a wide grin, "Hey, there's something to be said for the direct approach. Don't give up on it too easily."

* * *

I close my eyes and let the warm water pour over my face, and down my body. I shake my head to loosen my hair, and pour a veritable mountain of shampoo into my upturned palm. I lather up my mane, which reaches almost down to my tail in this form. Finishing up with the mane, I go to work on my tail, which stops just short of the floor. Good thing Dust has unlimited hot water, it takes so damn long to wash all this hair!

Rinsing out the suds takes almost as long as it did to wash. I watch the little bubbles slip through my fur, down between my breasts, and past my cleft. Looking down my front brings back memories of last night, raising my excitement level a notch. I cup my breasts, tweaking my nipples gently, bringing forth a small gasp. My right hand slips down between my legs, and I softly caress my slit, images of Lightning Dust and Moon Shadow swirling behind my closed eyes. I tilt my head back, moaning loudly.

What am I doing? Somebody might hear me! I force my hands away from my sensitive areas, and mindlessly crank the water over from hot to cold. My eyes fly open, and a shriek rips from my throat at the temperature change.

"Holy hell!" I shout, fumbling to turn the water off. I stand there, shivering, for several moments, as I think about what I had been doing. I need to maintain control of myself! What the heck is going on with me?

My body cries out for me to begin again, but I resist the urge with a growl. I throw open the door to the stall with one hand, reaching for a towel with the other. With my hand halfway to the stack of linens, my mind registers that I'm not alone. My focus is snapped to the counter, where Dust's daughter, Hannah, is sitting. I freeze for a moment, then snatch a towel and try to cover myself with it.

Hannah giggles at me, her lips turning up in a smirk, "You don't have to hide from me. You have the same parts as mommy, and mommy says that someday I'll have those, too." She points at my breasts in emphasis.

"Well, I wasn't always a girl," I finally manage to get out.

"Kind of like my daddy?" the little girl asks.

"Yeah, kind of like that," I say, then it dawns on me what I was doing before getting out of the shower. "Uhm, Hannah, how long have you been sitting there?"

She swings her legs back and forth, and giggles again, "Oh, long enough to hear you make noises like mommy sometimes makes when she and daddy are alone..."

Oh god, caught red-handed by a six-year-old... I close my eyes, my cheeks turning bright red.

"Hey, I'm ten, not six! And you shouldn't be ashamed, mommy says everyone does it. Though, I have no idea what 'it' is. She says I'm not old enough to know yet," she pouts.

Her pout is so cute that I can't help but laugh. Then another realization strikes me.

"How'd you get in here? I know I locked that door when I came in," I say, giving her a hard look.

She smiles mischievously at me, and says, "I have my ways."

I decide to leave that be, as I know that privacy locks aren't exactly hard to get through.

I take a moment to wrap the towel around myself, so that I feel decent, and ask, "So... is there a reason you barged in here while I was taking a shower?"

Instead of answering my question, she responds with a question of her own, "Do you like my daddy?"

"Your da-- oh, you mean Dust. Yes, I like her," I reply, puzzled.

"No! Do you like my daddy?!" she puts her fingers in the air, making air quotes when she says 'like'.

How does she even know what air quotes are? Must've picked it up from her parents... I pause for a moment, then answer her question, "Yeah... yeah, I do. I think I like your daddy very much. Does that bother you?"

"Nope. Not as long as it doesn't make mommy mad, it doesn't."

I swallow down a sudden flash of fear, Shit, I never even thought about Dust's wife! I... I'd better talk to her...

After a moments more hesitation, I ask Hannah, "What made you come ask me if I like your daddy?"

"Oh. I saw you kissing this morning. I know what kissing means. It means you like somebody. A lot! I just wanted to know for sure. Now I know that you like daddy as much as daddy likes you!" she smiles up at me, hops down from the counter, and scampers out the door.

I stand there for several moments, my mind boggled by this ten-year-old little girl, and her insightfulness.

On my way out of the bathroom, I take note that the lock on the door isn't your usual privacy lock, but a normal keyed lock. How odd...

It takes me an unusually long time to dry myself, return to my room, and get dressed. My mind is now awhirl with a new worry: what to say to Helen.

Finally, I come to a resolution, and set out to find her.

* * *

I knock on the doorframe, having found Helen in her bedroom, putting away some laundry.

"Oh, hi Irony. How'd the workout go?" she smiles at me.

"Very well, that is an impressive home gym," I answer, returning her smile, even though my stomach is filled with butterflies.

"I'm really glad you liked it. Mike has always worked hard to take care of his family, and give us just about anything we wanted."

"His love for you shows," I say, then pause, trying to figure out what to say next.

"Something bothering you, Irony?" Helen cocks her head at an angle, looking at me quizzically.

"Actually, yes. That's why I came to see you. I... I just don't know how to say it." Or how it will be received.

"Come, have a seat, we can talk about it, one woman to another," she pats the bed next to her. Hesitantly, I make my way over and sit, the bed flexing heavily under my greater mass.

"Helen... I have to admit something to you. Something that I'm still having trouble dealing with. I-- I'm in love with Lightning Dust," I hide my face in my hands, shame turning my face red.

Taking my hands in hers, pulling them away from my face, Helen smiles at me, "You know, you're pretty cute when you're embarrassed. Irony, I could tell that you had feelings for Dust the moment I saw you two together."

I pull my hands away from her, clasping them together in my lap. Tears are forming in the corners of my eyes as I speak, "Helen... I slept with Dust last night. I'm so sorry! I never even considered that she was married, or what your feelings would be. I didn't think at all! I don't want to be the 'other woman'. I'm so sorry..." The tears have broken the dam, and are flowing freely now.

Helen bursts out laughing. My eyes widen in shock, then narrow in anger, "This is no laughing matter! I'm not joking, and I'm not lying! I've done you a horrible wrong, one I have no idea how to make up for!"

Helen starts shaking her head, and is finally able to regain her composure. She takes my hands again in hers again, "I'm sorry for laughing, but you look so earnest; sitting there, telling me how you've cheated with my 'husband'. It makes you even more endearing that you care this much. Irony, I know how you feel about Dust. What's more, I know how Dust feels about you. She can't admit it to herself yet, but she cares about you a whole lot. As for you sleeping with her last night, I know for a fact that she instigated it."

"But--"

She interrupts me, "No buts. Dust already told me everything. We don't keep secrets from each other, and I don't want us to keep secrets from you, either, okay? Dust loves me, her changing from a man into a filly didn't change that. What it did change was her desires. She's attracted to ponies now, and I understand that. It's not her fault, and it isn't yours, either. I'm the one who encouraged her to seek you out. Though, admittedly, I didn't know you'd fall into bed together the first time she did. You should know, her attraction to you is more than just lust. I'm certain of it."

"How can you be so calm about all of this? I think it would drive me mad," I say in disbelief.

"Because I love her, too. Mike was an amazing man, and I have never had reason to regret putting my faith and love in him. Lightning Dust is a wonderful pony, and my faith and love remain with her. I could see that it was tearing her up inside to no longer be physically attracted to me, especially now that she's met you. I can either be okay with it, and keep my relationship with her strong, or I can be a jealous bitch, and her mind will tear itself apart because she would never betray me. However, in her efforts to be true to me, she would betray her own heart, her own self, and it would rip her up inside. That is something I could not live with."

"Helen, you are one amazing woman. I can easily see why Dust fell in love with you when she was human. I'm really sorry that her change of form also broke her attraction to you," I grip Helen's hands tightly, looking deeply into her eyes. I see a wave of sadness roll through them, but she banishes it immediately, and smiles up at me.

"Yeah, it was kind of a bummer, but hey, we can't force who we're attracted to."

"Speaking of attraction... Dylan kissed me," I bring up, trying to change the subject from something that is obviously painful for her.

Helen laughs again, a melodious sound that brings a smile to my face, and says, "I wish I could have seen that! I can only imagine the look that must have been on your face!"

"Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise. I felt bad, but I couldn't lead him on, so we talked about it."

"Since I haven't seen him moping, you must have let him down pretty gently. Teenagers, so full of hormones," she sighs.

"Yeah. He took it fairly well. I think it may have more to do with him feeling like he has to be the man of the house, now that his dad, er... isn't," I blush.

Helen leans into me, "Thank you, for telling me that. Like any boy his age, he doesn't exactly share his feelings with us. I'll talk to him and try to help him deal with this a little better."

"Just, do me a favor, and don't tell him I told you about his kissing me. I don't want him to feel embarrassed, or to think I'm a blabbermouth. He's really a great young man."

"Don't worry, I won't tell. He needs to feel he can trust someone, or is that somepony?" her lips turn up into another infectious smile.

"Either way works for me. Especially," I gesture to my body, "since I'm not exactly your typical pony..."

"I've been wondering about that, but didn't want to pry," she says, tilting her head up to look into my eyes, without pulling away from me.

Deciding to fully trust her, I launch into my tale, leaving nothing out. Somehow, by the end of it, she's sitting sideways in my lap, my arms wrapped around her, my chin resting atop her head.

She leans back to once again look me in the eyes, "Your life has been so full of pain and suffering. I'm so, so, so sorry that you've had to go through so much."

I'm not crying, though I suspect that it's because I don't have any more tears left right now, rather than that it doesn't bother me anymore. Helen grasps my face in her hands, pulling me down to her, and presses her lips lightly against mine. I return her kiss fiercely, my grip around her tightening with my emotions.

It's like a raging inferno of passion has infected our souls. The kiss quickly progresses, from a light press of lips, to a full-on open-mouth tongue-writhing make-out session.

When we finally come up for air, I realize what I'm doing, and say, "Oh god, I'm sorry Helen! I have no idea what's come over me."

She smirks up at me, and replies, "Oh, I have an idea. Don't you dare stop now!" Catching me off guard, she is able to push me backward, onto my back, on the bed. She drapes herself over me, bringing her luscious lips to bear on mine again.

My hands go to the hem of her shirt, quickly peeling it up and over her head, briefly breaking our passionate embrace. Our lips are quickly reunited, her tongue snaking in to trace my blunted teeth. I respond in kind, forcing my larger tongue past hers, and into her mouth. She groans softly as we taste each other.

Taking control, I grip Helen's body, and roll us so that I am on top. Leaning back, I look down into her eyes, and grin. Her lips curl up in a devilish smile in response. She gasps in surprise when I swoop down to take her right nipple between my teeth. I pull on it, stretching it out, before closing my lips around the fleshy nub and suckling like a newborn babe.

Helen cries out, wrapping her fingers in my mane, pulling me in tight to her chest. I slide my right hand up to knead her left breast, my left moves to her pants. I fumble with them for several seconds before simply ripping them from her hips. She shrieks in surprise at my show of strength. I blindly toss the tattered cloth away, bringing my hand back to her hip. I am surprised to find that in addition to no bra, she hadn't been wearing any panties, either.

Breaking my hold on her nipple, I whisper, "Oh my, you do seem to be naked."

She lets forth a throaty chuckle at my words, then grabs my mane and pulls me to her left breast. I gladly return to nibbling, and nursing, on her beautiful nub. I squeeze her tit-flesh firmly, thoroughly enjoying the feel of it under my fingertips. My free hand makes its way between her thighs, to her smooth mound. She is slippery with desire, her folds welcoming my invading digits.

Her moans get progressively louder, second by second, my fingers enticing more of her nectar to come forth. As her cries get louder, I become more aggressive with her breasts, alternating my attention between them. The passion in her voice increases my own, by leaps and bounds. I finally abandon her chest, slipping down between her legs to run my muzzle along her dripping slit. My tongue rasps along her womanhood, bringing me the delicious flavor of her ambrosia.

"Oh god, don't stop. Don't! Stop!" Helen screams.

I eagerly obey her command, driving my tongue deep into her. Her cries mount in pitch as she nears her peak. I run my thumb over her clit as I try to lick all the way to her womb.

Her screams become gasps, her back arches, her hands grip my head fiercely. My mouth is flooded with her cream.

It takes her several moments to come down from her high. She finally releases my head, and gasps out, "That. Was. Fucking. Amazing! You are really good at that! Did you know that?"

"Thank you. You taste rather wonderful, did you know that?" I return. She giggles.

The bedroom door slams against the wall, thrown open by unicorn magic. Helen and I turn to see Moon Shadow standing in the doorway. My head starts spinning.

"What the hell is going on here?!"

Chapter 23

"Oh fuck..." I bury my face in my hands, my heart overflowing with shame. I can smell Helen's juices on my fingers, my muzzle is soaked in the odiferous cream. What have I done...? How could I...?

"Irony! I can't believe I'm finding you here. Like this! What are you doing?!" Moon Shadow's voice is filled with reproof.

"I-I-I... I don't know!" I burst into tears. There's no way she can overlook this! I can't believe I was cheating on her! What kind of pony am I?! I was never like this before...

"Irony... I just don't know what to say," I can't exactly place the tone in Shadow's voice. It's almost like she's trying to suppress an emotion...

Is she laughing? No way, that can't be! I pull my hands away from my face to look at Shadow. To my utter shock, I can see that she's fighting to keep a smirk off her face.

"Shadow... what's going on?" I ask her. A wide grin blooms on her muzzle in response to the look on my face.

Behind me, Helen bursts out laughing, with Shadow joining in immediately. My eyes dart between the two in utter confusion. "Okay... I'm missing something, and you two are both obviously in on it. From your shared laughter, I'm guessing that you're not actually mad, are you?" I pointedly ask shadow.

"Well, Helen, I think we've been found out."

"Apparently," the human replies, a mischievous smile playing at her lips.

I turn my full attention on Moon Shadow, and ask, "So, are you going to fill me in?"

The answer comes, not from the mare in front of me, but the woman behind me, "Let's just say that you and Dust are the victims of meddling wives."

Turning to her, I cock a confused brow at her, "Huh?"

Moon Shadow continues, "Helen and I have decided that you and Dust belong together, so we're making sure that happens."

"But, why?"

Helen's turn, "Well, it wouldn't be so necessary if you two weren't so damn dense! After discussing how you and Dust were behaving around each other, we quickly realized that you two would blow this without some direct interference from us."

Now I'm getting angry, "And you two think you have the right to just make these decisions for us? You think that you have the right the handle us?!"

"When it comes to you fucking up your happiness, as well as ours? You're damned right we do!" Moon Shadow stomps a hoof to emphasize her point.

"Do you really think I'd do that?" I ask her flatly.

"Irony, you were ready to do just that! If we hadn't arranged for Dust to be with us, you were ready to do your best to bury your feelings for her down deep. You wouldn't have ever learned that you can love more than one pony at the same time. You now know that you love her just as much as you love me! Are you saying you'd rather not have that? Would you rather not have her in your life?!" Moon states passionately.

My ears fall to the side of my head, my head droops, "No... I love Lightning Dust. I want her in our lives, too."

"Good. Having Dust in your life means having Helen and their children in it, too. Something which I, for one, am actually glad about. Helen and I have hit it off famously."

I turn to Helen, she nods enthusiastically, "I, too, want you both in our lives. Just since yesterday, I've seen a change in Dust. A positive change. You've made her happier than she's been since before the change."

"That doesn't make you jealous?" I ask.

She shakes her head, "On the contrary, it makes me feel relieved. I can sense how good for her you are. The love that you two share, like Moon told you, doesn't displace the love that she and I share, it enhances it. Together, we will all accomplish much."

"Indeed," Shadow intones.

"Though, unfortunately, I'm going to have to leave you, and Dust, in Moon's capable hooves for a while," Helen says, a trifle sadly.

"What do you mean?" I ask her.

"Dust has recommended, and frankly I agree, that the kids and I go visit her parents in Texas for a while. We're worried about what the government presence here might mean for us."

I take Helen's hand in mine, rubbing my thumb lightly along her knuckles, "I'll hate to see you go, but I think Dust is right, too."

Shadow nods in agreement, puts a hoof on our joined hands, smiles at us, and leans in to kiss me firmly. Then she whispers in my ear, "Yum, I'm sorry I missed out on the action!"

I feel my cheeks burst into flame in response. Shadow's smile turns into a grin.

* * *

The sun is just setting down over the horizon when Lightning Dust comes bursting through the front door, calling out, "Irony, pack your bag! We've got one!"

"Calm down, Dust. What do you mean, 'we've got one'?" I ask her, making my way to my hooves.

"Actually, we've got two! We're heading to Colorado to rescue a couple of ponies who are being held, against their will. They managed to get word out through one of those pony websites that Soarin has been watching," she replies, stamping her hooves in impatience. "We need to hurry!"

"Okay. Let's take Trixie with us, too. She'll be a big help," I say over my shoulder, as I trot off to pack and bid Moon Shadow goodbye.

* * *

"Why do we have to drive the whole way?" Dust whines at me.

I turn from the trunk of my car, and give her a look, "Because, in case you haven't noticed, I'm an earth pony. I can't fly," I point over to Trixie, who has just hopped into the backseat, "and neither can she."

Dust's ears drop, "Okay, I guess that makes sense." Her head lifts, and I see a glint in her eye, "Shotgun!" She dives through the open window, landing perfectly in the passenger seat.

As I'm about to climb in behind the wheel, Moon Shadow canters up next to me, raising her head, her lips parted slightly for a kiss. I lean down to press my lips softly against hers. As we part, she whispers, "Be safe, and good luck, my love."

I smile crookedly at her, "Always."

I slam the door, rev up the engine, and put her in gear. Soon we are tearing down the highway, at speed. Dust has told me the drive will be about ten hours. My goal is to shave some off that.

* * *

I have been fairly successful at cutting our time. I've managed to turn a ten hour trip into an eight hour one, though I can sense that Dust is getting restless. She really doesn't like being cooped up, especially for long periods of time.

It's so late that it's early, when we pull into Arvada, a suburb of Denver. We manage to locate the address where the ponies are purportedly being held, just as the sun is cresting the horizon. To our surprise, it's a suburban home at the top of a hill.

Dust turns to me, "A house? How are we going to pull this off?"

Opening the trunk and reaching in, I withdraw my mace. Shouldering it, I reply, "The same way I got Moon Shadow back: we're going to ask nicely."

Dust's grin matches my own. I swear I hear her say under her breath, "It's clobberin' time."

I don my armor, and walk up to the front door, while Dust and Trixie remain a little ways off in the yard, under the cover of Trixie's distraction spell. I rap the door firmly with my knuckles. Then I wait, with my hands clasped behind my back, like I'm nothing more than a door-to-door salesman. A minute goes by before I hear any movement behind the door.

The door opens, revealing a pudgy looking guy. He's about six foot, definitely not any more than that. Not exactly the hard-core criminal I was expecting... I think, before I grab hold of his neck, lifting him off the ground. I pull him out the door, and slam him against the brickwork surrounding the entryway. I shove my muzzle into his face, and growl, "I know you're keeping ponies here. Now, where are they?"

A grin crosses my face when I smell a sharp tang in the air, letting me know he's wet himself. I glance down to see it puddling on the ground. Lightning Dust and Trixie slip past us, and on inside the split-level home. Dust has asked that I wait outside as backup, just in case. I don't mind, as it lets me terrorize this piece of shit that thinks it's okay to hold Equestrians hostage.

Once his eyes start bulging, and his lips turn blue, I set the scumbag down. He can't maintain his feet; he falls to his ass, with a splat, in the puddle. I pull my mace from my belt, take a fierce swing, and bury the head in the masonry next to his head, spraying his face, and neck, with red chips.

He wraps his arms around his head, begins rocking back and forth, and whimpers, "Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me." Over, and over.

Wow... this guy is even more of a weakling than I first thought. How did he ever get caught up in this? I shake my head in disbelief.

I hear a door slam into a wall, and Dust yell, "You get off that pony!" Followed by a ruckus. I figure that's my cue, so I grab my prisoner, and charge down the stairs into the day-light basement. What I see down there appalls me. Really, it's a simple setup, but in its simplicity, it's disgusting. There are a couple of large cages, and a pair of mattresses thrown on the ground. There's a pony in one of the cages, and one lying on a mattress. Dust is between that pony and a naked man. I am just in time to see her get one last kick into his groin, before Trixie puts a hoof to her shoulder, stopping her rampage.

Seeing that Dust is done destroying the rapist's manhood, I throw the other fool down next to him. I turn to Dust, and simply nod when she tells me to bust open the cage. I raise the mace, and bring it down on the lock. The lock sheers off, showing its poor quality in the ease with which it is dispatched. I carefully lift the pony out of the cage. Her body is wracked with tremors as I set her down next to Trixie. Her pegasus compatriot has her hooves wrapped around Dust and is thanking her for all she's worth.

Dust hugs her back, and asks, "How old are you?"

"I just turned 25," the pony responds, but Dust shakes her head.

"No, how old were you before you were taken by Discord?"

"Maybe 18... I'm not sure..." she answers, hesitantly.

Dust whirls on the rapist, murder in her eyes, "You bastard! You were raping a fucking teenager!"

Before Trixie or I can step in, the other human decides to show just how stupid he really is, by speaking, "Hey, I paid good money for her!"

I can't quite place the look on Dust's face, but it isn't good. She turns back to the rapist, and asks, in a quiet voice, "And you paid this scum, to have her?"

The client nods slowly, tears dripping down his face, his body trembling in fear. Dust turns her attention back to the would-be pimp, "Where did you buy them?"

He hides behind his hands, but doesn't say anything.

"Irony."

Knowing what Dust is looking for, I calmly take a step forward, smashing my mace into the floor next to his feet. He screams, pulling his feet away, "I can't tell you! They were some seriously bad dudes!"

She shoves her muzzle right up under his nose, "Do you really think we'll leave you in any better condition than they would?"

He looks at her, then over at me. To emphasize Dust's words, I begin tapping the mace into my hand, like you would a baseball bat. He swallows, and pales visibly.

"You'd better tell me what I want to know, or my friend here will crater any body part I point to," she utters in a dangerous tone.

"I can't. They'll kill me!"

"Then you leave me no choice, it'll have to be your head," she lifts her arm to point her hoof.

"You'd kill me? You ponies are supposed to be all about friendship and shit, you wouldn't kill!"

Dust's wings spread in anger, "I spent 35 years as a human, your death means nothing to me!" Though, I can see in her face that the thought actually does bother her. She continues, "Maybe I should show you how serious I am by taking care of your client here..."

Both men, trembling in fear, claw at each other in their attempts to get away. I raise my mace, in preparation of crushing one of them, when the pimp calls out, "Wait! I'll tell you what you want to know!"

Words continue to pour from his crumpled face. He goes on and on about buying them from some cartel out of Seattle four days ago. About how they were some 'heavy dudes' and he was so dead... if it wasn't for the fact that he's trafficking in pony flesh, I could almost feel sorry for him, he is so frightened.

Dust lets him go on in that vein for several moments, before finally cutting him off with a look. Then she gives him some very good eye-contact, and states, "We were never here. If I catch even a hint of another pony being here, we will be back. If we come back, it will be much less pleasant for you. Do you understand?"

The pathetic whore-monger nods his head so fast, I'm afraid he's going to break his neck.

Dust turns to Trixie, "Trixie, if you please..."

Trixie's grin spreads frighteningly across her muzzle, "It will be The Great and Powerful Trixie's distinct pleasure!" Her horn glows brightly, an aura spreading to everything in the room that is made of metal. In a flash, all of it disappears, save for what we brought with us. The cages, handcuffs, everything metal, is simply gone.

Impressive... I shiver at the show of power. Even I'm not immune to unicorn magic.

My nostrils flare. I can smell the distinct odor of fecal matter. I guess they were impressed, too.

We quickly vacate the premises, ignoring the looks of the few humans who have been drawn by the noise.

* * *

Once we have a few miles behind us, and I can be sure we're not being followed, I suggest we get something for everypony to eat.

Dust nods, "Yeah, let's hit a drive-thru."

Trixie sticks her head up from the backseat, "Please, can't we stop somewhere to eat? Trixie is tired of driving!" She points a hoof toward a dilapidated looking Denny's just off the road, "How about there?"

"Isn't that a bit conspicuous, for a group of ponies?" I ask.

Trixie shrugs, "Are we hiding?"

Dust shakes her head, "Nope, at least I'm not. You guys?"

I shrug my shoulders, as do our guests. It seems they're just as undecided about being seen as I am, though they do look a bit trepidatious.

"Denny's it is. Driver, please change our destination," Dust smirks at me.

I lift an eyebrow at her, but smile, "As you wish." Dust colors slightly.

In no time at all, we are pulled into a parking space, and entering the shabby diner. I'm surprised with the indifference which we are greeted with. The staff seem to hardly even notice our presence, as we're seated. A waitress shows up to take our drink order. She hardly bats an eye at four equines, or the odd humanoid, being seated in her section.

I'm unable to resist, "Don't you find us to be an odd group?"

"Honey, last week I had Elvis Presley, Diana Ross, and the Supremes in here. You guys hardly rate a 2.3 on my weird-shit-o-meter. What can I get you?" she answers, clearly not getting paid enough to delve into her patrons' idiosyncrasies. We all order water, Dust also asks for coffee.

It doesn't take any of us long to order, though I have to admit it is hard for me not to follow Dust's lead, and order a lumberjack slam. I decide on an order of pancakes, and a fruit bowl. Everyone else orders similarly, even the new pegasus.

Once our waitress has left, the table falls into silence for several moments. Trixie finally speaks up, placing a hoof against her chest, she introduces herself, "I, as I'm sure you all know, am The Great and Powerful Trrrixie!" She waves a hoof at Dust and I in turn, "And these are Lightning Dust, and Irony. Who might you two be?"

The pegasus and earth pony look at each other in confusion for a moment, before the pegasus tentatively answers, "I'm Winter Storm, and this is Summer Breeze. I'm sorry, but I have no idea who any of you are, or what the hell is going on."

Summer Breeze nods, "I don't know any of you, either. Are we really supposed to know who you are?"

Trixie sputters for a moment, "You seriously don't know who I am?"

I put a hand on her withers, "Trixie, dear, I don't think they were fans of the show."

"But-but-but... that's just wrong! Everypony should know who The Great and Powerful Trixie is!" her joke is lost on the newcomers, though Dust and I both chuckle.

Now, it's evidently my turn to be enlightening, "Do either of you remember a few years back, there was a cartoon for little girls, called My Little Pony? Maybe you remember hearing about it having a bunch of grown male fans? Called bronies?"

Winter Storm nods, and Summer Breeze exclaims, "You mean all those weirdos? What about them?"

I give the earth pony a stern look, "Hey, I was one of those 'weirdos' as you call us, and so was my brother."

"Sorry..." she mutters, lowering her eyes to stare at the table.

"The point my friend here is trying to make," Dust continues for me, "is that we have all turned into ponies from that show." Trixie clears her throat, Dust continues, "Well, not everypony is actually in the show, though Trixie and I were featured a couple of times..."

Dust trails off at a glare from me, I pick up the thread, "What we're trying to say, is that Equestria, the world of that Television show, is real. That's where we're all from. Do you remember a weird creature banishing you?" They both nod, looking a bit sad as they do. "That was Discord. He sent us all here. Before you tell me that this is all hard to believe, remember that we are all Talking. Fucking. Ponies. This is for real."

We all go quiet, as our meals arrive. Once we are alone again, Dust, Trixie and I all dig in. Winter Storm and Summer Breeze just stare at their plates. Finally, Storm speaks, "If this is all real, then what are we supposed to do? It's all so confusing!"

Dust smiles at them, and answers, "That's what we're here for. We have a whole farm set up so that we can get our hooves under us and figure out what we're going to do. You're both welcome to stay there, for as long as you like."

Both of the ponies stare at Dust, then they both break out crying at the same time. Their heads begin bobbing in joy.

"So, I take it you'd like to come with us?" Dust asks.

"Oh yes, very much so! Thank you so much!"

The rest of our meal is spent describing the farm, and all the hard work that Dust has put into it. Soon enough, we're back on the road.

Chapter 24

*Mindy*

Mindy bounces up and down as she watches Irony's awesome car turn out of the entrance to the farm, she listens for the engine as Irony speeds up. She grew up around fast cars as a human, and the sound of the screaming horses from that beast always make her happy. Dustie and Irony are heading to Denver, to save someponies that need saving. She knows she'll be leaving the farm tomorrow, but today is a day for fun! She knows where to go. Soarin has been living at Dust's house most of the time, so a quick teleport brings her there, she doesn't knock, the door is unlocked, Dust has said the only time she locked her door was when she was going to be gone for over a week. Nobody messes with their neighbors in this little town. This town makes Gillette seem huge by comparison. A quick bounce through the house, she pops over and gives Helen a hug, surprising the woman, but she gets a hug back. Hugs from people you love are always wonderful. And since she already loved her bestie best friend Dustie, she has to love her wife and children, right? Though, now she has to think about the other pony she just might be falling in love with.

She bounces up the stairs, she knows what room Soarin was staying in. She sticks her head in the room, and there's nopony there. Mindy frowns, she always knows where to go. Why not this time? She sits down and thinks for a moment, then remembers, This is Soarin, the pony that is twisting her noodle even more than it usually is. She giggles and teleports downstairs, that pony always loves to eat. And as she bounces into the kitchen, she finds a blue pony with the beautiful dark mane sitting there, a picnic basket sitting in front of him, and a big smile on his face.

"I knew you would be here, Mindy." Soarin grins.

Mindy cocks her head to the side, her ears perking forward, "How did you know?"

Soarin smiles, "Because you said the day after tomorrow, and that's today. I know Irony and Dust are on their way, but you stayed behind."

She giggles, "Yeah, they'll need me tomorrow, but I'll have a lot of fun with them then." She starts to bounce again, "But I can have fun with you today!"

Soarin smiles, then picks up the picnic basket in his teeth, gesturing for her to follow, she follows curiously. She's not used to others leading her around, though she finds she likes it with Soarin doing the leading.

He sets down the basket, "Mindy, would you climb on my back?"

She giggles, "Isn't that a little forward, Soarin?"

He blushes, and traces the ground with a hoof, "I'd like to take you for a flight."

She bounces onto his back, getting an grunt from the larger stallion, but she can hear him say, "There we go, let's have a fun lunch."

Mindy thinks about the last time Soarin flew around her, he ended up in a pile of manure, she suppresses the giggle that wants to rise, she knows that would hurt his feelings, and he's already fragile enough. Having to turn from a woman into a stallion has been rough on him. He spreads his wings, and he says around the handle of the basket, "Hang on!" And with a mighty flap of his wings, they are in the air. Mindy gasps as she watches the ground fall away, and they really start to accelerate.

She holds on as he takes gentle S curves as he gains altitude. And once he gets to the altitude he wants, he streaks off, always keeping in mind the load on his back, several times she spies him turning his head to look at her, and she always gives him an encouraging grin. This is fun!

Soon he's heading to a low hanging cloud, about the size of a football field, she feels the powerful flight muscles of the pegasus as he slows down, and he gently lands on the cloud.

"Now, I think you'll have to stay on my back, but I don't mind." He starts to say when her horn lights and she bounces off of him, he starts to scream, but it's choked off as the cloud holds her weight, "Mindy, you know the cloud walking spell?"

She looks down at her hooves standing quite firmly on the cloud, "I guess I do!" She starts bouncing up and down on the cloud, the soft surface really rebounding with every bounce, "This is fun!"

Soarin sets down the basket, opening it, and bringing out a blanket, "I had Moon Shadow enchant this stuff so it wouldn't fall through, I didn't know if the blanket would hold your weight with the enchantment, but I was fine with you staying on top of me." Mindy sees him blushing furiously. She smiles at him as her telekinesis brings all the food out of the basket. Including two pies, getting a giggle from her.

"You like pie, Soarin?"

He chuckles, "Oh, yes. The show gets all of that right. I love pie. Apple pie is the best!"

He slides a pie over to Mindy, "I've been working on this since early this morning."

Mindy brings her nose close to the pie, giving it a sniff, noticing it's still warm. She smiles then the smell hits her, "This isn't an apple pie, Soarin, this is a strawberry rhubarb pie," She stops and looks at him closely, "How did you know that was my favority favoritest pie in the whole world?"

He giggles, "Oh, Mindy. You never go the direction people assume. It stands to reason that a pony like you would like a little tart in their pie."

She barely stops herself from devouring the pie, there is more food to be eaten. But she keeps an eye on the pie as the sandwiches are brought out, Soarin again knows her favorite foods, and he brings out container after container, each with a small helping of everything she's liked as a pony, and even a few things she liked as a human before the change. How big is the basket?

He smiles as some more containers are brought out, "This is a Moon Shadow specialty, the basket is really bigger on the inside. But I'm almost done."

She looks at all the food, "What time did you get up?"

He looks down, tracing circles in the cloud with a hoof, "About two this morning."

She looks at the different containers, everything looks yummy with all the food, but she's now focused on the light blue stallion in front of her, "Soarin, you know you didn't have to do all of this for me."

He blushes, "I wanted to, Mindy. I've always liked cooking, as a human, and as a pony. I'm not the best, but I'm pretty good at it. And I wanted to make you happy."

Mindy dashes forward, scattering the containers, planting her lips firmly on his. Everything else stops mattering to her as she loses herself in kissing the stallion. She feels a hoof on her cheek, and she turns her head, opening her mouth, letting his tongue invade hers. The kiss goes on for what seems like forever, but it finally does end, she pulls back, "You are amazing Soarin."

She only thought he was blushing before, now his face positively glows.

She lays down on the cloud, her magic gathering the containers, though she noticed a few tumbled off the blanket, and are likely splattered on the ground a thousand feet down. But she doesn't care, their pies are still there, and so is most of the yummy food. Her magic pops the top of one of the plastic containers, finding a large chunk of lasagna, a quick sniff says it's a five cheese version, and it smells almost exactly how her dad made it.

Soarin takes a sip of water from a bottle and finally talks, "So, Mindy. I've heard you knew Dust, before Discord?"

She nods, "Dustie and I were Double Trouble. We did fun things all the time, Dust is the best prankster that I've ever known. She's even gotten me when I never expected it."

Soarin smiles, "Mike was always good at pranking when we were kids. I've found itching powder in my bed, and Mike looking so innocent that butter wouldn't melt on his tongue. I blamed my dad, but I still think Mike did it."

Mindy giggles, "I guarantee it was Dustie, she loved itching powder."

Over the next hour or so, they both regale each other with stories from their human lives, and some half remembered memories from Equestria, before too long, they are laying next to each other, both eating from the food that Soarin brought.

Mindy laughs, "So, what do you want to do, Soarin?"

He frowns, "I don't know what you mean?"

"What if we can get to Equestria, what if that portal shown in the Equestria Girls movie is real. What would you do then?

"I want to go home." He moans.

"Home? As in Equestria?"

He nods, tears starting to form, "I don't have many memories of home, but what I do remember," a few tears fall, "is amazing."

She nuzzles the stallion, "I know, it's the same for me, Soarin."

He looks at her plaintively, "Really?"

She nods, "Yes."

He smiles through his tears, "I was hoping for this to be a romantic date, Mindy. Our first was such a disaster."

She giggles, "No, it wasn't, I thought you were cute. You wanted to show off, and you certainly impressed me."

He groans a bit, "Yeah, I didn't stick the landing though."

Again, a giggle from the magenta mare, "Oh Soarin, you were funny. In case you didn't notice," She nudges his shoulder, "I love to laugh."

He giggles a bit himself, "Yeah, I know, Mindy."

She kisses him deeply, "I don't care about anything else, Soarin. I just care about us."

He pulls away and looks at her for a long time, then, "Really?"

She nods, "I knew you liked me from the moment you saw me, and I liked you the same way."

He cocks his head to the side, getting a giggle from her.

She gets up and bounces around on the cloud, "Yes, silly, I thought you were awesome from minute one!"

She keeps walking around the cloud, "We need to go back."

He looks at her for a long time, "So, it's decided? We are going back to Equestria?"

She giggles once again, "Of course, the Mane Six have to be out there, and we will find them, and find a way back home." She hops up and kisses him, "And I want you with me, Soarin."

He blushes, "I'll go anywhere with you, Mindy."

Chapter 25

Detours. I just fucking love detours... especially ones that take me thousands of miles out of the way, and onto a completely different continent, I grind my teeth. While on our way home, we received a semi-frantic phone call from the farm. The feds hadn't been happy with us taking off unannounced, though that wasn't their real issue. They wanted us in the air, headed for freaking Minsk, STAT. Evidently they have a pony there they want rescued. So, it's with much grumbling on all our parts, that we've diverted to the Cheyenne airport.

We're standing out on the tarmac, listening to the roar of an incoming helicopter. I lean over to whisper-shout in Dust's ear, "I don't like this, Dust! I don't like this 'spy' shit, I don't like going to fucking Eurasia, and I really don't like leaving my damn car here!"

"Relax, they're bringing Mindy's sister with them, to drive it back home. It'll be fine," she smiles at me.

Shaking my head, I growl, "She's what, eighteen? Eighteen year old girls are into cute, little, gutless, rice-grinders. She's not going to have any idea what to do with that much power! I told you that I built that car, right? There aren't a lot of things on this earth that I hold more dear, and all of them are ponies!" I'm starting to rant a little. Dust cuts me off with a small kiss, then licks the end of my muzzle, and grins at the look on my face.

"You might be surprised, babe. Mindy, and her sister, grew up building racecars with their dad. Mindy told me that he made them both learn to drive in an old '66 Corvette. If she can handle that, I'm pretty sure she can handle that monstrosity of yours. Trust me, we all know how important your car is to you. You're almost as good under the hood as you are beneath the sheets!" she's laughing, almost hard enough to fall over at the glare I'm trying to give her, from behind my fierce blush.

I turn my back on Lightning Dust, choosing to watch the chopper as it lands. Almost before the skids have settled onto the ground, Mindy is bouncing out the door, and over to us. She's expounding excitedly before she even gets over to us, "Dustie, I had the most funnest of times! I got to ride in a helicopter! They said I couldn't fly it, even though I told them I was super sure I could figure it out before we crashed!"

Dust places a hoof on the magenta mare's shoulder, "I'm glad you had so much fun, Mindy, but we're going on a serious mission now, okay?"

Mindy bounces even more excitedly, "I know! I brought our super-secret mission gear!" She reaches behind her and pulls out a big black duffel bag. I hear one of the agents let out a small shout of surprise; my own eyes have to be as big as saucers.

Wh-where did that come from? I can't help but wonder.

Dust opens the bag, revealing night vision goggles, headsets with microphones, and a couple of sets of black clothing, obviously fitted for ponies. Dust smiles at Mindy, "I'm not going to ask where you pulled that out of."

"But..."

"Nope, I'm not going to ask." Dust turns to an agent, "So, secret-agent man, where's our plane?"

While the government stooge is shaking off his surprise at Mindy's bag-o-fun, I turn my attention onto her sister. I eye her up and down for a moment, deciding she looks at least a little more with it than most kids her age. After staring her down for several more moments, I finally speak, "I'm trusting you with my baby. Do. Not. Fuck. This. Up." I hoof over the keys, and turn to follow Dust and Mindy, without waiting for a response.

* * *

I watch Dust pace up and down the aisle of the private jet, shaking my head at her nervousness. Poor thing; she's so claustrophobic, I can feel it over here.

While I'm watching Dust, a young man in an Air Force uniform strolls up to us, asking if we'd like something to eat. I bite my tongue, to keep from laughing at the irony of him playing stewardess, and order the Chicken Kiev for Dust.

"Aren't you guys herbivores? Plant eaters?" he asks, suddenly looking a bit nervous.

I smile reassuringly at him, "She's a pegasus. She likes meat, but it has to be chicken, venison, or pork. Or any other animal that was non-sentient in Equestria. No beef."

He looks confused, but covers well, "Certainly miss, and the same for you?"

Sighing, I shake my head, "No, I'll have a salad. Or maybe a vegetable plate. Fruit if you have it. Unfortunately, my eating habits have been significantly shifted with this change." I look jealously at Dust, the Airman making his way back to prepare our orders.

Dust finally stops her pacing, "I sure hope this pilot knows what he's doing."

"If you remember from when we boarded, our pilot does know what she's doing," I chuckle at her. I lean forward, catching her off-guard, and plant my lips firmly on hers. Her wings extend quickly, then her legs go limp.

"Okay, okay, I'll settle down," she hops up into the seat next to me, and manages to wait patiently for her chicken.

* * *

We landed just before dawn local time, and have spent the day resting in a safe house provided by our ever wonderful government. I turn away from the window, where I've been watching the sun go down. I've spent the last 24 hours on four hooves, not wanting to share with these agents anything more than necessary about myself, yet. I know the time will come, but see no reason to show my hand sooner.

Two new agents arrive; the taller, very white-bread, one introduces himself first, "I'm Chris Malone. I'm one of the operators that've been assigned to help you on this mission." He shakes Dust's hoof, then mine.

"Domingo Chevera," the other one reaches his hand out to shake as well. I make note that, despite his very Hispanic sounding name, he's just as pale as his partner. If he actually has any Spanish blood in him, it's a couple generations back.

Both agents are pretty fit; built like long-distance runners, rather than body builders, though I have doubts that they can keep up with either Dust or I.

Dust and Mindy are putting on the black form-fitting suits that Mindy brought along, when a lower-level agent barges into the room. He rushes to agent Malone, and begins whispering fiercely into his ear. Malone's jaw strains, like he's grinding his teeth. The other agent disappears as quickly as he arrived. Malone faces us, "We just got a decrypted message. Evidently, we aren't the only ones who are after this pony. Mother Russia wants him, too. We have to leave, now."

I hold up a hoof, "Hold on a second, Chris," Dust looks at me sharply, then apparently she remembers my time as a Marine, and she moves a bit closer to me, "Why should we rush this? Is the pony a US citizen?"

Chris shakes his head, "Not according to our information, but the reason we wanted you girls out here so quickly is because this pony is supposedly a unicorn. A very powerful one."

Dust gasps; I assume she's thinking what I'm thinking: one of the rare unicorns, a battle mage. Less than a dozen were active in Equestria when we were banished.

Chris continues, "The reason we think the Russians are so enthusiastic about getting this pony is that they've sent in Spetsnaz."

I grimace, the Spetsnaz are the Russian special operations troops. They are trained ruthlessly, they are ferocious fighters, and are well known to shoot first, and ask questions later, "So, we're talking a hot insert?"

Chris nods, I sigh, Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

It's time for a mad dash to the black SUV parked out front. Malone and Chevera decide to eschew the usual rigmarole of trying to shake a tail, heading directly to the purported location of the pony. We park about a block away and make use of the cover of the darkness to get closer.

Dust flies off to recon, returning only a few moments later. She reports having found him, but it appears that we're late to the party. The Russians are already there with him. Malone curses viciously.

Turning to Mindy, Dust asks, "You ready?" Mindy nods.

"Hold it! You're under my command. You don't move without my say-so," Malone quickly objects.

Dust scoffs, "I don't think so. The pony has been confirmed, which puts this under my purview. If you want to follow Irony and Trixie in the front, be my guest. Mindy and I are going to drop in on them from above. They're on the top floor, northwest side."

With that, they quickly depart; leaving us ground-pounders to get ready, and make our way inside. I shift, standing on two hooves now, and pull my armor out of the duffel I've brought. I ignore the gasps from the two agents, only needing moments to get it all in place. Trixie casts a spell to make her less noticeable.

Chris holds up a hand as he pads quietly to the corner of the building. He sticks his head around the corner, only to pull it back a moment later in response to the obvious sound of suppressed gunfire.

"Shit, they're really on their toes tonight," he mutters. Both agents grip their weapons a little tighter. I begin to move, only to have my hand gripped in Trixie's magic, and placed on her withers.

"Let's get the drop on them," she says, her horn brightening. With an audible pop, we simply appear on the opposite side of the building.

I can clearly see the Spetsnaz soldiers slowly making their way toward the CIA paramilitary officers. I take off, running at full speed, and quickly catch up to the two guards. One of them shouts, having apparently heard me, though it's already too late for him. I leap into a diving shoulder roll, just as he starts to turn towards me. Completing the roll, I come directly to my feet, my mace already whistling through the air. The impact of metal on bone jars my arm slightly, though the effect on the other end of the mace is quite devastating. His lower jaw shears completely off, flying away into the night.

His partner's AK-74 starts spraying ineffectively, as it is torn from his hands by the glow of Trixie's magical aura. He reaches for the pistol attached to his hip. His fingers are just wrapping around the butt when my hoof makes contact with his right knee. His leg buckles, dumping him onto his back. To his credit, he manages to unholster the pistol and point it at me. Unfortunately, for him, my mace is already beginning its descent.

The moment seems to stretch. I am able to see stark fatalism fill his eyes; he already knows it's too late, though that doesn't stop his finger squeezing on the trigger. Flame lips from the end of the barrel, the lead core flies within a hairsbreadth of my ear. I can actually hear the spinning projectile ripping through the air.

Time returns to normal with a thundering crash; my mace finishes its arc, crushing the hapless soldier's hands and pistol into his pelvis. Trixie shudders at the sickening crunch of the bones shattering. His scream pierces the night, louder even than the gunshot.

Surprisingly, it is Trixie who ends the noise; in the most efficient way possible. The aura fades from her horn as the soldier's head rolls away from his decapitated corpse. Evidently, she is more ruthlessly efficient than I gave her credit for. Note to self: never, EVER, fuck with this mare, I decide.

I sweep past the agents, who have finally managed to arrive on the scene. They stand like statues, gawking at the gore-spattered corpses that Trixie and I have left behind. The front door opens smoothly under my hand, the hinges well oiled. I stroll confidently through the lobby; my boots emitting muffled thuds on the tiles, with the weight of my stride. Trixie's hooves clatter, her stride hurrying to match mine.

A ding, from across the room, alerts us to the arrival of the building's sole elevator. Damn, the door guards must have made a radio call when they spotted the CIA operative!

The doors open, revealing four more Russian soldiers. One of them points frantically at us, his compatriots rapidly unslinging their rifles. The entire elevator is suddenly surrounded by a pink aura. The doors slam shut, crushing the soldier's outstretched hand. His cry is lost in the screeching sound of metal warping. The lift rises; slowly at first, then faster. It disappears from sight. Several moments pass. I look at Trixie; her face is twisted up in a look of concentration. Then it relaxes, and she smiles at me. The glow fades from her horn. Screams can be heard from the now open passage, I feel a breeze waft through my mane. The car smashes into the ground, utterly destroying the shaft, pushing a concussive wave over us that forces me down to a knee.

Regaining my hooves, I turn to Trixie, cocking an eyebrow questioningly.

"Trixie doesn't like mean Russian soldiers, or people who threaten her friends. That seemed the most expedient way to dispatch the threat," she shrugs.

"Not to complain, but you do realize this means we now have to use the stairs, right?"

"Trixie hadn't thought of that..." her face flushes.

"Makes no difference to me," I state, "let's go." I suit actions to words, crashing through the door, into the stairway.

I hear Trixie's hooves behind me as I take the steps, two at a time. Halfway up the second flight, I come muzzle-to-face with another soldier. The look of shock on his face is priceless, but more importantly, it gives me a moment to drop my shoulder and charge. I crash into him at full speed, catching him in the midsection. I throw him into the air, over my back. Looking behind me, I watch Trixie catch him in her aura. She slams him repeatedly into the wall, until all movement ceases. Blood is leaking from his nose and ears, as well as from numerous rents in his flesh.

The level of violence displayed by this little mare brings me up short for a moment. She quickly pushes past me, while I'm still recovering from my surprise, galloping up the stairs toward the next landing.

I chase after, catching sight of her as she veers off, darting through the door at the landing, instead of continuing on.

"Trixie! What are you doing?! We're supposed to go all the way up!" I call, though she's already through, the door crashing closed behind her. "What's got into that mare now?" I ask myself aloud, following at a slightly slower pace.

Before I'm even halfway up the stairs, I hear a shout, followed by gunshots. The shots stop, and the screams begin. I put on a burst of speed, but have only taken three more steps before they stop, mid-shriek. I run full-out up the rest of the stairs, tearing my way through the door, only to stumble to a halt at the vista before me. Trixie is standing calmly in the middle of a veritable bloodbath. Surrounding her are the bodies of six Russian soldiers. At least, I assume they were Russians, it's kind of hard to tell. None of the corpses are in one piece; they've been dismembered, and worse. The walls, and floor, and literally covered in blood. Except for a small circle, surrounding Trixie herself, that is completely free of gore.

"Trixie? What the hell happened here?" I ask, shocked and bewildered.

"Air makes a fine weapon, in the right hooves," she responds, cryptically, as she shakes her mane out of her eyes and steps daintily through the blood toward me. "Are we ready to continue?" she asks, stepping past me, back into the stairwell.

Taking the lead again, I trot onward. I pause at each landing, briefly checking our path forward, as well as our rear, for signs of troops responding to the shots. After the third such stop, I glance back at Trixie, and ask her, "So... care to explain?"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie needs explain nothing to those beneath her!" she states imperiously. I give her a dirty look. She has the grace to blush and look abashed. "I'm only kidding. Honestly, I was scanning ahead with my magic, and sensed them getting prepared for an ambush. I ran ahead to interrupt them, but I wasn't expecting so many. In the end... I just reacted."

"That was some reaction," I smirk. "Remind me never to cross you."

"Well, I'm not as foolish as I was portrayed in the show, I do know a lot of powerful magic. Back then, I just didn't know how to make and keep friends. I've learned a lot since then, both before and after Discord banished us. Don't worry about crossing me. I count you as a friend and would never harm you."

"You're not just saying that because you're sleeping with my brother, are you?" I tease.

Her muzzle breaks out in a crimson hue. She looks down at the floor, "I can't wait to get back to him."

"I can't wait to get back either. For what it's worth, I'm glad you two are together, and I am honored to call you friend."

"Thank you, Irony. It means a lot to me to hear you say that."

I smile, and turn back to the task at hand. A few more flights, and we're almost to the top floor. I pass the second-to-last door, and hear Trixie call from behind me, "Irony, watch out!"

Spinning, my mace swinging, I smash the rifle out of a soldier's hand, but not before he gets a shot off. I'm lucky; the slug is poorly aimed and only deals a glancing blow to my chest-plate.I follow the mace strike with my shield, crushing his temple with the scalloped edge. He drops, revealing his comrades, one of which is pointing the business end of a RPG in my direction.

"Shiiiit!" I yell, diving back, trying to slam the door. Unfortunately, the fallen man's body is preventing it from closing. I hear the unforgettable whoosh of the weapon firing. It only takes a second for the projectile to close the distance between us, but it feels like I watch it for minutes as it comes inexorably toward me. I get my hands up in front of my face just before it explodes, sending me flying. I feel a heavy thud, and my world goes dark.

* * *

I wake up to one of the humans patting my cheeks, "Hey, wake up! We've still got things to do here!"

I shake my head, and ask, "Not that I'm complaining, but why am I not dead?"

Trixie saunters forward, "I think I can help with that. I was able to throw a shield up between you and the grenade at the last second. Unfortunately, it didn't completely dampen the concussive force of the explosion, so you were thrown a little ways. You hit your head pretty hard; good thing you were wearing this," she levitates my helm over to me, "It's kind of dented, but it saved your life."

I take a look at the battered piece of armor, "Well, it served its purpose, then. What about the rest of the soldiers?"

The human answers, "We've mopped them up, though one of them had a radio, and may have called for more reinforcements. Now all that's left is to retrieve this pony of yours and go."

"Well, what are we waiting for, then? Let's get a move on!" I say as he gives me a hand up.

I take hold of my mace and shield, and pound up the rest of the stairs as fast as my hooves will take me. We reach the top floor, slam through the door... and into an empty hallway.

"Well, that was anticlimactic. Where the fuck is everyone?" I ask no one in particular. I whip my head back front, hearing an electrical discharge from down the hall. That could only be one pony... I make my way over to the entrance, yank the door open, and stroll through. Inside I find: a dead Russian soldier, Mindy, Lightning Dust, and the unicorn we've come to rescue. I turn to Dust, she's staring at the dead soldier. She seems to be in shock.

"We need to go, they may have called in reinforcements," I say. Dust nods, though she is looking a bit green around the gills.

Mindy, who for some reason is dressed like a Russian General, points a hoof at the unknown unicorn, and says, "This is a mage from the battle with Discord. He says he doesn't want to come with us."

The human agent, Chris, walks over to him, "We are from the United States. We need to get you safely home. I need you to come with me."

"I'm not listening to you, human. I am going to go back to my home, where I belong, Russia!" the unicorn growls.

Before any of us know what's going on, Chris lifts his rifle and fires a three-round burst right into the pony's chest. Dust and I both scream. Before either one of us can react, Mindy picks the human up in her magic and flings him up against the wall. She dives at him, beating him with her hooves into unconsciousness.

Dust glares at the other CIA operative, and flashes out of the room on her wings. I point my mace at him, "Bring that piece of shit. We're going back to the safe house and getting to the bottom of this." The agent nods, and wisely follows my directions.

* * *

Malone grunts in response to my fist connecting with his ribcage. Normally, this is where I'd ask questions, but he's already told me what I need to know; namely that they're orders were to extract the pony or kill him. Now I'm just venting my rage. I backhand him, followed by a one-two combo to his chest. He grunts after each hit, but doesn't give much other response. Finally, tired of this scumbag, I spend the rest of my fury in a single punch to the stomach. I don't hold back at all, letting him have the full strength of an earth-pony strike. His body tries to double over from the pain, and sudden lack of oxygen, but he's tied to a chair, so instead, he falls over forward onto his face. He wretches for several seconds, trying desperately to regain his breath, and then vomits all over the floor.

"Get him out of here. Keep him restrained, or next time I won't be gentle," I tell his partner. "If he escapes, I'll shove my mace up your ass," I give him a look that lets him know I'm not being metaphorical.

Chapter 26

I stumble my way down the hallway, trying to hurry away from where I've been "interrogating" the CIA agent. I suddenly feel weak, my legs barely holding me upright. My anger has helped me keep it together for this long, but it has finally given way. I manage to get into my room, and close the door, before my control slips completely. I collapse onto the bed and break down. I bury my face in the pillow, quieting my sobs so that no one outside can hear me. I can't control my body anymore; I thrash about wildly.

What have I done? What have I done?!

It had been easy to ignore my misgivings during the mission. It had been all too easy to fall back onto my combat reflexes. All too easy to... kill.

What am I becoming? I killed them. Killed them all! For what? For who? To rescue somepony? Ha! He didn't need rescuing! He was happy to be going back to Russia! He sure as shit didn't want our help. We shouldn't have even been there! We were following orders... Just like Chris was following orders... I'm no different than he is. What the hell is wrong with me? How could I have done this?

I regain some control of myself, my sobs abating. Somewhere during my internal rant, I've lost my humanoid form. As I quiet, my ears prick up. I hear crying that isn't my own. Is... is that Lightning Dust? I wonder. By force of will, I pick myself up off the bed and go in search of my love.

I follow the sounds of grief down the hall, becoming more sure that it's Dust the further I travel. I hoof open her door, to find her sobbing uncontrollably on her bed, between Mindy and Trixie. I rush to her side and pick her up in my arms. I stroke her mane and back with my hand as she sobs into my shoulder.

"I killed a human. I killed, Irony. He's dead, because of my actions! I've failed!" she cries.

All I can do is hold her. I understand her pain, all too well, but I can't share it with her right now. I hold her, and caress her, making nonsensical soothing noises.

In time, she calms down. I set her back onto the bed, fall back down to all fours, and climb up next to her on the mattress. Dust is the first to fall asleep, but it's not long after that I succumb to the inviting darkness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In my dream, I watch myself murder the Russian soldiers over, and over, and over. Every replay shoves me further down into the hole of depression. Every replay I look more, and more, savage when I strike.

I feel myself being lifted and pulled away from the tableau, while it fades away.

"Come away from that. Nothing good can come from reliving those actions," Moon Shadow's voice washes over me, filled with love.

I cringe away from the beautiful emotion in her voice, "Don't look at me. I've done so many horrible things."

"I see what you've done. Far better than what you yourself can see," she whispers, swaddling my consciousness in her love.

I resist, "No, you don't. If you truly saw, then you would hate me! I murdered those men!"

"You really think so?"

"Of course I did! They didn't deserve to die. I attacked them!"

"And why did you attack? What was your reason for being there?" she asks me, gently.

I sniffle, "We came to rescue that unicorn. Who didn't even need rescuing! We neve--"

"Stop," she interrupts. "Did you know he didn't want to be rescued? Did you have any inkling that he wasn't in danger?"

"No, but--"

"No buts! You acted on the information you were given. You were doing what you thought was right. You were wrong, but not willfully. You had no reason to doubt that he was in danger. Tell me, can you honestly say that, with the knowledge you had at the beginning, that you would have done anything differently?" she assaults my self-deprecation with extreme prejudice.

"Well, no... But it doesn't matter. That pony is dead, because of me!"

"No. You cannot take upon yourself responsibility for another's actions."

"He was following his orders. As I was following mine. I'm no different."

"Really? Are you so certain you aren't different? Would you have followed orders to kill that mage, if you couldn't convince him to go with you?" she glares at me.

"No!" I almost shout, the idea is abhorrent to me.

"See? You are different. You follow orders that make sense to you. You question ones that don't. I've never known you to blindly follow someone else's command, not even when you were in active service. Don't you see the difference?"

"Y-yes. Yes, I do," I'm feeling a little more sure of myself, now. "But... what will Dust think of me when she finds out? She's so torn up about having killed that one soldier, and I've killed so many..." I tear up anew.

"I've already visited Dust's dream. Her anguish drew me to her, as yours drew me to you. I've managed to calm her dreams down some, though she's still quite upset. I think her problem is less to do with having killed, as that it was an accident. That, coupled with what she sees as her failure to save the unicorn you went there for, is eating at her terribly. She won't judge you for your actions, you'll see. She loves you, like I love you, no matter what," Moon Shadow wraps her hooves around me, using her strength with dreams to infuse me with her love. She gets a faraway look in her eyes for a moment, then snaps her focus back to me, "Dust is waking up, she needs you right now, Irony. And you need her. Go, take care of each other, and return to me as soon as possible!"

***

With that, the dream fades away, and I'm left lying awake in the bed. Dust quietly climbs out of our pony-pile, heading to the bathroom. I carefully extricate myself, leaving Mindy and Trixie still asleep, and walk beside Dust once she's out of the restroom.

"I need to see him," she says in a hushed tone.

I don't even need to ask who she's talking about. I simply nod and lead her to where the pony-murderer is being held.

She proceeds to question him, in a gentler manner than I already had. She gets to hear the same song that I'd already heard, namely that they were just following orders. His answer doesn't seem to satisfy her any more than it had me, though she seems to accept it.

Having asked her questions, she gestures to me, and I follow her out of the room. There she informs me that she's going to fly home under her own power.

"Dust, are you sure? I know you're pretty upset about killing that soldier, but you reacted exactly how your training dictated," I try to reason with her.

"Huh? What are you talking about?" she asks, bewildered.

"I keep forgetting that you aren't military, like I am. You behave a lot like an ex-military man. You were never in the armed forces here. Back home you were a Wonderbolt, but those memories haven't fully surfaced, have they?" I smile to take any sting out of my words. She nods, sits back on her haunches, and gives me serious eyes.

"Dust, a big part of our training in the military, both on earth and back in Equestria, is to teach your body to react automatically. Automatic reactions are much, much quicker than considered actions. If you saw a soldier point a gun at you, without the proper conditioning, you would have frozen up as your mind tried to make sense of the situation. You would be dead right now. Instead, you didn't freeze. You reacted exactly as you needed to. You did good, Dust. Real good," I explain.

She dashes tears from her eyes with a hoof, "I killed a man!"

"And you're here to talk about it. It could have easily been the other way around, but your training and reflexes saved you," I punch her lightly in the shoulder, "I'd have you at my six any day."

She plasters a fake smile on her muzzle, and walks to the door. I realize that I can't fix her right now. Not that I'm one to be talking... I think to myself sadly.

Upon reaching the door, she looks back at me, "I'll race you guys back to Montana!" She leaps out the door, taking to the sky in a burst of speed that rattles the windows of the safe house.

* * *

It's a somber crew that boards the plane headed back home. We've left the dynamic duo behind, mostly because I'm afraid that Mindy will kill the CIA agents if they're locked in an enclosed space together for that many hours. She started muttering to herself, and giving Chris the most scary looks I've ever seen, the moment she saw him again after her nap. I made sure to keep her away from him after she whispered something in his ear and he turned white as a sheet. I was worried for a little bit that his heart would stop, he looked so scared. When I asked her what she'd said, she just gave me a smile more evil than I could have imagined ever being on her face, and told me it wasn't any of my business.

Conversation is in short supply as the jet claws its way into the air. A mission that ends the way ours did kind of puts a damper on things like that.

I sit in silence for a long time, thinking about my life. About my lives, actually. All three of them. The more I ponder my life in Equestria, the more memories I recall. There are still a lot of gaps, but I'm getting a broader picture of what I was like. I remember a lot of violence; it seems that I was always throwing myself into the fray. I always had a good reason, but now I wonder if my reasons were more of an excuse... Did I fight for the good cause? Or did I fight for other, darker, reasons?

My musings are interrupted by the chiming of my phone. I look at the new message. It's from Dust, she's already across the Atlantic, in the U.S. I shake my head at her speed, Damn that's fast, we're not even clear of Europe yet! Her message goes on to say that instead of heading directly to Montana, she's going to visit her family at her parents' home in Texas for a few days. I can't blame her. If my parents were still alive, I'd visit them right about now... I wonder what they would think of their son becoming their daughter...

Thinking about my parents, I slip into unconsciousness.

***

"Twilight!" I scream her name, frantically searching, "Twilight!"

Racing through the streets of Ponyville, I continue to call for the purple Alicorn, my heart threatening to pound its way out of my chest with every second that passes without me finding her.

The local guard continent, all three of them, plus Lyra Heartstrings, follow in my wake. The gurds' chests pump like great bellows, though Lyra seems less affected by our stampede through town.

"Irony!" Lyra calls urgently, pointing off to our left.

I glance in the direction she's indicating, then careen through a turn in that direction, my hooves throwing up four neat little divots of compacted soil in my haste. Finishing my turn, I get a better look at what she's noticed: purple and green flashes. I pour on all the speed I can muster, quickly leaving the guards behind, but not Lyra. Somehow, the lithe little unicorn is keeping up with me.

I nod to her in respect, she returns it, and we race to Twilight's castle, neck and neck the whole way.

We arrive to find the entire structure engulfed in changelings. Lowering my head, I charge into their midst, immediately bowling over several of the creatures that are huddled together. Turning to strike at them with both my front and back hooves, I catch sight of Lyra making a magic enhanced leap into another crowd of them. She strikes out with her hooves and magic equally, every blast from her horn leaving behind a smoking corpse, every hoofstrike a dented or cracked carapace.

She may not have my brute strength, but she makes up for it in her skills, I realize as my hoof comes down, crushing another of the bugs' thick shells.

The horde of changelings seems stunned by the ferocity of our attack, and we're able to make a lot more headway than I would have ever expected, before they start to react.

Their reaction, though delayed, makes up for it in anger. They stand their ground, and fire bursts of energy at me, as a cohesive unit. I dive, dodging some of their blasts, but still feel several of them strike glancing blows to my enchanted armor. Rolling out of my dive, I flick out the blades on my hoofguards with a twist of my hooves. I strike out viciously, dropping two of the five in my group before they can fire again. The remaining three fire frantically as they try to retreat, most of their shots missing wide, though a few do find their mark, further reducing the enchantments that the metal is impregnated with.

I bellow loud enough that two of them clap their hooves over their sensitive ears, allowing me to lash out with my hoofblades. Greasy green ichor spurts from their throats. I twist to catch the last one in this group, intending to give chase. Instead, I find my quarry standing steady, its horn charged and glowing. It unleashes the pent-up power before I can close the distance. The putrescent green ball slams into my chest like a sledgehammer, knocking me back. I hear the changeling's cry of triumph as I slide across the floor on my back.

I look down at my chest, expecting to find a gaping hole. Instead of a massive wound in my chest, I find my armor cratered and partially melted away. Evidently, the remaining enchantment on it was just enough to save me from an early grave, though I can tell that it is depleted now.

Shaking my head, I stagger to my hooves. I look up in time to see the satisfied smirk slip off the arrogant bug's face.

"You should be dead!" it screams.

"Trust me, I'm just as surprised as you are," I reply, dashing and rolling to close the distance before it can strike again, already knowing that the distance is too far. This time, I know, my luck has run out.

Its horn charging, the creature grins anew, sharing in the knowledge of my impending doom.

Just as it is about to discharge its power, the grin freezes on its face, the glow fades from its horn, and its head slowly slides off its body.

I feel my mind separate from the motions of my body, a powerful force drawing me away from the memory I've been playing out.

"Thou art filled with troublesome dreams, of late," intones a voice I recognize from out of the darkness that now surrounds me.

Kneeling, I bow my head, "Princess Luna. You honor me with your notice."

She snorts, "We do nothing of the sort. We but do our given task, taking care of ponies' dreams. We have been drawn to you, though we stayed our hoof because we saw another watching over you. As you are alone now, we thought we should check on you again."

"I deserve my nightmares," I reply gravely.

"Somehow I doubt that. Not very many ponies deserve to be plagued with those kinds of dreams," she states firmly.

"I have come to doubt my own motives. Why do I fight? I'm worried that I may enjoy killing, as I seem to always be neck deep in it. Just like in this memory I've been reliving. You see how I revel in the destruction I cause?" my voice is empty of emotion, I have fed them into the flame in my mind, leaving me floating in the void.

"That is not what I see at all. I see a pony who can act, so feels compelled to do so, to save others. Here, look," she brings up the memory, playing it back to when I first attack the changelings, "do you look happy to be attacking? Not to me. Look at your face."

I study the vision of myself before me, and see that she is right. I don't look happy. Determined, but not happy. Not in the slightest. I don't look excited, I don't even look angry. My face seems to be saying that I will conquer this obstacle, because I must.

"Princess, you haven't changed this in any way? Are you certain?" I ask, the void in my mind trembling.

She glares at me for a moment, "Dost thou think we would try to trick you? Thou should know that we would never!"

The void shatters, all the emotions I thought I had banished flooding back. I break down, sobbing into the Princess' shoulder as she wraps a hoof around me, pulling me to her.

It is quite some time before I can regain control, before the fear, shame, self-loathing, and sadness are all spent. I pull back from her a little bit, so that I can look into her eyes. Doing so, I realize for the first time that we are of a height.

"Thank you, Princess, for showing me a glimpse into my own soul. I don't know that I can repay you for your kindness. I never expected to have such self-doubt, but once I did, it was all-consuming."

"You are more than welcome, my little pony. Your motives have ever been pure, though sometimes I worry about your willingness to throw yourself headlong into a fight. That kind of zeal can get you injured," she pauses to smirk at me. "You may not have been originally born a pony, but I've often thought that you may have been born with the soul of one, and that is why you were brought to our world."

My face reddens, "Thank you Princess, for that high praise. I don't know that I deserve it, but I thank you nonetheless."

"You do deserve it, but enough of this. It is time for you to awaken, your flight is at an end," she smiles.

"Might I ask you one question before I go?"

"Certainly, though we do not promise to answer."

"Your accent comes and goes..." I smirk.

She swats me with her tail, "You're terrible! Thou knows that we have the same issue that you do. Our human and pony personalities have had to blend, leaving us with our preferred Royal Canterlot accent only intermittently."

I giggle at her response as I feel myself begin to wake.

***

I come awake feeling refreshed, at peace with myself.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, sleepyhead!" Mindy greets me, her mane having regained its usual bounce at some point during the flight.

"Good to be back. What did I miss?" I ask, stretching my legs and back.

"Not much, though you slept for the entire flight. How did you manage that?" she bounces around, making it hard for me to keep my eyes on her.

"Just lucky, I guess," I reply, forcefully turning my head to look out the window as the plane lands, unable to watch her any longer.

"While you were asleep, Soarin called me to let us know that the government stooges have moved in, as per our agreement. They're already asking to see Dustie, even though you'd think they'd already know where she's at, since they sent us on these missions.

"Yeah, that is interesting," I mutter, only half paying attention. My mind is a thousand miles away, thinking about Dust. My lips turn up at the corners slightly as I think of her face. I hope that we can help her with her demons...

Chapter 27

Mindy, Trixie, and I clop our way down the metal staircase they've rolled up to the jet for us to disembark with. Waiting at the bottom are two men in suits. Their clothes and expressions fairly scream "government stooge". Seeing them makes me grind my teeth, as I've already had more than enough of government-types.

"Which one of you is Irony Smith?" the taller one on my left asks. Of the two, he seems the more experienced one. He has an air of "seen it all, done it all, didn't bother with the fucking T-shirt". His partner, however... not so much.

Shifting to two legs, I cross my arms beneath my breasts and stare them down for a moment before answering, "I assume that you're looking for me. You may call me Irony Shieldbreaker."

The senior man gives a single nod. After a moment of silence, he turns to look at his partner. The younger man's eyes are bulging in their sockets, his face flushed enough that he looks like he's about to have a massive coronary. His partner elbows him in the ribs, hard.

With a grunt, he finally removes his gaze from my bare chest, and looks me in the eyes. I didn't think it was possible, but he manages to turn a couple shades darker. He sputters for a moment, then finally starts speaking, "Miss... Smi... err... Shieldbreaker is it? Ahem. Yes, Miss Shieldbreaker, we require your presence, for debriefing."

"Debriefing," I state, giving him a hard stare, the tone of my voice making it blatantly obvious what I think of that.

"Irony, do you want the Great and Powerful Trixie to get rid of these guys for you?" Trixie asks me, an evil smirk on her muzzle.

Junior goes from red as a valentine's heart to white as a sheet so fast that I'm surprised he doesn't faint dead away at our hooves. Evidently he's heard about her actions... interesting, I smirk to myself. Senior looks me in the eyes and smiles, obviously enjoying the discomfiture of his young partner.

My smirk widens to a grin, "No, it's okay Trix, I think I'll humor these gentlemen. You and Mindy should return to the farm."

She tilts her head, cocking an eyebrow at me, "Trix? Really?"

Shrugging, I reply, "What can I say, they're for kids."

The senior man busts out with a loud guffaw, making his partner jump at least a foot. I swear, I even see a squirt of brown come out his pantleg. Oh, sweet Celestia, he's still wet behind the ears... can't be but a couple months out of Quantico!

Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes with his left hand, the agent reaches out his right to shake mine, "Miss Shieldbreaker, I do believe I like you. Thank you, I needed that."

"No problem, Agent..." I trail off.

"Johnson. Johnathan Johnson. And, no, that's not an alias. My parents had a horrible sense of humor," he fills in the blank, turning off the laughter like he is flipping a switch.

I smile, "Tell you what, call me Irony and I won't call you John-John. Deal?"

"Deal."

I nod goodbye to Mindy and Trixie, Trixie sputtering a little herself at my joke. She keeps shooting me dirty looks over her shoulder as they trot off.

"So, John, where are we going?" I ask my new friends.

"That's classified," replies the newbie from behind me.

"Damn, he's newly minted, isn't he?" I ask John.

"You have no idea. Last week he damn near drew down on a group of high school kids," he chuckles.

"Whoa, that's intense. What's his name, anyway?" I glance back at the younger man, catching him staring at my ass, "What's your problem? Haven't you ever seen a naked anthropomorphic pony before?"

He sputters, his face flushing like the setting sun again.

John snorts, "Busted, Rookie."

"My name's not Rookie, sir, you know that," the kid grumbles.

"Yes, I do, but to me you'll always be Rookie, even when you've been on the job a decade or two, because I got to break you in."

"Seriously?"

I laugh, "It's the same in the military, kid. It's nothing personal. So, what's your name?"

"Tony. I'm seriously going to have to put up with being called Rookie forever?"

"Only by John. Everybody else will stop when the shine wears off," I give him a friendly smile.

"Come on Malone let's--" John cuts himself off at the look on my face.

"Malone?" I slowly turn my gaze onto the younger man, my eyes narrowing dangerously. "Any relation to a Chris Malone? Of the CIA?" my voice goes lower with each word, the last one coming out as a bass growl.

"Yeah... he's my cousin. Why?" his voice cracks, his throat swallowing convulsively.

"Never mind," I turn from him, forcibly unclenching my fists, not even having realized that they'd clenched in the first place.

"No, not never mind! You obviously have a problem with Chris. One that affects you strongly enough that you looked ready to kill me just at the mention of my last name. I want to know why," the kid looks about ready to piss himself, but he's plucked up his courage enough to press the issue. Maybe he's made of sterner stuff than I first thought.

"You really want to know?"

He nods, a determined look on his brow.

"I take issue with any man that will cold-bloodedly murder a fellow pony, orders or no," closing my eyes, I turn away again.

"I--"

"Let's go, John. Take me wherever you will," I interrupt Tony, walking swiftly, forcing the agents to catch up.

We proceed in silence the rest of the way, John taking the lead. He guides us to your typical black government SUV. Holding the rear door, he gestures for me to get in. I take a seat, and they both follow me in.

Looking around, I realize that the back is completely enclosed, the windows blacked out, a barrier between us and the front. I can't see where we're going. I guess they were serious about our destination being classified...

We sit in silence for several minutes before I decide to break it, "I'm sorry about your cousin."

Tony opens and closes his mouth several times before finally speaking, "He-- he's not dead, is he?"

I shake my head, "No. Not that I wasn't tempted, but I try to refrain from outright murder, even when it might be deserved. I meant I'm sorry he's such a bastard."

He shakes his head sadly, "I'm sorry that you had such a bad experience with Chris. I don't know the situation, nor do I want to. I'm sure that if I'm supposed to know, I'll hear about it. I also won't make excuses for Chris. He's gotten really, um, intense, over the last couple of years. I can't say as I like who he's become."

"Intense... that's one way of putting it. I can't blame you for not liking who he's become. He strikes me like he's some sort of zealot."

"Funny, that. He is the entire reason I decided to go into government work, after all. Though I chose the FBI instead of the CIA. I always looked up to him when I was younger, but I found the CIA to be too...deep... for my tastes.

"Anyway, I saw how proud his parents, my aunt and uncle, as well as my own, were of him. It got me thinking about being an agent, and the stories he told made it seem glamorous, so that settled it for me.

"Unfortunately, as I said, he's become really intense over the last couple years. If you ask me, it's that Admiral Volker he's been working hand-in-hand with. I'm not sure what an Admiral has to do with the CIA, but I guess that's above my pay-grade."

"Your cousin is some kind of special. We left him in Minsk. In my opinion, he's lucky I didn't kill him. If you want the truth, I'm not sure that option is completely off the table, should I see him again," I state sternly, giving Tony serious eye contact.

"Well, if I see him, I'll make sure to pass that along," he says quietly.

Conversation kind of dies after that.

* * *

*Trixie*

"Mindy, Trixie doesn't like that those FBI agents took her friend Irony away," the pale blue unicorn spoke softly.

"Oh, don't worry. She'll be back at the farm in a few hours. They won't be able to keep her long," the perky magenta unicorn said, a far-off cast to her features.

"What do you mean?" Trixie asked, confused.

"Hmmm? Oh, nothing. Hey, let's go, Soarin should be here, with Lightning Flash and Moon Shadow, to pick us up," Mindy replied.

"Flash?! Let's go!" Trixie said, bouncing almost as much as Mindy.

The two mares made their way to the edge of the airfield, where they spied the familiar shape of Irony's Oldsmobile. Inside they could just make out two pegasi and a unicorn. Opening the back door with her magic, Trixie practically dove inside, right into the waiting arms of Lightning Flash.

"Trixie has missed her Lightning Flash!" she murmured, smothering his muzzle with kisses.

A blue blur streaks out of the passenger door, bowling the white unicorn over before she could even get to the car, "Mindy!"

"Soarin, you silly billy pony!" she replied, grinning from ear-to-ear.

"I missed you so much Mindy! I hardly slept at all, I was so worried about you!"the Wonderbolt gushed.

"I missed you too," she said, booping him on the nose with her hoof.

Flash, finally managing to catch his breath after Trixie's assault, said, "Don't ever leave me again! I was beside myself with worry the whole time you were away."

"Speaking of worried, where's Irony?" the grey unicorn situated behind the steering wheel asked, a hint of fear easily noticed in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Moon Shadow. Irony had to go to a meeting with the FBI. She'll meet us at the farm," Mindy told her, "She'll only be a few hours."

"I guess she can take care of herself..." Moon Shadow said quietly before putting the car in gear and turning toward the farm.

* * *

*Irony*

"We're here," John says, finally opening the door after what feels like an hour.

"Let's get this over with," I say, my voice devoid of feeling, kind of like the wonderful place they've brought me.

He nods, then they lead me into the flat gray building, lacking even a single window or door beyond the entrance we use. There are no distinguishing features, besides its lack of distinguishing features.

"Nice place you have here, John," I quip mildly.

"Yeah, my dream vacation spot," he replies with half a smile before waving his badge against the door frame. There's a metallic buzzing, and he's able to open the door. We file inside, him in front, Tony bringing up the rear.

We stroll past a few empty offices, down several equally empty corridors, and up to a simple, everyday elevator. Can't they do anything right? This place is so fucking normal, it screams covert!

John waves his badge across a blank square of wall next to the elevator. The doors open, making no noise, and we cross the threshold into the small square room. Tony punches the floor buttons in a seemingly random order, though I can tell it must be a password. After the last button is pressed, they both wave their badges in front of the panel. The doors close, and we whoosh down at a pace quick enough that I can feel my stomach drop.

After 30 seconds, we come to a halt, causing both agents to lurch slightly. The doors open just as soundlessly as they did before, and we step out into the hubbub of a fully functioning FBI office.

"Johnson, Malone, get your asses over here. About damn time you two imbeciles got back with your charges!" we hear yelled from across the room.

Both of my companions cringe at the arrogant voice. Oh, I can already tell I'm going to like this asshole.

A compact man storms up to us. He can't be more than 5' 6" and has to look up to all of us, though that doesn't seem to bother him none. He looks younger than I would have expected, late twenties.

He glares back and forth at John and Tony, "Who the hell is this bitch? And where the fuck are my packages?!"

"Sir, this is Irony. The other, ahem, package, did not arrive with the plane. We were told that she was flying home under her own power, and as such has not arrived," John answered, slipping into a blank-faced persona.

He looks me up and down, starting at my feet, like a piece of meat he's considering buying. After an insulting length of time, he speaks, though not to me, "You guys can't seem to do anything right. You were supposed to bring me two ponies. Instead you bring me one half-pony. Get her some damn clothes, and put her on ice in Interrogation Two. I'll be back."

"Yes sir," both of my companions intone before taking me by the arms and guiding me to a cold metal room.

Tony steps out, returning momentarily with an orange coverall. He hands it to me with a sheepish smile. I simply nod, then quickly don it, finally covering my nudity. John pulls out a pair of handcuffs, motioning for me to sit at the table. I take a seat and hold my wrists near a ring set into the table.

"I'm sorry, it's protocol," John says, his eyes begging my forgiveness as he cuffs me to the sturdy metal table.

"It's okay, John, I understand," I reply, drawing out a smile from the older agent.

They file out of the room, leaving me to sit in my lovely new outfit, looking like nothing so much as a convict. I shrug, chuckling to myself quietly, I hope they don't think this will actually soften me up. If they do, they're in for a big surprise. I know I'm probably in for a bit of a wait. Wouldn't do for me to think I was important.

I spend considerably less time alone than I expected, only about half an hour. The little Napoleon comes in carrying a thick folder and a cup of coffee. Without saying a word, he sits down across from me, setting out his cup and file, very carefully ignoring me.

He pulls some pages from the file, and makes an obvious point of reading them while sipping carefully at his coffee. Having been privy to more than one interrogation of enemies while on active duty, I realize he's simply going by the book. I choose to remain silent, seeing how long it takes for me to wait him out.

"So. Tell me about your mission to Minsk," he starts in after only another ten minutes.

Apparently he's impatient as well as arrogant, what a surprise!

"And to whom am I speaking?" I quietly ask.

"That's not for you to worry about," he replies curtly. "Now, tell me about your mission."

"I will gladly answer your questions, just as soon as you tell me who you are and show me some credentials. I'm not in the habit of spilling my guts to unknowns."

He pauses for a moment. I can see his ire building, but he reaches into his jacket and pulls out his identification. He sets it down, sliding it over to me. I pick it up and look it over, "Special Agent Steinwick. Nice to meet you. I'm known as Irony Shieldbreaker." I proceed to tell him about the mission in detail, leaving nothing out, not even my own interrogation of Malone.

