Voidling of Equestria: Fallen Memories

by Crowborn

Rating: mature
Tags: Death, Human, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, Gore, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark, Alternate Universe, Sad, Other, Original Character, Profanity, Adventure, Violence, Princess Celestia, Crossover
Length: 42719

Shiera An died. The love of her life and the woman she considered her closest friend both betrayed her. The heartbreak was too much, and not a few months later, the recently crowned empress was finally slain in battle. But heaven did not await her...

Thousands of years ago Shiera An was cursed with white hair and magic since birth. Though her childhood was rough, she desired to protect her kingdom, and thus became a soldier. It was there in the militia that she eventually found the man that would be her one true love. They were both highly skilled in combat, and stood among the elite of the elite in all the land. She eventually became a general, always loyal. But when the Emperor died, her husband suggested that she take over as Empress. She had no desire to rule or to obtain such a title, but her lover was confident she was just what the kingdom needed.

A month later, mutiny occurred. Her best and closest friend betrayed her, along with her own husband. They took a portion of her army and fled. Not a few months later, Shiera was finally slain in battle. As her husband held her dying body in his arms, seemingly regretful of his betrayal, she died with tears in her eyes.

But heaven did not await her.... Instead she fell into the Void, and was trapped there with other souls and unspeakable horrors that dwelled within, but eventually, she escaped and managed to slip safely back into existence....but the world she returned to was not her own. This world had no humans, and her own body had changed. Changed into that of a pony....

Published 2018-10-12 18:00:01 UTC
Last updated 2019-09-07 02:35:07 UTC

Prologue: Darkness

Panting and running. That was all they could do here. The horrors of the Void hunted them mercilessly. The only solace was that the monstrous shadows did not seem to be intelligent. Time, space, direction. None of those things had any meaning here. Yet still, they ran.

She turned and looked at her fellow shadowy comrades, fellow lost souls she had met here in the Void. No one can remember much of their past lives here in the Void. Only glimpses and flashes. She knew her name. It was Shiera An. She had a lover, but she couldn't remember his face. She knew she died, but couldn't remember the cause. She could only remember one other thing, one thing that seemed to define her very being.

Loss.

Her heart told her she must have lost many things, her lover being one of them. Though she could not remember them, her heart told her they were there. A sea of losses that stained her soul. Her fellow comrades were in no better shape. They each had different lives, of course, but no one could remember them well, all they had were their names and a few glimpses, and that was it.

"If what that Void Sentinel said is true, then we can harness our Words to form a path out of this place!" Jade panted from behind her as they ran.

"Then let's hurry on that!" urged Tomas.

One at a time, they each spoke their special Word that was imbued into them. They each discovered theirs upon falling into the Void. It was their only weapon against the Void Eaters, the shadows that hunted them now.

"Truth!" called Jade.
a sphere of green light blasted forth from her, knocking away all the nearby Void Eaters, giving them a bit of reprieve.

"Pain!" called Tomas.
The aspect of Pain filled the Void for a breath moment, subduing the remainder of their pursuers.

The other four of her comrades each spoke their Words, beginning to form them together.

At last it was her turn.

"Sorrow!" she spoke, drawing the energy straight from very depth of her being. Her soul resonated with the Word as it poured out from her. Together, the words begin to fade together, and a path began to form before them, which led to the many bubbles above them, each bubble being a different universe. They seemed so distant here, even though distance didn't exist here. The bubbles always seemed infinitely far away, and no soul was able to return to them.

But now they had this path. The way there seemed somehow shorter now. Tears began to well on the groups eyes.

One did not know how long they had waited for this. How long it took to find the right words, the right people, to make this. How many friends and comrades had she seen perish here? How many of them lost hope and became the very Void Eaters that they fled?

Too many. Far too many....

Even though the Void Eaters were no longer following them, none of them dared slow their pace. Each scared that if they stopped for even a second, it would all suddenly disappear, and they would be trapped here in this Void forever.

They were half way up before one of them, named Ruben, finally collapsed from exhaustion.
"Come on, Ruben, we can't stop now!" she urged, helping him to his feet.
"But we've been running forever!! Please! I just....I just need a break...." he begged, huffing out of breath.

For a moment, they almost considered it, but then they glimpsed a large shadow moving underneath the path. Panic filled their eyes, "Ruben! There is no time, we have got to go!"

They ran as fast as they could, but it wasn't long until the shadow beneath them surfaced. It was a Voidling, a Horror of the Void, a being that preyed on everything but the Void Sentinels.

"Oh Fuck me!" cried Jade, as she began to sob. Shiera felt the same way, but the soldier in her told her to keep going. She prayed that they would make it in time.

Ruben was the first to get eaten. He was the slowest, and thus the easiest for the Voidling to pick off. Shiera's panic-filled mind had no time to mourn, though a part of herself did ponder for a moment how a Lost Soul like them could possibly ever turn into something like that.

However that thought was fleeting, as it wasn't much time afterwards that two more of her comrades had been consumed.

The remaining four of them were all sobbing. A moment later another screech told them that it had gotten Jasmine.

Only Tomas, Jade, and Her remained. They ran as fast as they could, the bubbles getting bigger, it wouldn't be long now before they reached them. The Voidling roared behind them, it's massive maw of unending teeth thrashing just behind them. A massive clawed hand swooped above them, and only narrowly did they manage to dodge in time.

Tomas suddenly stopped, "GO ON AHEAD, I WILL BUY YOU TWO SOME TIME!" he yelled.

"TOMAS!! NOOOO!!!" both her and Jade screamed in unison. However, despite their wishes to save their comrade, fear kept their legs moving towards their escape.

"PAIN!" Tomas yelled, and an instant later, the Voidling screeched in horrid pain. Not a moment after that, it lurched forward, and devoured Tomas whole.

They were almost there, just a few more seconds and they would be out of this hell hole!

There was a lurching sound from behind them, as they noticed the path begin to evaporate behind them. If they could have run any faster than currently were, they would have. But just before they could reach the nearest bubble, a jagged, clawed hand smacked them both, flinging Shiera into one bubble, and Jade into another....

Falling.

She felt falling.

Then a sudden painful crash as she hit what she could only assume to be dirt. The impact was jarring and painful. Her body was in too much pain to move. Then it hit her, suddenly, like an ocean, memories of her past life flooded her mind, as if they were just waiting for her all this time. Tears began to flood from her eyes as she remembered him. Her lover. Her husband. And Her. Her best and closest friend....Diao Chan...

Then she remembered their betrayal.

She heaved and puked as the pain in her stomach suddenly lurched up. She tried to remember all that had happened, but found something missing. She remembered falling into the Void. She remembered running....

But she couldn't remember anything else. It seemed all memory of what had occurred in the Void had left her. And that made her sad, but she knew not why....

Author's Note

So yeah, i know the prologue is a bit chaotic, but it needed to be done.

If you are wondering about the whole Words thing, don't.
Just know that is something that it only works in the Void. Each Word is bound to a different Soul. These Words allow one to bring the Aspect of that Word into the Void, and use it as a weapon of sorts, before it fades away. To bring the aspect back, the soul only needs to speak that word again. The Void lacks any aspect of existence, so using these words grants one...little glimpses, as it were, of these aspects. And they can be powerful, briefly.

I will also already warn you ahead of time that you are not likely to see this be brought up again in the story except in a few reminiscing scenes. They unfortunately cannot be utilized as a mechanic outside of the Void.

I hope you guys enjoy it, this story is going to be a bit different from my other works.

Chapter 1: Discovery

Shiera couldn't recall falling asleep, but she must have, as her eyes opened up. Her body was still in severe pain, but she willed herself to move anyways, even if it was just a crawl. She was in a woods of some kind, trees were all around her. Her body felt strange, it didn't feel like it used to. She must have broken something then. However, she was in too much pain to tell exactly what though.

Her mouth was dry and raspy. She needed water. She scanned her immediate area for any source of water. She spotted a small stream a few meters away from her. Desperate, she slowly, agonizingly dragged herself towards it, moving but mere inches at a time.

after what seemed to be fifteen minutes, she reached it and lapped at the water with her tongue desperately. After she had her fill, she felt pain over take her, and she fell unconscious once more.

Twilight had just finished packing her bags. She had been given a report from Fluttershy that a strange meteor had fell into the Everfree Forest last night. It had disturbed the local animals, and even had a few Timberwolfs running away in fear. Twilight was sure it was nothing, but she promised Fluttershy that she would look into it for her sake.

"Notebook? Check. Writing Quills? Check. Ink? Check." read Spike, checking the items off the list. "Is it really necessary to bring all that writing stuff? I mean, i thought we were supposed to be checking out some freaky space meteor, not writing an essay or something."

Twilight chuckled, "Of course it is, Spike. You never know what we might discover! Plus its not everyday we get to examine and inspect a meteor from outer space! Think of all the things we might learn! Perhaps a new kind of metal, or an element we haven't seen before, or--oohI--a new form of bacteria never seen before to ponykind!" she said with little dance of excitement.

Spike sighed, "Leave it to you to find dirty old space germs interesting...." he mumbled, folding his arms. But he sighed again, "Alright, that should be everything on the list. Is there anything else before we go, Twilight?"

"Of course! i will be needing a few books as reference guides just in case, oh and we don't have to worry about food, Pinkie packed a picnic basket for all of us," she replied with a smile.

"All of us?"

"Yeah, AppleJack, Rarity, and the others will be coming along too, the Everfree forest is a dangerous place after all."

Spike nodded, "Yeah, you got that right."

With that, the two of them left the Golden Oaks library, and made their way through Ponyville, heading towards the Everfree Forest. It wasn't long before they found Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie all waiting for them outside the Sugarcube Corner.

"Oh look! Twilight is finally here!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed, jumping up in giddiness at her friend's arrival.

"Fluttershy told us that something fell from the sky in the Everfree Forest and frightened all the animals, the poor dears," Rarity said with a slightly worried look.

"I bet its some kind of sky monster that needs be pummeled into dust!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash, clearly itching for some action. Twilight rolled her eyes, "That is highly unlikely, Rainbow Dash. It's probably just a meteor that fell from space." Rainbow Dash sulked, "Oh come on! Surely it can't be something so....boring. It is probably a space monster."

Twilight sighed and began walking, with her friends not far behind. "AppleJack and Fluttershy are waiting for us at the forest edge," explained Rarity. "Good," replied Twilight.

"Hurray! Weird Forest-Space-Rock-Monster-Thing Adventure!!" cried Pinkie Pie as she jumped into the air and burst of confetti popped out of nowhere. "I can't wait!"

It didn't take long for them to meet up with AppleJack and Fluttershy. AppleJack had a worried face until they showed up, at which point she seemed to relax. "Ahm grateful that ya'll finally got here, Fluttershy has been very nervous." Twilight looked towards Fluttershy. "It'll be okay, i am sure its just a meteor that fell, nothing more," she said, trying to comfort her shy friend.

Fluttershy nodded, "I-I know, it's just that the animals were really spooked by whatever it was. I don't like seeing them so scared like that...."

"Well, like ah said before, there's no need ta worry, sugar cube. Everything will be alright."

"Of course! Now let's get going, who knows what discoveries await!!" Twilight said, not hiding the anticipation in her voice.

It took about an hour, and they had yet to see any sign of it until Rainbow Dash spoke, "Hey, it smells like something's been burning..."
AppleJack took a sniff, "Yep, smells worse than a magpie barbecue...if ahm bein' honest."
It didn't take long to find the initial crater. "Huh, that's not as big as i thought it would be, but it's still big....wait, where is the meteor?" Twilight asked upon inspecting the crater. There was burnt and broken trees all around it, and several smolding bushes and blackened patches of grass, but all fires had long since died out, thankfully. A forest fire would have been a terrible problem to face.

Pinkie Pie found her first. "Um, girls? There's a pony over here!"

"What?" the others all cried in unison, as they hurried over to Pinkie Pie who was sitting by a small stream. There indeed was a pony who laid next to the stream, unconscious. Her fur was a light grey, and her mane and tail were a luminous white, almost akin to the stars seen at night. They almost seemed to glow. But that was not the only strange thing about the pony. She was an adult mare unicorn, but she bore no cutie mark. And curious still, it seemed that she had crawled from the direction of the crater.

"She's hurt!" cried Rarity, lifting the pony's head off the ground. Twilight frowned, indeed, she looked very injured, but she was not as wounded as she should have been. Heck, with the amount of force it would take to make a crater that big, this pony should be dead. But she wasn't. Twilight's eyes widened as she noticed the steady rise and fall of the pony's chest, indicating she was breathing. "She's alive!"

"We have to get her to the hospital! How did she get here, and where is she from?" asked AppleJack. "And why doesn't she have a cutie mark?" asked Rainbow Dash. Twilight frowned, "None of that matters now, we need to get her some help and quickly."

"What are these?" asked Pinkie Pie, picking up two very long but thin blades. They were swords, but not of any design Twilight was familiar with. Each blade, not counting the hilt, was the length of a pony. The blades were razor thin on the edges, but deceptively thick in the middle. The hilt and guard of each blade was adorned in gold, however, after an experimental tap, it seemed there must have been some other type of metal underneath. And the grip was wrapped with a white leather of some kind, and left unwrapped tails which Twilight could only guess where used to tie to the hooves of the pony who wielded them. "They must be hers, we'll take them with us, just.....be careful with those Pinkie, you don't want to accidentally hurt yourself with them," warned Twilight.

"Will do!" Pinkie said, saluting. Now all that remained was figuring out how they were going to carry this pony back to Ponyville...

Author's Note

Depending on whether or not you all like this will determine if i should continue the story. The next chapter is guaranteed, but it might be a few days or even a week before i post it, due to my busy and complicated schedule.

I will try my best with this one, should you all like it, and will do my best to improve my work as i go. DISCLAIMER: please be a little lenient, as this will take a bit of getting used to for me.

If your curious as to where this fits in as to the timeline of the show, this is after Sombra but before Tirek....And yes, this is before twilight becomes an alicorn.

Chapter 2: Awakening

Shiera awoke in a strange room. It was very....white. The bed was soft, for the most part, but the sheets were weird. She did not recognize the fabric. Her body still felt weird. Something must have been broken....
Her eyes widened as she remembered falling, then pain, then crawling and then drinking....and then....nothing.

She took a moment to analyze her surroundings some more. The room was filled with odd decor. A box that beeped, a skeleton of some kind of horse, (looked weird too) and banner/painting things with smiling horse things on them.

"What kind of hell hole is this?" she pondered. She also noticed that while her body still felt off, (she assumed something must be broken) that she felt no pain at the moment. Perhaps she was in shock? Could be....

Suddenly the door opened.

A small white horse with a pink mane walked in.

Shiera could only gawk at it. Then the thing spoke...

"Oh good, you're awake! You had us mighty worried there when those girls brought you in. You were in quite the rough shape..."

"Gah! What hellspawn are you?!" Shiera cried flailing in panic before suddenly losing her balance and tumbling backwards off the bed. "Oof!"

"Oh dear! Are you okay?" the horse-devil-thing said, making its way closer to her.

"Stay away from me, you unnatural fiend!" Shiera shouted, using her magic to summon fire around her, ready to strike if necessary.

The strange hellspawn-horse-thing hesitated, a look of worry spreading across her face. However it managed to suddenly suppress that emotion and began to edge closer slowly. "It's okay....everything is okay....you were hurt, and we helped you. It's okay....nopony is going to hurt you..."

Shiera shoved an accusing finger at her, "Don't think for a moment that i'll believe anything you say, you unholy hellspawn!"

That is when she noticed it. Her hand.....it had been replaced with a hoof...no, it was her whole arm!
"Aaaah!" she cried in shock, yanking her arm back towards her. Her other arm was the same, it had a hoof and grey fur, and....wait fur?

She looked down to see her whole body covered in it. She then noticed that she could see her own snout, and in a flight of panic, she shoved the bed over, knocking it to the ground and darted for the nearest reflective surface, which so happened to be a mirror that hung on the wall.

She was a horse-thing.....just like that abomination over there, except that she had a horn. "AAAAAHHHH!!" she screamed, falling back on her rump, "What foul magic is this?! What have you done to me?!"

She wanted answers, and this hellspawn-horse-thing was going to give them to her! But suddenly the door opened once more and more of these foul abominations entered. "Restrain her, she seems to be having a panic attack!" yelled the white one with pink hair. The orange one nodded. Two of them moved to flank her, however, her warrior instincts kicked in, and she punched the closer of the two in the face, and kicked the feet, or hooves, out from the other one. But before she could make her escape, the orange one surprised her with a tackle, and suddenly there was a needle in her neck, and everything began to get very fuzzy and blurry, then all faded to black.

"Are you alright Nurse RedHeart?" asked Doctor Horse. Nurse RedHeart took a steady breath before nodding. "I think she was having a panic attack, though i will admit, i have never seen a panic attack quite like that before. She didn't seem to recognize anything, and seemed disturbed by my appearance, as well as her own..."

Doctor Horse frowned, "We'll put it in the report. For now, let's get her back on to the bed..." he then turned to the other nurse who still waited at the doorway, "Nurse Tenderheart, could you get the restraints, please? I don't want her hurting anypony else or herself when she wakes up again."

Brittle Bone groaned, having been the one the patient had punched in the face, a bit of blood dripped from his snout. "I'm going to go find some tissues...." he said as he staggered off. GentlePulse, the mare who was knocked off her hooves, slowly steadied herself. "Where did those girls say they found her again?" she asked, shaking her head.

"She was found unconscious in the Everfree Forest, alongside a pair of strange swords. She had several broken ribs, and a cracked femur, but they seem to have mended themselves in the short time she's been here," he replied.

"Her magic must of help speed up the healing process, is my guess," said Nurse GentlePulse. Nurse RedHeart then perked up, "Well, she has Fire Magic, at least from what i have seen. Don't forget to add that to the report. Still, it's a bit unsettling to see a full grown mare with no cutie mark. It's practically unheard of!"

