April 14, 10:49 AM
Central Ponyville

“So what should we do first?” Rainbow asked Twilight.

“I’d say get the identification papers taken care of since I assume I will need them to buy the rest of the stuff,” Twilight said while staring at the pegasi moving clouds above them as the group walked out of the library. Spike had decided to stay behind and start cleaning while the others went to her Twilight.

“But darling, you look awful. We simply must go to my place and fix your mane and tail,” Rarity said with a slight sparkle in her eyes.

“Rarity, I think the last thing she wants is to be made all prissy and girly. Besides, I think Twi has had a hard enough day. Right?” Rainbow said with a brow raised at Twilight.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to pass on that. I’ve already lost enough of my masculinity today, and makeup will send any I have left out the window,” Twilight said with a frown. “But I’ll come over later since I need clothes anyway,”

That last comment got Rarity’s attention. “Really?”

“Where else would I go? And besides, with how you all have helped me so far, I think clothes shopping is the easiest thing you can help me with,” Twilight said to the group. “You know, as much as I hate it,” she then muttered.

“What was that Twilight?” Rarity asked.

“Nothing, nothing,” Twilight quickly said while Rainbow and AJ snickered, having heard her comment.

“Enough about clothes, where’s Town Hall?”

“Oh, silly, we’re here already!” Pinkie laughed while the others rolled their eyes.

Twilight looked at the building next to them. It was circular in shape and had a church like look to it, with a few windows on it and some different colored flags that were attached to the top of the building. As she walked in she saw that the inside had brown walls and some platforms above the main floor, which Twilight assumed were for the pegasi. There was a large stage on the other end of the room, and some doors leading to other sections of the building.

“Ah, you must be the new pony the princess told me about,” said a voice from the other side of the room.

A mare with tan fur and a gray mane and tail walked towards Twilight. She adjusted the collar of her white shirt and brushed some dust off of her tan shorts. She had glasses on end of her muzzle and her blue eyes stared Twilight down.

“I take it you’re here to get the identification papers filled out?” she said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, Twilight here is soooooo new! She was from another planet before she came here! And a dude! And a human!” Pinkie said with enthusiasm. The others just glared at Pinkie.

“I know. The princess informed me of your... interesting.. background. Anyways, I’m Mayor Mare, the town mayor. And you must be Tyler,” she nodded at Twilight.

“Actually, the princess made me change my name to Twilight,” said the purple pony with a sigh and a sad look on her face. Fluttershy put a comforting hand on the mare’s shoulder.

“Honestly, that doesn’t surprise me. It definitely isn’t a name you’ll find around here,” said the mayor, whose expression changed when she saw the state of Twilight. “Sorry, I know this is must be hard for you,”

“It is. In the last few hours, I’ve been in a car accident, impaled, brought to another world, been turned into a pony and a girl, had surgery, been told I can’t see my family again, and changed my name. Name one way this could be worse,” Twilight said with a raised voice.

“Okay. You could be dead.” said the mayor.

“That question was rhetorical,” said a fuming Twilight.

“Oh, sorry. Anyway, can we get the pictures taken now? I have a lot on my schedule today,” the mayor said adjusting her glasses.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with,” Twilight said as he handed the mayor the papers.

“Thank you. Right this please,” the mayor said while walking toward the stage where a mare with a blue coat and a white mane, as well as pink glasses was waiting with a camera.

“This is our photographer, Photo Finish. She’s going to take a few pictures for the identification papers. I’ll leave you to it while I get the rest of these filled,” the mayor said as she went to another room.

“Stand here,” Photo Finish demanded.

Twilight quickly moved to where she was supposed to while Photo Finish lined up the camera.

“Smile for the camera,”

Twilight did as asked, even if the smile was fake.

A few clicks later, some pictures fell from the old-fashioned Polaroid camera. Photo Finish then went to the same room the mayor had gone into. A few minutes later, Twilight had a complete Equestrian ID and a complete file in the town hall. The group thanked the mayor and the photographer and left, Twilight sadly looking at the picture on her ID. Now she had a constant reminder that she was no longer human or male. A single tear fell from her eyes as Fluttershy put a hand on her shoulder.

“It’ll be okay,” was all the shy mare could say.

If only Twilight believed that.