Steinwick's face is scrunched up in open anger by the time I finish the retelling, "You did what?! How dare you lay a hand on a Federal Agent!"

Staring into his eyes, I calmly answer, "I claim that right as a sentient being that is unwilling to watch a man commit murder right before my eyes without facing consequences for it!"

"Your right as a sentient being? Don't make me laugh! You ugly misbegotten whore! You're nothing but the product of bestiality between man and horse!"

"That's enough. I'm not here to be maligned by the likes of you. I've answered your questions, and now it's time for me to go. Release me," I hold up my bound hands.

"Ha! You seriously think you're getting out of here? Don't make me laugh. I've got orders concerning you. Both you and your friend. Too bad I didn't get her this time, but I will eventually. Mark my words," he replies, the smugness rolling off of him in waves.

I look again into his eyes, remaining quiet. Then I let a smile curl the corner of my lips. The self-satisfied smirk slips off his face. Finally, I speak, slowly, "You can release me, or I can release myself. Your choice."

He laughs again, "Not a chance. You're not going anywhere. Not yet, anyway."

"Fine, have it your way," standing up, I tense my muscles, and twist my wrists. The chain connecting the cuffs snaps like so much string. I see fear pass through Steinwick's eyes as he realizes that he's trapped in here with me, and he's unarmed.

His fear, however, doesn't stop his bravado, "There's nowhere for you to go. You'd be gunned down before you could even leave this room, you inhuman freak!"

I slam my fist down onto the table to get his attention, "Maybe so, but you'd still be dead."

The color drains from his face as he stares at the impact crater that I've left in the center of the solid metal table. After my show of irritation, I simply stand there, with my arms crossed across my chest, waiting.

I don't have long to wait.

John and Tony come storming through the door, guns drawn, looking for a target. Seeing me just standing there calmly, they don't know who to point their guns at. They finally settle for the ceiling.

"What's going on?" John asks us.

"I need to speak with General Thompson Barnes," I state, before Steinwick can speak.

"Wh-what? Why would you want to talk to him?" Steinwick manages to sputter.

"Well, for one, he's the one who presented me with the Medal of Honor," now it's my turn to smirk.

John leaves, though I can see a smile playing at his lips at how white Steinwick has become. Shortly, he returns, carrying a portable secure phone console. He hands it to me.

"General? Yes, this is Irony, you remember me? Good," I continue to elaborate on the situation to the General. When I finish speaking, I reach the phone out to Steinwick, "It's for you."

With trembling hands, he takes the receiver, "Yes sir?"

The conversation is quite short, but it leaves the Special Agent a shell of his former self.

"You're free to go," he whispers to me after hanging up.

John and Tony lead the way, back through the office and out to the waiting SUV. Along the way, I tear the orange coverall from my body, dropping it on the floor. Both of the agents with me nod in approval.

Once we are ensconced in the back of the vehicle again, Tony speaks, "How did you break the cuffs, and what happened to the table?"

Grinning, I reply, "Never, ever, fuck with an earth pony. We will mess you up hardcore."

His head nods, a pondering look on his face.

* * *

We ride in silence for about fifteen minutes before someone decides to break the dark pall that has fallen over us. Surprisingly enough, it's John who does.

In an obvious attempt to change the mood, he asks, "Hey, Rookie, where are you from?"

Tony gives his partner an odd look, but decides to humor him, "Midland, Texas. Why?"

"I just realized we've been working together for over four months, and I don't know a lot about you. Where's Midland?"

"It's located at the bottom of the panhandle. Small city, less than 500,000 people, even counting the surrounding areas," the young man seems almost wistful as he thinks back to his hometown.

"I've always preferred the mountains, myself. You born there?" he asks, trying to keep the mood light.

"Yeah. Born and raised. Never even went out of state before I decided to try for the FBI. Let me tell you, it was a bit of culture shock, going to Quantico," Tony smiles, evidently having enjoyed the new experiences.

"I bet it was. It was a pretty big shock to me, being assigned a 24 year old newbie for a partner. I figured you'd still be wet behind the ears... and I was right," Tony grimaces at John's remark, but doesn't interrupt as he continues, "though, maybe not as much so as I was at your age."

"Hey, I'll be 25 tomorrow," Tony huffs.

"Yeah, so you'll be able to rent a car, finally," John chuckles at Tony's frown.

I haven't really been listening to their conversation, but this last has caught my ear, "Did you just say that you're turning 25 tomorrow?"

"Yeah. The big 2-5. Why?" he asks.

"Oh, no reason. Happy early Birthday. May it bring you everything you could wish for, and then some," I reply cryptically.

Chapter 28

*Moon Shadow*

Moon Shadow glanced sadly at the empty seat next to her, where there should have been a hulking earth pony, before putting the muscle car into gear. She laid down a strip of rubber as she peeled out of the parking lot.

The two couples in the backseat, cuddling and cooing to each other, were oblivious, thoroughly enjoying their own reunions. In reality, she didn't blame them, she just regretted the delay before she would see her own love.

Watching them in the rearview mirror, she smiled, honestly happy to see her friends in love. Lightning Dust isn't home yet, either. I guess Helen and I can commiserate over the phone. It makes things harder with Helen visiting Dust’s parents down in Texas with the kids. They are going to have to plan further how we're going to keep our mares together and happy, Shadow's smile turns into a loving smirk. At first, we worked together because we could both see how much Irony and Dust wanted each other... but now... I think I'm developing feelings for this human... she realized, with a start, her face flushing at the thought. She is rather good looking...

The grey unicorn began humming to herself as she continued toward the house, her thoughts having turned to what she and Helen were going to do next, to ensure their family stayed together.

* * *

*Soarin and Mindy*

Mindy’s telekinetic aura envelopes the door to the room she’s been sharing with Soarin at the farm. It’s a bit of a tussle for both ponies to tumble into the room, since their lips are locked together. Soarin fixes this by using his wings, and holding her in his forelegs. He flips over, landing on his back on the bed, with Mindy on top. He can’t stop running his hooves over her form, relishing the feel of her strong muscles underneath her magenta coat.

He’s able to pull away from her lips for a moment, panting, “I’ve missed you so much, Mindy.”

She giggles, “I’ve missed you too, Soarin.” She nibbles his neck, and watches as his tail flips in excitement. She enjoys the feel of him touching her. His lips move down her neck, and she feels her body move in response. She’s wanted him from pretty much the first moment she met him. After a long time, she uses her hooves to gently bring his face in front of hers, “You love me, right?”

He nods seriously, “Yes, with all of my heart, and my soul.”

She can’t giggle at this now, her emotions are too strong. She simply pulls his face to hers, their tongues intertwining as they feel each other’s passion. For a long moment, she completely loses herself in the feel and taste of the pegasus stallion in her arms.

This time, he pulls away, his face starting to get red, “Mindy, you know that I was a girl before the change. I really don't know exactly how to go from here.”

She smiles at him, “I may have been a guy before, but I’m still just trying to figure things out on my end.” She thinks for a moment, “Well, we both know the basics, let’s go from there.”

He smiles and kisses her, “Mindy, I love you.”

She rubs a forehoof on the side of his face, gazing lovingly into his eyes, then she looks off to the side, “Sparky, Phenrys, we want to have some private time. Go find another scene to write.”

Soarin furrows his brow as his ears droop, “What?”

She giggles, kissing him again, “Oh nothing.” But, as she’s kissing him, her eyes are glaring daggers at the two authors as they file out of the room.

* * *

*Lightning Flash and Trixie*

"Thank Celestia we're finally alone!" Lightning Flash stated with vigor, once he and Trixie had finally gotten to the room they shared. "Now I can do something to you that I've been quite anxious to do," he turned to her, giving her as cocky and sexy a smile he could.

Only to have the smile slip right off his face at the tears falling from Trixie's muzzle. He was only gobsmacked for a moment, then he rushed over to her, wrapping her in his wings, "Trixie, what's wrong? I'm here with you, you can talk to me."

She buried her face in his shoulder, weeping uncontrollably. She blubbered incoherently for several minutes, while Flash looked on, confusion written plainly across his face. He whispered comforting words in her ear, telling her how much he loved her, and that everything was going to be all right.

"Everything isn't okay! Trixie is evil. Trixie killed. Trixie destroyed. Trixie exulted in their deaths! Trixie is evil!" her voice rose with every word, ending in an ear-piercing scream that punctuated the last call of 'evil'.

"Trixie. Trixie! Calm down! There is no way that you are evil. You are good!" he tried to tell her.

"No. No Trixie isn't! You have no idea what Trixie has done," her ears splayed back, flat against her skull, as she told him all about the mission, sparing no detail of what she had done. She finished with, "And it was all for nothing! The horrible man from the CIA killed the pony before we could convince him to come with us!"

"Shhhh... Trixie, that doesn't make you evil. Overzealous, maybe, but not evil. Would they have killed you, given the chance?"

"Yes, but--"

"No buts. Did you really enjoy the killing? Or was it the challenge?" Flash asked her.

Before she could answer, they heard a voice from the other side of the closed door, "C'mon Trixie, you know it was the challenge! You know that you like to push yourself!"

Flash sighed, "Hannah! If you're going to listen at the door, you might as well come in."

Opening the door, the young human poked her head in, and said, "I didn't intend to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help but hear poor Trixie. Trixie, you're a great pony! I'll bet you saved Irony's life, didn't you?!"

"Well... I guess you could see it that way... Trixie did what she thought was right at the time, but she has been plagued with nightmares ever since..." the pale blue unicorn lowered her head, her ears limp.

Hannah lifted Trixie's chin with her small hand, looked her in the eyes, "Trixie, I'm sorry you've been having bad dreams. But, I'm really glad that you're okay, and that you brought Irony and Mindy home safely. And I know that without you, Dust would have had a harder time with her mission, and she might've been hurt. Thank you for working so hard to keep my family safe. For that, I will always be grateful to you!"

"Maybe so, but Trixie has decided that she cannot go on any more missions. She can't hurt anyone anymore, she's afraid of what might become of her if she does. I hope everypony will understand..." tears filled her eyes anew. Hannah wiped them away with her fingers and kissed her on the nose.

"I understand. It's okay, Trixie. You don't have to kill to be the Great and Powerful Trixie that I know you are."

Flash wrapped his wings around Trixie once again, and nodded a thank you to Hannah as she turned to go. He pulled her into the bed, and held her while she fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

*Irony*

I step out of the government issue SUV to the sight of the farm. Okay... that's a bit of a change from the last time I saw this place! Looking around, I take in all the improvements that have taken place. The barracks is now completed, and I can make out where farmland is plotted out. A couple of earth ponies are plowing the fields in preparation for planting. None of them have Big Mac's size, but none of them are small either.

Looking closer at the barracks, I see three government trailers set up, presumably housing all the medical equipment and office space they think they'll need while visiting our little paradise. Eeyup, they can move fast, when they're motivated...

"Miss Shieldbreaker? I'm Agent Walker," another Feebie steps up, his hand outstretched. He has, wisely, decided not to notice my nudity. Instead, he gives me solid eye-contact, as well as a firm, but not too firm, handshake.

"Agent Walker," I nod, "are you going to be better behaved than the last of your kind I had to deal with?"

He releases my hand, glancing a question at my escorts.

"Steinwick," John answers. Only one word, but the look of severe distaste that crosses Agent Walker's face makes me immediately like him a tiny bit more.

"I'd like to apologize on behalf of all the FBI for any mishandling you may have faced at the hands of Agent Steinwick," Walker says, sincerely. Then I hear him mutter under his breath, "The colossal prick."

"So, what can I do for you, Agent Walker?" I decide to cut to the chase, already weary of playing with the Feds, from my earlier encounter.

"Actually, I'm just here to introduce myself and let you know that we are all set up. I know that Miss Dust is not back yet, and we are awaiting her return, as it is my understanding that she is in charge of this operation. Is that correct?" he asks, rather politely.

"Yes, sir, she is the one to see. I'm sorry, but I don't know how long it will be until she arrives. She took a detour on the way home," I reply.

"That's fine. Please let her know that I would like to see her when she returns. I'll be keeping an eye out for her."

I nod, and turning away from the three FBI Agents, finally let my concentration lapse. I hit the ground with all four hooves, glad to finally be away from humans. I take off at a trot, eager to return to Dust's home... which is quickly feeling like my own.

* * *

The run from the farm has left me feeling much better, I've finally been able to stretch my muscles. I feel more at peace than I have felt since leaving this house last.

Of course, it also does my heart good to see my car, still looking pristine, parked out front of the house. I realize that I've had a quietly niggling worry about it, ever since having to leave it in Wyoming.

What I see beyond my vehicle lifts my heart up even more: Moon Shadow running out the front door in a most indecorous manner, excitement plain on her face.

"Irony!" she cries, her pace increasing.

"Moon Shadow!" I pull her into my arms, lifting her off her hooves and spinning around, my lips pressed firmly to hers.

"I missed you so much!" I pant, finally breaking our kiss.

"I was so worried about you. Especially when you didn't come home with Mindy and Trixie!" she chastises me gently.

"I'm sorry, my love. Unfortunately, that couldn't be helped. Not without causing a big problem, anyway. Besides, you should know by now not to worry about me. I always come back," I respond, booping her nose in Mindy fashion.

"I know, but can't a mare worry when the love of her life puts her own life on the line?" she pouts.

"I suppose so," I smile down at her, then kiss her again, my tongue playing along her lips. "I've missed you so much," I whisper.

"I'm so glad you're home," she says softly into my ear.

We stroll into the house, hoof-in-hoof.

* * *

"You really did miss me," Shadow says, panting heavily.

"Here, let me show you again just how much I missed you," I smirk, reaching for her once more.

* * *

I try to sneak my way into the bathroom, hoping to get a shower before anypony else can see me with my mane matted all over to one side, my fur sweat-soaked, from my recent activities. Sure was a lot of fun... I grin to myself.

The grin slips off my face as who should appear around the corner, but my brother.

"Irony! So glad you're back. We were worried about you, sis," he says before cupping a hoof over his nose, "Oh my... somepony's been having fun!"

I give the air a solid sniff, "I think I'm not the only one who's been having fun, now am I?"

He turns bright red, "Touché."

"I was actually on my way to take a shower, so unless I can help you..." I trail off.

"I was looking for Hannah. I wanted to thank her for something she said to Trixie earlier today. You haven't seen her, have you?" he asks.

I cock my head to the side, giving him a puzzled look, "Hannah. You mean Dust's daughter, Hannah?"

"Duh. I'm pretty sure she's the only Hannah living here. Earth to Irony," he chuckles.

"Ummm... I don't know how to break it to you, Flash, but she's in Texas, with her mom and brother. I think Dust is probably visiting with them right now. There's no way that she could have said anything to Trixie earlier today."

He gets a faraway look on his face, then shakes his head and starts to walk by me, muttering, "Maybe I'm losing it..."

He stops suddenly, having come up right next to me. His eyes close, and he starts huffing at the air. He falls back on his haunches and reopens his eyes. His pupils are dilated, and a goofy grin has spread on his muzzle, "Oh my..." He sighs, then it's like he suddenly comes back to himself. His eyes open wide, and he shoots to his hooves, shock plain on his face. He sputters for a moment, noticeably trying to keep his rear end as far away from me as possible, "Umm, Irony... I think you might be... umm..." his voice falls to a whisper, "in heat."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Uh-- n-n-nothing, bye! Gotta go find Trixie again!" he turns tail and literally runs away from me.

I just stare after him for a moment, "You are so weird!"

* * *

Cranking the knob over to hot, I slip into the shower, glad to be able to finally clean off the funk from my recent travel. I take my time washing my fur and cleaning my mane, luxuriating in the never-ending supply of hot water.

Thank Celestia for Dust's awesome shower! I gleefully think, running my fingers through my mane. Too bad she's not here to share it with me... Hmm... I wonder if Moon Shadow is awake yet?

I ponder calling out for her for a moment, but then decide, No... what I really need is a stallion! Dammit, I wish Ray was here with us! Why did I make him go home? I should have let him come. Then he could keep me company in here... I smile dopily to myself, one of my hands absentmindedly dropping down to my seeping slit, while thoughts of the good Doctor run through my head.

It takes but a moment for my mind to get lost in a sweet memory from our all-too-short time together...

***

Our lips press together fiercely; his hands are buried in my mane, pulling me into him. My fingers fumble at his belt, trying to loosen the buckle, but they can't focus on their task. I am lost in this kiss; lost in the feeling of his tongue fencing with mine, of his sharp teeth nibbling at my lips.

Just as I find purchase on his buckle, he swats my hands away from his waist, "Ah ah ah, not yet, my fair lady."

I fairly groan with disappointment. He grips the hem of my shirt, quickly pulling it over my head. As I am trying to pull my arms free of the garment, he twists it up and pushes my arms down in front of me, somehow trapping them between us. I growl lightly. He smirks, then presses his advantage, kissing me again.

While I am distracted by his oral prowess, he sneaks his other hand up to cup my right breast. He caresses it gently, taking its measure in his skillful fingers. He squeezes the nipple. Pinching it; twisting it; pulling it; stretching it out. My moans are gobbled up by his lips. I swear he eats them like candy.

Just when I think I can stand it no more, his digits drift across my chest, quickly continuing his ministrations on the melon's twin sister. I cry out, my body twitching from the spears of electricity shooting out from the erect nub.

Finally unable to wait any longer for my reward, I pry my wrists free of the shirt, destroying it in the process. I no longer care. I grab hold of his belt and pull, tearing the leather in my haste. I pull his zipper down, snaking my hand in to find his turgid member. The heat of his flesh draws forth a sigh of delight from deep in my chest. Wrapping my other hand in his pants, I quickly strip them down his legs, letting them pool at his feet, exposing him fully to the air. It is standing straight up, pointing at the ceiling. Without letting go of it, I drop to my knees in front of him. I look up in his eyes as I stretch out my tongue, lightly licking his full length, from base to tip, my wide tongue slathering his entire underside with my saliva.

His entire body shudders when I wrap the crown of his meaty cock with my lips. I flick the tip of it with my tongue, before inhaling his entire staff into my muzzle. His rod tickles the back of my throat when I get to the root. I suction my mouth down tight around him and draw myself off of him slowly. When I get to the tip, he practically screams out, "Oh sweet mother of god! If you do that again, I'm going to explode!"

I grin evilly at him, "That's kind of the idea." I return my attention to his little friend, taking it deep into my mouth again. I work my mouth as slowly as possible up his shaft, squeezing it with my lips and tongue the entire way. He wraps his fingers in my mane again, gripping me hard. He tries to pull me off, but I resist, instead bobbing my head up and down, squeezing my hand around his base, holding him steady.

Burying my face in his crotch, I swirl my tongue around him, then hollow my cheeks and withdraw at an excruciatingly slow pace. His moans grow louder and louder as I work my way closer and closer to the top of him. Reaching his head, I hold just the tip inside, grazing it with my flat teeth while I continue swirling around it with my tongue. He grunts loudly, "Irony!" before his seed bursts over my waiting palate. I nurse on him, until he shoots his last dollop into the back of my throat. I pull the rest of the way off of him, making his body twitch and shudder from the ecstasy he's feeling. Once I have withdrawn, I swirl his issue around on my tongue, and catching his gaze with my eyes, I open my mouth wide to show him my mouthful. Then I close my mouth and slowly swallow, my throat working convulsively as I send his seed down to my belly.

Grinning at him, I lick my lips, "Delicious."

He pulls me to my hooves and proceeds to kiss me deeply, and I know he must be tasting himself on my tonsils...

***

I scream out my pleasure as my orgasm overtakes my senses, catching me by surprise. Leaning over with my head against the wall of the shower, I pant, hot water still cascading down over me. One more moment, and I lose my focus, falling to four hooves.

I flop over on my side, darkness closing down on me.

* * *

"Irony. Time to wake up. It's time for school!"

I crack an eye open, to glare at Moon Shadow, "Not funny."

She giggles, "Oh, I don't know about that. Finding you passed out in the shower after masturbating yourself silly is pretty damn funny, in my book."

"Mine, too!" Mindy says from behind her.

I slam my eyes closed again, wishing I could sink into the tiled floor, "How did you know?"

Shadow snorts, "The entire house could hear you moan and scream. You're lucky it's just us ponies! I think you damn near killed Soarin and Lightning Flash, though. They were damn near fighting each other to get in here. Mindy and Trixie had to wrap them both up in magical bubbles to keep them from coming to actual blows."

"Oh god... somepony shoot me now," I bemoan my situation. "Was it really that bad?"

"Oh yes. I never knew you were such a screamer, Irony! Dustie didn't mention it, anyway. I'd give you an 8.5 out of 10!" Mindy chimed in, making me blush even deeper, something I didn't think was possible.

"What's wrong with me?" I finally ask Shadow.

"What's wrong with you? You're simply in heat," she replies, smirking.

"What do you mean, I'm in heat? I don't think I have a fever..." she shakes her head at my naiveté.

"Not heat, as in hot, but heat as in fertile. Ovulation. It's the time where you could get pregnant. Your body starts urging you to do things that will help with that goal," Shadow is outright grinning as she finishes her statement.

"No... no way... really?"

She and Mindy nod, then both of them burst out laughing at my predicament.

Chapter 29

*Guest Chapter written by exsnaggerwes*

*Trixie and Flash*

http://pre11.deviantart.net/25ef/th/pre/f/2015/109/6/3/suggestive_trixie_by_exsnaggerwes-d8qaky5.jpg

“Trixie has been waiting for you. It's rude to keep a mare waiting.”

“Oh, sorry Trixie,” the golden pegasus replies from the door, “I just heard Irony come back and I--” He pauses. “What are you doing?” he asks the mare, who is positioning herself over the edge of the bed and waving her tail in rhythm with the ticking clock in the room. The blue unicorn is garbed in oversized striped stockings, a starry cape, and a pointed hat with a matching pattern to top it all off.

“Does her stallion like?” Trixie asks, giving her infamous taunting smirk.

“You know how I feel about you talking like that, and where did you even get that outfit? I've been here for long enough to know that nobody here cosplays.”

Trixie steps down from the bed, turning to face Flash, her expression never wavering. “Did the grand witch give you permission to ask questions? Did she ask how you felt about her mannerisms? Trixie doesn't think so,” she says, cupping his chin with a socked forehoof, her eyes narrowing. As she inches her muzzle closer to his, her eyes all but close as she whispers, “Chouchoutez-moi,” before giving him an affectionate nuzzle, “est-ce mieux?”

The stallion blushes in response, his feathers twitching and ruffling as he tries to return the loving embrace. Trying to keep his cool, Flash responds, “I can't understa-- unf!” He is cut off by Trixie's lips against his.

“C'est dommage, c'est une belle langue,” Trixie returns to nuzzling Flash, this time continuing down his neck and rubbing her body against his until her cutie mark touches his wingtip. His member begins to harden, and he extends his wing to stroke her rump.

“Trixie,” he moans under his breath.

“That's The Great and Powerful Trixie to you, peasant,” she lights her horn and disappears, reappearing on the bed, lying down. “Trixie is your queen, and only she may refer to herself in the familiar. Now that she has readied her stallion, the queen wishes to be pampered. The peasant stallion may approach,” she says, pointing her muzzle to the ceiling. Flash complies without speaking, pinning his wings to the side to hide his arousal. He puts a hoof on the bed and leans back, preparing to hop onto the bed. “Stop!” Trixie shouts, “What do you think you're doing? You can't just join The Great Trixie in bed! Get off.” Flash steps down, hanging his head in defeat. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will forgive her servant's mistake if he promises to ask permission next time.”

“I promise, my queen.”

“Good. Now, assist Trixie with her stockings. You may use whatever you deem necessary,” Trixie states, extending her hoof toward Flash's muzzle. Flash sits on his haunches and takes the offered hoof in his forehooves. He kisses the tip of her hoof first, working his way up until he reaches her blue fur, pointedly avoiding it. He lowers his muzzle down to the tip of her forehoof once more, avoiding eye contact the entire time. When he reaches the end, he carefully bites the edge of the sock and gave a gentle tug, pulling it completely off and discarding it on the floor. He watches as it dissolves into nothing, as if the carpet were absorbing it, and then returns to his submissive bow before Trixie.

“You've done well, stallion. You may continue.” Flash does the same with Trixie's other hoof, and this time, it disappears while still in his mouth.

“Does my queen wish for me to continue?” Flash asks.

“Not yet. How is her stallion feeling? Do not lie.”

Flash notices his fully erect wings and stallionhood, but responds verbally anyway, “He feels horny, my queen. He wishes to join The Great and Powerful Trixie in bed.”

Suddenly, a faint moan emanates from the far wall, and Flash swivels his ears toward it. Trixie and Flash notice the sounds of water running in the next room and look to the wall. Out of nowhere, a blue hoof meets Flash's muzzle, snapping his attention back to Trixie. “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not like to be ignored. It would behoove her servant to give her his full attention.”

“Yes, Great and Powerful Trixie, I am sorry. I don't know what I was thinking.”

Trixie raises her hoof, ready to smack Flash once more, “Trixie demands her stallion's full attention. Control your ears, or suffer Trixie's wrath!” Another moan can be heard through the wall, this time louder, and Flash's hardening member twitches in response. He forces his ear to face forward, and Trixie lowers her hoof to caress his muzzle. “Good stallion. Now, you may join Trixie in bed.”

Flash jumps into bed without hesitation, and is greeted by a loving kiss from Trixie. She wraps her hooves around his withers, and he begins to stroke her mane.

“mmmhh” Flash hears a moan, unsure of who it came from, but he twitches again nonetheless.

“Oui, Trixie loves it when you pet her mane like that,” she undoes the jewel tie on her cloak with her magic and tosses it across the room toward the sounds of more moans increasing in volume. “Why don't you put that sexy muzzle of yours to good use, and give Trixie's mane a little tug?”

“Yes!”

Flash flinches, hearing the cries of his sister in the next room. He becomes uncomfortable, trying not to think of what Irony is doing while simultaneously growing more aroused at the thought. Attempting to focus, he grabs a mouthful of silvery hair, and pulls. Trixie's head jerks back, and she lets out a cry of delight.

“aahhh!”

Trixie leans away from Flash, still resting her forelegs on his shoulders, and spreads her back legs apart, exposing her glistening slit. Flash continues pulling on her mane, relishing in the moans while allowing his hooves to wander over his marefriend's body. His hooves reach Trixie's cutie marks, and he gropes her rump hard, pulling her closer until his fully erect cock is rubbing against her barrel.

“mmfff”

“ahh”

“yes!”

“oui!”

Flash's cock twitches with each successive moan and cry, itching for relief. Flash curses it each time, hating himself for every emotion he's feeling, but he doesn't slow down. He moves from her mane to her neck, switching between gentle nibbles and licks. He continues groping her rear, and begins grinding against her body.

“Flash, please,” Trixie moans.

“Trixie?”

Trixie lights her horn and her hat disappears. “What did The Great and Powerful Trixie tell you?” she asserts, “You shall not address your queen in such a way. Now, remove the rest of Trixie's garments.” She leans back, spreading her legs and displaying her soaked marehood to the stallion. “And don't even think about going further until Trixie tells you to.”

Flash reluctantly complies, whiffing the mixed scents of his own arousal with Trixie's and Irony's. His control doesn't fade, and he maintains his champion focus as he slowly works off the two remaining stockings.

Another moan resonates throughout the room. Flash releases a grunt as he sits up and eyes his marefriend maliciously.

“Lick your ruler clean, servant.”

Flash dives into Trixie's soaked cunt, greedily lapping up the steady stream of marecum. He licks her seeping slit and everywhere around it, not letting a single drop reach the bed. He even cleans over her ass, not wanting to miss any of it. All the while, two mares are moaning, and Flash's brain flips between the sexual experiences with his marefriend and all of the times he accidentally caught a glimpse of Irony. He tugs on Trixie's tail, getting a shout in response. “Fuck!” Unwilling, and unable, to curb his ever-growing arousal, Flash lets out a primal growl as he finishes servicing Trixie.

“You have served your sovereign well, young stallion. You may now have your way,” Trixie says with a wink, to which Flash wastes no time. He launches himself forward, penetrating the unicorn under him, eliciting a gasp that he hopes came from her. He plunges himself in and out of her harder and faster than he had ever before. The mare underneath him attempts to stifle her moans by biting onto a foreleg. He can tell she is enjoying herself, but he has also been holding it in for longer than she has. He feels himself getting closer to falling over the edge, and he presses on, not saying a single word.

His thrusts grow violent after a few minutes, but Trixie doesn't make him stop. Instead, she grins wider, as she hears the moans from the room next door. She can tell that both her stallion and the mare in the next room are approaching their peak, and Flash seems to be liking it.

Flash moans as he throws his head back, letting out a beastly groan, and hilts inside of Trixie, causing her insides to clamp down hard; holding him in and milking ounce after ounce of cum from him. Finally, he collapses on top of her, and they both pant heavily while they listen to Irony's moans die down.

“hnng”

“What?”

“She's still not done in there? My goodness, that mare must be more pent up than I was when you were gone.”

“Huh? Oh, you're back to talking normal again,” Flash sighs, rolling over to let Trixie reposition herself on the bed. They both lay at the foot of the bed, listening less intently to the moans coming from the bathroom. The water is still running, but after all of the moans and cries coming from that room and theirs, nopony in the house could have been oblivious to the fact that she was far from cleaning herself. “Wait, what do you mean by that? When was I gone?”

“Flash, you left us for a few days. Just before you got your cutie mark, you took off.”

“Oh right, then... Look Trixie, I'm sorry I freaked out like that. I had no right to storm off without an explanation, and you deserve better from me. Is there any way I can make it up to you?”

Trixie brings a hoof to her chin and thinks for a moment, “Yes. You must pledge your undying loyalty to Trixie and promise to never leave her alone again.”

“Absolutely Trixie. You're the only mare for me, and I wouldn't think of--”

“One more thing,” Trixie starts, losing the confidence in her voice and looking at the floor. “You must forgive Tri- me for something I did while you were gone.”

This gives Flash pause, “What are you talking about?”

Trixie fidgets and stumbles over her words, “I was really pent up while you were gone. You don't know what it's like to be alone in a house full of horny ponies and be the only one without her stallion. Trixie was lonely.”

“I'm so sorry, Trixie. I didn't even think about it like that when--”

“Trixie is not finished. I… I mean I wasn't finished. I did something bad. I had sex with Irony.”

Lightning Flash chuckles and tries to dismiss it, but Trixie cuts him off again.

“I also had sex with Moon Shadow, and I think Dr. Ray.”

Flash's laughter suddenly turns to shock, “You did what? With all three of them?”

“I had sex with them, Flash,” Trixie blurts out, flinching at the end.

“First of all, how are you unsure if you had sex with Ray? Second,” Flash puts a hoof under Trixie's chin, trying to get her to look him in the eye, “I don't blame you.”

Trixie waits for him to continue, seeing that he doesn't seem to have any more to say, she tries to explain herself. “You don't blame me? I had sex with other ponies, and a human. I cheated, Flash. How can you not blame someone for doing that? I could have come with you. I could have waited, or masturbated, or anything else, but I cheated on you.”

“Trixie, this is difficult to say, especially for me, but have you seen Irony and Moon Shadow? You may not like this, but if I had any chance with them at all, I would be tapping that like a keg at a frat party. However, I'm an exception. The reasons I haven't done anything about it were because Irony was my brother, and Moon Shadow is her marefriend. Not only that, but she was a close friend of mine as well, and neither of them were any of those things to you.”

“But I was committed to you….”

“I would say that the circumstances have changed, wouldn't you? You didn't even know you were The Great and Powerful Trixie before, and you sure as hell didn't know who I was.”

“Trixie is unsure how she feels about what you're saying. Are you saying that you don't--”

“No!” Flash exclaims, panicked. “No, Trixie. I know I expressed disapproval of Trixie before, but that's changed. She's not the same pony that you are. Both of us have been through a lot; two lifetimes worth. And I like to think that we've grown and matured because of it. Trixie, I love you. All I'm saying is that I can't blame you for anything you did right after the transformation. We were both confused and disoriented, and I wasn't there for you. You don't need to apologize.”

“aahhh!” Trixie and Flash both look to the wall, then turn back to each other.

“So you're okay with what I did? You're not hurt?”

“No, Trixie. I love you, and as long as what you did doesn't take your feelings away from me, then I'm okay with anything.”

Trixie's eyes fill with tears and she latches her forelegs around Flash, “Trixie loves you too, Lightning Flash!”

“mmff, yes”

“Ugh, I envy her endurance,” Trixie muses aloud, “That mare could go for hours.”

“Okay, we need to set some boundaries. Please don't talk about my sister like that.”

“Trixie acknowledges your request, but Trixie is still horny.”

“Do you--”

“Silence! We shall go once more,” Trixie barks her orders before taking her stallion into a loving embrace and locking lips. “Trixie will take the lead this time.”

Lightning Flash complies, allowing himself to be gently guided onto his backside, stretching his wings flat onto the bed. From there, Trixie gives him a quick peck on the lips before making her way downward. She kisses his jaw and nips his ear, then neck. She uses her magic to pin his hooves above his head, and spread his back legs apart. Flash's member regains some of its former stiffness in anticipation.

The two ponies making love can still hear the moans from their companion in the next room, and do their best to either ignore it, or let it enhance the experience. Flash ignores it, while Trixie's vile mind plays out intricate fantasies where Irony would be in bed with them. As she takes Flash's hardening cock between her lips, she teases it with her tongue. Her nether regions moisten while the thought of Irony in her bipedal form cupping her thighs invades her psyche. She bucks her hips against the invisible mare, taking more of Flash's stallionhood into her mouth. Trixie sucks in her cheeks until they touch Flash's cock, then slowly releases pressure. She lets it slide out of her mouth, keeping her tongue on it the whole time.

She slowly licks, from the base of his shaft to the tip, as her imagined Irony caresses her cutie marks. Trixie's clitoris winks as Irony kisses each thigh, then teases her lower lips with her tongue. Her Irony's enthusiasm translates directly through her, into the stallion beneath her, as she takes his cock into her mouth even further until it touches the back of her throat. She fights back her reflex to reject it, and swallows, forcing it into her throat. She struggles to breathe, but doesn't stop. She uses her magic to stimulate herself while her imagined mare eats her out.

The scent of arousal in the room gets stronger with each passing second, beginning to impede their judgment. Trixie smells it, driving her mind into bliss, and bobbing her head up and down, taking labored breaths through her nostrils and taking in more of the scent. Flash senses it too, and starts feeling the same effects. This smell is different to him, however. It's not the same smell that pervaded the air in the room before. Yet, it is strangely familiar.

Suddenly realizing the scent is Irony's, his mind jumps into action, attempting to snap him out of his pheromone-induced frenzy, “Trixie, stop.”

“mmff rrt nnngggg”

“Trixie, please.”

Trixie slaps his ass hard with a hoof.

“Trixie…” at a loss, Flash tries to remember their talks before their first time having sex as ponies. They came up with a safe word in case either of them felt uncomfortable and other words might have been misinterpreted. “Screwdriver.”

“Hm?!” Trixie stops instantly, letting her magical hold on her partner fall and pulling herself off of him. “What's wrong? Did I hurt you?”

“No, it's just….”

“What's wrong, dear? I was only playing, you know I don't mean any of that, right?” Trixie asks, a look of genuine concern spread across her features.

“I can smell her, and it feels wrong. I'm sorry Trixie, but I can't continue right now.”

“Okay,” Trixie replies, laying her ears downward in disappointment and crawling up next to Flash.

“Please don't think that you were doing anything wrong, or that I don't want to be with you.”

“I understand. I can smell it too, and I know how you feel about it. Are you alright? Is there anything I can do?”

A warm smile makes its way across Flash's face, “You already have, Trixie. Thank you.” Flash shifts uncomfortably, trying to keep his cock away from the mare holding him. He tries to relax, but can't get the smell to go away. He buries his muzzle into Trixie's mane, but that doesn't work.

He tries to cover his nostrils with a pillow, but it's as if the scent is burned into his nose and won't leave. As all this happens, his boner gets stiffer, and all of his rationality starts to fail. He hears the moaning get louder and louder each time, knowing that the mare is approaching an orgasm. In his frenzied mind, he can't hold himself back and finally, he shoots off of the bed, using his wings to propel him, and gallops out the door as he hears a scream come from Irony as she hits her climax.

“Flash! Wait!” Trixie shouts futilely. The sounds of several sets of hooves hitting the floor can be heard simultaneously, two of those sets are galloping towards each other. Knowing where each is headed, Trixie teleports herself in front of Flash, only to be bowled over by a light blue pegasus from behind. From there, the two pegasi head for the same destination – the bathroom door – and try to shove each other aside to get there. “Lightning Flash!” Trixie scolds, but to no avail. “Flash!” she shouts again.

“I don't think that's going to work,” Mindy chimes in, “those two probably can't even hear us in their state.”

“Well, what are we supposed to do?”

The stallions go from shoving to standing on two hooves, using their forehooves to push against each other and grunting like wild animals.

“This seems familiar. Have we done this before?”

“Mindy! You're not helping,” Trixie tries to get between the stallions, forcing them away from each other with a force field. The field only lasts for a moment though, and instantly the stallions are back at it.

“I have the strangest sense of deja-vu,” Mindy says to herself.

“What's going on here?” Moon Shadow joins in, rubbing her eyes and trying to focus. “Wow,” she finally states when she sees Flash and Soarin get close to exchanging blows. Meanwhile Trixie continues to shout obscenities at Mindy, who doesn't seem to be hearing any of it.

“Mindy, snap out of it and help me!”

“Wha-? Oh yeah!” Mindy lights her horn, enveloping Soarin in a bubble, where he continues pounding on it from the inside trying to break out. Flash takes this opportunity to make a beeline for the door, where he's blown back once again by one of Trixie's force fields.

“Finally,” Trixie sighs as she wraps Flash up in his own bubble. “We can take care of these guys, Moon. Go in there and make sure Irony's okay.”

Moon Shadow hesitates in the hallway, watching as Soarin and Flash tire themselves out in their magical containment fields.

“Moon?”

“Yeah, sorry. I'm going,” Moon replies, opening the door to the bathroom with her magic to find Irony on the floor in her pony form.

Chapter 30

"Flash, it's safe to come out now," I call through the intervening door, pounding on it with a fist.

"Are you sure?" he asks quietly.

"Pretty sure," I reply, my ears flopped down in shame.

The door cracks open just wide enough for a white-maned golden-furred head to stick its way out, "Are you really sure?"

I bop him on his nose, "Use this for its intended purpose, and you'll know.

Taking a deep sniff with said appendage, he grins sheepishly, "I guess it is safe... are you okay?"

"Yeah. Mostly just embarrassed. I'm sorry for any trouble I caused you. Trixie's not mad at me, is she?" I ask, my face heating up.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is not angry with you, Irony Shieldbreaker," I hear from behind Flash, before her powder-blue head appears next to his. She smiles up at me, "Trixie found her lover's response to your scent rather humorous!"

Now it's Flash's turn to redden, "Trixie! I thought you weren't going to mention that anymore!?" His voice drops to an almost inaudible whisper, "I begged you not to..."

She lowers her head, and eyes, "Trixie is very sorry, dearest Flash. She forgot in the excitement of talking to Irony."

Rubbing his muzzle against hers in a sympathetic nuzzle, he responds, "All is forgiven, but please don't forget anymore."

She nods vigorously, "I won't. Thank you, Flash."

I watch them nuzzle each other for a few more moments, then interrupt them, "Actually, I didn't just come by to have an awkward moment or two. Mindy and Moon Shadow tell me that there are a few more ponies out at the farm, and that they've started work on cultivating some fields. I thought I'd go give them a hoof, and was wondering if you two wanted to come with?"

"Actually, Trixie and I were just about to leave as well. We're meeting Mindy and Soarin for a double date..." Flash trails off, giving me a pleading look that begs me to understand.

I give a tip of an imaginary hat to him, "No problem. You guys enjoy your date. But, not too much, eh?"

He flushes red again, and Trixie giggles at him as she pulls him back inside their room.

I head off, shaking my head at their antics.

* * *

"Hi, umm, Irony was it?" a dark brown stallion, with a light gray mane and a plow cutie mark interrupts me pulling my own plow. I've been trying to lend my strength to their work by tilling the soil, since I overtop every pony present in size and raw power.

"Yeah, that's me. What can I do for you?" I reply, running a hoof through my mane, sweeping it out of my eyes.

"Yeah, hey... I, umm, hate to do this... but I kind of got elected to talk to you, since aside from you I'm the biggest pony here..." he paws at the ground with a hoof as he speaks.

"Okay... what seems to be the problem?" I ask, knowing that a problem is really the only reason they would have elected a single pony to come over to speak to me.

"I can't think of a nice way to say this, so I'm just going to come out with it... you kind of suck at farming. Everything you do makes more work for us... so... can you please stop?" he looks up at me, and I can see a little fear in his eyes, but also a pleading, too.

Shrugging off the yoke from the plow, I reply, "You know, you're right. I do suck at farming. It is definitely not my talent, thank Celestia."

He heaves a great sigh of relief, presumably at the fact that I didn't get angry, or upset. I give him a brief salute with a hoof, and make my way out of the rows of tilled soil.

I take a seat in the shade, next to a bright blue unicorn. She extends a cup of water out to me with her magic, "Here, you look thirsty."

I take a sip of the water, it's ice cold, "Wow, that's refreshing. Thanks!"

"Ice and water magic happen to be my specialty," she replies, gesturing to the snowflake on her hip. "Don't feel bad, they asked me to stop helping yesterday. They don't mean to be rude. Watching them, I've realized that they're able to work together on a level that those of us without the talent can't understand."

She looks down at my rump, "With a mark like that, I'm betting you were a soldier, or a guard, of some sort. Your talent is fighting, isn't it?"

"Well, you're half right," I answer, turning so she can see the other side, "my other skill is smithing."

"Whoa!" she exclaims. "I've never heard of somepony having different cutie marks before. At least, I can't remember having ever heard of it..." she trails off.

I know what she means. Our memories are so spotty, that we have no idea what we might have known before we were cursed. Though, here I do remember something, "According to Twilight, it had never happened before in recorded history. She said I was an anomaly."

"Interesting," she says, sitting back against the trunk of a tree. She remains silent for several minutes before she speaks again, "You know, there's an anvil in the barn. There might be some tools in there, too."

I can hear the blood suddenly rushing through my ears, my heart is pounding. I feel the deep longing pulling me to my hooves. I don't realize it, but the unicorn smirks at me as I'm drawn toward the barn without so much as a farewell.

* * *

Shouldering the door open, I quietly slip into the old farm building. Looking around, I can tell there aren't any electric lights in here. Given the age of the structure, this isn't much of a surprise. What is a surprise, is the nearly pristine propane fed forge staged off to one side. Very, very nice... I muse to myself, taking in the 110 pound anvil across from the forge, with no less than three quenching tanks nearby. They're all empty right now, but that is easily remedied.

I take my time looking over the equipment. I'm quite surprised at the condition it's all in. Whoever this farm belonged to before Lightning Dust, must have had the same love for metalwork that I do, I realize while studying the Anvil. It's obviously well used, but doesn't have any of the normal signs of negligent use. No chips. No cracks. No warping. There isn't even any rust. I run my fingers across the top of it, then rub them together. Ah, that explains it... whoever used it last had oiled the entire thing up, evidently expecting there to be some time before it would be needed again.

Everything is in its place. There is a rack of hammers and tongs, sorted by size and weight. They are all similarly oiled. It's like they knew they weren't coming back... but hoped someone would make use of it again someday.

I stroll out to the propane tank to check the connections to the barn. They're in good order, as are the regulators. I open the required valves, allowing the liquid petroleum gas to flow once more. After that, it takes very little time to fill the quench tanks with the appropriate baths.

Less than an hour since first entering the barn, and everything is ready for use again. Priming the forge, I soon feel warmth emanating from the 2000 plus degree oven. Finally, I make a quick trip out to my car, where I pull two cloth wrapped bundles from the trunk.

I unwrap the bundles, spreading the cloth and its contents out on the workbench. One of them contains several of my personal tools that I just couldn't bear to leave behind, including my leather apron, my favorite hammer, and sharpening stones. The other... Hmm... I wonder...

Slipping the apron over my head, I set to work, humming quietly under my breath.

* * *

After a time, I look up from my hammering to see the same bright blue unicorn I'd met under the tree sitting on her haunches by the door. I nod, acknowledging her presence, and start another heating cycle. In the time it takes the metal to turn a bright yellow, two earth ponies I recognize from working in the field show up. Without saying a word, they take a seat next to the unicorn.

I continue, my hammer-falls forming a cadence. When I turn to heat the metal again, I realize my audience has grown once more; from three, to five. Two pegasi I don't recognize have come to join the party.

Holding the hot steel in a pair of tongs, I place it on the anvil and resume pounding on it with the smithing hammer in my right hand. The thuds echo around the old farm building, creating a heavy beat. Soon, the lone unicorn opens her mouth, and begins to sing. Within a few words, the other four join in:

Will you, will you,

Come with Irony?

He cast out the ponies,

We were forced to flee.

Strange things did happen there,

How much stranger could it be?

If we met all the ponies,

Just like you and me?

Will you, will you,

Come with Irony?

Where ponies called out,

Hoping to be free.

Strange things did happen here,

How much stranger could it be?

If we met all the ponies,

Just like you and me?

Will you, will you,

Come with Irony?

Where we can fly,

And all can roam free.

Strange things did happen here,

No stranger would it be.

If we met all the ponies,

Just like you and me?

Will you, will you,

Come with Irony?

Wear our blades proudly,

Side by side ponies.

Strange things did happen here,

How much stranger could it be?

If we met all the ponies,

Just like you and me?

Hissing punctuates the last line as I thrust the metal into the quenching vat, releasing a plume of steam.

The room falls silent, the moment broken.

The unicorn, whose name I hadn't caught before, and the two pegasi leave while I'm inspecting the piece. That should take an edge really well. I hold it against the other parts that came out of the bundle, A perfect fit.

I pick up another blade form from the bundle to inspect. My concentration is interrupted by a clearing throat.

"Excuse me, Miss, um... Irony?" I realize it's the same pony that asked me to stop helping them in the fields. He's alone now, his partner evidently having left him to speak to me.

"Hmm?" I cock an eyebrow in his direction.

"Umm... I'm really sorry about before," he looks down, turning red, "I shouldn't have said that you suck at farming."

"It's okay. I do suck at farming. Plowing is definitely not my thing. This," I sweep my hand in a circle around me, gesturing at the forge and anvil, "is where I belong. This is my talent. There's no harm in facing the truth."

"Even so, I'm certain there was a better way of putting it."

"I value bluntness. Short and to the point. Don't worry about it, okay? Oh, and please thank everypony else for the song. It really made my day," I smile.

"Thank you. I don't really know where it came from, but it felt right. To me, at least."

He pauses, taking a deep breath, "So, do you think you can repair our plow for us?"

I chuckle at his awkwardness, "I think I might be able to."

His head comes up, excitedly, "You'll help us?"

"Of course I will, but there is a small problem," I say, immediately dashing his excitement.

"Oh," he hangs his head again, "what is it?"

"I need metal, if I'm going to make anything. There isn't any here. I'll tell you what. If you will get me high-carbon steel, I'll fix anything you need," I offer a hand to him.

"I think we can do that," he places his hoof into my hand and we shake on it.

* * *

"Irony, what the hell are you doing?" the powder blue pegasus demands, storming into the barn.

"Soarin, I'd think it was obvious. I'm fixing a plow. Why?" I ask, smirking at his grumpy look.

"You know that's not what I'm talking about! Do you know how much raw steel these ponies are asking me for? And when I asked them why they need it, they all say that it's for you! Do you have any idea what metal costs these days?! What is going on?" he slows down at the last, his anger seeming to whoosh out of him with his breath.

"I wondered how they were going to go about getting their hooves on it. I guess it makes sense they'd come to you, since you are kind of responsible for bringing them here in the first place. I really do need the metal, though. Tools break and need repaired. But, more importantly, I need it to make armor and weapons."

"Armor and weapons? What do we need those for?" he asks me quietly.

"We're thinking long term here, right?" I look over at him.

He nods in response.

"Our goal is to get home, to Equestria, right?"

He nods again.

"But what if we can't? What are we going to do then?"

He shrugs.

"If we can't get home, we will have to make our home here. We will have to be prepared. Celestia forbid, we may even have to defend ourselves. The more ponies we gather here, the more people will notice us. We can't stay hidden. It's in our nature to gather; you know that, you were born a pony. We will be seen. You know there are some terrible people out there that will try to kill what they don't understand!" I'm breathing heavily, getting myself a little wound up.

Soarin holds up a hoof to stop me, "I know. I already thought of all those things. The steel will be here tomorrow afternoon. Dust has authorized me to acquire what we need, she can cover it. I just wanted to be sure that your reasoning was the same as mine. You've got a pretty good head on those broad shoulders of yours," he pauses for a moment, "Speaking of which, you might want to wear more than an apron when working in here."

I look down, "Why?"

"Technically, you're covered, but, well... you know..." he trails off.

"And?"

"Nevermind. Do as you will," he turns around, heading toward the door. "Mares!" he mutters, shaking his head.

I can't help it, I throw my head back and laugh, a deep belly laugh. I swear I can hear him growling as he makes it out the door.

* * *

"Hey Flash," I call as I tromp up next to my brother.

"Oh, hey sis," he waves a hoof.

"How's tricks?" I ask.

"Oh, she's fine," he answers distractedly.

"Not Trix, as in Trixie. Tricks, as in stuff. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good. My mind is just elsewhere, I guess."

"What's on your mind? Something bothering you?" I turn to face him directly.

"Oh, it's nothing. Hey... what do you think of Mindy?"

"Umm... she's cool, I guess. Kinda crazy, like Pinkie Pie, I think. Why?"

"No reason. Just curious," he evades.

"Okayyy... you know you're weird, right?" I quip before trotting off.

* * *

"Lightning Dust! How was your meeting with Agent Walker?" I ask, wrapping her in a hug. She got home earlier in the day, but we barely were able to exchange a few sentences before her presence was requested by the FBI. After that, she and Mindy made a trip in to the local Wal-Mart with a panel van.

"Well, we're going to have a VIP visiting us tomorrow. He wants to see what we're all about," she responds, wrapping her arms around me and giving me a nice kiss.

"Mmmm, that's nice. How big a VIP? Governor? Senator?" I query, nibbling her ear.

"Bigger than that. Much bigger. His daughter is turning into a pony," she heaves a pleasant sigh from my ministrations.

"Much bigger than a Senator? You don't mean... the President?" I gasp.

"The one and only. He'll be here tomorrow, possibly with his daughter. I don't know if he's planning for her to stay with us, or what, but we should be ready for the possibility."

"Is this an official visit? Or is it hush-hush?" I ask, already knowing the answer.

"No media. As far as the rest of the world knows, he'll be at Camp David."

"That makes sense. How would he explain to the rest of the country that he's meeting with a group of small, multi-colored, talking equines? It would blow most of their minds," I state, smirking at the thought of a nation-wide mental reset.

"Yeah, I think that's exactly what they're trying to avoid," she grins, evidently picking up on my mental image.

"So, moving right along, care to tell me about your trip to Wal-Mart?" I ask, suppressing a giggle.

"Nothing to tell. We went, bought a bunch of supplies, and came home," her face turns a bright shade of pink.

"Really. Nothing interesting happened?" now I'm fighting the grin that keeps trying to spread its way across my muzzle.

"Nope. I don't remember anything happening," she bites her lips.

I pull out my phone and play a video, "So, this isn't you, Mindy, and a whole bunch of people high-stepping your way out of the store?"

"How the heck did you get that?!" she nearly shouts.

"Soarin's search programs caught the video as soon as it was posted. They downloaded it, and stored a copy, before it could be removed from the internet. It's gone from the net now, by the way."

"Somebody must have recorded us and put it up. So, yeah... things got a little weird. It all started when Mindy found the chocolate covered espresso beans..." she trails off.

I feel my eyes widen severely, "Did you say... Chocolate. Covered. Espresso beans?!"

Dust nods, "Yeah..."

"Oh my god. And the store is still standing?"

"Amazingly enough. Have to admit, it was a lot of fun," she shrugs her shoulders.

"What about the Rockette dance routine? How did she talk you into that?" I ask, bewildered.

"I have no idea how that happened. Mindy said something about the Music of Harmony," she shrugs again.

"Okay, I guess that kind of makes sense. Guess spontaneous song and dance routines were real, not just imagined by the writers. Damn, I never really considered that before..."

"Whatever it was, everypony was affected. While it was fun, I'm sure glad it's over. This pony is not a huge fan of singing and dancing," Dust shakes her head as she speaks.

"Oh, I don't know. I bet you've got a great singing voice," I tease her.

"Shut up," she blushes, and turns to go. "I have to talk to Soarin about the visit tomorrow. I'll meet back up with you later."

I wave goodbye, still smirking. I think I'll go talk to Moon Shadow...

* * *

"You know how I told you that I've been Dreamwalking every night?" Moon Shadow asks me.

"Yeah, you've been practicing, and trying to remember more, right?" I look at her, my head turned to one side.

"Exactly. And let me tell you, it's been a bit of a wild ride. I--"

"Wait, wild, as in dangerous?" I interrupt.

"A little..." her ears flop over, and she won't look me in the eye.

"You mean very, don't you?" I glare at her, my arms crossed over my chest.

"I made it out okay... with a little help," she says, the last under her breath.

"What kind of help?"

"Erm... the Princess kind..." she squeaks.

"You got in enough trouble that you had to be rescued? By Princess Luna?!" the volume of my voice rises on every word, until I'm almost shouting.

"I would have gotten out of it on my own, even if she hadn't shown up." she retorts. "Eventually..."

I glare at her for a moment, before she speaks again, "Besides, Irony, what else am I going to do? I need to learn about my magic, about my abilities. There isn't any other way to do that! I don't have Luna here to guide me!"

"I'm sorry. I know. It's not your fault that you can't remember all that you knew before, or that your teacher isn't here," then something she said before hits me, "Wait, you said that Luna saved you, won't she teach you again? I mean, I know that she's not here, but from what you've told me, distance has no meaning in the Dreamworld. Isn't that right?"

She shakes her head, "You're right about distance being irrelevant, but there's another problem. That's what I was actually working my way toward before we got off on this tangent. Princess Luna didn't recognize me. After helping me, when I tried to talk to her, she ran. She literally ran, like I was a windigo or something! And she's continued to run from me every time I've seen her since. It's worried me."

I lay my neck over hers, hugging her close, "I'm so sorry, Moon. It has to be hard to have her not know you. But, you have to remember, she has a lot more years than we do. There is a lot more for her to have to sort through. Give it some time, and maybe she'll remember. And, if she doesn't, you can remind her."

"Thank you, Irony. It's been bugging me for a couple days now. I just didn't know what to do," she kisses me lightly.

"For now, I'd let her be. Chasing her will only scare her and drive her off. And if pushed hard enough, she might even become violent... Though I think that'd take a whole lot," I advise.

"That's a good idea, my love. Thank you again," she nuzzles me. I kiss her gently in return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Noah. Noah!" a voice calls from behind me as I trundle along. "Noah Mason, are you even listening to me?!"

"I can hear you, Mama. Come catch me!" I pump my little legs even faster, trying to lead the woman behind me on a merry chase.

"You are one wild child, my dear. I'm coming for you!" she gives chase.

I squeal in laughter, running as fast as I can. I manage to remain several steps ahead of her. She growls like a bear, causing me to giggle even harder. Suddenly, I veer towards the shoreline.

"Noah, don't go near the water. It's still too cold!" she calls, but I don't listen. I charge, laughing all the way, right toward the water.

She starts screaming behind me, but it's already too late to stop me. I hit the water at full speed, and very shortly am in over my head.

I try to yell for help, but end up with a mouthful of salty water instead. I gasp, pulling the brine into my lungs, causing me to cough violently. I thrash wildly about, trying to keep my head above the waves. The tide is pulling me further out.

Frantically, I look around for something, anything, onto which I can grab to save myself. There is nothing. Even worse, I can see my mother. She's too far away. She can't help me.

I feel adrenaline rush through my little body as I realize the danger I'm in. This powers my lungs and thrashing limbs. This serves to only push me further away from shore. I keep pounding the water with my fists, but can't keep my head above the water.

My screams turn to sobs as I realize that I'm going to die. What little strength I possessed, has fled. I can't do it anymore.

Sinking under the waves one last time, my eyes close, and I silently say a prayer that my Mama taught me:

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I pray the Lord my soul to keep.

If I should die before I wake,

I pray the Lord my soul to take.

Goodbye, Mama... I love you.

Suddenly, I feel my body lifted up. Arms wrap around me, pulling me close. Water swirls around me as I am drug from its icy grip.

Arriving at the shore, I'm dropped to the ground. My savior pounds on my back, encouraging me to expel all the fluid I've swallowed. I wretch, spewing it out in streams. Finally, after what seems like forever, there is no more. I gag for several moments and roll over to see who has saved me.

It's my mother. She who I thought could never reach me in time. She's down on all fours, vomiting up her own belly full of water. I reach for her, but my strength has fled. My body begins to shiver with cold. I curl up into a ball, the shivers intensifying into trembles. I feel my Mama wrap herself around me. She's cold, too. I can feel her shaking.

Feeling some warmth start to infuse me, my shakes slow down and I pass into unconsciousness.

* * *

Mama has been sick for the last three days. I've been trying to take care of her, but I finally had to go fetch Uncle Stu. He was very angry when I got him. He knocked me down with how hard he hit me.

"Boy! Get your ass over here, you worthless bastard. I swear to Christ, I have no idea what my brother ever saw in your mother. Or you. Worthless. Both of you," he hollers at me.

* * *

I shake my Mama, trying to wake her up. I have to make sure she drinks her broth, or she won't get better.

"Mama, wake up!" I call to her, but she doesn't respond. I reach out to shake her again, and realize she's cold. I pull on her arm, rolling her over.

"Mama?" Her eyes are open. They look glassy. Like my dog's eyes looked when he went away.

"Mama! No, Mama, don't go!" I wail as the truth sets in.

"Boy!" I hear roared from behind me, "Stop your yammering!"

My uncle comes over and looks at Mama, "Hmmph... so she's finally gone, is she? Well, good riddance."

I turn and, letting out a horrific scream of hate and rage, charge my uncle. I try to wail on his legs, the only thing I can reach, but he just bats me away like the gnat I am. Immediately, I run at him again. He looks at me with contempt plain in his eyes, and cocks his fist back. He lets go with it just as I reach him, catching me under the chin and lifting me off the ground.

Landing on my back, my head slams into the dirt floor. My eyelids flutter closed, and the darkness overwhelms me.

* * *

"Come away from that. You have faced this dream too often," a firm voice speaks, pulling me away from my torment.

"I had hoped that I'd forgotten it," I say, then bow to her. "Princess Luna, once again you honor me with your notice."

"I told you before, stop that. I only do what is right. You like to torture yourself with this dream, I have noticed. You really shouldn't," she stomps a hoof in emphasis.

"I can't help it. She died because of me. I was a foolish, spoiled child, and I deserved all that came after," I turn away from the Princess, so that she won't see the tears forming in my eyes.

"How old were you at the time?" she asks quietly.

"Seven, I think," I answer, my head and ears drooping in shame.

"Much too young to understand the consequences of your actions. And much too young to have suffered such a loss. I am so sorry that you faced that," she reasons.

"I should have listened to her. If I had, she wouldn't have died there. What happened after was my just punishment," I moan.

I feel a hoof strike my shoulder, knocking me forward. "Nopony deserves to be sold into slavery! NOPONY!" she's using the Royal Canterlot voice, at full volume. It's actually rather startling. She's breathing heavily, her sides billowing in and out, almost a pant.

The emotion in her brings me up short. Very tentatively, I ask, "Princess, are you okay?"

Slowly, she responds, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have yelled. Slavery and imprisonment are two subjects I feel very strongly about." She pauses for a moment, "But, the point remains, nopony deserves to be sold into slavery. Not even for heinous crimes."

"Princess, I caused my mother's death. There is no way around that. And even though over 150 years, and two lifetimes, distance me from it, I still bear the guilt and shame."

"You will learn to get past these thoughts plaguing you. They aren't your fault; you are not responsible for the actions of others. I know this from personal experience. It took me over a thousand years, and being blasted by the Elements of Harmony, to finally come to terms with my own mistake. I pray it does not take you as long," she gives me a sad smile as she turns to leave.

She pauses once, lifting her head to look at me, "Instead of hating yourself, you must work to prevent these atrocities from happening to others. At least, that is how I atone."

"Wait, Princess," I call, intending to speak to her about Moon Shadow, but she fades out of my dream without responding.

Chapter 31

"I hate getting all dolled up," Lightning Dust grumbles, shaking her head as Soarin runs a comb through her hair.

"Hold still!" he mutters around the implement of mane-care clamped in his teeth.

"I know exactly how you feel, Dust," I commiserate, weathering a similar assault from Moon Shadow.

"You have to look good when you meet the President. You know, you wouldn't have to go through this, if either one of you had a clue as to how to take care of yourselves," Shadow chides us, using her magic to rip the comb through another snarl in my mane.

"Hey, is it our fault that we both spent our lives here on earth as men?" Dust asks.

"I was born male to begin with. I've never had much of a reason to learn beautification tips," I chime in.

"You two are just big babies," Soarin states after ripping out one last rats nest from Dust's blonde hair. "Look at me, I'm male and I know how to take care of myself."

"Yeah, but you grew up a girl, remember? Though, come to think of it, you were always kind of messy..." Dust ribs him.

"That's enough of that. The President should arrive anytime now," Shadow states, glaring mildly at Dust.

"Hey, why doesn't Mindy have to get her mane done?" Dust asks suddenly.

Moon Shadow's mild glare firms into something more unpleasant, "Because there's no power in the 'verse strong enough to tame that pony's hair."

Dust opens her mouth to respond but is interrupted by the pony in question seemingly popping out of thin air, "Come on Dustie! The President is almost here!"

* * *

"Dust, stop fidgeting," Moon Shadow glares at the turquoise pegasus.

"Sorry Moon. I just hate waiting on other people. It doesn't help that having my mane done up like this just doesn't feel right. It totally throws off my aerodynamics!" she complains, but settles down. For a few seconds, anyway. It doesn't take long before she's ruffling her wings, her head darting this way and that.

Moon Shadow opens her mouth, but closes it again without speaking. Shaking her head, she exhales explosively.

After an interminable wait, we finally hear the distinct sound of a helicopter's rotors chopping its way through the sky.

We watch Marine One, the presidential seal plain as day on the side, approach. The pilot adroitly sets her down in the clearing across from us, his adeptness with the controls obvious in the softness of the landing.

Within moments of the wheels settling into the turf, the door slides open and Secret Service agents leap out to secure the area. None of them even pause at the sight of several multi-hued ponies waiting patiently at the edge of the field.

Efficient and effective, I think in approval of their skills.

My attention is drawn back to Marine One as a man I assume is the president climbs out. He turns, offering his hand to lovingly help an amethyst coated unicorn down from the deck. So, his daughter really is a pony... and now he's brought her here, to us. An interesting development, to say the least, I muse.

The President makes his way over to us, the pink unicorn lagging slightly behind.

"Mr. President, I am known as Lightning Dust. Welcome to our home," Dust offers a hoof to the well-dressed man. He pauses for a moment, taken aback slightly, but recovers well. He drops to one knee and takes Dust's hoof in his hand, shaking it like he would any other human's.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Dust," he replies, a genuine smile blooming on his face. "Thank you for having us on such short notice. I hope that we haven't put you out any."

"Not at all, sir. It's an honor to have you."

The President makes the rounds, shaking all of our hooves as we introduce ourselves. Looking into his eyes, I see a man who has slept little of late; I also see a firmness to him, an underlying toughness. He won't hesitate to do what he must, I realize, my respect for him growing.

"And this is my daughter, Amy," he says, gesturing to the pony that has been hiding behind him. She steps forward tentatively, looking ready to bolt at the first sign of danger.

"Amy?" Dust's head tilts to the side, "What is your pony name?"

Amy looks at Dust in confusion, a look of fear crossing her face so quickly it's hard to tell it was ever there.

"You know, the one from the dreams you've been having. The dream you had when you got the cutie mark on your flanks, your three brilliant cut diamonds."

"I don't remember any dreams," she shrinks away, shaking her head.

Dust touches a hoof to his knee, "I think you and I need to have a talk. Alone."

He looks at Lightning Dust, confusion plain on his face. Finally, he nods. He turns to his daughter, kneels down, and kisses her on her forehead next to her horn. That done, he waves off his Secret Service escort and steps outside our circle, Dust trotting to follow him.

Once they're out of earshot, Shadow turns to Amy, "Welcome to Montana, Amy. Thank you for coming to visit us."

"Umm... thank you for having us. I can't believe so many people have been afflicted with this disease. I thought I was the only one," she states quietly.

Mindy gasps, filling her lungs with more air than I thought physically possible, "Thisisnodisease!ThiswasDiscord!Hecursedustwentyfiveyearsagoandmadeushuman!Nowwe'vefinallyreturnedtoourtrueforms!"

Amy's eyes are so wide that it looks like they're going to fall right out of her head.

"Mindy, calm down, you're just scaring her," Shadow puts a hoof on Mindy's back to settle her down. She turns to the new unicorn, "What Mindy here was trying to say, is that it's no disease. It--"

"That's not what the doctors told me! They said it was some kind of retro-virus. They told me they're going to cure me, soon!" the young unicorn wails, whipping her head around, wild-eyed.

"Shhh... calm down Amy. It's okay," Shadow puts her hoof on Amy's shoulder, like she had Mindy, calming her down a bit with the contact.

"They promised they would cure me," she whispers, tears dripping down her cheeks and across her muzzle, to fall silently to the ground.

Moon Shadow pulls her into a hug, ruffling her mane with a hoof.

"I'm sorry, little one, but this isn't a disease. We were cursed, twenty-five years ago; by the Lord of Chaos, Discord. We've already been 'cured', if you think about it. These are our original forms," I say quietly.

"What? What are you saying?!"

"She's saying that we were always ponies. We just took on the shapes of humans for a time. Against our will, of course," Moon Shadow replies.

"I just said that!" Mindy spouts, bouncing back and forth.

"Yeah, but Moon was a lot easier to understand," I reply, my lips quirking into a half-smile.

"No, that's not true! I'm human. There's no way that I was ever anything but human!" Amy bursts out, her eyes narrowed as she glares at us.

"I'm sorry, Amy, but it is true. We," Shadow makes a sweeping gesture at Mindy and I with her hoof, "all know the curse to be fact. We aren't from earth. We're from Equestria."

"How do you know that?" she asks, disbelief in her eyes, though she seems to have calmed down a bit.

"We had dreams, like the ones you say you don't remember. Plus, we've been regaining our memories, albeit slowly," I answer for Shadow.

"I haven't been having any dreams," she whines, biting her lip.

Moon Shadow cocks her head to the side, one of her ears flopping forward quizzically, "No dreams? Are you certain?"

"Ummmm..." she sucks on her lip, looking down at her hooves.

Shadow lifts her chin with a hoof, "I know the dreams are frightening, but they only have power over you if you let them. More importantly, they are a link to your past. They can help you to remember who you are."

Amy bursts into tears again, "B-b-b-but, they're so scary! He was so horrible! He made everypony disappear in a blast of white light. I was all alone!"

"Shhh, I know. I know. It's okay, it's okay. We all know just how scary it was. We all lived it too," Moon Shadow comforts her again.

Several minutes pass in relative quiet as Shadow whispers comforting words to the pink coated unicorn.

Finally, swiping at her nose with a fetlock, she speaks again, "I think I'm okay now. I'm so sorry for breaking down like that. It's just been so hard. I was all alone at school when I started to change. I was so scared. I had no idea what to do. I'm just glad that Daddy took me in, that he didn't turn me away. I don't know what I would have done, if he treated me like some kind of freak."

"We understand exactly what you mean. Do you want to talk about your dreams now?" Shadow asks kindly.

Her head bobs up and down slowly.

* * *

*Moon Shadow*

"Okay, Amy, let's start by recounting your dream from the beginning. I know it won't be easy, but if you take it slowly you'll remember more," I say to her, mildly.

She squeezes her eyes shut in concentration, her head tilted slightly to one side, "I... I... ungh..." Her eyes pop open, and she exclaims excitedly, "I was foalsitting! I was watching... ummm... Berry Pinch!"

"Excellent!" I declare. "What happens next?"

Her eyes close once more, she nibbles her lip as she considers, "I hear a snap, and then Discord appears in a flash of really bright light. He says... I can't remember what he says, but suddenly he's chasing Berry Pinch around the house. He's chanting something weird. I don't know what it is."

"Five Score, Divided by Four?" I ask gently.

"Yeah, that's it! He's saying something about Five Scores. He corners Berry. She's quivering, her poor little legs locked in place. He snaps his claw, throwing a shiny globe of magic at her. Before I can think about it, I jump in front of her! The magic hits me and the world blacks out. Then I hear this horrendous screaming... like a baby crying!" tears leak out of her closed eyes. She falls to her knees, overcome with the remembrance.

"I'm sorry Amy. I know that was really hard to relive," I kneel down next to her, wrapping a hoof around her in solace. "I promise, I didn't have you do it to be cruel. Dreams are powerful, and ignoring important ones like this can have devastating consequences."

"I think I understand now. Thank you for your help, Moon Shadow. I'm sorry that I've cried so much."

"Nonsense. Discord did something irreversibly horrible to all of us. Trust me, it's worth a few tears. Were you able to remember anything else?" I ask.

"Yeah. Something pretty important, actually," she's able to summon a smile, despite the moisture still drying on her cheek fur.

"What is it? What did you remember?" I query, returning her smile.

"I remember who I am... I remember my name. I'm Amethyst Star! But everypony called me Sparkler." her smile widens.

* * *

*Irony*

"How long do you think they'll stay?" I quietly ask Moon Shadow, while Dust gives our illustrious guests the grand tour of the farm.

"Him? I doubt more than a day or two, if that. I think, though, that we've convinced her to stay here. At least for a while. She seems pretty excited to see what life is like as a pony, now that she's stopped believing that she is the victim of some disease," she smiles.

"That's a step in the right direction, but only a step. Underneath her newfound excitement, I think she's still terrified. I mean, it's really great that she and her father don't think that a virus caused the change anymore, but that's only the first bump in the road for her. Accepting who, and what, we really are, is the first real mental/emotional hurdle that most of us seem to go through. For some it's fairly easy; others... not so much," I lean against Moon Shadow, sighing.

"She's tougher than you think, though I agree that you have a point. I'll be monitoring her dreams, at least for the next few nights, to make sure that she has somepony to lean on if they become too extreme."

Nipping her ear lightly, I say, "Thank you, my little Shadow. As it always seems to be, you have read my mind before I even fully had it thought; and planned accordingly. How do you do that?"

Her muzzle splits in a grin, and her eyebrows waggle, "Oh, I have my ways."

I swat her with my tail, eliciting a bright giggle from my sexy unicorn lover.

* * *

*Sparkler*

"Dad? What's going on?" I ask, a thrill of fear shooting down my spine as orderlies burst into my room. They surround my bed, each of my legs is grabbed by one, while a fifth holds up a syringe.

"Daddy! What's going on?! Let me go!!" I scream, jerking my hooves in a fruitless attempt to get free.

"Get my daughter back. No matter what it takes," my father says to them, not even looking at me.

"What if our efforts are unsuccessful?" the one with the syringe asks, both of them ignoring my struggles as the four wrestle me onto a gurney and begin strapping me in.

"Then get rid of it. That thing is not my daughter. If I can't have her back, I don't want it to be here as a reminder of what I've lost," he replies, stone-faced.

"Yes, sir. We shall do as you ask," the orderly turns to me, slipping the syringe into my neck.

"Daddy, no... I'm still your little girl. I really am," I whimper, tears falling freely. My whimpers turn to sobs as my vision dims. Why doesn't my daddy love me anymore?

* * *

*Moon Shadow*

I keep watch over Sparkler's dream as it fades into darkness. It was filled with sadness and fear, but no more than many others that I have witnessed recently. The fear of rejection by human family has been heavy on many a pony's mind.

How I wish I could spare them all these dreams... but that isn't what guarding dreams is about. It helps them to learn to cope... I sigh to myself, still fighting the desire to end bad dreams completely.

"Hard to watch and not interfere, isn't it?" a voice startles me out of my internal conflict.

I turn my head and gasp, "Luna!"

"Hello, Moon Shadow, my faithful apprentice," she smiles down at me.

"You... you remember me?"

Her smile fades, her cheeks redden, and her head hangs low, "Finally, yes. I am quite sorry that I didn't before. It must have been disheartening to have me flee from you. For this, I must apologize profusely. I cannot believe that I couldn't remember you, my student."

"Nonsense! You carry no blame for your lack of memories. That lies at Discord's feet, for it was his doing that brought us all low. Yes, I was saddened when you didn't remember me, but I understood. I barely remember anything myself. So often, I am left foundering in the sea of what I don't know about my own past," I respond, daring to reach a hoof forward to lift my Princess' chin.

"Thank you for your understanding, Moon Shadow. It means so much to me," she nuzzles my cheek gently.

"Did you seek me out this evening, or did poor Sparkler's dream bring you?" I ask, afraid to hope for too much.

"Actually, I did come for you," she states, bringing a grin to my muzzle, "as terrible as her dream is, it is no worse than many another. It is one she will recover from, as I'm certain you had already ascertained."

We turn back toward the young unicorn's dream, to see that now she was cuddling up in her father's lap, with him stroking her head lovingly.

"As you no doubt see, she has started to dispel her own fears. Thanks, in part, to the help of you and your friends," the lunar Princess' smile warms my heart.

She continues, "I have come to share some good news. Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and the others have all found each other. They are all staying at a farm owned by Applejack and her brother, in Iowa of all places."

"That's wonderful news!" I state, practically bouncing with excitement at the prospect.

"That's not all. We want to gather ponies together, especially those in need, but we've hit a bit of a problem. After talking to Twilight and the rest, we figure that news of us ponies is being suppressed by each nation's respective government."

"We kind of figured the same thing. We already know that our own government is definitely doing it," I agree.

"Indeed. Due to this, we can't just put out a call for ponies to assemble by normal means. Instead, we've decided to put out a call that will be reported without being linked to any pony," she states.

"What sort of call can you send that won't be immediately seen as a pony source?" I ask, wracking my brain for an answer to my own question.

"The Sonic Rainboom--"

"Of course! That makes perfect sense! It'll be covered by every network, because they won't have a clue as to what could have caused it. It'll let every pony that hears of it know that they aren't alone. It's brilliant..." in my continued excitement, I interrupt my mentor, "but... how will they know where to gather?"

"That brings me to the other reason I sought you out this night... I need to visit every pony dream that we can, to tell them about the farm in Iowa. But, I can't do it alone. There are simply too many dreams to visit. Will you help me in this endeavor, my student?" she asks me with tears in her eyes, almost pleading.

"Of course I'll help! It would be my honor. I wouldn't ever consider turning you down for something like this; ever. Thank you for reaching out to me," I bow deeply before my Princess.

"Oh, thank you Moon Shadow. Your actions will help many a pony, of this I am certain. I am so grateful to have you as my apprentice... assuming of course that you still wish to be considered such?" she says, a tremble to her voice.

I kneel before her, my horn touching the ground, "I most certainly would, my dear Princess. It is my greatest desire. Thank you."

"Now, get off your knees, we have work to do!" she shouts in the Royal Canterlot voice, before tearing a hole in the fabric of reality and stepping through. I shoot to my hooves and quickly follow her.

Chapter 32

"Irony, wake up!" Lightning Dust bursts into the room that Moon Shadow and I have been sharing.

"Shhh... I'm already awake, but you'll wake up Moon Shadow. She had a very busy night visiting dreams with Princess Luna," I hush the excitable pegasus. "What's got you all aflutter, anyway?"

"We have to get on the road! We need to get to Portland right away!" she spits out.

"Portland? You mean Oregon? Why? What's going on?" I ask, taken aback.

"Soarin thinks there is at least one pony being held and experimented on, by a company called Spectrum Laboratories," she calms down a little.

"Well, Shit!" I say with feeling. "Go wake Trixie and Lightning Flash, I'll wake up Shadow and explain what's happening. We'll meet at the car in 5 minutes."

Dust nods succinctly and darts out of the room, leaving behind a trail of light.

I turn to Moon Shadow, to find her eyes opening, "How much of that did you catch?"

"Enough. Let's get rolling," she states, her eyes flashing with barely concealed anger.

"But, you're exhausted! You should stay here--"

"I won't be exhausted by the time we get there. I'll be able to sleep plenty on the drive. You know it's a 16-hour drive from here," Shadow interrupts me.

"How much sleep are you really going to get in the car?" I try to reason.

"More than enough. I can sleep anywhere, at anytime. It's something I learned as part of my training to be a Dreamer. This is important, Irony. I won't be left behind," she glowers at me, her determination easy to see in the stubborn set of her shoulders.

"Fine, then let's go," I give in, grabbing my duffel as we race out the door.

* * *

"Holy shit, she was able to do it!" Dust exults, looking at her smartphone. We've been on the road for several hours, and news about the Rainboom has just come over the radio. Dust has been looking for video evidence of the event.

"Lightning Dust, don't tell me that you even for a moment doubted your idol?" Moon Shadow teases from the backseat.

"I mean, I knew she could do it, but damn... that is so awesome!"

"Indeed it is, Dust. Indeed it is," I agree. "Best of all, now every pony in the world that hears about it will know they aren't alone."

"A truly great day in the new history of ponies everywhere," Trixie says quietly.

"Yeah, plus it was freaking awesome!" Lightning Flash pumps a hoof in excitement, then hoof-bumps Lightning Dust.

"You guys are incorrigible," I state, shaking my head.

"What can I say, we're pegasi, awesomeness runs in our blood! And we can recognize it everywhere," Dust's muzzle splits in a shit-eating grin.

I drop my face into my hand and sigh.

* * *

We pull into Portland well after sunset and follow our GPS to Spectrum Laboratories. It really isn't too hard to find, but the complex is a little surprising.

"Damn, Dust, you and Soarin sure know how to pick 'em," I whistle appreciatively at the level of security. It falls short of a maximum security prison... but not by a whole lot, I think to myself. There's a three meter tall wrought iron fence, topped with razor wire. It encircles the entire complex, with a guard shack by the gate.

"Hey, don't worry. None of that is a problem for a pegasus. Nobody ever looks up!" she crows, flipping out of the window and flying off to perform recon.

Turning to Flash, I say, "Take a slow loop around the campus to get a feel for it, then find a perch where you can keep an eye out for any kind of police response. At the first sign of trouble, let us know and bug out. We'll meet you down the highway a bit."

He nods and, following Dust's lead, flips out the open window and flies off without a word.

I pull my car around to a dark, secluded, alley to park. Trixie, Moon Shadow, and I climb out. The quiet of the city falls over us like a blanket, the only sound the ticking of the engine as it cools.

"It's too quiet. Trixie doesn't trust things that are quiet," the pale unicorn breaks the spell of silence.

"It won't be quiet for long, I'm sure," I reply, lifting the lid to the trunk. I unzip the duffel, and start by pulling out my shield and mace. "I'm going to miss my armor, but going without will let me shift a whole lot easier."

Attaching the mace to my belt, and strapping the shield onto my arm, I reach in one more time.

Hearing the sound of wings fluttering behind me, I turn to face Lightning Dust with the P90, that I acquired from the chop-shop gang what seems like forever ago, in my hand.

She drops to the ground and smiles at me, "That's a great look for you, but I don't think it's a good idea. We're not here to kill anyone."

"I know, I know. I wasn't really planning on bringing it, but it was in the bag, so I had to consider it," I reply, shrugging my shoulders.

"Listen, I don't want another death on my conscience. We're here to rescue ponies. Let's do it without killing," she states firmly.

"I understand, Dust. I don't want to kill anyone, either," I slip the submachine gun back into its case, and slam the trunk closed.

"So... how are we getting in?" Moon Shadow asks.

"Well, sneaking in is dicey. They have cameras everywhere, not to mention the patrolling guards," Dust says, an ear-to-ear grin spreading on her face.

"So... we bust on in, eh?" I ask, my muzzle mirroring hers.

"Right through the front door," she laughs quietly.

* * *

As we trot up to the guard shack, the rent-a-cop inside simply stares at us. He doesn't seem at all affected by the sight of four technicolor equines sauntering up to his corner of the universe.