Doctor Horse nodded, "Indeed. I have heard reports of late bloomers, but never have i heard of a such a case happening to an adult mare before....hmm..."

He pondered it for a moment before turning back to Nurse GentlePulse, "I want a member of staff posted here on watch at all times. I don't think we'll have quite the scene as before, but i'd rather we be safe than sorry. We may also need a Magic Suppression Ring, just in case....."

GentlePulse nodded before calmly walking out the door. This patient was a strange and wild one, that was for sure....

Shiera's dreams were nothing but scattered images and figments. Voices with no words, shadows with no form. Despite being confusing and disorienting, there was an odd....calm to it all.

What is this?

A foriegn voice, someone else speaks...who is it, what is it, why is it here?

Your Dream, i don't understand what i am seeing...

Shiera awoke.

The memory of both her strange dreams and the voice quickly faded. That's when she noticed she was in that room again. The white room with strange decor. She tried to move, but she couldn't. It was then that she noticed the restraints.
A bit of panic began to well up, but she forced it down, her soldier mind taking over and analyzing the situation. It was then that she spotted it....that hellspawn thing with white fur and pink hair from before...
Her first instinct was to use her magic, but she found that something was suppressing it. she felt something on her forehead.

She began to struggle, and that is when the hellspawn thing noticed her. "Oh, you are awake again...Please, try to calm down, you are in no danger, i promise...."

Shiera stopped struggling, but her body remained tense. Her body was still in the shape of whatever hellspawn thing she was, some type of weird looking unicorn, or whatever. So that wasn't a dream....great.

The Hellspawn-Horse-Thing approached, "My name is Nurse RedHeart, and i have been taking care of you. You are in a hospital, do you understand?"

A Hospital? But this looked nothing like what she was familiar with....but despite this, Shiera could sense that there was a truth to her words. And instinctively, part of her relaxed, though not entirely.

"What are you? You look like a horse, but you talk and are lot smaller than any horse I've seen. And what did you do to me?"
Shiera asked, organizing her thoughts and wanting answers.

"I'm a pony, just like you...just like everypony else....okay? No one is going to hurt you, okay? Doctor Horse just gave you a Sedative, okay? You were getting violent and we needed to calm you down," Nurse RedHeart explained.

"A pony? but..." however, Shiera didn't get to finish her thought as a surge of pain shot through her head. "Ugh!"

"Are you okay?"

"Headache....i think..."

Nurse RedHeart was now right beside her. She had a very caring and gentle look in her eyes, and that look of calm that many doctors and battle medics back home would give...

Home. That was a thought. Wherever that was, it sure wasn't here.

"I'm going to remove your restraints in order to examine you a bit better, do you promise not to attack me?" asked Nurse RedHeart, snapping Shiera back to reality. Shiera paused for a moment, then nodded.

While the whole scenario was bizarre to her, she knew that Nurse RedHeart didn't look like bad person...er..pony. Nothing would be gained by attacking her anyhow.

Nurse RedHeart cautiously removed the restraints, and Shiera sat up, using her ha...er hoof, to rub her aching forehead. She felt the horn on her head, which felt bizarre, as well as a strange metal ring that rested upon it. "What is that?" she asked, trying to remove it, but having little luck. It was a lot harder to do without any fingers.

"It's a Magic Suppression Ring. It suppresses a Unicorn's magic." Nurse RedHeart explained. "We were afraid you might use it to hurt somepony or yourself, so we put it on you to keep you, and everypony else, safe."

Well Shiera didn't like that ring, nor having her magic suppressed, she had to admit, she was impressed. "Smart." she replied, recalling her instinctual urge to use her magic earlier. "Can you take it off? I promise not to use any of my magic against you..."

Nurse RedHeart seemed a little unsure at first, but finally gave in and helped remove the ring. She felt a pressure lift from her, as the ring was removed, and she could feel her magic return to her. And strangely enough, she could feel it course through the horn on her head.

"Now, will somebody please tell me why i'm a unicorn-thing now?"

Author's Note

And here is the next chapter.

Now depending how you guys like this so far will determine if i should make further chapters. So far, you guys seem to like it, so i will get around to making the fourth chapter pretty soon. It'll probably be up in a day or two, depends on how my schedule goes, really. But i hope you guys enjoy it. I will try my best!

Chapter 3: Unknown

Two weeks.

It'd had been two weeks since Twilight and the others found that mysterious pony in the middle of the Everfree Forest.
Twilight spent the time trying to figure out just what happened, but everything just didn't add up. She had never heard of a fully grown mare with no cutie mark before, and it seemed like she just fell from the sky, but if that is the case, then where did she come from? Was it a spell gone awry? Was it an accident of some sort? Too many questions and so little answers.

Twilight visited the Ponyville Hospital every other day or so, just to check to see if the mysterious mare had woken up yet, but so far, no luck. Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy visited almost daily, with Pinkie Pie wanting throw the mare a party, and Fluttershy just being the kind pony that she is.

Twilight sighed, "Spike, can you watch the Library for me? I am going to go to Ponyville Hospital to check on our....friend." She couldn't help but smile when Spike gave her a salute and said, "Yes sir--er Ma'am!! Sergeant Spike reporting for duty, everything will be safe in my claws!"

Twilight chuckled, "I shouldn't be gone for too long, but please try to stay out of trouble for me, okay?" Spike scoffed, "Of course, I am your number one assistant, after all." Twilight smiled, "Okay, then i will see you later Spike!"

And with that, she calmly made her way towards the Ponyville Hospital.

Nurse RedHeart was quite for a long moment, seemingly unsure as how to process Shiera's question. "Well?" Shiera demanded.

Nurse RedHeart pondered for another moment before finally speaking, "Hmm, perhaps you have amnesia? Or maybe a concussion? Or perhaps you tell the truth? If you weren't always a unicorn, then what were you?" She asked, examining Shiera closely.

Shiera scoffed, "I was a....." something about what she was about to say made her pause, as if she was forgetting something, "....a human? I think? No i am sure, i was human."

RedHeart gave a frown, "What is a human? i have never heard of such a thing before." Shiera gave her an incredulous look, "You don't know what a human is? They are tall, walk on two...." Shiera stopped and looked down at her strange new unicorn body. It dawned on her that she had no way to sufficiently describe the features of a human to her, especially if this world possibly didn't have any humans....And she couldn't show any examples, not with these hooved limbs.
".....Nevermind. I-I....just forget it..." she said with a huff. Nurse RedHeart gave her a curious look, but thankfully decided to drop it.

"May i ask, what is your name?"

Shiera looked up in surprise, and blushed a little bit in embarrassment. She had yet to give her name. "I'm sorry, forgive my rudeness, i completely forgot about introductions. My name is Shiera, Shiera An. And you are...Nurse RedHeart, correct? That is what you told me, right?"

Nurse RedHeart nodded, "Yes, it is. Shiera....what an interesting name...."

Twilight arrived at the hospital and found both Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy already there. "Hey girls, any news?" Twilight asked as she approached. Fluttershy was the first to speak. "Well.....apparently she woke up earlier before we got here, but she seemed to have a panic attack and attacked a couple of the staff, but Doctor Horse was able to sedate her." Twilight's eyes widened at that, "Oh, is everypony okay?"

"Everypony is fine," said a voice from behind them. Twilight looked up to see Doctor Horse walking towards them. "I don't think we will have any such problems again, but we have a pony watching her, just in case. Nothing to worry about, my dear."

Twilight let out a sigh of relief. "Is it safe to visit her?" she asked. Doctor Horse chuckled, "It's fine, she should still be asleep at the moment, and plus she is restrained, so even if she does wake up, she won't be able to hurt anyone."

"Ooh! Is she one of those crazy ponies that have lost their minds because of a traumatic pogo stick incident, where she bounced so high that she couldn't catch herself, and because she got hurt, her world is now jaded and dark, and she a has lost all sense of reality from the traumatic horror that is the pogo stick?!" Pinkie Pie suddenly exclaimed.

The three of them stared at her for a moment. Pinkie Pie then shrugged, "What?" She then grabbed Doctor Horse's cheeks and brought him close that she was staring directly into his eye, "Beware the horror of Pogo Sticks...."

"Um, Pinkie Pie, i don't think that's the case here," Twilight explained. Pinkie Pie let go of Doctor Horse, "Well, you never know!" and with that she began prancing around like usual Pinkie Pie.

Doctor Horse then led them to the room where the mysterious mare was being kept, and then they opened the door.

Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy could only stare as they saw the mysterious mare awake, and sitting up on the bed, clearly not restrained in anyway.

"Nurse RedHeart, what is the meaning of this?" asked Doctor Horse.

Before Nurse RedHeart could finish whatever thought she had about Shiera's name, the door opened, revealing four ponies, only one of which Shiera recognized. The orange one. He was the one that tackled her before....
But these other ones? She had never seen them before. One was pink, like grossly pink. Pink fur, pink mane, just pink....the other one was yellow with pink hair, and had wings. What kind of horse-er-pony, has wings? And the other was a lavender colored unicorn with a bluish purple mane with a red streak down the middle. It was also around this point that Shiera noticed they all had butt tattoos. Every last one of them. They were all different, too.

For a moment, no one said anything, but then silence was broken when the orange one spoke up, "Nurse RedHeart, what is the meaning of this?"

Nurse RedHeart replied in a very calm, polite, and respectful manner, "The Patient is awake. She has promised not to harm anypony, so i let her out of her restraints. She could have attacked me at any moment, but she hasn't. I believe she won't be attacking anypony here, isn't that right, Shiera?"

Shiera nodded, even though she didn't quite trust the orange one, she understood that he meant no harm.

"You're awake! Hurray!" exclaimed the pink one who pulled a canon out of nowhere and began to fire it. Shiera jumped back in horror, afraid she was about to be blown away by a psychotic canon wielding pink pony when suddenly she heard a pop and the sound of confetti filling the room. Shiera simply stared dumbfounded at the confetti that had been shot out of the canon. "Are you okay? Don't you like my party canon? It's great for parties!"

"You are a psychotic maniac," replied Shiera, pulling on her magic. She didn't cast anything yet, but she was eyeing that pink one just in case.

"Hey, that is no way to talk to Pinkie Pie! She was trying to make you feel welcome!" exclaimed the purple one.

"By firing a canon at me? Are you crazy?!" Shiera exclaimed, clearly not happy at being terrified like that.

"It's a party canon, silly! It won't hurt you! All it does is shoot confetti, see?" explained the pink one, as she fired again. Sure enough, Confetti yet again came out.

"Well, how was i suppose to know that?!" Shiera exclaimed defensively.

"It's okay, i find it scary too, sometimes..." said the yellow one with wings. Her voice was very gentle, if a bit timid.

Shiera sighed, "Just please get it away from me....please...." "No problem!!" exclaimed the pink one, as she pulled it behind her and it disappeared. Shiera had no idea how that happened, but she decided it was best not to ask.

The purple one suddenly spoke up, "So your name is Shiera? My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this here is Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy." Shiera groaned internally, of course the pink one would be called Pinkie Pie....

Still, greetings were greetings, and she best not be rude. "Hi, and yes, my name is Shiera, Shiera An. It is....nice...to meet you."

Twilight's eyes seem to light up, "Well, Shiera An, i have so many questions for you! For starters, how did you end up in the Everfree Forest? Where did you come from? Was there an accident? How did you survive such a fall? And Why don't you have a Cutie Mark?"

"Woah, woah, one thing at a time, okay? I just woke up not that long ago, i barely understand what's going on myself..." Shiera said defensively. She never did like having so many questions being thrusted into her face like that.
"I'll try to answer the best i can, but ask them one at a time, okay?"

Besides, Shiera wanted answers of her own, it was probably best to see what she could gleam from these pony-things. Hopefully, she could get some answers.....Hopefully....

Author's Note

And here is the next chapter.

If you guys are wondering why there is no art pic thumbnail, its because, well i suck at drawing and don't have the means or the time to draw any cover art for my stuff. So i apologize for that, if i was able to, i would, but i can't. Sorry.

Anyways, I hope you like it so far, as i am starting to get the hang of this. I aim to improve as i can....

Chapter 5: Stranger

Princess Celestia allowed herself to stretch a little bit. It was still early in the day, and there were a lot of meetings and delegations on the list to do today. She pondered for a moment how her little student, Twilight, was doing. Two weeks back, she and her sister Luna received a letter from Twilight, explaining they found a wounded pony out in the middle of Everfree Forest. She also reported that though the pony appeared to be a full grown mare, she had no cutie mark to speak of, and was found next to two strange swords. Apparently, she just fell out of the sky. She also reported that they carried her to Ponyville hospital, for treatment and care. Celestia hadn't heard anything further about it. She did send her student a letter, requesting her to keep her updated on the situation and let her know when the mare awoke.

However, there was no need to worry about that now. She had other, more pressing matters to attend to. But first, breakfast...

She prepared breakfast for her and her sister as she usually did. Not long after Luna entered and took her seat. It wasn't uncommon of her to arrive tired after a long night, however this time Luna didn't look so much as tired as she did looking like there was something on her mind.

"Did you sleep well, my dear sister?" Celestia asked, putting a plate of pancakes in front of Luna with her magic. Luna stifled a yawn, but didn't say anything else. "Luna?"

Luna suddenly looked up, "Yes sister?" she asked before realizing what Celestia had asked earlier. "I am fine. You know how mornings are for me."

"You seem a bit different today, Luna. Is something on your mind?"

Luna took a bite of her pancakes before answering. "Well....Yes, actually. I assure you it's nothing dire or of the like, its just..."

"Yes?" Celestia urged.

"I was montering the dreams of the ponies like i do every night, when i came upon the dreams of this one mare. They were....different. Far different than anything i've ever seen."

"What do you mean? Different how?"

"The mare's dreams...they were almost static...creatures with no form, voices with no words, glimpses of monsters unseen. And an eerie calm that just permeated through everything...a-and-and instead of fear, like you would expect, the mare who was dreaming this felt.....nothing. And then she woke up before i could get any answers. It was....strange...."

Celestia frowned, not quite sure what to make of this information. "Do you believe there was any danger? Do you believe these dreams are trying to harm the mare or anything else?" she asked, putting down her fork.

Luna played with her food for a moment before answering, "No. Nothing like that...it was just so.....unnatural. I have never seen anything like it. Not in my own dreams or anypony else's for that matter. I just simply don't know what to make of it."

"Do you know who had the dream?"

"N-No....like i said, she awoke before i could get any answers. Perhaps i can find out, if she dreams again tonight."

"That may be for the best. But if you think there is no danger to be had here, then i think it may just be nothing more than just a strange dream," Celestia said in her usual soothing voice.

Luna sighed, "You may be right, sister. Still, my thoughts can't help but linger on how strange it all was."

And with that, they continued breakfast with not much else said. Celestia decided to focus on how she would present all of her talking points for the day, as well as how she would deal with some of the more bothersome nobles whom she had an audience with today. She had a schedule to keep, after all....

The meeting concerning the annual budget of the Hoovesdale Orphanage had just come to a close when a puff of green fire signaled the arrival of a letter from Twilight. Celestia welcomed the distraction, as this had been her sixth meeting this day, and still had four more planned along with several hearings from a few prominent nobles.

Luna approached out of curiosity. "A letter from Twilight, i presume? What does it say?"

Celestia read the letter before finally answering, "It seems the mare they rescued from the Everfree Forest finally awoke. And from what she says, it was a bit....chaotic."

"How so, sister?"

"When she first woke up, she freaked out and attacked the staff, but they managed to sedate her. When she awoke again, she was much calmer, and they were finally able to ask her a few questions. The mare is named Shiera An. And she seemed to believe she was dead. Twilight believes she might be from another world."

Luna frowned, "Now that is certainly odd. Was there anything else that they learned?"
Celestia shook her head and frowned. "No, as it seems she went into another panic attack, and they had to sedate her again. Also, it seems Twilight wants our help on this matter."

Luna's frown deepened, "I'm not sure what help we would be, but perhaps we can schedule a visit to see this Shiera An tomorrow?"

Celestia pondered it for a moment, "We'll have to move the hearing with Sergeant Starbreaker to next week, but yes, i think it can be done. I will go and write a letter, giving Twilight our response on the matter...."

Shiera's dreams were scattered as usual.

Voices and shadows around her ran and screamed, shouting words that had no meaning to her. There was nothing around her, and she felt that strange calm again. Off in the distance she could see a pair of the coldest eyes one could ever see, but she felt....nothing from it. The eyes also didn't seem to notice her, instead it seemed content to just watch the shadows...

It was only then, after she thought about it, that it wasn't actually calm that she was feeling. it was.....numbness....

What are these dreams? I don't understand.

That voice was back. Who is it? What do they want? Why are they here?

Be calm, i mean you no harm. I only wish to understand--

The Voice is a stranger. Does it know? It shouldn't know. It shouldn't see.

Wait, who are you? Why do dream as such?

Who am i?Who am I?Who am I? Sorrow.Sorrow.SorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrowSorrow.....Sorrow...

That is the word....

It was if a dam suddenly burst and in came the memories, a sea of loss and betrayal, an ocean of sorrow flooded everything and was everywhere.

Agh! Stop, please! Let me talk with y--

The voice has faded away.

I am Sorrow.

That is my word.

I am Sorrow, and my name is Shiera An.

Author's Note

So, yeah, Shiera has some pretty freaky dreams, huh?

I'm tempted to give a hint here, as to what is going on, but i fear that it may be spoilers, so i won't for now.

Chapter 6: Unnatural

Shiera awoke with a breath. She was crying. She had a strange dream. Except.....she couldn't remember it. She tried to focus on it, but all memory of whatever it was simply slipped away from her. She frowned and then sat up, taking a look at her surroundings once again.