April 14, 10:13 AM
Flarem house

Shane had sat in Tyler’s room for a while, crying as he held the picture of the two of them. His parents had tried to comfort him, but all Shane could do was open the floodgates. He was going to stay and mourn, but the knock at the door changed that.

“Shane. Are you there?” said the familiar voice of his friend Matt.

Shane sulked towards the door. Normally he’d be thrilled to see Matt, but after getting kicked out of his house and losing his brother, all he wanted to do was be alone. He knew though that being with friends could help.

“Yeah, I’m here,” he said as he opened the door, to find Matt and Rachel standing on his porch.

Matt and Shane had known each other since they were in elementary school and had been through a fair share of trouble together. He had always been kind of stupid, but he could be really caring when needed. He had blonde hair that he kept short and always wore a green baseball cap on his head, which was the same shade of green as his eyes, as well as a red t-shirt and some faded blue jeans with some tears in them.

Shane and Rachel had been together for about eight months now. She had long, wavy brown hair that she often kept in a ponytail that came down to the bottom of her back. Her black top contrasted well with her streak of red that she had dyed in her hair and her blue eyes, as well as the pair of purple shorts and high heeled boots. She was always there for Shane when he needed her and could give some good advice in a hard time, something Shane just couldn’t get out of his brother.

“Hey guys, come in,” Shane muttered.

“Thanks, dude,” Matt said while walking straight to the kitchen and opening the fridge, grabbing the soda and pouring three glasses. The Flarems treated friends like family and allowed them access to all of the food to them.

“What are you guys doing here?” Shane asked, already knowing what this was about.

“We saw the news Shane,” Rachel said bluntly.

“Oh,”

Rachel kissed Shane on the cheek, much to Matt’s disgust. “Shane, its okay. We’re here for you and we know how you feel. Tyler was our friend too,”

Shane smiled for the first time since the accident. “Thanks guys, but I don’t think you get it. Have you ever felt like your brother’s disappearance was your fault before?”

“Shane, don’t blame yourself. If anything it was the drunk’s fault,” Matt said while drinking his soda.

“You don’t get it. I was the one driving. I was the one who wanted to go to your party in the first place. If I hadn’t my parents wouldn’t have made Tyler come with me and he would still be ali-,” Shane didn’t want to think that his brother was dead, and was now openly crying on the couch.

Rachel sat down next to him and embraced him in a hug. “You can’t beat yourself up like this, Shane. Sometimes letting it all out is the healthy thing to do,”

Shane sniffled and returned the hug. “Thanks, Rachel. You always know what to say when I need it,”

“On a different note, what did the cops say?” Matt said.

“All they said was that they found no body, a blood puddle, and some strange hoofprints that just disappeared,”

“Hoofprints? What, did some horses kidnap Tyler?” Matt said with a snicker.

“I’m pretty sure that didn’t happen, Matt,” Rachel said while rolling her eyes.

“The detective also gave me is contact info in case we find anything. I was going to head over there later an see if they found anything, and if possible, check out the area for myself,” Shane said with a yawn.

Rachel sighed. “Shane, how late were up last night?

“No idea. Though I did have a nightmare of when Tyler and I were little. Except...” Shane trailed off.

“Except what?” Matt asked.

“He got hit by a car and I had to watch him die,” Shane muttered.

Rachel and Matt both gasped.

“I know what’ll help you get over this,” Matt said.

“What,” Shane muttered

“The arcade! My treat!” Matt shouted.

“Yeah! C’mon, that’ll take your mind off of things,” Rachel said.

“Fine. And your right, that should take my mind off things,” Shane said.

If only Shane believed that.

April 14, 12:26 PM
Carousel Boutique

“Why must we do this next?” Twilight complained as the group went inside the boutique.

“Because Twilight dear, you have nothing to wear and what you have currently is, while nice, not going to get you through the winter,” Rarity said.

“Rarity, I am going to make this as clear as possible for you before we even look at clothes,” Twilight said.

“What, Twilight?”

“No dresses, gowns, shoes, hair stuff, or makeup. Am I clear?” Twilight said with a raised brow.

Rarity sighed, “Yes. But I could totally see you with eyeshadow,”

Applejack and Rainbow Dash both rolled their eyes.

“Now, let’s get this over with,” Twilight sighed while walking towards the section of the store to her left.

“Uh... Twilight?” Fluttershy said while Pinkie started to giggle.