Dust rears back on her hind legs, bringing her front hooves down on the sill of the open window he's sitting behind, "Let me in. I know you're keeping ponies here!"

He glares at her, "Piss off. This is a private installation. No admittance!"

I shift from four hooves to two, grab the front of his shirt in one hand, and pull him out through his little window, "My friend said let us in!"

The guard's hand drops to the pistol mounted on his right hip, only to have his arms restrained in the pink aura of Trixie's magical field.

"We won't ask nicely again," she states, her eyes narrowing dangerously.

He stares at us as if seeing us for the first time, his eyes opened as wide as they can. He reaches back through the window and hits a button. The gate starts to grind slowly open.

Grabbing hold of his radio, I squeeze it in my fist until the case shatters and sparks fly from the useless piece of equipment. Then I smash the phone mounted inside the hut, and ask, "Do you have a cell?"

He nods silently, and his pocket alights with Moon Shadow's green aura. His phone levitates out of the pocket, disassembling as it floats away. The pieces drop to the pavement with a clatter.

I lean in close, ensuring I have his full attention, "I suggest you have a seat and not move until we leave. Pretend we don't exist. Understand?"

He nods, his eyes bugging out at the sight of his gun being drawn from its holster. The clip ejects, and the gun is taken apart before his eyes. Finally, the barrel is squeezed flat by Trixie's magic, and the remains are dropped to the ground next to his phone.

* * *

We make our way from the gate to the front doors, with Dust using her magic to throw lightning bolts at any cameras we come across.

Upon reaching the glass doors, Trixie says with a flourish, "Allow the Great and Powerful Trixie." Her horn lights, and the doors are torn from their hinges, falling to the ground with a crash.

Clopping into the lobby, we're met by three armed guards. "Halt!" the lead one hollers, raising his pistol to point at us.

"I don't think so!" Trixie yells back, her horn flaring bright. A blast of air slams the guards back into the wall, knocking them out. She lifts their pistols and radios free of their unconscious forms, destroying each one.

She looks from Lightning Dust to myself, and says sheepishly, "They'll live."

* * *

*Lightning Flash*

Ugh... why is sentry duty so damn boring? Why couldn't we invade an ice cream parlor or something like that instead? Yum... ice cream... I start to drool, my stomach growling as I think about snacks. What's taking them so long? It's been almost an hour since they first approached the gate. I sure hope there isn't anything wrong, I forget all about snacking as my thoughts turn to worry.

I feel my ears prick up as four uniformed dudes come into view, running direction toward the building that my friends went into before. Unlike the other guards I've seen tonight, these guys have AR-15s. Not good. I think these guys might mean business.

As quick as they are, on foot they could never match the speed of a pegasus in flight. I flit up soundlessly behind them, the two in the rear never even see me.

Having built up a bit of speed, I line up dead center on the back of the shirt of the rearmost guard. Snapping my wings closed, I lower my head and lean my right shoulder forward. Just before I hit, I scream out, "COWABUNGA!"

I barrel right through him, and into his buddy, knocking them both to the ground in a heap. I whip my wings open to bleed off my momentum, and streak straight up.

"STEERIKE MOTHERBUCKERS!"

The front two turn back toward their partners, having heard my attack, but they didn't see me. I circle around them while they try to rouse the grounded members of their team.

While they're bent over the prone victims, I slip up right behind them and hover there, trying to stifle a laugh. After watching them for several moments, I can resist it no more, "So, you guys ever heard of looking up?"

Two heads whip around to look at me, their eyes going wide as saucers.

"Yeah, I didn't think so. Seeya, suckers!" I clap them both right behind their ears with a hoof, dropping them like so many sacks of potatoes. "Not much of a challenge, were you guys?"

Keeping an eye on the downed quad, I slowly spiral my way back up to my cloud perch. That can't be all there is... I sure hope they can take care of themselves in there. Irony, don't you dare do anything crazy...

As if in answer to my fears, I hear the muffled report of a gunshot. "Shit, what the hell is going on now?" I ask out loud.

Flapping my wings, I push the small cloud I've been lying on closer to the main building. Within moments, I see Trixie and Moon Shadow galloping out the ruined front doors, two ponies floating in their magic. Irony is hot on their heels, with Lightning Dust in her arms.

Fuck, fuck, fuck... something has gone really wrong... I clap my front hooves into the cloud, drawing lightning out of it. I hold the crackling electricity between my hooves as I hover there, watching the front doors.

I don't have to wait long. Soon, several uniformed guards bolt out through the entryway, their pistols lifting to point at Irony's broad back. Acting on instinct, I clap my hooves together, producing a murderous crash of sound. The barely contained lightning leaps out, briefly connecting me to the ground in front of the guards. Then all hell breaks loose as the earth explodes in their faces, driving the men flat onto their backs.

Whoa... shaking my head at the ruptured land, I spin and flap my wings for all I'm worth, trying to catch up with Irony's 442. She's tearing down the road like all the hounds of hell are chasing after her.

I'm no speedster but, with some effort, I can just keep her car in sight. She never slows at all, but I can tell that she's heading toward Seattle. I follow in their wake, worry tearing at me with every beat of my heart.

Once they reach Seattle, I see Irony veer off the highway toward a hospital. Why didn't they go to one in Portland? What's so special about this one? I somberly wonder to myself, knowing that Irony doesn't do anything impulsively. She came here instead of staying in Portland, she must have a reason.

Watching them pull up to the emergency entrance, I circle around and head in for a landing. Pulling up behind Irony, I try to make light of the situation, "Damn, you sure took off like a bat out of hell back there!"

She turns toward me, and I can see the stricken look in her eyes, and I know it's just as bad as I feared. Feeling the fake smile that I'd plastered on my face curdle, I ask, "Is she going to be okay?"

She shakes her head, "I don't know."

Turning, we follow Moon Shadow, who is carrying Lightning Dust in her magic, into the emergency room.

Upon passing through the automatic doors, it dawns on me why Irony came here of all places. Running toward us with a gurney is none other than Dr. Ray Stevens. Moon Shadow settles Dust onto the gurney as lightly as a feather.

"I... I thought you were a Vet?" I sputter.

"I am. Now come with me. Quickly now, we haven't a moment to lose," and so saying, the good Doctor turns on his heel and practically runs as he pushes Dust down the hall toward an operating room.

* * *

We spend several hours simply waiting. Moon Shadow checks on the sleeping ponies several times while we wait, as they have been left out in the car. Irony paces nonstop, fear plain on her muzzle the entire time. Which speaks volumes about how much she cares about this mare we've only recently met. When did that happen? I mean, I know they slept together, but there's a lot more there than how you feel about someone you're just screwing... I realize, though it confuses the hell out of me.

Seemingly reading my mind, Trixie leans over and whispers into my ear, "Love at first sight. For both of them, or so it would seem."

"Wait... what?" my eyes go wide.

"Yeah. While you've been mooning over Soarin and Mindy, *ahem*, those two seem nearly ready to form a herd," she jabs me in the ribs.

"Hey, I'm not the only one 'mooning' over Soarin and Mindy," I use my hooves to make air quotes as I speak. "What about Moon Shadow? And what about Helen, Dust's wife? What do they think of this? You can't tell me they don't know, they're both way smarter than me."

She clamps my mouth closed, "If you'd let me speak, I could answer. Shadow and Helen are fine with it, as far as I can tell..." she pauses for a moment, "actually, more than fine, if you ask me. I think those two are hatching some plan there..."

"What?!"

"Nevermind. That's merely speculation," she shakes her head.

"But--"

"Shush. Here comes Ray."

* * *

Ray tells us that Dust is going to be okay, thank Celestia, though she's expected to remain unconscious for a few hours. They were able to patch up the holes and reinflate her lung, and she's expected to make a full recovery.

"I want you to come with us to Iowa," I hear Irony say to Ray after they finished arguing over who was going to pay for the surgery and hospital stay. Ray insisted that he'd taken care of it, and finally Irony had relented.

Ray looks unsure, and seems to not know what exactly to say. Irony reaches out, takes his hand into hers, and says, "We need you. I need you."

Ray's cheeks flush, but he smiles, "Sure. I'll pack a bag."

Soon after that, Ray leads us to Dust's room and then excuses himself to go do just that.

* * *

*Moon Shadow*

"I spent the entire trip home curled up in the lap of Irony's nice young doctor friend," Dust tells me as she trips over her own hooves a little as she leans against me. "He has really nice fingers that know just where the itches and soreness are."

"A smirk crosses her face. She doesn't think I notice it, but I do. I notice everything."

"Dust, I think maybe you've had a bit too much to drink, especially on top of the narcotics Ray gave you earlier..." I say, shaking my head, "You're narrating again."

"She thinks I've had too much, but she has no idea. I can drink anypony here under the table! Well... except maybe Irony. I'm pretty sure she has four hollow legs. Four strong, muscular, silky fur covered... sexy... mmmmm..." the blonde pegasus starts to drool, causing me to shake my head again, laughing.

"Oh yeah, you're bombed. Damn," I stagger as she leans away from me and then falls into my body, "you're heavier than you look!"

"Hey, I'm not fat!" she pats her flanks with a hoof to prove her point. "See, all muscle!"

I fail to suppress a heavy sigh, "Dust, I didn't say you were fat. All that muscle you're bragging about is what makes you so damn heavy."

"Yeah, all muscle, like I said!" she flaps her wings to emphasize her point, lifting briefly off the ground. Only to fall flat on her face when she lands, "Ouch."

"Got a problem here?" I hear from behind me.

Looking around, I see Ray, "Oh, thank Celestia. Can you help me get her to her room?"

"Sure, no problem," he replies, scooping her up in his arms and carrying her down the hall.

"Hey, it's the nice doctor! Hello there Mister Strayevenson!"

He closes his eyes briefly at her state, "I'm sorry about this, I really shouldn't have let her drink. Mixing booze and Oxy isn't a great idea."

"I'm not sure that anypony could have stopped her. She's still deeply upset that she let herself get shot. On our last mission, she had to kill a soldier to save her own life, and it's been eating her up. Which is why she hesitated at the lab. So now she doesn't know how to feel, and it's killing her inside," I nuzzle his hip, smiling up at him.

"Sounds like she might be suffering from a bit of PTSD. Not uncommon for soldiers who've gone through combat situations. Poor thing," he runs his hand over her head, which is laying on his shoulder as she gazes into his eyes.

"Is that what she is? A soldier?"

"Not exactly, I guess, but the situations are similar. She's certainly been through more than most any civilian I've ever met. Except maybe my cousin... but that's a story for another time," he gives me a sad smile.

I decide not to press on the piece of information he's hinted at. The look of pain in his eyes is too bare. Instead I ask, "Will you stay with all of us tonight? We've all missed you so much."

"Will Trixie be joining us?" he asks, his cheeks pinking up a little.

"I guess that's up to her, and maybe Lightning Flash. You know that even though they're not related that he still sees Irony as his sister, right?"

"Not surprising, though I wasn't talking about what you're implying... I've just missed her, too," his flush deepens.

Smiling at him, I flick him with my tail, "I'll ask her."

* * *

"Never fear, the Great and Powerful Trixie is here!" she states, entering the room with a flourish. She had turned as red as Ray had when I told her that he'd asked if she would join us tonight. And then she'd turned and run to talk to Lightning Flash.

Evidently that conversation went well, I think, seeing Flash enter the room behind her. Wonder what he thinks of this...

Ray pats the bed next to him, inviting the newcomers over. Trixie hops up and snuggles in next to him, with Flash cuddling up to the other side of her.

"It's so good to see you again, Ray. Trixie has missed you," her voice drops to a whisper, her muzzle turning bright red.

"I've sure missed you, too, Trixie. I've been thinking a lot about you. About all of you," Ray turns his gaze out over all of us.

"I've been shinking a loooot, stoo," slurs Dust, eyeing Ray with a look of deep concentration in her eyes.

"What have you been thinking about?" he asks her.

"I've been sinking sat you shaved my lifshe, and how shankfulsh I amsh," I see a tear trickle down her cheek.

"Lightning Dust, you are more than welcome. I'm just really glad that it was within my power to do."

"I owe you, for everyshing," she gets out almost slur-free.

"No, you don't owe me anything. Never think that," he states, waving his hands in front of him to show he doesn't want anything.

Then Dust surprises us all by throwing herself forward and taking his head in her hooves. She fiercely presses her lips to his, and I even see her tongue dart forth to try to invade his mouth.

After a moment, she leans back to give Ray serious eye contact, "I'm really, really, grateful to you for saving my life. I owe you, and I want to thank you. Properly." She seems more coherent and doesn't slur even once.

"Dust, I really think you should get some sleep. You've been through a lot recently, and shouldn't make any rash decisions," Irony gently states.

Dust turns to look at Irony, "I owe my life to him. Anything I have, he can have. Anything."

"But Dust, I thought you weren't into guys?" Ray asks mildly.

"I don't care. I want to thank you, you deserve this and more," she responds, gripping his belt in her teeth to undo it.

"Dust, I don't think this is such a good idea," I chime in with my two cents.

She growls in reply.

I throw my hooves up in defeat, "Fine, Dust, have it your way." I look at everyone else, "Nopony get in her way. She's a grown mare and can make her own decisions."

Dust is finally able to get Ray's belt undone, and she laughs in triumph. She grabs the front of his pants with her teeth and pulls them open. She manages to get his fly separated, and leans in to grip the waistband of his boxers. Suddenly, her body relaxes, and she falls forward into his lap instead. After a brief moment, she lets out a little snore.

Immediately, every head in the room whips around to look at me.

"Moon Shadow... did you... ?" Ray asks me.

"No, though to be perfectly honest I expected it. She actually got further than I thought she would, given her state. Pretty impressive, really," I answer, shaking my head at our friend.

"You of course realize that I'm going to have a lot of fun with this, right?" he asks, a mischievous glint in his eye. His lips spread in a wicked grin.

I feel my muzzle spread in a matching smile, "Oh, most definitely. I'll help."

Author's Note

And with this chapter, Phenrys' initial vision of Irony's tale is told...again.

Don't worry, more story to come.

Chapter 33.

"Dust, no more detours, okay? We're almost to Iowa now and I don't want to stop until we get there. We're already a day later than we planned. Okay?" I grumble to Lightning Dust after our latest pit stop, at her insistence, lamenting all the lost time.

"Hey, when a girl's gotta pee, a girl's gotta pee!" she replies, licking the cheese dust that was the real reason for our most recent delay from her lips.

It's not really her fault we've taken so long. It was Mindy's side-quest. And of course Moon Shadow's insistence that we help every pony that we can, whether they might want it or not... I sigh, knowing that it had been a worthwhile venture, accounting for our extra passenger. I'm just glad that Gold Dust decided to come with us, so that it wasn't a total waste of time.

"Let's make some miles," I state, mashing my booted hoof down to the floor. My beautiful car lets out a loud growl as she tears down the asphalt.

* * *

"That... is total chaos..." Dust states quietly as we come into sight of the farm.

"Dust, I think we should have gathered everypony at your place," I whisper.

The entire area is overrun with ponies. There doesn't seem to be any sort of rhyme or reason to what they're doing.

Shaking my head at the mayhem, I take the plunge and lead the way to find somepony in charge.

"How do we find somepony in charge? Do you see anyone you know?" I ask Dust as I peer back and forth, looking for anypony I recognize from the show or that I have memory of.

Dust points a hoof off to our left, "I think I just saw Twilight's mom over there. Maybe she'll know where her daughter is?"

"Probably a better bet than just asking random ponies, I'm sure," Moon Shadow states dryly. Lightning Flash and Trixie nod in agreement.

We arrow our way toward the barn that Dust pointed out, where we spot Miss Cheerilee, the school teacher from the show.

Catching her attention, I ask if she saw Twilight Velvet around there.

"Umm, I think I saw her a couple minutes ago, but I don't know which way she went," she replies, scratching her chin with a hoof. "You might ask one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders, they might know where she's at. I see Apple Bloom right over there."

I put a hoof on Cheerilee's shoulder to stop her from leaving us just yet, "Actually, do you know where we can find the Mane Six? That's who we're really looking for."

"They're probably up at the house. I haven't seen them yet today, unfortunately," she pauses for a moment, "If you find them, would you tell them we need more blankets, or towels, or something for ponies to wrap up in at night? We can't find any more."

I nod in reply and turn toward the house.

So focused am I on my destination that Moon Shadow and I reach the porch before I realize we've lost the rest of our group.

"Where'd Dust, Flash, and Trixie go?" I ask Moon.

"I'm pretty sure that Flash and Trixie nipped around back of the barn for some alone time... and I think Lightning Dust saw an old friend," she points to where Dust has tackled a harried looking Rainbow Dash.

"Well, that answers where at least one of the Six are," I say, turning to look up at the house. It's time to face the Princess, I tell myself, a twitter of fear running through my heart, no turning back now...

"Irony, are you sure that you're ready for this?" Moon asks me, nuzzling her way into my throat.

"Honestly? No, not really."

"What are you worried about?"

"I don't know. I'm sure I'm just being silly," I shake my head, wishing I could as easily shake off my feeling of dread.

"It might help if you talk it through with me. I'd be glad to be your sounding board," she rubs her muzzle against mine.

"Well, what if she doesn't remember me at all? Or, worse, what if she thinks I'm lying? I mean, would you just automatically believe some random pony that claimed to have been your bodyguard before this all went down? Even if she does remember me, what if she's upset that I didn't protect her from Discord's predation? What if she blames me for letting this happen? I mean, I was supposed to protect her, not disappear!"

Moon puts her hoof gently against my snout to dam the flow of words, "Other than being worried that she won't remember you, those are all very unlikely problems. If Twilight is at all how she was in the show, she wouldn't, no.... couldn't think that of you. How could anyone expect you to stop Discord? He's damn near like a god!"

"But--"

"No buts! If she doesn't remember you, then you'll just have to refresh her memory with what you remember. If any of the rest happen, then she's not at all the Princess she used to be, and therefore not worthy of your loyalty."

"I... I...--"

"No. If she questions your loyalty in this matter, then she is not worthy. If she isn't worthy of your loyalty, you will come back to Lightning Dust and I, and we shall do what we all think is best. Just as we have done so far. Right or wrong, that is how it must be," Moon Shadow states, her piercing gaze boring into my own.

I nod mutely, realizing that she is right. In any case, I can't let my fears rule me.

Steeling myself, I lead the way into the farm house. Upon entering the house, we spy Lightning Dust exiting what looks like a study of sorts. I must have dithered longer than I thought... or Dust is picking up traits from Mindy... Now there's a scary thought, I snort back a grim laugh at my mind's meanderings. Anything to keep me from thinking about what is ahead.

Dust stops to speak with us for a moment, letting us know that she just finished talking with the Princess. She seems a bit distracted and wanders off shortly after stopping to speak with us.

Giving Moon one last nuzzle, I straighten my shoulders and knock firmly on the study door.

***

Exiting the study after my meeting with Twilight, I stumble over to Moon Shadow and bury my muzzle in her mane. My breath hitches in and out rapidly. My head is a whirl of conflicting emotions.

Wrapping an arm around me, Shadow asks, "What is it? What happened?"

“She didn’t remember me.” I sob into her mane as I hug her tightly.

I feel her stiffen in my grasp, “What?” She says flatly.

The floodgates have opened, “She barely remembers anything from Equestria. Just bits and pieces, just like us. But I thought that she would remember me. I stood by her side from before she became an alicorn. Most of my memories are of times with her. The best she could say was she remembered having some kind of bodyguard that was assigned to her by Celestia. But anything past that, she didn’t remember.”

She pulls me tighter, “You can’t blame her, Irony. You had an advantage in this, your memories from before you went to Equestria were untouched by Discord’s spell. You were able to use them as a springboard to remember what you can of Equestria. Perhaps in time, she will remember how much you meant to her. In the mean-time, let’s find the other ponies around here. I doubt any will remember us, though I’ve seen ponies from all over Equestria, not just Ponyville and Canterlot.”

I sniff, “Yeah, I didn’t know many ponies other than the guards.”

She turns to walk through the living room, quite a few ponies are resting in there, though I remember a few I’ve seen in the background of the show, though in the spring warmth, the house is getting uncomfortably warm for me. Air conditioning simply isn’t keeping up with everypony walking in and out, the doors rarely close. Moon joins me as I make my way outside. I watch Apple Bloom walk past, in deep conversation with Applejack. I’ve got to stop for a moment and look around. Only for a moment did I shift to show Twilight, I’ve been on four hooves the entire day. I lean up against Moon. “Wow.”

She nuzzles my cheek, “What?”

“Look at them.” Dozens of ponies are singing as they work in the barn, trying to get the place habitable for the night. Some are greeting new arrivals, while everything is busy, it’s not really chaotic. They are trying to make things organized, they are trying to turn chaos into order. “I can see why Discord chose these ponies to send here.” At her questioning look, I point. “Look, they are refugees, displaced from their homes, from their lives. But what are they doing? The same thing Dust is, making do with the situation, and turning chaos into order. They are building harmony where they are.” I point up. “Nearly everypony here wants to go home, back to Equestria, but while here, they are following their cutie marks. Even the pegasi are moving clouds around, making it so the sun doesn’t beat down too hard. Organizing places for the ponies to rest and relax. But they are also industrious. This farm isn’t very big, but even back in Montana. They are harmonious.”

Moon Shadow looks around, blinking slowly, then she looks at me, “So that’s why Discord did what he did.” She murmurs softly, then her horn lights, a snarl appearing on her face as she takes a few steps back.

Alarmed, I turn and look, the changeling queen herself, Chrysalis, is hurrying in our direction. I shift quickly and pick up the bug by her neck, squeezing hard enough to choke off most of her air supply, I bring her flailing body up to my level, “I would have thought Discord would have left you in Equestria, to help make things miserable for the ponies left behind.”

Her eyes are wide, looking at me. I bring her closer, “You sent your swarm after Twilight, you caused her to be injured. Why in the hell would you be here?”

She tries to bat at my hand, her horn glows green, causing me to squeeze tighter. She quickly abandons the attempt to use magic. I have no idea how much she remembers from Equestria. She tries to speak, though my grip on her throat prevents it.

“Irony, ease off. She’s trying to speak.” Moon says.

I bring her down enough for her rear hooves to touch the ground and lessen my grip, the rage I had felt on seeing her starting to abate. Though the memories of changelings pouring into the map room, Twilight reared up behind me as we both fight for our lives against the horde, are just as vivid. It wasn’t long before Discord that it had happened.

“Hrk…He banished…me, just like…hic…the rest.” The evil queen struggles out.

“Why would he do that?” I snarl.

She bats at my hand again, though her breathing is becoming more normal, “That was…another life. I remember some of what I did then.” She looks at me, “I just want to go home.”

“What if you can’t get home, what if none of us can get home?”

“I don’t know what I would do then!” She moans, the earnestness in her voice getting me to loosen my grip on her a little bit more, she looks up at me, “I remember you. You were with the Princess.”

I nod, “When your horde attacked Ponyville.”

She smiles, those sharp teeth causing me to squeeze down a bit harder, “Okay, okay, I’m not trying to fight here. But I know the humans won’t accept me at all. My body is producing eggs faster than I know what to do with them. I need to find a way home.

I squeeze down harder, “I can make that problem go away.”

Moon Shadow puts a hoof against my side, “Irony, she’s a refugee. Just like us.” I look down at Moon, her horn is quiet, she now looks peaceful, “Love, she is not the same changeling she was then. She deserves forgiveness.”

“You were in just as much danger as Twilight or I.”

“I know that. But that was before Discord. We have one enemy here, and that’s the master of Chaos, if she wants to help with that fight, we should let her. Her magic may be of use.”

I look down at the changeling in my grip, it would be so easy, just squeeze until she’s dead. I look at my hand, the grip around her throat, finally I release her. She stumbles back, her hooves going to her throat, “Damn, I knew you were strong.” She croaks.

I relax onto four hooves, “You turn on the mane six, you turn on any pony. You will see exactly how strong I am.”

She runs her hooves along where my grip was, then gulps, “Shining Armor and I have come to agreements on it. You’ll not have me as an adversary.”

I turn away from the changeling, there are a lot of ponies here, and not much time before sundown.
***

“You are crazy, you know that?” The human says.

The pegasus nearly prances in place, his coat was a very dark purple, nearly black, offset by his purple hooves. His cutie mark, a heart with flames. He tosses his black and striped blue mane, “Mike, I know there are more ponies out there. I need to help find them. I told you about the princess coming into my dream. Saying I would know the truth in the skies. They had a sonic rainboom the other day. There are a lot of ponies here.”

The old man stands up, walking past the laptop computer, “You’ve always been better with computers than I have. You sure you’ve found some ponies?”

The stallion nods, “There are dozens. I know of one group that have holed up in an apartment in DC. They have one pegasus who barely can fly. So they are subsisting on food delivery, and whatever she can find for them. They don’t have enough resources to survive for much longer.”

“But bringing them out here? They are likely city folk, they wouldn’t know the first thing about living in the country.”

“It’s safer than the city, too many humans out there. I know that they need help.” He looks back at his friend, “I’ve got to help them.”

“You said you were in the guard back in Equestria?”

The pegasus puts a hoof to his head, “I don’t remember much, but I do remember one thing, the Night Guard. Dedicated to the Princess of the Night. We have as much responsibility to help the ponies as any other Guard.” He stops for a moment then moves over to his friend, his hooves clopping on the tile floor. He rears up and hugs the human, “You’ve known me since I was a child. You knew I was different than most. You accepted me as I went through this change. You’ve listened to everything I’ve been able to dredge up about Equestria. Hell, you’ve watched the show with me. Trust me on this. Ponies out there need help. And I’m going to help them.”

As he releases the stallion, he watches his young friend trot out into the night, nearly disappearing once leaving the pool of light around the front door. The moon is low in the sky and for a moment, the pegasus is silhouetted against the moon, winging his way towards the capitol of the nation. “Safe skies, my friend.” He murmurs softly.

***

Night has fallen, most of the ponies are sleeping in the big barn. The communal nature of the ponies have had them pushing cots and beds together, and the ponies are sleeping nearly intertwined with each other. Taking comfort in the ponies around them. Though a few unicorns and pegasi are moving around. It’s past midnight, and I haven’t seen Dust in hours. Her phone is on, but every call goes to voice mail. Moon Shadow as prevailed upon me to not continue blowing up her phone. She will respond when she’s ready. Moon Shadow has retired with Trixie and Flash into the car. As I walk by the front gate, more arrivals stumble in. This time, three earth ponies and a unicorn foal have made the trek to the farm. They need to find the way home, and soon. If they don’t, I’m going to have to talk to Dust to encourage a lot of those ponies to come to Montana with us. I don’t have to do anything, since two ponies that have been waiting for more stragglers greet the new ponies and direct them where to go. I smile as I continue my rounds. The farm here in Iowa is quite remote. The ponies patrolling are more of a formality than a necessity. But Twilight did agree that vigilance would be required. Discord won all those years ago because we were complacent. Given our adventures so far, humans could be easily as dangerous.

“Irony!” I know that voice, I turn around and look. Dust is landing, Mindy on her back. “Discord, he’s in the nations capital.”

I shake my head, “No, he’s in Equestria.”

Mindy bounces off of Dust, pronking in place, “He had to have left a part of him here. Knowing his spell wouldn’t last forever. Remember, five score divided by four. Well, that remnant of Discord is in DC, he’s a senator. And he’s the one running for President.”

I find my eyebrows rising, “Corddis?”

She nods, “Cord…Dis, Discord. Simple name play, amazing we didn’t recognize him before that.”

I snort, “Until less than a month ago, we had no idea Discord even existed.”

Dust growls, “And with everything going on, the world trying to tear itself apart even before the ponies changed. He has to be behind it.”

I look at both of them, “And if we can defeat him, we can make the entire world maybe take a step or two back from the brink?”

They both nod, I gallop towards my car, “There’s no time to lose, then!”

Chapter 34.

I know how long this trip is going to be, nearly fourteen hours of driving. We’ve made it through Illinois and into Indiana. The sun is rising, and traffic is starting to become an issue. Though a quick glance at Moon Shadow tells me her horn is still lit. We aren’t worth noticing, especially to the local police. Mindy is snoozing in the back with Soarin, who had insisted he join us in this. I note a Pilot travel center near Gary, Indiana, and I glance down at my gas gauge. Frowning, I reach out a finger and tap the plastic. The needle stays pegged on full. We’ve been running full bore for over two hundred miles. I would expect us be down to a quarter tank or less.

“Looks like we’ve got an electrical fault.” I murmur softly, “We need fuel.” I ease off the accelerator in preparation to take the exit.

Moon Shadow giggles, “No, your gauge isn’t lying to you.”

That almost gets me to crash as I come up on a minivan doing the speed limit. I gasp and pull the car around the much slower vehicle. A glance in the rear view mirror shows that the driver of the other vehicle didn’t even respond. That spell is quite effective. I glance over at Moon Shadow, “How?”

She glances at a pickup truck as we pass it doing nearly double it’s speed. “We can’t slow down, we can’t stop unless we absolutely have to. So, I’m making sure the fuel tank is full.”

I frown, “How?”

She gestures to the econobox sedan I shift over to avoid, “Quick use of teleportation.”

I pass a semi on the shoulder, two other cars are in the other lane. Passing the semi, I pull back onto the road surface, “I’m gonna need new tires after this.” I growl softly to myself, then louder, “You are stealing the gas?”

Moon leans back, looking supremely uncomfortable, “Irony. You know I wouldn’t do this normally. We risked quite a bit every stop we’ve made up to now, but Discord is in DC. We have to stop him. The sooner we get there, the less lives at risk.”

“But it’s stealing.”

Moon sighs, “I know it is, I’m not taking from any tank less than half full, and I’m only taking a cup or two at a time. I’d leave cash in their car to compensate, but I don’t have any on me. We need to get to DC as soon as possible.”

I focus fully on the road, a work truck is towing a trailer with a skid steer on it, I glance to the side and shift lanes to pass it like it’s standing still, “I still don’t like it.”

“I don’t either. But I see the need.”

Lightning Dust pops her head up from snuggling with her brother, “If we stay here, we’ll have to get accepted. Right now, humans would freak seeing you fueling your car.” She frowns, “With that cool spell you’ve got, they won’t notice you. But we need to be accepted, or we need to all go to Equestria.”

I glance at the pegasus in my rear-view mirror. “Accepted…we are so different from them. How will they ever accept us?”

Moon looks back at Dust, “They were able to accept bronies, different religions can live in peace, sometimes. It takes time for the cooler heads to prevail. And it’s never going to be perfect.” She floats up her phone, “The world is falling apart right now, Dust. Mindy said Discord is behind it, and I believe her. He thrives on his namesake, even the guard thought he was reformed after Fluttershy and the Elements worked on him. But then he did all of that to us.” She looks at the phone a long moment, then sets it down. “The Elements are back in Equestria. And the bearers are here. This isn’t Discord we are going to, but a shadow, a fragment, of him. Maybe he’s not as powerful as he was in Equestria. We might be able to banish him, or turn him to stone. I may not have been a guard, but as Luna’s apprentice, I was taught some really strong magic.”

“Magic that you don’t fully remember.” I remind her.

“I know that. But we have to confront him. We have to stop him from continuing on with this. Maybe we can persuade him?”

Dust slams a hoof into the seat, “Persuade the Lord of Chaos from doing what makes him who he is? I don’t see that happening. We have to defeat him.”

I shift lanes, one of those fully electric vehicles is tooling along just above the speed limit, I nearly blow it’s doors off. “Wouldn’t it be nice if we were able to end this with a simple conversation?”

Moon sighs, “I wish that were possible.”

Mindy yawns and stretches, blinking her eyes as she looks around, “I’m hungry. We have any food?”

I glance in the rear-view mirror again, “There’s MRE’s in a duffel in the back. I like keeping a week or more of supplies in the trunk. Non perishable so we don’t have to worry.” Again, I lift a booted hoof off the accelerator.

“Oh, don’t worry.” Mindy says with a giggle, and with a pop, my bugout duffel is sitting before her. I slam my hoof back down on the accelerator, one side effect of the not being noticed spell, I have to actively avoid someone who has no idea that I’m there. With the moderate traffic going on right now, it makes me glad I’ve missed rush hour in the Chicago metro area.

“Oh, come on!” Mindy shouts, several silvered bags suspended in her magic, “Shredded Barbeque Beef? Chicken with egg noodles, maple pork sausage patty, Rib shaped BBQ pork patty? Is there anything here edible?”

“I’ll take the chicken with egg noodles.” Soarin says, only to get the bag thrown at him. He chuckles as he rips into the bag.

“The pork BBQ sounds good to me.” Dust chimes in.

“ARGH!” Mindy shouts as another bag is tossed at Dust. The turquois pegasus grins smugly as she tears into her own.

Moon Shadow floats one in front of her, “Cheese Tortellini in Tomato sauce.” She glances back at Mindy, “We have exactly one vegetarian option.”

I duck my head, “Sorry, I packed that when I was human.”

Moon leans her head against my shoulder, “No worries, love. There is more than just the entrée in each of these. The pegasi can stuff themselves on the rest.”

“Beef? No thanks.” Dust says through a mouthful of her meal.

That gets a laugh from me. Out of the corner of my eye, Moon’s magic has torn open the MRE, a stack of crackers are floating in her magic, she brings out some peanut butter and smears it on the crackers, Mindy is pouring black beans on a couple of tortillas and spreading the cheese sauce on them. Her face intent as she works, finally she takes a bite. A tap on my lip has me opening my mouth. As I close it, a crunch and my tongue is greeted with creamy peanut butter. I chew happily, looking over at Moon. She takes a delicate bite of a cheese tortellini, keeping an eye on me, “We are going to have to stop, but this will delay stopping as long as possible.”

***

The pegasus lands on the roof of the apartment building. He takes a moment to fold his wings, he’s not the fastest flyer, but a quick nap on a cloud that was drifting in his direction did make life easier. He checks his small pack, and pulls out a bottle of water. Still not adept with his hooves, he rips the top off the bottle with his teeth. A few quick gulps has the bottle empty. He trots to the access door, thankfully it’s unlocked. Though given his email conversations, that’s to be expected. He stops for a moment, stairs. Going up is easy as a quadruped, but going down them is another story. He half extends his wings, more for balance than anything else. His unshod hooves clop down the concrete stairs slowly, worrying that he’ll tumble head first down to the landing. He makes the first landing, then a second. Glancing at the door, it opens inward. He groans as he wraps his lips around the stainless steel of the door, a quick turn of the head has the door unlatched. He backs up slowly to open the door, then he quickly slips through before the heavy fire door can close on him. He flaps his wings slowly, keeping his hoof falls on the floor as quiet as possible. Soon he’s at his destination. A quick glance side to side and he brings up a hoof. Three quick raps on the door later, his ears pick up the clop of hooves inside.

“Who’s there?”

“A friend.”

“How do we know you are a friend.”

The pegasus grins, “Because we’ve talked on mic, you know me. Let me in before some curious human sees me.”

The thunk of a dead bolt is music to the pegasus’ ears. After a moment, the door opens, and a pale blue face with a green and blue mane pokes it’s head out. Cerise eyes stare into purple. She smiles, “It’s you.”

“Of course!”

The mare opens the door further, “Hurry up, get inside.”

***

Moon has been driving for the last couple of hours, I’ve curled up in the back seat. Dust has a wing over me, and Soarin is up front with Moon. Moon has insisted we get some sleep. We’ve been lucky, the parts in addition to the entrees in the MRE’s have us feeling okay. I feel a small twinge in my stomach, but not enough to worry. This could get rough, and going in without eating at all would be almost as bad as going into a fight with an overfull stomach. The only stop we’ve made was around the back of a convenience store with several gallons of water appearing in the car and Dust providing a few twenties from the ATM to pay for them. She grumbles about overpaying for water every once in a while. Then she takes a big gulp and calms down. It’s been a long day, and getting through the nightmare that is the DC beltway has been a source of stress. I feel the pegasus mare against my back, why is she so important to me in the short time I’ve known her? I remember Moon from Equestria, and as a human before we turned, she was just as important to me. I understand why Moon and I are a thing. But why is Dust a thing for both of us?

“We’re getting close.” Moon says softly, herding the car through a turn on the narrow streets. The US Congress has an office building for their staff. There’s an underground garage for parking. But we don’t want to risk the security endemic to such parking. The members of our government park their vehicles there. Capitol police patrol them pretty thoroughly, and cameras likely abound.

I point a hoof, “There.”

She nods and pulls the car adroitly into a space on Constitution avenue. As a former Marine when I was human. I remember that document, what it meant to me. And finding that Discord, even if it’s a shadow of him, is trying to become the chief executive of this nation. I find a seething rage roiling in my mind at that thought. That document is about order and prosperity and freedom. He is about the exact opposite. I may not agree with the man currently in the White House on everything, though he was quite decent to us when he visited. Discord is a million times worse. As the engine ceases it’s grumbling, Moon pops both doors and I stride around to the trunk.

Inserting the key and turning has the trunk open, I pull out my duffel bag with my armor, then I stop. That project, that I couldn’t leave behind, I glance over at the turquois pegasus curiously looking around.

“Dust.”

She turns and looks as I bring it out, "I made this, before I even met you. I didn't know it was for you until I saw you in action. There is no pony I know that can use this effectively, but you, Dust."

She frowns as she moves forward, I kneel and present them, a flick of the hoof moves the cloth covering. I do get to see her eyes go wide.

Soarin whistles softly, "Oh my Celestia, Irony. You made Dust a set of wingblades.”

After a bit, I help the pegasus put on the blades, and just as I suspected, they were a perfect fit. Though I’m a bit distracted as Moon puts on her armor, Iron Man style, everything flying around her and attaching in a cloud of her magic. Quite quickly, we are ready to go, with Moon doing the same for me with my armor. I glance at the firearms in the trunk. They won’t help against magic. At least not against Discord. I nod to Moon, who lights her horn and suddenly we aren’t worth noticing. The sun has just set, so it’s time to move. I lead the way, it’s a quick walk to the entrance to the Old Executive Office building. The large building has cameras and security at the entrance. Moon and Mindy work together to open the front door. I glance at the guards in the lobby, they seem to be tense, but even looking at us doesn’t get them to recognize anything is amiss. Mindy taps the elevator button and the ding of the elevator gets a curious guard to poke his head in our direction. Not seeing anything interesting has him turning back quickly.

I breathe deeply as the doors shut, looking at Moon, “That could have been a shit show. You see what they were armed with?”

Moon nods, “They take security seriously here.”

The ding of the elevator reaching the floor galvanizes me. We are about to confront the contender for the US Presidency, who is likely a shadow of the Lord of Chaos. I take the gibbering fear and shove it down deep. We’ve lost to him once, that’s why we are here. My memory of him banishing me runs through my head, suppressing my shudder, I watch the fur along Dust’s back rise. She’s having the same thoughts I am. I hope this doesn’t go too bad. Moon leads the way, her magic opening the door to the outer office. The young man working at a desk looks up at the door opening. He adjusts his glasses as his eyes slide right off of us. I grin as we head towards the inner office. I put my hand on the door handle as Moon drops the cloaking spell. His reaction is priceless, his eyes bulge as he flinches back. I growl, “We need to have a few words with your boss.” He nods silently, not really understanding what’s going on.

Walking in, it’s a normal office. Plush carpeting, a big desk, guest chairs on our side, and the fading light from the windows frames a chair, which slowly turns around. Corddis looks entirely normal, in a dark blue pinstripe suit. He glances at me, “Well Irony. You were the first to be banished. Interesting to see you here.”

“I knew it.” I growl.

He rolls his eyes, “You think I would send you ponies here without making your lives difficult? I know of your little group in Iowa. Some of the humans required a minor push. The gate will be destroyed, and you ponies will be stranded here. No matter what you do.”

I can feel Dust talking but cannot hear her words. A glance has Moon talking, so is Soarin. Is Discord messing with our perspectives? I take a step forward, “The ponies will stop you. Here, and in Equestria.”

“Oh, I don’t think so.” He says with a rich laugh. “Unless you know how to stop a stealth aircraft.”

I blanch a bit, then I take a step forward, “We will defeat you, no matter what your tricks are.”

He smiles, “I’ve only begun my tricks, Shieldbreaker.”

Chapter 35.

"Discord, you bastard!" I scream as everything goes black when he snaps his fingers. I shake my head and look around, I'm not in that field anymore, where am I? I slowly turn around, I'm in a city. After some time, I realize, this is Canterlot. What's going on here?I stalk down the deserted streets, my mace and shield at the ready. I take a corner and I hear the sound of an insect's wings on its body. Loud enough for me to know the source. So, I'm not surprised when I see hundreds of changelings in front of me. I look over the short drones. There is Chrysalis, then I see what she's holding, my blood turns ice cold.

"Are you going to give up?" The demon queen asks me. Moon Shadow is limp in her grasp.

"I knew you would betray us. So help me, Chrysalis, if you harm her, I will end you."

The queen laughs an evil laugh, "No promises."

I step forward, "Release her."

She lifts the unconscious Moon Shadow, "You mean her? You hand over that bitch alicorn Twilight Sparkle, and I will give you back your precious Moon Shadow."

My ears fall flat, "You know I can't do that."

"Not even for your love? For your heart?"

I shake my head, I can feel the tears falling, "I am charged with her protection, I can not betray her, even for the pony you hold." I stand up straighter, my voice lowers to a growl, "If you do anything to harm her, Chrysalis, I will make sure you suffer before you die."

"Oh, I don't think so." The queen says as she lights her horn. Moon Shadow starts to squirm in the green glow, "I think I will kill this pony." Before I can move, the evil Queen strains for a moment, ripping Moon Shadow in two. Blood sprays all over her carapace. She drops my love to the ground. "Kill her, my children." The hundreds of changelings between the Queen and myself are enveloped in green fire as they change into ponies. Hundreds of different ponies, some I know, some I don't.

I'm done thinking, I raise my mace and cave the first skull in. Green blood spraying from the ruined black head. The changeling reverting back to its natural form in death. I scream as I kill a second. Three try to rush me, their horns charged with magic. Their spells bounce harmlessly off of my armor, the enchantment that Moon Shadow had placed on it working perfectly. I catch the changelings with my shield, I slam the shield into a brick wall, cracking some of the bricks and leaving three greasy green smears on the wall. I step forward, taking on the changelings turned ponies as they rush me, but there are too many of them to effectively attack me. I lay about with my mace, green blood splattering everywhere. I can taste the acrid taste of their blood. I take another step, I can see fear on the face of the queen as she steps back.

"Hold on Irony, I'm coming!" A voice calls, and a turquoise pegasus flashes forward over the changelings. Lightning Dust throws a bolt of lightning at the queen, which she deflects, she then catches the speedster pegasus in her magic.

"Dust!" I scream as I hear her screams as she's dragged away by the changeling Queen.

I only have one choice now, I wade through the changelings attacking me. I can't even begin to think of how many I am killing. My mace throws green blood around with every swing, my armor is coated in blood. I crush another one with my shield. There must be thousands of these damned changelings. I slam one in the torso, green flames enveloping it as it dies. My ears flick behind me, and I lash out in that direction, catching two that were trying to catch me unawares.

I hear the screams of them attacking me, I know I'm adding to the screams with my own voice. I bash a purple pegasus, a yellow unicorn, a white earth pony, it doesn't matter, they are all disguised changelings. I can see, in the distance, a struggling turquoise pegasus being carried in the changeling queen's magic. I wade in that direction, laying about with my mace, defending myself with my shield.

I can feel my muscles turning to water, a pony can only do this for so long before they are exhausted. I close my eyes for a second, I've got reserves that are deep and wide. I feel a second wind start, I bash in another head, white bone shatters, spilling the brain, and gouts of red blood. Another pony leaps at me with a feral scream, I catch it on my shield, slamming it to the ground as I use the shield to vault over another group of my enemy. As I land on my hooves, I slam my mace down on another pony. Breaking it's back and spilling it's entrails, I kick the body out of my way and step forward again, hoof slipping in the red blood. I sheath my mace for a moment as I catch a leaping pegasus, I snarl in his face as I squeeze, crushing his neck. As the look of shock and pain of death hits him, I notice the face. No!

"Soarin!" I scream as I look at the body in my hand. I've killed them all. I look back, there is Mindy, her head half caved in, red blood pooling around her body. There is Gold Dust, Cherry Punch.

"No." I whisper as I fall to my knees. Did I just do that? Did I just kill my friends? I look at the smirking changeling queen. Lightning Dust still struggling in her grip. I look back again, I can see the path of destruction that I wrought. I can see where they changed from changelings to ponies. Green blood and black bodies to multicolored bodies and red blood. I can identify a lot of the ponies, hundreds of them are dead. All by my hand? I draw my mace, there are some parts of it with green gore, but most of it is covered in various colors of hair, and red, all the red blood.

I hear hard insect legs on paving stones, the changeling queen is there. She hovers Lightning Dust in front of me, her head twisted backwards, her wings limp in death. Her face comes next to my ear, "You killed them, Irony. You did this." She breathes into my ear. She drops Dust's body in front of me.

"No, that's impossible." I cry, the tears flow freely.

"Look around, you cannot deny the evidence of your own eyes."

I close my eyes, what have I done?

After several moments, I finally open them, and survey the devastation that I've wrought. Then something catches my eye. Turquoise fur. I shift my head a little to see better, I can see the cutie mark, a lightning bolt with three stars, and I see the two toned blonde tail. I look in front of me, Lightning Dust's body is in front of me, but how is it possible with another Lightning Dust there with obvious wounds from my mace.

I shake my head as the changeling queen leans down to speak again, my hand flashes out and wraps around her throat. I get a pained "urk" as I bring the black face in front of me.

"Nice try Discord."

The face transforms from a pained grimace to an evil smile, "So, you figured it out. Oh well, Not all of you ponies will be able to see through my illusions." the queen says in Discord's voice. I squeeze as hard as I can and I can feel the neck break. I throw her body to the ground and stand up. I look around.

"This isn't real, this is a dream." I remember what Moon Shadow taught me about being in the dream world from the few times she's pulled me into it, and I will myself to wake up. "Nice try, Discord." I say as everything fades from around me.

Chapter 36.

Corddis snaps his fingers, the world goes dark. Moon Shadow feels the dreamscape try to engulf her. Instantly Moon Shadow knows that it isn't the true world of dreams, but merely a construct created by the misshapen creature before her.

She smiles wickedly as her instincts take over and she shatters his dream world before it can even fully coalesce.

"Th- that is impossible!" Discord roars, his true form now exposed for all to see.

Moon Shadow smirks at the confused Draconequus, "No, Lord of Chaos, merely improbable."

Before Discord can react, she tears a hole in the fabric of his reality and, stepping through, drags him screaming into the true World of Dreams with her.

Shadow focuses on Discord, reducing his near omnipotent powers to nothing. As she does so, she makes herself seem to disappear, grinning to herself at how she has turned the tables on the monster before her.

She makes her voice seem to emanate from everywhere all at once, "Dreams, Discord? Are you serious? I may not be Princess Luna, but I am a Mistress of the Dream. Here, to me, your powers are as nothing. Here, I am the power to be reckoned with. You hold no sway."

With only a single moment of thought, she traps Discord in a nightmare. He is now stuck, powerless, treading water as he feels something trying to take bites out of his scaly hide. He begins to shriek in terror.

"It's not so pleasant when it's you who is on the receiving end, is it?" Shadow laughs.

She let him thrash about in the nightmare for what seemed like forever, then, when he was about to give up and let himself be eaten, she dispels it. She walked up to where he is lying, bleeding on the ground. He looks up at her with tears fresh on his face.

She looked at him with disdain, "How many?"

Confusion blossoms on his face. She smacks him across his nose with her hoof, "How many ponies did you banish to this world?"

He doesn't answer immediately. Instead, he spits out a tooth, blood flowing freely from his gums. He's vulnerable, she thinks to herself. Her hoof strikes him a second time, sending him in an end over end tumble. She magnifies her size until she towers over him, many times his size.

"How many ponies?!" her voice booms as she screams in his face.

Discord cringes, looking down, "Many, many thousands. I have no idea how many. It's not like I kept detailed records, you know."

"Tens of thousands?" she asks in a low, threatening voice.

"Possibly more. I was at it for years. There are surely ponies that are still under my curse. There are likely some just born humans that were ponies." he responds weakly.

"You will pay for what you have done. I will make you pay. You have no idea the suffering I can bring you, here."

"Ha. I may have erred trying to best you in the World of Dreams, but you are not the all-powerful goddess you picture yourself to be. I will escape. I always escape. You and your friends will regret setting eyes on me once I do," Discord sneered.

Moon Shadow growls as her rage rises, she lifts him up in her magic, preparing to deliver a death-stroke to end the misshapen beast once and for all.

In her anger, she made the mistake of using her horn's magic, not the Dream magic inherent to her. Discord senses the weakness and strikes out, driving a spike of pain deep into her mind.

Fearing she would regain control and capture him once again, Discord flees the Dream World, slithering through a rift he created that was the size of a mouse-hole.

"Discord! You bastard!" Moon Shadow screams, unleashing a massive bolt of power that shattered the construct around her, dumping her in the void between worlds.

She puts a hoof to her head, comforting the pain that Discord caused, and the aftermath of her bolt of power. Ouch, that hurt. She shakes her head to clear it, and then sees Discord fleeing. The fact he's doing it under his own power is telling, he must be waiting for his powers to fully recover. She looks around, they are in the space between worlds, where the dreams of the people and the ponies reside. Moon Shadow smiles, she still can have control here. She wills herself to move. The lights of the individual dreams flash past her as she draws closer to Discord.

"You can't get away that easily, you demon." She shouts, "You are still in my realm."

He laughs as he calls over his shoulder, "The realm of an apprentice, you made your mistake, I'm not going to allow you another."

She curses as she flashes towards him. Attempting to form a construct around him, but enough of his powers are back, allowing him to evade them easily. She finally tries to trip him up, throwing anything she can think of, so she can get just one more moment, so she can get him back fully under her control. But after several minutes he stops and turns.

"I have enough power now, I may not be able to take control from you, Moon Shadow, but you aren't the only pony stuck in the dream. I will win in the end."

"You bastard!" She screams, charging her horn and throwing the most powerful spell she knew at him. A white bar of liquid fire emanates from her horn and flashes at the draconequus. She pours everything she can into it, and as the beam reaches him, he's snapped his fingers, and is gone in a flash of light.

"Damn!" She shouts. Trotting over to where he was. Her horn alights as she tests the area. The only thing she feels is chaos magic, not a lick of the residues of balefire. He got away in time. Damn it! She looks around. We have to finish this. She steps out of the dream and into her body in Washington DC.

Author's Note

This chapter, and the one previous, was actually written a few years ago, for when Phenrys got to this point in the story. I'm glad to reveal these chapters over the last few weeks. We are in intercampaign at the moment, which means I have much less time to write than I usually do. Will do a blog post to explain further in the upcoming time.

Chapter 37.

I open my eyes, plush carpeting greets them. I’m still in the office? What the hell? I lever myself to my full height, my hand drawing my mace. I shake my head once, twice, to clear it. I look around, everypony else is stirring as well. Except for one. Oh no.

“Soarin!” Mindy screams as she teleports over to the prone pegasus stallion. I take a step forward as she cradles his body and Dust moves up herself. I look up, Corddis has changed his form, Discord now stands before us in all his mismatched parts glory. He smirks at us as we recover from his antics. Though why isn’t he finishing us off? Perhaps our fight in the dream realm has taken a lot out of him as well?

Dust makes it to her hooves and screams at him, magic crackling along her wings, but before she can let loose, Mindy’s voice overwhelms everything. “You asshole! I love him, and you had to kill him!” Her horn glows with dark magic and her eyes glow green as she lets loose…something. The blob of magic streaks across the room and impacts on the draconequus. It acts like acid, eating away at his flesh, he screams as he tries to pry it off, but it’s quite tenacious. After several seconds he’s able to pry it off, the blob lands on the floor and starts to sizzle where it landed. With a growl, Discord smashes a small hole in the safety glass in his office and slithers through. Dust glances at me and moves with unearthly speed to smash the hole bigger. I stride forward, looking through the hole, Dust is after the draconequus, flashing lightning bolts in his path. I glance back at Mindy and Moon Shadow, Moon is comforting the party unicorn in her grief. She gestures at me to go, and I kick out the rest of the window and leap. It’s only four stories. I windmill my arms as I fall and slam into the ground, going down to a crouch to absorb the energy of the landing.

I slowly stand up to my full height. “DISCORD!” I scream as I race off after the Draconequus. The pop of teleportation tells me that the two unicorns are right behind me.

***

“You know, I’ve got a place, out in the country. I’ve told you all this.” The pegasus pleads with the other ponies. A half dozen ponies have made the small apartment their sanctuary. He glances at the TV, they’ve got it set on one news network or another, one of the younger foals is keeping an eye on it, for any mention of the ponies.

The owner of this apartment, one Sassaflash Cloud, growls softly. “We’ve got a home here, we can’t give it up.”

The dark pegasus cocks his head to the side. “I know you have a home here, but none of you has an income, can you continue paying the rent?”

“We have savings, we’ve all pooled our resources together. Once we get the food plan sorted out, we’ll be fine for a year or so. We should be able to find the portal home by then.”

He stomps a hoof, “You are in danger of discovery all the time here. There are too many humans here. All it will take is one looking up while you are flying and then somehuman will track you here. If they are bronies, that will be okay. But what if they work for the government? What if they work for some laboratory where you would end up on a dissection table?”

Sassaflash hugs herself briefly. “I’ll make sure to fly too high for them to make out more than a winged shape. I may not be a speedster, but I can fly as fast as the cars on the highway. That’s good? Right? Harts?”

Harts shakes his head, putting a hoof up to comfort his budding headache. These ponies don’t want to go anywhere.”

“Hey!” Comes a young voice. “Everypony, you’ve got to see this! Discord is on TV.”

Sassaflash turns. “I told you to keep it on the news station, not flipping over to the cartoons.” Her voice trails off as she takes in what is on the screen. “Oh sweet Celestia.”

Some news crew that was doing a live feed is following Discord as he runs across the street, lightning flashes down and causes him to turn. Then the camera zooms in behind him, two unicorns are chasing him, along with…”

“Irony.” Harts breathes. “You made it here too.” He turns, “How far away is that?”

One of the earth ponies trots up, squinting a bit as she inspects the fight ongoing on the screen, “The way they are heading, that will lead them to the Washington Monument, it’s only five blocks away!”

Harts leaps towards the front door. “Let’s go!” He skids to a stop, not a single other pony has moved. Indecision plain on all their faces. He slams a hoof on the floor with a loud crack. “That is Discord. He’s the one who brought us here. We need to help!”

“Why?” Sassaflash says sadly. “He overwhelmed the guards back in Equestria, he sent them here, he sent all these ponies here, even Princess Luna is here. I remember her in the dream.” She withdraws a bit, her wings hugging herself. “What can we do?”

“What can you do?!?!” Harts roars. “Look at them! They aren’t thinking about how badly Discord defeated them before. But they can’t win, not without our help.” His voice gets even louder, a pegasus weather leader in the heart of a storm. “We need to help, because they are ponies, because we are ponies. Ponies help ponies, and you all know that.”

He looks around at all the pinned back ears and shifting tails. He slowly moves over to Sassaflash and puts his hooves around her in a tight hug. “Listen, they might know more. Maybe they know how to get you all home. Either way, we need to help them, and I’m going. Even if you don’t join me.” He turns back, slowly walking to the door. “Who’s with me?” He asks softly.

After a few moments, six ponies are galloping down the stairs with two pegasi heading up to leap from the roof.

As the ponies stream past astonished humans, the magical fight has tingles running through Hart’s wings. They are getting close. He glances over, other ponies that he had no clue were around here are at a full gallop, heading into the danger. He thinks he recognizes another lunar guard among them, this one a thestral. He grins and joins a few pegasi streaking towards the fight. “Here we come.” He growls as he joins the ponies in dive bombing the draconequus.

Harts hoots in glee as he plants a hoof in Discord’s face. He knows he can feel bones breaking under the onslaught. His wings stutter a bit as he avoids an incoming blast as the Draconequus rehinges his jaw with his lion’s paw. He flashes past a turquois pegasus, he knows her. She’s throwing lightning bolts with her wings at a furious pace. More unicorns are on the ground, throwing whatever magic they’ve been able to figure out in the month since many of them changed back at him as well. Lightning bolts, fire blasts, strong wind gusts, even ice magic all assault the lord of Chaos.

“Enough!” He screams as a bright ball of expanding light energy blasts from him in all directions, knocking nearly every pegasus out of the air and every pony and human is pushed back. Harts shakes his head, that was a bad landing. Everything hurts. He clamps a wing to his side, he can feel blood dripping from the appendage and the pain tells him half his feathers on that side have been ripped away. No flying for a bit now. Ugh, that hurt. He looks back at Discord, who is laying around him furiously with magic of his own. Irony takes a blast on her shield, deflecting it straight up. Some of the unicorns have recovered enough to use their own magic, they are deflecting his magic as best as they can. Though humans and ponies alike are getting struck, most crumpling down in pain.

Then Harts gets a really good look at everything. Humans and ponies have linked their arms to forelegs, voices rising to the sky in joy. Beautiful singing. He can’t really make out the words, but by the feel, the words don’t matter, the magic does. He heaves himself to his hooves and watches as a wind rises up. Discord starts to scream as a familiar magic starts to swirl around him. “The Elements.” He breathes.

The rainbow magic encircles Discord, getting a pained scream from him. His howls, though, are drowned out by the humans and the ponies singing. Shortly the rainbow magic of the elements is replaced by a bright white magic. By the tingle of that magic in his wings, this is from here, from Earth. The combined magic is growing around him. He howls as the white magic engulfs him. Stone starts to form, starting with his legs, he moves frantically as he rapidly becomes a statue.

The singing and the magic slowly abates, leaving an ensconced Discord. Harts looks around, dozens of smartphones are recording this. He grins, let them try and keep the ponies a secret now. A magenta unicorn walks from the statue, talking to some of the humans with their phones, and gesturing to her phone encased in magic. Harts steps towards the ponies in the middle, he knew of Irony, though he’d only seen her in Equestria in passing. She spent most of her time in Ponyville with Twilight, and later Princess Twilight. He had worked in Canterlot in the night guard. Princess Twilight’s times where she had met with Princess Luna was the only times that the guards mixed, and though he had known of her ability to change to walk on two hooves. He’d never seen her in that form in pony. Though on four legs, she was always an intimidating presence.

“Harts. All the humans.” Sassaflash comes up, nursing what looks like a broken leg.

Harts nuzzles her softly. “I know, but this will be temporary, they are caught up in the magic.” He glances around, we need to get to my home.”

Her ears flatten, “Can we try to get to Iowa? One of the other ponies mentioned that. They heard of the portal, like in Equestria Girls.”

Harts cocks his head to the side. “Yeah, if you can get there, go ahead. My home is always available to you. Just so you know.”

“I know.” She reaches forward and hugs him. “Thank you. What are you going to do?”

Harts chuckles, “I want to go back home as badly as you do. But as you can see, a lot of ponies transformed. I need to find them, get them ready. If it is the same portal as in Equestria Girls, that will be every thirty moons. I’ll see what comes up. I don’t think I’ll be the only one staying.”

Harts turns back, looking around for Irony and the turquois pegasus. He’s pretty certain with that blonde mane it’s Lightning Dust. A quick look doesn’t show them, then he takes to the air, keeping his eyes peeled. There they are, they are having some kind of conversation by a classic muscle car. He glides forward as that magenta unicorn hops among them, gesticulating wildly. Before he has a chance to dart forward, they are loading up into the car. The engine roars as they take off. He lands in their parking space, “Best of luck, guards.”

***

Pennsylvania Avenue isn’t very far from where we fought Discord. It’s only a few minutes before I’m parking once again. Security rules don’t allow us to park all that close to the White House, but Dust and Mindy pile out of the car quickly. I look at Moon, she shrugs as she follows the other two. As I close the door to my beloved baby, I relax and end up on four hooves. We don’t need our armor or wingblades right now, this is a far different fight, but one nearly as important. I break into a trot to catch up with the others, and quickly I’m next to Dust, who is arguing with a secret service agent. After way too much time, one of the President’s staffers has come out, letting her know that it’s way too late at night to deal with this. Finally, Mindy pulls us away from the fence around the White House, and she teleports us inside the building. As Dust bursts into the Oval Office, a half dozen secret service agents draw their weapons.

“It’s okay.” The President calls out loudly, “While this is very unusual, Miss Dust and her family here are here for a reason.” As the Secret Service agents relax a bit, they don’t all reholster their weapons immediately. “Miss Dust, I believe I gave you a phone number to bypass the normal red tape to talk to me.”

Dust nods, “This is too important.” She glances around at the assembled staff. The looks on their faces range from friendly, to curious, to outright hostile. I glance at the man in the Admiral’s uniform, my gut pinging away at a look from him.

After he reviews the footage that Dust had brought him and given him a flash drive with the raw data for his own experts. Likely the FBI’s experts, to verify. The President finally relaxes a bit. “I know you all need to get going. From our information at a team at the gate, the fight went well on the Equestrian side.” He chuckles, “Though an F-22 got banged up in the process of protecting the gate to make sure nothing came through from Equestria if your friends failed.”

“Corddis did mention a stealth aircraft. I don’t know, but I think he had those loyal to him in the military. And maybe in other parts of the government.”

The president sighs. “This has been a contentious election, nearly as bad as when I won in sixteen. Don’t you worry. We made agreements back when I visited your farm, and you promised to take very good care of my daughter. I stick to my agreements. And we are starting work, quietly mind you, to get you ponies recognized as having the same rights as any human.”

Dust smiles softly. “That would be helpful if we weren’t thought of as simple animals.” She sniffles a little bit.

The President perks up, moving closer. “Something more happen?”

Dust swipes a forehoof over her eyes, “It will be okay, the price for this victory was paid.” She sniffles.

His eyes widen. “You have my deepest condolences, Lightning Dust.”

She sniffles, “Thank you.” She shakes her head, “We need to go.” She turns to me, I can see how red her eyes are. I nuzzle her quickly before we are swiftly escorted from the building and off the grounds. Finally, I shift to open my door as Moon opens the other ones. It looks like everypony is on the verge of tears, the adrenaline and stress of the situation is done, now for the part that is the worst for many. The tears. I sniffle a bit myself as I turn the key in the ignition. I must keep myself together. I glance at Moon and she nods, her horn lighting. I nod back as I mash the gas pedal to the floor. I leave a long trail of rubber as we blow by a police cruiser. I smile a bit as the cop doesn’t even twitch.

***

Nine hours, three fellow mares crying their eyes out, and eight hundred ninety miles. But we pull into the Dubuque Iowa without any serious incident. My own cheeks are wet, I haven’t been able to keep all the emotions in check, but I held myself together well enough. Mindy’s GPS is guiding us through the town. Pretty soon we are stopped by a sea of parked cars. Ponies from all over made it to the gate, apparently. I power down the car and relax onto four hooves as I hip the door closed. I stumble a bit, I am beyond exhausted right now. But it’s not time to fall over, the portal is open. Moon Shadow stops next to me. “Love, I can feel the portal. Can you?”

I nod. We are feeling Equestria, the call of our home. I glance at Dust, who is supporting Mindy a bit, the unicorn had finally fallen asleep, curled up with Dust for a few hours. Her hair is flat and I can feel the despair from her. She’s had to keep pretty tight control of herself as well with all of this, thinking of all of us before herself, getting the footage, editing things together on the fly as we were driving. I shake my head as we thread our way through the sea of parked cars. Finally we are on the grounds of the former school. A glance shows ponies walking into the small outbuilding on the grounds. That gets a gasp from Moon Shadow.

I look over at her. “Something wrong?”

She shakes her head, “I saw this place in the dream. But I was never able to pinpoint what it was, or exactly where it was.” She growls. “If I had been able to remember more…”

She’s stopped by me hugging her. “Love. Don’t dwell on the past. You seriously tried to find this place. It has been found. Discord is defeated and Equestria belongs to us once again.” She hugs me back and then we both collide with something I look forward. “Dust, what the hell?”

The pegasus is standing there. Two large trucks are parked on the former football field. And it looks like military tents have been erected as well. A small pool of light shows ponies and humans around some equipment. I know a couple of them. “Dust, the President is on our side. They are on our side. I have to go through the portal, but there are those here who you can talk to.”

She turns back and wraps her hooves around me. “Stay here.” She says firmly. “Anything you need to say to Princess Twilight can wait thirty months. We all need you here.” She stops, sniffling a bit. Then she whispers, and my ears can barely pick out. “I need you here too.”

I reach up a hoof, lifting her chin, “You know I have to. But I will be back. And we will have an idea what happened on the other side.” I lean forward and am greeted by an enthusiastic kiss. She wraps her forelegs and wings around me as she nearly pushes me over. I kiss back as savagely, relishing her passion that’s condensed by the events of the last few days. She’s putting her entire soul into this, and I can’t do anything but respond in kind. Another pair of forelegs take hold, and then a fourth. I reach a hoof and bring Moon and Mindy into the embrace, as does Dust.

“Irony!” Comes a familiar voice. I flinch and break away from Dust. She leans her head and neck on my neck as I turn and look at the human jogging over to us with some other very familiar ponies. “Irony, you made it back!”

I nod as we are brought into an even bigger hug with Trixie and Flash, “Wow did you make it here? We left you at the farm.”

He shrugs, “I got a ride with some of the ponies heading here. None of them could drive, so I’ve actually made a couple of trips in a van, packing it with ponies each time. Trixie and Flash have been here, helping the military set up.” He points, “They’ve got com gear, and they’ve been talking with the local authorities. The police are instructed to allow ponies through to the gate without delay.”

Ray looks around, then he looks at Dust. “What happened, Lighting Dust?”

Her face crumples. “Soarin.” She’s barely able to sob. Ray leans over and gathers the pegasus into his arms, then reaches an arm for Mindy. He sits there for a long time, holding them tightly as both of them lose their control.

I stand up, “I must go to Equestria, I must talk with Twilight Sparkle, and if necessary, beg her permission to come back here and help with the displaced Equestrians.” I look at the others. “What about you all? Dust? Moon? Trixie? Flash?”

Dust’s reaction is a bit of a surprise. “If I come back, will I be human.”

I look at Moon as my ears fall. “I think so.”

She takes a step towards the shed. Then another. Then she stops, steeling herself. “I want to go home.” She heaves a big sigh, tears bright in her eyes. “But for now, this is home. Going through the portal would be a one-way trip for me.”

I chuckle. “Ya know, I’ll likely be human when I get back.”

Dust is able to smirk at me. “You’ll always be welcome on my Team.” Though by her tone, I’m pretty sure she means more than just on her team.

We say our goodbyes fairly quickly, before Ray decides he wants to join me in Equestria. I look at him for a long minute, then I nod, his medical training would be helpful in the chaos after a huge battle.

Dust leans towards me, “If you aren’t back by half an hour before the portal closes, I swear to Celestia that I’m coming in after you, and damn the consequences.”

I nod and kiss her cheek. “Okay, love.” I kiss Moon the exact same way. And then I ruffle Mindy’s mane. “It is going to be okay.” I stay on four hooves as we walk towards the little outbuilding that the statue had apparently been moved to. Ducking through the door I stop before the big slab of marble. I glance up at the rearing horse statue, very much how they animated it in Equestria Girls. The artisan was quite talented right there. I look over at the human. “You know you are going to have to learn to walk on four legs, right?”

He nods. I close my eyes and step forward.

*WUM*

***

Lighting Dust hears the sound of the portal, just over thirty hours for Irony to find Twilight Sparkle, find out what the hell is going on, and then let the alicorn know that she’ll be coming back. She will be coming back. Dust hugs herself with her wings. She can’t lose Soarin, and Irony, in such a short time. She flinches as she’s nuzzled, then she looks over at Moon Shadow. She blushes and nuzzles the other mare back. “Sorry, was thinking.”

“I know you were, you were overthinking things. Have faith, Irony will be back, we will not lose her.” Another *WUM* comes from the shack, and a young woman totters out, oblivious to her nudity. She makes an ungainly gallop on two legs as she hustles to what looks like a standard US Army mess tent. She giggles. “Come on, they have to have coffee, we’ve been awake for way too long.”

Dust shrugs her off. “I got a nap curled up with Mindy.” She glances at the unicorn, who is snuggling with Trixie, both of them with tears bright in their eyes.

Moon moves directly in front of Dust. “Listen here, young mare. You are tired, stressed out, and if you stay here, you are going to obsess for every second until Irony and Ray come back. We need to go get Mindy, Flash, and Trixie, get some food and coffee into them. It’s time to recover. I’ve put a stasis spell on Soarin’s body. He will be fine until we get back to Montana. We need this, Dust. You need this. Please?”

Dust chews her bottom lip for a moment, glancing back to where the car is parked, then at Trixie, Mindy and Flash, then back at Moon Shadow. Finally, she nods.

“That’s a girl.” She says softly as he leads the pegasus towards the inviting smell of coffee.

Chapter 38.

In my time in the United States Marine Corps, before that in the Equestrian Royal Guards, and even my time before that. I have been through some crazy stuff. Being subjected to some effects of chemical weapons in training, fighting for Equestria for previous battles where I’ve been learning to be a soldier in Equestria. None of them have prepared me for the experience of stepping through what seems to be a large block of marble. The *wum* when others have gone through can’t just been heard when you are the subject in transit. The vibration goes throughout you as the power of the portal takes you and pulls. I can’t breathe, I can’t scream, I can’t do anything but feel the forces of the universes that I’m traversing between tug and push on my fragile form. How long does it last? Seconds? Days? Years? I can’t tell, but before anything really coherent forms, I’m on my hooves on the Equestrian side of the portal, trying not to heave up everything I’ve ever eaten. My entire body vibrates.

“Please, move away from the portal in case others decide to come through.” Comes a voice. I look up, a white unicorn is standing there, with a deep rust-red mane and tail. “Are you Equestrian or Human?”

“Human.” Comes a voice next to me. I look over, Ray is shaking his head to clear it. He’s now dusky brown with a dark mane and tail. He looks back. “I’m a blank flank.” He smiles at me as we both stumble and crawl away from the large mirror set in the middle of the town. The white unicorn walks over.

“Okay, my name is Shmangie. I’m going to help you learn how to walk in your new forms.”

I shake my head. “I’m Equestrian, and human. It’s a long story.” I work my way to my hooves. “Shmangie, doesn’t sound like any pony name I’ve ever heard.”

She giggles. “No, I’m human. I will be human again, I just helped my sister, she’s now Sweetie Belle. It’s been a wild day and a half.”

“The fight with Discord?”

She nods. Her face turns bleak. “A lot of good ponies died. Discord had twisted animals here, made them into weapons in advance of our return. It was an outright war.” She brightens a little bit. “But the elements stopped him, while the former bearers turned his spell on him.”

My eyes widen. “What?”

“Yeah, Discord has been hit by a version of the five-score spell. They couldn’t kill him. I don’t think he can be killed. But they magnified how long he’s going to be gone, Rarity told Sweetie Belle, who told me, that the spell is going to last millenia, he’s going to be a humble horse for a couple of thousand years. Safely out of our hair.”

I work my way to my hooves and between Shmangie and myself, we get Dr. Ray walking in a matter of minutes. Hey, even foals can figure out walking fairly quickly. After a bit, I’m able to look around.

“Dear Lord, it looks like a refugee camp.”

Ray shakily steps up next to me. “I think it is, in some ways. But this is different than many others. This is the refugees coming home.” He looks at me. “They are going to heal from this war, and turn Equestria back into the paradise it was before.” He takes a few steps. “Let’s get started. I came here to help. Let’s find where I can be of most use in the short time I’m here.”

I can’t believe how surreal things are. It’s early morning, but the sun is not up. Then I stop, “Celestia isn’t here. How to get the sun up?”

“I think they will get a solution to that fairly quickly. Come on.”

A walk to the edge of what’s left of Ponyville has me stopping. This must be the field hospital, and next to it. “Oh, dear Celestia.”

They didn’t have enough to cover the bodies, though ponies are working through, bringing new bodies in to be laid out reverently. “How many came through to fight? We lost this many.”

“Thousands came through.” A pegasus says as he finishes adjusting a body from being placed on the ground, his coat is a little darker than Dust’s, with a forest green mane and tail, with blue-green stripes, and a gray highlight. He takes a moment to swipe her mane away from her closed eyes. I look at his face, the pain there is overwhelming. I see Ray is walking towards the lit area, where ponies are still working on the living, leaving me alone. Though the pegasus moves over to stand beside me. He sits down, his wings clamped to his side tightly. “Many ponies are celebrating, and rightfully so. This was a victory, Discord is gone, but the price…”

“Yeah.” I say somberly. Several hundred bodies are arrayed in rows, earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns, all of them died for the freedom of Equestria. Silence falls as we search through ourselves, Soarin, the ponies that died in DC just a matter of hours ago. Even the humans that were killed. And then we have the devastation here.

Finally, I break from my fugue. “So, how does it feel to be home?”

He looks up at me. “I’ll be going home before the portal closes, once I gather up my unit.”

That gets a double take from me. “You are human?”

He lifts a hoof. “Well, not at the moment, but no, I wasn’t attacked by Discord twenty-five years ago. I came through to help, along with my ranger unit. We helped the ponies fight, we helped them hold against incredible odds. But they did it, they found the strength inside to resist. Many cried, these brave souls lost their lives. But we did what we had to do.” He stops and shakes his head. “Lieutenant James Fisher, 2nd bat, 75th Rangers, on special assignment to SOC.” He extends a hoof.

“Irony Shieldbreaker. I was Royal Guard, stationed as Princess Twilight Sparkle’s chief bodyguard. But on Earth, I was a Marine.”

“Ooo Rah.” My hoof taps his in greeting. We smile quickly at each other. He looks at the makeshift morgue. “Let us get away from this for now. You are going to want to find the Princess then?”

I nod, then I stumble. I look down, the ground is the normal cobblestones of the streets of Ponyville. I had no reason to stumble here. What the hell? I stumble and fall to my knees. What’s going on?”

“How long have you been awake, Marine?”

I shake my head, everything is getting fuzzy. “Forty or so hours, maybe more.” I’m able to muble.

He works himself underneath me, and heaves my body onto his back. “You need a few hours of shut-eye.”

“But I have to find Princess…” I can’t even finish the sentence before sleep rolls over me.

***

*Ray*

I may be a vet, but I have taken some of the same oaths as any doctor. My duty is to the living. I don’t think Irony noticed me nuzzling her before I headed for the field hospital. It looks like the US Army has had some of the ponies bring tents and other equipment through. Several large field tents are set up with lights strung throughout. A gasoline powered generator chugs away next to the tents, several large gas cans are arrayed around it. Even cots have been set up all over, this feels like a mobile hospital. There were quite a few Army trucks set up around the Earth side of the portal, I’m guessing that after the fight was over, they brought in the equipment to support the ponies after the war. I walk among the ponies lying two to a cot, most are resting comfortably.

“Nurse, I need bandages.” A pink unicorn calls out. He’s on his rear hooves, leaning up against a stainless-steel operating bed. His horn is lit as he uses his hooves to staunch a massive rend in the green earth pony’s barrel.

“Damn, damn, damn, I thought we were done with the worst cases.”

A white earth pony, carrying tied bandages that look like ripped up clothing rears up onto the table. She sets down her bundle. “We’ve been requesting more medical supplies from the other side of the portal, but it’ll be a few hours before they get here. They are pulling ponies out of the wreckage of the old buildings. They were using them as cover when they collapsed.”

He moves a hoof and unties the bandages, he grabs a hoof full and pushes it against the wound. “Damn that Discord. Those creatures he created.” He growls as he continues to work. His horn pulsing in strength as he works.

I rear up and join in. “What can I do to help.”

The pink unicorn looks up at me with piercing violet eyes. “What’s your training?”

“Veterinarian, I have…or had a practice in Washington State”

He smiles. “More than me, I’m an Army medic.” He looks at the pony writhing in pain. “We need to stop the bleeding. We really don’t have any way to replace blood here. Army stores human blood, and that will kill our patients. So, number one priority is, stop the bleeding.”

I reach out and grab at the bandages, yet they stay stubbornly in place. I grimace and try again, and only succeed in pushing them a few inches. “How do you…?”

The white mare picks up a bandage in her mouth and tosses it towards me. I glance at the unicorn, who is tying a bandage as though he has hands. I glance up at his horn, which is still pulsating brightly. I reach up, smiling when I find the appendage. “Hey, I’ve got one too.”

He looks up at me, “Don’t look at me, it took Velvet a bit before she could control hers, I don’t have a clue.”

I open my mouth, only to have it forcefully shoved closed by the white earth pony. She leans close. “He’s not aware of what he’s doing yet, let him work, avoid the centipede’s dilemma.”

My eyes widen. “Okay.” Using my hooves and mouth, I slowly bandage the hind leg of the earth pony. As I’m leaning down, my fetlock is around the pony’s hoof. Cool energy washes over me, any tiredness I had felt is gone. A magic healing? I look up at the unicorn, who’s horn is shining brightly as his aura covers the pony. As the magic fades, he takes a step back and puts a hoof to his head. I look down, the injury is gone. Not just healed with a scar, but completely gone, even new fur is growing in. The pony relaxes and breathes deeply. I look at the white pony, her warning look causes me to close my mouth with a click.

She comes close. “He’s saving lives. He can figure out the rest later. But right now, let him work. I’m making sure he doesn’t get magical exhaustion.”

I lean over and whisper to her. “I saw the weave he was using, it’s like knitting five blankets with each hoof. And he did it so easily.”

“He’s a natural healer. He’s going to need to rest soon.” She clicks her tongue and raises her voice to be heard. “I think this next one our vet friend can help. Henry, lets get you some food and rest.”

Henry blinks a few times. “No, I’m good.”

She shakes her head. “Nope, you’ve been going for way too long. An hour of rest and a few thousand calories are needed right now. There’s a stack of veggie MRE’s by the portal. Let’s get some food in you.”

He nods uncertainly as she leads him away.

Two ponies carry off the green Earth pony, and two more bring in the next victim. A tiny pink pegasus. I did watch the show, her coloring is not familiar to me. Crush injuries to the left wing. “Nurse, I need a splint!” I call out. One of the other nurses moves off and quickly returns with a US Army field medic kit. I need to use my magic. Moon’s been using hers, so has Mindy. They’ve told me how they got their first few times after the change. I have to want to affect he world around me. I can see the splint, rolled up in cellophane and tucked into a pocket of the kit. I search inside my mind, I can feel that horn, I can feel the energy within, how it pulls energy from all around. I need that splint to help this pegasus. With a chime of magic, the splint moves for a moment. I glance up, I’ve got it lit! I sit down, sticking my tongue out the side of my mouth, the unicorns of Equestria do this so easily. Slowly, in fits and spurts, I’ve got the splint extracted and brought up to the table. I reach out with my hooves, and slowly strip off the cellophane around the splint. A glance up shows my horn is still lit, was that what Henry was doing?

I reach over to the pegasus and pet her mane for a moment. “Sweetie, this is going to hurt.”

She nods and grits her teeth as I slowly extend her wing, wow, with this I can feel the break in the bone. She yelps a bit as I gently prod where the break is. Healing magic, I saw him weave that, can I do something like that? I bring my horn close and close my eyes, yet I can see the broken bone with my magic. That was the most complicated weaving I’ve ever heard of, the most intricate of lace is nothing compared to that. I know that’s way beyond anything I can do. But…

She gasps a bit as I reach out with my magic, the bone sets in the correct place and I build up the connection between the two pieces, she will have to heal the rest of the way. I move down the wing, one of the bones is almost dust. I’ve got this. Building a lattice out of magic, I slowly bring the shattered pieces together. Finally, I take a step back, sitting on my rump heavily. “Wow, that takes a lot out of you.”

I look up, the pegasus is slowly moving her wing back and forth. “Wow, it doesn’t hurt nearly as much.”

I struggle to my hooves. “You don’t try flying on that, it’s still very fragile.” I bring out the splint and bandages, “You need a few days of this immobilized before you even try to fly. Got it?”

She nods and lies her head down, only whimpering a few times as I get the wing splinted and bandaged.

The tiredness of the magic use quickly fades, after being exposed to that massive healing weave from the pink unicorn, I can do this again. I look up at my glowing horn. I need to do this again. I need to help these ponies.