It was nighttime now. She could tell because of the window that sat above her on the wall behind her bed. She noticed Nurse RedHeart was also in the room, however, from the soft snores coming from her, Shiera could safely assume she was asleep. The thought did occur to her that she could attempt to escape right now, but Shiera decided against it. There was no point really, even if she did succeed. She knew almost nothing about this world, and no amount of running would ever get her away from it.

She put a hoof upon her chest, looking down at her new body. She was alive. How? She did not know. She remembered dying, she remembered the face of her husband, Cao Weng An, as she laid dying in his arms. The tears they shared in that final moment....and then....nothing. Shiera had a feeling that something was missing, something important, but she couldn't remember what. But, that didn't matter now.

Now, she had awoken in this new world, as a...pony-thing, and apparently fell out of the sky into something called the 'Everfree Forest', whatever that was. This whole world was weird, but....those that she had met so far in this world had been nothing but kind to her so far, except maybe the Pink one, who nearly scared the shit out of her with that canon thing of hers. How was she supposed to know it shot confetti? Still, it was apparent that none of these pony-things meant her any harm.

If she truly was alive again, then she wanted to find a way back home, but until that could happen, she figured she might as well get used to this wacky world whiles she was here.

Shiera tried to go back to sleep, but her thoughts kept her awake throughout the rest of the night....

Luna collapsed to her knees as she exited the Dream Realm. Tears poured down her face, her heart drowned with sorrow. She didn't even know why she was crying. That mare....how can such sorrow exist inside anypony? It was....unnatural. It was like a sea that just drowned everything else out. Luna had just barely escaped it in time.

She took a moment to steady herself. It took a minute or two before the shaking stopped, and another minute before her breathing returned to normal. Tears still poured from her eyes, but much less frequently now. "You are fine, Luna, that sorrow is not your own," she told herself, taking a deep breath. That seemed to help. She blinked the last few tears away and frowned.

This mysterious mare was more disturbed than she previously had thought, but she wasn't sure how she could help her. She also never had a pony expel her from a dream before, and she had seen some disturbing nightmares in her time. But this was....different. While the experience could be considered a bit nightmarish to her, it wasn't so to the mare who was dreaming it. That numbness that was within that mare....it must be a side affect of all that sorrow she felt.

She needed to find this mare. It was her duty as the Princess of the Night to bring peace to all ponies as the sleep. However, she'd have to worry about that later. She had other duties to attend to tonight, and many other dreams to protect.

Twilight tossed and turned in her bed before finally sitting up. The whole situation with Shiera was flooding her thoughts. She sighed, looking down at Spike. Spike slept soundly in his bed beside her, undisturbed by her tossing and turning it seemed. "I just don't get it. How did she even get here? Did she really die like she said? She seemed really convinced that this was the afterlife....What if this is the afterlife? No, don't be silly Twilight, this can't be the afterlife, can it?" Twilight didn't know what to make of that thought, and decided to push it away for now. Still, there was a lot of mystery still surrounding Shiera. Like, who was she? She claims she wasn't a unicorn before coming here, but if so, then what was she? Why did Pinkie Pie's canon freak her out? There were a lot of questions, but sadly no answers. At least, not until she could talk with Shiera again.

And then, the Princesses....

They sent her a letter notifying her that they would be visiting Shiera tomorrow at the Ponyville Hospital. What would they make of her? Would they know anything about what is going on? If anypony would know, it had to be the Princesses, right?

Twilight let out another sigh and collapsed back onto her bed. "WHY IS THIS SO CONFOUNDING?!" she yelled in frustration. Suddenly she heard Spike tumble out of his bed in surprise.

"Huh? What's going on, is there danger?" he asked wiping his eyes while trying to be as alert as he could.

Twilight rolled over to face him. "It's okay Spike, i was just.....frustrated."

Spike gave a concerned look, "This whole 'mystery mare' thing is getting to you, huh?"

Twilight's ears sagged, "Yes....Her name is Shiera, by the way, not 'Mystery mare'. Still....It's been on my mind a lot lately, especially after meeting with her today..."

"Well, don't worry about it, Twilight. Besides, I will always be here with you as your number one assistant! I'll stick by you no matter how crazy things get!"

Twilight chuckled and nuzzled him. "Yeah, I'm glad to have you with me, Spike..."

Spike climbed up the bed and sat down next to her. "Hey, i know there is a lot things we don't understand about all of this, but i think everything will be alright. After all we have been through stranger things before, and have faced much tougher situations before, and we have always made it out okay."

"You're, right Spike. Thank you, i needed it that."

"See? I told, everything is A-Okay! Whatever happens, we can handle it!"

They both chuckled, and afterwards, Twilight was finally able to drift off to sleep, her mind relieved for now.

Author's Note

It might be a few days or even a week before i have time for the next chapter, but we will see. I hope you are enjoying this so far, and i will continue to keep trying my best!

Chapter 7: A Royal Meeting

The Sun had already risen when Shiera noticed Nurse RedHeart awaken. "Sleep well?" she asked, her voice calm and collected. Nurse RedHeart blinked in confusion, "Hmm? Oh dear! it seems i fell asleep, goodness me..." Shiera watched as the pony-nurse got out of her chair and stretch for but the briefest of moments. Shiera had expected a yawn or something, but the nurse did no such thing. Instead, she turned to Shiera and asked, "How about some breakfast? You haven't eaten anything since you arrived."

Shiera blushed, she had completely forgotten about food. Strangely, she didn't feel all that hungry, but she shoved those feelings away. It hadbeen a while since she last ate. "Uh, yes, i would like that very much."
Nurse RedHeart smiled and nodded before leaving the room to go get breakfast.

Shiera decided to get off her bed as well, as she felt she needed to stretch as well. However, things did not go exactly as planned. Shiera was very much used to walking on two feet, thus, she was caught off balance by the different center of gravity that her body had, and fell flat on her face.

"Ow...." she groaned, as she lifted herself off of the floor. It felt strange be on all four hooves. While it felt natural to her body, Shiera's mind was still quite used to being in human form, thus why it felt so awkward. "So impractical....how are you supposed to hold things or get anything done when you need at leas three legs to stand up straight?" she pondered.

Sadly, she would have to shove away those thoughts for now. She really needed to stretch, and it would give her a chance to test out this new body a little bit. She started by lifting one hoof and stretching as far as it would go, and then proceeded to do so with her other limbs. Then she began making circular motions around the shoulder of each joint, testing out how the could and could not bend. She noticed that her front two legs were a lot more flexible than what normal horse's would be. They felt a lot more like arms than legs, but still had hooves like her back pair of legs. That brought another question to her, how would she be able to hold or grab anything with these things? She was starting to miss her fingers now.

She took a few more minutes to finish her stretches, but as she did the door opened up, revealing Nurse Redheart with a tray of what could only be assumed to be food on her back. She walked over to the table by the bed and placed the tray upon it. Shiera looked at the selection at hand-er, hoof she supposed. "Oh thank you, it looks.....um....well honestly, other than the apple, i don't know what any of this stuff is..."

Shiera pointed to one of the odd pastry looking ones, "What is this?" she asked. Nurse RedHeart began to giggle. "Oh, don't tell me....you honestly don't know what a cupcake is?" "Cup....cake? What is that?" Shiera asked, unsure of what was so funny.

The white-coated mare continued to giggle. "It's a treat. It's like a cake, but small and sugary. Try it, i think you will like it." Oh, like a cake...she should have figured that out by its name. Still, she liked cake, well some cakes. She hesitated for a moment, and then looked down at her hooves. "Um....how do i grab it?" Shiera asked, blushing a bit in embarrassment.

Nurse RedHeart went quiet for a moment, seemingly studying Shiera for a moment. Finally she replied, "Well, you grab it with your hoof, silly." Shiera simply stared at her and frowned. "How?" she turned back to the cupcake and carefully placed one of her hooves on it. Nothing happened. Nurse Redheart sighed, "Just think about grabbing it, and you will. It's not too hard, see?"

Shiera watched as the Nurse put her hoof on the apple and then suddenly lifted it up. Shiera's eyes widened in amazement. "Oh...." She then returned her attention back to the cupcake and gave it another try. Sure enough, it worked. She was not sure what kind of magic was keeping the cupcake firmly in her hoof, but whatever it was, Shiera was Immensely grateful for it.

She took a bite out of the cupcake. Her eyes widened it surprise. It was very sweet, very much like one of those honey rolls back home. however this tasted far more sugary than anything she had before. She decided she like cupcakes. Sadly, it seemed it take a bit to learn how not to eat so messily, but if the food was this good, she didn't mind having to relearn it.

It was then that there was a knock at the door. Nurse RedHeart suddenly perked up. "Oh! That must be the Princesses!" Shiera gave a curious look, "Princesses?"

Nurse RedHeart gave a sheepish smile, "Oops, i seem to forgot to mention that you have visitors today! The Princesses seemed very interested in meeting you!" Without another word, the nurse opened the door. and sure enough, there stood four ponies. two of which bore crowns upon their brows, and the other two clear dressed in guard attire. The princesses were much....taller...than what Shiera was expecting. And they also had both horns and wings. Shiera wasn't familiar with what those were.

Before introductions could be made, there was a loud clattering noise from outside in the hallway, followed by the sound of hooves rushing towards the door. "Sorry I'm late! I overslept! Are the Princesses here yet?!" came a voice that Shiera recognized from yesterday. Shiera watched as familiar lavender unicorn slipped and barreled right into one of the guards, knocking him into the other guard, causing the lot of them to fall onto the floor. "Oof! Sorry!".

Twilight lifted her head, now noticing the Princesses, and exactly who it was she barreled into, and she got up with a sheepish smile. "Princess Luna! Princess Celestia! I am soooo sorry! i was late and just wanted be here in time for your arrival, and then i got into a rush and---"

The tall white one of the two princesses chuckled, "It's okay, Twilight, just....next time watch where you are going. And don't run. This is a hospital after all."

Twilight blushed and bowed in respect, "Yes, Princess Celestia, I....will remember that." Shiera could sense there was a bond between the two, though as to what it was still eluded her.

Every pony in the room except for Shiera gave a bow to the princesses. Shiera merely stared at them curiously. The tall white one, whom Twilight had called 'Celestia' spoke first.

"So you are Shiera An, i presume? Twilight has told me quite a lot about you....I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Princess Luna."

Shiera grimaced, she was never a fan of political formalities. She hesitated in introducing herself, but finally decided to go with "Pheonix General Shiera An of the Shu Empire, but you can just call me Shiera..." She decided to leave the whole her being an Empress thing a secret for now. Not many pleasant memories with that title....well, that wasn't entirely true....

The one called Luna frowned, "Shu? I thought Twilight said it was the An...? No matter, it is nice to meet you, Pheonix General Shiera An." Twilight then perked up, "Pheonix General? That would explain the swords.....but is that what you were before? A pheonix?" she asked excitedly.

Shiera, having switched to political mode, showed no emotion, save for a small frown. "No. I was not....it's a title, one that--"

However, Twilight interrupted with yet another question, "Wait, i thought you said that Shu empire isn't around anymore. you called it the 'Former Shu' Empire, if i'm not mistaken, and you said you were from something called the 'An' Empire..."

Shiera cursed herself for being so lenient with that information. She was also not particularly happy with the lavender unicorn.

Shiera took another bite of her cupcake, opting to finish it before continuing the conversation. "Fine. I lied. Pheonix General is my old title. I had hoped i could skim by without having to mention it, but--" she gave Twilight a steel eyed glare, "I'm actually Shiera An, Empress of the An Empire. Though i'd really be fine if we didn't use that title."

Twilight gasped, "You're an Empress??!!" Thankfully, Celestia unfolded one of her wings, silencing Twilight for the moment. "Was an Empress. I died, remember?"

"Well, Shiera An, you look quite lively for one who has died, as you have claimed," said the called Luna. Shiera frowned. "I don't have an answer to that. I died, then i fell, and now suddenly i am here, talking to rainbow colored horses whilst also being one myself and i now have a horn on my head, making me a unicorn. You try explaining that one." she replied flatly.

"So what Twilight said was true, you really are from another world," said Celestia. Shiera merely nodded, "I suppose so...."

"See? I told you, Twilight was right!" said a voice. It was only then that Shiera noticed the small purple and green lizard that was standing next to Twilight. "Shh, Spike, the Princesses are talking!" urged Twilight.

"So it seems Lizards can talk in this world, too. Does every creature speak in this world?" Shiera asked, turning back to the breakfast place Nurse RedHeart had brought.

"No! And i am not a lizard, i am a dragon! Thank you very much!" the small one named Spike, huffed. Shiera rolled her eyes, suppressing a chuckle. "No you aren't. You look nothing like a dragon."

"Hey!!" he protested, but Celestia raised her wing again, silencing him. "I assure you, Spike is indeed a dragon. I know waking up in this new world must be strange and unsettling for you, but surely you could tell us more about you, and perhaps we can figure out how it is you came here, and perhaps even find a way for you to return home..."

Shiera noticed the motherly aura that this Princess Celestia emitted. She wasn't sure what to make of it. However, Shiera certainly did want to go home again. "....I....I'm not sure i can be of much help...I just remember falling....and landing....and then waking up here. I can't remember anything that happened between the moment i died and the moment i woke up here. I'm sorry..."

Both of the princesses frowned. They seemed to be contemplating on what to say next. They even looked a bit sad. However Shiera didn't need anybody pitying her. She then decided to change the subject, and pointed at one of the other pastries on her tray. "What is this?"

Nurse RedHeart suddenly perked up, "That is called a Donut. It's good too."

"Dooooonnnnut.....weird name," she replied, taking a bite of it. It tasted like sugar bread, but even sweeter. It wasn't quite as sweet as the cupcake though. She decided she liked it more than the cupcake.

Author's Note

Alrighty, now things are starting to pick up....well a little bit at least. Sorry it took so long to get this out, but at least it's here now! I hope you enjoy it!

P.S. (i don't know why, but the entire time i had to fight the urge to call Nurse RedHeart Nurse Joy....)

Chapter 8: Touched

Twilight bit her lip as she pondered the situation. Apparently, Shiera was an Empress, back in her own world, but for some odd reason, she didn't seem to want to be called by that title. Even when the princesses offered to help find her a way home, she didn't really seem all that eager. Twilight couldn't figure out why. She could also tell that Shiera wasn't very happy with her. Apparently, Shiera had not intended on sharing her real title with the group. Twilight felt bad, she didn't mean to upset her...

Furthermore, Shiera seemed more interested in her food trey than talking any further with the princesses, which Twilight found to be rude. "Hey! The Princesses are only trying to help! The least you could do is listen to them!" Twilight said, taking a step forward. Shiera gave a long sigh. "You're right, i'm sorry. But.....you said you were princesses? Perhaps i could speak to a higher authority, then?" Her ears seemed to perk up, and her full attention was on Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are the highest authority in Equestria!" Twilight informed her. Shiera gave them all an incredulous look. "But you are just princesses. Does that not leave a power vacuum? What is to stop a Lord or Emperor from claiming sovereign rights?"

Luna stomped her hoof, "We are. No foreign power will ever claim dominion over Equestria without going through us and our armies!" Luna spoke with much authority, but Shiera didn't seem to show any initial reaction, but finally she nodded her head and shrugged. "I meant no offense, i was simply curious. I am not very familiar with how this world works, after all. I apologize if i have offended you. It was not my intent."

Princess Celestia was the first to respond, "It is alright. It is understandable that you would not be....familiar with how things are done here in Equestria. We shall respect your ways, but we ask that you respect our ways in turn."

Shiera nodded, and then Twilight noticed something strange. Shiera seemed to shift from her formal and proper self to that of an almost fragile mare...

"What do i do? I....I-I'm all alone now.....What did i do wrong? Why am i here?" Shiera asked, her voice barely more than a whisper. She seemed to be talking to herself rather than anypony else in the room. She had stopped looking at Celestia, and instead just stared at her own hooves.

Celestia moved to try and comfort her, but upon being touched, Shiera seemed to jolt back to herself, "I-I'm fine. I'm fine." Twilight watched as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "It's.....just stress, is all..."

Shiera took a deep breath. "I....I actually have a question i've been meaning to ask..."

"Yes, what is it?" asked Celestia.

Shiera took a moment to formulate the question, but decided being blunt about it wouldn't hurt. "What is with those butt tattoos you all have? Do you brand yourselves? Are they marks of ownership? Or something else? Why are they all different? Are you all slaves or something?"

Everyone in the room except for Shiera broke into laughter. Shiera didn't see what was so funny about that. Finally, Twilight was the one who finally managed to answer. "They are called Cutie Marks. And they aren't branded. And it doesn't mean we are slaves or that someone owns us. They are a sign of our destiny, silly! They appear when a pony discovers their special talent."

Shiera pondered this for a moment. What a bizarre idea it was. But then, this whole world was bizarre, so she really couldn't say that it was anymore out of the ordinary than anything else she had seen. She glanced down at her own flank. Did that mean she'd have to get one too? She hoped not, that kind of seemed weird to her. She didn't need another thing marking her as different than she already had. Her natural born white hair was proof of that. Though, truthfully, she wasn't sure that it was so out of place here in this world.

Shiera began walking around the room, inspecting everyone's cutie mark. She finally stopped at Twilight's, and raised hoof. She paused and looked at Twilight, "May i?" she asked, not wanting to be rude.

Twilight gave a nervous chuckle, "Go ahead, it's fine. Just don't get any weird ideas about it."

Shiera wasn't sure why, but that line made her chuckle a bit. She then pressed her hoof against the mark, and that is when it happened.

An unearthly, ear piercing screech emanated from the mark, and Twilight jumped away with a scream of pain. The mark began to flicker in and out of existence for a brief moment before turning back to normal. There was a small, red burning hoof mark on it, that also faded away as well.

"Ow!! What did you do?!" cried Twilight.

Shiera stumbled back, "I don't know, i just touched it! Are you saying that isn't what normally happens?!"

"Well, Obviously not! That hurt! And that definitely isn't normal!" Twilight retorted.

Shiera frowned, "I'm sorry, i honestly don't know what happened. I did not mean to hurt you."