“What?”

“Wrong section missy!” Pinkie said while laughing on the floor, getting a kick from Applejack.

Twilight looked up to see that she was walking towards the men’s section out of instinct. She sighed and walked over to the women’s section.

“Why me,” was all she could say.

The others just glanced at each other with looks of concern on their faces.

“Twilight, it’s alright to have a hard time with this. I know we haven’t gone through what you have, but we’re always here for you, so let’s just get you some clothes, and then leave the shopping to us while you get to know Spike and your house, alright?” Rarity said.

“Thank you. Now, let’s see, this one looks nice,” she said while looking at some shirts.

“Which one darling?” Rarity asked.

“The blue one,”

“You mean the cobalt one?” Rarity said with a raised brow.

Twilight sighed. This was going to be a long day.

April 14, 12:26 PM
Paul’s Place

Shane starred out of the passenger side window as Rachel parked the car at Paul’s Place. It was bustling with people since it was Saturday, and the smell of pizza that surrounded the arcade filled Shane’s nose. The green building had it all: an arcade, pizza, and a bowling alley. Not to mention the nicest owner ever. Paul’s had been here since the group of friends had known each other, and while he was old, his son Bill managed to keep the place alive and well. Paul had known Rachel, Matt, Shane, and Tyler since they could walk, and Bill had been in school with them until he dropped out to help keep the business running after Paul’s wife died.

As the trio walked in, Bill walked towards them, his usual smile replaced with a somber look as he saw that Tyler wasn’t with them.

“Hey, guys. Here you go,” he said handing the group the cup of tokens as Matt handed him the cash. “I take it you’re here to cheer him up after... you know,” Bill said nodding at Shane.

“You heard I see,” Matt said as he walked to the pizza buffet.

“Dude, the whole town knows. It’s all over the local news and this town is so small that we all know each other. Everyone knows about Tyl-” he stopped himself before saying the name. “Sorry, Shane. I can’t imagine how you must be feeling right now.” Bill walked out and gave his friend a hug while trying to hold back his own tears.

“I’d ask more about what happened, but I have work to do. Catch ya’ guys later,” Bill said with a wave.

While Bill got back to work, the trio played games for the next two hours, with occasional pizza breaks until it was time to get going. Shane and Matt would go basically to war at the basketball game, while Rachel just stood and shook her head. That is until Matt let Rachel take a turn and she kicked Shane’s butt. Shane wasn’t too happy with that, but he felt a lot better, for a while at least. As the group walked out of the arcade, Shane couldn’t help but feel sad, knowing that he would most likely never play games with his little brother again. Before the group could leave, they were stopped by Bill, who was holding a roll of tickets, which he handed to the group.

“You guys really thought you could leave without saying goodbye?” he asked as Matt took the tickets. “It’s the least I can do for you guys. Also, I’ll be coming over later for dinner with my pops. Your parents invited us over since they figured we could help cheer you guys up. That, and they wanted some of my lasagna for dinner,”

Shane smiled at the joke. But it didn’t last as he thought about the last time Bill brought his lasagna. Tyler had loved the stuff and would eat almost the whole thing if he could. Shane thought back to a few months ago when Tyler had eaten so much lasagna he was sick the next day, Shane laughing the whole time while saying, “We told you not to eat that much,”. Tyler had responded with two words.

Worth it

Shane sighed as he thought about how he would never get moments like that again, which lead Rachel to hug him, tears on her face as Matt climbed into the car. Bill put his hand on Shane's shoulder while they took Shane to the car.

"It'll be alright Shane," Rachel said while kissing her boyfriend on the cheek.

Shane just stared into space as the car pulled out of the parking lot. He didn't think it would be alright.

April 14, 2:43 PM
Golden Oak Library

"Well, it only took two hours, but we did it," Rainbow Dash said as she entered the library.

The mares entered the room carrying a plethora of items, ranging from food to clothes to a freaking couch! Applejack was carrying two huge baskets of apples under her arms while Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Spike were carrying the couch upstairs to the living area of the library. Fluttershy and some assorted animals were carrying other basic household appliances, like dishes and cleaning supplies. Rarity went upstairs with a large stack of clothing for Twilight, only to find the mare out on balcony staring at the sky.

"Twilight? Are you alright?"