“More incoming!” Comes a distant voice. I gesture for the orderlies to take the pegasus away. It’s time for me to work for a living.

***

“Irony.”

I snort, I’m lying comfortably on something. Man, the feeling of being here in Equestria is nice, I can see why Dust was drawn to the portal. Then my thoughts freeze in their tracks. I’m on the other side of the portal. My eyes fly open. Dawn has risen, more than that, the sun is nearly halfway to its zenith. I jerk up from the cot I was sleeping on. “How long was I out? Is the portal still open?”

“Calm, you’ve been out for about four hours. You still need more rest.”

I toss the covers off. “Thanks James.”

He shrugs his wings. “Don’t mention it, I was checking on my guys. They got hurt, but they turned to pegasi, they can heal faster than humans. The portal is still open, but you said you needed to find the Princess. So, I woke you after a few hours, let you rest.”

I get to my hooves. I’m still shaky, but I can walk. After being on two legs for so long, it’s almost luxurious to stay on four for an extended bit. I shake my entire body, then trot from the tent. How are US Army issued tents and cots in Equestria? I glance over and watch as ponies come through the mirror, equipment on their backs, one rolls a generator through the mirror and the pony behind her has several extension cords bundled up. Ahh.

In the morning light, the devastation seems even worse. This is definitely Ponyville, the buildings are shabby from lack of maintenance, and the work the ponies did to defend is still quite in evidence. But, it looks almost exactly how it did in the show. I look up, the mountain that Canterlot is on is a few dozen miles away, but the city is still visible, though it looks in worse shape than Ponyville. I glance around. “Any idea where the Princess would be?”

James looks around. “I heard something about the remains of the palace. But I don’t deal with Princesses, I’ve got to check on my men. I will see you around.” He salutes me, and I reflexively return the salute. As he trots off, I make my way in the general direction of the mountain. Would they be all the way in Canterlot? I pass demolished buildings, torn up streets, just general devastation after a war. Then as I get to the outskirts, I skid to a stop. Canterlot Castle has been torn from the city, and deposited just outside Ponyville? I shake my head, what has Discord done the last twenty-five years? I spy a few ponies heading towards the castle, and a few coming back. So it seems as though the ponies have something going on there. As I get closer, it looks like Discord had lopped off the top third of the castle, then set it down in this valley. That gets me to shake my head. A unicorn is heading to an opening in the wall, and I duck through behind her.

“Wow. The throne room.” The floor remains, though it’s a bit buckled from its trip, much of the glass is still intact.

“Irony!” Comes a familiar voice. I turn and am impacted by a feathered missile.

“Princess?” Princess Twilight is hugging me tightly, her wings and forehooves around me. I fight tears, my emotions seem to still be a bit raw after the ordeal. “You remember me now?”

She sniffles a bit. “Yeah, thanks to the miracle of Sweetie Belle. She was able to figure out a spell to bring back all of our memories.”

My eyes widen. “So, you mean?”

She nods. “I remember bringing you here, I remember everything.”

That gets me to grab her tightly and squeeze. My earth pony strength doesn’t phase the alicorn as we finally connect after so long.

Finally, she pulls away. “I need to get Spike through the portal here, I was so wrong when I talked to him at the farm. I only had the show for reference. I’m so sorry that I didn’t remember you when you came to me before. But you came! You are here now!” She stops and moves away to sit down, she traces a hoof in the dust on the floor. “I’m not going to demand you be my guard again. But the Royal Guard does need help reorganizing after all of this. I remember you went through the training, we need leadership…”

She stumbles to a stop at my raised hoof. “Princess, there are plenty of guards here, your brother is here. With his restored memories, he can rebuild the guard.” I stop, chewing on my lip for a long moment. “I’m needed back on Earth. Discord was in control here for twenty-five years. I’m willing to bet that that bastard continued cursing ponies up until his very last day here. We build harmony wherever we are, any ponies here would have fought him, and he didn’t seem willing to kill us directly. So he must have sent more ponies to Earth.”

Her ears flick back and forth, the sadness on her face is evident. “I know that Lightning Dust and some others are staying behind. Big Mac will be going through the portal before it closes, to make sure that ponies are taken care of. I need you here.”

The look on her face is daggers to my heart. “I found Moon Shadow. She’s on the other side. We might be herding with Dust and her family.”

Her eyes widen. “Lightning Dust a family mare? I never would have believed it if you weren’t the one telling me.” She brightens and raises her voice. “Sweetie Belle! Can you come over here?”

A matter of moments and the filly slowly walks up, she looks tired. “Princess?”

Twilight moves over to her, “I know how tired you are, let me help.”

Sweetie nods and sits down. Twilight’s horn lights and she brings it slowly down to touch the white filly. Sweetie glows for a moment then hops up. “Wow, I feel as though I’ve slept for a couple of days.” She squeaks.

Twilight nods, though she looks significantly more tired than just a few minutes earlier. “I need you to do your memory spell on Irony here.”

Sweetie Belle looks at me, then back at Twilight. “Sure, I’ll be happy to help.” She stands up and prances over to me, her horn glowing green. “This is gonna feel really weird.”

I shrug. “It can’t be worse than going through the portal.”

She giggles. “Trust me. It is.” Her horn shines brightly as the touches my flesh.

Chapter 39.

To say the experience of having every barrier within your mind stripped away, every memory you’ve ever experienced washing through your consciousness at warp speed is really weird is the colossal understatement of the year. In a matter of seconds, I’ve relieved my time as a slave, growing up, the loss of my mother. Everything on Earth. The pain of being dragged to Equestria and meeting this young unicorn that has become my best friend. Learning about Equestria and then deciding to join the guard, gaining first one, then a second cutie mark, rising through the ranks of the Guard to get posted to work in Ponyville at Twilight Sparkle’s request when she moved there. Finding a young mare named Moon Shadow, our whirlwind romance. Witnessing Twilight learning friendship over the few years she lived there before that fateful night where it seemed the elements of Harmony had turned on her. The hours of agony thinking that Twilight Sparkle was dead, then her joyous return with a new set of wings. The second changeling war, me ascending to be her permanent bodyguard and confidant, ending with Discord’s betrayal in my office in Twilight’s castle after the battle with Tirek. I’m panting on the floor. Sweetie Belle is standing next to me, an odd look on her face.

I look up at her as I lever myself slowly to my hooves. “Did you see all of that?”

She nods, her eyes wide. “Wow, Irony. I’m so sorry for what you went through.”

I nod thanks as I finally get to my hooves. “Now that was definitely worse than the portal.”

Once again, Twilight has glomped onto me. “How do you feel?”

I look inward, years of emotions, feelings, thoughts, ideas, and memories are swirling around inside my skull. The feel of first touching Moon Shadow, kissing her, making love to her. The exhilaration of a foot race with Applejack and Rainbow Dash in the running of the leaves. Snuggling with Twilight in the middle of the night when some of my past has me shaking in bed. Her sitting next to me as we go over and edit my first book. Twilight dancing with me in the library tree in Ponyville with me holding the publication letter from Canterlot press. I can close my eyes and see the words on the page, feel the sheer unadulterated joy of knowing that my book is being printed for distribution to the different Royal Guard offices. That my thoughts and ideas on tactics would impress Princess Celestia that much was such a rush. I remember her lips on mine. And that gets me to do a mental double take.

I glance at Sweetie, who is moving off and heading towards Apple Bloom. Then I look at Twilight. “Did we? Did Moon know?”

She blushes. “I know that Moon knew. I think I told her after, you were so bashful and ashamed. I think it was a holdover from before you came to Equestria. She asked if this was going to be a regular thing.” The blush deepens. “I don’t think either of us had an answer for that. But she wasn’t mad, I do remember that.”

I nod. I remember snippets from later. Moon was seriously considering us herding with the Princess, which I thought was scandalous, yet Moon thought Twilight being single for so long was even more so. My ears flick as more snippets of memories surface. I look back at Twilight. “It wasn’t just one night, was it?”

She shakes her head slowly, “And it wasn’t just with you, I remember Moon Shadow at least once.” She brightens “So, does this mean you’ll have Moon come back with you, and you’ll stay with me?”

I stop for a long moment. Part of me wants to march right to the portal, grab Moon, Dust, her wife and kids, Trixie, and Mindy and anypony else and simply bodily drag them through. Eventually, I heave a big sigh. “Princess, you know my duty is to you, and to Equestria. Lightning Dust is a guard herself, she knows her role. Moon was Princess Luna’s apprentice, and I don’t believe she’s coming through the portal as of yet. She needs more training in the dream world. I want to stay with you.” I pet her mane for a long moment, resisting the urge to do more with that absolutely adorable face. “I really do, I missed you more than you will ever believe. But my duty is to your subjects. To the ponies that are still trapped on Earth. Once the portal closes, it will be two and a half years before they can be brought through again. We need to protect them, you know that.”

She pulls away and lowers her head. “I know.” Her ears flatten back for a long moment, then she turns to look at me while perking her ears forward. “You’ve got most of a day left, talk to the ponies, remember more of what you have here. Maybe you will change your mind.

“I…” I start, only to have her hoof pressed to my lips.

“Don’t, just make your decision after, okay?”

I nod my head. And look outside the windows. “Was it you who got the sun up?”

She nods. “It took everything I had. Though the good news is that I’ve gotten word Princess Celestia will be coming through in a few hours. She has had to deal with so much back on Earth. I will be quite happy to see her come through and handle the sun. She is attuned to it, it’s so much easier for her.” She gets to her hooves and walks over, thanking a pony as they drop some books on the battered table. “My mother, Velvet, has asked for some books. I’ve been having ponies scour over the library here and in Canterlot trying to find them all. I’m going to deliver them to her now.”

My eyes widen. “So, I did see her at the farm.”

She nods. “Rainbow Dash is going with me, she should be healed enough for a quick trip through the portal so we can talk to them.” She stops and turns around, her horn alight with the books wrapped up in her magic. “Please, Irony. Reconnect with the ponies here. Remember more of your friends, what the ponies here mean to you.” She stops and takes a deep breath. “Whatever your decision ends up being, I will support it. But I hope you decide to stay.” She takes a few steps then turns back. “Our castle was smashed, there’s really nothing left of it right now. Discord was quite destructive. Or maybe some of the other Discorded creatures did it. But my home in Ponyville is gone. I’ll let you know some of our plans once I get back. And I’ll also let some of the ponies back on Earth know of what’s going on. Maybe you should talk to some of my other friends for a bit.”

Twilight trots off, I look around and brighten, Fluttershy is sitting with Applejack and Rarity. I remember talking to them quite often back before Discord. A smile comes easily to my face as I head over to them.

***

*Ray*

“Are you sure you aren’t a pony like us?” The cream-colored unicorn mare with an hour glass cutie mark asks.

I point at my flank. “Inquisitor, I don’t have a cutie mark.”

She lights her horn. “But you feel right. You belong here, you belong as a pony.”

I shake my head. It’s my turn for a break and some calories, Henry is working on one of the worst cases we’ve received. I’ve dealt with it a couple of times in my practice, crush injuries. Victims of crushing damage are some the greatest challenges to the medical field. Yet watching Henry work, the pony sitting next to me keeps calling him Star Crossed, he is amazing. What would be a flat out amputation ends up being fully healed. The white mare that has been watching him and acting as his nurse has been hovering by him the whole time. Making sure he doesn’t overextend himself. He’s aware of the magic he’s using now and has dropped the pretense of makeshift bandages.

“We’ve got more supplies!” Comes a voice. I heave myself to my hooves. I’ve only been a pony for most of a day, but the crash course in magic has been amazing. More practice is a good thing. I join a half dozen other ponies heading towards the portal where some ponies have pulled a small makeshift wagon through. Hundreds of pounds of supplies are loaded up on the wagon. We quickly offload it so the pony can push it back through the portal. As the loud *wum* resonates through the square, we chat happily as we head back to the mobile field hospital. The ponies deposit the supplies where the makeshift supply cabinets have been fashioned. I keep my horn lit as I’m putting stuff away, but quickly I stop. Blood? Platelets? Plasma? All different types for ponies? One of the new arrivals finishes setting up a nice sized fridge and he runs an extension cord to it.

He notices my questioning look. “They’ve got medics and EMT’s from Dubuque. They’ve even grabbed some phlebotomists from Mercy Medical. They've been getting donations from ponies waiting to go through, and also from ponies here. We’ve got surgical dressings and even some surgical equipment. We don’t have access to human imaging equipment. But this should help.”

I glance back at Henry, who is stumbling back from the Earth pony filly, his body shaking. I nod and smile at the pegasus who helped deliver the equipment and gallop towards Henry. The white mare is supporting him as he sits down heavily. “Now Henry, I told you.”

He looks up at her. “But she would have died.”

“And how many can you help if you die trying to help more than you can?”

He looks down, then he shrugs her off of him. “I’m going to find that line and dance on it.” His horn lights and I dart forward, lifting him up in my magic.

“Hey! What the?” He howls as he struggles in my grip.

“You need rest.” I say firmly. “You need at least four hours of down time, starting right now. Get food in you, and I want at least half that time bunk time.” He glares at me and opens his mouth to speak again. I cut him off. “You had better listen to me, or I’m going to go get Princess Twilight and have her weigh in. Do you want that?”

He continues to struggle for a few moments, and I feel every muscle flex, every exasperated snort. Finally, he quiets. “I can’t do everything, can I?”

“No, you can’t. Let Dr. Ray take a few. You really do need to rest.” The nurse mare snaps.

I slowly let his hooves touch the ground, and he offers me a wan smile as he is led away. I turn back to the operating table, two ponies have removed the last patient, and one is doing her level best to sterilize the surface before the next one is brought in. Though my attention is grabbed by commotion near the recovery area. This looks to be the last pony for now, the triage nurse seems to be caught up. The pony is placed on my table. “So, what seems to be the problem?”

“My shoulder, doc.” The unicorn stallion groans.

My ears are focused on the commotion though I call for sutures. In moments I’m stitching the deep wound together, though voices are penetrating my thoughts. I pause in my work for a moment to look over. A mare is screaming with two orderlies next to her. Everypony else seems to be pretty busy. I glance at my nurse. “Can you finish the tie off?”

She nods and her magical field replaces mine as I gallop off. This pony form can be quite quick, I skid to a stop before them. “What’s going on?”

“They’re coming, right now!” She howls, holding her belly.

I wave off the orderlies and grab her in my magic. “How long?”

The earth pony’s entire body cramps in my grip, and she howls in pain. Okay, this is going to be pretty quick. A quick gallop has her back in the surgical area. How do ponies give birth? Like horses? I have no idea. I lie her down on her side and gently prod her belly with my hooves, getting a groan in pain. “Okay, we don’t have x-rays.” I look around. “Is there an ultrasound machine?”

Ponies look back and forth at each other. One of the orderlies comes up. “We haven’t asked for one, we can probably get one here, but it’ll be a few hours.”

I look back at her, “She doesn’t have a few hours!” I lean my head down, letting my horn touch her belly. For Discord to curse a ten month pregnant mare is just evil in my book. I finally shake my head. “I don’t know what’s going on.”

A unicorn slowly heaves himself off one of the beds, he was not as fortunate as some, he’s missing his right foreleg, and the stump is heavily bandaged. “Maybe I can help.”

“You should be in bed.” My nurse says, trying to lead him back. He shrugs her off and limps to me.

“I figured out my special talent they day before I went to the Farm. I can see inside things, I can make the invisible easy to see. I thought it was pretty useless, but fun. Can I try?”

I look at the nurse, then at the unicorn. Finally, I nod. “Go ahead.”

He nods and steps close as his horn flickers to life. As I watch, her belly becomes transparent, and I can see her uterus, a moment later, I can see the life struggling inside her. “You’ve got twins!”

As the contraction relaxes, she pants heavily. “Something is wrong.”

She’s not wrong. One of the foals is sideways, and the force of the contractions is pushing the poor pegasus against the mare’s cervix, that has got to be painful for both of them. “C-section, right now.”

“We don’t have any way to anesthetize her.”

That gets me to blink, “I’m so sorry, but it’s either this or all three of you die.”

The earth pony looks at me. “Don’t let them die, please, don’t let my babies die.”

“Iodine!” I scream as I work to get her prepped, three nurses assist as iodine is slathered all over her belly and more orderlies come up, ready to hold her down.

In a matter of minutes, I’m having the unicorn back off his spell so I can see what I’m doing. I look at the sharp implement held firmly in my magic. I’ve done c-sections on dogs, and a few barn animals. My practice had some farms as clients. I look at her. “This is going to hurt, I’m so sorry.” I refuse to flinch as her howls start anew as the blade makes the first cut. Though after just a few seconds, she mercifully passes out. Only a few minutes has the pegasus filly out and being wrapped in swaddling, I reach in with my magic and feel around. I saw the earth pony colt in there just a few moments ago. Ah, there he is. “Uh Oh.” I say softly as I bring him out. His sister was a squirming bundle of life. He…isn’t. I hold him in my magic as I divert my flows to start sewing her up. Wow, multitasking is a cinch for a unicorn. A gentle press on his barrel expels the fluid from his lungs. I can feel his heart beating frantically. But until I get him breathing that’s not going to last for long.

I start working on him, “Come on little one, breath…”

Heat hits me, rolling over my entire body, inside my head, the entire world pounds. My vision tunnels as sparks start taking over my eyesight, I feel so dizzy and light headed I can’t keep on my hooves.

Blinking, my eyes don’t see what’s in front of me, or do they? Is it my vision or am I seeing through somepony else’s eyes. Kneeling before a deer, the fawn was wounded, her hind leg can’t hold her weight. My magic is tying off the splint. “Come on little one, breath slowly, I know it hurts but it will be better.” Is that my voice? It sounds too soft, too feminine to be me. A shadow falls around me getting me to look up. A creature is standing there, on two…not hooves, but booted feet.

Its furless features shoot an evil smile at me as she pulls out a bottle, “This land, this forest, and all of Flutter Valley shall be mine. No creature, no…little pony…shall stop me!” She says with a dark laugh that sends chills down my spine. Reaching into a pouch she draws out a large bottle and uncorks it. In a wide arc she lets the liquid fly from the bottle, a greyish purple substance that bubbles and hisses when it hits the ground. Black smoke rises from where it lands as it starts growing before my eyes, filling me with fear and dread. It eats all the organic matter it touches and increases it’s size rapidly and becomes a living wave of toxic ooze.

I look around, I’m trapped, unable to run, I’m encircled by the ooze as it flows towards me rising up higher and higher. I cower back, tail between my legs trembling as I hear the evil laugh of that creature, that witch. “Good bye, my little pony,” she cackles as the wave crashed down.

As the ooze crushes down on me darkness falls, it doesn’t hurt, I feel, like I’m floating. Someone, something else is here as well. I hear a voice, coming from all around me, “Smoozing it up I see.” A low chuckle follows, before it speaks again, “That’s too good, I’ll have to remember that for later. For now, you have things to do.” Laughter fills my consciousness before everything fades, leaving just eyes in the dark, misshapen, yellow, eyes.

I shake my head as I feel the impact of the ground on my back, the shock bringing me back to reality. The cry of a baby colt fills my ears, and I find myself relaxing as I slowly look down at the newborn in my forelegs. “Shhh, it’s alright.” I look at the mother, the uterus is stitched and I focus on working on the external wound. I was able to avoid the larger blood vessels in my hasty cutting. This kind of shock could kill a horse, but she seems to be taking it better. Though pain killers are going to need to be administered soon. Her babies are going to be just fine.

“Wow.” The white nurse mare comes up to me. “You are a healer.”

I shrug as I hoof off the colt to one of the other nurses. “I’m just a vet.”

She points. “No, your mark.”

“I don’t have a mark.” I look back and trail off, anything else I was going to say fading into the background. “Wait a moment, that wasn’t there before.” This almost looks human, a rod of Aesculapius, with silhouettes of the three pony tribes behind it.

“You got it as you were delivering the colt. Did you get that moment of perfect clarity? Where you knew that this was what you were? What it meant to be you?”

I frown. The memory is fading. “I remember eyes, yellow, misshapen eyes.” I mutter.

Her eyebrows rise. “The curse.”

I shake my head. “That’s impossible, I’m too old.”

She comes up and gives me a hug. “You’ve saved a lot of lives today, Ray.”

“Tabby.” The cream-colored unicorn says softly. “I knew it, you are Equestrian.”

***

*Irony*

Twilight was right, connecting with ponies I knew before Discord has been amazing. Fluttershy and I have been able to reconnect, the same with the flower ponies. Lotus Blossom and her sister were also close friends all those years ago. Though most of the ponies, right now, are a bit in shock after the events of the last few days. Twilight and I have spent the last few hours sitting and talking, getting more and more caught up.

“It’s less than an hour. Will you stay? Or will you go?”

I frown. That decision has been rolling around in my head since she asked me. Finally, I open my mouth. “I want to. Dear Celestia, I want to stay more than you will ever know. I think I could persuade Dust and Moon to come.” I stop, thinking furiously. “But that would mean leaving Dust’s human family behind, without explanation or reason. I wouldn’t do that to Dust. I wouldn’t do that to anypony that still has human family all around here. I hope, in time, we can come through the portal and feel the magic and beauty of our world once again. But my duty, her duty, is to the ponies, and so long as there is a pony on Earth who wants to come home. We need to protect and support them.”

Her ears fall. “I couldn’t have expected a better response from you on this Irony.” She rears up and wraps her hooves around my neck. “Please, visit at least?”

I nuzzle her. “I’ll try, I do know we are going to busy for a while. But I will see what happens. The only problem is that the portal is going to turn me back human when I go through.”

She giggles. “Well, with your build while you are on two legs. You’ll be an amazon. Send some pictures of how you look back, maybe?”

I smile as I shift form. I cup her cheek with my hand. “Maybe it’s better this way.”

She sighs as she leads me to the field hospital where most of the staff are now simply resting. A quick glance around lets me know that the Army Ranger I met has probably already gone back through. Ray is lying on his back, his eyes closed.

“Ray.” I say softly, getting him to snort and open one eye.

“Already time to go?”

I nod and he heaves himself to his hooves. Though a glance stops me in my tracks. “You got a cutie mark?”

He looks back. “Yeah. While I was doing an emergency C-section, just something clicked inside me.”

Twilight’s eyes are wide. “That’s amazing, humans turned ponies getting cutie marks in Equestria.”

“I know.” I lean forward and bring him close in a hug. “Okay, let’s get to the portal.”

He looks around. “What about all this equipment? This is tens of thousands of dollars!”

“We’ve made arrangements with the US Military. It’s all okay. We’ve been having messengers going through the portal quite often while it’s been open. Don’t worry.” Twilight says softly.

He calms down a bit as we walk, though much of it is spent talking about everything he was doing, the magic he was learning, and Twilight was responding, leaving me to do not much except keep a smile on my face. In fact smiles seem to be abounding with all the ponies here. Even among the devastation of this war, the ponies are already working to rebuild. One of the buildings that had collapsed is already being cleared away by teams of worker ponies. Finally, we get to the portal, just a mirror that was originally in the basement of Rarity’s shop.

Twilight turns and looks at me, “I’m going to miss you, Irony. Please, come back to us?”

“I hope to, with Moon and Dust, and more. But until then, know that I will miss you too, Twilight.” I reach down and pick up the alicorn and hug her tightly to my chest. In response she wraps all four legs and her wings around me.

“Irony, we need to go. We only have a few minutes.” Ray says.

I kiss Twilight’s cheek softly before setting her down. I don’t look back, we have a job to do, ponies to take care of. I put a hand on Ray’s withers. “Let’s go back.”

He nods as we step forward together, letting the connection between two universes take us.

Chapter 40.

Going back through the portal is stomach wrenching, though, something about it feels odd. As before, everything including time is stretched out as the power takes us and pulls. My hand is frozen on Ray’s withers as the energy spirals around and the event horizon spits us out on the Earth side of the portal. I’m once again in the little shed on the former school grounds. I shake my head and stand up.

“That was weird.” I murmur softly before I’m impacted by a feathery missile. Dust holds onto me tightly, and then I notice something. “I’m still a pony.”

She looks up at me, “Yeah, you are. And as beautiful as ever.” Her face practically glows as she uses her wings for height to nuzzle my cheeks.

“Hey, guys. I think something went wrong.” I turn and look, but instead of a human, Dr. Ray is standing there, a frown on his furred face.

That gets a glomp from Dust onto him, I have to smile as Dust inspects his cutie mark. Moon moves up to me, and I gather her up. “You have no idea, love.” I say softly into her ear. “Sweetie Belle figured out how to fix our memories.”

Her eyes widen. “So, you remember?”

I nod. “It’s all there now, but it’s going to be a while processing all of that.” I hug her close. “But I’m still a pony, and that’s a good thing.”

I look back at Dust and Ray. “I think it was my magic, Ray. What allows me to change form. It messed up with the portal, did it feel different to you?”

He looks thoughtful. “Yeah, I thought the first time was crazy enough. The second time was wild.”

“You can go back through, then hop back, come back and be human again.”

He frowns, looking back at his form. “Nah, I like this.” He looks up at his horn. “But I think I’ll need some more training with this.”

Moon squirms out of my grasp and moves over to him. I look around. It’s even busier than when we left. The military command center setup is populated with both ponies and humans. Part of me itches to get over to them, find out what’s going on. But Dust’s exuberance stays my hooves. I relax onto all four, and in moments I’ve got a feathered rider, Dust is now reclining on my back, leaning her head on me.

“You do know, I’m not a mount.” I grumble as I trod towards my car.

She giggles. “Coulda fooled me.” I roll my eyes before another loud *wum* emanates from the shack. In moments another human steps out the door, not really noticing his nudity. Though he’s quite impressive, in an Arnold kind of way. Dust trots over to him, and pretty soon, Big Mac joins us all in heading to my car.

The trip back to Montana is fairly uneventful, even with the stop back at the farm in Iowa. Though at both Dust and my insistence, we stop for fuel rather than taking sips at a time from passing vehicles. Trixie and Moon keep busy making sure we aren’t noticed. Though I do keep closer to the speed limit from Dubuque, Iowa back into the state of Montana. My beautiful girl purrs as we take the desolate route south of Wibaux down towards Dust's home town. The tears have mostly abated from everypony involved. I’ve let both Moon and Trixie drive from time to time, allowing me to curl up with Dust and silently allow my own tears to fall. A slow drive past her house on Baker Lake sends is towards the farm to the west and north of the little town.

As we get on the final road to the farm, my first surprise is the jarring washboard of a road has been smoothed out. Dust explained the orange rock covering a lot of county roads in this part of Montana and North Dakota is called scoria. And it looks like someone had taken heavy equipment to smooth out the underlayment and new scoria had been spread out. At a mere twenty miles per hour, we are kicking up some dust, but the road is butter smooth. I’m actually quite impressed. Then my jaw drops. What was barbed wire in moderate disrepair is now a solid ten foot tall fence made of wrought iron, and to make it seem less imposing, trees and bushes have been planted all along the length of the fence. Ponies at work is all I can think about as we get to the entrance gate. A guard house has been erected with a human sitting in it. The human notices that we are ponies and waves us through, pushing a button to lift the gate.

The grounds have gone through a significant transformation as well. The house has received a coat of paint and other repairs, a quick glance would make the casual observer think the place is brand new. If they are this industrious when it comes to homes here on Earth, how much rebuilding is going on in Equestria? I pull into a space next to Helen’s SUV and finally switch off my car. As we get out, I pat the fender, she’s been acting really good the last few hectic days. Dust is busy greeting her family as I get around to the trunk. Moon Shadow is standing there, a grave look on her face as her horn lights. I put the key into the slot and turn, the trunk pops up and I stand back as the shrouded body is removed. I momentarily envy the turquoise pegasus as she has a moment of joy with her family. Moon suppresses the tears wanting to form in her eyes as I relax onto four legs. The pressure that has been building behind my eyes starts to abate as we move the shrouded body around the side of the farm house. Our calls ahead have been productive, an area has been cleared for the fire to go on tonight. Tradition is for the family to build the pyre, and I get busy, I may not be related by blood to Soarin or Dust. But we are family, I know that for certain.

Hours pass as we finally place the body on the wood. Dust has been more than helpful, so has nearly everypony else. Mindy has emerged, a package had been delivered, with the EUP flag. We all stand there as the sun slowly dips towards the horizon. Dust notices before I do, but the Princess of the Night appears. I take a step back as I watch ponies from all over the farm move closer, sensing the magic, the strength of what makes Equestria the land that she is.

After Sweetie Belle did her work on me, I can tell my memories are back, but I find it hard to call them up, it’s just too much. How do you process a lifetime of memories in a couple of days? I blink, Princess Luna has finished talking, so has Dust, and Mindy has just lit the pyre. I stand there as the flames leap up. One by one, the ponies start to sing, tears are wrenched from my eyes as the magic flows, the pain of our loss, the healing, the beauty of Equestria flows through me as the magic compels me to add my voice.

As the song ends, everything is consumed, leaving nothing but char and ash on the bare ground. I shake my head, it’s not just the world, it’s the ponies that make this magic happen. As the ponies move off, Dust and her family are left standing, Moon Shadow and Trixie are with her, along with Lightning Flash. I toss my brother a smile as we both join Dust in heading into the house. After all this time of frenetic activity, it’s over. The battle is done, we’ve won, and are starting to fully realize the price of that win. I shuffle to the couch, it looks pretty comfortable, an old sectional with just the right amount of sag in the springs.

“Irony.”

I look up at Moon's voice.

She moves up to me, nuzzling my cheek. “What are you doing?”

“I’m crawling onto the couch to get some sleep.”

She glances at the stairs quickly. “Come upstairs, join Dust and Helen.”

My ears flick back and forth. “They need time.”

I’m suddenly picked up in magic, I look levelly at Moon as she turns tail, me secure in her magical field. “Don’t be silly or stubborn, Irony, love. Dust needs us as much as she needs Helen. She’s been through as much hell as we have. And she needs everypony…every one that loves her to be close.”

“What about Mindy?”

That gets a soft laugh from the gray unicorn. “Trixie and Flash are taking care of her. She won’t be sleeping alone tonight either. She rebuffed Dusts attempt, but Trixie worked it out. That mare can be very understanding and loving when she needs to be. They’ll be but a door away if they need us.”

Her field let’s me go once we are in the large master bedroom. Helen is already stretched out on the bed. An already passed out Dust in her arms. Her head lifts and she smiles at us. Any doubts are smashed when she pats the bed on the other side. I hop up and snuggle into her shoulder. Hesitantly I kiss her cheek, getting her hand to cup my own cheek. Her arm slithers around me, bringing me closer as the covers draw back from underneath me and settle on top with Moon Shadow snuggling into my back as the big spoon. Then I get a surprise. “You’re naked.” I whisper into Helen’s ear.

She nods. “I hate wearing clothes to sleep, are you uncomfortable?”

I shake my head and squeeze her close to me. “I always hated clothes too. Especially socks.”

She leans her head against my forehead. “Same here, and underwear too. But if I’m going to sleep, I’d rather be comfortable.”

I nuzzle her neck for a moment, sleep is rolling over me. “Love you Helen, you are a wonderful person.”

“Mike...well…Dust used to say that all the time. Maybe someday I’ll believe it.”

I try to respond, but my entire body is too heavy to move. I finally surrender to the exhaustion.

***

My eyes pop open to the rising sun. It’s been a couple of weeks since Soarin's funeral, a couple of weeks having nothing really major to do. Though I have prevailed upon Dust to get ready for more hell to come our way. Getting volunteers was easy, finding the right ones has been difficult. But we are going through the process to build teams of ponies to help ponies all over to get to safety. We were very busy before the portal opened, but we are getting slow reports of more humans turning pony. Some finagling has set up a hotline for those in the transition to call to get pony help. Mindy has informed us of her pregnancy, which had necessitated a big party for her, and since she’s our resident party pony, she had insisted on planning it herself. The craziest part is she had insisted on it being a surprise party. Dust had informed me to roll with the idea, and we did. And apparently, Mindy was quite surprised that such a big party had been set up for her. The hangover from that night for me was absolutely epic in both scope and duration. One thing they don’t show in the show, ponies and alcohol are a very pleasant combination.

I stretch on the bed, enjoying the feel of my body. My memories feel better, more integrated, I can think about the past without the struggle and pain from before. I stop and just lie there. In my time as Henry, my time in Equestria, or as my time as a slave, I’ve never been this comfortable, this content. It almost disturbs me, I’ve always been about keeping busy, working, thinking hard. But living with Dust and her family, it’s been almost too easy. I don’t need a job right now, I’ve been spending money out of my savings account, and it is quite healthy right now. My adoptive parents have always pounded into my head save money from every paycheck, make it so you don’t have to struggle if you aren’t working. So, I have squirreled away a couple of years worth of income. And now, when we go to get groceries, Dust is pushing ahead to pay for it. The bills for the house are taken care of. I don’t have to spend all that much money for daily care. And whenever I’ve expressed an interest in buying something, Dust would make it simply appear, usually saying she found a good deal for it online or something. I swear that mare is going out of her way to pamper me.

I glance over at the only other occupant of the bed. My precious Moon Shadow, who is sleeping peacefully, has actually taken well to the pampering from the turquoise pegasus and the rest. She was busy late into the night with her dreaming. And since walking the dream is not as restful as true sleep, she likes to sleep in in the mornings, for me, 0530 is the perfect wake-up time. A glance at the clock on the end table shows four minutes before that time. I glance at the sunrise. What time does the sun come up around this part of the nation? I shake my head and carefully extricate myself from my unicorn's grasp and end up on the floor. A quick shake of my body and I’m out the door. The house is quiet, though school should be almost done for the year for Dusts human kids, Helen must be off at work, and of course Dust is gone working as well. Trixie, Flash and Mindy have essentially moved out to the farm while Moon and I are spending most of our time in town.

A quick bit of concentration has me on two hooves. I grab my keys from the hangar by the front door and step down the front steps. I stop and look at my baby, she’s glistening in the morning dew, as always, she takes my breath away, what a beautiful car. Only moments have the engine firing to life and I back out of my space and head down the street. It’s not very long before I’m hitting highway speed to get to the turnoff north of town. There are not all that many trees around here, but as I get closer to the farm, I can see more of them. Looks like the ponies are planting trees at a furious pace. And their magic has the slender saplings growing at a prodigious rate. I nod to the human as I get through the gate and head to the forge a little bit away from the main house. It’s not even six in the morning.

I push the drivers door closed and I find my ears perking. The forge is not idle. My nose twitches, the smell of hot steel is wafting from the doors. And more ear twitches bring the unique sounds of metal being worked. I nose my way through the door, and the hints of smells I was detecting hit me full force.

“Oh, Irony!” a unicorn scampers over. “You’ll never believe it!”

My brow furrows. “Believe what?”

“Folded Steel and I have remembered something from Equestria! We can make the air carts again. I’ve remembered the spell that goes on them.”

My eyes widen at the frame taking shape in the middle of the forge. Though some things are different than my memories from Equestria, like the standard automotive wheels and tires the frame is resting on, as well as the steel coil and shock absorber system. I look up at the unicorn and grin. “Dazzle, that’s just perfect.” I stop and look around. “Okay, the structure needs a lot more.” My memories are suffusing back to the surface, I’ve helped on making these in the past, back in Equestria. The basic shape of the frame, what is made of steel, of any ferrous metal actually, is what’s important. The outer skin can be gold, or anything, really. It just has to have the right frame. I had shifted on to two hooves without realizing it fully. I reach a hand down and pick up the edge of the frame to look underneath. Twin gasps get me looking up at them, a questioning look on their faces. “What?”

“I know how much that weighs.” Folded Steel says softly, “you picked it up like it’s nothing.”

My face on fire, I let the budding chariot down on it’s wheels. “I do work out.”

“With what, train locomotives?” Dazzle grumbles.

I flinch. Only to get the unicorn mare to take a step forward. “Oh, I didn’t mean anything by that, Irony. Your strength just surprised me. I’ve got to remember, Earth ponies, especially ones your size, are strong.”

Folded Steel snorts softly. “How do you do that? I wouldn’t mind having my hands back, I do just fine with what I’ve got, but I do miss them.”

I feel like I’m drawing into myself. “I don’t know, it’s something unique to me.”

To my surprise, the stallion grins. “Well, that’s really cool. If it helps with your iron working, I’m all for it.”

I shrug. “I’m better with armor, with weapons.”

He sighs. “Well, with the humans, I have a feeling those skills will come into play before too long. But do you have ideas for the chariot?”

I nod. I am in my element here. I take a few minutes to explain my memories, which get both of the other ponies nodding in agreement. Finally, we all move away, and I get to the already lit forge and place a piece of steel stock in. They are pretty close to having it done, just a few more pieces to fabricate.

***

It’s pretty late, though the sun is still fairly high when I’m able to extract myself from the forge. Swinging a heavy hammer, working with hot and heavy steel has my body pleasantly worn out. I relax onto four hooves, maybe I can trouble Mindy and Flash for some food before I head back to the house.

“Irony!”

That voice gets me to sigh. Everypony wanting my attention today? I’m not a leader, why do the ponies look to me for help? Although the mare that walks up to me is familiar to me from both my memories, and from the show. “What can I do for you Mayor Mare?”

The familiar mare seems to not have found mane dye as of yet, she’s sporting a shockingly pink do. “When will Lightning Dust show up? While we are greatly appreciative of all she’s done when it comes to housing for the ponies.” She stops, looking concerned. “But, it’s simply not enough. It’s great to have a bed, and we have enough food, and all the basic necessities to live. But many ponies don’t have anything to do!”

I find my eyes narrowing. I know that feeling all too well. Dust is busy with her work, I doubt she has the time to think of the individual work of the ponies to keep them productive and happy. She seems to misconstrue the look on my face as she continues. “We did quite a bit for the farm, the facelift and maintaining the grounds were a cinch for the earth ponies around here. With assistance from the pegasi and unicorns…” She stumbles to a stop due to my upraised hoof.

“You are a hundred percent correct Mayor.” I stop, thinking furiously. “Lets go into the house, I have an idea.”

She follows me, a curious frown on her face. I remember seeing a stack of papers when Dust bought this place. Land titles, deeds, surveying maps, all that stuff. I trot up the stairs and in minutes my steps downstairs are nearly prancing. I set the big expanding folder on the table with a big smile. I root around and finally spread out the map.

“Okay, Dust was thinking expansion when she bought this place. This whole place is ten sections. You know what a section is?”

She snorts. “I grew up as a human in a small apartment in Carson City. I have no idea.”

I shift, ignoring her eyes widening as I run my finger along the map. “A section is a square mile, so we have ten square miles to work with, or sixty four hundred acres. And we are in luck, it’s all concentrated in one big block, the house and barn are on this section here.” I point, and she rears her forehooves onto the table so she can see. “This whole area here.” I gesture all around to the north of the homestead. “Is empty, most seemed to have been used for planting. But maybe we can do something with that.” I point along the elevation lines. “Look here, this large hill, it’s almost a mountain, but it’s right at the edge of the land Dust bought. Look to the west of it, with that, you have a good lee from the primary eastbound winds here. The river can be played with, ensuring we have fresh water.”. Memories surface, how much the ponies can do when it comes to adjusting the world to suit us. “We can build here.”

“How much money did she spend for this?”

I look at her. “Dust refused to tell me. She said it’s just money, and it means delaying the purchase of another company for a while.” I smile at her. “But her wife did tell me.” I lean closer. “The farm was a steal, she said. Five point eight million dollars, and she spent another half a million on those barracks most of the ponies are sleeping in.”

That gets a low whistle from the pink maned mare. “But what about money for building supplies? I mean after she spent so much on the land and the housing, I can’t conscience asking for any more. We can scavenge only so much, though, and many ponies that came here with money are fairly tapped put financially, remember, we were all 25 year old humans before this.”

That gets a grin from me. “I know just who to ask. We will set it up as a loan. Dust already has pegasi learning the weather. We will be selling weather services around the area, so the farm will have an income fairly quickly. But first, let’s head out there, take a look at what we have to work with.”

Chapter 41.

Mayor Mare looks at me quizzically. “Who would you ask that would have access to the significant funds we would need. You are aware we are talking building a town. From scratch. Can we even do that? I don’t know the laws relevant here. I mean I did law school, I was about to go for the bar when I got this cutie mark. But I don’t know everything relevant to Montana. I don’t know…”

Her rant is stopped by my fingers closing on her muzzle. Her eyes are round as she crosses her eyes to look at my hand, then she looks up at me. I smile and let her go. “Okay? Ready to stop focusing on the problems and start on the solutions?”

She nods and smiles tremulously. I nod decisively and relax back to all fours. I flip my tail as we head from the house. I briefly consider hopping in the car, but the ground is definitely not for a road car to traverse. I glance at the multitude of vehicles now parked in neat rows under a stand of oak trees. Were there less vehicles there the last I looked at them? I shake my head before I note a couple of SUV's and four by four trucks. But both Mayor Mare and I are Earth ponies. A run just might do us good. I take off, and in moments I hear the clatter of her hooves on the ground behind me. My exhaustion fades away as pleasant feelings of exertion spread throughout my body. The sun is getting low, but we’ve got enough time to look around. As we are galloping, I notice a small stream ahead and angle towards it. As I get to the bank, I gather myself and leap across, laughing wildly as I pick up the pace again. My ears pick up Mayor Mare catching up with me, her throaty laugh making my heart feel good. She’s enjoying this run as much as I am.

We race across the prairie as the sun gets low in the western sky. I remember it was past 2000 when I left the forge, it must be nearly an hour later now, and yet the sun is still in the sky. That’s amazing to me. Even living in Washington, I didn’t have this long of days. Too soon into the run I’m slowing to a canter, then I finally stop. Mayor Mare pulls up next to me.

She Huff’s and puffs a bit. “How are you…” she tops to take deep breaths. “Not winded after that?”

That gets a laugh from me. “Guess I’m in better shape than you.”

She rolls her eyes. “Or maybe you are fifty years younger than me.”

I cock my head to the side. “Could be that too.” And get a hoof to the side from her. I smile at her as we look around. Just as the map had said, the hill is off in the distance, but it starts right at the border of the land holdings. I can see the barbed wire fence separating the farm from the other sections of land. “Dust mentioned there were options for leasing another fifteen sections for grazing. We are ponies.”

She sticks out her tongue. “I remember eating hay and enjoying it in Equestria. But I much prefer my food to be cooked.” She stops, her eyes widening. “Wow, Irony. This is a really good spot. We can build a whole town here. I remember how Ponyville looked. I remember what it was like. The magic of our home.”

I nod. “The magic wasn’t the land, Mayor. The magic was and is us ponies. We can bring that magic here. We can make this place a haven for the ponies, a place to live. A place to thrive.”

“A place to wait until the portal opens up so we can go home.”

I stop and look at her. “If you want to go home, why didn’t you go when the portal was open?”

She looks down, her ears flicking back and forth. “I wanted to. Dear Celestia did I want to. But the ponies here, they needed help. They needed…” she trails off, looking unsure of herself.

I reach over and hug her. “You were doing what makes you the pony you are, Mayor. You were making sure those who need a way, find that way. You were a leader, and probably that was a big reason that Discord sent you here. He wanted to disrupt our harmony, to add chaos to Equestria.” I stop for a moment, my anger at him rising. I told Twilight, Celestia, and Luna that he couldn’t be trusted. I shake my head to allow the pain of our travails to dissipate. The pain lessens, a little. Finally, I smile at her. “We will make this place as beautiful as only ponies can. Now let’s head back into town.” I turn on a hoof and gallop back south, in moments she’s running next to me, a big smile on her face as she matches my longer strides.

***

The sun is fully down as I pull into the driveway of Dust’s house. As I relax onto all fours once again, I’m illuminated by the headlights of the little econobox that the former Mayor of Ponyville is driving. She opens the door and steps out.

“Isn’t it hard to drive as a pony?”

She giggles. “A couple of craftsponies at the farm had some idle time. And they did some modifications to allow Earth ponies to drive. Only needed a few vehicles for getting around. They went overboard and half the vehicles stored there are good for anypony to drive.”

I nod and lead her into the house. A welcome cacophony greets my ears, Dylan and Hannah are playing some game on the living room television and shouting a bit as they compete. I smile at them before heading to the kitchen. Helen is sitting on a bar stool, a cup of coffee next to her hand, her tablet is propped up before her. She brightens as she sees both of us.

“Well, a pleasure meeting you Mayor Mare.” She reaches out a hand and the grayish amber pony presses her hoof gently to the human's hand.

“It’s still odd to me to have so many people and ponies know more about me than I know about me.” She sighs. “I guess I’ll have to get used to it.

Helen smiles. “So, what brings you here?”

I glance around. “Where’s Dust?”

“She’s sleeping upstairs. But if it’s an emergency, I can…”

My emphatic head shaking stops Helen from getting to her feet. She looks at me quizzically.

I take a deep breath. “This is not something I want to bother her about.” I glance at the other Earth pony and steel myself. Then I launch into my thoughts, Mayor Mare interjects a few times, adding in her own ideas, and before too long, Helen is smiling and nodding.

Finally, we wind down. Helen looks from one of us to the other. “So, you essentially want to find seed money to start building a town on the farm land, but building the entire infrastructure and the ponies already at the farm will leap at the opportunity to get to work on something like that?”

We both nod in unison. Helen grins in response. “In case you didn’t know. I’m on the documents for Dust’s company, technically as the CFO, since I’m also the accountant for Lightning electric. So, I can get you the funds you need.”

“Loans.” Mayor Mare says firmly. “And we will pay interest. This is to establish a town, but we are going to have an income base.”

Helen nods. “You do know, you are going to have to approach the state capital about getting those legal hurdles handled. And can’t forget the Fallon county commissioner in Baker.” She smiles. “She is on my regular poker night. I’ll make sure she listens to you.”

The other pony's eyes widen. “We are really doing this, aren’t we?”

Helen and I both nod.

***

Less than a week later I’m standing in front of the farm house, watching a semi stop along the fence. The big Lightning Electric logo is prominent on the door of the big truck. On the trailer are large pieces of highway equipment. A half dozen ponies come out as the human sets the parking brake. I trot up to him as he steps down from the cab. Two new diesel engines add their noise to the din as the ponies call out as they are unchaining equipment. The human driver stands next to me. “Wow, they aren’t taking their time on this, are they?”

I look at him. “Nope.” I step a bit away as the trailer rocks as the first grader pulls off. And the small dozer follows in moments. Adding to the various pieces of equipment that came with the farm, we have quite a bit of equipment to start off this little project. We watch as the ponies stow the chains and tie downs for all the equipment and the human mounts the truck and quickly he’s a plume of dust heading down the road. I move off as the equipment is turned into the farm. Then I have to dance aside as a large side dump truck starts to accelerate, turning down inside the fence heading for an opening the ponies had made for large equipment to get through. Hundreds of feet of new road have been laid in just this morning. I can see the grader going down the built road to join a second grader as the dozer trundles slowly down the already paved section. The road goes along the edge of the farm plot that I was told a matter of less than a month ago that I sucked at farming. Those plants are already growing at a prodigious rate. And the ponies running the equipment are careful to keep clear of the growing food. I pick up the pace, racing a skid steer as it heads towards the plot of land that is going to be the first permanent pony home on this Earth. A big smile blossoms on my face as I cross the last little ridge and get a view of the town. Several truck loads of lumber have already been delivered, thanks to Mayor Mare and Helen working so closely together. An excavator and a backhoe are already hard at work digging where our power station is going to go. It’s already been decided to produce power the way the ponies did back in Equestria. Dozens of pegasi are in the air, gathering clouds, figuring how to make the weather the way we want it. Several humans, most of them related to the ponies, are joining in the massive amount of work to just lay everything out. Stakes in the ground show where streets are going to be laid. I glance around, and randomly decide to approach two humans along with four unicorns and an Earth pony. They are gluing together PVC conduit.

“Need any help?”

The unicorn nods and I join the humans. By the stickers on his hard hat, he’s a journeyman electrician. He looks at the unicorn. “We are almost done with the first run, you sure we don’t need a trencher for this? Code says minimum of twenty-four inches of cover.”

The unicorn grins. She tosses her mane a bit, settling the modified hard hat on her head. “I told you, electrical and plumbing doesn’t need to disturb the ground. You’ve got the risers at a total of seven feet, right?”

The human nods, “Yeah, but how…”

The unicorn holds up a hoof. “With ponies, you get magic. Watch and learn.” She trots over to a stake driven into the ground and lines herself up, facing another stake. I shift onto two hooves, getting the humans to gape for several moments before the unicorn clears her throat. I reach out and grab the riser, dragging that end towards the stake by the unicorn.

“Holy shit, you’re strong.” The electrician says. Getting a grin from me. I haul the heavy nearly three hundred foot long run of fairly big PVC to the stake. The humans drag the other end towards the other. One human holds the one end while I hold the other, and the other two straighten out the run of conduit. Soon, it’s straight in line and the unicorn nods happily. Her horn lights and the ground glows brightly. She grunts as the conduit run sinks into the earth. In only moments, the risers on each side have only two feet or so above the ground. Astonished looks abound on both the human and every pony's face but the one unicorn. She gestures and they bring out levels, adjusting the risers gently till both sides are satisfied. Then one human does a thumbs up. The unicorn holding the spell relaxes visibly and a small mound of dirt pushes up along the entire line. One of the humans looks at the unicorn. “That’s it? You make the pipe sink into the ground?”

She nods. “Well, it’s a bit more complex than that, but yeah, essentially.”

The human nods appreciatively, then he turns back to the others. “Alright, we’ve got five more runs to do here.” He calls out. And the rest of them scramble to the pile of PVC and the fittings. I join them, switching between four legs and two with ease as we work together to get the conduits ready. A few hours pass rapidly as I get lost in the work with the humans and the ponies.

As the unicorn sets the last of the new duct bank. I wipe the sweat from my brow and look around. The equipment moving around, the ponies working, it all set so chaotic. But then I take a step back. It’s not chaotic, it’s complex, it’s a dance. Hundreds of bodies in perfect symmetry, working together or a common goal. Utterly amazing.

“Irony! Hey!”

The familiar voice has me standing tall, peering in the direction the voice came from, before I spot Mayor Mare. She gestures for me to follow her. A job office trailer is off away from the active construction, as well as a few others for spare materials. Ponies and humans are streaming all around. Lots of measuring is being done, laying out streets and working on basic infrastructure, at least two more crews are using that unique method to get pipes into the ground. Though watching a unicorn hold the ground in place for a truck mounted crane to slowly lower a four foot diameter sewer pipe into seemingly flattened ground is a bit disconcerting. As evidenced by the look on the crane operators face as two unicorns stand on each side of the pipe with their horns lit. A pony in a skid steer pushes the dirt away from where previously laid sections are now buried. I shake my head as I mount the steps into the office.

“Oh, Irony! Isn’t it amazing?” the exuberance in Mayor Mare's voice gets a smile from me.

“Eeyup.” She starts at my utterance, then she grins.

“Don’t go all Big Mac on me, missy.” She scolds, getting a laugh from me.

“Nope.”

She just sighs and shakes her head. “You scamp.” She says with a throaty laugh. She gestures for me to come over. “Dust’s design-build team has been busy, all at Helen's direction. Dust has been busy with a big project near Williston, Kinder Morgan wants a couple of three hundred thousand barrel tanks up near Sidney Montana up and going as of yesterday, so she’s pouring in her time there, flying back and forth, then working all day has her pretty tired. And I know you’ve been busy with training up the teams for security. After that unpleasantness with the guy from that Spectrum place, I understand your concern. So we are taking security here seriously. Some of our unicorns are proficient at building wards. And we’ve talked to the FAA about setting up a no-fly zone here for any travel and to prevent pegasi from interfering with flight operations. Ponies are arriving here daily, now. More are changing than I had ever thought possible.” She stops for a moment, a look of infinite sadness on her face. But she shakes her head and resumes. “The pump station is planned out, and a water tower is in the process of being fabricated. All the things that make a city, data lines, sewage, power, all of that are being put in the ground. Have you seen how the unicorns can just make the ground open up?”

I nod. “Dust has told me that underground construction was super expensive.”

She nods. “Well, not with these ponies. We will have the medium voltage equipment ready by the time the power plant is online. I’d say, within a month, we’ll be in the process of the first stores, and the first actual houses. I’ve been talking to building engineers and the local building inspectors. We are going to have a town built here, and quickly.”

I smile. “That’s excellent.”

She gestures to the plans before her. “We do need to go over a few things.” The mayor says softly as I lean in. “This is so exciting!”

I grin as we get down to the details of all of this work going on.

***

Among the preparation that Dust and I have been working on. We built new teams of ponies to help those in need, and they are already busy. Spread all over the world, finding ponies and either releasing them to their families, or bringing them back to the farm. Mayor Mare and I have discussed potential names for the nascent town being built. But nothing has really come up. The option for the extra fifteen sections includes the large almost mountain to the north west of the site. A few dozen pegasi have started something interesting there. They have set up a cloud bank, attached to the very top of the hill, spreading around quite a distance. They are shaping buildings made of cloud! Moon Shadow was able to cast a cloud walking spell on me, allowing me to join her and a couple of the pegasi to tour the cloud construction going on. How they get working fountains and basins made of cloud is beyond me. I was told it’s a function of pegasus cloud shaping magic. Some of the city is being built where a cloud walking spell won’t be needed, the clouds will be that substantial. Just blows my mind that it’s even possible. I come back to the house completely blown away. Only to have a magenta unicorn with a snow-white mane bouncing before me.

“Hi Mindy.”

She giggles, almost exactly the same as Pinkie Pie's giggle snort. “Oh, Irony, this isn’t gonna be fun. But we found some more ponies.”

I cock my head to the side. “Well, have you given them instructions on how to make it here? Offered to send them money to assist them to get here?”

She stops bouncing. “No, I couldn’t. I haven’t been able to talk to any of them. But Soarin left quite a bit of computer search systems up when he left.” Her ears flicker and her mane starts to flatten a bit before slowly gaining back its usual bounce. “I’ve told Dustie, I think there are ponies being held against their will, based on the searches. But I haven’t gotten names at all. Though some cutie mark searches really do tell me something. If there are ponies there, they are being carefully kept off the net, so I can’t confirm anything. We’ve got two chariots ready to take us. I know Dustie wants you with us, so…ya wanna come?”

I look down at Moon, then back at the party pony. “If a pony is in need, I’m always available, right Moon?”

Moon Shadow nods decisively. “Always.”

“Good.”

As Mindy bounces away, I get a thought. “Where are we going?”

She looks back at me, mid-bounce. “Tacoma.”

Chapter 42.

The first chariot we had produced at the farm was a basic thing, designed to be pulled by a single pegasus. This one, on the other hoof, is designed to be pulled by two, and has room for our entire group plus some. Some finagling in DC has gotten the FAA and Homeland Security to play ball with us. This isn’t some simply wood and metal construction like what we had back in Equestria. Pony magic and human ingenuity combined over the original designs. The one we are riding is the first one of this new design. Instead of steel or aluminum, lightweight composites comprise the structure, giving it more strength and rigidity than anything that could be built with metal. FAA mandated electronics, for navigation, collision avoidance, and such, all powered by a standing flow created by a unicorn when the system was installed, essentially a magical battery. On the dash is a ruggedized computerized setup, the screen is currently showing our GPS location as well as our heading and speed. The pegasi pulling us today are not speedsters, at least not in the class of Rainbow Dash, or Lightning Dust. But we are high enough and fast enough that a flight plan had to be filed. The dash shows the waypoints, and the helmets on the pegasi’s heads are allowing them to communicate with the air traffic controllers as well as gives them heads up displays for navigation, connected wirelessly to the systems on board the chariot itself. We’d been informed we had to adjust our course due to a federal no-fly zone in our path. We also have to avoid local airports since we aren’t up at the usual height for airliners. I look down for a moment, I’m not the biggest fan of heights, but this isn’t horrible. We currently have two pegasi flying in formation with our chariot, Lightning Dust, and Cloud Kicker.

Though I’ve driven across this state a couple of times now, I’ve done it while pretty much ignoring the speed limit thanks to help from a certain unicorn that is nestled up against me during this trip. Though her horn is silent right now. I asked her why she wasn’t masking us, and only got a giggle from her. Humans don’t typically look up, and those that do will usually discount what they see with us being about two miles over them, not all that much detail to be had from that distance. Though since we’ve started selling our chariots to different pony settlements, they’ve been captured on camera phones a couple of times. Though the online comments usually say the pictures are faked, or fanciful creations of vivid minds. That gets me to laugh, we are totally real, and most of humanity is remaining blissfully unaware. I glance at Dust, she’s not pushing hard even though we are flying at nearly three hundred miles per hour, she’s not showing any strain. Though that pegasus can pull off over a thousand miles per hour that I know she’s done. How fast can she go if she’s really trying?

I shake my head and sit down on one of the comfortable bench seats, Moon moves over and keeps close to me, she’s got her armor packed up next to mine in the cargo area of the chariot. Though I don’t really anticipate much use for it. Most humans have given up captive ponies rather easily once they find out there are more of them. And the ponies are grateful for being saved by us. So, we’ve increased our population in Montana quite a bit, not just those we’ve saved, but humans are turning pony all over the place, and a few discrete bits of information are widely available, including an 800 number set up by the US military which allows the humans to get in contact with ponies. Moon has also informed me that Princess Luna has been patrolling the dream nightly, looking for the inevitable disturbed sleep of somehuman becoming somepony. Moon patrols just as hard, as well as continuing her studies with the lunar alicorn.

Our mission today, Mindy has been unable to provide all that much information, so we are mobilizing on a hunch. Though the bouncy party pony has finally snapped from her funk after the loss of Soarin, it took a night out with plenty of alcohol to punch through and bring her back from the doldrums. Though at times, I know she had a flash thought of him, her poof of a mane flattens a bit, and she looks introspective before perking back up. That kinda scares me, the ones most in danger are the ones who cover up their feelings the most. A change in air pressure and slowing of the pegasi grab my attention. I stand up, then rear up to put my forehooves on the dash.

Tacoma, Washington, though we are heading towards the downtown area. The pegasi pulling are observant, and we land on the street. The chariot is pulled into a parking space and we all dismount. Being mid-day on a weekend, most people are home, not around the down town area, and it’s too early for the bars to get busy, so the streets are fairly deserted. The pullers unstrap themselves and stow their gear as we pull our gear. I look at my armor and Moon’s armor in the plastic container, and close the lid. Quite a few trips for all of our groups have been easy. Ponies happy to see other ponies, not knowing that they weren’t the only ones changing. And humans who are confused by the ponies coming in, but for the most part, happy to see the ponies in their midst find other ponies. Most rescues aren’t rescues, but simply finding and bringing back to our little settlement in Montana.

Dust walks easily next to me, with Moon Shadow on the other side. The address is a large building, one that we saw coming in. It doesn’t look all that unusual, just the typical glass and steel construction that has dominated around the world for the last fifty years or so. It’s a weekend day, so likely everything is closed. Dust has the idea to start from the top, so Cloud Kicker and her streak straight up. Moon Shadow stays with me, so does Blossomforth. Moon gestures and we trot into the main lobby. Though I have to fight the urge to laugh at the looks on the human guard’s faces as a pegasus, unicorn, and an earth pony all come into their lobby.

“Good afternoon.” I say, looking directly at the older of the two.

I can see him internally screaming what the fuck, but he keeps fairly professional. “The building is closed today. If you want to visit, gotta come back eight AM Monday.”

“Yeah, well, that’s going to be a problem. We have information that ponies are being held here against their will, and we are going to get them.” I can see Moon’s horn has lit. “With your assistance, or without.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am.” Is all he can say before he’s lifted from his seat, suspended in Moon’s magic.

“She wasn’t asking.” Moon lets enough menace into her voice that we can see the human’s adam’s apple bob in a a gulp. She settles him down in his seat after a few moments.

“Do you want to join us? Or shall we make a mess?” Blossomforth says softly, her wings spread to the side in a threat display.

The two humans look at each other before both getting up from their chairs. “Follow us.” The older man says.

The younger walks next to me, looking at me sideways. “I haven’t heard anything about anyone being held here.”

We get to the elevator and the older guard presses the call button. I look at the younger guard. “Then there won’t be a problem. We have issues with humans holding ponies against their will.”

I’m definitely the largest of the three ponies here, and he seems to be a bit intimidated by my size. I chuckle inwardly as we enter the elevator.

***

Three floors searched, and only regular offices have been found. The guards have informed us that there is no clean rooms, no medical spaces of any kind in this building. Neither of them have any idea where a pony would be kept. To keep moving quickly, I push through the doorway to the stairs to the fifth floor and trot up, the others are with me, though the humans seem to be flagging a bit at the rapid pace we are setting. Once again, just anonymous cubicles of a typical office setup. Blossomforth takes to the air and quickly flies over the cubicles as Moon and I check out the actual offices on the periphery. Though not even half way through our search, galloping hooves catch my attention. Cloud Kicker is running towards us, screaming her head off. Blossomforth moves to catch her, and she holds the faintly purple pegasus for a few moments as she gets her breath. I glance around.

“Where’s Dust.”

Cloud Kicker whickers a bit, “She’s been taken. We both got hit with tasers, I came to outside the office space.”

My eyes widen as my heart becomes a leaden lump in my chest, Dust…taken? No. “Show me where.” I growl.

The blonde pegasus streaks off towards the elevator, bypassing it and slamming through the door to the stairs, Blossomforth on her tail. Moon and I take to a gallop to keep up, we follow the pegasi as we climb, up ten floors in a matter of minutes. Though I’m a bit winded when we finally get before two very thick glass doors. Cloud whirls around and bucks the doors as hard as she can, the thick glass doesn’t even notice.

My vision red, I shift and reach out to pick up one of the guards. “Who’s space is this?” I scream into his face.

The other guard supplies the answer. “The Spectrum Group.”

I fling the guard away, perhaps my bigger size and strength would help? I turn and plant my forehooves to get ready for a massive buck before I see Moon. She grimaces as she lights her horn. It’s only seconds before the hinges are overhwhelmed and the doors crash to the floor. Cloud streaks off into the space as the rest of us follow. She makes a beeline directly for one of the offices. “Here, this is where they got us.” Moon leaps forward, pushing aside the pegasus as she gets into the office, her horn lit. I glance around, then shift back onto two legs before kneeling. A feather is lying on the floor, not one of Dust’s big primaries, but one of the down feathers. I pick up the turquoise feather then look back at Cloud Kicker. “They probably got her out of the building.” She nods and streaks off. I rise to follow, but my hand is caught by Moon’s magic. She smiles at me as she surges her magic, and we are down on the street. Only a few moments and we’ve noticed the two box trucks that were sitting at the loading dock are gone.

Moon looks around. “We need more help.”

I nod, pulling out my phone. I tap on the screen and hold the device to my ear. A couple of rings. “This is Mindy.”

“Dust has been taken, we need backup.” I say simply.

I can only imagine her reaction, though she does say to keep the line open. I stand there in mute rage as the minutes creep by. Every minute passing is one more minute of Dust getting further and further away. Finally I can hear commotion on the line, Mindy fumbles with her phone. “Okay, Irony. I’ve got the backup team on its way. I’m on my way too. We will see you soon.”

As the phone goes dead, I shove it in my bag and fold back down onto four legs. I glance around as the clop of hooves announces our chariot being pulled towards us, Moon is inside, gesturing for us to get in. As we do, the chariot is off the ground and we start looking. Though after about an hour, we land on the top of a parking structure within shouting distance of the building. Moon shepherds me off the chariot and she joins me as the two pegasi shrug from their harnesses and take to the air. This way, they can split up, cover more ground. I grab a radio, keeping in contact with our flying members, helping to coordinate their efforts. This continues until a new voice sounds off on the radio, getting me to look up. Mindy is there with the backup crew. She doesn’t even wait for their chariot to land, she teleports and appears before me in an orange flash. I inform her of what Cloud has told us, and after her explosion, she brings out two computers and a phone. They glow orange as she starts working.

It’s not long before a direction is decided, South. Though as we are getting ready to go, Mindy’s mane flattens and here eyes shrink. “Irony.” She whispers, before she turns the computer around. A video window is open on it. I glance at it, some sort of video conference software. The camera is pointing at an empty chair, but as we watch, a man sits down before the camera.

“Well, greetings ponies. I want you to see something.” He presses a button and the screen cuts to something. My breath catches in my throat. Someone is holding a camera. Though I can’t tell if it’s live, or if it’s recorded. Either way, the camera moves into the truck and the light difference adjusts rather abruptly, showing us a turquois pegasus. Though with her heaving sobs, I don’t know what to think. Then I see the blood, her wings are a mass of blood, every feather has been ripped from her flesh. She’s holding her naked wings away from her body.

“She’s in agony.” Moon whispers.

The camera pans along Dust’s heaving body before stopping at her face. I don’t think she sees what’s going on, too focused on the pain. I can see the agony painted on her face, the tracks of tears, the snot from her nose, her eyes are puffed and inflamed. We stare in utter horror before the feed cuts back to the man. He starts to speak, but I don’t hear a word he’s saying. I’m busy memorizing every feature of his face, his blue eyes, his sandy blonde hair, some humans would likely view him as attractive, but all I see is pure evil. I move the computer from Mindy and lean down close. “I hope you believe in a God, little man. Because you need to start praying now. I will find you, and I will make you wish for death long before I’m done with you. Hand her over now, and kill yourself, and I won’t destroy everything you hold dear.”

I inhale to continue, but the man is laughing, holding his stomach then pounding on his desk with his mirth. He says something, but I’m too angry to listen. I shift and pick up the computer to glare into it. “Know my name. I am Irony Shieldbreaker, and I will destroy you and yours utterly, then I slam closed the computer. I snap the ruggedized laptop in half and drop the pieces to the ground. Mindy gives me a sour look and says something about how much the computer cost. Then I fall to my knees. “Oh Dust, what has he done to you?”

Mindy gathers up the pieces in her magic, “This wasn’t some cheapo home computer, Irony. Lots of specialized hardware inside, over five grand.”

I turn to her, even with my tears streaming down my face, she subsides at the look on my face. “Put it on my tab.” I growl before we load up on the chariot. We have some searching to do.

***

It takes nearly four days to find the abandoned truck. In the process of searching, we found the other truck, and had to deal with an ambush created by some mercenaries. No casualties on our side, but we were able to confiscate some of their weapons. We tried to keep the deaths on the human side to a minimum. I walk to the truck where Dust was brought south. We are a matter of miles from the Mexican border. Ponies are arrayed around the truck, though none of them seem all that keen to enter it. I stride up to it and grab the side handle to haul myself aboard. Then I stop, steeling myself. It looks like someone poured a bucket of red paint on the floor then drove over a washboard road. Pretty much the entire floor is coated in blood, and the feathers are all over. The smell, pony, blood, and human, is rank in my nostrils. This is a lot of blood, but I don’t think enough to kill the pegasus. Judging by Cloud Kicker and Blossomforth’s reaction, I don’t think there’s much chance of her death from this. But remembering the video, and looking at the aftermath here in this truck. I fight my stomach, as a pony and as a marine, I’ve seen death. I’ve seen the aftermath of some of the worst that humanity can produce. This is bad, but not to that extent.

Eventually, the pegasi start gathering up the feathers, they quickly discard the down and smaller coverts, the non-flight feathers are discarded, but the longer flight feathers are gathered into a pile. I reach down and touch one. “What’s this?”

Cloud Kicker looks over at me through the tears running freely down her face. “They are hers. Pegasi keep the flight feathers when they lose them. They are little bits of her soul.”

I pick one up. It weighs almost nothing, but something about it speaks to me, deep inside. Like her magic is there. I bring out a few strands of my mane and tie the feather to it. “This stays with me until we find her. Always a reminder.” I growl. I walk towards the chariot. I don’t know what to do at this point, I crawl inside, relaxing onto all fours. I’ve been on two legs for way too long. A touch of the hoof has the top rising and I sit down as the first sobs wrack my body. She’s gone. I need to find her, but there’s no clues, no idea of where they took her.

I blink, wait a moment, I’m in the dream? I look down at my hands, they are human hands. “I pulled you here, love.” I look over, Moon Shadow is standing on nothingness, “Though you must have been remembering your past.

“Why?”

She cocks her head to the side, “You’ve gotten maybe two hours of sleep in the last four days. You are exhausted. You didn’t even react when I crawled up and held you. You need this rest, love. We aren’t in the world of dreams, just a little bit of my own creation.”

“Dust is gone.” I wail, my body shuddering.

Suddenly the dark gray unicorn is larger than me, or I’m smaller. She gathers me up and cradles me as I cry. The entire time making soothing sounds. It feels like forever, but is only probably several minutes, which mean nothing in the dream, but finally I regain my composure. I nuzzle her cheek. “Thank you, love.”

Moon Shadow pops things back to our proper sizes, I flip over and grab her, pulling her close and burying my face in her mane. She moans softly as she holds onto me tightly. “We need to find her. I doubt she’s sleeping at the moment. That much pain will prevent sleep for a surprisingly long time. But if and when she appears in the dreamscape, I’ll find her, find where she is, and we will go get her.” She murmurs into my ear.

We lie there, for what seems like hours, before Moon’s head pops up. “Irony. We need to wake up.”

I nod, and together, we step from the dream into our bodies. I slowly open an eye. The others are loading up, though the truck is burning merrily away. My last view of that is a plume of smoke as we take to the air.

***

Two weeks pass, constant searching by Mindy, assisted by some ponies that turned in Army CIS as well as other government agencies. We’ve been able to piece together some of what Spectrum Holdings has its tentacles into. I know I’m growling at everypony, to the point where many ponies actively avoid me. I’m in a terrible mood, and I hate it. Finally, I’ve had enough. I walk out to my workshop, the plastic containers with my weapons and armor are quickly located and I walk over to my car.

“Mindy authorize this little excursion?” I hear Moon’s voice.

I shake my head. “I’m going to follow through. I’m going to take his world apart, starting with the lab we saved those ponies from.” I look over and double take. It’s not just Moon there, but the remainder of our team, Blossomforth and Cloud Kicker are standing with Moon.

Moon smiles brightly and takes a step, only to be halted by my upraised hand. “No, there’s no need to put anypony else in danger.”

Moon’s eyes flash for a moment. “Do you think me defenseless, love?”

I know that tone, taking a step back and putting up both my hands. “No, that’s not it…”

Cloud Kicker takes a step forward. “I’m a member of one of the most honored families with a tradition of service to the Royal Guard, do you think I’m unable to help?”

My eyes snap to her. “Yes, I mean no…”

Moon’s eyes glow white. “Our time in Equestria, and here, has shown that ponies are strongest together. And you would take that away? So you can sooth your vengeance yourself? Is our rage any less than yours? Is our grief?”

My jaw works, though the blonde maned pegasus rears up and puts her hooves on my chest, pushing me back into the side of the car. “We are going to help you, you need our help, we are stronger together.”

I look between the three of them, and finally my ears droop. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Moon Shadow stomps a hoof. “Dust is already hurt. We want to help, no matter the risk.”

My ears flick between folded back and flattened to the sides. I look at the ponies standing before me. Finally I nod, getting smiles all around. It’s only a matter of minutes before my beloved 442 is heading down the road at a breakneck speed, when we turn west onto highway 12, I floor it and Moon lights her horn. We are going to get information, we are going to find Lightning Dust.

Chapter 43.

As Irony’s 442 speeds on towards Portland. Moon Shadow is curled up, as an experienced dreamer, she can pretty much will herself to sleep. Normally, she would enter the world of dreams, the mirror world to the waking world. But this evening, she’s between both of those world, where the dreams of the living reside. To her senses, billions of stars are within her realm. This is where her and Princess Luna patrol, to help find the humans turning pony, as well as helping those with nightmares, to soothe their dreams. Tonight, like every night since Dust was taken, she’s here for one purpose. To find the dreams of the pegasus that has been lost. She casts her mind around. To the untrained, every shining globe around her looks the same. But to Moon, each one looks as individual as the ponies and humans they represent. She wills herself closer to one, reaching out a hoof to touch one. Helen, Dust’s human wife, is not dreaming peacefully, and the desire to help the human’s terrible nightmares is nearly overwhelming. But she can’t, not right now. Another’s dream has come to her attention. A simple thought has her before the bright, glowing orb. The dream is dark and turbulent, far more than most other nightmares. This dreamer is living out their own personal version of hell.

Moon tsks to herself. Should she enter the dream herself, she would likely be caught up in the terror the pony is feeling. That simply won’t do. So, she takes a moment to concentrate, making her own little pocket of stability in the chaos. As it’s ready, she reaches out her will, pulling the pony into the reality of her own design. Unceremoniously Lightning Dust tumbles across the floor. She stops, sitting on her rear with her wings spread wide, her eyes spinning. Tear tracks are thick down her muzzle, and her normally tousled mane is matted and tangled. Moon smiles sadly as she takes a moment to force her will on Dust, restoring her back to how she usually is. As she completes her work, the pegasus takes a deep, calming breath and looks around. She sees Moon and in a streak, she latches on to Moon Shadow.

“Moon, oh my Moon!” Dust murmurs softly as she hugs Moon Shadow. Moon holds onto the pegasus as tightly as she’s being held. In moments Dust goes from holding her tightly to hanging off of her as her sides heave and the tears flow. “Oh, Moon. You have no idea.”

“Tell me.” Moon says simply.

Dust takes a moment to compose herself, though sniffles and snorts are still commonplace. “After they did what they did to my wings.” She holds one of the feathered appendages out for a moment before folding it back. “They put me on a plane, they flew for hours, south, always south. Then I ended up in a truck, then into some kind of barn, I guess. Then that man…” She sobs. “That man…he…”

Moon gathers up Lightning Dust. “Shhhhh, I understand. He will get his comeuppance as soon as we find you. But where are you?”

Dust sighs. “I don’t know. The only thing I’m certain of is the language, they are speaking Spanish. Some of them speak English, but mostly Spanish. Could be Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, one of many countries. I wish I could tell you more.”

Moon groans inwardly, she hoped that she could simply get the information directly from Dust. “It’s fine, sweetie. We will keep searching for you.”

Dust’s body jerks, she looks back over her shoulder. “He’s trying to wake me up.” She leaps towards Moon. “Please, don’t make me go. Please, it hurts. I hate this.”

Moon reaches out, trying to keep Dust close, but she’s being forced awake, Moon strains, trying to keep her, just for a moment more. Though Dust is pulled away with a painful howl. “Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaassssssseeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!”

Moon jerks awake, finding her own tears have been flowing. She wipes her eyes with a fetlock. She looks up at Irony. She’s already been nearly continuously enraged since Dust was taken. It’s not the time for her to hear the details of Dust’s conditions. She sighs. “Dust doesn’t know where she is.”

Irony’s eyes flick towards her as she blows past a Ford truck, “Oh?”

Moon sighs. “Yeah, she’s not having the best of times in her captivity. We need to find her.”

Irony grimaces. “No worries, love. We will find her.”

Cloud Kicker pokes her head over the seat back, “Moon, can you help?”

Irony nods at Moon before shifting lanes rapidly to bypass a car hauler semi. She climbs over the seat to join Blossomforth and Cloud Kicker. “What’s going on?”

Cloud looks at Irony, though Moon can see Irony’s eyes flicking back and forth towards the rear-view mirror, one of her ears is rotated towards them. Moon smiles as Cloud starts. “I like the idea of a smash session on those assholes. And we know this lab has held ponies against their will. So as far as we are concerned, they deserve what is coming to them.” She huffs a couple of times. “I totally agree with Irony on dismantling Spectrum completely. A person like that really doesn’t deserve to live. But one lab, I don’t see it doing all that much.” She pulls out her phone. “We’ve identified a few other places owned by them. I think we should do a multi-pronged attack.” She glances at Irony then back at Moon. “One is in the Czech Republic, the other is in South Africa. Ponies have been found near both places then disappeared. Given how they acted here, we have two groups, and a couple of unicorns strong enough to do a long distance teleport to get them close. We can attack three places at once.”

“Do it.” Irony growls.

Moon nods, her phone is brought up and dialing. After a few moments. “Mindy, two teams need to be dispatched.” She reads off the information off of Cloud Kicker’s phone. In a matter of moments, she smiles and hangs up. “Okay, we’ll give the go signal, and hit all three at once.”

***

While the higher speed and convenience of the pegasi drawn chariots is appealing. There is something special about driving my own car. Moon and I have shifted driving duties as we’ve again headed west. Though simply having Moon say she’s got it and I don’t even have to move from my seat while she controls the car from the passenger seat is pretty nice. I can relax onto all fours and curl up to sleep while she has control. Driving becomes seamless, though at my request, we do stop for getting fuel rather than her little tricks of taking sips of fuel from passing cars. She works overtime during fuel stops, ensuring the humans don’t notice us. I’m controlling the 442 as we pull up towards our destination. This is where Dust got shot, this is where we rescued ponies.

I open the door, we aren’t here to rescue. We are here to find information, find out where Dust is, and to begin the process of dismantling of Spectrum. Blossomforth and Cloud Kicker are the first to be handed the tubs with their armor, I pull out mine and take only a few moments to fit it on. The ponies at the farm have been busy with the armor, it’s lighter than it was, and even stronger. Tests have shown that a .50BMG won’t even put a dent in the plate. Finally, I pull on my helm and I can feel the world shift subtly, a part of the standing flows that Moon and some of the armorers have set into all pony armor now. Similar flows were in the Celestial Guard and the Night guard’s armors, though they made the ponies look the same, white unicorns, gray pegasi, and blue earth ponies. With this, a version of the misdirection spell is there, I can be seen, but you have to focus on me to be able to aim, to be able to hit. Moon has been working on her own armor as well. It flies around her and assembles itself at her magical direction. As she becomes harder to see, she looks at me, a loving smile on her face. “Let’s find out where they took Dust.” She murmurs as she leads us down the street. She pulls out her phone. Sending off two text messages. After an agonizing wait, she smiles at the responses. Everypony is ready.

I take up at her side with the two pegasi flanking us. It looks like the minimal damage we did outside the last time we had visited has long since been repaired. Moon Shadow’s horn lights, the gate groans before it slides open. The rent-a-cop is pressing a button with a confused look on his face when Moon’s magic grabs him, pressing him against the back wall of his shed. His gun is brought out, disassembled, and mangled. Along with his cell phone and radio. They aren’t going to get much warning as we approach.

A loud horn starts blaring. I glance at the two pegasi, who take to the air. “Oh shit.”

Moon glances around, “Cameras.” She surges magic and then smiles, “Well, now they can’t track us that way anymore.” She glances at the main entrance, a bit more damage was done there, but in the last couple of months, it seems to have also been repaired. Time to reverse that. Moon shouts as she surges her magic again, the front face of the three story structure is demolished and the debris crumble to the sides. The two pegasi streak in, with me hot behind them. The guard at the desk in front has zero chance, he barely pulls out his weapon before taking a wing blade to the throat from Blossomforth. Cloud Kicker zooms past, we have a good idea of the layout of the building, three stories above ground, five below. The underground part of the complex has a larger footprint than the building itself. More extensive labs are underground, and we will be searching those. But the executive offices are on the top floor. Our first stop will be there. I walk past the elevator and slam through the stairwell door. I draw my mace and take the stairs three at a time, Moon flanking me with the two pegasi flitting around.

A low whistle from Cloud Kicker has me darting up the final few stairs. “Not many guards, but lots of people in suits.”

I nod and slam through the door, No need for stealth, Moon made enough commotion with our entrance that everyone knows we are here. Humans yelp as they get out of our way. Without weapons or presenting any threat to us, we leave them be. But I know where the director’s office is. I reach to open the door. I grimace. “It’s locked.”

Before Moon has a chance to do anything, I take a step back and swing my mace, the ornate wood door splinters and flies open. The apparent secretary is diving for the floor as we head towards the inner office. Eschewing simply opening it, I swing my mace again, the heavy oak doors don’t stand a chance. Just one human is there, cowering behind his desk. He’s balding, with a dark fringe of hair, thick spectacles and a thin moustache. The pegasi take a covering position by the front doors as Moon and I advance.

“Where’s Lightning Dust?” I growl.

He lifts his hands, only to have Moon encase them in her magic. “This is the last time we ask nicely.” She growls.

He shakes his head. “I don’t know who that is. We were told you coming here is a possibility. My boss has a message for you.”

I glower at him before he looks plaintively at Moon Shadow. She lets him loose and he turns his laptop around. A familiar face is smiling on the screen. I reach out an tap the space bar, and the video starts to play.