Luna spoke up, "That is very strange. I have never seen a cutie mark do that before, have you, Sister?"

"No, i have not," replied Celestia.

"Did she cast a spell or something?" asked Nurse RedHeart.

Shiera quickly retorted, "I did not! I know when i use magic! And i did not use any magic! i just touched her, that's all!"

Celestia stepped forward. "Here, but your hoof on me." Shiera gave her an uneasy look. "I don't think---"

"Just do it, i promise i will not get angry at you."

With a sigh, Shiera put a hoof on Celestia's chest. Nothing happened. Shiera touched her again, but nothing happened.

"Hmm. Try touching my Cutie Mark." Celestia urged. Shiera frowned, not wanting to really do this, but she complied. That ear piercing screech could be heard again, and Celestia suddenly darted away before regaining her composure. The Cutie Mark began flickering in and out just as Twilight's had done before, and that same red hot hoof mark could be seen too, before it faded away, leaving no trace it was ever there in the first place. Just like before, a few seconds later her Cutie Mark was back to normal, as if nothing had happened.

"This....is most unusual..." said Celestia, wincing a bit. "Agreed," replied Luna.

Shiera just looked down at her hoof. "I am just as lost as you guys on this, i have no idea what just happened. This is just another layer of bizareness added to my day..."

Spike spoke up, "I don't get it, it's like Cutie Marks don't like her touch. I've never heard of anything like that. Have you, Twilight?"

Twilight frowned, "Well, no....but that did hurt. But the pain is gone now. Maybe it has something to do with why she doesn't have a Cutie Mark, I don't know."

"Well i have never heard of any blank flank doing that before," retorted Spike. Twilight sighed, "Like i said, i dont know. Maybe there's something in one of books in the library, or maybe in the Royal Archive? I don't know i'd have to check."

"I know i certainly haven't heard of anything like this before. Perhaps it has something to do with where you came from, Shiera?"

Shiera shrugged, "I don't know. We don't have 'Cutie Mark' things back in my old world. And i am pretty sure nothing like this ever happened to me back in my world either. I am just as clueless here."

The all went silent for a moment, everyone clearly confused as to what just happened. Finally Shiera decided to break the silence.

"Um, one last question....Can I leave this hospital now? Besides the freaky touch thing, i feel rather fine. Also this room is starting to feel really crowded at the moment...."

Author's Note

Finally we can now focus on getting out of that hospital. Definitely could use a change of scenery, and its about time Shiera starts to explore the world she's woken up in. Not sure when the next chapter will be out, but hopefully soon! Hopefully tomorrow, but we will see if my schedule allows it. I hope you are enjoying the story so far. I aim to keep improving as i can.

Chapter 9: Leaving

The princesses turned to look at Doctor Horse, whom did not immediately notice them staring at him. Twilight cleared her throat to grab his attention, and finally he took notice. "Hmm? Oh! The patient, yes...well physically, she seems fine. though a bit of question could be made to her mental state. Her recovery from her injuries was quite impressive. She recovered in just two weeks what would take a normal pony months to heal, without magical aid, of course. I would advise to have someone keep an eye on her, but other than that she is free to go, if you deem it safe, that is, Your Majesties."

Celestia gave a small glance towards Shiera before finally nodding. "It is. However that does bring up the question of what to do with you. Considering your....unusual situation, we can offer you a room and a bed in back in Canterlot Castle. You would be well accomodated as visiting royalty from another....kingdom. It would be interesting to have you with us, Empress Shiera An."

Shiera bit her lip, "No. I will not abide by that title. I died. I am not an Empress anymore."

"Well, technically, dying doesn't actually make one lose their--" Twilight began to interject, but Shiera cut her off with a icy cold stare.

"Dead. Not. An. Empress. Don't call me Pheonix General either! it's just Shiera, got it?!" Shiera exclaimed.

"But--"

"NO!" Shiera paused and saw the shocked expressions on the others, then took a step back before sighing. She hadn't meant to shout. "J-Just drop it, and forget it. Just call me Shiera, okay. I....the memories those titles bring back....i don't want them right now, okay? And i am not staying in a castle. It just feels...awkward..."

Celestia gave a small frown before walking over and draping a wing over Shiera's back. "Then just Shiera it is. But if you aren't staying in the castle, then we still need to find a place to stay. I will not have a guest without a home, especially not in Equestria."

"She can stay with me at the Golden Oaks Library. We have a spare room there. I am sure Spike wouldn't mind, right Spike?"
Twilight offered.

"Huh? Oh, uh, I guess..." Spike said, rubbing the back of his head with a claw, "I mean, yeah, sure! I don't mind at all!" He gave a nervous laugh, but something told Shiera that he was being genuine.

Twilight smiled, "I guess that settles it, then. Does that sound good to you, Shiera?" Shiera nodded. She didn't say anything as she was still fighting back a few memories that had floated back into her mind. Memories of her time as a soldier, and her time as an empress...

A few minutes later, Shiera followed Twilight and Spike towards the hospital exit. The Princesses had stayed behind to speak a little more with Nurse RedHeart and Doctor Hooves. Shiera was curious to see what new strange things awaited her outside. However, before they could make it to the door, a nurse approached them, carrying something that was wrapped very carefully in a towel. "Oh, are you leaving? Here, we were told these were found next to you shortly after you were rescued. They are yours, correct?"

Shiera lifted the covering fold of the towel and her eyes widened, "My swords! They came with me?" She grabbed them, weilding each one in her hooves. She stood on her hind legs to compensate. The swords were exactly as she remembered them. Though something was missing....

"We found them not far from where you landed. We weren't sure what to do with them, so the staff here kept an eye on them," explained Twilight.

Shiera frowned, "But.....where are the sheathes?"

"The....sheathes? What sheathes?"

"The sheathes! You know, the things that you put swords in so that you can carry them without always having to hold them or worry about cutting other people?"

"People? Well, I am sorry, but we didn't find any sheathes around there, it was just you and those swords, i'm sorry." Twilight hung her head in apologies. Shiera sighed.

"Well, i guess i'll have to get new ones....It's okay, i'll just carry them for now." Shiera gave them a few swings, twirling them with a bit a fleurish. At least that hadn't left her. Still it felt awkward. She was holding them with hooves, not hands and fingers, and while the grip was somehow still the same, the feeling wasn't. Her arms still had the same mobility that she was used to, but standing on her hindlegs felt weird. The center of balance was off from what she was used to. She would probably have to relearn how to run and jump using this body, at least whilst weilding her swords. Running and jumping while on all four hooves seemed easy enough to figure out. The question would be, could she do it while on two?

She glanced around and noticed the nervous looks of the ponies around her. She then glanced at the towel that the nurse was still holding. "Do you mind if i keep this for now? At least until i get new, proper sheathes?"

The nurse nodded. Shiera smiled and thank her, then proceeded to wrap the blades back up in the towel. Now the problem of how she was going to carry it occurred to her.

"Why don't you use your magic to hold it, like this?" Twilight asked. Suddenly, Twilight's horn began to glow and the towel levitated into the air, held by her magic. Shiera frowned, "Because i have no idea how to do that. Levitation magic wasn't a necessity of battle magic, at least, not back in my world. Plus, i had hands."

Twilight gave her a curious look, "Hands? What are those?" Shiera merely frowned, "Nevermind, forget it."

"I guess i'll help carry these then. But i think i can teach you how to do it. The Levitation spell is one of the easiest spells to learn, after all," Twilight offered, smiling.

Shiera gave it a moment of thought, "Sure. I would like that. And.....thank you. Even though none of us know what is going on, and despite me being from another world, you and everyone else so far have been so nice to me.....thank you."

Twilight smiled, "No problem, if there's one thing Equestria is known for, its our kindness and friendly attitude!"

Perhaps this world wasn't so bad....it was definitely strange, but definitely not the hell she initially believed it to be. However, only time would tell...

Author's Note

Sorry this chapter took so long. It's been a mixture of a wacky schedule and an awful migraine that kept me from writing it. But now its here! Sorry that it's a bit short, but hopefully i can remedy that with a bit longer chapter in the next chapter.

Anyways, i hope you enjoy!

Chapter 10: Ponyville

Shiera blinked a few times as the sunshine hit her as they walked out of the hospital. Not far in the distance, she could see a small village, which she could only guess was this Ponyville that the others had mentioned. She took a moment to take a look around at the world around. It was...a bit brighter than her own world, everything seemed to have a slightly brighter hue to it. The was also a lot more ambient magic in the air, but this didn't surprise her as much. It just meant magic was used more in the area, or in this case, world.

Shiera kept pace with Twilight, though it wasn't hard to do, since they walked at a slow place. Shiera didn't mind that though. She needed time to let everything sink in. It wasn't long, though, until they came across other ponies as they made their way towards the village. They were friendly enough, even waving and smiling. However Shiera did noticed that some of their stares would linger on her, and that their smiles would sometimes turn into concerned frowns.

"Do i really stick out that much?" Shiera asked as they walked.

"Hmm?" Twilight took a look around before finally noticing, "Oh, it's probably because of your blank flank. It's very unusual to see a full grown mare without a Cutie Mark. Ponies normally always get them while they are still foals. It's practically unheard of for adults to not have one."

"Yeah, but i bet you'll get yours soon, so you don't have to worry too much!" exclaimed Spike.

Shiera frowned, "Oh....for a moment i thought they were staring at my hair..."

"What's wrong with your hair?" asked Spike. And Shiera merely pointed at it with a frown. "Wait, you are talking about your mane? What about it?"

Shiera had taken noticed of the many different colors of hair that the ponies seemed to have. But she didn't see any with white though. "I....I was born with snow white hair. A sign from the gods that i was gifted with magic. In my world, it is unusual for anyone to be born with such a color of hair. Most people only get white hair by growing old. I....just wasn't sure if it was the same here or not..."

Twilight seemed to ponder this for a moment before replying, "Well, I wouldn't say having a white mane is common here, either, but it's not that unusual. Ponies come in all shapes, sizes, and colors here."

Shiera didn't give a reply, but there was an obvious breath of relief in her expression.

After a moment, Shiera frowned, "I can't really say i am entirely relieved. I am not sure how i feel about people now staring at my butt instead of my hair...."

For some reason, both Spike and Twilight found that to be very funny, and began to laugh.

"What? What is so funny? I don't need anybody staring at me funny just because i don't have a butt tattoo!" Shiera protested, but that only made Spike and Twilight giggle more.

After a few minutes, after the laughter finally managed to die down a bit, Twilight finally spoke up, "Don't worry about it. You're safe here. The ponies here all good ponies, i promise. There is nothing to worry about. You are just....new, is all."

"Yeah, Twilight is right. Sure everything might be new and kind of scary, but there is nothing to worry about!"

Shiera sighed, "If you say so..."

Twilight smiled, "Here, let me show you around town."

After they finished talking with Doctor Hooves and Nurse RedHeart, and she was sure they were alone, Princess Luna turned to her sister and frowned. "Sister, i think i've found the pony who has been having those strange dreams i've been telling you about."

"It's Shiera, isn't it?" Celestia asked, perceptive as always.

"Yes. I recognized her from the dreams. She is definitely the same pony that i see in them. But...." Luna bit her lip, hesistant to continue.

"Yes, Luna? What is it?"

"She's...not at all what i was expecting. And she didn't act or behave like she did in the dreams...it was almost like she was a different pony. But i know it was her, it was definitely her that i saw in those dreams...."

Celestia frowned. "Well, with Shiera being from another world and all, perhaps it is simply a result of that? We know not how those of her world dream, after all."

Luna sighed, "Perhaps you are right, sister. I hope that is indeed the case." Celestia then stepped forward and wrapped a wing around her.

"It's gonna be okay, we will figure this all out. In the mean time, i don't think she mean us any harm. She just scared, frightened, and confused, having woken up in a world that isn't her own, and right after dying....It's no wonder her dreams are mess. Just give her time, and we will figure this out."

Luna nuzzled close to her sister, "You're right....i hope." Still, something about the whole thing still felt off to her. What she saw in those dreams....something about it just wasn't natural. However, Luna decided to put aside those worries for now, and decided to simply trust in her sister for now. Only time would tell, after all.

"....Aaaand this...is Sugar Cube Corner!" Twilight said, giving a bright and cheery smile as she pointed to the building in front of them. Shiera could smell the scent of bake goods from where she stood. It was clearly a bakery of sorts. Twilight stepped forward before turning back to Shiera, "Come on, i'm sure you'll like it!" Curious, Shiera followed her inside.

Upon entering, it wasn't long before Shiera noticed a familiar pink pony who was in the middle of serving a customer. Shiera frowned, and to her dismay, the Pink One noticed her. The smile that Pinkie gave was a bit unnerving, but also a tad adorable as well, like a child eating their first piece of candy. Pinkie Pie finished serving her customer, and then faster then a blink of an eye, Shiera felt herself get tackled to the floor by a big pink blur. "Aahhgh!!" she cried out in startled confusion.

"Hurray! You're out of the Hospital! You recovered pretty quickly from falling out of the sky and all. Are you a zombie? Are you here to eat our brains? You don't look like a zombie. Also why don't you have a Cutie Mark? Have you ever had a birthday cake before? Are you a spy who's real name is Laser Claw, but you had an accident and lost your claw, and then had to get special surgery to have a normal hoof, but you couldn't pay for it, so you took sky diving lessons to become an air delivery person and it all went wrong and that's why we found you in the forest with scorch marks all around and those swords?!!" Pinkie asked, speaking faster than Shiera could understand. Pinkie then took a deep breath, "Also would you like a cupcake? They're on the house! Especially since you're a new customer and all!"

Shiera could only stare at her in confused silence. Twilight thankfully spoke first, "Calm down there, Pinkie Pie, she's still not used to everything just yet. She's still new here."

Pinkie Pie finally got off of her, and helped her back up. "Hehe, Sorry about that. Here, have a cupcake!" Shiera blinked a few times before looking down at the cupcake. "Um, t-thanks for the offer, but may get one of those do--"

"A donut? Here you go!!" In a flash, Pinkie put away the cupcake and pulled out a donut, seemingly out of nowhere. "Uh...thank you?" Shiera said staring at the donut, still trying to grasp what exactly just happened to her.

"Thank you, Pinkie Pie! Spike and I are showing Shiera around town. We should get going, talk to you later, okay?" said Twilight with wave.

"Okay! See you later, Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said with a big wave. Shiera was still staring at her donut until Twilight gave her a pat on the back and guided her to the door. Once outside, Shiera blinked a few times. "Is she always....?"

"Ooooh, you don't know the half of it!" chuckled Spike.

Shiera stared back down at her donut. It was different than the one she had before. This one had pink icing on top, along with rainbow colored specks sprinkled all about. "What are these?" Shiera asked, pointing at the specks.

"Those are sprinkles. Try it! I think you'll like it!" Twilight said with a reassuring smile.

Shiera took a bite. More Sugar goodness. With a hint of strawberry. Yep. It was certain. Shiera definitely liked donuts. Though part of her wondered if all of this sugar was healthy. "Mmmf. It's good," she replied.

Spike chuckled, "Well thats good. I knew you'd like it!"

Shiera then frowned, "Um....i'd hate to ask, but.....is there anything to drink here? I need something to help wash it down..."

"Sure! follow me."

Author's Note

I've decided to push myself and starting from now on, i am putting a 1,500 word minimum requirement on myself when i am writing chapters. I just feel reaching simply for a 1,000 isn't enough. Perhaps i will increase that limit later on, but i think this will do for now.

Like i said, i aim to keep improving. And i hope you guys continue to enjoy the story. ^^

Chapter 11: Cakes, Apples, and Little Things

Shiera gulped down the glass of water. It was strange to see a cup made of glass, but the novelty of it was only brief. Her throat felt a lot better, and she realized she was still a little thirsty. "May i have more, please?" she asked the stallion who was attending the stall. "Sure thing, here ya go!" with a quick motion he poured another cup of water and even put in a bit of ice. Shiera thanked him, and took a few leisure sips before turning back to Twilight. Shiera felt bad for not being to pay for it herself, but she didn't have any money on her, and she wasn't sure how the currency of the world worked just yet. Plus, she only agreed because Twilight had offered. Shiera would have been more than happy to simply take sip in a nearby pool or river, but Twilight had said that it wasn't necessary.

Shiera wasn't sure what to think. Everyone here had been awfully nice to her, something that almost felt bizarre...
It wasn't that people weren't nice to her in her old world, far from it. It was just, people weren't usually this nice. She wasn't sure how she felt about it all yet.

"So what do you think?" asked Twilight, giving Shiera a curious look. Shiera peeked over to see Spike had fallen asleep on Twilight's back. "The water is nice," she replied, taking another sip.

"No, i meant---" just then two ponies stopped in front of us. Neither of them had a horn or wings, but their colors were quite odd. One was blue, almost teal-ish in color and had a swirly pinky mane and tail, and the other one was yellow with orange mane and tail.

"Hey, Twilight! And....oh my! A new friend of yours, Twilight?" asked the blue one with the swirly pink mane and tail.

"Oh, hi Mr. and Mrs. Cake! Um, well uh, yes! This is Shiera An, she'll be staying with Spike and I at the library for a while. She's.....from out of town."

"Well that's nice. Well, Shiera i will warn you, Pinkie sure does love newcomers," chuckled Mr. Cake.

Shiera gave a nervous chuckle, "Yeah....we've met."

"Oh! That's nice. I'm sorry, but we have to go. Have to get these groceries over to the bakery! Have a nice day!" waved Mrs. Cake as she and her husband walked towards where Shiera and Twilight had just came.

"That was Mr. and Mrs. Cake. They own the Sugar Cube Corner. They let Pinkie Pie stay and work there. They are really nice," Twilight explained.

Shiera gave one last curious glance at the two before turning back to Twilight, "So where to next?"