The alicorn turned towards Rarity. "Oh, hey. Yeah, I'm fine. Just enjoying the view I guess," she looked down at her hooves, still getting used to them. "And just thinking about, well, everything," Rarity placed her hand on Twilight's shoulder as the others came up the stairs.

"How's she holding up?" Dash asked.

"Better than I thought actually," Fluttershy muttered.

"So... when do I get to throw the welcome to Ponyville party?" Pinkie asked excitedly.

"Next week, Pinkie. Next week," Twilight said with a grin.

"Awwwwww...why?" Pinkie moaned.

"She wants time to settle in, Pinkie. She deserves it," Applejack said.

"Thank you, AJ," Twilight said.

"No problem, sugarcube,"

“Oh, Twilight, one more thing. I finished fixing your shirt. I figured you’d want it back,” Rarity said while handing Twilight the lavender shirt that she fixed.

Twilight just stared at the lavender fabric that now perfectly matched her fur. She now realized that other than her picture with Shane, this was all she had left from Earth. She watched a single teardrop wet the shirt and thought about the life she was leaving behind.

“Ya’ alright, Twilight?”Fluttershy said.

“Yeah, I am,” Twilight said with a smile.

April 15, 2:34 AM
Flarem house

”Get back here you!” Tyler yelled to Shane as he ran after his brother.

“Never!” Shane yelled.

The two boys were running in the forest behind their house playing tag like they did when they were little, the younger brother chasing his older brother through the woods as the sun set behind the trees. The late night birds chirping among the sound of crunching leaves while the boys ran through the woods, Tyler finally catching up to Shane and tagging him, but not before Shane tackled Tyler to the ground, the brothers laughing as Tyler pushed Shane off of him.

The scene as happy and peaceful, until a car flew by and hit Tyler, sending him flying into a tree, his bones cracking as Shane could only watch in horror.

“NO! NOT AGAIN!” the older brother screamed into the sky.

“Do not worry Shane, this is just a nightmare,” said a regal feminine voice.

Shane spun around to find some sort of human-horse hybrid standing before him. She had midnight blue fur on her body, as well as a flowing blue mane and tail. She was wearing a light blue gown with a crescent moon on it and a small blue crown on her head, which was staying in place thanks to her horn. A pair of wings rested on her back and her hooves made the trademark clip-clop sound as she walked towards him.

“What and who the hell are you?” Shane said with a startled look on his face as he backed away from her.

“I am Princess Luna, one of the rulers Equestria. I protect the dreams of ponies- or in this case humans-from nightmares. I am here to help you find your brother,” she held out her hand to Shane, who just ignored it.

“What the hell is Equestria?” Shane asked with a raised eyebrow. “And how do you know my name?”

“Equestria is the country I rule with my sister, Celestia. And as for how I know your name, my sister told me your name and where to find you,” Luna explained.

“But, how does your sister know my name? And did you say you know where my brother is?” Shane said, his eyes watering as he waited for the answer he hoped for.

“Yes, I know where Tyler is. He’s the one who told my sister about you and where to find you. She then sent me to tell you that your brother is safe and in Equestria,”

Shane was now openly crying. Luna put a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait. This, “Equestria” place, I’ve never heard of it,” Shane said.

“That’s because it’s another world,” Luna said.

“Then how the hell is my brother there!” Shane demanded, his eyes wide.

“Some of our subjects went through a portal to your world against orders. They found your brother dying on the ground in the forest. So they did what they had to do to save him, which includes getting him to equestrian doctors as soon as possible. He is fine now, but the rift between Earth and Equestria is shut for the time being. It shut after your brother was pulled through. My sister and I are trying to open it right now, but it did have enough energy left for me to tell you about your brother,” Luna said.

“So... he’s alright?” Shane asked.

“Yes, but he looks a little... different than he used to after the surgery,” Luna said with a somber look. “But I’m afraid our time is up. I have to get back before the rift closes again,”

“Wait!” Shane yelled.

It was too late. Luna was gone and Shane woke with a start, panting as he shot straight up.

“Either I’m going insane, or that was real and Tyler is alive. Now I just have to get to him,” Shane muttered. “And Luna, if you can hear this, thank you,”

Author's Note

So the story continues, with some new faces! And Twi is starting to adjust to life in Equestria as Shane learns more about his brother turned sister's whereabouts.