“Well, you know where one of my labs is. Yes, ponies have had some misadventures here, but that’s irrelevant to your reason for ransacking my property. I’ve instructed the guards to accept your surrender. I promise your ending will be relatively painless. But you must know, Miss Shieldbreaker, your mission is in vain. No one here has any clue where your leader is. I’ve got her, and I’m not letting her go.”

Moon Shadow slams the computer closed with her magic before glaring at the human.

“Are there ponies here right now?”

“I’m not authorized…” His words choke off as I reach over the desk and pull him up by his throat.

“I don’t give a fuck what you are authorized to say or not. You will answer the question or I will kill you.”

Well, it’s not the first time I’ve caused someone to piss their pants. He nods frantically in my grasp.

Moon steps up next to me and rears up to see him better. “You don’t know where our friend is?” At his frantic shaking of his head she looks sad. “Very well, we will give you humans a short time to exit the building as fast as you can, before I reduce it to a smoking crater. You will want to find new jobs, perhaps with someone who has better ethics than your soon to be former employer. Now, go.”

I throw him at the office door, he rolls and is on his feet in an instant before fleeing the room. Moon smiles back at me. “Okay, non-combatants should be evacuating. But I have a feeling that we are going to not have the easiest of times today.”

***

On top of parking structure, Winter Storm and her team are milling around, a quick teleport and a short flight have them close, but the team in the Czech Republic and in Oregon are all getting in position as well. Winter is quite happy to be helping finding the humans responsible for the loss of Lightning Dust. The teams have been in a mute rage for the last few weeks. Though they are ready to exact some vengeance.

“Winter.” Trixie’s voice impinges on her thoughts.

“What?”

“There are ponies in the building. At least a few unicorns. I can feel a resonance from them.”

Winter growls, this confirmation says that they are doing the right thing, even if not for Dust. She adjusts the brand new pony manufactured gun hanging over her right shoulder. After being rescued from that damned basement in Colorado, she’s been so grateful to the ponies, not just for saving her, but for everything, family, friends, home. She owes Lightning Dust and her family more than she could ever repay. She looks down at her phone when it chimes.

Mission is a go.

With that text message, Winter taps out a reply and looks to the rest of her team. She nods and Trixie lights her horn. In a flash they are walking towards the Spectrum owned building. Winter Storm stalks through the lobby Trixie is walking at her side as they stalk through in their armor. Two armed guards are sitting at the lobby desk, Winter walks over and rears up to place her forehooves on the desk.

“You have ponies here, we are leaving with them. How hard do you want to make this?”

The guards look at each other before looking back at Winter. “Sorry, if any ponies are here, they want to be here.” One of the human’s says.

Winter narrows her eyes. “If they want to be here, then we can confirm that.” She glances back at the others of her team. “But forgive us if we doubt your word. Enough ponies have been confined and mistreated by humans. Let us see them and confirm, then we will be on our way.”

Both guards stand up, one placing a hand on the gun on his hip. “You aren’t authorized.”

Winter grins. “The hard way it is.”

***

Sparkler, as a human, had been a jet setting daughter of a billionaire before becoming the daughter of a President. Now she’s turned into a pony, learning of her life before she was banished to Earth. She’s probably visited more countries than most others. Though the Czech Republic is not one she had visited before. She walks up to the guard shack for the Spectrum facility. She looks at the small sign designating the owner of this facility. Another lab, according to the information gleaned by Cipher Splash over in Army CID. She trots up to the guard shack. “Good morning.” She chirps.

The guard looks at her, then looks back at his TV.

She takes a step forward. “Good morning, sir.”

He chatters at her, and it takes a moment for her to recognize the language. It’s Polish. She smiles, her human dad had made her learn several languages so she would be able to understand what people thought they could slip by her by not speaking English. She frowns. Finally she repeats herself, though in Polish. Which gets the human to flinch.

Finally, in heavily accented English, he stammers out. “No ponies here.”

She lights her horn for a moment before sighing. “Now, both of us know that is a lie. Buttercup?”

The large earth pony walks over to the gate before whirling around. In one massive buck, the gate is off its tracks, a second buck is accompanied by the sound of rending metal and the gate crashes to the asphalt. She smiles at the guard. “We’ll just go in and find them ourselves.” She lights her horn. “So, be a dear and just sit right there, why don’t you?” As she speaks her magic has him bound to the seat, his phone is crushed and his submachine gun is disassembled.

She smiles brightly at the human before leading her team into the lab.

***

I stalk through the executive offices, they are deserted now. A glance out the windows show quite a few cars are fleeing, though there are still quite a few left in the parking lot. Moon looks up at me. “I wonder if they called the police.”

I shrug, “I doubt it. They are arrogant enough to think they can handle us themselves.”

She nods. “Yeah, that’s the impression I got.”

I turn the corner and come face to face with a guard. He swings his baton at me, I catch it on my shield and grab him by the face. Flinging him down the hall puts him out of the fight as he lands heavily. A loud bang announces another guard firing. Though with our armor on, he doesn’t really have the ability to aim, he seems to be firing blindly. Cloud Kicker flashes forward and a short scream announces his demise. I get to the elevator. “So, which floor?”

Moon closes her eyes, her horn lighting. “I would think the second level underground, and the fifth. More ponies seem to be on the lowest level.”

I nod. “We’ll hit the bottom level, and work our way up.” I growl.

We all file into the elevator, Moon’s horn lit to prevent any of the humans messing with the equipment. As we slowly descend, I find my anger rising. I bang the side of the elevator with a fist.

Cloud Kicker shakes her head as the elevator descends, "Irony you really need to calm down."
I slam my fist into the wall again, leaving a deep impression in the metal. "NO! I need to stay angry, these people have ponies. They have Dust!”
An evil smile slowly spreads over Cloud Kicker’s face as she starts marching on the spot, marking time, her tail swishing in counter beat to an unheard tune.
My eyes widen. "Oh don't you dare! No... NO!"
With a firm nod, Cloud Kicker starts to sing. "Let’s get down to business... To defeat... Spectrum..."
As if on cue, the elevator doors open with a loud “Schwa!” sound.
Covering my face, I whimper, I can feel my own tail flicking to the beat involuntarily. Stepping out into the hall, Cloud Kicker points to a group of security guards running towards us, "Well keep battling guards, till we find... the one!" Cloud Kicker continues.
I step out of the elevator, following the smaller mare, I look at the approaching guards, "They’re the saddest bunch I’ve ever seen," I sing out, almost in a whimper.
"And they haven't got a clue..." Cloud Kicker responds in song, shaking her head.
Tapping my mace, I smile, “Oh Honey, I’m… gonna make a smear… out of you!”
Sticking her tongue out, Cloud Kicker shakes her head, “Gross, excessive, but now you’re getting it…” She takes a fighting stance beside me while singing out, “Be a mare!”

The guards rush at us. Blossomforth vaults over us, curling her wings around her body as she bowls into them with a shout. Several guards evade her attack and barrel towards Cloud and I. Moon stays in the background as I slam the mace overhead into the helmet of the first guard to meet me. His helmet splits, along with his skull. The other guard in the narrow hallway raises his asp, only to be taken by two wingblades to the chest. I put my booted hoof on the guard’s chest as I pull my mace free before elbowing a third guard and breaking his clear Plexiglas face shield. Cloud leaps into the air, slicing the guard with the broken face mask in the neck before whirling and bucking with all of her might a fourth guard. I grin as the two remaining guards look at the ones we’ve just dispatched. I twirl my mace, “We’re fighting for friends and fam-a-ly.”
“Be a mare!” Blossomforth chirps out.

The humans turn tail and run as we make it into the lab itself. Moon crushes the door and tosses it to the side. As we get inside, I find my heart dropping. A pony is there, or was. He was a unicorn. His horn seemed to have been surgically extracted, judging by the damage to his forehead, his mouth is frozen in the rictus of a scream. I grab one of the humans, this one in a lab coat. “Were fighting for harmony too.” I sing into his face before tossing him at two other humans cowering against another table.
“Be a mare!” Cloud Kicker sings as she starts opening up the cages, stacked three high against the wall, every one with a pony in way too small confinement.

Moon’s eyes glow as she starts pulling ponies that are unconscious. The pain and rage she feels is painted across her face as she turns with all the rescued ponies in her magic. She sings as we head up the stairs. “We’ll stand against this injustice.” As we climb and exit on the second lower level, we all skid to a stop.

Standing before us is a full two dozen guards, all in riot gear. Though my eyes are fastened to what could best be described as an absolute monster of a human. He’s maybe chest high to me with my best judgement, but his arms are as thick as my thighs, his blue uniform shirt is straining to cover a massive chest. He’s holding a steel baton, and he’s actually bending the steel. The look on his face chills me to the bone as the magic pushes me to finish off the song. “And I can’t believe, this song, came out of the blue!!!!”

Chapter 45.

The last few weeks have been hell for me. We got back to Montana. Mindy has been spending most of her time talking with the ponies working for the Government. Cipher Splash has been forwarding everything she could think of for the ponies in Montana to search for Dust. We’ve been over the southern border a good half dozen times, each time we’ve come up empty. Though our knowledge of everything Spectrum has increased exponentially. They not only have their claws in their legitimate research, but they are also deep in the drug trade between the central and South American countries and the US.

A knock on my door brings me up from a light snooze. I look over as it slowly swings open, revealing the bright white mane of the party unicorn. It doesn’t have its usual bounce, but neither is it completely flat.

“Hi, Irony.” Mindy says.

I put a hoof to my lips, signaling quiet. Helen is pressed up against me, Moon Shadow is on the other side, both of them are sleeping, though Helen’s face, even in sleep, shows how troubled she is with the loss of Dust. Moon is likely roving the world of Dreams, trying to get some clue where our missing pegasus is.

Mindy takes a step into the room. “I’ve got a list of potential sites. But we don’t have anything really good to check them out.” She says, keeping her voice low in deference to the pony and human sleeping.

I nod. “Print out a map, cell service is probably spotty there. I’ll head down first thing in the morning.”

Mindy steps close to the bed, then brings her forehooves onto it, then hops her rear end up. With a little arranging, she’s between Moon and me, holding my barrel tightly. Between the loss of Soarin, and the taking of Lightning Dust, Mindy’s life has been turned upside down more than most. She usually sleeps close to Trixie, but quite often she’s snuggled up with me or with Helen. I don’t object, she needs the closeness.

“So, where are these sites?” I whisper.

“South America, you’ll have to cross the panama canal. Do you want a chariot?”

I frown. “No, I’ll drive down there, give me something to do rather than wait for a break.”

“Bring your armor, the last one we raided went up in flames right before we showed up. But there likely will be humans resisting. There’s a lot of drugs there. I wouldn’t be surprised if you encountered humans with a lot of guns. The whole area is cartel controlled, and likely on Spectrum’s payroll.”

I nod. “I’ll find her.”

****

The pegasus in Pennsylvania isn’t having the best of days. He’s sitting down on his office chair, looking at his bank information on his computer screen, then the rows of figures he’s been laboriously writing with the pencil in his mouth. No amount of figuring seems to prevent the final number from ending in the negative.

“How the hell am I going to get a job like this?” He murmurs softly. He closes his eyes to think. What did he do back in Equestria? Only a few moments has him opening his eyes and shaking his head. His memories are muddled, he doesn’t remember much more than being a member of the Royal Guard. He remembers some of the other ponies there. But his actual job within the guard? Not a clue. He sighs, lowering his head to the desk. “What can I do?” He moans. Food is easy, being a pony he can graze with other of his four legged brethren. But grass and hay is not the most appetizing of fair. Before all this, he had a nice little savings account, and the house and land was long since paid for. But paying for power, internet, water, propane, and he can’t forget the yearly tax bill for the property. He sighs, looking at the numbers. He’d emailed the ponies in Montana, and Mayor Mare had replied, they can offer financial help if he needs it. And also they offer training in weather control. Something in the recesses of his brain says that he can handle the weather, he’s tried pushing clouds around, and figured out how to make them rain on command. But in the end, would it be cheaper or easier to move out west? Join the other ponies? But what of ponies here in this part of the nation?

“Well, pegasi have lived as nomads, making their homes on ephemeral clouds and only really coming down for food.” He says softly to himself. But give up this home? Give up everything he’s got already? He snorts, no. Perhaps some of the farmers can use a weather pegasus?

A knock at the door causes his head to pop up. He hadn’t heard the sound of an engine, nor the crunch of wheels on the gravel road up to the house. Who in the hell is that? He hops from his chair and heads to the door. He looks at the door knob, gonna have to get some pony friendly ones, these round ones suck. He takes the knob in his teeth and turns his head to pull the door open.

He’s immediately glomped onto by a pony, the pegasus wraps her wings around him. “Oh Harts!”

“From DC, right?”

She nods. “You were right, some humans found us, one of the delivery drivers apparently saw one of us. Some guys, from someplace called Spectrum came and tried to round us all up. Most of us got away! We’ve been travelling at night, trying to keep away from the humans.” She stops and shudders. “We have to help them!”

“Hold up, hold up.” Harts Fire says quickly. “Help them?”

“Yeah! Two of us got captured. One earth pony, one unicorn. Coriander hasn’t even really figured out how to use his magic yet!”

Harts growls softly in his throat. “I’ll get them out, you know where they went?”

Another pegasus steps in the door, followed by two unicorns and five earth ponies. “I followed their van. No, they didn’t see me. I can take you to where they were brought.”

Harts nods as one of the unicorns, he remembered her from watching the show, she steps closer. “Please, they have my father!” She moans.

“Don’t worry Saffron, we will get your father back.” The impending financial doom temporarily forgotten, he brings the ponies into his house, time to do some planning.

***

The young woman bites her lower lip softly as she makes one last turn on the micro-torque wrench before checking the numbers. The surgeons had done a marvelous job of implanting the permanent mount and the bracket joint moves feely. Just a few weeks to heal and there is no more need for straps, no more chaffing. “There, now. That wasn’t so bad, was it?” Her patient doesn’t say a word, though she does get a kiss on the cheek, which says it all. A job worthy of a smile.

“Nuan, are you almost done?” Comes a voice from the other side of the door.

“Just finished.” She chirp, giving the dog a ruffle on the head.

The German shepherd part of the British 1st Military Working Dog Regiment had been attached to the Corps of Royal Engineers out of Al Asad Airbase. His job was to help with the detection and clearing of IED’s used by groups such as the DAESH.

She takes a moment to undo the straps holding the dog to the table so he didn’t struggle during the final fitting. He scrambles to his feet, looking back at the rod of aluminum sticking out from his hind leg, nosing it, trying to figure out what is now attached to where his leg was before.

She reaches out and pushes on his hip, causing him to put the new prosthesis to the table. The dog still seems rather confused. So she wraps her arms around him, lifting the six stone animal off the table and gently depositing him on the floor.

“Okay, try it out.” She murmurs softly. The dog puts weight on it, though it looks dubious as to the ability of the new leg to work. Only a few moments of walking has the dog smiling and wagging his tail. “See, it isn’t that bad at all, is it?”

Sometimes she is certain that the animals are talking back to her. She squats down, “With that, you can do anything you could before that nasty day that took your leg.” She reaches out and hugs the dog, getting the dog to hug her back, and shortly her face is covered in doggy kisses. She sputters a bit as she reaches out to grab the table to help heave herself back upright.

Grabbing the leash from the table she turns around. The dog notices the leash, getting a case of the zoomies, he jumps and starts running around the room, his tail wagging a mile a minute. His new leg giving him the speed and movement he had been without for the last several months. Not yet used to it, the dog slides around, slamming into desks and benches as he barks happily. As she fits the leash on the dog’s collar, she’s interrupted by a clearing of a throat. She looks up at her boss.

She smiles at her. “You are so good with our smaller patients.”

Chasing after the dog she grabs his collar and attaches the leash with a laugh. “It’s fine, just a little Kerfuffle, with a big,” She makes a raspberry F sound, “in the middle, he got excited at his…” Looking up, she sees the director had entered the room and is standing beside her supervisor. “And, I’ll stop talking now.” She takes a step back, drawing the leashed dog behind her, looking down.

“It’s okay, I’ve heard some good things about you,” The director says with a smile, “You work so well with the animal patients. I’ve got to head to the US in the morning, I want to you join me, we have a few special clients to see in California, Wyoming and Montana.”

Nuon smiles. “Oh, thank you for the opportunity!”

He nods, looking over at Nuan’s supervisor, Ileana. “Gotta show recognition to our young up and comers.”

She scratches her hip, something seemed to have bitten her on her thigh. She shakes her head. “I’m just trying to help, after all you did for me.”

Looking down at her leg, he takes a knee, “That’s one of ours. I never did hear what happened.” Ileana, smiles, “It happened when she was four, living back in Cambodia.”

“I was just a normal child, helping on my grandparents farm, I was playing out at the wooded edge of the property when I stepped on an old land mine. I lost my right leg just above the knee.” Rubbing her thigh, she looks down at her leg, “I was taken to the hospital.”

“Britton’s Department for International Development, and UK aid had been ramping up help for people there,” Ileana said and stroked Nuon’s head gently. “This was back when Bristol Robotics was just starting out.”

“UK Aid was doing what they could, and Bristol donated some early sized for kids.” Noun said, “They were clunky with really basic and simple systems in them, well those that had systems. It did get me interested in how they worked and looked.”

Standing up she looks down at the dog, “So, over the years, I went through a couple different ones as I grew, prosthetics don’t grow so we get lopsided at times, this led to the introduction of the adjustable length screws,”

Smiling she takes a seat and pats the dogs head, “UK Aid thought I had a talent, so they got me a grant to go to school in Hong Kong, I even did my internship there.”

“That was about the time our company broke off from Bristol? When we became Open Bionics?” The director asked.

“Yep, she got her engineering degree from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology on her twenty-second birthday, she was brought on full time.” Ileana said, “Well worth the investment.”

“I had worked in Hong Kong for two years as an unpaid intern during my final years at university, but after being hired I got my visa. I’ve spent the last nearly three years here in Bristol.”

“The hospitals here are a bit more advanced, so she decided to go through a similar surgery to what has been done with her current patient. A permanent mount grafted directly to the bone. It’s worked fantastically, her leg is made of titanium, with a strong knee joint and a sturdy treaded foot. She can walk on almost any surface, and she’s as fast as almost anyone with two fully functioning leg.” Ileana went on, “Hence her being a poster child for the office.”

“I’m not just a designer I’m a client too!” She chirps.

“Well, on Ileana’s suggestion, and because you’ve had the most experience with animals here.” He smiles nodding to Ileana, “We’ve had a request from across the pond.” The director says and holds up some papers. “I’ve gotten you a visa for work in America, we have been requested to help with some special clients in California, Wyoming, and Montana.”

“A trip to America?” She smiles then blinks, with all the crazy things that have been happening over the last few months. A US aircraft carrier attacked and damaged. Rumors of intelligent ponies abounding, like that video from DC a few months before, showing those ponies, some of them with wings?

“Is it… Safe?” She asks with a gulp.

Chuckling, the Director nods, “It’s not as bad as it seems on the news, besides you aren’t going to any of the places you see on the tele, the most important thing to remember though, is they drive on the wrong side of the road.” She nods and thinks of the videos of them attacking this crazy looking creature. The videos are gone now, and in their place, a lot of different videos proclaiming that they were some kind of disinformation campaign, 4chan or hackers trying to scare people. As usual, the conspiracy theory websites are abuzz with the new mess of the moment coming out of the US.

“I need to pack, I need to get ready, I need…”

“You need to breath,” Ileana says smiling, “You’ll be flying first class, its only for a few days, you only need to bring about three days of stuff. The flight leaves tonight, but we got you first class.” Standing up she nods and grabs the travel packet and runs for the door.

“Nuon?” Ileana calls out.

Stopping she turns back. “What?”

Pointing at the leash, “Are you planning on taking him to?”

Looking at the leash in her hand she quickly hands it to the director, “Oops, here sir.”

The director looks at the leash then at Ileana, as Nuon makes a break for it.

Smiling, she breaks out her phone as she heads down the halls, it’s only a few taps on her phone to order a BBlue taxi. The app lets her know the taxi would be there shortly, and she finds herself almost bouncing at the door waiting.

As the blue car pulls up she slides in and smiles, rambling off her home address as she opens the travel packet looking at her papers. America, she had heard stories about it, seen it on the tele, but never been there. Sitting she looks at the papers smiling.

“Ma’am?”

She feels herself getting shaken lightly, “Ma’am are you ok?”

Blinking she looks up and around quickly, “Oh man, sorry, so excited about the trip I completely lost track.”

Putting her packet away she paid the cab driver and ran up into her flat. It wasn’t a huge flat, a typical one bedroom with balcony, but it was affordable. She walks to her closet and grabs her suitcase, tossing it on the bed and then opens her dresser drawers. Really it only takes a few minutes to grab the clothes she will need in the US.

“Yoga pants and t-shirts for California, oh and a pair of shorts, it’s always supposed to be hot there.” She says, then looks at her closet again, “A few pairs of heavier jeans and a few long-sleeved shirts for Montana, I can probably pick up a parka there easy enough. Oh can’t forget my HKU hoodie.” Smiling she stops then picks up her Pho Real panda hoodie and tosses that in as well. Socks, nickers, sleepwear and… Looking around she makes a quick run through the bathroom to brush her hair and wash her face. Looking at herself in the mirror for a moment she sticks her tongue out pulling down lightly on her right eye, then dumps her toiletries in a small bag and tosses it into the bag.

Tapping her phone, she checks the time then eeps. “Can’t miss the Paddington Express.”

Grabbing her case, she quickly locks the door and jogs to the station. It’s almost a two-hour ride to Paddington station, before she can transfer to the Heathrow shuttle, but it gives her a bit more time to look at her travel folder. Her boarding pass for her flight, along with her full itinerary. American Airlines Flight AA135 London Heathrow to LAX leaving in… She glances at her watch, 1715, so she’s got a bit over three hours to get there. Leaning back in her seat and thumbs through her text messages with a little sigh. Tilting her head, she smiles at cyber birthday cards from several of her coworkers and a few friends. ‘Happy Birthday!’ ‘Happy 25th, you’re an old hag now.’ ‘You’re 25, when am I getting grand children?’ “Mom…” She grumbles lightly before laughing. She shakes her head as she slides the phone into her pocket, it still occasionally dinging with new messages.

The ride is uneventful, so is getting to her gate. One of the Mobility Movers had picked her up and brought her to the security check in. It went faster than she thought it would, but all her documents were so clearly laid out, security didn’t even ask her questions. Even the leg was in the documents for the screening. Arriving at the gate she sees her boss waiting, sitting in a chair with an open airline pamphlet.

Looking over her shoulder then at the time she shook her head, “But, how… I thought I was fast.”

“I teleported,” He says closing the pamphlet.

“Huh?” She blinks looking confused, “how, what?”

“I was already packed, and the company car was waiting for me. I then caught the earlier shuttle train, I had some business here, and wanted to make sure security didn’t have a problem with your prosthetics.”

“I.. oh… Thanks.” Blushing, she looks down and smiles.

“Besides, I figured this trip would be a good birthday present, since you couldn’t get home to see your parents this year.”

“Boarding Flight…”

Looking up he smiles, “That’s us.” Standing up he moves into the Mobility unit and sits down as it begins heading down the jetway to the 777 widebody. Both of them head into the first-class cabin. Her laptop bag makes it into the overhead bin, and she sits down in the seat, buckling herself in. She looks around at the comfortable seating at the front of the huge airliner. She settles down to watch the rest of the people file slowly in and find their own seats.

Not too much later, the heavy plane leaves the ground behind and climbs towards thirty-five thousand feet for its eleven and a half hour flight not only across the Atlantic Ocean, but across nearly the entirety of the US mainland.

The moment the seatbelt light is extinguished, she jerks to her feet. “Gotta pee, gotta pee, gotta pee.” She murmurs as she quickly heads down the aisle looking for an unoccupied lav. She opens the door to the lav and squeezes in, her small size makes it much easier than some of the other people aboard the flight. In fact, once inside, she finds herself having a fair amount of space to move around, with large mirrors on the door and over the sink. For users to adjust their clothing and touch up makeup on this long haul flight.

She quickly peels down her pants, she wastes no time, sitting down she sighs and looks at her hair in the mirror. Her business there concludes rather quickly, and she reaches to grab some tissue, turning slightly to reach the roll. Something catches her eye, however. A bruise on her upper thigh. Turning slightly more to show her hip in the mirror, she stops.

The purple she thought was a bruise is actually some kind of tattoo or imprint that looks like three balls of yard, boldly emblazoned on her leg. The one in the center is purple, with two needles sticking through it. A yellow and a pink one flank the bigger one in the middle. A quick look at the other thigh shows an identical mark there. She shakes her head, taking a moment to try to understand what she’s seeing. She finishes and deposits the tissue into the toilet before standing up and looking at her thigh in the mirror. She shakes her head, taking a moment to try to understand what she’s seeing. She scratches the mark, and no, it doesn’t come off.

“I haven’t been drunk, have I?” She searches back in her memory; she hadn’t been drunk in the last several months. Why is this on her thigh? She inhales deeply.

The scream from the lavatory alerts everyone on the plane, two of the attendants dash towards the lav, taking a moment to override the interior lock and forcing the door open. They find Nuon crumpled on the floor, her pants around her ankles. “Kerfuffle, what’s wrong?” The younger flight attendant asks, reaching out to shake the poor woman.

***

I slam the trunk on my beloved car. I’ve got a long drive ahead of me. Mindy has provided several maps of my route, along with a listing of places I can fuel up without causing too much of a stir. I don’t want to take anypony with me, not without confirmation of Dust’s presence.

I turn around and something is floating in front of my face, held in the orange umbra of Mindy’s magic. “It’s a satphone.” She chirps. “It doesn’t have a very good data connection, you’ll have to depend on cell towers for that. But with this, you’ll be able to call me anytime, and I’ll have my phone on me at all times. You let us know where Dust is, and we’ll get a chariot down there lickety split.”

I pocket the phone, offering a quick smile to the unicorn. By Celestia is good to actually be doing something for a change. A quick glance on the navigation on my phone shows it’s a twenty-six hour drive just to the US-Mexican border. Thanks to some strings being pulled, I’ve got a new passport with my pony identification, so crossing over the border shouldn’t be too much of an issue. Ponies aren’t really in the public eye, but the current administration has been fast tracking everything to get legal status so the ponies can have the same rights and freedoms that the humans have. Though there are no guarantees after I cross over that border. We’ve been assured that the border patrol knows we exist. Though some of the Podunk sheriffs all over the nation are still clueless. I’m going to have to keep to the speed limit, and drive conservatively to make sure that I don’t attract any undue attention. Moon Shadow steps closer. “I found a cheap crystal at the rock shop in town.” She says, pointing to the crystal now hanging from the rear view mirror. “I’ll charge it, should give you a few days of people being unable to really notice what’s going on inside the car.” Her horn lights and she closes her eyes. A muted flash from the crystal has her smiling brightly at me. “Please, Irony. Find her.”

I reach down and pick up Moon, hugging her tightly. “I’ll find her, Moon. I promise.”

Chapter 46.

The human looks at the card in his hand, then at me. "Umm, ma'am...” He gulps. “I'm going to need you to.... pull... your pants down."

I look over at him. "WHAT?!"

"I, Its.." Looking at the ID then at me, he shakes his head. "I need to verify your cutie mark."

“What the fuck? The American agents didn’t ask for that.”

He looks apologetic. “Your country has informed us about the ponies, but they’ve also told us about the identification requirements.” He looks down at my hip, then up at my eyes. “And they include your cutie marks.”

It wasn’t enough that I get directed to a siding so I have to actually go inside the office, but now this Mexican border patrol agent is asking to verify my cutie mark. I look out at my car, parked in the desert heat. I finally turn to him and sigh. “Alright.” I just threw on the jungle camo pants and black tank top for modesty’s sake when it comes to being around humans. Now I’ve got to show them my cutie mark. I turn to the right and unbutton my pants, I’m not wearing underwear, and you can’t make me wear that, as a pony on four legs or two. I hitch down the left side of my pants enough to show him my mark on that side. He looks at the mark, then at my ID and my passport. Finally he nods, allowing me to pull up my pants and button them quickly. He makes a mark and places a stamp on my passport and holds out my documentation. “Welcome to Mexico, mizz.”

I snatch them and stalk back to my car, growling at the delay. Since I was leaving the country, the US border patrol really didn’t even give me a second look, and the crystal that Moon had given me had prevented casual looks at me while driving. Crossing a national border isn’t nearly as simply as crossing a state border. Though, it could have been worse, I could have been detained, and Celestia knows what else could have happened. I turn the key and my baby roars to life. I throw her into reverse and back out of the parking space, then I pop her into first and rev the engine a bit before popping the clutch. I leave a satisfying streak of rubber behind me as I accelerate onto the highway. I’ve lost enough time with this. And this is not the only national border I’m going to have to deal with in the next few days. I sigh, pulling my hat a little further down on my head. I’m going to find Dust, no matter what it takes.

The drive through Mexico is rather boring, to be honest. It’s hotter than Montana, one thing my baby doesn’t have is air conditioning. So, windows down and shooting down the road, with the attendant dust flying around is just a fact of life. The hours of the drive through Mexico actually pass rather quickly.

***

Harts Fire lands with a thump on the top floor of the building, two other pegasi landing next to him, one of them setting down a unicorn before folding her own wings. Three pegasi and one unicorn, to try to save ponies in what seems like a secure facility. Harts sighs softly. “I don’t see how we can do it.” He murmurs. He pulls out his phone. He has been in contact with the only real pony colony so far set up, back in southeast Montana. A few taps on the screen has the phone dialing.

Even being late in the evening two hours behind, the voice is instantly recognizable, if a bit different than the voice in the show. “Mayor Mare speaking.”

Harts runs down the problem quickly, letting the earth pony know where they are, and what is going on. As he winds down, the voice on the other side picks up. “Okay, Lightning Dust has been working on how to address such issues. They’ve got a few teams set up to help ponies in this situation. I’ll talk to Mindy, we will get a team on the way.” Harts watches as one of the pegasi takes to the air and streaks towards the building that the ponies were taken. He gives their location for the team to find them when they arrive. Though his eyes widen as their ETA.

“Less than an hour?”

“Mh hmm, they were actually in the area, the last few weeks the teams haven’t been super busy, their work has been rather constant. Though the majority are simply ponies and humans hiding from the rest. Very rarely do they have to do anything more than offer them refuge here.”

“So, not many humans are jerks about the ponies?”

“Oh, no. Not at all, many are relieved that the ponies have a safe place to go. The vast majority of ponies have friends that stay friends with them through their changes. Many of the humans are worried that other humans might treat their friends poorly. We have actually been fairly well received by most humans. But the teams exist for the outliers, where the humans treat the ponies like slaves, or as sexual objects. Don’t worry, Harts, we will help get your friends to safety.”

Harts thanks the other pony before closing down the phone, not much time to wait.

***
She wasn’t a speedster, she wasn’t an endurance flyer, she wasn’t even a weather pony, but she was doing her best, her wings pumping hard as she cut though the sky.

She was exhausted and sore, she knew she’d have to land soon for another break and maybe a nap. “Come on Kerfuffle,” she mumbled, “Yeah, that’s spelt the way it sounds with the double fuff in the middle, ya can do this. Ya have to get to Manehatten.”

She sets down on a cloud and huffs, panting a bit, looking up at the setting sun. The sun had been acting strange for weeks now, it didn’t move smoothly, instead, it “ticked” its way across the sky, moving in jerks every minute. Laying her head on her forelegs she slowed her breathing, trying to relax a bit.

“Hurry up!” She heard the first voice.

“You where the one that wanted to stop for a drink,” the second voice counters, “Now we lost her.”

Blinking Kerfuffle leans over the side of the cloud looking down and see’s the two foals flying, following her course. “Pickle? Barley?” She squeaks in surprise.
Pickle backwings and looks up, “Oops, um, found her.”
Barley sighs and looks down, “Busted.”

“What the fluff are ya doing here?” Kerfuffle said, standing up and folding her wings, “This is not safe, don’t cha know?”

“As the president,” Pickle started.

“And vice president,” Barley added.

“Of the Rainbow Dash fan club, and junior,” Pickle went on.

“Want to be,” Barley said.

“Unofficial,” Pickle countered looking at his sister then back up at Kerfuffle,

“Wonderbolt cadets in training, we decided it was our duty to go with you. To see why none of the new wonderbolt posters have arrived.”

“You really do need to go back, it’s too far a flight.” Kerfuffle said firmly.

“We’re almost halfway there,” Barley said.

“And we’ve stayed close to you all the way so far, so it’s safe, you wouldn’t send us home, alone.” Pickle countered. Both the Barrel twins give Kerfuffle wide foal eyes.

“I need to head back with ya right now,” Kerfuffle said putting her hoof down.

“That would be days back.” Barley stated, “It would be easier just to continue on, do our jobs then zip back.”

Looking back towards her town, then towards Manehatten she sighed.

“It’s been weeks since we saw any mail. “I know we never got much before but, even the deliveries from Rarity For You have not come in, and they are never late. I just…”

Both foals kept with the wide eyes, lower lips quivering, “Pleeeeeeeese.”

With a sigh Kerfuffle relented, “Fine.”

It felt like the days went by in a blur, as they covered the last distance to the city, finally they could see the towering buildings in the distance. The skyline, the ocean, statue in the bay standing on its head, holding a torch with its hind legs. This was her first time to the big city, and even at a distance it seemed quieter than she thought. As she got closer to the city, resting on a cloud with the twins, she has started to notice some things are simply…off. Some of the small towns close to the city are completely abandoned, landing there and trying to find ponies was an exercise in futility.

She nuzzles Barley. “We’ll be there soon.” Pickle Barrel is standing at the edge of the cloud, he points. “There’s a pegasus flying over there!” He launches off the cloud, flying as fast as he can. “No, wait, stay with us.” Kerfuffle shouts as the pegasus colt speeds off. Barley joins her as they leap off the cloud in pursuit of the colt. As they get closer, she puts on a burst of speed and grabs the colt, gesturing for the filly to follow her into another cloud bank. As they land, she points. “That’s not a pegasus.” She whispers. “That’s a dragon.”

Pickle struggles for a moment, before he stops. “Oh no, where are the ponies?” He buries his face in her chest, his body heaving.

The dragon seems to have noticed something, it turns in their direction. “Oh, no.” Kerfuffle moans. In moments, it’s apparent that the dragon has noticed them. “Kids, scatter!” She shouts, pushing the foals off the cloud as she shoots straight up. “If you want somepony to chase, chase me!” She shouts as she takes off. Dragons stay out of Equestria, having a dragon flying so near a city has to be bad. She ducks as the dragon breathes fire at her, getting her to yelp and do a loop. She can see both of the foals are heading for the ground as the dragon continues to pursue her.

She’s not a fast flyer, nor is she the most maneuverable. She jukes hard to the side to avoid another gout of flame. The dragon is fast, it puts on a burst of speed, catching her in its claws. She struggles in the grip of the monstrous creature.

“Nice, I found a little morsel.” The fetid breath of the creature washes over her. The dragon looks from side to side. “I don’t think Discord would mind if I had a little pony snack.” She yelps as she’s brought closer, the maw of the creature opens, revealing sharp teeth, which elicits a loud scream from the pegasus pony.

“Oh, I most certainly would mind.” Comes a new voice. Kerfuffle looks over to see the craziest creature she’s ever seen before. He looks like a dragon, but he’s made of all different kinds of different body parts. He holds out what looks like a lion’s paw.

“Awww, Discord. You ruin my fun.” The dragon hands over the pony. “You know, there were two more of them.”

“I know, I’ve sent them somewhere I can play with them for a bit, but you have to remember, ponies aren’t for eating, they belong to me.”

“What did you do to them?” Kerfuffle gasps.

The monster smiles, something to make Kerfuffle want to cry. “The kids? I’ll have fun with them in a bit. If, you are out looking for ponies, don’t worry, you’ll see them soon enough.” He cocks his head to the side. “You’ll be joining them. Five Score Divided by Four…”

Nuan jerks up with a loud gasp, “Pickle! Barley!” She shouts.

The director of Open Bionics grabs her hand. “What happened?”

She blinks, putting her hand up to her forehead. “Sir, I remember, or at least I did remember.” She frowns. “I remember Pickle Barrel and Barley Barrel.” She lets her body flop down on her seat. Someone had let it fold out so she could lay down on it.

“Who were they?”

“Kids, from my hometown. They were with me and…” She starts blinking as her eyes tear up, “I can’t remember, I know it’s important, but I can’t… Sorry sir.”

“My name is Joel, Nuan. You can call me by my name.”

Nuan looks down at her hand in his, then snatches it away, blushing. “Sorry sir.” He clears his throat and crosses his arms giving her a fatherly look. She looks down. “Sorry, Joel.” Eliciting a smile.

He looks at the two flight attendants hovering nearby. “Those are odd names for kids. Would those be the English translations of names from Cambodian?”

Nuan frowns scrounging up her nose as she tries hard to think, “Yes. No, I don’t think so. I’ve never heard those names before now. At least I don’t remember them.”

He stands up and moves over to sit down in his seat. “Are you okay? The pilot was asking if they had to declare an emergency and set down early.”

Nuan shudders, just bits and pieces of the dream remain, the overall feelings of terror, not just for herself, but for the kids. She shakes her head. “No, I’m fine.”

He nods to the flight attendants, the older one heads forward while the younger one heads to the galley and returns quickly with a cup. “Here, Fuff, have something to drink, okay?

Joel looks at her. “Fuff?” The attendant looks confused then shakes her head, “Sorry, a little scatterbrained with the commotion.” She looks at Nuan. “Sorry ma’am.”

Nuan is able to smile a little. “It’s Nuan.”

“Melanie.” She chirps.

“Nice to meet ya.” Nuan leans back in her seat. “What a crazy birthday, freaking out in an airplane bathroom over some joker putting tattoos on your thighs is not what I was looking forward to.”

“It’s your birthday? Mine too!” Nuan brightens, “Really? I just turned twenty-five.”

“Me too!” The flight attendant moves off, keeping herself busy as the flight moves through the night, Nuan leans back and closes her eyes, hoping for more sleep.

***

“My name is Winter Storm.” The pegasus says as the chariot lands.

“Harts Fire.”

The pegasus turns to introduce the other members of the team, but Harts stops, his wings popping up in surprise. “Trixie?”

She frowns. “Do I…know you?”

That gets a loud laugh from the stallion. “No, but I remember you from the show.”

That gets the blue unicorn to blush. “The show wasn’t entirely accurate when it comes to me…”

“No worries, I loved you in the show. The Great and Powerful, the Meek and Humble, the Cute and Cuddly…”

Trixie blushes further. “Cute and Cuddly?” One of the pegasi, a stallion that was introduced as Lightning Flash, moves over and puts a wing over Trixie, which causes her to lean into him for a moment, eliciting a smile from the older pegasus.

It’s Harts’ turn to blush. “Nevermind.” He stops and gulps. “We have a situation here, Winter. Humans abducted the ponies, so I don’t think this will be easy.

Winter Storm reaches into the chariot, grabbing a harness which she quickly fits on, she reaches in a second time and grabs a long…rifle, which she fits onto the harness, it clicking into place along with what looks like a heads up display that she fits on her head, settling a single reticle over her right eye. She smiles at Harts. “No worries. We can deal with humans that are reluctant to give up ponies.”

The other members of the team quickly don their own armor, getting Harts to take a step back. These ponies are ready for trouble. He hopes that they don’t have to deal with too much. He nods as the ponies are ready. “Let’s go.”

The pegasi flare their wings as Trixie lights her horn, teleporting the earth pony and herself to the front of the indicated building. Harts and Winter both flutter down and land next to the ground bound ponies. Winter steps forward and reaches out to pull on the door. The lobby is rather deserted, it being after normal business hours. The group of ponies stops before the elevator.

Harts examines the list of tenants for the building. “Fifth floor.” He says softly as the elevator arrives with a ding. Luckily, no humans are aboard the elevator, and the ponies make it up without incident. They turn and see a security desk, with a human in a white shirt with a gold badge on his chest. Harts takes the lead and rears up to put his forehooves on the desk.

“I know you have ponies here. We want them back.”

The human stands up, putting a hand on the gun on his belt. “This is a private company. No admittance.”

The chime of magic is loud as the gun is quickly withdrawn from the holster, encased in the red aura of the blue unicorn. Before the astonished eyes of the guard, the slide is drawn back, ejecting the round and the magazine drops from the handle. Then the slide moves forward, sliding off the frame of the gun. Then the spring is pulled off, and the barrel floats from the slide. Trixie grunts a bit as the barrel is turned into a pink teacup and set on the desk. “We weren’t asking.”

The human’s hand moves towards the desk, only to have the barrel of Winter’s gun end up poking him in the nose, the pegasus hovering before him. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Two other pegasi of the team, Lightning Flash and Morning Star, help us get the human into a seat, where Trixie’s magic bends the arms of the chair around his arms. He’s going to be stuck there for a while. Trixie takes his access card in her magic. Winter leads the ponies down the corridor, and the access door opens to the proffered card. As the ponies work their way through the deserted offices, they find a door labeled lab. Winter looks over at Trixie, who opens the door with the card. Then they stop, Winter growls low in her throat.

The scene is horrifying to the ponies, the unicorn is on his back, his chest is open, his mouth frozen in the rictus of a scream. Adding in, his horn is gone, just a very short stump remaining. A human in surgical scrubs looks up in annoyance as others in the same garb take several steps back.

Everything happens in an instant. Saffron’s wail punctuates the enraged screams from both Harts and Winter. The pegasus mare flashes forward, knocking the human into the wall, the barrel of her gun pressed up against the underside of his jaw. “What the fuck are you doing?” Harts is only marginally slower as he joins Winter in holding the human up against the wall.

Trixie takes a few steps forward, rearing up on the table as her horn lights. “Maybe I can…” She closes her eyes as her aura enfolds the unicorn on the table. After long, agonizing seconds, she pulls back, her horn quieting. “I’m so sorry.” She murmurs. “He’s gone.”

Saffron leaps forward, gathering her father in her hooves, not noticing the blood coating her body as she brings him close, petting his head as she sobs. Harts gulps before turning back to the human. “How dare you!” He shouts.

“Hey, I was just doing my job.” The human says, noticing the scalpel in his hand, which he hurriedly drops. The other humans beat a hasty exit from the enraged pegasus.

“You fuck, you absolutely miserable fuck!” Winter screams. She looks back at the wailing unicorn then at the human. “You’ve signed your own death warrant.” She growls.

The sound of the round being fired is loud in the confined space, though with the muzzle pressed up against his jaw, it’s mitigated somewhat. The effect is devastating, the wall behind him looks as though red paint has been splashed liberally, along with the bits of his skull and brain matter flying everywhere. Winter lets the body fall as she turns to the rest of her team. “Find the rest of the ponies, right the fuck now!”

The other ponies scatter as Winter moves to Saffron, she gathers up the despondent unicorn quickly, pulling her close and away from the body on the table. Both of them shedding tears. Harts contemplates the body that has fallen to the floor before him before turning tail and moving to comfort the other two. It’s only a matter of moments before the other ponies he remembered from his short stay in DC are brought through the door and head out into the offices. He draws the other pegasi with him, trying to keep himself from throwing up.

As they emerge and head towards the elevator a couple other humans rush past, crashing through the emergency door to head down the stairs. The guard screams at them, struggling against his restraints. Winter turns and leaps up on his desk, the barrel of her gun pressed up against his forehead. “Give me a reason.” She growls, which gets him to freeze in place.

The ponies move to the elevator, which arrives in moments, allowing them to all pile in. The ride down five floors is conducted in silence. They head slowly towards the entrance, punctuated by the horrible sobbing from Saffron.

“FREEZE!” The voice gets all the ponies to look up. A member of Boston’s finest is standing there, his service weapon pointed at them.

“Get out of the way.” Winter growls.

“Not gonna happen. We’ve gotten reports of shots fired. You are coming with me.”

Winter takes a step forward, only to have Trixie put a hoof on her withers. “Let me handle this.” She says to the pegasus before turning towards the human. “These ponies have been illegally held, and one was killed in illegal medical experiments.” She gestures to the other ponies. “We are taking them where they will be safe.”

“You aren’t going anywhere but downtown so we can sort all of this out.” The human says.

“Well, fine then.” Trixie says. “We are going to do this the hard way.” Her horn surges, the weapon flashing into another teacup, which tumbles to the ground and shatters. “I’m really sorry to do this.” She says as her magic binds the human up and deposits him on the sidewalk. She looks up at the chariot, the two pegasi pulling it bringing it down for the ponies to load aboard. Winter gestures for the other ponies to clamber aboard. Harts carries the catatonic Saffron aboard and sets her down. The pegasi pulling the chariot take off, Winter and Lightning Flash flanking the chariot in the air as they get above the city and head north and east, heading back to central Pennsylvania.

***

The roads aren’t all that great in this part of Central America. Though I can keep a good clip, on the relatively smooth dirt road, keeping above a hundred miles per hour. The other border crossings haven’t been all that quick, but most of the border patrol agents have been rather dumbfounded at a nearly seven foot tall pony on two legs and really haven’t objected to my passing through all that much. I should be in Columbia within a day or two.

I flash by a large wagon, though out of the corner of my eye, the stallion pulling it looks almost like a pony, like one from Equestria. I snort softly, I doubt ponies would be pressed into pulling wagons. Must have been my imagination. I glance in the rear view mirror, and I almost slow down. It almost looks as though another pony is on top of the wagon, waving at me. I shake my head and huff. I’ve got too many miles ahead of me. I’ve got to get Dust.

Chapter 47.

The wings of the big aircraft, a Boeing 777-223(ER), sway every so slightly as its massive rudder makes slight adjustments allowing the plate to float in gently for a landing. It’s just after six in the evening, and the sun is casting soft orange and red patterns over the Pacific Ocean. A stiff headwind during the first part of the flight got the plane running a little behind schedule. The planes captain and pilot in command, an ex US Airforce transport pilot, practically kisses the ground as the plane transitions from flight to grounded so smoothly, the passengers barely notice the vibration of the tires on the tarmac as the thrust reversers engage and the engines start to scream. The thrust reversers slow the plane from the landing speed of one hundred seventy miles per hour to a mere twenty miles per hour in short order. The pilot presses the brakes to slow to turn off the runway at a mere ten miles per hour.

Nuan smiles at her boss, who smiles back. “Wow, your hair really has changed.” He says softly, “Don’t worry, it’s not that bad.”

She starts, looking around quickly with a gulp, almost confused, “My hair? What’s wrong with it?” She reaches up and finds what would normally be chin length fairly thin black hair, has since grown and thickened into a fluffy pink mop with a very light pink stripe. Her shock is quite evident on her face, “Gah, what…”

He nods and gives a slight chuckle. “Yeah, and soon you are going to be sprouting a tail, probably within the hour, actually.”

“A tail?” She squeaks. She reaches back and feels her rump before sighing hugely. “You’re joking right? Ok, nothing’s there yet.” She leans back in her seat, looking outside the window as the plane taxis towards the gate. She looks back at her boss. “How do you know so much? About the ponies I mean. Before today, I thought they were just rumors, or some publicity stunt by some company, you know like the stormtroopers or rabbits marching down the street.”

“No, they aren’t rumors, they are quite real. We have one or two clients that have changed. Though they’ve asked us to respect their privacy and not advertise their existence too much. As well, the American government has been busy with scrubbing the net of their existence. I don’t understand fully but, they are some kind of an open secret, to be honest.”

Nuan looks down. “What’s going to happen to me?” She looks up at him, tears in her eyes.

“You will become a pony, it’s not that bad from what I’ve seen and heard. What happen beyond that entirely up to you, Nuan. You may decide to stay here in the States with the ponies here, some have been starting up colonies or communities in the USA. The largest I know about is in Montana. Though we’ll be on the other side of the state, I think we can make a few calls and you can at least meet their leader. Her name is Lightning Dust, I believe.”

Nuan frowns. “I don’t know that name. I do remember a Rarity and a Twilight Sparkle, I don’t know why I know those names. I never watched that pony show they had on the tele a few years ago.”

“From what I heard, Twilight Sparkle and her friends went home, they had to fight to take back their world from that Discord chap.” He leans closer. “Apparently, he’s the one who sent all of you here. The details that I’ve heard are rather fuzzy.”

She nods. “I only remember a few images, like some kind of nightmare,” She closes her eyes with a shiver and shakes her head. Then her eyes widen, lifting up an arm. “I… I just felt my ears move. Ears don’t move. At least not like that!”

“Pony ears do. We can see your coat color now too.” He reaches out and runs a finger along the soft fur. “Light blue.” He pulls out his phone. “Okay, we know your name is Kerfuffle, and you’ve got a two-tone pink mane and light blue fur. He frowns and types some more. “Hmm, well this is less than convenient.”

“What?” She looks up, people are standing up as the plane stops at the gate. “What do you mean?” She asks as she joins them, pulling her bag from the overhead bin. Her boss gets up, still working on his phone. Since he’s distracted, she pulls his bag down as well, which he throws on his shoulder distractedly as his thumbs continue on his device.

They walk forward, Nuan’s eyes widen, the stewardess that was helping her earlier is sitting in her jumpseat, her eyes vacant, unmoving. She waves her hand in front of the woman. “Hey, Melanie, you okay?”

The woman blinks a few times. She gasps. “Pickle.” She murmurs. She shakes her head, blinking up at Nuan. “What?” She looks down the aisle at the line of passengers waiting. “Oh, bother, what a time to zone. Jet lag can be a killer,” She leaps to her feet. “Sorry, Fuff, I’ve got work to do.”

The press of people pushes Nuan and her boss out the door of the plane and up the jetway. Her boss is consumed by his phone, he seems to be mumbling as he walks. Comically though, this does not appear to be an oddity as other passengers seemed more interested in their smart phones then what’s going on around them. As they get to the gate waiting area, he turns off to the side, letting the rest of the passengers by. With a soft grumble he looks over at Nuan. “I’m sorry, Nuan, but I’ve searched with your mane and coat color, and also by that name, Kerfuffle. I don’t see anything.”

“Huh? What does that mean.” Nuan asks confused, “Find anything?”

“From what I understand, the show is essentially real. The stories, the ponies, even some of the fan work. Somehow, some of the ponies retained the memories of their lives in Equestria, or something, and that made it into the show.” Shaking his head, he looks at his phone, “That being said I couldn’t find anything on you.”

“Oh…” Nuan looks down, an almost hurt expression running across her face.

“It just means you weren’t shown on screen for the show, you and ponies who know you, simply might not have gotten involved with the fandom.” He puts the phone in his pocket quickly. “No worries, we can talk to the other ponies when we get to Montana. But first. We need to get through customs.”

***

Central Pennsylvania is rather sparsely populated, farms and forests dominate the landscape through much of the state. There are places like the Bald Eagle State forest, the Susquehannock State forest, and many others. Along with a plethora of tiny towns, supporting the local farms scattered throughout. The pegasi pulling the chariot shift their course, the helmets they are wearing have a heads up display to allow them to see their course with their filed flight plan. Though today they are flying VFR rules, and therefore don’t have to file a flight plan. They do, however, have to still watch out for no-fly zones along their planned route. Though even those are fairly rare in this part of the nation. A bit east would be a far different story. Harts Fire is in the lead, guiding them towards his little farmstead. He’s a bit tired from the flying, and is actually looking forward to being grounded, for a little while at least. Not to mention the massive amount of stress over the last several hours. Some time resting sounds good to him. He glances back at the chariot, one specific form curled up on the diamondplate of the floor is going to have a long time recovering. With the loss of her father. Harts suppresses the urge to cry. He knows a lot of tears have been shed already this day. And there is a likelihood of many more in the coming days and months.

He points, and the pegasi knock off a quick salute in acknowledgement, they spiral down with him, shedding their speed rapidly as they come in for a smooth landing on the gravel road. He grounds on his front porch, and the pegasi pull the grounded chariot up close, then they coordinate to walk sideways, rotating the chariot to where the rear is facing the front door. Harts reaches up, unfolding his wings as the nearly comatose mare is placed in his forelegs. He uses his wings for balance as he two-legs it to the front door.

Apparently their arrival was observed as the door opens. “Harts, you got them!” The pegasus looks as though she’s about to leap at him, then she notices what he’s carrying. She looks up at him. “Where’s her dad?”

Harts sniffles a bit. “He’s dead. We were too late.” He blinks a few times, tears falling. “Damn it, why?”

She looks at him quizzically. He uses a feather of a wing to wipe away the tears. She nods. “We are ponies, not humans. Let me guess, it was a lot harder to cry when you were human, right?”

He nods.

She smiles. “Yeah, that’s our nature, Harts. We aren’t humans, and ponies do have our emotions bubble to the surface a lot easier. It’s simply our nature. Among ponies, at least how I remember it, crying is not a sign of weakness, but a source of strength. Remember, our ancestors were prey animals, before we learned magic, before we learned how to be one of the dominant species on our planet. Our nature is radically different than the humans we were before here. Crying, expressing emotions are not nearly as taboo as they are among humans.” She looks at the other ponies as they walk quietly by. “Don’t worry, ponies know if you need time to yourself, and will quite automatically respect your boundaries. Your body language is also quite different compared to humans.”

He looks back at a wing. “But I’m a pegasus.”

She nods. “And there’s a whole additional layer when it comes to pegasus body language. There’s almost a whole language in your wings. You don’t remember all of that now, but over time you will remember how to express yourself when it comes to your body. Ponies can have entire conversations when it comes to our body language.” She reaches out a wing, touching his cheek, though her cheeks heat. “That’s actually a very intimate act, to touch another pony’s cheek with a wing.” She looks down for a moment. “I’ve been thinking a lot since I changed back. I think I was some kind of scholar, I remember living in Manehattan. I remember working at a university.” She shakes her head. “It does help that you are a pretty cute stallion, though.” She turns, leading him into the house, her tail whisking from side to side, Harts eyes widen as he can see she’s definitely showing off her goods. Working with horses and ponies long before his change has given him some knowledge in how they communicate. He shakes his head. He needs to get Saffron into a bed before anything else. Let her body rest before she has to wake up back into the hell her life has become. Maybe he can do something to help her. He sighs as he kicks the door closed behind him.

***

Nuan looks at the line of people. The last hour has been just one long queue. Though she’s proud of herself, her tail did sprout on schedule. Though some of the humans seemed to be surprised by the turn of events. Her boss had produced a small pen knife, allowing her to cut a hole in her jeans so she could fit her tail through. She has no desire to run around pantsless any time soon. She looks up at him. “Why is this taking so long?”

He smiles. “Just bad luck, actually. Since our plane was late, we came in with several other overseas flights. Now, customs is rather swamped at the moment. Just be patient. It is moving at a decent pace.”

She takes a few steps forward. Lifting a cuff of her jeans. “I wonder what’s going to happen with this?”

That gets a smile. “With luck, you’ll grow four legs as a pony, and won’t have need for it anymore.”

“That would be awesome!”

“Quite.”

She turns and watches the group ahead of them head towards a podium. Another podium has their group of people start walking away. The worker waves them forward.”

“Wecome to the United States, passports and visa documentation?”

Nuan hands over her passport as her boss does the same. The worker barely notices them as he opens the little booklets. “Purpose of your visit?”

Her boss supplies the answer. “Business.”

He barely heard the answer. “Anything to declare?”

Her boss pulls out the paperwork for her prosthetic, as well as some other forms. Sliding through the papers, the agent the agent nods slowly, “And you have this in your checked…” he looks up at her boss then at Nuan and blinks. “What’s wrong with your hair?” He adjusts his glasses and squints at her. “And ears? Are those horse ears?”

“I think we prefer to call them pony ears, actually.” Nuan says softly, then blinks shutting her mouth quickly.

The reaction isn’t precisely what she expected. The human adjusts his glasses a second time, then he picks up a phone. “We’ve got a pony in mid transformation, coming off an international flight from the UK.” He says to whomever answered. He listens for a moment before putting the phone down. “Okay, we are going to have to move you over to secondary…miss?”

Nuan directs a panicked look at her boss as she heads the direction she was pointed to. He gathers up her bag quickly and follows, a bit of a smile on his face. “Did you think I was going to just go on without you?”

“Oh…no…heh…heh.”

That gets a smile. “Nuan. You aren’t just an employee here; you are a member of our family. We stay together. No worries at all.”

She suppresses the desire to breathe a deep sigh of relief. Having the tall man walking next to her makes her feel…safe.

Another customs official catches up to them and begins to direct them through the busy airport terminal, acting as an escort. Nuan has her laptop bag over her shoulder and is pulling her carry-on. She looks around at the enormous airport as she walks. It’s so big! The official opens up a door marked authorized personnel only and ushers them inside. She looks around at the new part of the terminal, some sort of large waiting room, with several doors for smaller offices, each with a number above them. Slowly she gazes around the room before her eyes settle on something unexpected, immediately she freezes in place she as her jaw drops.

An actual, fully transformed pony is sitting on one of the waiting roomchairs, along with a couple other humans. The pony is cream colored with a brown mane and tail. Enormous vivid green eyes blink slowly as the pony looks at the newcomers. She finds an empty seat a few seats away from the pony. The pony does offer a small smile, noticing her new mane and tail. Nuan yelps as she sits down, then twitches her tail to the side to before trying to sit down again.

“Just wait here. Someone will talk to you in a little bit.”

“Is… is that what I’m going to look like?” Nuan says looking at the other pony, “I’ve never seen one before.”

Her boss looks up and gives a gentle nod to the pony before looking down at Nuan, “Well in general, that would be an earth pony, we don’t know what kind you are yet, but generally shape and size, yes.”

“There are different kinds?” Pulling out her phone Nuan taps on it a moment then sighs, “And of course, I don’t have service here.”

Her boss smiles. “We’ll pick up some local sim cards. You don’t want to roam in the US, your data charges could get rather pricey. I believe they even sell the cards here in the airport. Shouldn’t be a problem.”

She slides her phone back in her pocket and leans back. Closing her eyes. She tries to let herself float, just trying to keep her mind free and thinking as she lets the time pass. Then she’s brought back to the present by the door opening again. She boggles at what comes in, another pony. A pegasus this time, judging by the wings folded at her side. The pony has a nearly white coat with a dark blue mane and tail. She’s wearing a blue one piece outfit that covers most of her body, with a yellow pattern along her chest and running down her body. Something about that pattern gets Nuan to shake her head. The pattern is somehow that is familiar to her, but the fashion just doesn’t seem right, it needs more color or something. The large green eyes of the pegasus rove across the assembled humans and the pony waiting. She zeroes in on the pony and trots over to her.

“Good evening, I’m High Winds.”

The other pony looks shocked for a moment before dropping her head down sullenly.

“Sprichst du Deutsch?”

A shaken head.

“Hablas espanol?”

Again, the pony shakes her head.

Then the pony switches to another language, it sounds more horse like with a whickering sound. The pony’s eyes widen as her ears perk high before she blushes and looks down. “I can speak English, usually. Some just don’t seem to understand me when I get…”

“Oh good, I am supposed to help translate along with my other duties, but German and Spanish are the extent of my language skills, along with Eponese.” She takes a deep breath. “You are damned lucky, you know that?”

“I was just trying to get to Dubuque. Princess Luna…” The pony says looking up almost panicked then ducks her head again, as the uniformed pony raises a hoof.

“The portal was only open for three days, we’ve got a good two years until it opens again. You know, you are lucky the airline isn’t pressing charges.” She huffs. “Did you really try to pass yourself off as an emotional support animal? Seriously?” She reaches out a wing and scoops up…something. Nuan looks closer, it’s some kind of red harness with white lettering on the sides. She frowns looking confused for a moment at the two.

“Michael was trying to be helpful, and I don’t have ID.”

“Michael, that’s the person you were with?” Winds asks, “And what’s your name?”

“Ron… Rain… Renae,” The pony skuffs a forehoof on the chair.

“Pony names sometimes are easier.” Wind’s says softly and sits looking at the young mare.

“I think its Charged Up, but I’m not sure.” Gulping once she looks down, “I just don’t know what to do, how to travel.”

“Chargie,” Winds says with a smile.

The pony blinks once tilting her head then nods, “That seems right.”

“Well, you have to do what everypony else has to do, go get new ID. The Congress passed the legislation saying that we are people just like every human. The President signed it, since it even affected his daughter. We have the same rights as any human here in the States. And of course, they are using the State department to pressure other nations to follow the same rules. We may be a semi-open secret, and a lot of humans don’t believe we are real. They think we are a hoax, or some Hasbro marketing campaign trying to drum up support for a new generation of toys.” She huffs again, though Nuan smiles, thinking of new pony toys might just be cute.

“What? Really?” The pony looks shocked at the pegasus, “How come I never head of this?”

“Umm, the not so liberal media? The information is out there, but I guess it’s just not getting around fast enough. So, what state are you from, or did you live in?”

The pony looks down. “Nevada, just on the border with California. A little town called Goodsprings.”

High Winds reaches out a wing to lift the other pony’s chin. “It’s okay, we’ll get an ID, and then go fly. You don’t need to stow away on a plane or pretend to be someone’s pet. Do you need money?”

The pony shakes her head. “Nah, I’m good on cash, bank machines don’t ask for ID so I took out what I could. I used to work for Goodsprings Heat Recovery, they paid well, and I had some savings. So, just get my ID, and then I can go?”

“Ok, you’re just going to have to trust the agents here. They will take your picture, ask you some questions about your history,” Wind says putting her huff under the mares chin to lift her head, “But you need to tell them the truth, ok?”

“But…” The mare gulps once looking nervous.

Wind shakes her head, “The truth, don’t worry, they won’t judge you for it, they just need to clear up missing persons reports and such.”

“Oh, then I can go?”

High Winds nods. “Uh, huh. But Dubuque isn’t going to be ready until the next opening of the gate, middle of 2022. If you want to be around ponies, we can help you head to Montana, or I heard something about a group of ponies in Texas, if you like the warm weather.” She smiles and the ponies hug quickly. “Just talk with the customs agent, in English please, they aren’t very good with eponese, the pony language.”

“Sorry, I don’t know why I keep slipping back to it. I know I should speak English and I try to but,” The pony tries to look innocent.

“It’s not really a problem, there are a few ponies I’ve met with that, umm, issue, usually those that had trouble getting along with or talking to humans all their lives, one of the other mares that works with me does that occasionally.” Looking at the agent then back to pony she smiles. “Good luck.”

The little mare smiles for the first time here, “You too.”

High Winds looks around, then pulls her head back flicking an ear as she focuses on Nuan. Turning she marches over, her tail swishing side to side as she smiles, “So, what’s your story?”

“Me?” Nuan squeaks.

Her boss leans forward. “Nuan here just started changing on the flight from the UK, we know her name, and her coat and mane colors. But I couldn’t find her online. It doesn’t look like she was on the show.”

Winds’ eyes widen. “Okay, that’s not all that uncommon. There are only five seasons of the show, and not everypony got featured. So, what’s your name?”

Nuan looks at her boss, then at the pegasus. “Kerfuffle.” She says softly.

Winds frowns. “Ok, I don’t know recognize that name. Course that doesn’t mean a lot either, Equestria was huge. So, why are you here?”

Nuan looks at her boss, “The customs agents told us to wait here.”

Winds giggles, “I meant in the USA. What brings you here?”

“Oh!” Nuan blushes slightly and giggles, “We are here for work, we work on prosthesis, a company called Open Bionic.”

Winds laughs. “The company that made that girl some bionic arms for that movie, Alita: Battle Angel?”

Her boss barks a laugh. “The same. I was involved on that team.”

Winds offers a grin. “Gotta love that English accent.” She shakes her mane. “Well, customs probably wants to talk to you since you are in the middle of your change. Might offer you amnesty since you are going to be a pony. I heard there’s a colony in the UK, but there’s a lot of ponies here in the States.” Looking between the two ponies, “Either way, I’ve got to meet up with Fire, and get back on patrol. 520th Keeping young dumb pegasi from getting pasted on an incoming flight is a never-ending job. Cheers!”

Looking back at the agent Winds nods once, “Just be patient and she’ll be fine. If you need help call, but I don’t think she’ll need someone sitting in the entire process.”

The pony trots to the door and exits quickly. Nuan looks over at her boss. “Amazing.”

***

I turn the key and the rumble of the engine of my beautiful car quiets. I’m only a couple of miles from the last camp. I’ve checked every one on the list Mindy gave me but this one. I quell the growing desperation in my chest. She has to be here, I’ve made it into each of the camps without being observed, and no, no turquoise pegasus in any of them. This one is marked as the biggest one in the country. She has to be here. I open the door and head to the trunk. I strap the saddle bags to my body and take a moment to cover my car with some branches. I’ve off the main road enough that casual observers won’t see her. And the branches will break up the outline enough that if she’s found, she would be considered abandoned. I sigh softly as I relax onto four legs. I’ve already checked my compass and map. The GPS on the phone works just fine, but there’s not really all that many detailed maps online, and my online connection kinda sucks right now. It’s kinda too much to expect LTE service in the middle of the jungle.

My hooves are silent on the ground as I move west from my car. It’s only a matter of hours until I crest over a ridge and I can see the camp. The armed guards walking around and the guard towers tell me there is illicit activities going on here. Though the casual way that the guards have their weapons slung also tell me that the government doesn’t mess with them very much. Likely because local officials are probably paid off. I had slipped across the border on a small side road. No stamping my passport with a Columbian stamp this time.

My hooves do make impressions in the ground as I walk. Though what is one more set of pony hoofprints? I’ve seen them using donkeys and horses as pack animals throughout my scouting. Human prints would be noticed, mine likely won’t. My darker coloring and the dusk lighting means my chances of being observed are quite minimal. I settle down and pull out my binoculars. The sun is off to my right, though it’s behind a hill, so no chance of reflections of the glass. I pan around, keeping my eyes peeled.

One thing really stands out, there’s a man walking with an equine. The height of the man, and the height of the equine next to him tells me it’s a pony, with brown fur and a bright blonde mane and tail. But panning along shows me her head is shaped like the equines of this world, not of Equestria. The body of the pony is covered with large saddle bags. Just another pack animal. I sigh and keep looking around. As the evening fades into night, large generators are fired up, bathing the area with light. This place looks like it’s busy all day and all night. That gets a grin from me. This has got to be a distribution point for the entire area. Even if Dust is not here. We can disrupt the flow of drugs from here. I observe for a while longer before I pull out the sat phone Mindy gave me. Yeah, this place is worth our attention, and we can punish Spectrum a little more, taking away some of their illicit, off the books, income.

I dial the phone and press it to my ear. A few seconds elapse as the system lashes up. Finally I hear the ring. “This is Mindy.”

I smile. “Mindy, we’ve got some business.”

Chapter 48.

Nuan doesn’t have to wait long after the pegasus pony in the strangely familiar uniform has left before a woman walks up to her. The woman smiles down at her. “Good evening, my name is Theresa Strong, I’ll be your case officer today. Would you come with me?”

Nuan hops to her feet, her boss struggles to his own but the woman holds out her hands. “Just the claimant at this point, please.”

“Now see here, she’s a British subject…” He stumbles to a stop with a raised hand.

“There are two reasons we want to work with the claimants alone. First, some of the information we ask can be very personal and we fear pressure from outside sources.” She stops and looks at Nuan. “And second, photographic evidence of the transformation is required to maintain identity through the transformation. So, we must take some pictures, including of her cute mark, and given its location as she’s still mostly human. I would think she wouldn’t want to disrobe around unknown men. She is female, that’s why they sent a female officer for this stage. She’s not under arrest, and that’s unlikely to change. No matter what, you will see her again shortly. Is that acceptable.”

Her boss seems like he’s about to continue objecting, Nuan holds up a hand. “I’m good. Just be patient.”

He looks at her for a long moment before returning to his seat. He pulls her bag up next to him and offers a smile as she turns to follow the officer. She leads Nuan through a door into a small room. As the first door is closed, she opens a second door. She points and leads off through a maze of desks, and soon they make it into a fairly small room, dominated by a chair and two opposing chairs. She gestures for Nuan to sit.

“I must apologize about this, the directives for handling ponies in their change have only recently come through. To my understanding, this started happening around May of this year, while the legislation recognizing the ponies as the same as humans was fast tracked fairly quietly, the rules for Homeland Security and other parts of the government took some time to write and be implemented. For now, an interrogation room is best at this point. We will have better facilities in the future. Given funding, it might be a bit though.” She puts down a fairly empty manila folder on the desk. “We’ll just start with some basic information. Your name?”

“Nuan Trong.”

The woman looks up quizzically. Then she smirks. “Pony name, I meant.”

“Oh, ah. Kerfuffle.”

She writes down the name on the form. “Coat color?”

“Light blue, apparently.” She reaches up and touches the ear.

“How far along are you in your transformation?”

Her eyes widen. “Well, I’ve got a mane, and the ears and tail. What’s next?”

Theresa reaches into her pocket and pulls out a phone. “There’s not much information available on the net, but we’ve been told by some that are further along after the transformation that the toes start to fuse together into their hooves as their coat comes in, starting at their feet, then moves up, their feet becoming hooves, the coat moves up their body. If you are going to remain female, your breasts will disappear, then reappear in the appropriate place for the pony. Then your head starts to change shape, with your new herbivorous teeth coming in as your arms change shape for the new pony shape. It usually takes three days for the entire transformation. Though by the middle of the second day, you’ll know your tribe.”

“I’m sorry, tribe?”

“Oh, there are three basic types of ponies, not counting outliers like alicorns, or griffons. You will likely be an Earth pony, a pegasus pony, or a unicorn pony. If you become a unicorn, it would be recommended you make your way to one of the pony settlements to help learn how to use the horn.”

Nuan reaches up and touches her forehead. “I could get a horn?”

“If you get wings, you’ll need to get a transponder and likely take some flight safety course. You can buy your own, but the US government currently offers a government rebate on a very basic model. Its, a safety issue as ponies tend to be too small to show up on most air traffic control radars and can pose problems for civilian aircraft who might not be able to respond fast enough to avoid.”

“I… oh.” Nuan blinks, “Nope, I’ll stick to being a passenger.”

She nods. “Well, according to our records so far, about forty percent become Earth ponies, a bit over thirty percent become pegasi, and about twenty to twenty-five percent become unicorns, with the remaining five percent ending up as hippogriffs, griffons, and other species from your home planet. Now, as to amnesty.” She ruffles a few papers. “You are a citizen of the United Kingdom, correct?”

Nuan nods.

“Okay, you can request refugee status, since the gate is closed right now, it’s pretty much automatic. We can get you a refugee card, and you can stay in the US until the gate opens, then you can head back home. Or, if you decide you want to stay on our Earth, you can apply for US citizenship, provided you have a sponsor. My understanding is that Mayor Mare in Montana has offered to sponsor any pony who wishes to stay.” She looks at her notes.

Nuan looks around. “This is kinda…sudden.”

Theresa smiles. “Not a problem, the government is aware of what a huge life change this can be. While a quick answer is helpful, it’s not required. If you want, you can complete your visit here, do what you were initially planning on doing, then head back home. You can apply for Equestrian refugee status at any US embassy or consular office. To my knowledge, the UK does have the pony situation fairly tightly under wraps, if you choose to head back there, you’ll likely be encouraged rather strongly to head to the pony settlement there. Ice Mirror is in charge there, and she’ll take ponies under her wing.” That gets a smile. “Well, she doesn’t have any, she’s not an alicorn, but she is Equestrian royalty in her own right. But I don’t think you’ll be seeing ponies walking in London or other major cities any time soon.”

Nuan looks down. “Okay, thank you for the information.”

“Okay, let’s get your picture taken, though once you complete your transformation, you’ll have to get your information updated, especially once you find out your tribe. You had that dream, right, when your cutie mark appeared?”

“Yeah.”

“Is that where you figured out your name?”

Nuan nods.

Okay, do you want to go by Nuan? Or Kerfuffle?”

Nuan laughs. “That’s such a silly name.”

Theresa smiles. “Not so silly as you may think. We have High Winds, we have Fire Streak, quite a few pony names sound pretty odd to human ears. You are going to be a pony in just over two days, it would likely be best for you to accept your new pony name, and just start thinking of yourself with that name by the time you are on four legs.” She stands up and heads to a small counter, picking up a camera.

“Ponies also seem to have a history of nicknaming or shortening each other’s names, especially those that hang around each other a lot, Applejack is commonly known as AJ, Rainbow Dash was called just Dash or Dashie.”

“Charged Up being Chargie?” Nuan says, then stops, “Fuff?”

“Exactly, ponies you know or knew might have called you Fuff,” Turning Theresa smiles, and points to the white matt on the wall as she holds the camera, “Okay, let’s start with a cutie mark shot. Could you stand and lower your jeans?”

Nuan complies and the picture of her cutie mark is taken, along with a picture showing her mane and tail colors, also a closeup of her ears. A few moments later, and Theresa smiles taking a small tablet out and tapping a few things on it, “This is going to be stock, but it can be fun for some.” A moment later she sets down a simple cartoon style image of a female pony, using Nuan’s mane and body colors, the outlines of a wing and horn are there but not filled in.

Reaching down Nuan touches the picture gently and gulps, a strange feeling washing over her, “Me?”

***

A good hour after going in, Nuan walks slowly from the office back into the waiting room. The last thing the officer had said to her. “Welcome to the United States, we are happy to have you here,” is ringing in her ears. Her boss leaps up, gathering their luggage and he leads her from the room out of the Homeland Security office. Though as they exit, Nuan looks over. The pony from earlier is sitting there, as Nuan appears, she stands up and prances over.

“My name is Charged Up. It’s nice to see another pony in the making.” She offers a genuine smile. “Has your stomach changed?”

“Pardon?”

“Earth ponies especially are veggie eaters. When your teeth change, your diet changes. Pegasi are lucky, they still like chicken and other animal proteins, us earth ponies and I guess unicorns…not so much.”

Nuan pokes her tongue around her mouth, feeling where one of her molars was removed a few years before. “No, I don’t think they’ve changed yet.”

“Aww, I’m actually kinda hungry, and was hoping to go get some pony friendly food, thought it would be fun to treat you since it’s your first time.”

Nuan looks up at her boss, who smiles. “We are on an expense account, so let’s treat you out. So how did it go?”

The little pony pulls out a small ID card from a leg band holding it up. A basic Picture ID of her and her cutie mark, complete with her name. The little mare prances, almost sprinting on the spot, her three other hooves clattering as she lets out an exited “EEEEEEEEEE. I got photo ID, I can actually do things without hiding or being in fear.”

Nuan can’t help but smile from ear to ear, the energy and excitement in the little pony is almost tangible.

As quickly as she started, the little pony stops and covers her mouth, her ears drooping in embarrassment. “Um, sorry. I… things like that kinda…”

“It’s okay, I thought it was cute and adorable. So, what happened to your friend?”

She blushes more, lowering her head, but smiles, “Michael had to head back home, he’s got work, and since I’m not in danger, I told him I’d find my way back or get in touch with him. It’s within walking distance if I really wanted to hoof it.”

“It’s over two hundred miles to Nevada from here.”

The pony nods. “Yeah, it’ll take me a good two days, but that’s not all that bad as a pony.” She lifts up a hoof. “We can walk humans into the ground. No worries, and we can even graze on the way. Nice thing about being a herbivore. Though really, I’m not that big on grazing.”

Nuan shakes her head. “Well, let’s get a hackney.”

“A, what?”

Smiling her boss pipes in, “Cab? What do you call them again, taxi?”

“Nah, I’ve got the Uber app.” She holds up a smartphone on a strap connected to her fetlock, a stylus is in its own little pocket next to the device. “My treat! We just have to hoof it over to the rideshare loading area, but where are
we going to go?”

He pulls out his phone. Mumbling to himself as he searches. “Well, there’s an In’N’Out burger joint just off the airport grounds.” He looks at the pony, who has a truly comical look of disgust on her face, mirrored with a similar look on Nuan’s face. He smiles. “Okay, beef burgers are out then. Hmmmm, a place heavy on non-meat entrees, though we are in California?”

"Ice cream?" Charged says tilting head, one ear flopping to the side.

Nuan shakes her head, "To early for that for us, but something sweet would be great. Warm, filling, relaxing."

Both girls look at each other blinking, and in stereo say, "Pancakes?"

Her boss laughs softly and taps his phone again on google maps. "Well, when in America, IHOP is the closest option."

That gets a grin from the Earth pony. “They have pretty good food, though for your first American cuisine, I dunno.”

Her boss settles it with a grin. “We can get into more exotic food later. After a long day in the air, let’s have some wholesome simple fare food. I wonder if I can talk them into bangers and mash.”

Charged uses her teeth to pull out the stylus and she starts tapping on her screen. After only a moment. “Okay, the ride is eight minutes out. Let’s hoof it to the loading area.”

***

The uber driver had stopped and stared at Charged Up a few moments before Nuan’s boss cleared his throat and they had all entered the XL, a new model Cheverolet Traverse. Charged had jumped into the very back seat while Nuan and her boss had taken the two middle captain’s chairs. Nuan keeps an eye on the driver as they go, apparently he’s quite curious about his passengers, his eyes flick between the road in front of them and his rear view mirror. She notices the dash cam he’s got mounted, that footage will likely make it to youtube before too long would be her guess. Though the mention that the government has been cleansing the ‘net of pony related content makes her think the video wouldn’t last all that long.

It's only a little over a mile to the restaurant, and the Uber makes excellent time. It pulls up to the sidewalk and they exit the car right in front of the IHOP. Charged follows the human turning pony and the human as they get to the doors.

"Shoes required, no pets allowed," Charged Up lets out a soft sigh before looking up at the human and near human nervously, "Ok here it goes, talking pony in public." With a firm nod Charged walks in with the other two.

“Good evening, welcome to IHOP. The woman says, then she stops as she sees her new guests. She looks back at where the kitchen is, then back at the party. She clears her throat. "Oh, hello, would you like a booth or table?"

"Booth please" Nuan supplies.

The waitress smiles and heads over to a booth motioning them to sit, "Water to start?"

Sitting down, the three nod in response. A moment later the waitress puts down three waters, a plastic bending straw in one cup, "Normally California bans plastic straws, but we have an exemption under a disability clause." Smiling she places a hot wet towel in front both Nuan and Charged, and a cloth bib in front of the Earth pony, "If you need help with the bib feel free to ask. I’ve heard hooves and muzzle can be hard at times.”

Placing the menus down, the waitress heads off, leaving everyone to look at each other in confusion.

"That's... different."

Charged giggles. “I think it’s the first time she’s seen a pony.” Her ears flick back and forth. “She handled it well.”

Charged looks up at Nuan. "Mind if I ask how long since you started to change?"

"Umm, just started today," Nuan says and flicks an ear unconsciously.

Charged has a triumphant grin. "Well I really like your mane. Me, four days ago."

Nuan blinks as she toys with her hair with a finger, "Only four days?"

"Uh huh, it’s been a bad week." Her ears flatten back. “It’s been taking a bit to get used to all of this. Some parts are harder than others.”

Nuan takes a sip. “You look like you are handling it fine, but yeah, it looks like I’m going to be having a rough week myself.”

Charged cocks her head to the side. “Well, the worst part was the fear, confusion, watching the change slowly grow worse hour by hour day by day… watching your…” Charged closes her eyes and shakes her head quickly, “I didn't know what was going on or why. I didn't even know there were more of us at first. I thought I was some kind of freak, monster. And then you can add in the terror of finding out you are turning from an outie to an innie. But in my darkest hour, when I was about to give up, Princess Luna came to me, told me I wasn't alone."

"Luna?" Nuan asks a she takes a sip of water.

Charged nods slowly and smiles, almost wistfully continuing, "Princess of the moon, keeper of dreams, she came to me, helped me, even sang a song."

"A song?" Joel asks looking up from his smart phone for a moment curiously.

"Yep, oh yeh, ponies apparently really do break out into song in reality."

“Utterly fascinating.” This comes from Joel, “Well now, seems you have pictures from the show, and you’re your own trading card Charged.”

“Really?” Charged perks her tail flicking a bit as she smiles.

Joel turns the cell around for Charged to see. A screen shot of the young pony being hoisted into the air by her hind legs by two other ponies, legs spread as she raises her forelegs high waving. “Ugg no,” Chargie says and buries her muzzle under her forelegs, why would they chose such an embarrassing picture and position, that’s almost as bad as a tail up shot.”

Nuan laughs softly, “Well ok, so maybe its not so bad, that there aren’t pictures of me online.”

Joel humms softly, “I’ve been thinking, may I make an observation?”