"Hmm, Sweet Apple Acres, i think. We should probably visit AppleJack and her family before it gets too late. Plus it's the farthest place on our list, so getting it out of the way now will make the rest of day much easier." Shiera was going to ask a question, but Twilight seemed to have already made up her mind about it, so Shiera decided it was best to just simply follow her.

AppleJack was already waiting for them when they finally arrived. Shiera wasn't sure how she could have possibly known they were going to be there, but her question got answered when AppleJack spoke up.

"Twilight? And...Shiera? What are y'all two doin' here? I was just about ta head in ta town."

"Oh, well Shiera is feeling better, and so i decided to show her around town. She'll be staying with Spike and I at the library, at least until we can find a way to send her back home." AppleJack gave a questioning look before giving both Twilight and Shiera a look over. Her expression changed to that of acceptance, and she simply shrugged. "I don't mind introducin' ya to the family. We Apples are all hard workers here at Sweet Apple Acres."

As AppleJack guided them to her home, Shiera noticed something odd. "The Trees! They have....apples?! How strange!"

Both Twilight and AppleJack turned to look Shiera. "Haven't ya seen an Apple Tree before?" AppleJack asked, with a frown. Shiera shook her head. "But you know what an apple is, right?" inquired Twilight. Shiera nodded. "Back in my old world, apples are a foreign export. They are bought and traded from other lands, and served as a foreign delicacy. I'd had a few before, but i had never seen or been told how they were made..."

"That's strange, but understandable, i guess." AppleJack replied, though she seemed to think on it for a moment longer, before her expression returned to its neutral state. "Well, anyways, here we are: Sweet Apple Acres. Home, sweet home."

Shiera's expression turned to that of brief surprise as she looked at the land before her. It was a farm. With a barn and everything. She should have figured, given the name of the place, but Shiera had been preoccupied with other thoughts. It was definitely a farm. Smelled like one, too. But thankfully, Shiera's training as a soldier had taught her how to utilize shallow breaths for such occasions.

AppleJack led them to the door, and asked them to wait while she gathered the family. Before long, AppleJack and three other ponies came out into view. "Well, Shiera, this here is my family, at least the ones here at the moment, this here is Big Macintosh, Applebloom and Granny Apple. Big Mac, Applebloom, Granny, this is Shiera An. She's from...."
"Out of town!" Twilight quickly cut in with a nervous chuckle.

Shiera looked at the group, "Um, hi..." The group was an odd sort, but one could definitely tell they were a family. Even if they were all different colors.

"Hi! My name is Applebloom! It's nice to meet---" the small one began, before her eyes suddenly grew big as she noticed Shiera's flank. "You're a Blank Flank too?! But....You're all big and grown up! Maybe you need help finding yours too...."

"Now, now, Applebloom, Shiera's a guest here, and she's only staying in town for a short while, at least until we can find a way to get her home..." chided AppleJack.

Applebloom gave Shiera a curious look. "Are you lost?"

"Well....sort of," Shiera replied.

"Well as long as you don't go startin' any trouble here, and start ruining anythin' here on the farm, you're okay in my book!" exclaimed Granny Apple.

Shiera chuckled, "Don't worry, i no stranger to farming myself."

"Really?" both Applebloom and Twilight asked at the same time.

"Well yes. My father was a soldier, but when he retired, he bought a piece of farmland, and its there that i was born and raised. He even taught me how to fight, and was a big reason why i joined the militia in the first place."

"Militia? Oh, right, you did mention being a general..." Twilight said, half mumbling.

"What's a militia?" asked Applebloom. "It's a like an army though sometimes it can be smaller," explained AppleJack. "Eeyup," reaffirmed Big Mac. "Ooohhh..."

"Well, yeah," Shiera said, blushing slightly, "But my point is, i did live on a farm when i was a little girl." A memory shifted forwarded in her mind, and she smiled. "Whatcha thinking about?" asked AppleJack. Shiera wasn't sure what made her comfortable enough to share such a thing, but share she did.

"Oh, i was just thinking about the story that my mom and dad would tell me every birthday back on my old farm..." Shiera admitted with a blush. "Ooh, can you tell us?" asked the young one. "Applebloom! It's rude to pry into stranger's personal business, especially when you've only just met," chided AppleJack.

Shiera chuckled, "No, its okay, i don't mind sharing." It was then that Shiera noticed that she had the attention of everyone in the room, "Well, take a seat, this might take a bit..."

As soon as everyone was comfortable, Shiera took a deep breath, and began. "There was once a woman who worked as fur trader..." "What's a woman?" Applebloom inquired. "Shhh! Let her tell the story." "Sorry..."

Shiera chuckled, then continued, "So, there was once a woman who worked as a fur trader. She would find and craft the most beautiful furs in all the land. Everyday, starting at sunrise, she would attend her stall and sell all the fine wares that she had crafted the previous night. And she would stay until the sun had set on the horizon before heading home. She lived a simple life, but she was happy, but she knew not what fate had in store for her. There once was a brave man, a soldier who had fought in many a battle, and was happy to serve and protect the land. He was by no means the greatest of his men, nor the least. But he held his own, and had many friends, even in his superiors. He traveled often across the land, going wherever he was needed. And by chance, he was sent to a small village near the mountains, to patrol the nights to keep the villagers safe from danger."

"What's a man? And how does one trade fur, i mean how do they---" "Applebloom!" "Sorry..."

A smirk touched Shiera's lips as she continued. "Now in this village, food was not as plentiful, and winter was a harsh maiden, and thus food was rationed carefully and meticulously. Everyday, a shady man, one whom was known as a beggar, would come to collect his food at the town hall, just as all the other villagers did. And every day, like everyone else, he was given a loaf of bread, a sack of rice, and some nuts and berries. While this was by no means a substantial meal, it kept his belly warm at night, just as it did every other villager. However, one day, a particularly rough storm had passed and had damaged some of the village's crops. They now only had enough food to feed everyone once every two days. It was rough on everyone, but the beggar took it especially hard. One night, he decided he would wait no more, and he would have his food, even if he had to take it from another. The woman who worked at the fur stand normally would be home at such a late time, but a customer had tripped and crashed into the stand, and even though he apologized and even had offered her gold in apology, she told him to keep the gold, and that it was no trouble. Though still, she stayed passed sunset to fix the stand, so that she may sell her wares unhindered the next day."

Shiera took a breath, then continued, "The beggar was desperate, he didn't care who he hurt, as long as he could get his food. It was on this night, that he noticed the woman who was fixing her fur stand, and it was then that he approached her and pulled out a knife. The beggar demanded her food, but she had been busy selling her furs that day, and had not gone to collect her food, so thus, she had no food to give. The beggar did not believe her pleas though, and lunged forward with his knife."

Shiera paused as she heard cries of shock and horror from the group, but she continued on.

"It was also on this night, that the soldier was out on patrol. He wasn't even supposed to be working that night, but a friend of his had gotten sick, so he offered to take his patrol for him. And thus, whilst on his patrol, the soldier heard the cries of the lady who ran the fur stand, and rushed to her aid. It was there he saw the beggar about to strike the woman with his knife. The soldier, without even a moment's hesitation, drew his sword and with one clean swoop, cut the beggar's head clean off! Thus saving the woman." Shiera emphasized this by making a sword sweeping motion with her hooves. The entire group gasped in utter shock and horror. "How barbaric...That's more disturbing than a cow with a pig's left leg..." AppleJack exclaimed, shriveling her snout and sticking out her tongue in disgust. However, Shiera was not done with the story...

"The woman and the soldier then locked eyes. The woman was mesmerized by the handsome warrior who had saved her life, and he was mesmerized by her unmatched beauty. It was then that the two fell in love. And they lived happily ever after." The others began to open their mouths to speak, but Shiera raised a hoof. "That woman was my mother. And the soldier, my father. If just one thing had happened differently that day....if the Beggar had gotten his food, If that customer hadn't of slipped, if my father's friend hadn't gotten sick, If the beggar hadn't noticed my mother.....if just one thing had happened differently that day. My mother and father would have never met, and i would have never been born."

The group simply stared at her in stunned silence, not sure what to say. "My mother always told me that it's always the smallest things make the biggest of changes," Shiera said, smiling to herself. She was not sure why she had shared that story with them, especially since they were all strangers to her. Perhaps it was the memory, or perhaps it was the aura that all of them gave off, or perhaps it was simply because she was simply reminded of her old home and her life before joining the militia. Perhaps it was all of these things. Or none of them. Whatever it was, Shiera figured she would never know.

"Well...Thank you for sharing that with us....It's sounds like you and your family are no stranger to hardships, huh?" AppleJack finally asked, breaking the silence. Shiera shrugged, "Yeah, i guess, but that's pretty common where i come from."

Twilight looked out the window, "Oh my Celestia, we almost forgot the time! We still have a couple places in town we need to visit, we best get to it before it gets dark!"

Shiera jumped to her feet, er hooves, "Oh, yes, you're right! Sorry for wasting all of your time like that..."

"Hey, you didn't waste any of our time here. It was nice meetin' you, Shiera. Your welcome here anytime...." AppleJack said with a smile, "Just uh....next time let's keep the gruesome stories to a minimum, okay?"

Shiera chuckled, "Will do."

Author's Note

Sorry that this took so long. I've had this planned for a while, and when it came time to write it, it just spilled on out. And i finally got a pic up for this story, and yes, it's a vector of sorts. Sorry, i'm not really good at drawing ponies, so i decided to use this instead. Anyways, i hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry that it's a bit longer than usual, but like it i said, it kinda of just gushed out of me, lol ^^!

Chapter 12: Ponyville Part 2

As they walked, Shiera couldn't help but watch has Spike slept. She still didn't believe his claim of being a dragon, but he did look adorable while sleeping. "Is he always this sleepy?" Shiera asked with a chuckle. Suddenly Spike darted awake, "Huh? Wha...? Who said what now?" In his confusion, he shifted weight a bit too far to the left and promptly slid off of Twilight's back and landed face first on the ground. "I'm okay!" he said in a slightly muffled tone.

Shiera and Twilight couldn't help but giggle a little bit at that. "Are you alright, Spike?" Twilight asked with smile. "Yeah, i just lost my balance from oversleeping is all," Spike replied with a small blush on his face.

"Hey Spike!" called a voice from above. They all turned to see a familiar cyan colored pony take a landing in front of them.

"Hello Rainbow Dash! How is your day going?" Twilight asked. "Oh you know, busy. A few dinguses up in the cloud factory made a few too many clouds, so i've been going around and punching all those unnecessary clouds out of existence," Rainbow said in a confident, almost boastful tone.

Shiera couldn't help but stare at Rainbow Dash's wings. "A horse, er, pony with wings....i know the ones with horns are called unicorns, but what are you?" she asked. She wasn't sure if she had heard any legends of such a thing back in her old world. She heard a tale or two about unicorns, but had never given those myths any thought....at least until she woke up as one that is....

Rainbow Dash gave her a curious look, "Oh yeah, your that pony we found in the forest! You're heavier than you look, ya know. AppleJack and I had to take turns carrying you, ya know. And don't you know what a pegasus is? That's a bit strange..."

"I am the perfect weight for my size and build, thank you very much!" Shiera chided, mildly offended that this pony creature had more or less called her fat. Shiera gave herself another once over just to be sure. Nope, she was no more girthy than either Twilight or Rainbow Dash. She shook her head, that didn't matter right now anyways.

"A pegasus, so that's what a horse, er pony with wings is called?" Shiera asked.

"Well, yeah! What, do they not have those back in your world?" asked Rainbow Dash.

Shiera simply shook her head. "Not that i am aware of, though i couldn't say for certain. The world is awfully big, after all...." Another thought occurred to Shiera as she pondered, "So is that what the princesses are, Pegasuses?"

"Pegasi. And, no they are not. They are Alicorns, and have the magical traits of all three pony tribes. The Strength of the Earth Ponies, The Wings and Flight of the Pegasi, and the Horn and Magic of the Unicorns, all blended together into one. Except better in every way," explained Twilight.

Shiera simply frowned at this. She wasn't sure what to make of this information just yet, but still another question pinged in her brain. "Wait, earlier, you mentioned something called a 'Cloud Factory'? What is that?"

"It's where clouds get made, duh! It's in the name!" Rainbow Dash said with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey! Rainbow Dash, that wasn't very friendly of you. Be nicer, you know she's still new here," Twilight chided. Rainbow Dash sighed, "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry...." with another sigh, Rainbow Dash began to explain. "It's well, where clouds get made. Lots of ponies work every day to make sure have the right kinds of clouds and the right amount of clouds for the weather we are suppose to be having."

"That is strange, don't clouds form naturally on their own? And isn't the weather meant to be unpredictable?" Shiera asked, slightly intrigued by this information.

"Uh....no....Is that how weather works in your world?" Rainbow asked.

Shiera shrugged, "More or less. Though the sun and moon move ever constant, the weather is will of the gods."

"Ever constant? What does that mean? Do you have princesses that raise and lower the sun and moon too?" asked Twilight.

Shiera stopped cold in her tracks and stared at Twilight. "Raise and lower the Sun and Moon? Only gods have that sort of power. Are you saying your princesses are gods?!"

"Uh, no!! Er, well...maybe? Look it's kind of complicated, okay? But i am pretty sure Princess Luna and Princess Celestia aren't gods..." Twilight replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Princesses with the power of gods. No wonder no other nation dares claim sovereign rights. How can you when your foe has the power of gods?" Shiera said, pondering it. The group fell silent after that, until Rainbow Dash informed them that she still had worked to do, and flew off.

They continued to walk in silence until finally they reached their destination, a shop of sorts. "Here we are, the Carousel Beautique. I think this is the last stop for the day, it'll be getting dark soon," Twilight said a small sigh of relief. "Well, let's hurry and go inside already!" exclaimed Spike.

"Well he sure seems excited to be here...." Shiera noted. Twilight sighed and smiled, "You'll understand soon enough. Come on, let's go!"

A small bell rang as they entered. "Just a minute, darling, i'll be there in just a moment. Just fixing up a few things here. Won't be more than a second!" a voice called from the back, "Stop moving so much, Fluttershy!"

"Sorry..." replied a softer voice. Shiera and Twilight gave each other a glance before finally two ponies walked out from the back, carrying a medium sized flower petal quilt. It was quite beautiful to look at.

"Don't you think it's marvelous Fluttershy?" asked the white pony with purple hair.

"...Yes..." came Fluttershy's response. It was at this point that the two ponies noticed Twilight and Shiera.

"Twilight, my darling! And....the mare we found in the Everfree Forest! Why, hello! how are you?" the white on with purple hair said in a polite and gentle tone. Before Shiera could give a reply, the pony leaned in, inspecting Shiera, then suddenly started shifting through Shiera's hair with her hooves. "Oh my, what wondrous hair, darling! It's so clean and lusterous, its almost as if magic is infused in it's very fiber, my dear! You must tell me your secret!"

Shiera blushed a bit. Not many people complimented her on her hair. Only her husband and a few of her friends ever did. She was used to people always calling her "witch" or "cursed" or simply avoiding any conversation with her at all whenever the subject of her hair came up. It was nice, if not a little embarassing, to be complimented on it. Especially from a stranger she didn't know.

"Hello, Rarity. Rarity this is Shiera An, Shiera An, this is Rarity. She's Ponyville's resident fashionista," Twilight said, introducing the two. "Hi," Shiera said, not sure what the word 'Fashionista' meant. She assumed it was something similar to a clothier. But she wasn't entirely sure.

She then caught a glance at Spike, who seemed to be fawning over Rarity as she moved about. Shiera then understood why he was so eager earlier. A small smile touched her lips.

"Well, It's nice to greet you, Shiera An. I hope you'll forgive me, i was a bit busy helping Fluttershy make this quilt," Rarity said sincerely. Fluttershy blushed, "O-Oh....you didn't have to, really.....Angel Bunny gets cold sometimes, a-and i thought a quilt might help him warm up...."

"Oh....well that's a nice thing to do," Shiera noted, not sure of who this Angel Bunny was, though she was sure she would find out sooner or later. Fluttershy then gave her a nervous look, then buried her face in her hooves, then mumbled something.

"What was that, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked. Fluttershy peeked out from one of her hooves, and said in slightly more audible tone, "I said, 'I'm sorry for what i did at the hospital...' i didn't mean to frighten you like i did, Shiera....."

Shiera gave her a curious look before remembering one of the freak outs she had back at the hospital. "Oh....well you have nothing to be sorry for. In fact, i thank you very much for your kindness. I was just still...in shock is all. I assure you none of it was your fault. As i said, you have nothing to be sorry for," Shiera said in conformed but gentle tone.

"O-Oh....okay." Fluttershy then took a glance at one of the windows, "I better get going, it's starting to get late, and i don't want to keep Angel Bunny waiting....Goodbye!" And with that, she took the quilt and left.

Twilight then spoke up, "Oh, well then, we should get going as well--"
"Wait!" Shiera said, taking a step forward towards Rarity, "I wanted to ask you something. You make clothing, correct?"

Rarity blinked, then nodded, "Well, not just clothing, my dear, I make art," she wrapped vivid purple and black scarf around herself for dramatic effect. It did indeed look nice on her.
"Um, okay....Well, i wanted to ask, do you think you could.....make new sheaths for my swords? It seems they didn't come with me. I need new sheathes to hold them in so that they are easier to carry around when i am not using them...." Shiera explained, motioning Twilight to reveal her swords. Twilight complied by lowering the towel and unwrapping it enough to reveal the swords.

"Oh my. Well, i must say dear, this isn't usually my line of work...."

"Oh, then sorry....i also just realized i have nothing to pay you with either.....forget i mentioned it." Shiera said, letting her ears droop a bit.

Rarity took another look before smiling, "I didn't say i wouldn't do it, my dear! After all, I love a good challenge! I will make the most stunning and amazing sheathes you ever seen! Though i will have to keep your swords here for measurements and such."