Nuan tilts her head and nods, "Sure."

"From hearing you two talk, as well as watching, I think you might want to try looking at this from a disability stance."

"What!?!" In unison from Nuan and Charged.

"Hear me out, please. And think about this logically. Becoming a pony in itself isn't a disability. But the steps you seem to have to take, are the same as if you have become disabled from an accident. Consider about our clients when they get their new prosthetics. They have to learn how to use the new parts."

Nuan blinks and then looks at Charged’s hooves.

"They have to learn to walk again, learn how to take care of themselves again. Learn to adapt to simple tasks like picking up a glass or drinking. It takes time, but once they learn, it becomes second nature again and they can do the tasks without thinking about it."

Looking down, Nuan feels her artificial leg through her jeans for a moment before nodding, "I can see that. There will be an adapting period but after that, things will come naturally. Muscle memory will kick in and we’ll simply move freely."

A few minutes later the waitress returns and sets down a pair of plates in front of each of the girls, each with a pair of brown, green and white patties on it, topped with a mix of fresh green sprouts of some kind as garnish.

"What is," Nuan starts, looking confused.

"We didn't even order yet." Charged says, just as confused.

The waitress smiles, "It's sort of a potato pancake, but it has onion and alfalfa sprouts mixed in. It’s something new we are trying out, for our pony customers. Consider it a changing gift. Your first taste or treat of pony style food." Pulling out her pencil and paper the waitress smiles, "Its completely free for you two, now have you decided on your orders?"

A quick consultation has the pony and the soon to be pony going for pancakes.

Joel, however, has other ideas. "Could I get some pork sausage links, on a bed of mashed potatoes, covered with your white gravy please?" Smiling at Nuan, "Bangers and mash, best way to start a day."

The waitress turns to leave. Nuan holds up a hand. “You seem surprised to see a pony here, but you have dishes specifically for ponies, you also seem to have rules governing how to deal with pony customers.”

The waitress looks side to side quickly. She leans a bit closer. “Well, ponies seem to like IHOP, I think its because we have a wide selection of non-meat dishes. We’ve had quite a few customers at different stores over the last few months. And our stores share information between each other and corporate to help with customer service.”

Charged up nods, “Makes sense I guess.”
“A lot of emails have gone to corporate about them, as well as to the company message board, so they came up with the pony sensitivity training.” She goes on, “As well they’ve been working with the pony colony in Montana apparently, I think they are looking at opening up a restaurant there too.”

Nuan chuckles, “Well if ponies like pancakes so much, I can see it going off well, much better then say a McDonald’s or Burger king.”

The waitress nods smiling, “So, there’s a whole training regimen to deal with the new types of customers we see. Including how to help new changes and build a happy and supporting atmosphere. Though before today, I thought they were blowing smoke. They made this big deal but never showed a single picture of a ‘real’ pony.” She says making air quotes. “Then you walk into the restaurant.” She smiles. “We know the ponies are going through a rough time, so our goal is to make IHOP be appealing and a place of comfort even in the worst of times.”

Nuan looks down at Charged and blinks, "I'm starting to feel like this store knows more about ponies then we do."

Charged slowly nods, "Why can't they just tell everyone what’s going on?"

Her boss sighs, "World panic, prejudice, if people knew this was happening then anyone close to their birthday could find themselves harassed or treated differently." Looking around the restaurant Joel muses, “Imagine, companies deciding not to hire someone because they are close to their 25th birthday, for fear they might change and any investments in time and training the company gave would be lost. Loan offices, would you issue a loan to someone who might change in 3 weeks and vanish with the money never paying it back?”

The waitress nods slowly, “Yeah, it could end with a real prejudice and fear of who could change. It could stress out a lot of people. People might even use it to alter laws and such in weird ways. Picture if insurance companies decide to put off treatments, or medical procedures to people close to their twenty fifth, to see if they could save a buck?” .

The waitress excuses herself to enter their order as Nuan looks over at Charged. "Anything I need to worry about after I fully change?"

"Yep, you really need to watch where you sit. Especially on anything really hot or cold. Trust me, it’s not as fun as it sounds. Oh, and picking things up, it’s a new experience to go from hands to using your mouth and hooves." Charged Up nods, “Though muscle memory kicks in pretty quick for most things, I was trotting in about half an hour.”

"I've still got hands." She holds them up. “For now.”

"I know, and you might gain magic to pick stuff up with. That would be nice. Even pegasi can use their wings almost as well as hands. You should have seen some of the show. Pegasi like Dash or Fluttershy would use their wings to tighten straps, or pick things up. Very dexterous.” Joel says then looks at Charged Up.

Nuan blinks. “I see I have a lot to learn about all of this. Wait, you’ve seen the show?”

Joel smiles, “I had to watch something on the flight over here. The choice of Disney movies and blockbuster failures they had was just awful. So, once we got over the USA and the WiFi kicked in, I started watching what I could.”

“Why do I think that was something I should have been doing?” Nuan grumbles and looks down.

“You were stressed and needed sleep, so I figured I’d do it. You do know, Nuan, Kerfuffle, however you are going to want to be addressed, we won’t fire you. I was serious when I said we were a family. And if you decide to stay in the States, we do have an office, you can keep doing your work, and continue your learning with us.”

Nuan sighs, it’s almost as though a huge weight was lifted off her chest. She leans over and wraps her arms around her boss. Hugging him tightly, she whispers. “Thank you.”

***

Almost twenty-four hours of observation, I haven’t seen Dust’s unique coloring. Could there be any other places where they’ve taken her? I find myself sighing, my dark coloring with my camouflage clothing is pretty good for breaking up my outline. The humans don’t really scan the jungle around them all that much, so everything looks pretty good for the raid. The last several hours have been spent in quiet contemplation. I will find Dust, and if I have to destroy this place to do it, so be it. I glance over at one of the ramshackle buildings. The guys in charge are there, that will be my first priority for when we go in. I lean back and close my eyes.

Only to wake up at a fierce whisper from Moon Shadow. After the last couple of weeks of driving and scouting. Her happy face is something that makes my heart feel warm. The dark gray mare has her armor on, I glance at the camp and scan for anyone on the lookout. The few towers are the only parts really lit, the workers apparently have headed home for the night. Most of the humans are likely sleeping, it being well after two in the morning. I have been on four legs for long enough, a quick thought has me standing on two once again as I follow Moon over the rise in the direction of my car.

“Okay, do you have a plan?”

I nod. “We are going to hit them hard and fast. Destroy their stock of product, and make sure that they can’t hurt others. And we are going to rip the place apart, we will either find Dust, or find out where they’ve taken her.”

Mindy and Moon both nod. I look at my watch. “Okay, the sun will be rising in about four hours. Let’s get ready.”

Chapter 49.

The other ponies are ready. I’m ready, my car is idling, the engine is grumbling peacefully. I’m on the road to the camp, less than a mile from its gates. Moon and the other ground bound ponies are aboard the three chariots they brought, and the pegasi of the assault teams are high in the air, ready for their part in the upcoming carnage. We’ve gone over the plan at least three times. A quick attack, taking out the guard towers and sowing confusion to give us the time to have the chariots land and the ponies inside them disperse. This is an all-out assault, Spectrum has no idea we are coming in. And we will keep them in the dark about it too. Two pegasi are detailed to knock out the radio communications. To the others in the illicit operation, this camp is going to simply go dark. My watch face glows softly, the second hand swinging around painfully slowly. I’ve been on four hooves, relaxed, for several hours. But now, I’m on two hooves, sitting in the driver’s seat of my beautiful baby.

Finally the second hand and minute hand meet for a brief instant, the sun will be up in a matter of minutes, it’s time to go. The radio speaker in my ear crackles to life. The pegasi are starting in on the assault, silently taking out the guards. I grin savagely as I plant my right foot and release the clutch. Dirt flies as my rear wheels spin, though they grab fairly quickly and I overcome the tendency of the rear wheels to break loose under such acceleration. The trees become a green blur as I streak down the road, part of me winces as I jar over the uneven road. The 442 was not designed to do off road driving, but for this road, the car is up to the task. It seems like only seconds before the large gate looms before me. I snarl savagely as the front end meets with the gate and crashes through. I can see my front end is bent up by the collision. I don’t care. I can fix sheet metal, it’s not a worry. I savagely twist the car to the left as I tromp on the brakes and pop the shift lever into neutral. It’s definitely go time.

In a textbook assault landing, the three chariots land, the pegasi pulling them shrug out of their harnesses and join the fray. I must be a sight, any damage from my previous fights has been repaired, my armor is pristine, my helmet on my head. I know my size and weight inspires fear. A few rounds impact my armor, though the magically strengthened metal simply has the rounds flatten against it. The impacts don’t even stagger me. I swing my mace at one human, getting him in the face, and crushing his skull. I yank my mace from the ruined body by putting a boot on the chest and yanking. I turn and notice something that gets me to stop in horror. A pony, what looks like a feral pony of this world, yet on the flank is a lightning bolt with three stars. “DUST!!” I scream. My legs churn up the space as I rush towards the human pulling the pony towards an old military surplus truck. Men on the back are pulling the pony inside as the man turns towards me.

Any words simply become howls of rage as I run, the man that was leading Dust is walking towards me, pulling out a pistol. I don’t falter as the first rounds impact, trusting my armor as I ready my mace. A human comes from my right, and I take him in the shoulder as I pass. Pulling the mace around in an underhanded swing as the first man had emptied his gun, he throws it at me as my mace connects with his groin. I can feel I’ve crushed his pelvis. He crumples to the ground, blood streaming as he screams. I complete the movement of the mace with a swing over my head, impacting his skull and splattering everything inside all over. I breathe a few times, looking for the truck.

Apparently the driver had panicked, and in a cloud of diesel exhaust, the truck pulls through the gate that I had ruined. I growl and whirl back to my car. The chaos around me is being handled by the assault teams. “Mindy, Moon Shadow! You finish off here, I’ll get Dust!” I shout into my mic as I sprint back to my car. I throw my mace into the passenger footwell as I slam the door. The engine is still on, so I stomp on the accelerator as I push the clutch to put the engine in gear. Popping the clutch has another spray of dirt coming from my tires, I pull a tight loop and accelerate. I shift through the gears as the distant tail lights start to get closer. A large bounce has me wincing, but I keep my right foot firmly on the floor as I get closer.

Rat-tat-tat-tat. The sounds of automatic gunfire causes me to cringe as a line of impacts hit the hood and windshield, which becomes instantly filled with holes. One or two of those rounds got my armor. I grin, that’s not going to stop me. The road is not paved like back at home, but is hard packed dirt. The kind that even a heavy rain storm isn’t going to do more than make a bit slick. But it’s relatively narrow. I slip to the left, trying to get up next to the truck. The driver sees me and pulls hard left, which has the benefit of throwing off the aim of the men in the back of the truck still trying to shoot me. The rending of metal shrieks in my ears as a line of bullets smack into the quarter panels and the passenger door. Oh, I’m gonna get revenge on them for more than just Dust, but for what they are doing to my baby here. I slam on the brakes for an instant and pull over to the right, slamming down the gas pedal trying to get in front of the truck. The other driver is pretty good, he gets the truck over, cutting me off, and I have to back off or I’d end up in the trees. I have a few moments as the men in the back are just trying to hold on for their lives as the truck and I bounce over a bad section of the road. How far are we from the camp? Five miles? Ten? I shake my head and swerve hard to get on the drivers side. The driver saw me too late, I’m almost even with him. Though I watch in horror as he turns the wheel towards me anyway.

I brace as the larger truck slams into my baby. I scream as I push back, turning my own wheel to keep from being pushed into the trees once again. He pulls away, then slams into me a second time, then a third. Each time I fend off his attack and stay on the road. Through my shattered windshield I can barely see, he’s got a pistol himself. He fires blindly, though some of the rounds do connect. The pop and whistle of pressure being relieved gets me to look at the front of my car, steam is spewing from my radiator. Damn! A glance down at the gauges shows that my temp gauge is pegged. The engine isn’t going to last long in this case.

I growl and down shift a gear as I slam on the gas. I’ve got to stop this, now! I go on the offensive, slamming the side of the truck, and grinning as the other driver lets off the gas for a moment. Okay, time to end this! I snarl savagely as I turn the wheel hard to my right and brake. The other driver tries a panic stop, but it’s too late. His front end slams into and rides up my right fender, the bumper ends up resting on my hood, the left front wheel is crumpled against the fender and both vehicles slide to a stop. I look down at the dash, the engine RPM is down to zero. Well, anything done here can be fixed. Gotta get Dust. I grab my mace as I kick the drivers door open and leap onto the hood. The other driver is fighting with his door, trying to get it open. I fix the problem by yanking the door completely off. My mace finds his head moments later, ending his misery. I step onto the roof of my car and stalk towards the rear of the truck.

Panicked voices screaming in Spanish greet my ears. I don’t know the language, but I can understand the gist of what they are saying. I can hear the metallic sounds of them dropping the tailgate on the truck. They recovered from the wreck fairly well. Two of them leap to the ground as I get around the back of the truck. One levels his AK at me and sends a spray of bullets into my chest from four feet away. In only a matter of seconds, his magazine is empty, and I stand there, looking at him.

“Nice try, my turn!” I growl as I pick him up. I swing him head first into the side of the truck. His screaming ceases as I turn to the second human. He’s in the process of helping the other men off the truck. I grab him and reach an arm around him. A quick twist has his neck broken and he tumbles bonelessly to the ground. A round pings off of my helmet as I reach in a grab another screaming human. I throw him to the ground and stomp on his chest. I look inside, four more humans are cowering in the bed. Though none of them are holding weapons. I leap into the bed, brandishing my mace. They chatter at each other, though I don’t understand the words. I snarl, raising my mace, which seems to break their will. They scramble past me quickly, leaving their weapons behind. I turn and watch them scramble from the truck and run into the forest as fast as they can. Even though they are druggies, I don’t need to chase them. The fight is finished.

A happy whinny gets my attention. Dust is straining against her restraints, trying to reach me. I look down, it looks as though I’ve had red paint balloons thrown at me. I reach down and loosen the breastplate strap, then I pull off my helmet.

“Oh, Dust.” I moan. “What have they done to you.” I get a soft whinny in response. A few strides and I’m kneeling down before her. I reach up a hand and unsnap the harness connecting her to a ring on the truck bed. She seems to be holding her mouth a little oddly, so my questing fingers find the connections for a bit. I stick my tongue out the side of my mouth a bit as I work to extract the bit. Dust happily opens her mouth as I pull the metal pieces away. As I get the bit extracted, I inspect it for a moment. It’s segmented and has some kind of hinge, I work it for a moment and it dawns on me, this is a bit to control a very unruly horse, pulling on it presses the spoon hard into the tongue, causing pain. I growl and toss the bit away. Dust shakes her head a bit and leans close, putting her forehead against mine and whinnying softly.

I feel tears come to my eyes as I hold her. She’s lost, she’s not the pony she was anymore. Her wings, her beautiful, precious, wings are gone. Her turquoise coloring, it’s gone too. Even her eyes have darkened to a soft brown from the golden color they were the last time I saw her. I pet her neck, though she seems to like it. And I can’t deny that she recognizes me like this.

“Irony.” Comes a gentle voice. “Where’s Dust?”

I’m beyond words at the moment. The sobs are coming hard. I simply clutch the pony, what was Dust, close to me.

Moon is patient, she waits as I slowly gain my composure. Finally I gesture to Dust. “She’s right here.”

Moon’s eyes widen. “That’s impossi---“ She stops as she notices the cutie mark. “No.” She whispers. “Is she lost to us?”

The pony has moves over to Moon and is happy nuzzling the smaller mare. “Well, apparently she remembers me.” She reaches out a hoof, touching Dust briefly. “What can we do?”

My mouth opens to respond. Then I stop. I have no idea what to do.

The clatter of hooves on metal announce the arrival of Cloud Kicker. She folds her wings at her sides. “Is that Dust?”

I nod somberly. “Chariot here?”

At Kicker’s nod, I lead the former pegasus to the edge of the truck bed. I hop out and gather her up. I grunt as I lift Dust, she’s actually bigger than she was. She’s up in weight with this transformation too, a solid four hundred or more. I gently place her on the ground and head over towards the chariot. I stolidly ignore the incredulous looks of the other ponies as I pull Dust onto the chariot. Moon silently joins us before the pegasi pulling it have us in the air. Mindy taps the pad on the dash as she builds and files a flight plan, back to Montana.

“Oh, Dust.” I moan as I sit down, the pony kneels down, then lays against me. Well, at least she seems happy at the moment, with us here.

***

Nuan is happy with her permanent implant. While the implant can be changed out, in case of damage or excessive wear, she doesn’t have to fit anything over her stump. So, one nice thing is, she can sleep in it. Charged Up is snoozing in the other bed. Nuan has been having trouble sleeping, thinking about what she’s been told about the change into a pony. Her conversation with the woman in Customs, as well as talking to Charged, has said that after her mane, ears, and tail, the next part is the transformation starts at the feet, and moves slowly up the body, by midday, she’s going to be having trouble walking as her hips change to the new shape for being a pony. She’s been looking at her one foot, and it hasn’t done anything. Charged had said that the middle toe had widened, and the others sort of melted together, and in a matter of hours, they became hooves.

Nuan feels around in her mouth with her tongue, that missing molar is back, and now all of her teeth are shaped differently, like that of a pony. So, she’s on schedule when it comes to her change. But why is her foot staying the same. She leans back and closes her eyes.

A loud thunk awakens her. Nuan blinks a few times. A glance at the clock next to the bed says that she had nodded off for… four hours, it’s almost five in the morning. She looks down and suppresses the urge to scream. Her prosthesis, which replaced her right leg, had fallen off the bed onto the floor. That was the source of the sound that had woken her up. And she is quite happy to have a light blue hoof and lower leg to replace it. But on the other side, her left leg is now ending at a stump. She blinks a few times. “Are you kidding me?” She murmurs softly as she lifts her left leg. Questing fingers run along the new furred leg, then she stops. She had a prosthesis before, in Equestria. She can feel the implant there, and the threaded fitting that she apparently had implanted before Discord got her.

She looks over. “Chargie.”

The pony in the other bed twitches an ear and murmurs softly. Nuan growls and picks up a pillow. “Chargie!” She shouts, throwing the pillow. It hits Charged on the head, getting her to shoot to a sitting position.

“I wasn’t sleeping, Cheerilee! Honest!” She slurs. Then she looks around the room slowly blinking. Carefully she props herself up on her side looking confused, her tail flicking slighty “Wait a moment. What? Huh?”

“Well that just begs more questions,” Nuan points to her hooves. “And, I’ve got a hoof now, but just one.”

“Woohoo! Hoovsies,” Charged hops off her bed and gets up next to Nuan, tilting her head looing confused. “Whoa, that’s just that wild.”

Nuan tries to keep tears from falling. “I got my right leg back, but I lost my left!”

Charged reaches out a hoof. “Does it hurt?” At Nuan’s shaken head, she leans forward. “Well, it looks like pony life and human life really are similar. You lost a leg somehow as a pony, and as a human.” She looks at the implant on the floor. “I’m guessing that your implant won’t work on the new leg or could even really be made to.”

Nuan rolls her eyes. “Ugg. Nope, I don’t think so, look at it, it’s almost double the length of what I’m going to need. Heck it isn’t even articulated right.”

Chargie shrugs. “Well, it’s good you work for a company that makes them. Right?” Then she ducks at a swung pillow. “Hey, was just trying to see the silver lining here. You were going to be making some anyway, can’t you just do one up for yourself too?”

Nuan flops back onto the bed. “Yeah, but I don’t have any crutches, and hopping with a leg that I don’t know how well it works. I don’t even have access to a wheelchair.”

Looking at her good leg, charged puts her forehoof against Nuan’s hoof, “We’re equines, strong legs are in our nature.”

Looking down, “Oh yeah,” She growls sarcastically, “that’s going to work wonderfully!”

Chargie shrugs. “Well.” She stops, looking at Nuan for a long moment before looking down at the prosthetic, then flicks her ear looking up with a smile, “It may be kinda weird, but I guess you could ride if you need to go somewhere.”

Nuan narrows her eyes. “Ride? Come on, ride what? I don’t have a scooter or wheelchair, heck I don’t even know where to rent one around here, or if I could.”

Chargie giggles once and turns sideways, “You can ride me if you need. And I won’t even Chargie you for it.”

Nuan’s eyes widen. “What?”

Chapter 50.

Harts Fire keeps his grumbling under his breath. Changing into a pony has taken away his hands, and while the wings are awesome, magic would be nice from time to time. Especially when it comes to lifting fifty-pound bags of horse feed, opening them without destroying them, and then getting the right amount into each feed trough for his horses. The wings are helpful for some of this, he’d lost enough height with the change. Finished with the feed, he floats slowly over by the entry door and deposits the half-used bag. Turning back, he looks at the two horses he has owned for the last few years. Oliver, his roan gelding, was one he’d ridden quite a bit. High spirited and quick on his feet. Oliver is munching happily away on his feed, teeth crunching through the alfalfa nuggets. There is a bag of them inside the house for Harts. He floats over towards the other occupied stall.

“So, what ya think, Molly?”

He gets a whicker in reply. The horses have pretty much accepted his change, though he won’t be riding Oliver again, he’s not really shaped very well to sit in a saddle, and putting one on the seventeen hand tall horse would be a chore with his current shape. Molly, the dapple mare of his. She always puts a smile on his face, even as a pony now, with her being affectionate, and she was a wonderful dam for the few time’s he’d paid a stud fee for her to be covered. But no foals at the moment for Molly. He drops to the floor and rears up to unlatch her stall and pull the door open.

“Harts?”

The pegasus turns and looks as the door to the barn is slid open and a familiar face is revealed. “Good morning Saffron.” He says agreeably. She slides the door shut behind her and takes a few steps in. Molly takes a few steps out of her stall and stops, snorting a bit at the other pony there. “Easy girl.” He reaches up a wing and pats her on the neck. He looks at Saffron. “She gets a little possessive at times.”

Saffron’s eyebrows rise as she takes a few steps closer. “I was a city girl before all of this. I’ve lived in the DC area my whole life.” She sighs. “Now I’m out in the country. I haven’t heard a siren or a gunshot since I got out here.” She shakes her head, her ears flopping. “I think I like it.” She stops, her eyes bright with tears. She backs away a few steps. “Sorry…”

“Don’t be.” Harts rubs Molly’s cheek for a moment before moving over to Saffron. “I know it’s a bit of a culture shock to be out here. But it’s actually quite nice. The nights offer their own music, if you care to listen.”

That gets a shy smile. “Well, I have listened, and I can hear it. Way different from what I’ve gotten used to.”

The clop of hooves has Hart’s looking over his withers, Molly is working her way closer. “You’ll find living here will give you a new perspective on life. And I think you’ll like it.”

She sighs. “I was a city girl as a pony too, I think. I remember my father and I.” She suppresses a sob at the mention of her father. She takes several deep breaths. “We were in Canterlot, before that we were in Manehattan.” She flicks her ears back and forth. “We cooked, we owned a restaurant. It wasn’t as successful as we wanted, but most of the ponies that did visit really liked our food.” She glances at the horse who is sidling herself closer. “Why is she doing that?”

Harts looks back at Molly. “She’s just came off of a late season, it’s pretty late in the year for heat, and she no longer is in heat. But she is possessive, she might consider you to be a rival.”

“Can she tell I’m a mare?”

“Of course she can, a horse has a very sensitive sense of smell. Definitely better than a human’s, probably a bit better than ours as ponies.” Harts leans his head back and runs his cheek against the large horse’s cheek. “It’s okay, Molly.”

Saffron’s eyes narrow. “I know what you said. But that wasn’t in English.”

Harts thinks for a moment. “I think it was our language, from back home. Some would call it Ponish, some would call it Eponese.”

“I think Eponese works better, a more accurate translation.” She says, then she switches to English. “How do I remember a completely different language?”

That gets a chuckle from the pegasus. “You grew up with one language, then you grew up again with our native language here on this Earth.” He switches to Eponese. “Both are your home language. I wasn’t even aware of switching. But on thinking back, when I’ve been talking to the horses here, I think I’ve been talking our pony native language.”

Saffron turns her head and ends up nose to nose with Molly, who has sidled up directly in front of the unicorn mare. “Do they understand our language?”

Harts carefully takes a few steps away, turning as Molly snorts softly in Saffron’s face. “Not in the same way you or I think. They have a lot of similarities with our ancestors. That I’m certain of based on a lot of things.” He stops, watching the two mares. “Okay, now snort right back at her, a little more forcefully.”

Saffron follows what Harts has said. The larger mare flicks her ears and takes a step back. That gets a smile from the Pegasus. “I think she has accepted you as a breeding mare in the herd now.”

Saffron looks at Harts, then back at Molly, then back at Harts. “I’m not in heat anymore.” She stops for a moment, blinking. “That wasn’t very pleasant, but the other mares had a quick heat right after changing back.”

“I know, I’ve heard. I think it’s your hormones normalizing after the chaos of Discord’s magic fading when you turned twenty-five.” He grins. “I’m glad stallions don’t have to go through that.”

She smirks back at him. “Breeding mare?”

He moves over and rubs his wing along Molly’s withers. “They aren’t as complex as humans or Equestrian ponies. They don’t think in such concepts in general. As a breeding mare, she’s aware that she’s the lead of her own herd, and will act to protect other mares and foals, and will also be possessive of the lead stallion in the herd.”

“Does she consider you part of her herd?”

He nods. “She recognizes me as a caregiver, but she’s also done much the same with me once I turned into a pony. As far as she’s concerned, I belong to her, and she belongs to me.” A whicker from the horse gets his attention. “She’s happy, she’s got food, she’s happy with life right now, I would think.” Molly turns a bit and heads over to her trough.

Saffron watches the horse start to eat, crunching through the alfalfa nuggets. “She is pretty.”

“So are you.”

That gets a snort from the unicorn mare. “Me?” She lowers her head. “No, I’m not. I wasn’t pretty as a human, very few men would give me attention, and most of them simply wanted me to open my legs for their own pleasure.” She sighs. “I’ve looked in the mirror since I changed. I’m okay, I guess. But I’m no Princess Cadance.”

She’s stopped by Harts wing cupping her muzzle and he pulls her head up to where she’s looking directly at him. “I won’t deny that Princess Cadance is a beautiful mare. But you give her a run for her money.”

Saffron blushes. “But with this unmanageable mane, my coloring…”

“It’s beautiful.” Harts says confidently. “You’ll make some stallion or mare happy, and they will do their damndest to make you happy.” He reaches his head forward and nuzzles her cheek. “Anypony with eyes can see, Saffron.”

“I’m damaged. My father…” She stops, tears dropping from her eyes.

“Yes, the one who killed him has been sent on to the next world. He may have died in terror, but he is at peace now. The show didn’t really talk about how we deal with death as ponies.” He stops his ears flicking. “It was a kids show after all. But I have a few memories that have come back.” He leans down to look her in the eyes. “It’s not blink and you are done, you are nothingness. I’m pretty sure Discord proved that by blasting our souls into this world. We have lives, we have a soul. We don’t know for certain what happens to that soul, the Princesses didn’t know for certain themselves. But we continue after these bodies cannot continue. Have faith, your father is truly in a better place.”

She takes a hesitant step forward, then a second as she collapses against him. She still has tears streaming down her face, but she’s not sobbing, she embraces him tightly, getting him to hug her back, bringing his wings into the hug. She rests her chin on his withers. “Thank you, Harts.”

They stay for a bit before… “Molly, what the hell?” Saffron shouts as she springs back from the pegasus.

That gets a chuckle from the pegasus as he pushes the horse’s posterior away. “She wants attention.”

“She peed on us.” Her eyes widen. “She just winked. Doesn’t that mean she’s horny?”

He reaches up a hoof and gently touches the unicorn’s horn. “Well so are you.”

That gets a deeper blush. “I was talking about her wanting sex. I thought she wasn’t in heat.”

“Oh, she’s not.”

The confused look on Saffron’s face gets a bark of a laugh from Harts. “Saffron, humans and ponies aren’t the only ones on this planet to enjoy sex without procreation.”

Saffron’s eyes are wide as she looks at the horse who is waving her tail and winking and at the pegasus, who’s wings are extended a little bit. “Wait a moment.” She shakes her head. “You, and her?”

Harts smile gets a snort from Saffron. “Only since you turned pony?”

Harts shakes his head and his smile widens. Saffron rolls her eyes. “Okay, I’ll go get in the shower. You come inside when you are done.”

***

The hotel room was tiny to say the least. Little more than a single bed, a table with a chair, small TV, and bathroom. The room didn’t even have a kitchenette. It seemed like a rule for airlines, the shorter the layover the better the room. A twelve-hour layover and you get the grand suit in London, a two-day layover and you are in a shoebox.

Melanie sat, her leg bouncing nervously as she waited on the phone before she heard the voice on the other end, “Tina is that you?”

“Melanie? Surprised to hear from you so soon, is there a problem with the hotel room?”

“You guys booked me into a shoebox again, so nope, no problems.” Melanie said, looking up at the mirror in the door. “We had a passenger turning into a pony on the flight.”

“Ouch, well at least they didn’t have to divert.” The woman on the other end said, “I have you on the schedule for a two-day layover, were you thinking of going home instead?”

“I.. no, I need to know, is that pony thing contagious?” Melanie asked.

There was a pause on the other end, then a sigh, “No, Its determined at birth. The passenger was born that way, it’s not something you can catch. You had the training same as all of us.”

“I know but, I didn’t know if I trusted it,” she gulps, “What if they lied to us?”

“They di… wait Melanie, isn’t it your twenty-fifth birthday? Did… you get a cutie mark?” The woman asks quickly.

“I… oh…” Checking, she sighs, “Nope, no mark…it’s just.”

“Just what?”

Looking at herself in the mirror she sighs, “My hair has started turning green. And it’s growing out a lot.

“Oh, but no mark? Green, huh?” Tina says and humms softly, Melanie can hear the clicking of a keyboard.

“What? What’s going on?” Melanie ask, her voice rising in a panic.

“Calm down, breath, and relax. Hang on a sec,” Melanie can hear more typing, then a pause, “Ok I pulled up the help sheet, here’s what we got. No marks could mean griffon, mule, horse, or one of the other races, or a foal, who was cursed before they got their mark. Though since your hair is growing out, I think we can cut out griffon’s, and since it’s green, mules and donkeys in the show have only been shown with dark colored manes. So, I’m guessing we can rule them out. So, likely either a horse from Saddle Arabia, or a foal.”

“Got their mark? How do you get your mark?”

Tina giggles softly, “You’d have to ask a pony on that, apparently it’s something to do with discovering who they really are inside, their purpose or meaning in life, or some metaphorical, metaphysical thing like that, all Zen Buddha stuff, that I have no idea about.”

Melanie whimpers softly, “What am I going to do?”

“Nothing, you are going to wait there quietly. I’m going to get in touch with the airport, see if they can send a pony over to talk to you. I’m taking you off the rotation, and I’ll book Sara in, she’s standby.” Taking a deep breath, Tina continues, “Just relax and try not to freak out too much.”

“Thanks Tina,” Melanie said looking at the mirror again.

“I… I just thought of something.” Tina went on with a humm, “From what I understand these ponies were all cursed by Discord in person, so if the passenger and you changed on the same day, you two might have known each other as ponies, or been in the same area at least when cursed.”

“Really?”

“Well Discord could teleport, but after the first clump he changed, well, I figure he would just be changing small groups as he caught them.” Tina says. “Of course, that could just be me over thinking things and being dumb.”

“Tina,” Melanie sighs, “Aside from the rooms you book for us, you’re never dumb.”

***

The knock on the door breaks Joel from a dead sleep. He blinks a few times, looking around the hotel room. He sits up in the bed. Confusion abounds for a moment before his attention is grabbed by another soft knock at his hotel room door. He grabs his glasses and walks over to the door. “Who is it?”

“Nuan.”

His eyes widen as he pulls open the door. If she didn’t look so pathetic he would have laughed. Seated on Charged Up is Nuan, her lower half is trending towards fully pony, her face and jaw have subtly been reshaped, then her eyes. His own eyes widen. “Nuan, your eyes.”

Hers widen. “What’s wrong with them?” She almost yelps.

He shakes his head. “No, sorry, nothing wrong with them. I’m guessing they’ve gone to your pony coloring. They are this two tone purple, and are utterly adorable!”

“Purple eyes? That’s impossible!”

He steps back to allow them to enter. “Says the woman who is turning into the magical talking pony.” He closes the door behind Charged and follows them to the bed. “I’m sorry, if you had called I would have…” He looks down. “Why did you take out your implant?”

She sniffles. “I didn’t.”

“Wait a moment, your implant was on your right leg.” He looks up at her. “But as a pony, you’ve lost your left?”

She nods. “Well, left rear, since I’ll have four.”

He kneels down for her to get her arms around him, he lifts and helps her onto the bed. Charged shakes her body out then bounces a few times on the spot, “Wow, Thank you! Talk about taking a load off."

With a soft giggle Charged tilts her head, "Don't worry Fuff, you aren’t actually all that heavy, but it’s awkward to carry another pony on your back, that’s for certain. I don't know how Twilight carried spike around so easy.”

“Oh, har har.” She looks up at Joel. “What am I going to do?”

Joel reaches over and grabs his watch from the nightstand. He taps the face to bring up the screen and looks at it for a moment. “Well, in about two hours, we are going to head to the Los Angeles office and get some measuring done. Those legs are certainly a different size and shape from last night. We are going to have to build you a new one.” He smiles at Nuan. “And I know one of the best new fabricators for this design, and we are in luck since she’s just in from the UK office.”

Nuan blushes. “I’m going to be losing my hands soon probably sometime during the day.”

“And we’ll be seeing if you are a unicorn or a pegasus.” Chargie chirps.

Joel ignores the earth pony as he kneels before Nuan. “May I?” At her nod his expert fingers quest around the stump. “Any pain?” He looks up at her.

“No.”

“Good. This seems to be a well healed injury. Ah, ponies knew how to do complex surgeries.”

Chargie leans forward. “What?”

He lifts her stump, smoothing the fur out. “They implanted a fitting in the bone. So, fabrication shouldn’t be all that hard, the joint will have to be made, but I don’t think it’ll be that difficult for someone with your talents, Nuan.

“Is that metric or imperial?”

“Pardon?” Charged says, her ears flicking.

Joel reaches over and touches the earth pony’s cheek. “Some prosthetics are simply screwed into the implanted fitting, and if this is the case, we’d have to determine the thread depth, angle, all that jazz.” He runs his finger along the edge of the metal piece. “But I don’t think this is the case. This looks like you would have an expanding fitting, where you tighten a nut or screw, and the stud expands ever so slightly, with the lip on the outside, it won’t be going anywhere, and removing it would be easier than something that could get corrosion and then be like an old bolt in a car engine, where you have to destroy the implant to get it off.” He looks up at Nuan. “It looks like the ponies knew their stuff when it came to engineering something like this. I’m seriously impressed here.”

“That’s amazing!” Nuan says. She lifts up her stump and feels around the implant. “So, am I going to have to get a new prosthetic.”

Both are distracted by a squeeing giggle from Charged, who had hopped up on the bed behind Nuan. She’s running on the spot causing the entire bed to vibrate. “Fuff! You are getting wings!!!”

***

The knock on the door disturbed Melanie’s rest with a groan, pulling the pillow over her face she huffed, “Go away.”

The knock comes again, “Melanie? Can you come to the door?”

“Who is it?” Melanie says with a half whine, not wanting to move, “Can’t you just leave me alone?”

“It’s Officer Drizzle, I was asked to come see you, to check up on you and see if you need help? You know, just a welfare check.”

“Yeah right, what kind of a name is Drizzle?” Melanie says with a sigh, looking at the clock.

“A pony name, my mom gave it to me.”

“A pony name?” Melanie moans, then she sits up quickly, “Pony?”

“Yes, could you open the door please? I don’t really like talking to doors.”

“Sorry, I just got off a long-haul flight. I’m tired, I’m stressed,” Melanie opened the door, looking side to side before looking down.

“Oh don’t worry, I know the feeling and worse, long haul flights on a cargo plane, through rough weather to boot,” Smiling, the little violet pony with amber mane and tail holds up a small box tied with string, “Happy birthday and happy rebirth days.” She says tilting her head with a giggle.

Leaning to her side a bit Melanie sees a second pony, another pegasus, holding thee boxes balanced on her foreleg keeping back behind drizzle. “Your friend?”

“Oh this? This is the angel of the skies.” Drizzle says, holding her head high with pride as she motions back to the brownish pegasus.

Whimpering, the second one flattens her ears and whines, “Please don’t, my names Jet Streams and no, I’m not an angel.”

“Umm okay. Hi, come on in, there isn’t much space but…” Melanie motions inside for the two ponies in the odd blue and yellow uniforms.

“But we’re little ponies so we can make do,” Drizzle said, trotting in, “Streams brought pizza, including desert pizza.”

“Oh lord, scratch that, she is an angel, I’m actually starved.” Melanie said as she sat down on the chair while the two ponies looked at each other before climbing onto the bed.

Streams cringes and sighs as she sets the boxes on the bed. She opened them up, and ripped the lid off one of the boxes, “We have triple cheese, with caramelized onion, roasted garlic, and mixed peppers here, half plain cheese, half cheese and mushroom, and finally, an apple cinnamon with icing glaze.

Melanie sighs, “No pepperoni or bacon?”

“I didn’t want to risk meats that might make you sick,” Streams says, “Sorry.”

“Jet Streams here is our pizza expert. She loves the stuff since her change.”

“Since before, though I think I was a regular with Pegasus pizza in Cloudsdale too.”

Melanie takes a pair of slices, putting them on the lid and carrying them back to the desk before sitting down. She sighs and shakes her head, “Cloudsdale?”

“Pegasus city in Equestria, built in the clouds, has a weather factory, stores, homes. They show it in the Tv show a few times.” Drizzle says, “Have you seen the show?”

“No, I was too old for it, I was like 15 at the time when the series started,” Melanie said, “At that time was into stuff like The Twilight Saga.”

Drizzle giggles, “Maybe it was the name, Princess Twilight.”

“Nope, cuz I also watched the Hunger Games. TV wise, it was things like Gossip Girls and Pretty Little Liars.”

“Well now, I kinda liked shows like the Ponies, Ride, Mia and Me.” Drizzle says as she has some pizza, “I guess I always like horse shows.”

“How about you? Melanie asks, looking at Streams.

Gulping, Streams flattens her ears, “Umm, I kinda liked anime, animated movies, anything that I could lose myself in. Escape from the world. From reality.”

Drizzle smiles and strokes Streams mane with her wing, “Its okay.” Looking back to Melanie, Drizzle smiles. “Streams had a hard time growing up, she didn’t get along with people, didn’t understand people well, I guess she was always more pony than human.”

“But I’m not,” Melanie says, then shakes her head. Putting her pizza down on the box lid she sighs, “I’m human, I’m supposed to be human, I have a life, a job. This isn’t supposed to happen to me.”

Drizzle pulls her head back, “Sorry, I know it’s hard, but it’s something we’ve all gone through…”

“Just because you’ve changed doesn’t mean you know how I feel, I…” Melanie starts to tear up and looks down, “I don’t know about ponies, I don’t remember anything about them. It’s not who I am.”

Drizzle looks at Streams and sighs, “We don’t know if you’re a pony, but from your mane color I’d say you are. The problem is without a cutie mark we can’t be sure until much further in the change. You are returning to what you were born as, what you were always meant to be. Discord took that away.”

“But I don’t remember, I don’t know anything about being a pony,” Melanie says, “I’m just stressed out and I can’t deal with this. Maybe if I had followed the show or remembered who I am, it would be different.”

Closing her eyes, Streams lowers her head taking a deep breath before starting to sing, “Feel the light.”

Drizzle blinks looking at Streams, the shock in her expression vivid for Melanie to see. “I’ve never heard you sing…”

“Shining like the stars, tonight.” Looking up to Melanie slowly, Streams motions with her wing, “Remember what we forgot, I know it’s a long shot…”

Melanie wipes tears away from her eyes looking at the pegasus, tilting her head.

Streams sits up, her voice carrying a bit louder as her emotions melt into the song, “But we’re bringing your heart back, were bringing them all back…”

Chapter 51.

To say Phoebe Wright is in a bit of a pickle is an understatement. She’s on her layover in New York, her five on, two off, run spending alternating nights in New York and London, now she has two nights off in the USA to try to relax. As if relaxing was an option, it wasn’t the fact that her hair is turning green, and not just some flat dark green or simple dye job green, but this was a two-tone green with streaks all throughout her hair.

Normally she’d kept her hair short and neat for most of her life, all women were required to have their hair pulled back in a bun, and it’s now growing well outside British Airways regulations for flight attendants. She’d already called dispatch, letting them know that she’s sick.

With that outbreak of that stupid virus a few months ago, employers, especially airlines are super skittish when it comes to someone saying they are feeling sick. Even the tail she that had sprouted in her sleep had not overwhelmed her really, she understood what was happening. Ponies are happening…to her!

No, the real problem is her dreams. On her flight to JFK, she was in her jump seat during some turbulence and suddenly she was elsewhere. She remembered flying, with a sister. They were scared, almost too scared to think.

“Five score divided by four,” She says softly before shivering and giving her head a vigorous shake. “Why those words so scary? What do they even mean?” She puffs out her cheeks, “And for that matter, I don’t even have a sister.” She closes her eyes, trying to call up the memory of that dream. But all she gets is that voice, causing another shiver down her spine.

She smacks her lips deciding on something to calm her nerves, yeah, some tea would be a great thing right now, a nice chamomile would be perfect. She rotates out of the bed. Then she looks down and lets out a loud yelp.

A matter of seconds later, there is a knock at her door. “Miss…miss, are you okay?”

Trembling with the shock setting in, Phoebe tries to put weight on her new feet, errr, hooves. The plush carpet of her hotel room providing good traction. Most of her legs are still normal or at least work normal to a point, allowing her to totter over to the door and wrenches it open. Looking out see sees a human standing there, then as if everything in her world just scattered all at once, she falls forwards, tears flowing down her face, “Why is this happening to me?” She whimpers before beginning to cry uncontrollably.

“Whoa there,” He grunts in surprise as he catches her, his white shirt getting stained from the woman’s tears. Gently he strokes her mane one holding her, looking around, then looking down with a soft sigh, “Its ok, hush, you’re just turning into a pony. You’re safe.”

Phoebe sniffles. “A pony? What? How?”

He helps her balance back on her hooves. “It’s hard to explain, I’m not totally sure myself but, my niece went through the change a couple of months ago.” With a soft sigh he closes his eyes shaking his head gently, “She went back to Equestria, though and I haven’t seen her since.” He puts his hands on her shoulders helping her stand up. “Do you have family? Someone you can call?”

She nods. “My mum is back home in Manchester, but that’s a seven hour flight.” She wipes her eyes.

The man looks at his companions, another woman of the same age as him. They both look to be in their mid-fifties with another man that’s about her age if not a bit older than her. “If you need someone to talk to, some support, we helped Jennifer through her change. If you need something, anything, we are just down the hall there.” He points. “Room 1405. We were just walking by when we heard you cry out, scared the dickens out of my wife here.”

Phoebe nods sniffling and mumbles softly, “I’m sorry. Thank you, though.” She blinks a few times. “I kind of had training on this for my job, but I never thought…”

“That you’d encounter anyone like it? Or that something like this could ever happen to you?” The man says gently.

She shakes her head slowly, “When I first heard about it, I thought it was some Hasbro April-fools joke.”

He motions into her room, “You call your mom, let her know what’s going on. If you want, we can sit with you for a bit till you get a hold of her. If not, just tap on our door, okay?”

“I…” She takes a deep breath then nods again. “Thank you, mister…”

“Holcomb, Glen Holcomb.”

She smiles as she takes a step back. “Thank you again.” She murmurs as she closes the door.

Turning she looks at her phone sitting on the bed where she had discarded it. She hadn’t even bothered charging it yet, first to tired, then to distracted to do so. Carefully, almost experimentally, she takes a few steps forward before she moves over and sits on the bed.

Her British Airways crew training on the whole pony thing came to the forefront of her mind. Stay calm, it’s not contagious, keep the passenger and other passengers calm. If necessary, isolate the passenger to prevent panic but keep emotional support people near them, do not administer drugs or alcohol, do not treat this as an aircraft emergency situation or divert the aircraft. Advise port authorities on arrival of the situation. Do not disembark or force a passenger a pony into any country that is or could be deemed unsafe for them.

Taking a deep breath she looks around and nods, “Isolated, check, no drugs, check. Port authorities, ok.” Picking up her phone she’s dialed a number at JFK. And after being bounced around a few departments she finally hears a new voice. “Immigration and Customs authority.”

“Hello, yes…I,” Stopping for a moment Phoebe took a deep breath, “i’d like to report turning into a pony.”

Silence on the other end of the line. Finally, the other person clears their throat. “Okay, is this a joke?”

Phoebe gulps then exhales, “No, I’m a British national on US Soil. A British Airways employee, we were told that arriving off international flights, we’d have to call port authorities if a passenger or crew member started turning into a…” She looks down at her hooves. “Well, a pony.”

“I understand, one moment please,” And a click. Phoebe blinked a few times then pulled her phone away to look at the screen before putting it back to her ear, no they didn’t hang up. She huffs and leans back picking up a pillow to hug as she puts her hooves up on the bed. She stares at them for a long moment, then brings a leg up. They look kind of small, she squints as she watches the line of fur, it’s above her ankles, and is slowly working up towards her knees. She’d always been good about shaving her legs, wearing skirts most of the time at work means she wanted to keep up appearances. But now, she doesn’t have hair, she has fur! She suppresses the urge to whine.

“Miss? Miss, are you there?”

Phoebe clicks the phone over to speaker, setting it down on the table by the bed, “Yes, I’m here.”

“Okay, Sorry about the confusion a moment ago. We do have to deal with prank callers from time to time here. Faked calls, false reports. You understand.” Clearing their throat, “But we do have directives from DHS when it comes to dealing with foreigners arriving and turning pony.” She can hear papers being shifted. “It’s been fairly quiet recently, no real new ones in several weeks. But I am finding a few recent ones. Ok here we go, first, can you describe your cutie mark? It’s likely the first thing that appeared.”

“Cutie mark?”

“Yes, it would show up on your upper thigh, just under your hip. It’s usually some sort of picture, or symbol. Stars, or a star cluster, compass, an item like a book, fishing rod or such.”

Phoebe looks down at her thigh. “No, no mark.”

“Okay, that is unusual, but not unprecedented. Do you have feathers on your head or mane and tail? And what color are they?”

“Well, I’ve got hooves were my feet should be, and a mane, it’s sort of a two toned green.”

“Okay, so equine for sure, likely pony, dark or light?”

“Oh, somewhat of a lime color and a much lighter color.”

“Have you umm, ok this question is a little hard but, have you changed or started to change genders?”

“What?” Phoebe almost screams into the phone.

“Well, it seems like the birth ratio back in Equestria is heavily skewed towards female, so a lot of men have turned into mares.”

“Well, I’m already a girl, so I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”

That gets a chuckle. “Okay. How about coat color? It usually starts with ears, then the legs start turning into hooves.”

“Ears?” She reaches up and her eyes widen. “I’ve got pony ears? How did I not notice before?”

“What color are they?”

She glances down at the fur that’s up to mid-calf on her. “Yellow, a light, buttery yellow.”

“Hmmm, ok now that’s odd.”

“What’s odd? At this point I don’t think I could handle much more odd here.” She fights to keep her voice level.

“Well, yellow coat with green two-toned mane and tail, along with no cutie mark. Sounds like something happening in Los Angeles. We got a report from American Airlines in their reporting. A flight attendant for American Airlines is turning into a pony as well.” There is a pause for a long moment. “I really shouldn’t be telling you all this, for privacy concerns. But it just seemed odd, two flight attendant’s, birthday is one day off, but that can account for being born across the pond from each other, but the same coloring and both not having cutie marks.”

Phoebe’s eyes widen. “Barley!”

***

“Kerfuffle.” Nuan says softly. She’s back in her hotel room, Joel had sent them back so he could get ready. Of course, Charged has decided to take a bath while Nuan is sitting on her bed, holding her old prosthesis in her hands as the transformation has made it almost to her waist. She’s gratified that she’s remaining a girl, though. Charged had said that watching a penis turn into female parts was kinda traumatizing. Apparently she had been quite pleased with her former member. Though in Nuan’s experience, guys who say they have big packages tend to have normal packages. Though as a human, Nuan hadn’t had all too many lovers, she liked guys, to be sure, but she wasn’t chasing after them the way some of her school mates tended to do. She had always chalked it up to being an amputee, and not really wanting to put herself out because of that.

She looks up at the large mirror on the wall. Half-way between pony and human, she’s got the pony ears, her new eyes, and her body has changed so much, and can’t forget the mane and the tail. But who is she? Is she Nuan, the gifted tech making prosthesis for animals and humans alike? Or is she the pony? She doesn’t remember what she did as a pony! She shakes her head. Is she Nuan? Will she stay Nuan? Or will Kerfuffle take over? And she not even remember her life on this Earth? She suppresses the urge to sob. Will she lose herself in what she becomes? She stands up on her one hoof. Chargie was right, strong legs are her birthright. She hops experimentally, well, until she gets a new leg made, she can get around just fine on just one, or three when the time comes. A quick inspection of her hands shows them entirely normal. Though looking at her middle finger, is the nail a bit wider than it was before?

“Halp!” The muffled shout from the bathroom gets her to look at the door. She stares in horror as she can see what looks like suds seeping out from under the door. Well, it’s time to see how mobile she is on one hoof. She hops once, then twice, she’s getting the hang of it. She doesn’t exactly collapse against the door, more on the door sill. She opens the door to see a wall of suds. Chargie’s eyes are closed as she fumbles with the lever to adjust the water. Then she sees the problem, the lever has somehow broken off, leaving a smooth stump that the earth pony can’t get any purchase on to move.

Kerfuffle yelps as she hops through the suds and lands sideways on the tub. She fumbles herself for a few moments before she’s able to shut down the water. She looks over at Chargie, the poor earth pony looks up at her, eyes red, her coat and tail still covered in shampoo. The large bottle from Nuan’s bags is on its side, top ripped off and the bottle empty. The Earth pony hiccups up a small cloud of bubbles. “I got shampoo in my everywhere.”

***

Harts Fire opens his eyes, he’s slept very well this last night. Though having a pony in bed with him is a good reason he’s so comfortable. He’s got his wing wrapped around her, along with his hooves. The unicorn is peacefully sleeping. He nuzzles Saffron’s cheek gently before withdrawing his wing and shifting to unlimber his other wing, a couple of short flaps has him out of the bed and he hovers over to the floor. He smiles as he lands softly enough that nopony could hear his hooves hitting the wood floor. Though apparently his movements have disturbed one somepony. She stretches a bit and blinks slowly at him. “G’mornin.”

He grins. “And a very good morning to you. Sleep well?”

She nods. “And you were a perfect gentlestallion, thank you Harts.”

“Oh, I’d never take advantage of a beautiful mare, my lady.”

That gets a happy giggle. “You never know, a mare might want to be taken advantage of sometime. Even if she isn’t all that beautiful.” She snorts softly. “Do you have to go take care of the horses?”

“Every day, it’s part of life out here. We have to take care of every creature.” He stops, looking back at her. “And yes, you are quite the beautiful mare.”

She can feel a blush spreading across her face. “Of course, that includes ponies here too.” She looks down at her grumbling tummy. “I guess I can get my own breakfast.”

He nods as he reaches up a hoof to pull the door open. “You know where the food is. We are getting pretty full now, a couple of Equestrian ponies showed up late last night. Until I figure out sleeping arrangements, they are bunking in with the horses.”

“If ponies keep showing up like this, until the portal opens again, we will need to build something.”

“Well, I’m not flush with cash, sadly. I can’t just call contractors and have them build buildings from nothing.”

She shakes her head. “No need there, we are ponies, we are the masters of our world, we can build. You have enough trees on the property, I’m pretty sure we can build something. And you never know, the ponies might have access to some money and supplies we might need.”

He nods. Heaving himself up on his hooves before he lets his wings take over. He loves being in the air, even if it’s just a few feet off the ground. He heads over to the door, the chime of magic resounds and the door opens, he looks back gratefully at Saffron before heading down the hall.

***

Phoebe is sitting in her hotel room, her leg bouncing nervously as she looks at the time on her phone, then the door. The woman from ICE had told her to stay calm, stay put, and relax, as if that was even an option. Her supervisor had said the same thing, though suggested maybe watching some tv to take her mind of things. Well, she’s staying put at least, she knew enough about us programing that she wasn’t interested. Normally, she’d spend a bit of time out in the City, enjoying the great food, window shopping, taking in the night life of the city that never sleeps.

But now she’s stuck in the hotel room, a shoe box layover suit. Drinking New York city water from the tap, asking the office to bring up ice. Ordering food in, at least there’s an app for that. Looking around she was getting a reverse claustrophobic feeling, it had been for the last few hours, as if the room was getting bigger.

With a huff she probes her mouth with a finger, her teeth feel different. A glance at her dinner, a fine rotisserie grilled chicken dish is sitting there, Boston Market had a half chicken with dill potato wedges and greens for a song. She reaches out and grabs a leg pulling it off before she moans softly as she takes a bite of the succulent flesh. Relaxing she closes her eyes savoring the taste trying to forget all else.

Bang Bang Bang

“And then it ended,” Sighing she look at the door and shakes her head, “So much for that attempt at escape.” She looks down at her hooves, she’s lost over twenty centimeters of height. These new legs are shorter than she thought. Sliding off the bed she hits the ground with a soft thud, before she walks slowly to the door and opens it.

“I’m just trying to get some peace; I really wasn’t expecting any…” She stops as she looks at the figure before her door. “Pony?”

The white pony with the light blue mane ruffles her wings. “Well, at least you are getting the lingo quickly. That’s gonna make life easier for you.”

Phoebe takes a few steps back before stumbling, falling back onto her butt as her legs don’t seem to like to reverse right this moment. “Ow… I… Sorry, I didn’t…”

“You didn’t expect to see a pony showing up at your door, let alone one in a wonderbolt like uniform. Hi, I’m White Lightning.” The Pegasus says holding out a hoof, before tilting her head, “Well, Colonel White Lightning of the US Airforce five hundred twentieth Air Police. Our job is to police the pegasi in the sky, train them on the rules of flight in the United States.” She glances over at the plate, her nose flaring as she inhales, her eyes slowly closing as her ears fall side to side. “And it looks like I’ve got a pegasus on my hooves. We’ll get you trained up pretty quickly.”

“What? How? I don’t know.”

White Lightning cocks her head to the side. “First off, unicorns and earth ponies really don’t like any meat. They say that meat tastes awful to them, like it’s been spoiled and then left out in the sun for a week. Pegasi like meat, chicken, some wild game, fish, and such. Second, you chose a career where you spend most of your time in the air. That’s very much a speedster pegasus thing as humans. Even some non-speedsters were drawn to such jobs.” She looks side to side. “I’m sorry, but I’m in a bit of a hurry, but we’ve got a few things going on ourselves when it comes to ponies not in uniformed service at the moment.” She smiles. “But you don’t have a cutie mark, and you are a bit short. So I’m going to assume you were a foal when Discord got you.” She looks back at the door. “I got briefed before coming here. Apparently a relative of yours, back in Equestria, was taken at the same time. And is in Los Angeles right now.”

“I don’t remember all that much, I remember the creature, Five Score…” She stops as a wing is placed gently on her lips.

“I know the term. We all do. That same horrible feeling crawls down our spines when that is said.” She shudders in remembrance. “But we don’t need to worry about all of that. I’ve talked to ICE, and American Airlines as well as your boss at British Airways. You are on administrative leave until things are figured out with this pony issue. They are extending paying for your room at the behest of the US government. But I would think you would want to see if you can find your…” She looks unsure. “Sister? Sorry, Barley could go anyway when it comes to pony names.”

“I remember Barley being my sister, yes.”

White Lightning nods. “Well, as luck would have it. We have to get a group of ponies across the nation today. So, would you like to come? We can get some locals of the 520th to see about helping you find Barley.” She glances around. “Would it take you long to get packed up?”

Phoebe looks around. She walks slowly over to her bag, she hasn’t really unpacked. She reaches over next to the bed and pulls her phone charger from the plug and places her tablet in its slot in her bag. Only seconds has her ready to go. “I’m totally changing forms. I don’t think I need clothes.”

“Well, yeah, most ponies do go naked most of the time. Though I like the uniform we’ve got as part of the 520th.” She puffs out her chest a bit. “But the others will be heading to the airport in DC. I’ve got a car waiting downstairs.”

“Wait a moment. DC? Can’t we just catch a flight out of JFK? Or LaGuardia?”

White Lightning shakes her head. “Nope, we are taking Pony Air.”

***

The US Air Force Sergeant driving the USAF police car must have been an Indy driver in a previous life, the need for speed, seemed to be possess more then just navy pilots. What should have normally been a four hour drive, they’d made it, at White Lightning’s insistence, in a shade under three. Official plates can be very helpful at times, as can the top lights. They turn onto the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews and slam to a stop before a small VIP transport aircraft, a civilian style business jet, wrapped in USAF colors with the US Flag on the tail. Stepping out of the car Phoebe follows White Lightning as they head towards the plane. “Why do pegasi need airplanes?”

White Lightning looks over her shoulder. “The 520th is made up of humans and ponies, and not all pegasi are speedsters or endurance flyers. Our officers need to cover airports and no fly zones across the country, as such it’s a lot faster to have ponies take air transport to get where they need to than fly themselves. At the same time, there are also non-pegasi who need to get around. Pony Air was created to help ponies move safely, especially for those without actual ID.” She leads Phoebe into the plane. “Okay, everyone, this is Phoebe, she thinks her pony name is Pickle, but that’s all she remembers.” She gestures. “This is Fleur with OSI, Goldie with CID, and Anthony OSI.”

Blinking, Phoebe looks up at Fleur, then Goldie confused, “OSI? CID?”

Anthony chuckles, “Sorry, its kind of like NCIS like the TV show, NCIS is navy, OSI is air force cops, CID is army cops.”

Phoebe blinks a few times looking at Goldie in shock, “I can’t believe it. That show…it was real?”

“Well sort of, NCIS, is based on a real department…” Anthony started before Fleur hits the back of his head with her hoof lightly.

“She meant My Little Ponies,” Fleur says giving her head a shake.

“I’ve only watched a couple of episodes.” She points to Goldie. “But I saw you in it.” She walks over and climbs into the seat. “This is really happening?”

White Lightning huffs, “Come on, I’m in the opening credits…”

Anthony blinks then smiles innocently, “Really? I must have missed that, I guess I need to watch the show more closely.”
White Lightning hops up in the seat next to Phoebe and glares at Anthony, “Yeah, I got to know a lot of these ponies before I changed. So, it wasn’t such a shock to me. Plus, Lightning Dust was super helpful during my change.”

Phoebe suppresses sobs, but that doesn’t stop the tears from flowing. “I remember her, from that episode where Dash became a Wonderbolt.”

“The same.” She looks around. “Okay, we need to buckle up.”

The door to the cockpit opens and out steps a human. He stops and blinks at Phoebe a couple of times before grabbing the mic. "Hello my little ponies, more emphasis on the little part to some, more than others. And welcome to pony air. The Air Force is more than happy to fly you nation-wide for the mere cost of paying your taxes. And you wonder why a toilet seat costs $50,000."

"In the side pouches of your seats you will find a questionnaire on how you enjoyed your service, and recommendations for the USAF. I am sure some General somewhere will be very happy to know they were filled out, though the actually forms may never make it past some corporal in a basement office."

"Meals today are provided by the US Army Quartermaster's, and comprise of MRE-P's, loaded with enough fiber to turn a human’s intestines into a log flume, and bottled water, made somewhere in Texas, I think. In case of emergency, remember to scream and panic before we hit the ground. Provided the plane stays in one piece, the emergency doors are there, there, there, there and there."

He shifts the mic to his other hand. "Since we have several pegasi in the group this flight, the pilot cabin door will remain locked, so we will not be able to hear your comments on how we hit every single air pocket and didn't use a thermal properly. Our bathroom is pony friendly, and if you have any problems, the Sargent here will be more than willing to help."

The pilot turns and re-enters the cockpit, the door clicking as it’s locks. So, apparently, he wasn’t joking all that much. It’s not very long before the plane has gotten clearance and claws its way into the sky. Phoebe sighs softly as the plane reaches cruising altitude. Though White Lighting puffed out a few times when the plane hit rough spots as it climbed. Though the crazy thing was, Phoebe felt…something…was off when the white pegasus started getting nervous. She shakes her head as she unbuckles her seatbelt. She’s thankful for the skirt, though what was mid-thigh when she was at work is almost down to her ankles. She growls a bit as she heads into the bathroom. She had noticed her breasts, which were not much to look at, had disappeared. White Lightning had noticed at the same time, and had folding a wing over her, holding her close while she processed the new information. She actually really enjoyed being held like that. Somehow it felt like her mother was holding her.

She locks the door and looks at herself in the mirror, well, at least she kept her blue eyes, but with the reshaping of her skull, she’s trying to figure out more of what’s going to happen. In a day or so, she’s going to look like those ponies out there, only smaller. She sighs before she unclips her skirt. She sits on the toilet and releases with a sigh. Though as the can feel the stream peter out, her eyes go wide. Not only did it sound different with the stream not heading down, but hitting the front of the bowl, but there seems to be a bit more down there than she was used to. She slowly opens her eyes and looks down.

Her scream gets almost instant knocks on the door, and worried voices filtering through. She staggers to her hooves and unlocks the door before collapsing to the deck. This time, the tears are flowing and she can’t suppress the sobbing.

“Pickle, what’s going on?”

Phoebe lifts her front half a bit and looks at the pony at eye level. “I have a penis!” She sobs.

Chapter 52.

Charged Up closes the door to the lab. Fuff is happily working with two other techs on building a new setup for her. She smiles brightly, this kind of prosthesis would normally cost tens of thousands of dollars. But since she’s doing most of the work to build it, her boss has promised to cover the materials costs. Calling it research for new pony designs. If one human turned pony ended up needing a new leg, what about others? Could they talk to a unicorn at the pony settlement in Montana, figure out how to make an artificial wing like Rainbow Dash wore in that alternate reality? Chargie’s mind whirls with the possibilities for Fuff to keep busy with her current employer after she completes her change.

Chargie, at the moment, though, has completely different plans as she walks down the hall, her tail swishing side to side, the smile on her face is genuine as she nods to the different workers as she heads towards her destination. Quickly, four strong hooves can make any journey seem short, she’s standing before a large oak door in the executive offices. She glances around quickly, it’s still early, she reaches up and opens the door, pushing her way in. The view has her smiling, a simple anteroom, a place for a personal secretary or assistant. Chargie’s smile widens as she locks the door behind her. Her ears catch the soft sounds of a human moving around in the inner office. She trots happily to the inner door, knocking briskly.

“Come in.” Comes a familiar voice.

Chargie pulls down on the lever style knob and pushes the door open. Thankful once again that these doors are already pony friendly. As she shuts the door behind her, she quickly ensures that this door is locked as well. She turns around, looking at Joel as he’s sitting at the big desk. She smirks as she hops up onto the desk, not really caring that she’s knocked over a pen holder before she sits on her haunches in front of the human.

He has a quizzical look on his face. “Is there something I can help you with, Charged Up?”

“You can call me Chargie. And yes, there is in fact something you can help me with.”

He smiles a bit, though she doesn’t continue. The silence stretches to an uncomfortable length. Finally he tilts his head. “And that would be?”

She leans down a bit, looking at him intently. “I love being a pony, I never knew how right it was for me. When I was changing, I was terrified. But when I finally woke up, in this body, once I started moving around, feeling my new body flex and move. I found that it fit me perfectly, but do you want to know the best things about this form?”

He adjusts his glasses. “Sure.”

“My senses are different, my eyesight is wider than as a human, my sense of smell is so much better than it was as a human. I smoked as a human, so my sense of taste and smell was rather dull. With this change, I smell everything so much better. And I could smell you.”

“Me?”

She nods. “I’ve learned over the past few days that certain human smells are quite distinct. One of those is male arousal.” She smiles as he flinches a bit. “Oh yeah, I noticed. Fuff hasn’t fully changed, and you wouldn’t consider her, because she’s your employee, and you consider her like a kid sister. Am I right?”

“Kerfuffle? Of course I wouldn’t.” He sputters. “You’re right, she’s like a little sister, I just want to help her.”

Charged hops off the desk and reaches out, turning his chair and placing a forehoof on each leg, standing up where she’s nearly eye level for the tall human. “All of that is admirable, but I’ve noticed, your smell changes when you are around ponies. I know the smell of men, of males. That beautiful, musky smell that gets my insides all twisted. Even as a human I could smell that from time to time. I know you watched my tail as I walked with Fuff in front of you. I even gave you a peek, twitching my tail as I walk. Giving you a view.”

“That was intentional?” He says with a gulp.

She chuckles low in her throat. “Oh, yeah, it most certainly was. Remember I mentioned my eyesight. We ponies have great peripheral vision, I could see your eyes were definitely feasting on the occasional view of this plot of mine. Especially that beautiful pink view when I wink.” She whisks her tail from side to side as an example before leaning close. “I know you at least thought of me.” She inhales deeply. “And I know I’m having an effect on you now.”

“Charged, we are at my office, we are…” His stammering is stopped by her fetlock gently pressing against his lips.

“Oh, I don’t want a one and done, Joel. But I want you, nopony is going to disturb us, I’ve ensured that.” She leans down and nuzzles his crotch. “And it smells like you are interested.”

“Perhaps if we were to head back to the ho…” Again his voice is stopped, though this time by Charged quickly leaning forward and kissing him. He freezes as he feels the short, soft fur around her lips, though her tongue quickly invades his mouth. He hesitantly reaches up a hand and touches her cheek, getting a moan and her body to relax against his as he responds to the kiss.

After both have completely lost track of time, she pulls away, giving him a bright smile. “The nose never lies.” She says with a giggle. She leans down and latches on to his belt, tongue and lips working together to unbuckle it. She giggles in pleasure when the belt goes slack.

“It won’t take long to get to the hotel, the staff can…”

She looks up at him. “Nopony will know, and I don’t want to wait for the car, or for the ride, unless you want me to be sucking you off in the car. Give the driver a view, maybe?” She grins, her tail waving. Adding even more scent into the room. “Even before I changed, I could suck start a lawnmower. And I want to see how well I can do with this new body.”

“You haven’t?” He almost yelps.

She stops and looks up at him. “I’ve only been fully pony for what, five days? I am totally hot for you, but I’m no slut.” She looks down. “Now, let’s see how good I am at buttons without hands.” She leans down and pulls on his jeans, she gets the button in her mouth, and he watches in fascination as she tries to use her teeth, tongue and lips to work the button loose. At first, buoyed by her initial success with the belt, she works, patiently working the button, trying to get it to back out of the hole.

“You know, maybe I should…” Joel says. He slowly brings his hands up, only to be stopped by her looking up at him, the intensity in her eyes gets him to pause. “Or maybe not.” He does use his free hands to caress her head and play with her mane a bit. Though after a few minutes, she growls and gets a good hold on his jeans before jerking her head back. The cloth tearing and exposing his boxers, and her goal hiding underneath them. She drops the torn cloth with a smile and gently pulls on the boxers, exposing his manhood, getting her to smile up at him.

“There’s what I’m looking for.” She nuzzles his half hardness. “I would have thought me talking to you would have gotten you ready to go.” She flicks out her tongue, tasting the tip for a moment. “I know you seeing me has gotten you hard, I know that smell anywhere.” She looks up at him. “Am I right?”

“Well, ahh, uh.” He stammers. Finally he looks away. “A gentleman never tells.”

She grins back at him. “Well, a lady takes of her dignity with her clothes and does her whorish best.” She waggles her rear, her tail flagging high. “You can see, I’m not wearing any clothes.”

“But ponies usually don’t wear….ohhhhhh.” His words are forgotten as she brings his entire length into her mouth, and works her tongue along his shaft. He arches his back as she wraps her tongue around his length and sucks, hard.

Minutes pass as she lavishes attention on his manhood. Her ears flick, enjoying every small gasp as she nearly pulls him out of her mouth before using the tip of her tongue on the tip of his penis, she knows with this kind of nearly overstimulation, he’ll be ready quickly.

His body stiffens. “Oh God, Ch…ch…chargie…please st…I’m going to…” That’s what she was looking for, she wraps her forehooves around, pulling him closer to her as she buries her snout all the way to his pubic bone as she can feel his cock expanding in her mouth. Just a few more seconds.

“Ahhh, oh fuck…” He moans as he spasms his hips, trying to go deeper down her throat. But she’s already got all of him covered as she can feel the deep twitches, the first blast hits the back of her throat, she swallows before the second massive gob of cum erupts from his balls. She holds him close, darting her tongue around as his body keeps shooting load after load into her mouth.

Finally, his body relaxes. “Oh, wow.” He murmurs softly.

His once raging hardness is starting to subside slowly, she lets it retract as she pulls herself off of him, she leans back and puts a hoof to her stomach, rubbing it happily. “Now, that was yummy.”

“I’m so sorry, I tried to warn you, but you…” She cocks her head to the side.

“Joel, I wanted that load, I wanted to taste you, a good blowjob always has a happy ending like that.”

“But some…”

“Like to spit, but remember this, I am a pony, while we do like sweets, we also like salty.”

His eyes narrow. “So you like that flavor?”

She reaches up and kisses him gently on the cheek. “Sweetie, I loved that taste before I became a pony. Love it even more now.” His arms are around her barrel, he tightens his grip and picks her up. “Hey, hey, hey, what are you doing?” His pants fall to the floor as he places her gently on her back on the desk.

“Merely returning the favor.” He kisses her cheek, then her neck, and moves slowly down her body. Though she tightens her rear legs around him, preventing him from moving.

“Please don’t.” She whispers, barely loud enough for him to hear. “I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

He struggles a bit in her grip. “Okay, can you let me go?”

That gets a giggle, and her legs tighten even further. “It’s okay, I’m strong, you can lay on me. I really want you to.” Her voice is still small. He leans forward, and ends up laying mostly on her, his head lying on her shoulder, his arms around her barrel. She breathes a deep sigh. “Yeah, that’s the ticket.”

He lies there, on top of Chargie, enjoying her rapid heartbeat along with her deep, even breaths. “You know, those pants are ruined. And the nearest replacement is at the hotel.”

She giggles. “Sorry.”

They lay there for a long time in silence, but finally he shifts a bit, lifting his head. “May I ask, why you don’t want me to reciprocate? I would really like to.”

She shudders in his grasp. “It’s so different. For twenty five years I’ve had male equipment, I’ve used it, enthusiastically for a good ten years. I've always been into guys, love to suck a good cock, feel him spasm as he came, the taste of his cum. Was just heavenly for me. I mean, yeah, I’ve had sex otherwise, both top and bottom, and I do like to be top.” She tightens her legs around him, squeezing him tightly with all four legs. “Now I’ve got this pony plot. And it’s so damned different. I mean, I’ve seen how human girls look down there, and I’m pretty sure I’m the first pony you have been with.”

He grins. “That would be correct. I didn’t even know about you ponies until Fuff started her change.”

She nods. “I’m afraid, Joel. What if you don’t like it? What if I taste weird? What if I smell wrong? You are used to humans, and I know I’m the best damned blow you’ll ever have.”

“That was most certainly the best I’ve ever received.”

“I know. Trust me, for getting a blowjob, the best is from a gay guy, we know exactly where to touch, what feels the best, and can get you off faster and longer than any girl ever could.”

“Well, it helps you are a girl now.”

She looks down at him. “I know, but rattling around in this skull is that same person that spent twenty-five years as a human male. And he’s freaked out. I’m freaked out, he’s me, Chargie, from Equestria, is me. And I have no idea what’s going to happen.” She stops, her ears flicking back and forth. “Joel, I want you inside me, I want you to rut me until both our minds explode into nothingness. I want us to pass out from too much rutting.” She waves her tail a bit, tapping on a specific part of his anatomy with it. “But you aren’t ready for round two yet.”

He nods. “I know, and with as much pleasure as you’ve given me, I wanted to return the favor, still do, in fact.”

“But it’s not a human pussy! What if…” This time she’s silenced by a finger on her lips.

“If you were worried about smell, you waving that tail of yours around has definitely let me know how you smell. And you smell delightful.” He grins. “And well, as to taste, if you taste as good as you smell, that earthy, rich, aroma. I’m quite certain that I’ll enjoy it as well.”

Her face flushes. “Are you sure?”

He nods. “And even if your juices are not ambrosia ponified, I will do my level best to give you as much pleasure as you’ve given me.”

She relaxes her body. “As if that’s possible, Joel, you just visited heaven.”

“Indeed I have, and I’m going to make sure you make the journey yourself.”

She lies there for a long time, finally she leans her head over and licks his cheek gently. “Promise?”

He grins. He starts by kissing her cheek, her legs loosen their grip as he again starts to move down her body, enjoying the thinning fur along her belly. He nuzzles her teats, enjoying the sharp gasps as she feels those intense bursts of pleasure. Though he notices she is holding her breath as he ponders the plot mere inches from his face. Every few seconds her clitoris makes an appearance as it flexes in a wink. Every time that happens, that musky, earthy smell is intentisifed. He can feel the warmth emanating from her nethers, and those smells are getting his head to swim oh so pleasantly. He gently reaches out his tongue and runs it along her dripping lips.

“Ohfuckfuckfuck!” She moans as he repeats, that strong smell is accompanied by a strong and very pleasant taste. He remembered how she had totally dived right in with pleasuring him. He wraps his arms around her rear and pulls her closer. He grins as he can feel his cock twitch in response. It’s time to reciprocate as he dives deeply into her nearly burning hot plot.

***

With a squeal of tires, Pony Air Two lands on the tarmac of the Los Angeles Air Force Base. Phoebe has finished crying out the change. Goldie, White Lightning, and Fleur were originally female and stayed female, so they tried to comfort her as best as they could. They had gotten her skirt back wrapped around her and zipped it up. Though the beginning emergence of her—his wings has been a source of celebration among the pegasi. Phoebe did take a moment to touch up his makeup, though the reshaping of the skull has made the shift all the more interesting.

“So, what do you want to be called? White Lightning says gently.

Phoebe looks at her, well, his, hands. They are getting rather stiff, and the middle finger’s nail was slowly reshaping as the other fingers were also fusing together. “I’m going to have four hooves soon, aren’t I?”

White Lightning nuzzles his cheek. “Yeah, and wings, and all the benefits of being a pegasus.” She uses a wing to ruffle the soon to be colt’s mane. “So, I’m guessing Pickle?”

“Pickle Barrel.” She blinks. “That was my name in my dream.”

“Well, we’ve got a couple of pegasi from the five twentieth to take you to your hotel, or do you want to find Barley first?”

“I want my sister.” He looks down at his clothing, the skirts is now dragging on the ground. “But…”

White Lightning looks up, gesturing with a wing. Another mare walks up to her. She’s wearing the same sort of uniform, but her fur is brilliant white with a two tone dark blue mane and tail. “This is High Winds, she’s a member of the Five Twentieth. She will stay with you, and help you find your sister.”

Pickle sniffles a bit before looking down. White Lightning uses a wing to lift his head to where he’s looking at her. “Pickle, lots of ponies had to change genders. High Winds here was a fighter pilot in the US Navy before her change. She was a he.”

Pickle’s eyes go wide. “You too?”

High Winds glances sharply at White Lightning before fixing a smile on her face. “Yeah, I was one of the ones who had the misfortune to be born on this world male.”

Pickle cocks his head to the side. “Yeah, well I was born a girl here, and now…” She stops and sighs heavily. “I’m not.”

The other ponies are quickly piling into an older SUV. White Lighting offers a bright smile, which Pickle returns, before hopping into the front passenger seat. The only human, Anthony, is driving as the vehicle’s engine roars as it accelerates. High Winds gestures to a government vehicle, “A few government cars have been modified to make it easier for ponies to drive them.” She lifts a wing up. “But you aren’t in the air yet, and I guarantee walking sucks right now because your back half is pony, and your front half isn’t all that good for walking on all fours.” She tilts her head. “Want a ride?”

Pickle blinks at the pegasus mare uncomprehendingly.

High Winds smiles and turns to the side, extending a wing and lowering it to the ground. “I’ll get you to the car, let you take a nap and finish up your change. We’ll get you in the air, and we’ll find your sister.”

***

Kerfuffle has had to step back from doing most of the fabrication work. As her transformation has progressed, her hands have become pretty much completely unusable. Though before that, she was able to get the basic design down, and set up the new 3D printer to finish up the main structure. Made of not only advanced composites, the skeleton of the new prosthetic is titanium. Her boss had insisted that not only pegasi, but earth ponies with their strength, and unicorns with their magic, would be able to use this basic design. Fuff isn’t a speedster, she wasn’t a weather pony, so no real chance to get struck by lightning, and this new design would shrug off a lightning bolt without any issue.

All three are watching the printer work. The display says nine hours until the printing is done. She looks at her hands, the fur is slowly working its way down, and she can see the muscles and bone underneath are changing with the advance of that light blue fur. She’ll be fully a pony, and only have to walk on three legs for a few hours before she can try out the new leg. She waggles her stump and sighs. Then a thought hit her. “Where’s Chargie?”

“She wandered off after we got started. She’ll be around.” One of the techs answers.

Fuff sighs and looks at her soon to be front hooves. “This sucks.” She mutters.

“Why?” The tech turns and looks at her. “You are turning into a pegasus, you are going to be able to fly! When I turn twenty-five, I hope I get a cutie mark, maybe turn into a unicorn.”

Fuff grins. “Never know.”

***

‘Melanie is no more.’ The child sized pegasus pony looked down at her journal, the little filly thought for a moment. ‘I was lucky that I remember enough of my dreams to know what to remember my name.’ Writing with her mouth wasn’t easy but at least she could still read it, “I’m Barley Barrel. I was born in a tiny town called Hope Hollow in Equestria. Beyond that, other than my brother, I have no idea about anything else.’ Looking down at the floor from the chair she sighs, ‘being small is going to be such a pain. Though being in Los Angeles, I can easily order in enough food through Uber Eats and Door Dash. And with all the restrictions that happened during the lockdowns from that damned virus, no contact delivery means exactly that. The delivery leaves the food outside my door, takes a picture and sends it to me.” Looking at the door she sighs, “I’ll have to figured out the wing assisted jump so I can open the door of the hotel room.’
Closing the journal, Barley flops on her back and stretches out on her bed, her tummy is full. Beside her a large 2 liter bottle of pop she’s been nursing is still half full. She’s got plenty to drink. While she knows the situation is temporary, that contemplation is for the vague future. Jet Streams and Drizzle had left a few hours before. They had mentioned something about Pickle Barrel being in New York, but they didn’t know the details. She would normally idly play on her phone in circumstances like this, but the screen doesn’t respond to hoof taps. And she’s not good enough to use her nose on it to get past the lock screen. So, not much more for her to do at the moment other than take a nap. Though as her mind gets fuzzy, she thinks that taking naps sounds like a pegasus specialty.

Her head pops up at the sound of a knock on her door. She frowns, she hadn’t ordered food or anything in a while. “Drizzle?” She calls out, though any reply is too muffled for her to make it out from the bed. She groans and rolls off the bed before trotting to the door. She stops for a moment, zeroing in on the handle that’s way too high for a foal of her stature. She unconsciously waggles her rear as she gets ready, before tensing her rear legs and jumping as she uses her small wings. Success! She latches onto the handle with both forehooves. Her weight pulls down the handle and she braces a hoof on the door jamb. She grunts as she pulls the door open and slithers her body into the gap. She drops to the floor and shoulders the door fully open before she’s impacted by a furry missile.

“Barley! Ohmygosh, it is you.” Both foals tumble several times into the hotel room, Barley ending up on her back with an identical face nuzzling her nose.

Barley blinks a few time, then she gasps loudly. “Pickle!” She nuzzles her brother and hugs him tightly with all four hooves.

“I think I’m gonna get a tooth ache.” Comes the voice of High Winds as she sits down next to the two foals. They both look up at her with identical expressions. “Well, our guesses were right.”

Barley blinks a few times at the taller pony. “Guesses?”

Pickle nods. “Well, it all started when I called ICE to report my changing, I’m a British subject, you see, and the US wants us to report such changes to them. And the agent said that they had an American Airlines flight attendant changing too. And I talked to White Lightning, and she was able to arrange a flight on Pony Air, and then I was really tired so High Winds let me sleep on a cloud with her. She thought since I was mostly pony with my wings starting to grow, I’d be able to cloud walk, and I was! You have no idea how soft and comfortable clouds are for sleeping! But once I was fully pony, she brought me to you! And I have my sister back!”

Barley hugs Pickle tightly. “We have each other back.” She turns to look at High Winds. “Thank you for taking care of my brother.”

The two foals looked at each other, then slowly began circling, examining each-other’s mane, tail, and bodies, before Pickle pipes up, "It's like were twins, you can tell we're related."

"Yeah ‘cept for gender difference were pretty much identical."

Pickle squeezes his rear legs together. "Ugh, don't remind me, at least you got to stay a girl."

Barley wags her tail "Yeah, lucky huh?"

Pickle grumbles, "Yeah, lucky."

"What? It’s my fault you’re a boy?"

"Well if you hadn't cut me of when I was zigging!"

Barley flattens her ears stepping in front of Pickle, "You shouldn't have been zigging though, we needed to get to the trees fast."

"Those were pro evasion moves, and you got in the way."

Pushing his muzzle against Barley's the two foals growl at each other for a moment.

Blinking Barley start to laugh and hugs Pickle tight, "Oh my god, okay, we must be related, you're definitely my brother." Pickle laughs as well, "I guess, sis. For some reason I just remembered us crashing into each other trying to escape."

"I think that happened to us more often than not."

"Probably," Pickle says then sits, "I wonder which one of us is older."

"Me of course."

"How do you figure?"

"Cuz I started to change first."

"Oh come on, like that tells which of us was born first as a pony."

"Doesn't matter, I'm older, so you’re the little brother."

High Winds just sits there, watching the two siblings bicker, a big smile on her face. Then both of them stop, turning to High Winds with wide eyes. “Kerfuffle.” Barley barely whispers.

“We need to find her, we were with her when we got caught by Discord.” Pickle picks up.

“Will you help us find her?” They say in unison.

High Winds blinks a few times. “Why did I sign up for this?” She whispers. Louder, she says. “Sure, kids. We’ll find her.”

Chapter 53.

Charged Up collapses to the floor with the human in her grip with all four hooves. Both are breathing heavily as they lay on the floor next to his desk.

She continues panting. “Wooooooow.”

That gets a grin from Joel. “You took the word right from my mouth.” She reaches over and kisses him, their tongues intertwining for long moments.

When they part, she smirks at him. “Now I have.” She giggles as he runs his hands up and down her body. She uses her tail to run along certain sensitive parts of his anatomy. “Wanna go again?”

He furrows his brow, “We’ve gone three times, in addition to that heavenly fellatio that you performed to start.” He looks down. “I think I’m going to need at least some recharge time, Chargie.” He hugs her tighter. “But I’ll give you a key to my room, you can visit tonight as much as you want.”

“What about Fuff?”

He looks at her. “What about Fuff?”

Chargie huffs. “Well, I’m trying to take care of her, make sure she’s okay. I mean, right now, she’s working with your techs to build her a new leg. But what are we going to tell her about…” She stops and flushes. “Us?”

Joel runs a hand along her mane. “Tell her we hit it off, and things are fun. You don’t need to get into the details with her, right?”

She lies there for a long time. Finally she shakes her head. “Well, no I don’t have to tell her.” She shifts her hind legs. “I’m just so warm back there.”

“I noticed.”

She whaps his hip with her tail. “Oh shut up, you.” She snuggles up, her muzzle up against his neck, her nose flared and enjoying his scent for a long time. Finally she shifts slightly. “Joel?”

“Mhmm?” He snorts a bit, post coital exhaustion trying to claim him.

“Did you like my…” Her face gets more red. “Mare parts?”

He squeezes the mare tighter. “I liked every part of you, including your mare parts.”

“I mean, you’ve had sex with women before, how does mine feel compared to human women?”

He kisses the top of her head right below the line of her mane. “You are different, hotter, and that was a bit of a shock, but pleasantly so. You weren’t so tight that I had any problems, but dear God you felt amazing. You could squeeze me in ways that no human could ever have. I almost felt as though you could make me lose control just holding inside you.”

That gets a giggle. “I’m going to want to try that.” She lifts her head, looking as best as she can at her marehood. “Though, it’s different. I mean, I wasn’t female before, but I’ve had cocks in me before. This…” She looks over at him. “Was a whole different level of amazing, I didn’t know I could cum so much from just the act of sex.” She shudders. “You, sir, are a sex god, that last time.” She stops, panting hard at the memory. “I swear I was twitching and shuddering for like ten minutes. I don’t know if I can cum again right now. I am so sated.”

“But you were just asking if we could go again.”

She nods. “Just wanted to see if you wanted more. If you did, I would have, trust me, I would have done my best to extract another orgasm from you. But…” She reaches down and caresses her lips. “I think I could use a couple of hour break too. It’s a little sore back there for me.”

He kisses her nose quickly. “If you wanna sleep in your bed, I won’t complain. But I do hope you’ll sleep in mine with me.”

She contemplates his look. “You do know, if I’m in your bed, I’m going to do naughty things to you.”

“As is my wish.”

That gets her face to light up red. She wraps her hooves around his middle and squeezes tightly. “You are just wonderful. Joel.”

“Thank you.” He reaches over and pulls his jeans closer. “You know, it’s going to be hard to explain.”

She looks at the ruined fabric. Her voice gets really small. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be, it was my pleasure, well…our pleasure. But we’ll have to figure out how to get out of here.”

She nods. “I’ll run back to the hotel, get you new pants, and bring them back. Sound good?” She rolls away from him and gains her hooves. “I’m exhausted, and so damned full of energy at the same time. How is that possible?”

He shrugs. She grins at him before she unlocks the office door and vanishes through with a twitch of her tail. Joel leans back and intertwines his fingers behind his head. “What a mare.” He whispers.

***

Kerfuffle looks at her new, or well, old, forehooves. She’s already mastered walking on three hooves. The techs are busy with the final assembly of her new prosthesis. She already knows the industrial tile of the floor isn’t the best for having good grip with hooves. Though she has been able to manage. The new hoof looks like it will have better grip than her other hooves, so that does help. One of the techs walks up, her new hoof in his hands. He kneels down. “Okay, Fuff, let’s try this on you.”

She turns to the side and he slides the prosthesis into the fitting, the weight bearing portion is cushioned against the rest of her stump. He reaches in with a small allen on a micro-torque wrench. She watches as he tightens the set screw. When he pulls away, she puts the hoof down on the floor. “Okay, the tension seems about right.” She shifts her rear hooves a bit, putting a normal amount of weight on it, getting a bright smile, then a thoughtful frown. “I think the extension needs tightening a bit. She lifts the leg a little as the tech works on it with his allen set for a few minutes. With just a few adjustments she’s able to walk around the room without too much issue. She looks back at the black device. “I know we are going to find some unicorns to make magically powered ones, but this one is awesome. Thank you Brian, thank you, Mary.”

That gets big smiles from both humans as a knock announces the presence of someone at the door. Without much delay, the door opens, and her boss pops his smiling head in, followed by Charged Up.

“Oh, Chargie! Look!” Fuff takes to the air to leap over the worktable and lands in front of the Earth pony. “It works!” She prances in place quickly. “And it’s comfortable! I can wear this all I want!”

Joel nods. “Well, for the first few days I’d like you to not sleep in it, just to give your body a chance to acclimate to it.”

Fuff frowns and nuzzles it. “That’s going to be a problem, tool use for ponies is a bit harder than humans.”

Chargie bounces in place. “No worries, I’ll help you.” She stops, her stomach grumbling, she grabs her tummy. “But first, food.” She glances up at Joel. “Was an energetic day.”

Fuff frowns as she watches Joel’s face reddens a bit, he shifts his jeans a little bit, which gets another look from the pegasus, “Joel, what happened to your jeans?”

His face gets even more red, and to Fuff’s surprise, Chargie’s face matches his. He glances at the Earth pony. “How about sushi, my treat?”

Fuff immediately grins. “You have no idea how good the idea of fish sounds to me.”

Chargie rolls her eyes. “They do make veggie rolls too, right?”

He nods, and they quickly head to the parking lot, where Joel had grabbed the keys for one of the company cars.
They are off in a matter of minutes.

***

Chargie pogo bounces into their shared hotel room, giggling and talking a mile a minute. Fuff shake her body out once and lets the Earth pony’s words roll off as she walks over to the dresser. Keeping one eye on the Earth pony, pulls her phone from its pouch on her shoulder and puts it on the counter, she grabs the charge cord and quickly plugs her phone in.

With a single wing flap she hops up on the bed landing with a bit of a bounce then lays down curling her legs under her, enjoying the sounds of the Earth pony as she bounds around the room.

Glancing around Chargie stops and perks up, looking at Fuff. “Ya know what? I need a shower after today.”

Fuff cocks her head quizzically, “You must have been busy. And here I thought we pegasi were supposed to be high energy.”

Chargie’s face heats as she looks away a bit, “Yeah, busy, we’ll go with that.” She quickly retreats into the bathroom and a few seconds later, the door opens again, “Maintenance must have shown up, the shower’s fixed.”

Fuff grins. “Good, I’ll take a shower later. Take your time.” Pulling the blankets around her she sighs snuggling up in a bit of a ball, after a few minutes she finds her thoughts getting fuzzy. “Mhmm, naps are a pegasus specialty.” She murmurs softly as sleep claims her.

“Fuff!”

Chargie’s voice grabs her from her sleep. Lifting her head quickly Fuff looks around before she glances at the clock. It’s been about twenty minutes, she gets up and stretches before hopping to the floor, still trying not to put too much weight onto her prosthesis as she gets to the bathroom. She knocks on the door.

“Please, help.” Chargie’s voice sounds utterly pitiful. She opens the door and hears a whimper.

Opening the door, Fluff see’s Chargie sitting in the tub, with a towel on her back and an icepack on her head, “I think I’m sick, fever.” The earth pony droops her ears and whimpers once.

Stepping into the bathroom the smell hits her. “Chargie, what’s going on?”

Chargie looks down, she’s piled another towel into the bathtub and had poured ice into it. She’s sitting on it, with another whimper she looks up at Fluff, “I think I’m sick, I thought it might just be the California weather, but even with the AC I feel so hot… and now I’m… leaking.”

“leak… oh…” Fuff finds her own face heating. “Ummm. Chargie, are you in heat?”

“Heat?”

Fuff shudders. “You know, when pony mare bodies want babies?" Innocently Fluff flicks the bathroom fan on with her wing, "We go into heat, so we can have stallions get behind us and give us foals? Well, we get to where we really want a stallion, and we are showing off to them without really realizing it. And we smell different…” Fuff’s eyes go wide. “Wait a moment, when did this start?”

“Well, it sorta started last night, but it’s been getting stronger all day.”

“Well, it shouldn’t be so bad, it should be over in a few days.” She stops. “Oh, wait, does that mean I’m gonna?” Chargie lifts her plot up, nuzzles the pack a little bit, and sits back down with a squish before whimpering. Fuff shudders. “Oh no.”

“Fuff?” Chargie says almost too softly to hear. “Am I going to get pregnant from this?”

Fuff shakes her head. “You would have to have sex for that to happen. I haven’t seen any stallions, but maybe when we get to the pony settlement in…” She breaks off at Chargie’s look. “Wait a moment…” Chargie flinches. “No… you didn’t!” Chargie lowers her head, before nodding slowly. “With WHO? I don’t know any stallions around here.”

Chargie cringes. “He isn’t a stallion, well, he’s an absolute stallion in bed, but he’s not a pony.”

Fuff’s face brightens in a blush. “Wait a moment…my boss?” Chargie nods. “My boss, Joel?” She nods again. Fuff blinks several times. “My boss, that came with me from across the Atlantic Ocean to help with customers here in the States, and you shagged him?”

Chargie nods. “He was watching my tail as we were walking. And I could tell he liked it when I gave him a look.”

“You exposed yourself to him?!?”

That gets a grin from Chargie. “Oh, yeah, even winked for him. I could smell that he liked it.”

Fuff starts pacing back and forth in the small bathroom. “Yeah, did you not stop to consider that you were dropping pheromones like a mare in heat? Because you are a mare in heat?”

Chargie flinches. “He did say I smelled good.”

“Of course mares in heat smell good, wouldn’t be much use if our pheromones drove males away.”

“But he’s human, how can pony pheromones cause humans?”

“Why did Discord do what he did? I have no idea, Chargie, but you shagging him at my work definitely says that our scents affect humans too. What the hell were you thinking, Chargie? I mean, did he do like most males, pump and lose control almost instantly and then are done for the day?

Chargie grins. “You should know I’m better than that, I gave him a blowjob that he will never forget.”

Fuff scrunches up her face. “Ewwwwwww.”

“Don’t knock it until you try it!” She smirks. “Then we went at it, and he…” She shudders in pleasure. “Entered me, I never knew how much pleasure that was.”

Fuff facehooves. “Sounds like a porno, give a blowjob, then he eats you out.” She looks at Chargie, who nods. “Then he fucks you hard, and cums all over your belly.”

Chargie grins. “Oh now, except for the first load, every load went where it belongs, deep inside.” She sighs in pleasure as she shifts on her impromptu ice pack.

Fuff’s face is positively glowing. “Inside you?” She stops, shaking her head. “How many times, Chargie?”

Chargie is saved by a tentative knock on the door. Fuff looks back at the door, before turning back to Chargie. “Dear Celestia, I hope I don’t get fired or something for that.”

“I could recommend you get a raise, he invited me to his room tonight.”

“I don’t want to know, just stay here.” Fuff closes the bathroom door and reaches up to open the door to her room. She braces the door fully open and stands there, her eyes wide. “Can I help you?”

The white pegasus with the familiar uniform on takes a step back. “I’m officer Winds, with the 520th Air Police.” Tilting her head the mare looks at the other Pegasus up and down, “Kerffuffle?”

“Umm, yes.” Glancing over her shoulder, Fuff looks back at the bathroom quickly.

“It took a bit of sleuthing to track you down, but I think I’ve found something you lost.”

“Lost?” Fuff shakes her head. “I’m sorry, it’s not that I’m unhappy to see another pony, but I’ve got something…” her train of thought is cut short by a pair of twin balls of fur, feathers, and fluff, their combined force has her tumbling into her room and she ends up on her back.

“Kerfuffle!” Two voices say in unison.

“OhmyCelestia, we found you!”

“You probably don’t remember me; I was the flight attendant on your flight to LA.”

“I worked for British Airways, we both ended up flight attendants!!!”

Fuff looks at the two pegasi foals talking a mile a minute, the speed of their words only matched by the speed of their tails thrashing side to side. Their eyes, their faces, their exuberance… Its then she remembers her dream. “Pickle! Barley! I told you to get away, Discord.” She hugs the pair tightly to her, her eyes tearing up as she does. “But I’m so glad to see you!”

"As far as they remember, you were looking after them... I guess that would make you their guardian?"

"Don't know if you're their mom, relative, or just friend. But you're the closest we have for them to a parental figure."

Both foals sit, giving Fuff wide eyes, in stereo the twins whimper, "Yer not gonna throw us out on the streets, are you?"

"They are both twenty-five aren't they? Why would they need a guardian?"

"They're blank flanks." Winds says as if that explains everything, as if that one statement somehow covers all the horrors that young foals can get into.

“We need you Fuff.” Barley whines softly. “High Winds is a pony police officer now, she’s working for ponies to stay safe with all the traffic here. She doesn’t have time to take care of us.”

“But I’m only twenty-five, I don’t know what to do with you!” Fuff looks over at High Winds. “What do I do?”

High Winds cocks her head to the side. “You aren’t their mom?” At Fuff’s head shake, she sighs. “Well, the humans haven’t set up anything really to deal with foals without parents. But I know this situation is going to come up again. I’ll have to talk to Mayor Mare about figuring out what to do.” She looks at the foals. “I’m sorry, kiddoes. But I’ve got to find somepony to be your guardian.”

Both of them attach themselves to Fuff. “Oh, please!” Barley cries.

Pickle sobs as well. “We remember Fuff, she can take care of us.”

Fuff looks down at the two faces, the wide eyes get her to pause. She shudders and lowers her head. “I don’t know what to do, but I’ll do what I can for you.”

“Yippee!” Both foals say in unison before turning to High Winds and sitting down before her. “Thank you for finding Kerfuffle for us.”

High Winds beams brightly before looking up at Fuff. “I wish you all the luck.” She glances down. “You might want to settle down in the pony settlement in Montana. We get updates from them regularly, they are looking to build a cloud city like Cloudsdale.” She looks up at Fuff. “Are any of you speedsters?”

Fuff looks back at her wings. “No, I know I’m not. The foals should be tested.”

“Okay, there are pegasi there, get registered for basic rules of the air courses, if you want to get out of VFR flight rules, you must have a transponder," She says, holding her her foreleg out for Fuff to see, "and com device," She continues, tapping her goggles. "Don’t want to cause an airplane to crash, and you don’t want to become pasted to some windshield. The government offers some grants for first timers but they will cover that in your classes. So, stay safe out there.” She turns with a tail flip and vanishes.

Fuff looks down at the foals. “Okay, I’ve got to deal with something quickly, can you two watch some TV until I get Chargie sorted out?”

The two scamper to the bed and hop on, Fuff heads into the bathroom again. Chargie is nose deep in the full tub. She looks up at Fuff. “I heard what was going on. So, we’ve got two more to deal with?”

Fuff nods. “You gonna be okay?”

Chargie lifts her head from the water. “Eeyup. I know what’s going on, and this bath feels soooooo good.” She lowers herself to where only the top of her head and snout are out of the water, her eyes closing in bliss.

***

The sun is very low in the western sky when Chargie joins Fuff and the twins heading down the hallway in the hotel.

“Are you sure he won’t mind?”

“Fuff, you are planning on going to Montana anyway. And you were planning on driving, right? Isn’t it like, a twenty hour drive?”

“Fifteen to Bozeman, where we have two clients to visit. But we are going to stay the night in Salt Lake City. It’s about halfway. Don’t worry, we are in the US long enough, and Joel is planning on going to visit our California clients tomorrow, and then we take off the next morning. He’s actually moved our trip to Bozeman up before we head across the state to the pony settlement.”

“Will they be fine with a human showing up?”

Fuff shrugs. “I don’t think it would be a problem.”

The twins are unusually silent as everypony walks down the hallway. Chargie leading the way. The earth pony gets to Joel’s hotel room door and knocks quickly. Only a few moments has the door opening, Joel stands there in a bathrobe. He looks at the group of ponies standing before him. “Oh dear Lord, you are multiplying?”

Fuff giggles. “May I introduce Barley Barrel and Pickle Barrel. They were with me when Discord found us.” Her ears droop. “Barley was the flight attendant on our flight over here.”

“And I was with British Airways!” Pickle says as he jumps in the air, his wings buzzing.

Fuff giggles. “Yes, Pickle was BA flight attendant.” She looks at the two who are now sitting on the floor, their tails wrapped around their rears, their eyes are wide and bright. “We are planning on driving to Montana, right?”

He nods. “That’s the plan.” He looks down at the foals. “You are wanting a couple more passengers?”

“Pweaze mister.” Barley says.

“We won’t take up too much room.” Pickle adds in.

“Okay, I might just get diabetes from all of this. You ponies are utterly cute.”

“And sexy!” Chargie chirps.

Fuff blushes and gathers up the foals. “Chargie, they are kids!”

“Who were twenty-five as humans, just a few days ago!” Chargie retorts back.

Joel ends it with a laugh. “Okay you ponies. I’ll ask for a minivan, enough room for ponies, but remember, Fuff, tomorrow, we have five clients to see, and it’s gonna take most of the day.” He glances at his watch before looking at Chargie for a long moment. I think some rest sounds pretty good.”

Chargie gathers up the foals and Fuff and starts pushing them down the hall. “Okay, have a good night, see you in the morning.” She says as the trio of pegasi continue, Chargie turns and pogo hops back to his room. She notices that the door wasn’t fully closed, so she noses into the room. “I’m glad they are going to sleep. You, however, are going to do tomorrow on very little sleep.” She reaches forward and pulls on the sash of his robe, causing it to fall open. What it reveals gets a wide grin from the earth pony. “Oh, you were ready for me.”

He chuckles. “I don’t think I could avoid that, even if I wanted to.” He sits on the bed as Chargie leaps up next to him. She rears up and puts her forelegs around his shoulders and kisses him strongly. As the kiss progresses, she shifts her weight and pushes him back on his back and straddles him.

“So, is this round four, or five, for the day?”

He reaches up and pulls her close, running his hand through her mane as they kiss again. When she pulls away for a breath, he looks up at her. “I’ve lost count too.”

Her tail brushes up against his hardness. She slides back and smoothly has him enter her before she pushes herself up to be sitting on his crotch. She grins down at him. “You said you could lose control with just me squeezing on you. I want to feel that.” She squeezes tightly getting a happy groan from him.

***

Two days later, Fuff is watching the side doors of the Chrysler minivan open electronically. She had spent most of the previous day in this car with Joel and one of the techs that helped make her current leg, going between the various clients that they’ve been working with in the Los Angeles area. Though today, there’s one human, and four ponies. And their destination is going to be Salt Lake City, Utah, where they will rest before heading into Bozeman for a day, dealing with more clients, before heading east across the state of Montana to the pony colony. She has to smile at the reactions of some of the clients, first time seeing ponies, then dealing with how she’s got her own prosthesis. Her and Joel were able to secure a few new clinics in the area to sell their new designs. And they got assurances that if new pony customers come in, they’d be working with Open Bionics, and especially if they get any unicorns that would be interested in working to make powered or enchanted equipment.

“Wohoo! Roadtrip!" Chargie howls happily as she pogo bounces into the passenger seat in the front. “I call shotgun!”

Fuff lets Pickle and Barley handle wing assisted jumps into the minivan before heading to the very back. Both the foals curl up on the wide bench seat as Fuff takes a captain’s chair for herself. She looks at Joel, who is yawning as he sets a big cup of coffee in the cupholder before pulling himself into the drivers seat. Chargie giggles and grins at the human, which gets an eye roll from Fuff. She knows that Chargie hasn’t slept in their room since the first night. And it seems her boss seems to be happy with the arrangements as they are. So the pegasus mare is going to leave well enough alone for now. She reaches out a wing and closes her door as Joel fires up the engine.

“And away we go!” He says as he puts the minivan in gear and rolls into the notorious Los Angeles traffic.

Chapter 54.

“Are we there yet?” Comes a masculine whine from the very back of the minivan. That gets a solid smack.

“Mom, she hit me!”

“Did not! I just encouraged you to keep your trap shut.”

Kerfuffle looks back at the two foals, who are now tussling around in the back seat. “Would you two act your age?”

They stop mid tussle, both of them looking at Fuff. “We ARE!”

She covers her face and just mouths “Help me!” to Chargie.

Joel keeps his composure. He gestures to his phone on the mount suction cupped to the windshield. “We are just getting into Wibaux. About an hour to go.” Chargie can tell that he’s stressed a bit, but he doesn’t take it out on the foals. They haven’t fought all that much and considering the length of the trip. “Montana is huge, it takes forever to drive across the state.” He points to the rolling hills. “Just be patient.

Pickle huffs and crosses his forelegs as he looks out the window. “It’s gonna be near sundown when we get there.” He gestures to the sun, low in the sky. “How can we explore the town when it’s going to be night!”

Barley is looking out the other window, in the same position. “It’s boring. I thought Montana was supposed to be beautiful, all those mountains, and snow-covered hills. It’s flat! I mean look at Wibaux! A main street, then the highway through it is over in like two minutes. Then there’s nothing!”

Chargie giggles. “And then we have to drive through Baker, another tiny town. But the settlement is about fifteen minutes out from Baker.”

Joel looks at his speedometer, bumping the Chrysler product to eighty before setting cruise control. “Just have to be patient.” He murmurs softly as they speed down the road. Most of Montana has an eighty mile per hour speed limit on the major highways. But the trip has taken a toll on him and everypony involved. He looks over at Chargie. “You sure they were twenty-five before they changed?”

She nods, then looks back at the two sulking in the back. “You wouldn’t be able to tell based on how they are acting.” She exaggerates how loud she’s speaking to get a reaction from the back.

The reaction is instant. “Hey, we didn’t get our cutie marks yet!” Barley howls. “Can’t blame us for acting our age.”

Fuff whimpers a bit. “We are all the same age.”

“Nuh uh, you were a pony longer than we were!”

Fuff rolls her eyes. She has actually had a lot of fun the last few days, starting off with a quick stopover in Utah before getting to Bozeman Montana. Where she got to see some truly impressive mountains and absolutely gorgeous scenery. They visited several clients of Open Bionics, mostly California transplants that settled in this section of the nation. A couple were totally shocked at the ponies coming to visit with them with the CEO of the company itself. The others had heard of the rumors of the ponies and had heard of the pony colony in the eastern side of the state. Then came the long trip across the state of Montana.

The miles pass fairly quickly in the gently rolling hills that are the precursors to the Black Hills, where Mount Rushmore is located. The foals have already voiced their displeasure since their hooves don’t work on their phones anymore, so they can’t just play on their phones. Though Joel had somewhat remedied that by purchasing a couple of styluses on their last fuel stop. But then they said using them with their mouths was too awkward. Fuff does enjoy the drive, the foals will finally have other ponies to spend time with, so they can burn off their excess energy. She’d heard about Lightning Dust and all she did to make a place for the ponies to have a safe haven to live and enjoy their lives.

As they crest a final hill before getting into the small town of Baker, Montana. Chargie sits up, looking forward. “Seriously? Talk about a first impression for a city, a junk yard!” Joel rolls his eyes as he glides into the town, stopping at the only stop sign and hanging a right, to head west. The rest of the town passes quickly before they turn at an unmarked gravel road off the main highway. As they crunch over the gravel, Fuff notices that the gravel is freshly laid. And after only a few miles, there is a large wrought iron fence, and it’s covered in greenery. Joel gently brakes the van and turns in at the gate.

To everypony’s surprise there is a staffed guardhouse. The earth pony sitting in the guardhouse looks over the ponies inside and presses a button to open the gate with a bright smile. Joel drives the van and parks in the obvious parking lot with dozens of other vehicles. As he puts the van in park, he looks back. “Looks like we walk from here.” He says as he pushes the button to open the sliding doors. Fuff hops out with the foals landing next to her. She looks around, six large barracks style buildings look fairly new, and they are lit, so ponies are there. This is an old farmstead, the large house is lit invitingly. Though one thing that grabs her attention is by the old barn. Ponies are slowly heading over to the barn, by the hundreds. As they watch, a bright star forms of magic, rising up into the sky. Then voices, hundreds of voices raised in song float over to them.

Fuff flicks an ear and looks at Chargie confused, “Do you feel it too?”

“It’s as though my heart is being pulled towards that." Chargie say softly, "Like a cry for help, like a pony needs us.”

The foals look at Fuff and nod before scampering towards the singing.

As they get close, Fuff snorts a bit. “Why do I know this song? I've never heard it but...”

Chargie opens her mouth and sings, joining her voice to the ponies, "When we come together, They'll be a star to guide the way."

Fuff has joined in, adding her alto to the mix, spreading her wings a bit, as she calls out, "It's inside us every day."

Looking at each other the twins smile, as Pickle nods once, "See it now."

"See it now," Barley responds in song and the two lean against each other touching cheeks.

As they get close they can see the hundreds of ponies are gathered a respectful distance away from a young girl, no more than ten or twelve, standing in a glow of magic, her hand on the forehead of a tan earth equine pony. Next to her is a gray unicorn with a sky-blue mane, her horn is lit brightly with her eyes closed. Then Fuff gasps. That pony, while it looks like any horse on this world, has a cutie mark. Though the mark is fluctuating. Her eyes widen, the magic, the song, it’s helping. A wave of turquoise washes over the pony and she gets smaller, more in line with the other ponies.

Let the rainbow remind you
That together we will always shine

Chargie watches as what they are fighting against fights back, the pony’s color turns more tan, and the cutie mark fades, almost to nothingness. The ponies seem to sense this and they pour their energy into the magic, into the song. Chargie spreads her forelegs and pushes with all of her might as she continues singing with them in a high soprano.

Let the rainbow remind you
That forever this will be our time

Barley and Pickle stand there, both with their wings spread, the magic shining from them just as much as from Kerfuffle. Her eyes widen, as the colors wash over the pony, for a moment, wings show up, horribly mangled, but still wings. They are helping a pegasus. She focuses on her wings, pushing the energy she feels there, joining in with everypony else as they sing the final bars to the song.

Let the rainbow remind you
That together we will always shine

As the magic finally fades, a turquoise pegasus is standing there, her wings still mangled. But she’s back to the Equestrian pony she was before.

“It’s Lightning Dust.” Pickle murmurs to Barley. The pegasus opens her golden eyes, taking a long time to focus on the little girl and the unicorn. Though she says something very softly to the unicorn before passing out. Then another dark, almost midnight blue pony with a multicolored mane swoops in, then Fuff’s jaw drops as the pony somehow changes form, her rear hooves remain, but the rest of her body quickly morphs into another form that looks almost human, even her skull reshaping. She gathers up Lightning Dust and gently cradles her. Fuff’s wings are spread in alarm as the almost human shaped pony walks past her with the little girl and the gray unicorn in tow. She makes a beeline to a large truck. The unicorn’s horn lights briefly and the tailgate is dropped, allowing the pony to climb in and cradle the unconscious Lightning Dust to her chest. A human woman opens the drivers door and the little girl and the unicorn quickly hop in before she takes residence in the drivers seat. With a growl, the diesel engine fires to life and the truck speeds off. Fuff looks around as the ponies slowly disperse. Then she blinks, she’s seen that face before. It had to be one of the times she had been in Canterlot.

Charged up pronks on the spot a few times, "Hey isn't that Twilight?"

"I thought Twilight Sparkle was purple?"

Chargie giggles and shakes her head no, "Not Twilight Sparkle, Twilight Velvet, she's like, the mom of Princess Twilight Sparkle AND Prince Shining Armor."

"Ohhh, we weren't from Ponyville so... "

Shifting from bouncing on the spot Chargie shifts to forward gear, heading towards the group, "Let’s go talk."

Fluff blinks then jumps, flapping a few times, before landing partly on Chargies back tumbling head over tail with her, "Chargie no, you just can't bounce up to random ponies from the show, it’s not polite."

"Why?"

"Because it’s not right to bound up to strangers," Fluff says.

"But how do we know if they are strangers? I think I was from Ponyville so I might have met them," Chargie says then tilts her head, "Course my memory is swiss cheese, but how do we know for sure unless we do?"

"Chargie, you are such a noodle brain at times."

"Mmmm, swiss cheese and noodle brain."

Fuff rolls her eyes and tries very hard to suppress the urge to giggle. She has to admit, Chargie is fun to be around. She looks at the Earth pony as she folds her forelegs on her chest. “Oh, you aren’t any fun.”

Kerfuffle gestures to Pickle and Barley. “Need to be a good role model for the kids.”

Joel comes up, placing a hand on the head of the earth pony. “Fuff is right, you know.”

She leans into his touch before flinching and pulling away. “Sure, you’ll take her side.” She grumbles. Then her eyes go wide, her mane is vibrating. She reaches into her mane and pulls out a phone. She pulls a stylus out and taps on it a few times.

Kerfuffle blinks. “Wait, I saw what happened when you got frustrated with your last phone, did you get a new one?”

“Uh huh.”

Fuff tilts her head to the side. “You kicked that last one, I mean a full on buck.”

Joel laughs. “I’m pretty sure it hasn’t deorbited yet.” He looks around. “I’ve heard that Mayor Mare has been in charge of the new colony. Why don’t we find her.”

Fuff wants to roll her eyes. Mayor…mare. She finally giggles. “Yeah, I guess we should find her.” She takes a moment to look in the direction that the truck had taken. What had happened with Lightning Dust?

***

Helen takes her time driving back to Dust’s house. While it’s wonderful to have her back to her normal self as a pony, I want to weep, as if I haven’t cried enough already over this mare. Her wings, her beautiful wings, look like they’ve been through a shredder. I remember watching the video that asshole made, showing her being tortured, every primary plucked as well as much of the soft down. She’s utterly passed out right now after this ordeal, so her wings are relaxed and hanging down. Though with the red scabs and obvious scarring, it’s going to be a long time before Lightning Dust is in the air again. We bounce onto the highway heading into Baker, Montana. I know Helen is wincing at every bounce. Though she needn’t worry, I’ll keep Dust safe with my body no matter what the road does.

I lean back and look through the rear window, even though it’s tinted, I can see Helen’s eyes in the rear view mirror. She’s keeping her composure even though she’s got tears streaming down her face. I turn and look at the others in the cab of the truck. Moon Shadow and Hannah are both curled up together, eyes closed in sleep. Nearly the entire day of intense magic use, they are exhausted. Though before they are put down for the night, they need to be fed, magic use of that magnitude requires almost their entire energy, I guarantee both of them have their stomach’s growling for attention. I smile softly and bring out my phone, sending a few text messages. I saw Mindy at the end, singing with the other ponies. She’s likely back at the house already, being as good with teleportation as she is.

I lean back, cradling Dust closer. How many ponies were there? I noticed quite a few from the show, but so many that might have only been shown for a matter of seconds in the background, and they are all real, but there’s also so many that sparks small memories, from Canterlot, from Ponyville, Trottingham, Vanhoover, so many places Princess Twilight visited when I was in her service. I miss my time working for MY princess. I had the utmost of respect for Princes Cadance, for Celestia, and for Luna. But Twilight Sparkle was my princess. I have trouble coming up with the words necessary to explain how I felt after talking to her in Equestria after the battle at the gate. Sweetie Belle had enabled her to fully remember me. And while if she had asked for me to stay, I would have been torn, my loyalty to that mare is as strong as it ever has been. But this mare in my arms, I don’t just feel loyalty to her, I feel love, more than I had ever expected to feel in my life. And something she had said before really stuck with me, love doesn’t divide, loving more brings more love. I love Moon Shadow even more than I thought possible, I love my Dust. I don’t really notice the tears streaming down my face as I cradle Dust. “I missed you, my love.” I whisper into her ear as we pass straight through the one stop sign in Baker, heading to her house.

Helen pulls into the cul-de-sac that has their house and cuts hard to be able to back into the large driveway. She backs the truck expertly into its space and finally shuts it down. As the doors open, I pull Dust up as I lever myself to my hooves. My nose flares a bit, I can smell the water of Baker Lake, which is to the side and behind Dust’s house. Though in the cold, it’s got a skim of ice over it, a precursor to it totally freezing over in the winter. Helen pops the tailgate and I clop over and step down onto the concrete. Not much snow yet this year, but Helen and Hannah have both told me that more snow will be incoming. And it’s barely November! I follow them through the garage into the house and climb up the stairs quickly. Dr. Ray bounces happily as he follows me into the bedroom.

“How is she?”

I set her down in the bed. “She’s in rough shape, but she’s back. She’s herself once again.” Relaxing onto all fours, I hop up on the bed and start to gather her up to hold her.

“Hold on for a minute, please, Irony.”

I look at him curiously. “What?”

“I need to check her out. I know what was done to her before, but since she’s back, I want to see what kind of healing I can do. I’ve been talking to a few pony healers that have made it to our little section of this Earth. They’ve shown me a few weaves. I’m not a natural healer, those are so very rare. But I have learned a lot.”

I move away a bit as his horn lights. He hops onto the bed himself as Dust starts to glow with his aura. He stands on the bed, his head down and concentrating. Before my eyes, her wings slowly reform, he winces a bit as there are cracks as bones healed badly are broken again and rehealed. Only a few minutes pass, but when he lets her go from his magic, he’s panting as though he’s run a marathon at full speed for hours. He looks up at me, a dribble of blood leaking from his nose, but he’s got a smile on his face. “There.”

I blink a few times, “What?”

He holds up a hoof, panting. He takes a long time to gather his strength to simply talk. “I…used the magic inside her, that connection has just been shored up by bringing her back. I brought it to the forefront. The asshole that tortured her knew something about pegasi, how important their wings are. They were broken dozens of times. I could feel that some of those breaks are weeks old, and even with the extraordinary healing abilities endemic to pegasi, they had strained those abilities to breaking. I bolstered that, I got her back to where when her wings regrow their plumage, she’ll be able to get into the air. As she was, that would have been permanently grounded, even with a Pegasus of her strength. Give her a month or two, she’ll regrow her feathers, and she’ll be back.” He sighs heavily before looking at me sorrowfully. “But there are other scars that magic cannot fix. Her mind, what makes her…her. Has been through the wringer worse than her wings.” He nuzzles the sleeping Pegasus. “I hope she can overcome that.”

I gather her into my grasp, using all four legs to hold her tightly. “Dust is strong, more than in body, Ray. She will be fine.”

He looks at me seriously. “Irony, this is going to be a long process. She’s going to need us. You, me, Moon Shadow, Mindy, Helen, even her children. She needs the love we have, even when she will say things, she will say that she doesn’t need us. But she does. We have to be strong, for her. To help her. To support her.”

I sigh and nuzzle Dust’s cheek. “She’ll have it.” I look at him. “Thank you.”

He offers an exhausted smile. “I am more than glad to, Irony, love. I’m just letting you know that we are over an early hurdle. We have a long climb ahead of us.” He turns and hops off the bed. “I think Mindy was talking about making donuts.” He stumbles a bit as he walks from the room.

I look at the sleeping Pegasus in my arms. “Don’t you worry Dust. We are here for you.”

***

Fuff finds it hard to believe this tan pony with the bright pink mane is the titular leader of the colony here in Montana. She’s got offices in a cheap jobsite trailer. Though as they walked through the beginnings of the new town, they could all see how much work has been accomplished in a fairly short time frame. Dozens of houses are built, as well as what could only be described as office and retail space. Roads have been laid and paved with stones. Some of the designs definitely remind her of Hope Hollow.

Mayor Mare puts her hooves on her desk. “Of course you are welcome to join us! We are trying to gather ponies here for their safety and this provides a good place to live until the portal opens.”

Fuff cocks her head to the side. “Portal?” She glances at Chargie and Joel, then back at the twins. “What are you talking about?”

“Didn’t you watch Equestria Girls?”

Silence. She glances between all of them. She frowns. “Did you watch My Little Pony?”

Joel clears his throat. “Well, I watched a couple of episodes. But not really. It wasn’t all that huge in the UK, and Fuff grew up as a human in Cambodia. She didn’t watch much TV when the show was aired.”

“I didn’t watch much TV as a kid, was too busy.” Charged Up says softly. “I’d heard of bronies, and of the show, but I just couldn’t get into Technicolor ponies.”

Mayor Mare clicks her tongue. “Well, you remember what Discord did.” At their nods, she continues. “Well, that show was a good entry point into our lives as ponies.” She reaches up and touches her mane. “It had some things right, and some things not so much right. Well, Discord banished us here, but there is a portal that connects our two worlds. And it’s in the US.” She smiles. “Some of the ponies here are simply waiting the thirty months until the next opening of the portal, so they can go home.” She looks sad for a moment. “But also, some of the ponies here feel this world is our home, and are planning on staying. Lightning Dust is one of those. And so am I.”

“But why don’t we go home?” Barley says softly. Looking at his twin for a long moment. “I mean, we were born there, we could go back to Hope Hollow, we could go home.”

Mayor Mare smiles at the little colt. “For some ponies, that’s what they want.” She stops for a long moment before sighing heavily. “But some ponies have established lives here. This world, this Earth, is our home. We’d rather stay where we’ve been for the last twenty-five years, not going to a place we barely remember. This is our home. And Lightning Dust has worked to make this a place we can live, and we can thrive. You saw the town being built. And you can feel the magic, right?”

Fuff and Chargie both nod. “Yeah, especially when Lightning Dust was being healed. We could feel that, feel the magic.”

She nods. “That magic isn’t from the land, it isn’t from Equestria, or this world. It’s us. The ponies make that magic happen wherever we are. And so no matter where we are. We can make that magic work.”

The ponies stop, thinking hard. Pickle Barrel steps forward. “But what about the ponies that can’t make it here? If they don’t have the money to travel, or even know about this settlement? What happens to them.”

“That has been thought of. Lightning Dust has recruited ponies as teams that go all over and find ponies and help them, get them out of situations and bring them here.”

“How do they find them?” Barley asks.

“Well, Mindy, Cipher, and a few other ponies that are really good with computers track search terms, and other indicators of ponies, and if somepony seems to be in distress, they will send a team to get on the ground intel, and approach the ponies and offer them a new home.”

Fuff looks worried. “What if they don’t want to go?”

Mayor Mare smiles. “If they are happy with their situation as it is, we won’t force them. And our agreements with the government allow the ponies that freedom to decide. Legally, the ponies are the same as any human, and have the same rights as any human in the nation. That was signed just a few weeks ago. Before that, we were classified as livestock, but Dust has prevailed on the President and some of those in congress. It helps that his daughter turned into a pony, and also some relatives of those in congress have turned.”

Chargie speaks up. “But what about ponies that don’t really know what’s going on, aren’t computer saavy, and think they are they only ones to change?”

“We are trying to find them, but without a computer presence, it’s hard to track them down.”

“I want to help.” Fuff says softly.

“Huh?”

Fuff looks around at the others. “Pickle and Barley were brought to me by a wonderbolt, working for the government to help pegasi know what the rules of the sky here are. We had only heard a few rumors about a pony colony in Montana. Most ponies won’t even have that much information. We need to help them. We need to find them.” She turns to Joel. “I’m sorry, but until these ponies have a safe place, I can’t go back to the UK, the customs agent said that Mayor Mare could sponsor me.” She looks at the pink maned pony, who nods. “I need to stay here. Help the ponies.”

Joel smiles. “I had some thoughts you would want to stay here for a while. I can set up a leave of absence at work for you.”

Fuff leaps at her boss, wrapping her forehooves and wings around him. “Thank you so much!”

He chuckles. “Don’t think you are getting rid of me that easily. I’m going to help you too.”

Fuff blinks. “Huh? Why?”

He reaches up a hand and taps her nose gently, getting her to scrunch her face cutely. “First off, I’m enjoying my time with Chargie here.” He reaches out and strokes her just under her ear, getting the earth pony mare to lean into his touch while blushing. “And also, the foals are going to be having issues keeping up with you if you choose to fly everywhere looking for ponies. You’ll need a human to drive you around.”

Fuff looks at the foals. “You wanna stay here? Or do you want to go around looking for ponies?”

Both of them roll their eyes in unison. “Of course we are staying with you!” They say in unison.

Fuff is staggered as the two foals glomp onto her. She looks over at Chargie. “I don’t want to assume, but are you coming with?”

Chargie smiles, looking at Joel, then at Fuff. “Of course I am!” She chirps. “Somepony’s gotta keep the featherbrains grounded.”

Mayor Mare clops her forehooves together. “It’s settled then. But can you enjoy our hospitality for a few days? Then you can go off on whatever adventures you are planning on?”

Fuff nods.

***

Two days later, Fuff is yawning as she walks towards the minivan. Part of her dreads more hours inside it, but she’s also looking forward to seeing what they can find. She looks back at Joel, who has Chargie pronking next to him happily. The foals are bouncing too, they all seem to be looking forward to what’s ahead. Joel presses the button to have the doors of the minivan open. As usual, the foals hop into the very back seat, they’ve arranged blankets and pillows into nests for them to get comfortable for long trips. And they’ve picked up something that ponies in the new town are selling. Small stylus that have a strap to put on a pony’s hooves to allow them to use their phones.

Joel climbs into the front seat with Chargie hopping into the passenger seat, the sliding door slides closed as the two front doors thunk solidly closed.

“Before you go, wouldn’t you like to know where to go?” An unfamiliar voice chirps.

Joel and Chargie both turn to look back, and everyone gasps. In the other captain’s chair right behind the driver’s seat is a unicorn pony, she’s magenta, with a snow white mane. She smiles. “Surprise!”

Chapter 55.

In the few days since we’ve been able to bring Lightning Dust back from the brink of being lost, she’s spent most of the time sleeping. Dr. Ray has shown up every day and been continuing his healing work on her. In addition, he’s prescribed some serious pain meds for the injured pegasus. So, sleeping and being semi-conscious has been her life since that magical day at the farm when Hannah and Moon were able to bring her back. I tried to get Moon and Mindy to move back to the extra bedroom. But Helen had kept on us as she’s ordered a new bed, a custom design so we can all sleep comfortably on it. Even now, with their Alaska king mattress, it’s still a bit crowded with Moon, Mindy, myself, and Helen all snuggled up with Lightning Dust.

My doze is broken by the soft sobs from the pegasus. Her sounds have also awoken Moon and Helen. Mindy blinks a few times before sitting up. Dust sobs again, tears streaming from her closed eyes. I shift quickly and move up to cradle her. As I touch her, she lashes out a hoof, smacking me in the jaw. I don’t say a word as I bring her close and wrap my arms around her. “Hush, sweetie. You are safe.” My words seem to have some effect, she stops flailing around, but her body is still insanely tense. I pet her mane, whispering soft words into her ear. “Love, please, you are home, safe, with us. With the ponies.”

The sobbing continues, and after a few moments, her eyes open. “Irony! It hurts!” Helen moves closer, wrapping her arms around both of us, letting Dust cry. My shoulder is quickly becoming wet from the tears of the pegasus. Sobs still wrack her body for a long time, though her body slowly relaxes and finally her breathing evens out.

“She’s so weak,” Helen whispers, worry plain on her face.

I nod. “I know. The healing has taken a lot out of her. But Dr. Ray has done as much of the healing he can do with her. But her wings are just so damaged. Add in all of the muscles and tendons that have gone through the wringer. He’s barely had the ability to work on her other injuries. She had her forelegs broken multiple times, and her pelvis as well. I’m surprised she survived all of the abuse.”

Helen runs a hand along the sleeping Dust’s mane. “My Michael was always stubborn. And as Mike became Dust, that stubbornness has stayed. I don’t know what was going through her head as she dealt with being abused like that. But sheer stubbornness has to be what kept her alive.”

I look down at the sleeping mare, her brow is furrowed, her body is tensing up again. I look over at Moon, who is looking at Dust worriedly. She glances at me. “She hasn’t been able to really sleep much the last few days. Mostly drug induced unconsciousness. She hasn’t been in the Dream, she hasn’t been able to dream.” She stops and sighs. “I should have known her first dreams would be reliving the hell she went through.” She snuggles down into her pillow. “I will help where I can.”

“Can I?”

She stops and looks at me. “She needs a rock, somepony to hold onto when chaos reigns in her mind. Trouble is, with this much medication still in her system, she’s still too fuzzy to really be coherent. These aren’t really nightmares, not as I understand them. Flashes of pain, afterimages, memory’s. Her minds can’t really process dreams as of yet. In a day or two, I might be able to enter her dreams.” She flinches as Dust’s forehoof flails a bit. “I can probably calm the worst of it. But as horrible as it is, this is part of her healing process.” She snuggles down into her pillow. “I will see what I can do.” Her eyes close and her breathing evens out. And in only moments, Dust seems to calm down too. She whispers my name softly, then Moon’s. Helen runs her hand along Dust’s cheek, the turquois mare leaning into the touch slightly, a soft smile on her face. Moon’s eyes pop open and she looks at me. “Okay, I was right. Nothing organized, no real dreams there. All I did was feed her soothing thoughts and feelings. Something to distract her from the pain. I can’t truly access her dreams right now.”

“She whispered your name in her sleep,” Helen says softly, getting her a hug from the gray unicorn.

“That’s good, we are where her mind goes when she felt the positive distraction. We have something to work with.”

Dust has become a dead weight in my arms. I shift back to all fours and nuzzle the pegasus gently. “She’s in deep sleep now, beyond dreaming for now.”

Moon nods. “I’m going to have Ray reduce her meds a bit, she will feel more pain, but she will be more lucid when she’s awake.”

“Are you sure that’s wise?” Helen asks.

“Yes. Much of her body’s healing is done, but magical healing can only go so far, much of what’s left is her body adjusting to being healed after being broken so horribly for so long.”

I look at the pegasus before bringing her as close as I can to me and snuggling into the pillows. Moon’s magic chimes as the blanket is brought up to cover us. Moon leans over and kisses my cheek. “Sleep as much as you can, love. She needs you lucid when she’s awake.

I nod and close my eyes, sleep overtaking me quickly. I suspect Moon had a hoof in that.

***

Some say abuse doesn’t just affect the one abused, but also those connected to them. I can’t disagree with that sentiment. While she was gone, Dust has gone through absolute hell, and we all have as well. Moon Shadow has sat with me and explained what she saw in the Dream with Dust when her and Hannah brought the turquois Pegasus back from the brink. In the last few days, Moon has had to be in the Dream with Dust, helping guiding her damaged self through the mess that her experiences have made of her mind. I have been drawn into the Dream with her, along with Helen and even Mindy. It turns out, we all are what Dust had latched onto to stay alive during her ordeal. Every morning after a session in the Dream, I’ve been exhausted. And that exhaustion has been double for Moon Shadow. She has had to guide the pegasus to a point to where she is approaching some sort of functionality.

I look at the sleeping pegasus cradled by the gray unicorn. I roll out of bed, I can see the tension in both of them, but I just can’t deal right now. I saw a familiar face in her dream. The man I killed with my mace, I’m happy that I got him in the crotch before ending his misery. Though in my own dreams, I’ve killed the man dozens of times. Each time more gruesome than the last. I get some savage pleasure in that. Anyone who would do that to another doesn’t deserve to live. I glance to the window, the sun is rising. Another bright new day, the weather is cold, but according to Helen and Dust’s kids, it’s very mild. Though they say the snow will be coming. I shake my body, glancing at the two sleeping on the bed. I need to get Moon to get some real rest.

My hooves are loud as I clatter down the stairs, I do have to admit, Dust has a very nice house. It’s amazing how hard she worked to have such a nice house, and such a supportive family. I met Dust after her change, so I don’t even really have a mental picture of how she looked as a human. Add in that Dust doesn’t really have all that many pictures of herself as a human around the house. Helen has said that Mike was always camera shy.

I walk into the kitchen, the delicious smells emitting from that large room has my stomach grumbling. Then I stop, looking at the woman standing there. I don’t think she’s heard my approach, even though I wasn’t trying to be quiet. “Helen,” I murmur softly, getting a flinch and short scream from her.

She reaches out with the turner and flips the piece of chicken. She sighs as she inspects what she just turned before glancing back at me. “Thanks.” She gives me a watery smile. She turns back to the food she’s cooking. I have no real appetite for meat, but another pan has vegetables cooking merrily in butter. And do I smell bread baking? My stomach twists a bit, I’m more hungry than I thought.

But something else is more important at this moment. I shift to two hooves and step forward, enfolding the human with my arms. She jumps at my initial touch then leans back into my body. We stand there for a long time, Helen leaning against me, lost in the feeling of closeness. She reaches up and pets my leg lovingly. Finally, she blinks a few times, reaching out the turner and scooping up the chicken to place it on the waiting plate. She takes the salt and sprinkling it on the finished piece of chicken before she scoops the vegetables into a serving bowl. Wordlessly I pick up the bowl and the plate and turn to walk them to the large kitchen table. It seems like we are the only two awake and active, yet Helen made enough for everypony. I smile softly at the spread of food before us before glancing at the human. She glances at the doorway leading to the stairs. “I’m not going to call the kids down to eat for a few.”

I nod, noting the tears running down her cheeks. “They have gone through enough, losing Dust for so long, then having her be so broken when we got her back.”

She nods. “I’m glad you killed the man who was hurting her.” She says softly as she puts a piece of chicken on her plate, and I reach for the vegetables. She looks up at me. “I hate to say it, but some don’t deserve to live.”

I look at my plate, Helen has told me Mike was a gourmet cook in his own right, but she’s damned good in the kitchen as well. My mouth is watering, looking at the food before me. I spear a piece of carrot. “I’ve killed enough. I don’t like it.”

“I know. You’ve told me what you did as a Marine, and your time in Equestria. I would have thought that Equestria would be more peaceful than our Earth.”

I finish chewing. “Oh, it most certainly is, ponies are more harmonious than humans in general. Our threats were primarily from outside. For a long time, the changelings were the biggest threat. But fights with some kingdoms around Equestria did happen. Ponies never started wars, at least not since the Princesses. But even peaceful places must be ready to do violence, to protect that peace. Princess Celestia ensured her Guard was the meanest, strongest fighting force around. And heaven help those who got close to overwhelming the Guard. Remember, she had control of the sun itself. I have seen her draw enough energy to dim the sun before unleashing it.” I stop, remembering that day with a shudder. “The power that mare possessed.”

“How did Discord overpower her then? If she was so powerful?”

“I don’t know, honestly. I was taken a few days before everypony else was. He knew I didn’t trust him, and I would defend the Princesses, all of them, with every ounce of my being. I really don’t know how much I could do to him, much more than warn the princesses what he was up to.” I stop again. It happened so quickly, he entered my office, and started with casting his spell. “I don’t know if it was malice, he’s never struck me as a malicious or particularly evil creature. He was chaotic, he was…”

Helen nods. “That’s sort of like what Dust told me, late at night after some of her dreams. She’d talk to me before the dream faded. She said that Discord was not evil, that he was enjoying every moment of fighting the ponies, but he wasn’t killing. His attacks were with a purpose.”

I sigh. “I don’t think I can forgive him for what he did. He destroyed our harmony. He destroyed what we created, but why?”

“I don’t know.” She brightens as the soft padding of feet announces Dust’s son, Hannah is ghosting silently behind her older brother. “Good morning, sweetie.”

I turn and smile at both Dylan and Hannah. “You guys hungry?”

Dylan looks over the spread. “Any waffles to go with the chicken?”

I lever myself up. “I’ll be happy to whip some up.”

***

I cannot begin to explain how exhausted I am. Between working with Dust in sleep with Moon, and time when she’s awake. Life for us has become a project, putting this mare back together. I shift my body a bit, being on two legs for a long period is wearing. Dust is awake, just looking forward. Though, to be honest, I wouldn’t want to be in her head right now. Those nightmares she has had to endure have left me exhausted. I am sitting in an armchair in the bedroom. The windows show pitch blackness, being out in a tiny town in Montana means not much light pollution. So there’s nothing really to see at three in the morning. I reach out and grab a chicken tender, Moon and Trixie have figured out a really cool spell, as long as it’s on the plate, it’s the same temperature and freshness as when it was put on. I bring the tender up to Dust’s mouth. As usual, her lips compress and she turns away. Moaning softly as she cuddles tighter against me.

“Please, Dust, you need to eat.”

“Not hungry.” She murmurs before shuddering. “Just wanna sweep.”

I gesture to the IV taped to her foreleg. “Don’t you want to get that out of you?”

She ignores the question and puts her head on my chest. Which gets a chuckle from her. “Boobies.”

Her sense of humor remains apparently, and is about thirteen years old. “Yes, Dust, I’ve got boobs.” I say with an eye roll.

She opens her eyes, squinting at the light from the lamp next to the chair. “Too bright.” She murmurs.

I hug her. “I know, but the eyes adjust, love.”

She closes her eyes and snuggles more against me. “Warm.” She says softly.

I reach the piece of chicken and brush it across her lips. “Please, eat, love.” I suppress my frustration. Moon has explained that this is going to be a very frustrating time.

She shakes her head. “Hurts.”

I sigh and deposit the chicken back on the plate before shifting her weight a bit and have her resting more against my body than in my lap. Her head ends up on my shoulder, and I hold her to me. Holding her like this has caused her to relax more than usual, even though she’s still very wound up. After a few moments, the sobs start again. Her wings are limply against my body, though looking at them makes me want to cry, they are healing, the magical healing has the wounds closed, and feathers are starting to regrow, they still look…damaged. I hold her for a long time as she grips me, crying hard but rather quietly. “Why?” She murmurs over and over.

“Why did he do that to you?”

She jerkily nods, and I sigh. “Dust, some people are just evil. They do what they want to do, and damn everypony else.”

She hiccups and sobs. “But ponies don’t do that. I know rape has happened in Equestria, but that’s usually a mare getting over excited. This was… malicious.”

“We aren’t in Equestria anymore, and we’ve got about two years before we can go back.

That gets her to stop, her crying tapering off. For a long moment, she lays against me, her eyes closed, long enough to where I begin to think she’s fallen asleep again, but she shifts a bit and opens her eyes. “Do you want to go back?”

I look down into her golden eyes. “I don’t know. There are a lot of ponies here. And for all we know, Discord kept banishing ponies up to the day Twilight and the others arrived.”

She grimaces. “So? Is it our responsibility to take care of them? Let somepony else do it. The job is too big. Humans are going to fuck everything up anyway.”

The savageness in her voice when talking about humans runs a chill down my spine. It’s not the first time since we’ve brought her back that she was nasty when talking about humans. “You know that’s not the case. The President has worked hard on our behalf.”

“Because his daughter turned pony. He had a personal stake in this.”

“So did some House members and Senators. And that’s a good thing. We aren’t considered livestock by the law anymore. We are people, just like them. They’ve been keeping knowledge of the ponies from becoming a media sensation, we are rumors, nothing confirmed. Yet, they’ve created a whole transportation system for ponies, and allowed humans that turned pony while in the military to stay and continue to serve. We can’t forget the five hundred twentieth. They are making some serious accommodations to allow ponies to integrate with their society.”

“We have our own society,” she says bitterly.

I nod. “Which was destroyed, and is back in Equestria. Twilight and her friends are working to rebuild our society. But for now, staying in the shadows, not being exposed to the bigots among the humans, allowing us to retrieve ponies that are in bad situations. Those are all good, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, in the US. What about the rest of the world? All the fucking humans there?”

“Dust, I know similar legislation is in the works in most UN nations, I got an email from the President’s office the other day. That senator you like, his younger sister turned pony, remember?” At her nod I continue. “He’s been flying all over at the President’s behest to advocate for ponies. And also helping with keeping our existence under wraps. We have a lot to be thankful for when it comes to what the humans are doing for us.” I flex a fist. “I’m not the biggest fan of how many humans have treated us. You heard what happened to Moon, right?”

Dust nods. I continue. “But you and I both know, on the whole, they are good. Look at those here in town, your own family that stayed human. Your daughter put her life on the line to bring you back.”

Her eyes widen. “Hannah.” She whispers before blinking and looking at me. “You shouldn’t have let her.”

I lean my head down and touch her forehead with my own. “Love, as if I could have stopped her. Moon was going to go anyway, and something about your daughter’s magic said that if Moon went alone, she would die. She would have drowned in your pain. But between the two of them, they could endure what you went through, endure the agony you were going through long enough to bring you through that veil, that haze of pain and misery, to bring you back. It did nearly kill them, Hannah is still feeling the effects of that day. But she’s doing something you need to do. She’s talking about it.”

That gets her ears to flick back. “Don wanna.” She murmurs. “Memories bad.” She looks over at the bed with the others sleeping. “Can she make the memories go away? Make me forget?”

“No!” I lower my voice in deference to those sleeping. I huff. “No, Dust. The five score spell showed us memories can’t be destroyed, ‘your memories removed, your body confused’ we are getting our memories back. Moon, Mindy and Trixie are rediscovering all kinds of magical spells by the day. No…any attempt to remove your memories is a temporary solution at best.”

She huffs and crosses her forelegs in front of her chest. “I’m fine with temporary.”

I hug her tightly. “You and I both know what a bad idea that is.”

She looks away from me.

After a long time of patiently waiting she turns and looks at me. “I know, love.” She glowers. “But I don’t have to like it.”

I reach up a hand and cup her cheek, automatically she leans into the touch. “I know, love. But I’m here for you, we all are.”

***

Once again, Dust is asleep, though at this point, she’s the only one in bed, in Dust’s house, the kitchen is the natural congregation point for the family. At this time of night, the kids are asleep, so it’s only Moon, myself, and Helen. Mindy is at the farm, something about servers being built and the budget Dust gave her for it. Mindy has been throwing herself into her own projects, trying to find other ponies, trying to prevent what happened to Dust from happening to other ponies.

Moon is sitting on the bench, her head on the table, her eyes closed. Helen is pulling cookies out of the oven, the smell of baked goods has my nose twitching. “Need help, love?”

Helen smiles at the term of endearment before shaking her head. “No, love. You helped enough with mixing the dough.”

An earlier batch seems to have cooled enough, the human woman stacks a dozen cookies on a plate and places it before me. In seconds, a magenta hoof reaches up and swipes a few cookies, “Nice, chocolate chip!” Mindy chirps before bouncing up to kiss Helen on the cheek before she pops away in the glow of teleportation. Helen touches her cheek where the pony kissed her before looking where the crazy mare was before looking at me helplessly.

“It’s Mindy, think Pinkie Pie, but with magic.”

Helen sighs. “I haven’t watched every episode of the show, but I did see a few with her.” She closes her eyes and shakes her head. “Pinkie has magic. She has to.” She frowns and looks at me. “Unless they exaggerated with the show.”

I shrug. “From my memories of Princess Twilight’s friend. If anything, they understated how Pinkie was. And Mindy is most definitely on par with the element of laughter.”

Helen blinks. “You lived through the time with them. What are the elements?”

I look down at the table, tracing a hoof along the wood pattern. “Well, much of what they showed in the show was accurate when it comes to the elements. But what they didn’t capture was the feel.”

“The feel?”

“For example, when Twilight wore that crown, the element of Magic, it felt…like concentrated magical power, it could make your fur stand on end, but not in fear. Nothing about the elements scared me. Pinkie, with that necklace, wasn’t more her. But the laughter, the happiness, the sheer joy, was palpable. The power of them…leaked…I guess would be the word. When all of the elements were together, there was nothing, no better feeling. I’ve mentioned how strong Celestia was with her connection to the sun, remember?”

Helen nods.

I look at her. “The elements dwarfed her power by a huge margin. They were able to reach across the boundary between our worlds, and affect Discord here, when the Cutie Mark Crusaders were able to use the Elements, they affected not just their world, but everywhere.”

That gets a low whistle from the human.

“And the Dream, they affected the Dream too.” Moon says, lifting her head and opening her eyes. “Bronies talk about the magical friendship cannon. That applies to the Elements more than you would ever believe.”

Helen puts the mixing bowl in the sink before wiping her hands on a dish towel. She walks slowly over to the table. “With that much power, can they be used to help Dust? Or anypony who’s gone through the stuff she has?”

I stop and look at her before looking at Moon. “The Dream, is it connected to Equestria? Could you get a message to them?”

Moon blinks a few times before shaking her head. “I don’t think so. I think there is some connection, but not a direct one that I could navigate. Remember when I tried to find the portal in the Dream?” At my nod she huffs. “I don’t know if it requires more strength in the Dream than I possess, though I’m one of the strongest except for Princess Luna. But there has to be some connection. I haven’t found it.”

Helen pounds a fist on the table. “Damn.” She glances up the stairs. “How do we fix her?”

Moon sighs heavily, “It’s not about fixing her, Helen. She’s gone through hell. She’s broken, and we can help piece her back together, her body is mostly fixed, though it’ll be a few months before she’ll be in the air again.”

I nod. “And that will help a lot.”

“True, but much of this is something she has to do. She has to find the will to fight through that pain, to want to pull herself back to where she wants to cope and live again.”

Tears are flowing down the human’s face. “I lost Mike, but I got Dust in his place, and that was good enough; Dust has a lot in common with Mike. But then I’ve lost Dust, and she’s broken, she’s ripped to shreds, she isn’t HER anymore.”

I shift and walk over quickly, picking her up and cradling her, she wraps her arms around me, and instead of wailing like Dust has been doing, she sobs into my chest, quietly letting out the pain in her heart. I know I’ve got tears flowing down my face as well.

Moon Shadow touches my arm, getting me to look at her. “Helen, Irony. We will help her, we will bring her back. It will take time, and a lot of work. But we will bring her back to the mare we knew. I promise.”

Helen gives her a watery smile. “I hope so, Moon. I don’t think I could live losing Mike twice.”

I hold her tightly. “You won’t, love. We won’t.”

Chapter 56.

Two weeks, two weeks of hell for an entire family, kids included. I can see the strain in Hannah and Dylan’s faces when we are sitting together. Dust is getting better. I can see definite improvement in her daily. Moon Shadow has let us know that full healing when it comes to the torture that mare has been subject to can take years. The good news, though, is she can be functional long before she’s fully healed. Moon has said that she will be counselling Dust for years after this. I look at the gray mare, she’s putting a happy face on everything, smiling and laughing with the rest of the family as we try to decompress from another stressful night.

A knock at the front door has Dylan leaping from his chair. He disappears towards the front door of the house. In only a few moments he’s back, two ponies are with him, one a light gray mare with a purple and white mane. The other is a light pink pegasus filly. I nod to the older mare. “Velvet.” I say softly.

She takes a hesitant step into the kitchen. “Am I interrupting anything?”

I glance at the others before answering. “No, of course not. Welcome!” I know my smile is fake, but it’s the best I can muster.

She sees right through my false cheer. “She’s not doing well, is she?”

I know who she’s talking about, at least I think so, but I frown in confusion. Does she really mean Dust?

She tilts her head slightly. “Lightning Dust, I know Dr. Ray has healed her body as best as possible.” She blinks a couple of times. “I’d still like to know how a human went to Equestria, and wasn’t turned back human when he came back through the portal.”

I raise a hand. “My fault, I was touching him while I was on two hooves. The theory is the magic that has me change forms interfered with the magic of the portal.”

Her eyebrows rise. “Interesting. The magic of that portal is ancient, that your magic can interact, and even interfere in the operation of the portal is quite surprising.” She blinks a few times. “Well, I came here for a specific purpose.” She gestures to the little foal standing before her. “This is Feather Pinch, I’ve been caring for her and two other foals since the opening of the portal.”

I frown. “Okay?”

“Feather was there, when you brought her back from the brink. I felt how much magic you were using. That was amazing. But we haven’t heard anything else. Mayor Mare has been tight lipped about Dust’s condition, and I know she hasn’t been back to work yet.”

I find myself sighing. “Yeah, she’s very much a work in progress. We have a long way to go with her.”

She smiles brightly. “Oh, good. Feather wants to help.”

I look down at the little pegasus. "She's a foal..."

Feather walks up and sits in front of me looking up, "You forgot to call be a blank flank too.” She looks down for a long moment before fixing me with an intense stare. “I had my wings plucked, I was hung by a leg from a fence post and left for dead. An example of what should happen to ponies. I was ready to die." Shaking her head, Feather looks directly into my eyes, "For months, every single day, I woke up wondering, what I did wrong, WHY I was treated like that, WHY humans did that to me. Was it punishment for something I had done as a human? Was it something I did wrong as a pony?"

Stomping a hoof with a clack on the tile, Feather huffs, "Ponies helped me get through that, as did some special humans. I'm still not past it, and I don't know if I ever really will be, but, this gives me a chance to return that kindness, that friendship, that magic, to another. Do you really want to stop that?"

I stand there for a long moment, looking at the vehemence in the filly’s eyes. My eyes dart to Velvet before I shift to two legs and kneel down, gathering her up. She emits almost a Fluttershy level squeak as I hug her tightly. I nuzzle her. “Sweetie, anything you can say could be a help for her. She’s really down right now.”

Velvet nods primly as Feather turns and walks slowly up the stairs.

***

As the two ponies make it to the bedroom door, Velvet pulls Feather close. “Okay, sweetie, as we’ve discussed, Dust is very fragile right now. Don’t bounce too much, just be there for her. You probably have a better read on how she’s feeling than most ponies. But you need to take it easy.”

Feather nods somberly. “Yes, mom.” She turns and looks at the door. Velvet’s horn lights briefly to open the door for the filly before closing it silently. Feather slips into the room and lays down beside Dust, "Hi Aunty."

Dust’s head had popped up anxiously at the opening of the door, but looks at the foal pressed tightly against her side. "I'm not your aunt." She whispers.

"Nope, you're my hero." Feather says snuggling up tightly against the larger mare, nuzzling Dust’s wing gently.

"Hero? Hah." Dust says with a huff before turning her head away.

"Nope, you are, you're so strong, brave, wise," Feather sighs, "Such a great flyer, everything I wish I could be."

Dust fights to keep the tears from leaking. "Yeah right."

Looking down, Feather sighs softly. "My life as a human wasn't the best, I never had a lot, I worked in some places I wish I never did, then when I became a pony... I felt I was being punished for everything that I had done at a human." She huffs, getting Dust to look at her.

The haunted look on the filly’s face chills the older mare, "Wh... what?" Dust says softly.

“I worked at a horse slaughterhouse, for domestic animal foods, and export." Feather shakes her head slowly, "Can you imagine, day in and day out, putting down old horses, looking so much like how I look now? Looking into their eyes, knowing their lives were about to be ended…by me? It was the only place hiring but still.” She suppresses a small sob. “When I changed, all I could think of was, Now I'm like them. Then those humans got me, laughing, they plucked my wings. They hurt me, they left me to die.” Looking up with tears in her eyes feather smiles, "It was because of you, Lightning Dust. You, that I made it through."

Dust pulls her head back quickly, blinking.

"Knowing you were out there, strong and free, knowing we had a Wonderbolt still on Earth. Dash was gone, back to Equestria to save the world again. But you were here, giving the ponies a safe place to live. A community, a home, the magic of Equestria on this world. All because you were working for the ponies, living up to the oath you made as a Wonderbolt. And maybe someday I could be one of them, be a Wonderbolt. Be like... you."
"But why?"

"Because sometimes, we all need heroes," Feather says and lays her head against Dust. "We need somepony to look up to and have faith in. You are mine. You've always been."

"What about Twilight Velvet?"

"Velvet’s my mom, she's the best mom ever, the only mom I can remember, I can’t remember much from Equestria. She's the most powerful unicorn in the world, at least to me. But she’s a lousy flyer." Feather says with a small grin. "Good at falling though, she falls like a pro."

Dust curls up with a huff, "Just so tired."

"I know, I just wanted to spend days in the dark. Sleep everything away and not even eat." Feather sighs, and snuggles tighter, "I should bring you some food later, maybe sing you some songs, that can always help."

"I just want to be alone."

Feather sighs, "Me to." Curling into a ball against Dust she snuggles up, "Lets rest alone, together."

***

Twilight Velvet has been sitting outside the main bedroom, her horn lit and her phone in front of her, keeping track of the time after Feather had gone in. She wasn’t going to violate their privacy by listening in, but she could hear the little filly’s voice as she talked to Dust. After about twenty minutes, she’s noted absolute silence from the bedroom. She checks the package on her back before opening the door softly, someone has definitely oiled the hinges, the door opens silently. She steps into the bedroom, and as she suspected, Dust is asleep, Feather curled up next to her. She smiles gently, looking at the adorableness before her. Okay, stage one is complete. Now on to stage two. She leaps lightly onto the bed as she pulls open the package she’s been balancing on her back.

She’d gotten a blanket from Mindy, freshly laundered. She brings it up and rubs it against each side. “Too many scents would be confusing.” She murmurs softly as she folds it diagonally to form a large triangle, then she folds it a couple more times to get it to the right size. She steps around Dust and lies down next to the pegasus mare. She leans her body against Dust before folding the large triangle over Dust. She lays there for a long moment, letting her body heat and the warmth trapped by the blanket soak into Dust. After a few minutes, Dust sighs and relaxes, getting a smile from her. “Works every time.” She murmurs, reaching her head over and nibbling gently on the turquoise mare’s ear gently and nuzzling the top of her head. She closes her eyes, keeping her attention completely on Dust as she relaxes next to her, letting Dust know of her presence gently.

“What are you…?” Come’s a quiet voice. Velvet opens her eyes and sees a gray unicorn with a multitone blue mane sitting there, confusion painted on her face.

She keeps her voice to a whisper. “She’s a pegasus, Moon. How do you think pegasi moms comfort their fillies?”

Moon Shadow’s eyes widen. “That’s the most relaxed that I’ve seen her in weeks.” She closes her eyes and Velvet’s eyebrows rise as the sitting pony seems to fall asleep while sitting up. It’s only seconds before her eyes snap open. “A normal dream.” She says in wonder. “She needs that more than you could ever know.” She looks at the triangle of blanket over Dust. “Like a wing?”

Velvet nods. “Exactly, and I’m keeping it warm, just like a wing holding a little filly.”

Moon blinks a few times. “I will leave you be.” With a soft pop, she’s disappears.

Velvet shakes her head smiling, "That mare seriously needs a refresher course." Looking down at Dust she smiles softly, mumbling, "That, or she never took any of the babysitting courses in Canterlot. Might have to take her through the basics to see what she remembers."

Laying her head over the pegasus protectively, Velvet relaxes, glancing at the window. The little bit of light leaking around the large windows gives her an idea of the time as Feather and the injured pegasus rest. She smiles softly, happy to have Dust being at peace for at least a little bit.

***

“What the hell?”

Velvet blinks, she didn’t intend to fall asleep, she looks back, Dust had used a wing to knock off the blanket, she’s looking around wildly. Velvet nuzzles Dust’s cheek. “Sweetie, you know me.”

Dust blinks a few times. “For a bit, I thought you were my mom.” She looks somber. “I don’t even know what happened to her, did Discord get her? Was she left defenseless on Equestria? Is she even alive?” She stops, looking at Velvet before ducking her head. “Thank you.” She murmurs softly, tears leaking.

Velvet pulls the wing blanket over her protectively. "I know it’s hard sometimes. You’ve gone through something nopony should ever have to go through. And I understand how you feel. You feel defeated. You end up questioning yourself, asking why you should even bother if you can never seem to win. This isn’t some race for you to come in first as usual. You aren’t used to this. Not to come in first in every race. Not to be the best at everything you try right away."

Laying her head over Dust back, Velvet goes on slowly, "You're a natural leader, it’s hard for you to take orders, to come in second, or even to ask for help. But we are ponies, you never have to ask to get help. Look at Feather there, she insisted that we come here, she wanted to help you. She’s gone through some of what you went through in her own life. And yet, with all she’s gone through, she knew you were in need, and she was willing to do anything to help you. That’s our nature, that’s what makes us ponies. Family, friends are always around, and even total strangers will often help. So don't feel ashamed to be getting help."

Dust lays her head down protectively over Feather. “I wasn’t strong enough.” She murmurs.

Velvet chews gently on her ear for a long moment, then she nuzzle’s Dust’s cheek. “Are you so sure about that? You survived hell. You survived what would kill many. That’s plenty strong in my book.” She stops for a moment. “I know Moon helped you in the Dream. And your entire herd has been helping you since you’ve been brought back.”

“They aren’t my herd, I don’t have one.”

Velvet tsks. “Don’t be so sure. I know Irony was so stressed while you were nearly lost. She didn’t leave your side, she slept in the barn, she barely ate, she was your constant protector. In fact, how you are now is ten times as stressful for her.” She nuzzles Dust’s ear. “There’s no one for her to extract vengeance on, no one to protect you from. It’s inside you, you are hurting, and she desperately wants to help you. Moon Shadow has been neglecting herself in favor of helping to rebuild you, and Mindy has been helping you in her own way. That’s in addition to Helen and your children. Dust, sweetie, you have a herd here.”

Dust’s looks thoughtful before protectively nuzzling Feather, getting a smile from Velvet. “See, your own instincts are strong here, you want to protect Feather here as much as she wants to help you. You will be a great mom when your time comes.”

Unexpectedly that gets a sob from Dust. “No, I won’t. I can’t.”

Velvet tilts her head, keeping mute as Dust breathes heavily. After a long moment, Dust reasserts control over herself. “Dr. Ray told me. The damage back there was too great. I’m barren.”

Velvet leans closer, using the other side of the blanket wing to stroke dusts cheek and wipes her tears gently, “Not being able to have your own can hurt, but that doesn't stop one from adopting, or mothering others. In this day and age there could be lots of times you find yourself needing to be a mom for a lost foal. Or close friend.”

Tears are flowing freely down her face. “I don’t know if you knew, I’m a filly fooler, never been interested in stallions. I’d never once considered motherhood. I’d never even thought I could bring a new life into the world, to be a mother.” She looks back at her stomach.

Velvet gently nuzzles Dusts head, "And now, you were wondering what it would have been like? And then you found it’s not possible now?”

“Was just the fucking cherry on the top of a shit sandwich.” She says bitterly.

Velvet shakes her head. “You know, being a herd mom without contributing foals to the family is just fine.”

“We don’t have a herd, Irony…Moon…”

“Love you, and you love them. Irony wouldn’t be able to be drawn into the Dream to help you if there wasn’t a strong bond there. They all love you, Lightning Dust.” She reaches over and nuzzles Feather quickly. “So does this one here. You should see the clubhouse she and her friends built, with the help from your company.”

That gets the mare to perk up. “I smell Pat’s hand in that.”

Velvet nods. “I was out of country at the time, but yeah.”

Dust looks pensive for a long time, occasionally nuzzling Feather as she works through things in her head, finally she turns to look at Velvet. “Thank you.” She murmurs.

That gets a bright smile. “Always happy to help.”

***

The soft clop of hooves on tile has my ears twitching, though it sounds like three rather than two. I look up as Dust emerges into the kitchen, offering me a wan smile, which I enthusiastically return. Velvet and Feather enter the kitchen as Dust hops up onto the bench, wincing in pain. She gingerly sits down. “I think I’m ready to eat now.” She says.

Helen stands up. “Pancakes?”

Dust nods. “Lots of syrup, please.”

Helen leans over and kisses Dust’s cheek. “Some things never change.”

Dust chuckles and looks back at Velvet. “As a human I had a serious sweet tooth.”

“I did too.” I chime in as Moon nods.

Velvet nods. “I have a feeling that was pretty common among ponies turned human due to Discord. There’s a reason sweet shops were so common in Equestria.”

Dust smiles as she gestures for Velvet and Feather to join them at the table. I shift to two legs and move over to help Helen in making a sweet dinner. A ray of sunshine in the night, we might just get this mare back.

Chapter 57.

I cannot believe how much arguing ponies can do when it comes to something so essentially trivial to our lives. I look around at the ponies assembled within the city hall of the new pony town. Mayor Mare was easily elected to be in charge of the city, especially with a small speech delivered by video conference with Dust back at her home in Baker. But the ponies want to name this new pony town. They are bickering over the size of lots, how much work the new power plant is costing among the pegasi of the city. And a million other things. Mindy, for all her chaotic tendencies, has been an absolute godsend.

I tend to not spend Dust’s money unless I absolutely have to, but Mindy has been flexing that mare’s bank account like a damned champion. Dust’s company, Lightning Electric, has been digging an entirely new line from the nearest exchange, a distance of over seventy miles, to give the new pony city a staggering internet speed. She’s also set up, in Dust’s name, a whole new internet service provider for the entire city. Setting up the server farm underground near where the shore of Lake Luna will end up being once it’s complete. There is even construction inside the planned hoofprint of the lake. Mindy had explained to me that the lake water was going to be used to cool the servers, as the lake is going to be deep enough to not be able to freeze solid in the frigid Montana winters. So, heat exchangers have been installed into the planned area. She’s even overbuilt the system, she’s been working on Dust, slowly, to move her house in Baker to the new town. The plans for the ponies to have the city outstrip pretty much every city in Montana regarding size, is absolutely amazing. And leading that, is Mayor Mare. She’s directing the energies of the various factions of the ponies into a general forward progress that is actually getting things done.

For example, the city hall was completed shortly after Dust had been recovered. She had moved her offices from the small modular buildings to this complex. She’s also been working with the state government, getting the city recognized. But the thing is, one basic tenet of a city, is it having a name. The state government has been understanding, with all the infrastructure work being done, and everything else involved, the name has been pretty much on the back burner. I sit among all the ponies, not with the small city council or the mayor. Even though Mayor Mare has insisted that being a member of Dust’s family, I have every right to be sitting up at the front with her. I have zero interest in dealing with the day to day governance of the town.

“Why is this such an issue? I think only the Florida colony has actually named itself as of yet. And there are colonies and new cities being set up in Texas, and of course, here. And Celestia knows what other cities are being set up in Russia or Europe. We know Australia has been ponis non grata, but, we don’t have to name our city yet, do we?” A tangerine colored pegasus expounds, tossing her mint green mane in annoyance as she folds and refolds her wings. “We have so many other pressing issues to deal with. Like what to do for pegasus housing.”

Mayor Mare clears her throat, silencing any murmurs of agreement. “Can’t you simply build your own cloud houses?” She asks gently.