Shiera looked at her with her mouth agape, "B-But, i have no money to--" Rarity waved a hoof at her, "Oh don't worry about it dear, we can worry about that some other time. For now, i have work to do!" And with that, she shoved Shiera, Twilight, and Spike out of the shop and closed the door behind them.

"Isn't she amazing?" Spike asked, still daydreaming about Rarity.

"I.....don't know what to say...." Shiera admitted. "Don't worry about it. Here, let's go home. It'll do us good to show you where you'll be staying while your here," Twilight replied, smiling.

Still at a loss of words, Shiera followed as they led her towards a rather large tree with a door on the front.....

Author's Note

And there we are, Shiera has now officially met all of the Mane 6. Now to see where it all goes from here....XP

Hint: the shenanigans are only just beginning..... :pinkiecrazy:

Chapter 13: Drifting Mind

As Twilight opened the door, revealing the home within the tree, Shiera couldn't help but gawk at it for a moment. She had never seen someone make a home inside a tree, let alone a tree big enough for one to do so. It was.....quaint. Their were many books and even a few scrolls that lined the many shelves in the room. Made sense, since this was the library, from what she was told. "So, what do you think? It's not as big or as ornate as the Canterlot Archives, but it's my home and i find it has a very calming atmosphere, which great for reading," Twilight said with a nervous chuckle, but Shiera could detect a hint of pride in her voice.

"It's impressive. A whole library inside of a tree....how bizarre. Clearly this must be the work of magic, though i have never seen it be used like this before..." Shiera replied, exploring the room a little bit more.

"Well, the Golden Oaks Library does have a history steeped in magic. Is there really nothing like this back where you come from?" Twilight asked.

"I'm going to go make us some supper before bedtime." Spike announced, hopping off of Twilight's back and waddling off into another room, which Shiera could only presume was the kitchen.

Shiera turned to Twilight, "Not exactly, no. I have heard of small play houses and shacks that have been built in trees, but nothing like this. Plus, they usually reside upon the branches, not literally inside the tree. At least, from what i've heard."

"So wait, you have never seen a treehouse before?" Twilight asked with her ears perked in curiosity. Shiera frowned, browsing a few books before she replied. "Well, no. Life on a farm, and life in the militia doesn't exactly let one go sight seeing. I mean, i have seen my share of sights abound, but a house, or in this case a library, in a tree simply wasn't one of them."

"Yeah, life as a soldier would keep one pretty occupied, i'd imagine," Twilight replied. Twilight pondered this for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Wait, earlier today mentioned something about Battle Magic....what is that?"

Shiera scanned the room for a moment. "I guess i can give a small demonstration. Don't worry, i won't use anything too destructive. I'd not want to harm any of your books or such. Do not worry, i know how to be careful,"

Twilight gave her an uneasy look, but Shiera proceeded anyway. Shiera took a breath and focused her magic. She felt the odd sensation of magic channeling into her forehead, specifically where her horn was. It seemed here in this world magic had to be channeled via horn to work. How inconvenient. Still, Shiera continued on.
Fire began to appear, slithering around her horn and her right fore-hoof like a snake. It wisped around gently, seemingly ready to strike at any moment. Then with a mere blink, the fire dissipated and the sound of gushing wind could be heard as the air around Shiera's right fore-hoof began to accelerate, and thinned down to a narrow point, becoming a razor's edge. Shiera spotted an apple on the other side of the room. With a single swipe of her hoof, she cleaved in two from where she stood.

The windy blade then turned to mist, and then to water as it began to form a protective ring around Shiera. With another blink, the water turned to ice, forming razor sharp shards, ready for the attack. With but a whim, Shiera then turned the ice into sand, and the sand into earth, and she began to mold it into a decent size stone. With another blink, she released the magic, and the stone fell to the ground with a small clack.

Twilight stood in awe. "I can also do lightning, but that isn't quite safe for indoors," Shiera explained with a chuckle. Suddenly a big grin appeared on Twilight's face. A quill and some paper began to float towards her as she used her levitation magic. "Ooh! A new form of magic! Yes! Well, it's Elemental Magic at it's core, but still, how did you do that? You made it turn from one element to another and then to another! And with such ease, you didn't seem to struggle at all with it! How did you transmute the matter with such a ease? This magic seems very versatile, i've never seen anything quite like it! Is it based on Starswirl's Theory of Transmutation? Wait, what am i saying, of course it isn't! This is so exciting!"

Shiera took a few steps back, and frowned. "Calm down there. Yes, it's Elemental Magic, but it's specifically designed for combat. It has many applications, many of which i can teach you, if you wish. In return, i'd like to learn that Levitation spell you and the other unicorns are able to do. That, and perhaps a few other spells, if they're useful..."

Twilight's face was beaming with excitement, "Oh my Celestia! Yes! I would love that! it's a deal!" She finally seemed to get a hold of herself, and adjusted her composure and cleared her throat, "I mean, that would be wonderful! I would be happy to teach you some Equestrian Magic in exchange for this Battle Magic. We can start first thing tomorrow!"

Shiera chuckled, "Then it's a deal."

Just then, Spike reentered the room, holding a plate of sandwiches. "I didn't feel like cooking at the moment, so i made us all some Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwiches! I hope that's okay...."

Twilight smiled, "That fine Spike, i think i could really use a sandwich right about now." She then levitated one over to Shiera, "Want one?"

Shiera nodded, "Yes, thank you." She happily took a bite out of it, and found it to be quite nice. So thus Shiera, Twilight, and Spike enjoyed eating sandwiches whilst making some small talk to help pass the time. When they were finished, Spike poured each of them a glass of milk, to which of them drank down to the last drop.

With a glance out the window, Twilight could see that night had clearly fallen now. "It's time for bed! Here, i'll show you were you will be staying," Twilight said, motioning for Shiera to follow. She led her upstairs and down a small hallway. When she got to the third door on the left, she stopped, and opened it. "Here you go! It's a guest bedroom for when we have guests over. I hope this is okay...."

"It's perfect," Shiera assured. Twilight smiled, "Well then, good night!"

"Goodnight," and with that Twilight closed the door, and Shiera had the room to herself. She took a moment to look around. There a few shelves with various books, but not as many as there were downstairs, thankfully. The bed was a bit surprising. While admittedly not as ornate or as big as the one she had back in the castle in her own world, she was thankful it was not one those hay beds that she had often slept upon while in the militia. If there was one good thing about becoming an Empress, it was having a comfortable bed. Here, she was no Empress, but at least the bed was nice, that's all she needed.

Beside the bed was a small bed-stand with a few candles for light. There was also a quill with some ink, and when she opened the drawer, there was a suitable amount of paper within. Shiera smiled and shut the drawer. She took a seat upon the bed and let out a long sigh.

These past two days had been really bizarre. It....was a lot to take in. Waking up this wacky, colorful, and down right insane world, finding out that somehow she wasn't dead, even though she clearly remembered dying...And then almost being killed by a pink pony with canon....and then encountering a library built inside a tree, it was safe to say that Shiera needed a moment for all this craziness to settle down.

Having this alone time allowed for Shiera's mind to drift, and she found herself reminiscing in her memories. She couldn't help but feel like something important was missing, like there was something she just wasn't remembering, but she couldn't for life of her figure out what it was. After a few long moments of getting nowhere with that, her thoughts began to drift towards that her husband. From the time they first met, to their first sparring session together, to their first kiss, to their marriage, to the seizing of the throne, and finally to his betrayal...

Why did he betray her? Was it something she did? It had to be her fault. Did she fail him in her duties as an Empress? Why did he and Daio Chan betray her? Was it something she said? What did she do wrong? Strangely, she did not feel anger towards either of them. No, it must have been her fault. Diao Chan was her best friend. And Cao Weng was the love of her life. They were the two people she trusted most in the entire world. It had to have been her fault. She must have done something to drive them away....but even though she could remember those last four months before she died as clear as day, she could not figure out what it was.

As Shiera laid back onto the bed, tears began pouring from her eyes as she began to think of him... "Oh, Cao....I miss you....wait for me, okay? I promise that i'll find a way back......someday..." she attempted to wipe a few tears away, but the hole in her heart told her it was futile.

"Goodnight, Cao....i love you...." she finally whispered before crying herself to sleep.

Author's Note

And here we have another chapter. Not sure when the next one will be up, but it will probably be after Thanksgiving, as i just don't see myself having time to write it anytime before hand. Anyways, i hope you enjoyed this chapter, as i had fun writing it. (Though i will admit i did get a little emotional writing that last part...) :fluttercry:

Chapter 14: Empty Horrors

Luna stretched her wings a bit, staring at the moonlit night sky. She had only raised the moon a few moments ago. A lot of thoughts stirred in her mind. She decided she would visit Shiera's dreams again. Hopefully, this time will be easier for her, as she finally knew who the dreams belonged to. And it should also be easier considering that they had just met earlier morning. Hopefully, being a familiar face and name will help her. If not, Luna knew not what to do in that scenario.

Luna took a deep breath, focused her magic, then entered the Dream Realm. The many doors of all the sleeping ponies of Equestria appeared before her, and as Princess of the Night, it did not take her long to find Shiera's door. She hesitated a moment, but only just a moment, before entering through the door.

The world was dark and shifting. Shadows formed and flickered about. Unworldly whispers echoed throughout the place. Luna glanced around, but did not see Shiera anywhere. "She must be deeper inside, then." Luna walked for what seemed like hours, but Luna knew it had really only been a few seconds. The flow of time was but an illusion in the Dream Realm, after all. Still, she frowned as she still did not see Shiera anywhere. The scenery around her had only mildly shifted. She now walked upon a bridge of cyan light, but other than that, everything else still looked the same. The bridge went ever upward, but did not seem to lead anywhere in the distance. "T'is odd. I wonder where is it she hides here? And what is the cause of these strange dreams?" she pondered aloud.

Just then, she noticed it.

A large shadow swam underneath the bridge. Luna readied her magic, assuming that the shadow was an oncoming nightmare. As Princess of the Night, she had more than her fair share of dealing with Nightmares. She was ready for whatever may come....

Large didn't quite describe the shadow beneath the bridge justly enough. It was huge, easily larger than any dragon or Ursa Major that Luna had ever seen. Still, she was used to the prospect of nightmares being larger than life, so she was ready for it.

That was, until the shadow emerged. It was a mangled beast that defied all laws of nature. It's pitch black body writhed and twisted in ways it clearly shouldn't have, even in ways that weren't even possible for a broken body to twist and writhe. It smiled at her with a maw of uncountable teeth. It's three long, twisted, spindly arms each ended in a clawed hand, but the number of fingers on each hand kept changing in no conceivable pattern. It had eyes, so many eyes, but also at the same time, it had none at all. The....Beast was so large that she swore it could swallow the moon whole.

Luna suddenly felt something primordial in her snap. A fear and terror she had never known swept through her body, and without even thinking, she fled as quickly as she could down the cyan bridge. She watched as the....Thing...swallowed up the other shadows and began rippling its way towards her. What scared her the most was that in some small part of her mind she recognized something. This was no Nightmare.

This was a Memory....

Luna was unsure how much time had passed by the time she regained her senses. Her body was still running, though the Thing was no longer chasing her, or even in sight for that matter. She slowed herself down to a trot, and began taking deep breaths to calm herself down. "T'is only a dream. This is Dream Realm. You are the Princess of the Night." Slowly her hooves stopped shaking, and once more she could walk with a calm demeanor.

She once more took a look at her surroundings, and noticed in the distance a familiar light grey mare with an iridescent mane of white. She was sitting with her back turned away from Luna, and her head looked only down at the ground beneath them.

"Shiera. I have come to talk with you," Luna said cautiously, slowly approaching the mare. Familiar whispers began to echo around her. Whispers that she recognized as Shiera's voice.

Stranger. A stranger is here. Do they belong? No, they do not belong. Remove the intruder? Remove the intruder...

"Shiera, be calm! i mean you no harm!" Luna pleaded.

RemovewhatdoesnotbelongRemovewhatdoesnotbelongRemovewhatdoesnotbelongRemovewhatdoesnotbelong.

The whispers began to encircle her, spinning around her, gathering like an increasing storm. Luna then a felt a force begin to push her away.

"Shiera, wait, it is I, Princess Luna!" she called out, hoping to reach the mare.

The voices suddenly stopped, as did the force that was shoving her away.

Princess Luna? I've heard that name....name....name....oh. Luna.... The voices whispered. Suddenly everything went quiet. The world flickered, and Shiera disappeared. Suddenly Luna stood upon a grassy hill with a gently breeze swaying the grass. Glancing around, Luna noticed a city off in the distance behind her, but in every other direction it was nothing but grassy hills and forests. The sky was forever frozen in an evening sky, just before the sunset. It was lovely. She could even hear the sound of chirping of birds. Were this any other dream or scenario, Luna might have found it all to be calming. But here, she only found it be even more unnerving.

It was then that a form appeared and approached her. Luna could sense that this was Shiera, but she did not appear as a pony. She walked on two legs, and seemed to be a creature of some relation to monkeys, though she had no tail and a lot less fur. Her hair was still the same snowy white it had been before, though now it was tied up neatly behind her. Luna also recognized that she was wearing armor, though it was relatively light, clearly made with mobility in mind. She also noticed the two familiar swords sheathed at Shiera's side. Shiera stood a few heads taller than Luna, and there was familiar regal air around her as she walked towards Luna.

"Luna? Why are you here? How did you get here?" Shiera asked curiously.

"This is a dream. I am the Princess of the Night, it is my duty to watch over the dreams of everypony in Equestria. Plus....i wanted to talk..." Luna explained.

Shiera frowned, "A dream? Hmm....oh...now i remember. I woke up in your world, and somehow got trapped in the body of unicorn....are you sure that's not the dream?"

"I assure you, that was all real."

"So your world is called Equestria? Strange...." Shiera asked as she took a seat in the grass, admiring the evening sky.

"Yes, but i have other things i wish to ask you. I've tried reaching before, but i couldn't. You kept blocking me somehow," Luna said, wanting to get some answers before it was time to wake.

"You have? And i did? Hmm....I don't recall anything of the sort. What is that you wanted to ask me?"

"The shadows from before, what were they?"

"Shadows? What shadows?"

"Do you not remember them? They seemed to be every where in your dreams before."

Shiera's frown deepened, her face almost scowling as she tried to think. "No, i haven't seen any shadows, at least nothing out of the ordinary, i'd say. But then again, i never remember my dreams. But still, i have no idea what you're talking about."

"What of the creature that i encountered earlier? I saw it. It was no nightmare. That....thing...was a memory. Something you have seen before and remembered. What was it?" Luna asked.

Shiera frowned, "I...It...it was....hmm....its gone. I can't seem to remember. It was there, and then it was gone...don't you hate it when that happens? You have a thought and it just leaves...doesn't happen often but when it does, isn't it just the worst?"

Luna frowned, it was clear she wasn't going to get the answers she was seeking. Not only that, but this Shiera before her was only an aspect of the original, not the core and center that she was searching for. "Shiera....Where's the real you? It's okay, you can tell me, i mean you no harm...."

The Shiera Aspect giggled, "I am the real me. See? It's me, good old, happy me!" she said as her form flickered revealing a much younger Shiera for but a brief moment, before flickering again revealing a slightly older Shiera dancing with a man whom Luna could only guess was Shiera's husband before it flickered back to the Shiera that had first greeted her.

"No, this is not you. You are just Shiera's Happiness. I know you are trying to protect her, but you need to let me in. I must speak with her. I told you, i mean her no harm," Luna urged in a calm and gentle manner.

The Aspect just smiled, flickering back into the form of a much younger Shiera, "Maybe next time. She's waking up now."

"Wait wh---" Luna didn't get to finish as she felt herself be pushed back into the Dream Realm, with the many doors that led to the dreams of all the other ponies of Equestria once again appearing before her. Luna stomped a hoof in frustration. "Why is this so difficult? Perhaps i should speak more to her while she is awake...hmm but i'd have to figure out a good time to schedule a visit to Ponyville first. I mustn't shirk my other duties as Princess of the Night."

With a frown, Luna began her usual routine of protecting the sleeping ponies of Equestria. She would definitely have a talk with Celestia about all of this. But that was for later.....

Author's Note

Sorry that this took so long! i had a busy schedule with Thanksgiving, and then i had relatives that were visiting so i wasn't able to post anything then. But, now here it is, i hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 15: Nighttime Adjustments

Shiera awoke with a start. It was still dark outside. She could still feel dried tears on her cheeks, though she was not crying anymore. "That was a weird dream..." she mumbled to herself. She couldn't remember the first half of it, but she did remember dreaming about that Princess....what was her name? Luna. Yes. She had a dream about her for some odd reason, which didn't make any sense to Shiera. Not only that, she remembered feeling....happy for some odd reason, which also made no sense, as she literally went to bed crying, and she could not for the life of her remember what she was happy about. Shiera sighed and looked down at her hooves. She frowned. Part of her had hoped that all of that had been a dream as well, but it wasn't. She really was a unicorn now in weird bizarre world that she somehow arrived at after dying...

She wished she could at least remember how she got here, but sadly she had no memory between dying and the falling sensation she felt as she apparently fell from the sky and crashed here on this world. There was also still that feeling that something was missing, but she put that aside for now. For now, she was awake.

She thought about falling back to sleep, considering it was still very much dark outside, but part of her didn't feel eager to fall back to sleep at the moment. Then an idea occurred to her and she slowly and quietly opened the bedroom door and peered out into the empty hallway. No one seemed to be awake. As quietly as she could in her new unicorn body, she stealthily made her way to the stairs, and ever so slowly stepped down a step at a time as to not wake the others. One step made a rather large creaking noise, and she paused and stared back up the stairway, carefully watching to see if anyone had awoken.

No one came. So Shiera quietly managed to make it to the bottom of the stairs, and quietly opened the door leading outside and closed it as quietly as possible. She stared at the quiet, sleeping town of Ponyville. The quietness was...peaceful. A small smile came to Shiera's lips, it had been such a long time since she had seen a people so at peace.

Then she remembered what she came out to do, and so she made her way behind the giant tree that Twilight had made her home in. There was a lot of open space here, and it was just outside of town, so perhaps she wouldn't wake anyone while she was out here. She didn't expect to be making any loud noises anyways, so she should be fine.

She took a deep breath, "Okay, time to see what this body can do..." First she did some basic stretching exercises, testing limits of what her body could do. It wasn't too bad, though the difference in bone structure would need some getting used to. She then picked up two reasonably long sticks off of the ground, wielding one in each forehoof. Now to test the basics....

It took her fifteen minutes before she figured out the right balance needed to keep herself on her two back hooves. Once she was reasonably sure she could keep her balance, she began taking small steps, seeing how far she could walk before losing balance. She only got three the first time, Seven the second time, and twelve the third. While learning to walk on two legs again was a frustrating concept, she kept her cool, taking deep breaths, determined to see this done.

It took a full hour before she was able to keep her balance long enough to walk a hundred steps. Another hour to walk two hundred. And then forty minutes to learn how to run on two legs, at which she fell on her face numerous times. But every time she picked herself up and tried again. She was a soldier, practice made perfect, no matter how difficult the task at hand...

Shiera paused to look at the night sky. the moon still looked like it still had a good bit of night left, which was good, it meant she still had time. She took a deep breath to calm her breathing, closing her eyes to focus. She once more stood on her hind two legs, with sticks held in each forehoof. She took a battle stance. It was tricky at first, but she was getting used to the odd balance of her body, and quickly adjusted her weight to the new position. With another breath she opened her eyes and began her assault on an imaginary enemy. She slashed, twirled and stabbed, testing the balance of her new body. She danced around her imaginary foe, bobbing and weaving, dodging imaginary attacks. She tripped and lost her balance a few times, but she kept at it. She was determined to master this new body so that she could fight at peak efficiency. Even if it came to be that she never needed to fight here in this world, it didn't hurt to be prepared, just in case.

She kept switching between stretching, walking, running, and fighting every thirty minutes, making sure she learned every nuiance of movement with her new body. Before she new it, the moon began to set and the sun began to rise, though she did note that they rose and set much faster than in her world, though it made sense if what Twilight said about the princesses were true.

Shiera kept with her routine, lost in her focus of training that she did not even notice when Twilight and Spike had came outside to watch. Finally, when she felt herself tiring, she decided to stop, panting from the exertion.

"That was pretty cool," Spike said, startling Shiera as she now took notice of Spike and Twilight watching her. "Ahh! Um...thanks....how long were you two watching?" Shiera asked out of curiosity.

"Oh, we woke up about an hour ago, and we heard noises outside and came out to see you...training behind the treehouse," Twilight explained. "Yeah, you move quite gracefully, especially when your doing all those swinging attacks with those sticks! It was awesome! Eeeven if you did fall over a few times...." Spike chimed in, smiling.

Shiera chuckled, "Training is never perfect, but it does lead to it."

"You look tired, how long were you out here for?" Twilight asked.

Shiera thought about it for a moment. "Seven and half hours, give or take?"

"Whoa! Didn't you sleep at all last night?" Spike asked.

"Well, yes. I just woke early is all, and thought i would do some practice while i was at it."

"Well, surely you must hungry from all that work. Why don't you come inside, and Spike will make us some breakfast?"

Shiera nodded, "Sound good," though she did note that she didn't actually feel all that hungry, or even thirsty for that matter, which was strange, usually a workout like that normally worked up quite a thirst, but she felt fine. Her limbs were a bit tired, but even then, she had a feeling that they weren't as tired and heavy as they should have been from such a workout. Maybe she was just imagining things, after all, she was tired, and breakfast did sound like an appealing offer, even if she wasn't all that hungry.

Twenty minutes later, breakfast was finally served. "Haycakes and blueberry syrup, my treat!" Spike said as he sat a plate in front of Shiera and Twilight, each stacked with three of these 'Haycakes'. He then grabbed a bowl of gems for himself and began eating them. To which Shiera watched in interest before turning back to her own plate.

"Why are they called Haycakes?" Shiera asked out of curiosity, watching Twilight pour the syrup on top of her own plate of Haycakes, and then mimicking the action for herself. "Well, they are made from freshly grown hay, and mixed with eggs, milk and--"

Shiera's mouth hung open in disgust at the mention of it being made of hay. A memory flashed in her head of a time when bullies threw her into a haystack and some of it went into her mouth. It took hours to wash that taste out of her mouth. "Yuck..." she said in disdain.

"What, you don't like Haycakes?" Twilight asked.

Shiera frowned. Hay was something normally fed to horses and pigs....but....considering she was a horse, of sorts, now maybe it would be different.

She took a bite.

No, it definitely tasted like hay, except....it didn't seem to taste as bad as she remembered. Perhaps that was simply because she had unicorn tastebuds now, but overall it was bland at best. However the syrup was a different story, it was quite delicious! And when it seeped in with the Haycakes, it definitely tasted better.

"Huh. It seems i do now..." she said, taking another bite.

"Do they not have haycakes where you are from?" Twilight asked.

"No....not really...Hay is normally fed to farm animals. It is not something people normally eat..." Shiera explained.

"Oh....how weird...."Twilight remarked, taking another bite of her breakfast.

"I think you and i have different definitions of weird," Shiera said dryly.

Author's Note

Yep, dreams are weird, and almost never make sense. easy things can be overcomplicated, and complicated things can simplistically easy and absolutely weird and bonkers things can seem completely normal to you, until you wake up that is, lol.

Shiera's dreams just happen to be a little wierder than most....

Hope you enjoy!

Chapter 16: A Gentle Touch

Shiera watched as Twilight magically placed the last training dummy into place. They were in the backyard of the Golden Oaks Library once more. "Are you sure we need these?" Twilight asked, uncertain. Shiera nodded, "Of course, you said you wanted to learn Battle Magic. You will need opponents to practice on. Besides, if i knew you had these earlier, i would have used one for my earlier training session as well."

Twilight gave a small second to think on that, "I guess you're right. I can't wait to learn a new type of magic!" Her eyes lit up, and a quill with ink and paper floated next to her. Shiera waved them away, "Put those away. You'll have time to write after your lesson, but for now, you'll need your full attention."

Twilight put them away and nodded, still eager to learn what Shiera had promised to teach her, "Alrighty then, and once i get this done, i can work on this transmutation spell that I've been working on, turning apples into oranges."

"No, after this, you will begin teaching me that levitation spell. As that is our deal..." Shiera corrected.

"Oh, right. I almost forgot, sorry," she gave a nervous chuckle, "So, um where do we start?"

Shiera began to walk around, pacing back in forth between the test dummies and Twilight. "Before i can begin, i'll have to see where you stand magically, first. Specifically, in the fields of Elemental Magic, as that is where i specialize and can teach you. That way i can see what i am working with. Also note that this type of magic takes many years to perfect, and has many applications that may yet still be undiscovered."

Twilight smiled, "Well, I am the Element of Magic, after all. This will be a piece of cake!" She said, beaming with confidence.

"Element of Magic? What are you--" Shiera didn't get to finish that question as Twilight began her demonstration.

First she summoned fire, surrounding herself in a torrent of flames, making a wall of impressive heat, then within but two seconds, she cut off the flames, and casted another spell. This time drawing water from all around them to form a ball of water that was almost the size of the treehouse. Then she split the water ball in half and sent the water back to all the places she drew it from. Next she made a large boulder rise out of the ground and then crushed it to the size of pebble.(Though Shiera did notice that Twilight seemed to strain a bit from the effort) When she got to wind however, she made a small tornado encircle her horn, but Shiera was not as impressed with that. The wind speed was too weak, and the draw force was feeble even by Shiera's standards.

"Impressive. Well, at least until that last part," Shiera complimented. "I am not sure what this 'being an Element of Magic' means. But i can see you are quite powerful in the ways of magic. Stronger than I, if i may be so bold."

"Why thank you! And me having the Element of Magic within me, well, it just means i'm one of the Elements of Harmony. You know, Loyalty, Kindness, Generosity, Laughter, Honesty, and Me, Magic. They are the fundamental elements of Equestrian magic, and stem from the tree of harmony itself!" Twilight explained.

Shiera simply frowned, "Strange."

Before Twilight could ask one of her questions, Shiera continued on with the lesson. "Well then, now that i have seen what you are capable of, let us begin the lesson." Shiera moved out of the way, making sure Twilight had a clear line of sight of the training dummies. "Now, I want you to throw a fireball at each of the dummies head. Try to be as accurate as possible."

"Oh, that's easy!" Twilight said, summoning a small ring of fireballs and firing them off at each of the three training dummies. However, just before each of them could reach their target, Shiera summoned a wall of stone that blocked each attack and receded into the ground as if it were never there.

"Hmm. You missed. Try again."

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Twilight scowled. Shiera gave her an innocent look. "What? I gave you a simple task. Surely it's not too difficult for you?" Shiera asked coyly. Twilight growled and tried again.

Three more fireballs. Three more walls that blocked them before disappearing back into the ground.

"Hey! Stop that!" she growled as she summoned and threw a slew of fireballs at each dummy. Once again, the earth rose up and blocked them all.

"Missed again. I thought you said this would be easy?" Shiera asked, smiling. Twilight frowned, "It would, if you would stop blocking them with your stupid dirt walls!"
Shiera simply chuckled, "You asked for me to train you, remember?"

Twilight harrumphed, and stomped back over to her spot in front of the training dummies. Once more she summoned the fireballs. This time Twilight thought she would surprise Shiera by making the fireballs stronger so that they could blast through the dirt and finally hit the dummies. Unfortunately, this did not work either, as instead of dirt walls, large stones emerged to block instead, negating her attempts.

"Missed again."

"Stop saying that!" Twilight growled, but Shiera merely smiled.

"Force will not help you here, but a gentle touch may go a long way..." Shiera explained.

"What is that supposed to mean?!"

They continued this for the next hour or so, until Shiera decided it was time for a break. Twilight swished her tail in frustration. Not one of her fireballs had managed to connect. "I don't see how this is helping me learn magic..." Twilight complained.

"It's not," Shiera replied.

"WHAT?! BUT YOU SAID--" Twilight began to rant.

"I said i'd teach you how to learn Battle Magic, and i am. There is more to it than simply casting spells, so i am sorry if that is what you were expecting. But, do not think for even a second that i am not keeping my word." Shiera replied firmly, her eyes and tone dead serious. Twilight stammered for a moment, then looked down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you. I was just...frustrated is all," Twilight finally said, drooping her ears.

"That's fine, but never accuse me of not keeping my word. I have promised to train you, and i shall. You have to trust me," Shiera said, her voice still firm, but gentler than before.

"I trust you," Twilight said with a sigh.

"Great!! Now, since i have kept my end of the bargain, i think its time for you to keep yours," Shiera said, smiling.

"Oh, yeah! Uh, wait here, i'll need to grab a few things!" Twilight replied before running back into the treehouse. A few minutes later she came back out with a table and a few miscellaneous items. She put down the table and set the items on top. There was a sack of what she could only guess were coins, a small statue of an owl, and rather heavy looking vase.

"Well, since this is your first time, we will start you off with something small," She pulled out one of the small gold coins and placed it on the table. "This is a Bit. I want you to start by trying to lift it with your magic," Twilight explained.

"A bit of what?" Shiera asked.

"No, it--" Twilight let out an exasperated sigh. "It's called a Bit. It's our currency."

"Oh."

Shiera stared at her for a moment. "What are you waiting for? Go ahead and try to lift it," Twilight urged.

"How? You have not given any explanation as to how," Shiera pointed out.

Twilight blushed, "Oh, yes, um, well you concentrate on it and try lifting it up with your magic like so!" Her horn glowed, then slowly the Bit rose up off of the table for a moment before she put it back down and the glowing stopped.

Shiera frowned, but decided to give it a try. Her horn began to glow as she focused her magic. The earth rose up, taking the shape of a hand and picked the coin up. "Like this?"

"Well, that's one way to do it. But that isn't levitation. Not really." Twilight said with a frown.

Shiera put the coin back on the table, and tried again. This time a watery hand picked up, reaching out from a nearby pool.

"No, that's not it either. Also, that is a strange shape to grab it with, what is that?" Twilight asked.

"It's called a hand. It's what my people and i used to grab things with."

"Cool! And weird, But also very facinating! But, still kinda weird, though," came Twilight's reply.

Shiera didn't give her a response, and set the Bit back down. This time Shiera summoned the air around her and the wind began to blow the bit upwards. "Wow, that's close....i guess. But still not quite right, though i guess it is technically levitating..." Twilight said, examining Shiera's work.

Shiera put the coin back down and sighed, then she tried again. This time Shiera summoned a floating, fiery hand and picked the coin up and tossed it a few times before putting it down. "Wow, that was impressive! But maybe could you make it a bit less fiery? It'll do no good if you burn whatever you're holding."

Shiera sighed rolled her eyes, "I swear you are just trying to get back at me for the training earlier."

Twilight smiled, "Maybe...remember, a gentle touch goes a long way!"

"Ha ha," Shiera replied in a sarcastic and platonic tone. She then stuck her tongue out her, and they both laughed.

Suddenly, a commotion could be heard as a rather large crowd could be heard forming in front of the Golden Oaks Library. And from the sounds of it, they did not seem happy. "What's going on?" Shiera asked.

"I don't know, but I'll go find out," Twilight replied, head towards the front of the Library to see what the commotion was about.

Author's Note

So now both of their training has begun! But, uh oh, seems like there's something going on....wonder what it could be.....

XP

Hope you enjoy the story so far!

Chapter 17: A Conundrum of Pink

Shiera followed behind her, curious to see what this was all about. The crowd seemed really upset. There were even a few familiar faces in the crowd. Twilight finally spoke up, "Okay, everypony, calm down!"

"Calm down?" cried Rarity, "I just had a Pinkie HURRICANE raging through my shop!"

"And they trashed our critter picnic!" Fluttershy said, her face clearly showing her anger.

Shiera had to admit, she didn't think the shy one was one to get angry. Though she could sympathize with them. She wasn't exactly a fan of the Pink One either....Still, it did seem rather bizarre. "Is the Pink One always causing trouble?" Shiera asked Twilight.

"What? No! Pinkie Pie may be outgoing and excitable sometimes, but she never do something like this, especially not to her friends," Twilight explained.

Shiera turned towards the angry crowd. "Still, that is a lot of trouble for just one pink pony to get themselves into," she replied dryly.

"That's the problem!" exclaimed one of the ponies in the crowd, "This town already has it's hands full with one Pinkie Pie, now their's dozens of them, and they are ruining everything!"

"Oh..." Shiera replied, not entirely sure how to respond to that.

"Dozens? Please, everypony, hang on while i try to figure something out!" Twilight pleaded, then she quickly darted back into the library along with Spike.

They were gone for about a minute before they came back outside. "Does anypony here know how we can tell the real Pinkie Pie from the rest of them?" Twilight suddenly asked.

The Crowd murmured for a bit, but they didn't seem to have a good answer for.

Shiera then noticed a Pinkie Pie bouncing in the background before moving her way to the front, "Oh, Twilight!! I have to talk to you! I need your help" the Pink One pleaded.

As Twilight began to make her reply, another Pinkie appeared, mimicking Twilight's motions and mouth movements, copying her every move. Shiera decided that needed to stop so she reared up onto her hind legs and tried to shoo the pink one who was mimicking Twilight away. Unfortunately for her, another pink one appeared and tripped her in mid motion, and she fell forward onto the other pink one.

"Excuse me, whoever you are, but I'm not talking to any of you Pinkies unless you are the real Pinky," Twilight replied.

"But I am the real Pinkie!" she exclaimed.

"No, I'm the real Pinkie!" exclaimed the one Shiera had fallen onto.

"No, I'm the real Pinkie!" cried another. and then another, and then another. And before they knew there were several dozen pink ones claiming to be the real pink one. Enough to even out number the crowd that had gathered.

Shiera groaned as she lifted herself off of the Pink One she had tripped onto. It was then that she noticed where one of her hooves were, and quickly yanked it back. "Oh sorry, i didn't mean to touch your..." Shiera began but stopped dead as she noticed the Pink One was perfectly fine, even though she touched her Cutie Mark.

"Oh, no problem!" the pink one said, bouncing away. Shiera then turned to Twilight, who was now conversing with AppleJack. "Huh. Good news, i think it's safe for me to..." Shiera poked AppleJack's Cutie Mark.
An unearthly screech could be heard emanating from the contact, and AppleJack darted away with a yelp of pain.

"What was that fer?" AppleJack cried, rubbing her hindquarters. Her Cutie Mark flickered for a bit, and that same scorched hoof mark could be seen before it faded away and her Cutie Mark returned to normal.

"Yeah, why did you do that, Shiera?" Twilight asked.

"What was that?" asked AppleJack.

Shiera lowered her head in apology, "S-Sorry. I had thought for a moment that i had been cured of that. I had touched the Pink One's Cutie Mark, and nothing had happened. So i just thought...."

"Wait, you touched one of the Pinkie's Cutie Mark, and nothing happened?" Twilight pondered.

"Yes," Shiera replied.

"I wonder what that means?"

"We can't worry about that now, we still have to deal with all these Pinkies!" AppleJack exclaimed.

"Don't worry, i have a spell that can send them all back to where they came from! But there's a catch, if we don't find out who is the real Pinkie Pie, we might accidentally send her back as well!" Twilight explained.

Shiera pondered this for a moment before an idea occurred to her. "I have an idea. But there is no guarantee that it will work...it's more of just a gut feeling, really..."

"What is it?" Spike asked.

"Well, maybe i can go around and touch each of these Pink One's Cutie Marks. If my hunch is correct, the fake ones won't feel anything, but the real one just might. Of course, this is only speculation. It could also be true that the Pink One is simply immune to my touch, but it wouldn't hurt to try."