The pegasus blushes, taking a step back. “Well, of course we can build cloud houses. But there must be rules about the altitude of the houses. Remember, we have to deal with the human FAA when it comes to flying around the city.”

Mayor Mare smiles. “And I got an email a few weeks ago regarding pegasi and flight rules and restrictions.” She looks around at all assembled. “The town and a control zone of 15 miles around the city will be under pony administration below ten thousand feet. So, you aren’t going to have to get FAA clearance to fly within our town. But if you want to not run afoul of the 520th, you are going to have to get transponders if you want to fly within controlled airspace and can qualify to fly that high or that fast.” She taps her ipad with a stylus attached with a velcro strap to her foreleg. “So, near speedsters and up. But even most pegasi can make it above ten thousand feet when doing weather work. So, we are working on rules regarding that.”

I haven’t tuned out, it’s not boring, but the technical minutiae of regulations gets a small huff from me. I know all of this is necessary, not just to keep lawyers off our plots. But also to give us legitimacy among the humans. But I want to just leave. I had hoped the naming of the town would be happening soon. I glance at the pegasus, who is arguing further. I know the pegasi want to build cloud houses, but many want more than the occasional cloud house floating in the breeze. They want a full on pegasopolis style city. But then they have to figure out how to not have it roam across the countryside like Cloudsdale did. The large hill near the edge of the property has been considered for an anchor point, and some of the unicorns with some weather abilities have said the cloud city could be anchored to it. But then some of the pegasi have complained that it’s too low.

How Mayor Mare is able to get consensus with so many differing opinions on the topic is beyond me. I lean back and watch as the tan mare with the now white mane works her magic. And less than an hour passes before the pegasi have agreed to the plan. I marvel at how good the mayor is when it comes to addressing the concerns of the ponies.

Finally, she sits up, looking around. “And are there any more proposals for naming our new pony town?”

That instantly opens the floodgates. Names are bandied about rapid fire for several minutes before Mayor Mare bangs down her gavel. “No horse puns, we aren’t in Equestria, wde are on Earth. We want the humans to take us seriously. We can’t simply add new to names that we had back in Equestria. So, New Ponyville is off the table. This isn’t the city where Luna is residing, she’s spending more of her time around Washington DC having to deal with the political fallout of ponies. So, New Canterlot is out.” She glares around for a moment. “The same with New Vanhoover, New Baltimare, and so on and so forth.” Her voice gets sharper as she continues. “If you cannot be serious with this, I will have to table the issue until the future.” She holds up the gavel, glaring around as the cacophony continues. Finally after a measured breath, she bangs the gavel down. “Okay. Discussion done. We will address naming our city until a future meeting.” She takes a deep breath. “Mindy, do you have any new business we need to discuss?”

The magenta unicorn with the poufy white mane shakes her head. “We’ve got everything working out for the servers. I think three more truck shipments are on the way with the rest of the server equipment.” She looks down, her ears flicking. “I’m sorry, I’m not used to this side of things. But the plan on having wifi coverage over the entire city is viable. And 5G service is being set up, we signed a contract with Verizon for a new tower to be built by ponies and they’ll install the equipment. But within a month or so, the access points will be fully installed in every street lamp stand. And all of your houses will have fiber drops as installation continues. I got permission from Dust to have Lightning Electric do the underground and fiber installs for us.” At the mention of Dust, her ears flick. It happened almost too quickly but I noticed it. Our convalescing mare is bothering her too. She looks up. “Electric service is being installed as quickly as you ponies are building the houses. But remember, we aren’t in Equestria, follow the NEC, Lightning Electric has multiple master electricians who are advising ponies who are building. And contractors are available for building your service. Our goal is to have pony style homes as we remember from back in Equestria, but with a modern human touch, having ready electrical power, water, and sewer services. No outhouses or getting water from a creek.” She taps her screen on her tablet. “That’s all I’ve got.”

I look over at Mayor Mare who swings the gavel again. “Okay, meeting adjourned.” She drops the gavel on the table and leans back as the ponies start to file out the exits. I sit calmly, watching the ponies as they make their ways to the exits. Only about ten minutes has only a few groups of ponies chatting as Mindy works with Mayor Mare along with the other ponies of the city council as they gather up their things. I finally stand up from my cushion and walk slowly to the front of the room.

“That was…”

Mindy brightens. “Exciting? Exhilarating?”

I shake my head. “Boring.”

Mindy visibly deflates, but she recovers quickly. “Well, these things need to be done. I’d much rather be planning a party, or doing fun things. Or even playing a new computer game.” Her horn lights, stuffing her tablet and a few papers into her day bag. She looks back at me. “But we got a lot accomplished today.”

I groan. “But why did you ask me to come?”

She tilts her head. “We helped found the city, Irony, dear. We are responsible for helping all these ponies get their lives in order. Many of them were just twenty-five year old humans from every different background in the world. Very few have any idea how to deal with being a pony at all, much less living without all the modern conveniences of life in this world. Just like the pegasi getting trained by the 520th for rules of flight outside of town. We are basically setting up an economy from scratch, teaching them basic finance, basic pony life skills, so we can live here long term. New ponies are showing up almost every day. We are trying to help their lives achieve some sort of normalcy.” She giggles. “Well, as normal as life can get being a four foot tall quadruped.”

“That happens to have magic or flight, right?” I finish with a smile, getting a nod and a wink. I turn to Mayor Mare. “What are you doing with ponies that are just showing up?”

She smiles at me. “Well, we have an intake process now. We’ve rented a building in Baker, the old youth center, remember?” At my nod she continues. “Ponies are greeted, we’ve got a couple of healers there, helping with any medical issues, and giving them initial vaccinations. Also ponies that have had a rougher time are talking to some of the new arrivals, letting them know that life here isn’t like the Equestria they remember. But it’s working its way there. And to have hope. They can stay in the barracks that Dust built in the first couple of months after our changes. But after that, we have financial services available, and help them find jobs. The new weather service is hiring any pegasus or unicorn with any aptitude. The 520th is hiring pegasi as quickly as they can. Anypony wanting a job gets one very quickly. And we are getting things built. She looks out at the empty auditorium. “We just have to name the blasted place.” Her voice ends in a growl.

I chuckle. “Of course, I heard New Ponyville many times when you opened that can of worms.”

“Of course you did. Many ponies here were bronies before they turned. But I will not have us name this place like that. As I said, we are looking for legitimacy among the humans. The governor has been bending rules in helping us get things set up. Likely being prodded by the President, but we aren’t common knowledge outside of Miles City or Baker. And the government wants to keep it that way. We don’t want to be a media sensation, at least until we have things set up and settled down. I have ideas, but I’m not imposing my ideas on everypony. I want everypony happy with the name of their home.”

I nod. “I totally agree.” I glance over at Mindy. “Ready to head home?”

She looks unsure. “I think I’m gonna pull an all nighter working on the internet service setup. We’re pretty close to a full startup so ponies won’t have to depend on mobile data and hotspots for their internet service. You know the cell providers are a little pissed at how much traffic we’ve put through their systems in the last few months.”

I give the energetic mare a hug before I head out of the building. I stop for a moment, looking at the large diesel Dodge Ram sitting in the parking lot. It was Dust’s personal work truck before her change. And since she’d changed, she wasn’t interested in driving, since she could now fly faster than an airliner. Well, until she got captured. I sigh as I rear up as I change forms. It’s a very nice truck. Enough torque for anything I’d want to do with it. But I miss my car. I reach out and open the door before sliding in and pushing the push to start button as my left hoof pushes down the clutch. The engine roars to life and I put the transmission into reverse. A quick check of the mirrors and I’m out of the parking lot and heading out of town. Newly paved streets all over the place, so I get back into the town of Baker, Montana in less than fifteen minutes. A smooth stop at the four way stop in the center of town before heading straight.

I mentally count the streets I pass before hanging a right and follow the street to the familiar house owned by Lightning Dust. As I pull in, I remember the first time I pulled up to this house, what feels like a life time ago. Shutting down the truck I close the door before relaxing onto four legs and walk slowly into the house. As I open the door, the familiar sounds and smells of this house envelop me in comfort. This…this is home now. I sometimes wonder when this house became home to me? Dust had insisted, saying she’d overbuilt the house when she built it a few years before our change. The more the merrier, the mare had said. I smile at Moon Shadow, who is concentrating, her horn lit as she has a video game controller in her magic along with Dust’s two human children. I make it into the kitchen, stopping as I see Helen sitting on a stool, a steaming cup before her, her head held up by her hands as she contemplates the dark liquid in her cup.

“Good evening, love.” I murmur, getting her to look up at me with a smile. I shift again and grab another stool. “Any more coffee?”

She nods. “Always. I live for the stuff.” She chuckles. “Though not as much as Mindy does, I swear that mare lives on caffeine.”

“Yeah.” I reach out and grab a mug, it doesn’t have me long before I’m sitting next to Helen and blowing gently on my own mug of liquid gold. Though I’d added some Baileys to mine. It’s late enough.

“How is she?”

She smiles at me. “Surprisingly well. She ate today. She’s not complaining on how much pain she’s in. But she’s also trying to get us to stop waiting on her hoof and wing. As she puts it.” She looks up, her eyes zeroing in on the bedroom on the floor above as though she could see through the ceiling. “She wanted to know where you were. You weren’t answering your phone.”

“I had it on silent.” I sigh. “Well, I’ll go see what she wants.”

Helen smiles at me. “It’s going to be okay, Irony. She is healing. She’s worlds better than just a few weeks ago. Just go, talk to her. I’ll wait down here a while with Moon until the kids go to bed.”

I nod and pick up my coffee. The emotional drain of trying to help Dust put herself together has been an ordeal for everyone in the house, even the kids. Trixie and Flash have found a new place over in the new pony town. I stop for a moment, Mindy mentioned moving this place. I look around, it’s typical human construction. How the hell would they move this house? It’s enormous! I shake my head as I ascend the stairs and move towards the bedroom. The door isn’t closed, a good sign. Though the lights are set to minimum brightness. I glance over on the bed. Dust is reclining, pillows holding her up. Her faithful mixed breed dog, Dolly, is leaning up against her. And one of the many cats of the house, a snow white Turkish angora named Sir Lancelot, is in Dust’s lap, getting scratched idly by the pegasus. Dolly’s head had lifted on hearing me enter, though on seeing me, the dog laid her head down on Dust’s leg. The only creature to cling to Dust more than me was that dog when she was convalescing. Dust smiles at me brightly. And while I can see her pain, the smile is genuine, I think. I stand at the end of the bed, unsure how to proceed, before the pegasus nods and tilts her head slightly. So, I put the coffee down and shift back to all fours to hop onto the bed before laying down next to Dust. She wastes no time shifting herself over a little to lay her head on my shoulder as I put a forehoof around her.

“Hello, love,” I murmur softly.

“I’ve been thinking,” she says in response.

I furrow my brow. “About what?”

“Oh, lots of things. Since that miserable day, I’ve had lots of memories come back. Even when I was nearly lost, I remembered more of my life in Equestria. I remembered more of the changeling war. Where you were injured, and acted so bravely to get the notice of the crown princesses.”

My eyebrows rise. “Really?” My face scrunches as I think furiously. “I know little bits and pieces have come back. But I was so busy, searching for you. I haven’t really thought of our past.”

“That the funny thing. I’m not really thinking about our past. But the predicament of the here and now.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Your name as a human was Henry, right?”

I nod. “Yeah.”

“How much of the mare that is holding me right now is still Henry? How much is just Irony?”

Oh, that’s a doozy. I haven’t really thought about all of that. “Ummmm.”

She moves her hoof, scratching the white cat behind an ear, the loud purrs intensifying. “I’ve been trying to think, how much of Mike is still around. How much of me is Lightning Dust. I think I’ve come to a conclusion.”

“Really?”

She nods. “I had a lot of time thinking as I’ve been trying to heal.” She stops speaking as she continues loving on the cat. For a long moment, we are just enjoying the feeling of closeness. Finally she shifts a little. “I have a TV in here, but no interest in watching anything on it. I have a tablet, but don’t really do much more than work stuff on it. I’m not sleeping twenty plus hours a day anymore. Hell, I’m barely able to sleep eight hours a night anymore. But I still have my memories of growing up in Corpus Christie, learning to hunt, learning to fish. Dear God, I’ve always loved fishing. I remember dreaming of flying. I’ve wanted to fly since I was a kid. Did you know I jumped off my parents roof with a garbage bag as a parachute. In my mind I’d float gently down to the ground.”

That gets a laugh from me. “You crashed.”

She echoes my laugh. “You know it. I also remember many times as a young filly. Now trying to deal with memories of growing up male with growing up female has been a challenge, to say the least. But I think Mike was not just born with me in him. I was reborn, and named Michael. But I was the same…” She stops furrowing her brow. “I guess you could say, soul. Or personality, or whatever. That I was as a pegasus in Equestria. I was Lightning Dust, Lightning Dust is Mike now. I had to wrestle with that when I changed back. And now, after what we’ve been through since turning back. With everything. I have to think, is Mike inside me? Screaming to be let out? Is Mike dead? And the only answer that works in my head, is Mike is me. Lightning Dust, is me. There was no death of one in favor of the other. The Mike that Helen knew is still here. Not in body, of course.” She shifts her hind legs a bit. I know she’s thinking of her very tender nether regions right now. But the tension passes quickly. “But in everything that’s important. The drive that I had as Mike, once I married Helen and had kids, is the same drive that pushed Lightning Dust into applying for the Wonderbolts. I can’t look at a memory, and think, that’s Mike’s memory. Or that’s Lightning Dust’s memory. They are all my memories.” She turns her head a bit. “What do you think?”

I frown. “I really haven’t pondered that, Dust. I remember some of my time as a pony, and my time before I came to Equestria the first time. Those memories that were of me before I became Irony. They were me, they were mine. But Irony, Henry.” I stop. Trying to process what she’s told me.

“It’s hard to tell them apart?”

I nod. “How is that? Equestria and Earth are so different! Yet I’d have to think really hard about a memory that doesn’t involve another human or pony to identify where they were and who they belong to.”

She smiles. “Because they are all your memories, Irony. You were Henry, you were the human, the pony, then the human again before you became what you are now. But all of them, they are you.”

“I dunno. I kinda feel that Henry got the shaft in all of this.”

“Oh, definitely, Love. Definitely. But nothing was taken from him, because he was you. You served this nation honorably. You put your life on the line for Princess Twilight Sparkle. You learned smithing and built so much with just heat and your strength. You rebuilt and lovingly maintained that car of yours. You were yanked out of your life by a spell by a young unicorn and ended up in Equestria. You are Irony Smith, the shieldbreaker. You are Henry, the soldier, the warrior, the smith, the tinkerer. All of that, is you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positively. What really seals the deal for me in my head is how I was in the academy. I was brash, arrogant, foolish. And in my early relationship with Helen, I was the exact same way. It took a lot of hard work for her to get me into shape to be the man and now pony that I am today. I had to learn some of the exact same lessons as a human that I had to learn as a pony. I was the same…person that I was in Equestria, just in a different skin. I always had a love of flying. As a pegasus, I could fly, as a human, I would have flown had the US Air Force taken me. I would have lived among the clouds as I dreamed of as a young child. I had those dreams as a young boy, and a young filly. I was always a creature of the air, even as a ground bound human.”

“Boy, your time in bed has made you a philosopher.”

She chuckles at my joke. “No kidding. But the reason I was thinking all this is I was afraid.”

“Afraid? How so?”

“Was I killing a part of myself by loving this change so much? I mean, after a very short adjustment, being me as I am now, on four legs, wings, even being female. Was I condemning Mike to a death that he had committed the only sin of being born to be sentenced to? But after much of my thinking. I don’t think so. Mike is still here. In me. I am Mike, I am Lightning Dust. One and the same.”

A soft meow announces the arrival of another of the cats of the house, a tiger striped gray and black cat named, hilariously by Dust’s daughter, Derpy, thanks to his perpetual crossed eyes, saunters up to me. I reach out a hoof and love on the cat. “Looks like we’ve got company.”

She nods. “The animals know it’s bedtime, the kids will be going to their rooms soon, Helen will join us, along with Moon. And we’ll all sleep. How many sleep in this bed usually?”

“Well, you, me, Moon, Helen, sometimes Mindy.”

“And of the pets?”

“So, an additional two dogs, and what…four cats?”

She nods. Everypony loves piling together and sleeping comfortably. Even the pets.” She chuckles as Dolly emits a soft snore from Dust’s feet. She points at the German shepherd/Golden retriever mix. “That one prefers to sleep on the floor or under the bed. But since I was hurt. She wouldn’t leave my side.” She turns her head to face me. “Just as you’ve refused to leave my side. Thank you for that, love.”

“You’d do the same for me.” Is all I can say in response.

“I know. But it’s very much appreciated. Now, I want to go to work tomorrow.”

“Oh, Dust. It’s too soon.”

“It might be, but I’m going. I know the company can do without me. But the guys feel better knowing I’m there. Knowing I’ll help out whenever I’m needed.”

“I don’t think Moon will be happy with that.”

“I know, but she’ll have to understand. That drive, that got Mike to where this house is paid off, where there’s money in the bank. Where life is actually looking pretty good. That drive is still there. And I know I’m going to work, and provide for this family.”

“Dust, you could take a year off and not have to worry.”

“I could. But would I be Lightning Dust if I did?”

Chapter 1

Whenever someone enters or exits a room, they move the air. Pegasi can feel it the strongest, given their weather sense, but anypony can, if they know what they’re looking for. In my time in the Equestrian Royal Guard, my training included learning how to quiet the inner chaos and feel the world around me. As he enters my office, I don’t even have to look up to know who he is.

"Hello Discord," I say casually as I turn a page. My relaxed demeanor is a front; I have never trusted him. Not fully; despite entreaties from others.

"Hello Irony," he responds, seeming ever so slightly put out that he hasn't caught me off guard with his presence. He doesn’t know the full extent of Royal Guard training; especially one who guards a Princess.

"So,” I look at him, “the time has finally come?" It’s time to seem relaxed, though also time to be ready to deal death. I knew this confrontation would come. I had warned each of the Princesses, on numerous occasions, that he could not be trusted. I was certain of his betrayal. Too bad I couldn't be wrong.

"Indeed, it has. You should feel honored that I see you as enough of a threat that I shall remove you before putting the rest of my plan into action," he casually waves his eagle’s claw, “And you will also provide the proving ground, so to speak. If this spell works, you will be gone, if not,” he shrugs, “you will be dead. Either way, you won’t be able to bother me anymore.”

He begins to chant:

For Five Score! Divided by Four!

I have already leapt to my four hooves. My motions seem sluggish, almost like I am moving through molasses in January.

Your Memories Removed! Your Body Confused!

I push on, knowing I only have one chance before I am dust.

For your insolence you must pay,

I have managed to grab my flanged mace. I leap at the eldritch abomination, my snarl turning to a scream as I close the distance.

Cast off to a land far far away!

Time slows as I get ever closer to him, the source of chaos in our universe, the one whom harmony must be forced upon.

Irony's removal, to meet my approval!

Will I make it? Will I stop him before he can wreak the havoc he clearly intends?

Your mind shall be weak, your outlooks bleak!

I am raising my mace over my head to strike.

Forgetting everything and living like a fool,

I am bringing the mace down in an arc at my foe. I can see it in my hand, moving with agonizing slowness, preparing to crush the Lord of Chaos' skull.

You have all lost, now no one can stop my rule!

He finishes his incantation and snaps his claws just as I feel the mace make contact. Then everything goes blinding white and then darkest black.

And then the screaming begins...

***

I sit up in my bed, remembering every aspect of my dream. I have had it so many times that I can close my eyes and relive it in vivid detail any time that I wish, though I would rather forget.

I seem to always have that dream on the night of my birthday, as well as whenever I seem to be at a crossroads in my life. Today is the former. I am officially twenty-five, as of 0433 this morning, April 25th, 2020. I look at my clock and see that it is 0440, as I expected. I always wake up right after having the dream on my birthday soon after my actual birth time.

I sigh and stretch my 6' 5", 295 pound frame, not bothering to lie back down. I'm supposed to meet my brother at the gym in a little over half an hour. I get up and throw on my workout shorts and shirt in the dark, grab a protein bar and my gym bag and head out the door.

The gym is less than a mile away so I jog there while eating my protein bar as a warm-up, knowing that today we were planning on lifting weights. My brother Jim always tried to push me to compete with him when we lifted, maybe because he isn't quite as big as me, being 6' 1" and about 225 pounds, but I knew it wasn't a great idea to let our egos get out of control. Too easy to get hurt.

I get to the gym at exactly 0530, knowing that Jim won't be there quite yet. He is always running a little late, but never by enough for me to gripe a lot. I stow my gym bag in a locker and begin limbering up. I'm halfway through my stretches when he walks in and starts doing the same without a word. We both take our workouts pretty seriously, an attitude that we got from having been in the Marines together, and which continued even now that we were both out of the service.

I finish stretching and walk around while I wait for Jim to finish. When he's done he comes up and grabs my hand and pulls me into a guy hug and says, "Henry man, Happy Birthday! You've finally made the big 2-5."

I laugh and say, "Yeah, and you're a whole 6 days behind me dude. So no old man jokes."

He laughs and says, "Okay, okay...no old man jokes, I promise, gramps."

I punch him in the shoulder and laugh at him. Jim and I aren't brothers in blood, but we might as well have been. We were both adopted at the same time from unknown parents. Our adoptive parents had never hidden the fact we were adopted from us, instead showing us how much they had wanted us and loved us. They were wonderful parents who adopted us late in life. Jim and I still missed them, even though it had been almost seven years since they passed away.

"Are you ready for this? Today I'm going to lift more than you for sure," he says to me.

"Only in your dreams little bro," I laugh at him.

We start our circuit in earnest, taking turns spotting for each other. When we are nearing the end of our final circuit, Jim starts running his mouth, trying to push my buttons and get me to actually compete with him on the bench.

"Come on old man, you're not worried that I'll beat you are you? Maybe I should go get your walker?" he pushes and pushes.

"Fine you little pipsqueak, you're on!" I growl at him. Usually I just say no and he can't get a rise out of me, but today I feel a little different. I'm a little angry and just feel riled up.

"Alright! Let's start at 200!" he says jubilantly as he starts loading weight on the bar, knowing this is a rare opportunity for him to really measure himself against me.

"I don't think so. Let's make it 300. Loser picks up the bar tab tonight," I grin at him.

"You're on!" he finishes loading the bar and lays down on the bench. I take my place behind the bar to spot for him. He lifts the bar slowly and is able to do three reps before I have to help him put the bar back.

I laugh and say, "you'll have to do better than that. Throw some more weight on there."

Jim shrugs and throws another 25 pounds on each side. I lay down and pump out five reps before putting the bar back. I move to get up, certain of my victory when Jim stops me and adds another 50 pounds to the bar. I decide to humor him and lay back down, lifting the bar and do five more before putting the bar back unassisted.

"Dude...how much can you lift? We've been working out together for years and I didn't know you could do 400 pounds. You don't come work out by yourself, do you?" Jim asks me, amazement clear in his voice.

"You know I would never work out alone! And I've never lifted that much before, so I didn't know I could do it either," I respond.

"Let's see how much you can do," he says as he loads up the bar with another 100 pounds.

"Come on man, you know I'll never be able to do that much."

"Just humor me bro. I've got a feeling."

"You and your feelings are gonna get me in trouble," I say as I lay back down and he stands ready. I hesitantly lift the bar out of the bracket and slowly lower it to my chest, fully expecting to need help to get it back up. I push the bar up, pausing at the top and then lowering it again. I can't believe it, I am lifting almost twice my body weight! Jim laughs out loud with glee as I continue. I stop when I get to ten, knowing I could do more but not wanting to overdo it.

"Okay, that's enough," I say, sitting up and wiping the sweat from my brow.

"Aww man...come on!" he cries.

I just smile at him and shake my head. I start unloading the bar and he helps so I don't have to go back and forth from side to side. When we finish I head to the showers with Jim following along behind. We grab our towels and strip down, heading into the showers. I'm lathering up my hair when I hear Jim yell, "Dude, what the fuck is that?"

Chapter 3

After a few more moments I decide to break the silence, "So...who wants to watch ponies?"

Jim chuckles and shakes his head while Sherry cocks her eyebrow and just gives me a small smile. I throw an arm around each of their shoulders and herd them inside to the couch, where I get them to sit down next to each other. I then pour us each another glass of Jameson and sit down in the overstuffed chair adjacent to the couch. I pick up the remote and start an episode of MLP before they can say anything about the arrangement.

The episode I selected was the one where Trixie first comes to Ponyville. I glance over at Sherry and she lifts her glass in salute to my choice. I then see her cuddle in closer to Jim, who kind of looks like a scared rabbit. When the credits start to roll I queue up the second Trixie episode, knowing that it's Sherry's favorite. I see her smile and lay her head on Jim's shoulder. Jim, starting to loosen up a bit, carefully puts his arm around her.

They sure look cute together, I think to myself. I try to keep the smile off my face but fail miserably, so I cover it by faking a yawn and covering my mouth with my hand. This actually fits perfectly with my secret plot. As the episode continues I fake a couple more yawns and act like I'm having a little trouble staying awake. Then, just before the episode builds to its conclusion, I stand up and hand the remote to Jim and walk into the kitchen to put my glass in the sink, catching Sherry's eye and giving her a wink as I do. I walk back out to the TV room afterward, intending to beg off tired and head home. I glance up at the show and see it's where Twilight challenges Trixie to the rematch and I get caught up in it. When it gets to where Twilight turns Applejack into a 'stallion' I shudder involuntarily, and think about how really weird that would feel. I shake my head to clear it and then say, "Well, I'm pretty tired, think I'll go home now."

Sherry smiles at me and waves, and Jim says, "Dude, are you sure? It's still early!"

"Yeah, it's been a long day, and I'm planning to get up early tomorrow and spend the day working in my shop. I suddenly have the urge to start a new project," I answer, realizing that is exactly what I want to do.

"Okay bro, if you're sure. Happy birthday again man, hope you sleep well," he says, a little perplexed.

I smile at them and wave my goodbye, heading out the front door. I climb into my car, a 1970 Oldsmobile 442, patting the dash lovingly as I turn the key and hear the engine roar. I love this car, having spent a lot of hours carefully restoring it. It took me a long time to get all the parts together, as well as a fair bit of cash outlay, but it was all worth it. I'd dreamt of this car ever since I was old enough to love a car. It probably didn't help that my dad had let me watch Demolition Man a couple of times when he probably shouldn't have. He also was always telling me about an old friend of his who had a '69 442 long ago. He was always talking about how she outraced everyone in that car, and that it could do a ten second quarter. It wasn't until I was much older that I understood what that meant, and how fast that really was.

I decide to go for a bit of a drive, as I'm not really tired yet. I take it slow away from Jim's house, listening to the engine rumble appreciatively. I take a leisure drive out to an old highway nearby where I know I can open her up without getting in trouble. When I get to the old road I stop on an imaginary starting line and rev up the engine, taking the rpms almost to red line and back down a few times, just listening to the screaming roar of the 455-cubic inch engine. I let off the clutch, dropping all 425 horses and 500 foot-pounds of torque to the rear wheels, going from 0 to 60 mph in less than four seconds. Damn that feels soooo good I think to myself, grinning like a madman as I tear down the road at well over a hundred miles per hour. After a few miles I slow it down and start for home, feeling like this has been a pretty great birthday after all.

I pull into my garage and shut off the engine and climb out of the car. I close the door and stretch, reaching my arms way above my head, feeling my back pop in several places. Suddenly tired, I yawn and scratch my head, thinking hmmm...time for a haircut again I guess. I walk into the house and then to my bedroom and, dropping my shirt and pants on the floor, drop into bed. My head barely hits the pillow before I'm deep asleep.

***

I'm lying on my bed reading a book. I realize this book is very familiar to me, so I read the page I just read again. In training, this book has been drilled into my skull. I reach out and close the book with my hoof, flipping it so I can read the title: "Mixed Pony Tactics: Fighting Superior Forces with Earth Ponies, Pegasi and Unicorns."

Suddenly I can remember everything that is in the book, months of training in the tactics in this book. My instructors, under personal orders from Princess Celestia herself given my new position, have been pushing me hard to learn every word in its pages. It is totally baffling to me. I stare at the book for a moment when it strikes me that I had used a hoof to close it. I look down at my arms and realize they aren't arms anymore, they're legs, and yes, they end in hooves instead of hands. I'm getting ready to start freaking out when I realize I must be dreaming. I shake my whole body, thinking this is really weird. I recognize this dream, but I've never had any control of it before. Maybe I can see myself?

I stand up and walk over to a mirror that is standing in the corner of the room and stare at my reflection. I am a pony. A dark, midnight blue, pony. With a bright blue mane that is streaked with purple, silver, black and grey. I realize that this body feels strong, very strong. I feel stronger than I have ever felt before; it is kind of a heady feeling.

Turning away from the mirror I see a flanged mace lying next to the bed. It is the same mace that I remember from my previous dreams. It's the same mace from my tattoo I realize with some shock. I knew I'd seen that before!

I look around, expecting Discord to show up any second. He doesn't show, but I do hear a weird noise. It's getting louder and more persistent. It gets to an ear-splitting level and I reach up to cover my ears.

***

I clap my hands over my ears as I sit up in bed, breathing heavily from the sudden awakening. I glance around to locate the source of the noise when I spot my phone on my nightstand and remember I set an alarm. I fumble with the phone until it finally shuts up.

I groan and flop back, what a weird dream I was having. Imagine reading a book on pony warfare tactics. In the show, how much actual war did they have to deal with? I mean, everyone knows that if you're attacked by a superior force you should use your pegasi as a harrying or flanking force while the unicorns cast attacking or distracting spells from a distance. And you use your earth ponies as a crushing charge or last line of defense, depending on your terrain--whoa, how do I know that? Wtf brain?

I finally shrug it off, figuring it's just leftover from my crazy dream. I pull on my pants and grab a ratty old shirt and head to the kitchen to eat a bowl of cereal before making my way out to my shop.

When I get to the shop I open the bay doors and turn on the overhead lights. I call it my shop, but it's really a lot more than a shop. I have a large propane forge on one wall with a true anvil near it on a stand. My hammers, tongs, gloves and apron line the wall behind my workbench which has a ten inch vise bolted to it. On the other side of the shop there is a 60 gallon air compressor and my arc and wire welding rigs. All of my equipment was well-used, and most of it had been before I got it, but this shop was my real pride and joy, even more than the car I rebuilt. This is where I come to be at peace. Pounding on hot steel made me feel like everything is right in the world.

Many a day I spend in my shop just working on whatever comes to me, letting the universe guide my hammer. Sometimes I sell what I make, though that is usually custom work that has been ordered by a customer, hey even I have bills. Most often though, I store or give away what I make. I never knew what I was going to end up with when I started on a project for myself, but in the end it never really matters to me.

I put on my leather apron, safety glasses and heat gloves, fire up the forge, pull down some steel stock and begin heating it. Once the metal glows a bright yellow I pull it from the fire and commence to hammering it on the anvil. Soon I am lost in the process, feeling the work. I set the first piece aside and get another bar of steel. After an hour or so of heating, hammering and reheating, I set aside yet another piece of steel and watch it cool. I now have seven pieces of steel in front of me, one is a rod about two feet long, tapered at one end and I have chiseled grooves in the other end. Six grooves, to match the six flat pieces of steel lying next to the rod. As I look at it I realize what I am making. Seems fitting, I guess, I think to myself as I carry the steel over to the other side of my shop and put on my welding helmet. I fit the plates into their grooves and proceed to weld a bead up and down both sides of each plate. Once the welds have cooled I take the work over to my forge and use a long pair of tongs to heat the entire piece to a bright orange and quench it in an oil bath.

Once it has cooled I hold up the piece. It is the same flanged mace I have tattooed on my hip. The same flanged mace from the dreams I have been having since I was little. There's even a ring on the end so I can hook it to a belt. I look at it for a long time. Then I shake my head and set it on another shelf next to some pieces I made the week before. I then pick up one of those pieces and look at it. It is a helmet, but not one that would fit any person I'd ever seen. I set it back down next to its twin and pick up the matching armor. It is oddly shaped too. I hadn't shown anyone these pieces yet because I had no idea what they meant to me. They weren't for people, that I was sure of. They almost look like they are meant for...ponies? But that makes no sense. Maybe my dreams have been infecting my work recently? I put back the armor piece I was holding and pick up the last piece I made last week, which was a damn big piece of armor. It was sized almost big enough for me, but seemed made for a woman, so I had no idea who it could be for. I looked from it to the smaller piece of armor I had just set back down, noticing that the smaller piece had holes in the back. Almost like...for wings?

I put the big piece of armor down and pondered the five pieces together, feeling they were somehow connected. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

I shut down the forge and cleaned up my work, brushing my hair out of my eyes every few moments. Wait...how is my hair in my eyes? I wondered. I stopped and actually looked at the hair hanging in my eyes, is...is my hair blue?! I run into the house and to the bathroom and flip on the light. Then I stop dead, just staring into the mirror. What...The...FUCK?!? My hair is indeed blue. Bright blue. With purple, silver, black and grey streaks. Just like in my dream!

I continue to stare at my reflection, still in shock. How had my hair changed colors? Why were they the same colors as the hair in my dream? Did someone dye my hair while I was sleeping? Could I have done it myself and forgotten, like the tattoos? Wait, it's longer too! How could it be longer? I don't think it was this long when I woke up this morning...was it?

I soon gave up the idea that I had been pranked; no one would have done it, not even Jim. Not to mention that no one could have known the exact color scheme I dreamed about the night before. I was also pretty sure I hadn't gotten it dyed and forgotten. I would have had to do it yesterday, and I spent the whole day with Jim. So that left me without a reasonable explanation for it.

Looking in the mirror again I realize there is something else different. My eyes...my fucking eyes! How did my eyes CHANGE COLOR? My eyes were magenta, freaking magenta! "What the hell is happening to me?!" I yell at the top of my lungs. I sit down on the toilet and try to get my bearings. After a few minutes, I remember that I ran out of my shop without closing it up and locking it, so I stand up and walk out of the bathroom, closing my eyes so I wouldn't have to see myself in the mirror again right now. I go out and make sure the shop is cleaned up then turn out the lights and close the bay doors, making sure to lock them.

When I walk back into the house, much calmer now than I was before, I realize that I am drenched in sweat and covered in soot and oil. I decide that I need to shower before I do anything else, so I trek back to the bathroom, getting a towel from the linen closet on the way. Still not ready to see myself again, I don't look in the mirror as I turn on the shower and strip down. I step into the shower and start by lathering up my body, taking care to get all the soot and oil scrubbed off. While scrubbing I notice tenderness in my chest and wonder briefly if I strained something while working in the shop. I also find a sensitive spot just above my butt, right at the base of my spine. It didn't hurt, it was just sensitive. I soon forgot about it though as I started thinking about washing my hair. I normally keep my hair in a buzz cut like I did when I was in the military, but now it is much longer. Not to mention the color.

I decide the best way to handle it is to face it straight on and attack it like I would an enemy. I pour a bunch of shampoo into my hand and start scrubbing my hair as hard as I can. I soon realize I need even more shampoo. I have never had long hair before and have no idea how much shampoo this can take. Finally the hair is all washed and I am able to rinse out the shampoo. I just stand there under the spray, trying to think about the situation rationally. I can't think of a single logical explanation for any of this. When the water finally turns cold I am no closer to figuring it out, but am forced to get out of the shower.

Once I am out and dried off I decide I need to man up and look in the mirror again. I close my eyes and stand directly in front of the offending piece of glass and force my eyes open. Nothing has changed. My hair is still longer than it should be, the color is all wrong, and my eyes are still messed up. But at least nothing else seems to have happened while I wasn't looking.

I head to my bedroom, get out some clean clothes and get dressed. Once I'm done with that I sit on my bed and think about my next step. At first, I think about hiding out here until this goes away, but I know that Jim will worry if I avoid him. He would come to see me and really worry if I didn't open the door when he came. Thinking about it, I realize that it is silly to hide this from him, he won't think less of me, and might be able to help me think of a solution. So, I pick up my phone and dial his number.

"What's up bro?" he answers.

"Hey Jim...are you busy?" I ask, evading his question.

"I'm having lunch with Sherry, but other than that not too busy. Why?" he asks.

"I...have kind of a situation. Do you think you could drop by my place when you're done?" I reply.

"Sure man. Are you okay? If it's an emergency I can come right now," he says.

"No, no. Not an emergency. When you're done there is fine. I'll be here when you get here, just let yourself in," I say.

"Okay bro. See you in a little bit."

"Thanks dude. See ya."

I hang up and then it hits me that I could look this up on the internet. Maybe someone has heard of something like this happening before. So I turn on my computer, sit at my desk, and spend the next hour looking up information. I don't find much of anything. Spontaneous hair color change can happen, but it's only ever been recorded to go white, usually from a great shock. Hair can grow fast, but not this fast, at least not in any known history I could find. Last, but not least, spontaneous eye color change is exceptionally rare, almost always the result of some kind of injury to the head or eye, and that the change is a subtle variation, not a full blown color change. And magenta is not physically possible in any species on our planet.

I'm following a lead to yet another dead end, scratching my suddenly very itchy butt, when I hear from behind me, "Hey bro, we're here--oh my god, what happened to your hair?"

I turn to face him as I realize he said "we're here" not "I'm here" and see that Sherry is indeed with him. I forgot to tell him to come alone. As I turn fully to face them both of their faces go white as sheets. Jim's mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water.

"Dude, I know the hair is weird, but it's not that bad, geez!" I say to him.

Jim silently shakes his head and points at me, then Sherry says, "Henry, it's not your hair...it's your ears." Then she reaches up and touches her ears.

"What are you talking about?" I say, reaching up to touch my ears. Only my ears aren't where they're supposed to be. I start touching further up my head, until I hit fur and finally my ears. What are my ears doing up here? I think as I continue touching them, confirming that they are really my ears. They feel soft and lightly furred. I hear a sound from the other room and my ear swivels toward the sound. Okay, that felt weird, I think to myself. Then I see Sherry's eyes roll up into her head and she falls to the ground in a faint. Jim doesn't look much better.

"Henry?" he finally gets out. I just nod in reply.

"H...how? What? Why?" he seems to be limited to one word questions right now.

"I don't know bro. I noticed my hair earlier, that's when I called you. The ears are new though," I respond.

"Damn bro...I don't know what to say," he gets out, his color looking a little better now. He looks down at Sherry and stoops down to check on her. She seems to be coming around so he helps her sit up. She shakes her head a few times and I see her color returning.

"Are you okay?" I ask her.

"Yeah, I think so. Just a shock, you know?" she says before slowly looking back at me. She shivers a little bit at seeing me, but remains calm.

"I don't know what is happening to me," I say to them, closing my eyes and covering my face.

They come over and pull me into a group hug, patting my back consolingly. I try to convince myself that I'm not going to cry, but I can't stop it and soon I am sobbing into their shoulders. They just hold onto me and let me cry. I feel embarrassed for crying in front of both of them two days in a row.

Finally we break apart and they both look at me, not staring so much as analyzing what has changed. I let them look, knowing how much of a shock it is, also knowing that I need to go look in the mirror again to see the new change for myself. My ear flicks on its own in response to a fly buzzing close to it. Jim and Sherry's eyes open wide at that.

"That is sooo...weird," says Jim.

"You think it's weird? Try feeling it happen to your own body, this is the weirdest feeling I have ever had," I say.

"Does it hurt?" asks Sherry, to which I shake my head.

"It just feels weird. And I've never had hair this long before. I freaked out when I noticed the hair, and the eyes," I say.

"I didn't even notice your eyes," says Sherry, looking closely at my eyes. "Wow, they're really...pretty." She blushes a little bit at that, but I understand what she means. They are a very girly color.

"Dude, I'm sorry, but I have to address the elephant in the room here...I think you're turning into a horse," Jim says, looking a bit worried.

"Yeah, or maybe a pony. A very colorful pony at that," I say in response.

"Wait, by colorful...you don't mean like a cartoon pony? Like as in MLP?" asks Sherry.

Jim nods thoughtfully and says, "We certainly can't rule that out. The question on my mind though, is what's causing this? How do stop it and reverse it?"

"I was researching my symptoms when you showed up. Everything I find says that these changes are all but impossible, and certainly not with these kinds of results. These kinds of colors are physically impossible for humans. Our DNA just doesn't allow for these colors," I tell them.

"Okay, so no help there, except now we know what it can't be. That makes me think it might really be cartoon ponies. I know it sounds crazy, but in the show they have magic. What if that magic is real? I can't say I really think you are turning into a pony from MLP, but the similarities are kind of interesting. You even have ink on your hips, extremely vivid and bright ink at that. They really do look like some kind of cutie mark," Jim says.

"You have a cutie mark?" says Sherry excitedly. "Let me see!"

I lower my pants enough that she can see the tattoos on my hips, she practically squees in excitement. She studies them very closely, then reaches out and touches them, one after the other.

"They don't match!" she says.

"I know, I know...but we don't have much else to go on," I say.

"Henry, do you think the changes are going to get worse?" Jim asks me.

"I'd like to say no...but the evidence so far tells a different story. Speaking of which, I still need to see my new um...appendages," I say before heading to the bathroom to look into the mirror again.

I look at myself and reach up to feel my new ears. They feel like a part of me, almost like I never had any other ears. They are covered in dark blue fur and are very soft. I look for other changes and realize that my hair is even longer, reaching most of the way down my back now. I lift it up in the back and find that it's not just growing out of the top of my head, but out of my neck and a ways down my back too. I start checking the rest of my body and absentmindedly reach back to scratch my butt. Then a funny look crosses my face, because I feel something odd back there. I turn to the side and pull my pants down in back to see a hunk of flesh sticking out of my lower back, and it's covered in hair. Hair that is the same color as that coming out of my head now. I pull my pants back up and exit the bathroom, returning to Jim and Sherry.

"So...I have yet something else to share with you guys," I say, turning around and pulling my brand new tail out of my pants and show it to them. Sherry immediately starts running her fingers through it.

"Wow, it's so soft and silky!" she states.

"I know! It feels really good to run my fingers through it too. And my mane," I say.

"Your mane?" Jim asks.

I lift my hair up and show them how it's growing out of my neck and shoulders and say, "Yeah, my mane. It's more than just hair now. I, well, I kind of like it." I blush bright red as I say the last part.

"I can understand that, your hair is so nice. It's really pretty too," says Sherry, also blushing at what she just said.

"What's wrong with you two? Am I the only one who is still worried about all of this?" asks Jim pointedly.

"I...I'm not sure what's going on, Jim. I'm still worried, but I feel calm about it. Right now it's not like there is anything I can do to stop the changes yet," I say in reply.

"I guess you have a point, it's just weird to see you so accepting of these changes. I don't think I could handle it nearly as well as you are," he says to me.

"I might be able to...I always kind of wanted to be a pony," says Sherry, blushing again at her confession.

Jim and I both look at her for a moment, then I nod my head and say, "I can understand that, though it is a big difference when it's actually happening to you."

"I guess that makes sense," she says to me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make light of your situation."

I smile at her and respond, "I didn't think you were making light of the situation at all, I'm glad you feel that you can be so honest with us."

Sherry smiles at Jim and I, "I'm glad I can be here for you through this. We're in this together, always remember that. Whatever happens to you, we are with you all the way." Jim nods his head in agreement with Sherry's words.

"You guys have to stop or you're going to make me cry again!" I say in gratitude. "A girl couldn't have better friends than you two."

"Did you just refer to yourself as a girl?" asks Jim, shock plain on his face.

"Ummm...crap, I think I did," I say, worry evident in my voice.

Chapter 17

*Lightning Flash*

Flash woke the next morning feeling restless. He'd lain awake for a long while, thinking about his friends back home. His thoughts even invaded his dreams when he finally did fall asleep. He relived his parting over and over again, feeling like a coward afresh every time.

That's because I am a coward. I still can't bring myself to call them and let them know that I'm safe. Not that it would matter, I suppose, since my phone is dead, he told himself, trying to move his mind away from the feeling of abject terror that overwhelmed him every time he tried to consider facing Sherry, Kaitlyn, and Irony after what he'd said.

He finally drug himself out of bed and made his way down toward the kitchen. Yumm! Smells like eggs! he sniffed the air as he approached, letting the pleasant aroma waft over his senses. In the kitchen, he found Soarin cooking at the stove, using his wings almost as he would have hands.

"Dude, that's impressive! I never would have thought our wings were so dexterous," Flash uttered in amazement at Soarin's mad skills.

"Oh, hey Flash. Yeah, it's pretty amazing what we can actually do with these things," Soarin replied, shirring the eggs in the pan.

Flash watched Soarin for a moment then commented, "You know, it's cool and all that you can do that, but can we even eat eggs? I know ponies are herbivores, and Irony wasn't able to eat meat once she changed..."

Soarin chuckled, "Well, I suppose that's true of earthbound ponies, but we pegasi are a little different. Dust and I have found that we can handle meat without any problems so far. My theory is that we evolved to be able to fly over the ocean, so we can process meat. Not exactly a lot of plants in the middle of the ocean, you know?"

Flash nodded, "I guess that makes sense. Hey, is there anything I can do to help?"

"Want to try pouring some orange juice for everypony?"

"Sure," Flash replied. Then turned his attention to figuring out how to actually do that. He soon found that his wings were easier to control than he would have expected. He was able to grip a glass with each wing, by curling the tips around it. He set the glasses on the table, then opened the refrigerator to get out the pitcher of juice. He almost dropped it twice trying to get to the table while holding it with his wings. Hmmm... just a little too heavy for that, he thought, then decided to try using his hooves to pour. Amazingly, he only spilled a little bit while filling the glasses.

"Not bad," Soarin commented, bringing the pan of eggs over to start serving out portions onto plates that had already been set out on the table.

At about that time, Lightning Dust trotted in, "Morning Soarin, morning Flash."

Soarin slid a plate of eggs in front of Dust as he and Flash said their good mornings in reply. All three pegasi dug into their plates, making short work of their breakfasts.

"You guys want to take a morning flight before I head off to work?" Dust asked.

Flash and Soarin both responded enthusiastically to the idea.

As they headed out the door to begin their flight, Dust turned to Flash and Soarin and said, "I have an idea."

Both of the other pegasi looked at Dust expectantly as she continued, "Today we need to focus on two things. I'll check out one of them while I'm at work, but for the other part, I want you guys to search the internet for any indication of ponies, anywhere. The closer, the better, but we need to let them all know that there is a safe haven for them here."

Both Flash and Soarin nodded in agreement,

Then Flash got a troubled expression on his face, "But, Dust, if we find more than a couple of ponies, where are we going to put them? You live in town, and yeah, you have five bedrooms, but you don't have room for a lot of extra guests."

Dust smiled, "Which leads me to my part of today's chore: my job will be to buy land, enough land for a lot of ponies. Preferably with a farmhouse and maybe some outbuildings. We'll need to build housing, probably some kind of barracks."

"That much land will be expensive," Flash stated, bluntly.

"Yeah, it'll take some outlay of cash up front, but in the end I think we'll be able to create a stable, self-sustaining community," Dust replied.

"How so?" Soarin asked.

"Basically, we'll do the same kinds of things that ponies did in Equestria. Earth ponies that have the aptitude will help with farming, pegasi will handle the weather, and unicorns will help with everything else," Dust shared, grinning.

"That sounds like a good plan, but what about defense?" Soarin asked.

Dust snorted, "We won't have a lot to worry about, I think. We might patrol our borders, just for peace of mind and to let us know when we have visitors, but it's not like we're planning to set up an independent nation here. I don't want us to be caught unawares, but I'm hoping to make us indispensable to the surrounding community, by contracting out our abilities to the farmers in the area."

The other two just stared at Dust with deer in the headlights looks on their faces, which made her smirk.

"Think about it guys, as a farmer, how would you like to know exactly when it's going to rain, and how much will fall. How excited would you be to have the option to request more rain over specific crops, or to have dry conditions when you are harvesting?" she said, as a grin split her muzzle from ear to ear.

"Fucking genius!" was all Soarin could say. Flash simply stood there speechless, his mouth hanging open.

Dust shrugged her wings at the male pegasi, "It's no less than we did back home." Then she trotted out the door.

Soon the other pegasi regained their composure and followed her outside. They performed some warm-up exercises before they took to the sky. They flew a few circuits around the town, then as six o'clock neared, Dust peeled away, headed toward her office. Flash and Soarin continued flying. By some form of unspoken agreement, they headed out of town to a more isolated area.

Once they were well away from the local populace, they lit upon a low-hanging cloud. Soarin looked at Flash and asked, "So... you want to see if we can really control the weather?"

Flash laughed, "I thought you'd never ask!" Then he bucked the cloud, which shot a bolt of lightning down toward the ground below.

"Whoa! How did you do that so easily? Did you remember how?" Soarin questioned.

"Nope, but I've seen Rainbow Dash do it in the show often enough that I figured it out," Flash replied gleefully.

"You're a brony? Funny, I never would have taken you for one..."

"Irony and I were both bronies, before this all happened anyway. I guess now you could say we're ponies instead of bronies!"

Soarin just shook his head at the silly pun, "Sheesh. That was terrible. Come on, just show me how you did that."

They spent the next hour bucking the clouds, learning how to consistently produce lightning, and how to make them rain when they wanted, instead. It came naturally to them both. After they had those simple tasks mastered, Flash said to Soarin, "Hey, I've been wanting to try something..."

"What's that?"

"Just watch, I want to see if I can do it," Flash replied, facing the edge of a cloud. Then, instead of bucking the cloud with his hind legs, he rammed his front hooves into the vapor as hard as he could, bringing them together just as he connected with the cloud. There was a clap of thunder, but no flash of lightning.

Flash turned to Soarin, and Soarin could see the electricity arcing between Flash's hooves as he exulted, "I did it! I fucking did it!"

Without warning, the electricity exploded out from Flash's hooves, only narrowly missing Soarin as it passed by, raising his mane to stand on end.

"Watch it!" Soarin yelled.

"Oops... sorry Soarin!" Flash apologized in chagrin.

"What the hell was that?!" Soarin cried.

Flash was grinning to beat the band, "That, my friend, is my special talent! I can control lightning! Hot damn!"

"Yeah, well, next time control it somewhere not so near my damn head! It's gonna take me forever to make my mane lie down flat, now," Soarin complained.

Not long after that, they turned toward home to get a start on searching for ponies. They spent the next several hours searching the wonderful World Wide Web. They slowly gathered some small bits of information, but nothing concrete.

In the early afternoon, Soarin received a phone call from Lightning Dust. He left shortly after, saying she'd requested his help with a performance. Flash nodded, and stayed behind to continue the search. He hadn't made much headway when Soarin returned, about an hour later.

Once Soarin was back in the driver's seat of the search, he started putting the bits and pieces together, and came up with a surprising find: two possible ponies in Cody, Wyoming, really not all that far away. Soarin constructed an e-mail that gave a detailed description of the change, hoping to convince them that they were for real, not a hoax. He sent it off, along with directions for how to get in contact with Lightning Dust.

"Now all we can do is wait and see if they respond..." he said as he turned back to the computer.

A short while later, Dust stumbled in with a dazed look on her face. Soarin leapt out of his chair, "Dust, what's wrong?" he asked.

Dust didn't answer, instead she made her way to a cupboard and nosed it open. She snaked her head inside and pulled out a bottle of Jack Daniels. Silently, she set it down and worked the cap off, then took the neck in her mouth and tilted her head back, pouring a large slug of the whiskey down her throat before setting it down again.

Soarin and Flash watched the spectacle in shock. Finally, Flash was able to speak, "Hard day at work?"

Dust gave a mirthless laugh, "You could say that, I guess."

"What happened?" Soarin asked again.

"There was... an incident," Dust sighed.

"What kind of incident? Was somebody hurt?" came from Flash.

"Yeah, you could say that," Dust broke down in tears. She grabbed hold of the whiskey bottle again and took another long pull.

"One of the guys who quit, Victor was his name, was turning into a pony," she continued finally. The male pegasi listened without saying a word, knowing that the rest of the news couldn't be good. "He killed himself today. Just hung himself. He wouldn't let me help him!"

Dust screamed out her anger and sadness, curled into a ball, clutching the alcohol to her like it was her last lifeline to sanity. Tears streamed down her muzzle, dripping onto the floor in a flood. Flash and Soarin knelt next to her, wrapping their wings around her in comfort. Nothing else was said for a time as all three pegasi wept at the loss of a pony.

Dust's wife, Helen, found them piled together like that an hour later when she arrived home with their kids in tow. Seeing that there was definitely something wrong, she hustled them off to their rooms with orders to do their homework and get ready for bed, having already fed them dinner.

Once they were seen to, she knelt next to the ponies and asked what was wrong. Soarin explained to her about Victor, then Helen stood and retrieved four glasses and another bottle of liquor. She set them on the table and poured out four glasses, then motioned for the three pegasi to join her.

Once they were all seated at the table, she lifted her glass in a salute, "To a fallen pony comrade."

The others lifted their tumblers with their wings, echoing her sentiments, and they all drank. She refilled their cups and it was Soarin's turn, "To ponies everywhere!"

Again their glasses were filled, Flash gave the toast this time, "To family and friends!"

Dust's turn came, she lifted her head, fire in her eyes, "To revenge!"

After that, they drank solemnly until, hours later, all four of them stumbled off to their respective beds. Without exception, they soon passed out from their indulgence and slept the restless sleep of insobriety.

* * *

Flash woke with a pounding headache, Oh sweet Celestia that hurts!

He stumbled into the bathroom, looked in the toilet, and promptly lost the entire contents of his stomach. Oh buck, that's nasty, he thought, rinsing his mouth at the sink before drinking as much water as he could hold from the tap. He flushed the offal down the toilet and exited the bathroom, where he saw Soarin practically fall through his bedroom door on his own way to be sick. Flash was quick to make way, knowing exactly what the other pegasus was going through.

We all drank too much last night, he realized, though he noticed that Dust, Helen and the kids were all gone already. Flash shook his head, that mare must have the constitution of a... well, of a horse!

He waited for Soarin to come out of the restroom, then they made their way outside, neither of them having the stomach for breakfast. They slowly limbered up before they began their morning flight.

Due to their respective hangovers, they kept the flight short, just enough to get their blood pumping. Then it was back to searching for ponies on the web. Helen, who seemed to be weathering her own hangover rather well, checked on them from time to time.

After a couple of hours, Helen came in again and told the two pegasi that Dust had called, requesting they meet her at the office of Lightning Electric, Dust's electrical contracting company. A short drive later and they were meeting up with Dust, who made introductions to two new ponies.

One was an earth pony, who's fur was the almost-purple color of a Bing cherry, a jet black mane, and a box of cherries cutie mark. Dust introduced her as Louis, mentioning in an aside that they didn't know her pony name yet.

The other pony was a unicorn. She had a very familiar cutie mark. It looked like Pinkie Pie's three balloons, but Flash noticed that they were different colors than Pinkie's, purple, pink and red, instead of yellow and blue. She had a magenta coat of fur, and her mane was poufy just like Pinkie's, but it was pure white. Dust introduced her as Mindy, noting that she remembered Mindy from Equestria, and that Mindy was indeed her pony name.

Flash immediately noticed two things he deemed important: one, that Mindy's personality definitely seemed to be quite a bit like Pinkie Pie was portrayed in the show; two, and, more importantly, that Soarin had the hots for her.

Oh, I am going to give him sooo much shit! Serves him right for treating me like a raw recruit the other day! Flash chuckled quietly to himself.

Once the introductions were over, Dust said, "I actually asked you to join me for more than just introductions to our new friends here. I was able to buy a farm for us to base our operations from, and I wanted everypony to see it with me."

This announcement brought an enthusiastic shout from Flash and Soarin. Soon they were all loaded into one of the work trucks and making their way out to the new property. Mindy talked non-stop to the ponies the entire drive out. Flash elbowed Soarin at one point, smirking at his friend because he was listening so intently to Mindy that he didn't notice that Flash had called his name twice. Soarin blushed at Flash's grin, realizing he'd been caught red-hoofed, staring.

"Well, we're here!" Helen exclaimed, and all five ponies stared out the windows at the massive farm with looks of pure amazement on their faces.

They all poured out of the truck and split up to see different aspects of the property. Mindy and Louis headed off in one direction, while Helen and Lightning Dust walked toward the house to inspect it. Flash and Soarin raced each other toward the out-buildings.

When they arrived at the barn, Flash grinned at Soarin and said, "So. How about that unicorn?" eliciting another blush from the blue pegasus.

Flash fell to the ground, chortling at how red his friend had become. It took him a few minutes before he could regain his composure while Soarin glared at him. When he could finally breathe again, Flash said, "Oh, dude, you've got it bad, don't you?"

Soarin grumbled, flushing brighter in response. Then he sat down, rubbed his hoof through his mane in embarrassment and replied, "She's beautiful!"

"Well, she's no Trixie, but she is kinda cute," Flash said, smiling at his friend.

"She's way beyond cute. She's the most beautiful mare I've ever seen!" Soarin sighed.

"That's not saying a lot dude, you've seen a whopping three mares now. And one of them is your sister, or at least was," Flash laughed.

"You know what I mean!"

"Yeah, I guess I do. I feel the same way about Sherry," Flash ruffled his wings as he thought of his girlfriend. "So... you gonna ask her out?"

"What? No! I mean, she just got here! And she just turned into a pony... and she used to be a guy! Won't she think it's weird?" Soarin rambled.

Flash laughed at the other pegasus, "Dude, you just turned into a pony yourself. And you used to be a girl! It's not weird. You should totally ask her out!"

"What if she says no?"

"What if she says yes? If you don't ask, then she can't say yes!"

"Of course I'll go out with you, silly Billy!" came a female voice from behind the two pegasi. They both jumped as if they'd been shot and spun in place to see the unicorn in question bounding toward them.

"Were you listening to us?" Flash asked the magenta unicorn as Soarin tried to hide in his shadow.

"Listening to what? I just got here!" Mindy replied as she bounced in place.

"Never mind. So, are you saying you like Soarin here?"

"Sure I do! After all, he's pretty scrumptious looking!" Mindy added a little spin to her bounce, which made Flash a bit dizzy just watching her.

"Will you go for a walk with me this evening?" Soarin managed to croak out after Flash nudged him. Hard.

Mindy bounced forward and booped him on the nose, "Okie Dokey Loki! Pick you up at eight!" and she flitted off, as she hummed to herself.

"Well my friend, that is one interesting mare you've got your heart set on," Flash chuckled. Soarin just stared after the departing unicorn, his head in the clouds.

* * *

"So, how'd it go?" Flash nudged Soarin later that evening, after Soarin finally returned from his date with Mindy.

Soarin flushed a bright red underneath his light blue coat, which gave him a purple cast to his features. "It didn't go so well," he finally replied after a few moments.

"What happened?!"

"Erm... welllll... Everything was going fine until I decided to show off," Soarin covered his eyes with his hooves, lying flat on the ground.

"Dude, you didn't!"

"Oh yeah, I did. I wanted to impress her so badly. I took off and did a few stunts, which would have been fine, I suppose. But of course, I just had to push my luck," he groaned.

"So... you bombed it?" Flash asked, resting a hoof on his friend's shoulder in commiseration.

"Oh, I wish I had just bombed it. I wish I had just messed up the stunt. Nope. I wanted to show her how fast I could pull out of a dive."

"Well, you're not injured, so it couldn't have been all that bad."

"Oh, physically I'm fine. I shouldn't be, though. Fortunately, or unfortunately, really, the massive mound of manure broke my fall."

"No!"

"Oh yes. It was the most epic fail I've suffered in two lifetimes! Right in front of the mare of my dreams, too. I'm never going to live this down," Soarin lamented.

"Maybe it's not all that bad..."

"Oh, it gets better. She was rolling on the ground, laughing her ass off! And she didn't stop laughing until after she'd helped me get cleaned up. I'm so humiliated!" Soarin wailed.

"It'll be okay. You have to remember, think Pinkie Pie. Element of Laughter and all. That mare loves to laugh. You just watch and see," Flash reassured him.

* * *

The next morning Soarin woke Flash up before anyone but Dust was up. Dust had already left for work, but the others were all still asleep.

"Wanna go for a morning flight?" the blue pegasus asked.

"You know I do! But, don't you want to wait to see anypony else before we go?" Flash replied.

"Nah, let's just head out," Soarin said, rubbing the back of his head with a hoof bashfully. Flash just shrugged at his friends reticence, and then they took to the sky.

They spent the morning practicing their control of the clouds and weather. Their motions started out clumsy: dissipating clouds when they tried to make it rain, blasting the ground with lightning when they tried to gather some smaller clouds into a bigger one, scattering clouds when they tried to dissipate them.

After a couple of hours, they were able to get the motions down, and could, reliably: start or stop a rainstorm, create a cloudbank, and dissipate clouds without causing any accidental electrical discharges. Once they had that all figured out, they started competing to see who could hit a target the most, with lightning. It was a pretty even tie, at least until Lightning Flash lived up to his cutie mark, gathering bolts between his front hooves and directing them with incredible accuracy.

"Damn, that could come in handy," Soarin commented after the fifth boulder Flash destroyed.

"You'd think so, but it failed me when we needed it most," Flash sighed, flapping his wings to take him away from the cloud he'd been using to create his bolts.

Soarin followed, "It's not your fault, Flash. Discord defeated everypony that he came up against, including the Princesses, and all six Elements of Harmony! We didn't stand much of a chance."

"I know, I know, but it still bothers me. Every day, I think about it, and it makes me angry and sad every time I do," Flash bemoaned.

Before Soarin could respond, his phone chirped, signaling that he'd gotten a text. He glanced briefly at the offending device, "Dust just texted me, she's asking us to join her at the house to watch that Equestria Girls movie. She thinks it might provide some information."

"No thanks, I've already seen it," Flash tried to beg off.

"Hey, you may have seen it, but we still might be able to learn something. And you, being a brony, might be able to shed some light on things. You know a lot more about the show, and the fandom, than either Dust or I. Please?" Soarin reminded him.

"Okay, I'll come watch it with you guys," Flash relented.

* * *

Watching the movie hadn't gained them much.

They'd arrived just after it started and had joined the other three ponies without a word. Soarin sat down next to Flash, seemingly as far away from the other ponies as he could get.

Or is it just as far away from Mindy as he can get? Flash realized. He glanced at Soarin, then over at the magenta pony. She was looking their way, a curious look on her face. Soarin, you're an idiot. She's crazy for you. Of course, maybe she's just crazy... Flash chuckled to himself.

After the movie was over, Dust insisted that the portal existed, that the story was true. Mindy and the other pony, who had also been bronies before all this went down, insisted it was just a money grab by Hasbro. Flash thought that maybe the true answer was somewhere in the middle.

Dust immediately went to research the school, but found nothing useful on the internet. After that, she returned to work, leaving them to watch the second movie without her.

Flash pulled Soarin aside, "Dude, what are you doing? You can't just ignore Mindy; you're going to hurt her feelings! Just because you humiliated yourself doesn't mean that she's lost interest. Maybe it'll just be a funny story you tell your grandkids someday. Get over there and ask her out again!"

"But--"

"No buts! You're still interested in her, right? Then get over there and ask her out!" Flash admonished his friend, nudging him toward his prospective paramour.

Soarin stumbled a few steps, then face-planted in front of Mindy.

"Hi Soarin! How come you haven't asked me out again? Do you not like me or something? Or are you just weirded out that we're both different genders than we used to be? Or are you just humiliated about your awesome stunt yesterday?" Mindy shot out, not once pausing for breath.

"Err... the last one," Soarin managed to whisper.

"Oh you silly stallion you're so cute and you made me laugh and that makes me happy! In case you couldn'ttellIlovelaughing!" her words ran closer and closer together.

"Would you..."

"Liketogooutwithyouagain? OfcourseIwould! Tomorrow? Can't tomorrow, going to be busy rescuing somepony! Nightaftertomorrowatseven!" Mindy finally stopped for a second to breathe.

"What--?" Soarin started to ask, but got a hoof over his mouth from Mindy's friend, who turned out to be Cherry Punch.

"Don't ask. It isn't wise to question her. Even when we were human she did that sometimes. Just trust that what she says is true," Cherry Punch whispered into Soarin's ear.

"Okayyy... day after tomorrow at seven, then?" he asked Mindy, she nodded vigorously, then bounced away, Cherry following in her wake.

"That was interesting, to say the least," Flash chuckled, as he looked at Soarin's gobsmacked face.

* * *

"Flash!" he heard his name reverberate throughout the house as Dust slammed through the door.

"Something wrong?" he asked Dust, when he found her running through the house. She was shaking, and Flash could see there were unshed tears in her eyes.

"You could say that. And these problems were wearing Federal badges!" she replied.

"Well Fuck!" Flash stated succinctly, as his eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah, my sentiments exactly. I'm going to e-mail my dad to see if he can help. You were a Marine, right? Do you still know anyone still in the service, someone who can help us get the FBI off our asses?" she asked.

Flash shook his head, "I don't think so, though I suppose Irony might. She was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor, after all. It's possible she could have some pull."

"Call her."

"I can't!"

"Call her!"

"You don't understand! I can't. I didn't leave on good terms. I said things I shouldn't have."

Dust shoved her muzzle right up in his face and shouted, "Everything that we are trying to do could be destroyed by this! We have to have help, now! We can't wait!"

Then she shrank in on herself, her voice dropping to almost a whisper, "Please, Flash. I need you to try."

Flash's head dropped in shame, his ears flat against his head, "Okay. I know how important this is. I'll do it."

He walked up to his room and returned a few moments later with his phone. He connected it to the charger, "It's been dead since you guys came to get me. I don't have any idea what's been happening the last few days."

He powered the phone on, looked at Dust sadly, then used a stylus to dial.

"Hello, Irony? It's Flash..."

Chapter 44.

Sparkler is one happy pony. While she hasn’t heard about any problems the other two teams have been having, her team has simply walked into the lab, let the staff know in no uncertain terms that the ponies here were no longer under their control, and walked out with them. Every pony, of all three tribes, has been happy to leave the confines of the lab. Though some of the horror stories the ponies told her of what happened to them will likely keep her up at nights. Thirty-two ponies are now walking with her to the chariot. Storm Track has two foals perched on her back, and Blaze has another earth pony filly on his. Though the cruelty of Discord to turn such young ponies turns her stomach. And then the savagery of the humans towards the ponies is just as upsetting to her. This has been quite easy. One of the unicorns, a Canterlot native with burgundy colored mane is prancing next to her.

She excuses herself from the conversation as the smart watch on her hoof vibrates in an alarm. She promised them five minutes to evacuate from when she left the building. That time is now up. As she pulls to a stop, so does her team. The ponies that they’ve rescued all slow and finally stop in response, looking at her curiously.

Sparkler clears her throat. “We are going back to the United States soon. There is safety there, the ponies have a haven for our kind. You all will be welcomed. But right now, I will fulfill a promise.” She walks towards the curve in the road, it overlooks the entire facility. The modern construction actually looks quite pleasant in the small valley it occupies. But the horrors that happened here will never be happening again. Sparkler lights her horn as she sits down. She groans softly as she pulls more aether into her horn. As she’d walked through the building heading towards the lab proper, she’d set up a few spells. She triggers the weaves now, slicing through the concrete and steel of the supports for the building. In a matter of moments, the roof in the middle of the building slowly buckles, which starts a chain reaction, collapsing the entire structure. It’s only moments before the entire building is nothing more than rubble and a massive dust cloud.

Sparkler smiles before turning tail and heading to the chariot. They have far more ponies here than could be safely carried by the chariot. And the pegasi with her are not really good for long distance flying. She whips out her phone and dials.

“This is Mindy.”

Sparkler grins. “Mindy, our mission was a tremendous success. I need a couple of strong teleporters to help with getting the ponies home.”

That gets a low whistle. “Okay, keep your phone line open.”

Sparkler waits patiently before a zap announces a pony appearing. Mindy shakes her mane out, looking back at Sparkler with a happy grin. She looks curiously at the rising cloud of dust before taking in the group of ponies around the strike team. “Success is the right word here.” Mindy says with a giggle. Then she raises her voice. “Anypony ever travel by phone?”

Mindy giggles at the confused looks on the pony’s faces. She holds out Sparkler’s phone. “Just think of the Matrix.” She brings the phone to the first pony, a pegasus, who’s wings spread in alarm. As the device touches the pony’s ear, it looks like she’s sucked into the phone held in the orange glow of the magical party pony. “Who’s next?”

More than one takes a step back. Mindy giggles. “Remember, I got here using this. It’s perfectly safe.” She taps the screen, turning on the video call function. She calls into the phone a couple of times, and shortly the pegasus who had been transported first picks up the phone, looking back.

“I’m okay. That was wild.” She says.

Mindy taps a unicorn with the phone, and that pony seems to be sucked into the phone, showing up on the screen next to the first pegasus. The pony squees loudly before Mindy moves to the next pony. One by one, each pony is sucked into the phone before appearing on the screen. Finally, only Sparkler’s team is left. Mindy turns to Sparkler, panting. “Want a quick trip?”

Sparkler shakes her head. “Nah, you look tired enough after that. Want to ride with us?” She gestures to the two pegasi as they strap themselves into their chariots.

Mindy looks at the team as they load up, stripping off their armor and clambering inside, then back at Sparkler. “Ya know, I think a bit of a rest is a good thing.”

Sparkler puts a hoof over the withers of the party pony. “We are going to find Dust. I know we will.”

Mindy heaves a sigh, then she sniffs, holding back the tears that are so willing to fall recently. She succeeds, this time. She nods. “I know, but I am afraid of what they are doing to her.”

They hop into the chariot, and the pegasi take off. Sparkler works on the nav systems of the chariot, and soon they are on a great circle course back to Montana. As she moves back to sit down with her team. “I wonder how Irony is doing.”

***

The tail end of the magic of Cloud Kicker’s singing is still flowing, but it’s not time for singing. It’s time to fight. I grin as a few of the humans level guns at us, only to find their aim is being pushed away as they try to focus on us. One or two fire rounds, which embed themselves in the cinder block bricks of the hallway. I heft my mace, I’ve dealt with big guys like this before. Apparently he has picked me as his opponent as well, he darts ahead of the other humans and heads towards me. He has good discipline, he’s not wildly attacking, he’s keeping his head around him. As he gets close, he raises his baton, I smirk at him as I bring my shield into play.

*clang*

I ignore how strong that impact was as I swing my mace, like before, it’ll split the riot helmets as well as the skull underneath. Then I overbalance as he darts to the side faster than I’d ever have believed possible. Where the fuck did he go? He must be hiding in the shadow of my shield. Guess he doesn’t realize the shield is a weapon unto itself. I thrust towards where I think he is. And overbalance again as I connect with nothing. Then I shout as an impact to the small of my back drives me forward. I flip around so I land on my back, though my shield goes flying as I clatter to the ground. He’s driving his attack towards me, and I desperately get my mace in the way of the human’s killing stroke. Without my shield, my left hand his free, I jab into his face, my gauntlet connecting with his riot helmet. That gets him to take a step back and flick his baton into his other hand while I scramble to my hooves. A quick glance shows that the entire team is engaged, Moon is busy holding the unconscious ponies while she fends off two humans trying to connect with their own weapons. Blossomforth is darting from human to human, she’s doing damage, but only one human is down so far. And poor Cloud Kicker, she’s got a single human squared off with her. And they are tangling like two master fighters, the look on Kicker’s face, grim determination, tells me this is the fight of her life.

I take a step back, avoiding a massive swing of the human’s baton. The divot his weapon deals into the wall gets me to pause. This damn human is easily as strong as I am. Add in that he’s fast as a viper. I’m in trouble. “Moon!” I call out.

“Busy.” She calls back, a third human is pressing his attack on her. She’s throwing her magic wildly, pushing humans off balance, keeping them from getting too close, but she’s having to fall back slowly with every attack. I grimace, it’s just me and him right now. I hope that Blossomforth can keep the others busy. I growl, I don’t like being on the defensive. I deflect another attack with my mace by the massive human before relaxing quickly onto all fours. I plant my forehooves and kick out in a massive buck, both hooves connecting on his chest, getting a massive groan from him as I shift back to two hooves and pick up my mace to slam into his shoulder.

The strike never connects, he gets his baton up and deflects my mace up and away. But instead of taking a moment to bring his baton around to strike me again, he takes a step forward, slamming into my chest plate, shoulder first. The move knocks me off balance, and as I’m heading to land on my back for a second time, I can see the tip of his baton blur as he swings right at my head. I’m able to raise an arm, only to have it knocked down. He slams his baton into me again, over and over, while my armor is protecting me from the direct impact, I’m still stunned by the multiple impacts. I snarl at him, relaxing into my pony form and bucking him from my back, staggering him back a step.

Quick as a thought I’m back on two hooves, swinging my mace at his head, he quickly deflects my strike and his hand darts forward, I shake my head, where did my helmet go? My thoughts are blurred as I take a few steps back. My chest plate takes three impacts in a heartbeat, I snarl and grab my helmet, throwing it at the human who leveled a gun at me. The heavy helm knocks him back as I rush the massive human, my shoulder takes another massive impact as I tackle him to the ground. I grin as his baton skitters away. My first hit knocks his own helmet off. Only a second has my knees on his shoulders. I slam both of my fists into his unprotected face. He flexes his legs, trying to buck me off, but another massive punch has him jerking before his body stills. I look down, I don’t think he’ll be getting up from that.

I lever myself to my hooves and look around. Cloud Kicker is trading blows with the same human from before, they are moving too damned fast though. If I try to insert myself, I’d probably get in the way. A commotion off to the side reveals Blossomforth dealing with some other humans. I stop for a second, why am I so dizzy? He couldn’t have gotten me that bad. I reach down and grab my mace, taking a moment to shake the blood from my hands. For a moment, everything doubles, and now my head is hurting. I growl and take off after the humans trying to mob the colorful pegasus.

I grab the first one I come to, he screams as I pick him up by the scruff of the neck. I toss him, hard into the wall. The sickening thud announces he’s permanently out of the fight. A second one notices the sounds and whirls towards me. A tazer baton in his hands. He jabs it at me, but it’s too late, my mace drive through his shoulder, crumpling him to the ground. I slam a booted hoof on the now dropped tazer, crushing it. I step over a body, this one had been dispatched by Blossomforth, judging by the deep gashes from her wingblades on the body. The relative narrowness of the corridor is preventing too many humans from getting to her at once and allows me to pick a couple off as they are trying to get to the pegasus. But I can hear her panting over the din. She’s wearing out, I need to help her. I shake my head, damn, it hurts a lot now.

A loud scream gets me to look behind me, Cloud Kicker is dancing away from the human, her blades wet. The human collapses to his knees, blood streaming down his chest, before Cloud whips back to him and drives both blades deep into his chest. She kicks the lifeless body away before flipping towards us.

“Irony!” Moon’s voice is strained. I nod at Cloud Kicker, who leaps towards the humans mobbing Blossomforth while I rush towards the humans trying to get to Moon. With a war scream, I barrel into the humans, the first one takes an underhand swing which breaks his leg and hip, he hits the ground, howling. I bring the mace in an arc to slam into the back of the head of the second human. Brain and blood gush from the wound as I jerk my mace away. The last of the three on Moon stops for a moment to look at me. Apparently I’m a sight, he drops his gun and runs.

I glance over at where Blossomforth and Cloud Kicker were, the emergency stairwell. A short scream has me leaping forward. Cloud Kicker’s rage fueled scream in response is combined with her lashing about her like a demon. I grab the first human I come to, hitting his lower back with a hard hoof. He collapses to the ground with a scream, which is truncated by my mace splitting his helmet and skull. I make my way into the stairwell. Blossomforth is down on her side, being tazed again by one of the humans. Without thought, I leap over the handrail, landing mace first on the human that has Blossomforth down. I look up and swipe at a second human down on the lowest level with her, hitting him in the shoulder and his arm is dead. I follow up with a headbutt, it hurts a bit since my helmet has been lost in the fight. But he collapses back, blood streaming from his nose and eyes. Cloud Kicker lands next to me, holding one wing tightly to her side.

Suddenly, it’s over. The clatter of booted feet of the retreating humans is the only thing I hear. I frown at Cloud, who noses Blossomforth. The light gray pegasus’ eyes are closed, though she seems to be breathing. I cradle her body and put her over my shoulder. “Let’s go.” I growl as I take the steps two at a time.

“Irony.” Cloud Kicker says as she follows me up the stairs.

“Not right now.” I growl.

We emerge into the second underground level, Moon Shadow now is carrying nearly forty ponies, with a half dozen on their hooves around her. I look over and see a human in a lab coat cowering behind an exam table. I take a step in her direction and she darts for the stairs. That gets a smile from me before I nod my head towards Moon, who lowers the shield she had erected around herself and the ponies. She nudges a few of the ambulatory ponies, and they level fearful glances at me before scampering towards freedom. I smile at Moon, getting first a smile from her, which grows into a worried frown. I shrug and follow the ponies.

“Irony.” Moon says softly.

“Later.” I say as we clamber up the stairs. The freed ponies have congregated in the stairwell, though they shrink back from me a bit as I stride through the door into the lobby. My mace ready and my head swiveling. I gesture for everypony to follow me, and the ponies stream out the building, Moon and Cloud Kicker in my wake, with Blossomforth on my shoulder. We walk through the campus, among the trees, enjoying the late evening light. How long were we inside there?

As we get through the gate, I stop in surprise. Two larger chariots are there, waiting. Ponies from the farm fussing over the new arrivals, greeting them and getting them loaded up. Dr. Ray is among them. He smiles at me as I step up, then he does an double take.

“Irony, put her down.”

I frown. “She was hurt, I’m going to put her where she’ll be comfortable.”

“I’ll deal with her in a bit, but first, you.”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you aren’t.” Moon Shadow says as she starts putting the incapacitated ponies into one of the chariots.

I shake my head, why does it hurt so damned much?

Dr. Ray growls and his horn lights. Before I know it, I’m on the ground, my armor is being peeled from my body. I try to resist, but the unicorn is determined. The bodysuit I wear under my armor rips and pulls away. Dr. Ray tsks. “What did you fight? A Siberian tiger?”

I frown. “Just a human, though he was big.”

“Enormous is the word, Irony.” Moon Shadow comes into my vision. Her horn is lit, and I’m lifted gently from the ground.

“What is going on?!” I shout, getting both unicorns to stop for a moment. Then Moon Shadow runs a hoof along my face.

“He got you good, I’m surprised your skull isn’t cracked.”

“What?”

Dr. Ray concentrates, and the tone of his magic changes. The world becomes ethereal, I can hear them talking, and something about my head is being talked about. But I float in absolute bliss, not a bit of pain. I lose count of all time, all thinking escapes me, I simply exist.

Pain slams into me as I am lowered gently to the ground, I relax onto all fours and flip over. Though I feel weak, probably not a good idea to try to stand up at the moment. I look at the two unicorns. Moon is supporting Dr. Ray, leading him back to the chariot. The other ponies are loaded up, and as I watch, the pegasi pullers are hooking themselves up. Only minutes has them in the air, heading back to home. Moon walks over to me. “It’s just you and me on the return, love. Cloud Kicker is staying with Blossomforth.”

“How is she?”

“You saved her life, she was stunned, knocked out. They probably would have killed her had you not stopped them.” She reaches out, running her forehoof over my face gently, though I find myself flinching in pain.

“How bad did he get me?”

She giggles. “There is a reason the ponies were wary of you, you had blood streaming down your face, he got you good. One of your ears, and much of your pelt on the side of your head, was bunched back. You were bleeding badly. Ray was able to stitch everything together with magic, I doubt you’ll scar much, if at all. But you went through the wringer.”

I gape at her before shifting and reaching up a hand. The pain level tells me when I get to those tender spots. She nods as I look at her. “Wow.”

She nods before turning tail. I relax onto all fours before following. Quickly we are sitting a good distance away, looking at the building where in excess of fifty ponies were tortured, and quite a few died. She lights her horn, letting herself accumulate aether as she reaches her magic out. A snap here, a creak there, then the building roof shifts. She groans as she keeps working. It’s fascinating to watch the building try valiantly to resist, but she’s relentless. In a matter of minutes, the building has collapsed into its own basement, a large dust cloud rising to the sky.

She pants as she looks over at me. “Ready to go home, love?”

I nod. “We haven’t found Dust.”

She nods. “But we will. And a certain human will pay the price.”