"That might just work. But there is certainly no guarantee..." Twilight said, rubbing her chin with a hoof.

"It won't hurt to try. I may not be certain as to what it is that is going on, both with all the Pinkie Pies, and with your burning hoof touch, but what i do know is that this plan won't work unless we can get all the Pinkie Pies in one place."

"Maybe that one's the real Pinkie!" Spike exclaimed, pointing to one that was moping on a table.

"Please, the Real Pinkie has never sat that long in one place her entire life!" Twilight retorted.

"Maybe i'll ask...." Spike offered.

"Don't bother! Of course she's going to say she's the real Pinkie! They all do!" Twilight replied in frustration.

"I would have to agree with her on that one," Shiera sighed, "I don't think asking around will help much if they all believe themselves to be the real Pink One."

"I think we should try Shiera's plan. I can go get the rest of my family to go and help round up all of these Pinkies. Even if her plan doesn't work, it'll be good to have them all in one place," AppleJack explained.

"I agree. You go do that, meanwhile Spike and I will find a good place to hold them, and Shiera.....we'll let you know when we find a good place, and when all the Pinkies are rounded up."

Shiera shrugged, "Sounds like a plan to me,"

She watched as they all went off to do their various tasks. Shiera frowned. if her plan didn't work, they would need another way to discern the real one. Unfortunately, Shiera couldn't think of anything, as she did not know the Pink One that well...

It was surprisingly not that long until Twilight returned and guided Shiera to where they would hold all of the Pink Ones. It was a theatre of sorts, very spacious. However, Shiera didn't get a chance to look around long before Twilight spoke up. "Here they come!" she warned. Shiera peaked out of the door to see a whole hoard of Pink Ones being rounded up by the Apple family, guiding them straight towards them. It reminded her of a ranch she visited during the war.

Shiera stepped out of the way as the entire hoard of Pink Ones barrelled into the building, and the doors were shut behind them. The Pink Ones all bounced excitedly around as Twilight tried to calm them down. Finally Twilight snapped, "SIT DOWN!"

The whole room went quiet as all the Pink Ones turned to look at her, and then quickly took their seats, in quite the uniform fashion.

"Better, now i suppose you are all wondering why i brought you here today..." Twilight began.

"For Fun?" one of the Pink Ones asked.

"No, not exactly...."

"Wait up!" cried a voice as the doors burst open to reveal Rainbow Dash carrying another Pink One. "I've got one more! I found this one poking the ground with her hoof, drawing frowny faces..."

"Have her come sit with the others.

Rainbow Dash blinked for a moment and then just tossed her down.

Twilight then turned to Shiera, and Shiera nodded. She had given many speeches to her men in the past, so this was no different for her. "Now. We are going to give you a test. Don't worry, this shouldn't hurt. All that's going to happen is i am going to touch your Cutie Marks. You don't even have to do anything. It'll be fun i promise."

"Won't that hurt?" asked one of the Pink Ones, but Shiera wasn't able to catch where exactly it came from. "Oh, don't be silly, touching Cutie Marks never hurt anypony!" exclaimed another.

Shiera then stepped down from the stage, and began to go row by row, touching each of their cutie marks. For the first three rows, nothing happened. Most just giggled or said something goofy. Shiera was beginning to get a little concerned, but thankfully, in the middle of the fourth row, when she touched the cutie mark, an unearthly screech could be heard, and the Pink One jumped into the air, yelping in pain. Her Cutie Mark flickered for a bit, and a bright red hoof mark could be seen for a minute before it faded away.

"Great! It worked!" Twilight exclaimed, and without another word she zapped the rest with several blast from her horn, and they each began to inflate before folding into themselves and turned into a stream of light that flew off into the distance, presumably returning to wherever it was they came from. It was a slightly horrifying sight, and did put credibility to the fact that Twilight was a powerful mage. Shiera watched as Twilight's horn glowed a bit from the heat of use, but she blew out the heat and a little bit of steam drifted off of her horn.

"Owww!! That really hurts!" Pinkie Pie complained. The other girls hugged her, glad to have found the real one.

Shiera smirked, "What do you know? A gentle touch really does go a long way." With that, both Shiera and Twilight began laughing. The others didn't quite get it, but they too, soon joined in with the laughter.

This place was weird, that was certain. But Shiera was starting to suspect she might enjoy it here. Things were definitely becoming more interesting....

Author's Note

And there we go! Now we can finally see where exactly this all falls in place on the timeline. Now things, of course will be happening differently than the show's canon. but there will be similarities from time to time, at least for a little while.

And before you ask, yes, Shiera knows Pinkie Pie's name isn't The Pink One. However, due to Shiera not having the best encounters with her so far, it is the name that she has decided to refer to her as. for now.

Chapter 18: Magic Trix

The next morning, Shiera was up early as usual. The sun had yet to rise, but Shiera was practicing on one of the dummies. She was getting better at balancing herself properly, but the footing was still off. Or hoofing, or whatever this world's equivalent is. Still, she kept at it. It was, in a way, relaxing for her. A breath of familiarity that helped calm her nerves. She hadn't dreamt of anything last night, she simply slept then woke. At least it was better than having nightmares.

She continued her assault on the dummy, striking with a flurry of blows, dancing around, doing her best to flow from one attack to the next. She had only tripped three times today, which was definitely an improvement.

Snap.

One of the twigs she was using snapped clean in half, spraying a few splinters through the air, but none did any harm to her. She dropped the other twig with a sigh, and fell back to standing on four hooves. "Guess it's back to stretching..." she mumbled to herself. She then began her exercise routine, stretching and loosening tensed muscles that she had gain from the training. She cleared her mind and focused only on the movements and the stretching, making sure every muscle in her body had its chance to stretch. Most people tend to find such things tedious or boring, but for her, it brought about a sense of peace. It kept her from having to think about her past, of her husband, and of their betrayal. And her death. It was an escape of sorts from her sorrows, and one she cherished greatly.

She continued her stretches until the sun rose. Not a few minutes later, Twilight came outside alongside Spike. Shiera was in the middle of rearranging the dummies for Twilight's training. "Good, you are finally up, are you ready for our next session?" Shiera asked. Twilight nodded with a determined grin, "Only if you are."

"Then let us begin," she said, taking her position in between Twilight and the dummies, though more towards the side, as to not be in the direct path between them. With the determined look still in her eyes, Twilight began her volley of fire balls. She summoned several hundred fireballs around her, then launched them all at blinding speed. Shiera didn't worry about blocking them all, as she noted that only a few actually needed to be blocked, though it was still quite a lot, but she managed just fine. The rest wizzed by, not even coming close to hitting their targets. Twilight let out a small frustrated growl, but she still hadn't given up yet. "Swarm tactics only work if your opponent has not the ability to see it coming or doesn't have a means to stop it. Neither apply here," Shiera advised. Twilight didn't respond, instead she summoned another large volley, and fired. This time firing each fireball at multiple different angles, but all targeting the dummies. But Shiera summoned forth a wall of stone to block each and everyone of them. Shiera noted that Twilight was easily a more powerful magic user than her, noting both the massive number of fireballs she was able to cast, and how little it seemed to drain her. However, Power alone earns one nothing if they not the mind to back it up. And Shiera was born and bred in the fires of war.

Twilight growled again at another failed attempt. And her next attempt didn't do any better. No matter what she tried, Shiera always seemed to sleight of hoof her attempts, always blocking them in unexpected, yet surprisingly simple ways. Then an idea occurred to Twilight, and a small evil grin appeared on her face. She fired three more fireballs, one at each dummy, and just like before, Shiera summoned walls of dirt and stone to block them, however, right before they collided, Twilight made the fireballs swiftly change direction and curve around the walls of dirt and stone, (though it was by a narrow margin) and finally, Finally, her task was complete as all three dummies caught on fire. She quickly extinguished them, so that they would not burn down.

Twilight's chest puffed with both pride and confidence, "HA! Did you see that?! Told you i was brilliant with magic," she did a little dance of excitement, and even Spike cheered her on. Shiera approached calmly, "You did well. It is good to think outside the box. However, that is merely the first step in mastering Battle Magic. You will quickly find that simply thinking outside of the box does not win one the battle."

Twilight frowned for a moment, "I think i see what you mean. It's about thinking of the correct solution, right?"
Shiera shook her head, "Not quite. That is a part of it, but there is much more to it than simply pondering your situation."
Twilight gave an uneasy look, but Shiera continued, "And so, to teach you this, you and i shall have a sparring session tomorrow. No weapons, just our magic and ourselves."

"Wait, what? A sparring match? okay, if that's what you really want..." Twilight said with a little apprehension.

"It is."

Twilight was unsure of this. Shiera even admitted that Twilight was a better spellcaster than her, what was this suppose to prove? Regardless, Twilight would show her best. Nobody knew magic as well as her, and she would do her best to show Shiera just how good she really was.

"I guess it's time to start your lessons now," Twilight said with a smile. Shiera gave a curt, almost bow like nod.

"Don't worry about getting the table and everything, i already went and got everything while you two were doing your training session!" Spike explained, with a prideful smirk on his lips.

"Well, that's great Spike! You really are my number one assistant! Now we can beg--" Twilight began, however she was interrupted by the sound of a sudden gush of wind as a rainbow colored blur tackled her to the ground. "Oof! Rainbow Dash? What's---"

"There's no time! It's an emergency, Twilight! Quickly! Follow me!" And with that, she dashed back off. Twilight, Spike, and Shiera all gave each other looks of uncertainty, but followed as quickly as they could.

As the approached the center of town, they could see a large crowd had gathered. "Please tell this isn't another 'Pink' problem..." Shiera groaned.
"I don't think so, Shiera. Let's get a little closer," Twilight replied, motioning her to follow.

They approached in time to see Rarity get blasted by a bolt of red magic. Suddenly a gaudy dress of tacky colors appeared on her. "Oh! You beast! This shade of brown should only be used for accents!" she cried as she fainted. AppleJack caught her on her back and helped escort her back into the crowd. "Come on AppleJack, we must get her a nice, soothing pink, stat!"

"Dramatic much?" Shiera commented, believing their actions to be a bit over the top all things considered. Twilight stepped forward, "What's going on here?"

"Well, well, well," began a hooded pony, "If it isn't..." she threw off her hood, "Twilight Sparkle!" The mare had blue fur and a silver mane and tail. Her eyes, however, seemed glow a bright, bloody red, before fading back to their normal shade of lavender.

Both the crowd and Twilight gasped. "Trixie!" Twilight exclaimed with a scowl.

Shiera frowned, "So i take it you know each other?"

"What's she doing here?" Spike asked with a growl.

"Not a friend, i take it?" Shiera asked, noting their reactions to this 'Trixie'.

"You call that 'Great and Powerful'?" Rainbow Dash asked scornfully. Shiera watched as a wicked grin appeared on Trixie's face as her eyes glowed red again. Rainbow Dash was then struck with another bolt of red magic as suddenly her right wing was many times larger than her other one. Rainbow Dash began wobbling through the air, unable to keep her balance. Shiera frowned, this was not a type of magic she was familiar with.

"Woah! She's Rainbow Wobble now!" commented a short and runty unicorn, and his friend beside him laughed at his joke. They only stopped when Rainbow Dash flew over them. They then turned and waved at Trixie, "Great spell, O' Great and Powerful Trixie!!"

However, Trixie did not seem happy to see them. "You two! Quiet!" she cried, zapping the two with another bolt of her red magic. Now the two unicorns were conjoined by their horns, yelling at each other to get off. Shiera stifled a laugh, as she felt it would have been inappropriate at the moment. That, and she was pretty sure no one else besides her found it funny.

"Stop picking on my friends, Trixie!" Twilight demanded with a serious expression on her face.

"You and i have unfinished business!" Trixie exclaimed, "My magic has gotten better since i was here last!"
Trixie approached, stepping forth with an air of confidence. "And i am going to prove it. Me and You. Magic Duel. Winner stays, loser leaves Ponyville--Forever!"

Shiera blinked, "There's no such thing as a normal day here, is there?"

Author's Note

And here is the next chapter!

Well, now things are getting interesting. Makes one wonder what will change with Shiera here? And what will be the same? How will they stand up to the Great and Powerful Trixie?

i guess you'll just have to find out. ^^

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter, and i will see you in the next one! Crowborn out!

Chapter 19: Battle Trix

Twilight shook her head, "Forget it! I'd never make a deal like that!" She turned away dismissively. Shiera was impressed by her levelheadedness but unfortunately that didn't seem to stop Trixie. "Hmm, your choice," She said as she summoned the red magic, this time targeting Spike and folding him into a ball and bouncing him around like a toy. Shiera wasn't aware that was even magically possible, which made her unsettled as to what level of magical power they were dealing with here.

"Trixie, put him down!" Twilight demanded in a stern voice. Trixie simply summoned a basket and dropped him through it before letting him go.

"Why are you doing this?" Twilight demanded.

"Why? Because you humilated me!" Trixie shot back. She then summoned a large rectangle made of magic and within displayed realistic moving images--A sight that briefly amazed Shiera, before she focused back on what Trixie was saying. "After you showed me up with that Ursa Minor, i became a laughing stock! Everywhere i went i was laughed at and ostricized! I even had to work on a rock farm just to earn a living!"

"Wait, she was a traveling stage magician?" Shiera asked, noting it from context clues from the images being displayed, "We had those where i'm from! They were always very entertaining...."

"A Rock Farm!" Trixie exclaimed angrily.

"She means Mining, right?" Shiera asked.

"Hey, you are lucky a Rock Farm would take the likes of you!" exclaimed the Pink One.

"Am i being ignored?" Shiera pondered with a frown.

Trixie then summoned a magical arrow shape that grabbed the Pink One's mouth and plucked it off of her face, then a metal tin appeared, and Trixie through the mouth inside it and then the metal tin disappeared. Seeing the Pink One without a mouth was....kind of funny. Shiera couldn't help but chuckle.

"Shiera, that isn't funny!" Twilight scolded.

Shiera gave a blush of embarassment, "Well, i mean--well, it's kinda...uh...um...sorry..." She gave an apologetic bow to show her sincerity, and did her best to stifle another chuckle. Sadly, she could not stop the small grin on her face from appearing.

Trixie blinked before continuing her monologue, "Now, i want revenge, and i will keep casting spells until you agree." Shiera watched as Trixie's eyes briefly gleamed red before she then casted another spell. This time she lifted up the entire Tree/Library/Home thing and turned it upside down and shook it, causing several books to fall out.

"Well, what do you say?" Trixie asked with smug confidence. Twilight gave a concerned glance at her friends. She then put on a serious face and gave her reply.

"Alright, Trixie. Let's Duel!"

"Excellent." Trixie said as returned everything back to normal. Except for the Pink One, of which Shiera didn't mind. Shiera watched in interest, wondering how magic duels were played out in this world, however, she had a feeling she had an idea....

"If i lose, i won't step hoof in Ponyville again, but if you lose, you're the one who's banished from this one horse town!" Trixie exclaimed. Shiera noted that all of Twilight's friends gasped dramatically, but Shiera herself remained silent, watching intently.

"Draw!!" Trixie exclaimed as she picked up a cart with her magic and tossed it at a group of ponies in town. Thankfully, Twilight managed to catch it and put it back before it hit anyone.

Trixie then summoned a volley of pies and threw them at Twilight, to which Twilight replied by summoning a small brown puffball that ate them all, and then spawned another one. Twilight then quickly poofed them away.

"What the hell am i watching?" Shiera pondered as she watched the absurdity unfold.

Trixie then summoned a huge heap of snow that she then proceeded to drop onto Twilight. With a frustrated look, Twilight melted the snow around her. She then fired back, causing Trixie to grow rather large mustache. Twilight's friends proceeded to chuckle.

"What was that supposed to accomplish?" Shiera pondered as Trixie summoned a magical pair of scissors to trim the mustache off. This felt less like a duel and more like a.....well a stage magic show. "Oh..." Shiera whispered to herself.

"Snips, Snails! Step forward!" Trixie demanded.

Shiera watched as the two unicorns from before stepped forward. "W-What is it, O' Great and Powerful...Trixie? eh heh..."

Suddenly Trixie blasted them both with her red magic, and they both began to rise into the air until suddenly there was bright red flash, and the two returned to the ground, though now different. The Runty one had somehow aged backwards, and the taller one had somehow aged into an old, wrinkly version of himself.

"An age spell? But how can you do an age spell? That's only for the highest level unicorns!" Twilight asked in disbelief. Shiera had to admit, even in her world magic that affected one's age was indeed thought to be powerful magic. Nice to know there was at least some similarities there.

"Well, Twilight, give up?" Trixie asked smugly.

Twilight gave an uncertain look, but tried it anyways. The two aged/de-aged unicorns began to rise in the air once more due to Twilight's magic.

"Come on, Twilight, you can do it!" cheered Spike.

Twilight put all her focus into the spell, straining from the effort, but at the last moment, her magic fizzled out, and she collapsed in exhaustion. The two unicorns remained unchanged.

"Trixie is the highest level unicorn!" Trixie declared, and then did an evil laugh.

"Wait, people actually laugh like that?" Shiera asked with a frown.

"And now....It's time for you to leave Ponyville--Forever!!" Trixie yelled with ferocity.

"That's enough, Trixie!" AppleJack exclaimed as all of Twilight's friends gathered to stand in between Trixie and Twilight. Shiera took a stand too, as she did consider Twilight a friend as well.

"You proved your point! But you can't possibly expect Twilight to leave Ponyville!" Rarity exclaimed.

"Indeed, enough of this childishness!" Shiera exclaimed.

"You fools!" Trixie replied, summoning her magic and engulfing Twilight with it, "She's already gone!" And with that, she tossed Twilight out of Ponyville and summoned a large glass dome that engulfed the entire town, all to keep Twilight out.

Shiera followed the others as they chased after Twilight, but sadly the dome closed before they could reach her. Twilight gave them a sad look, "Don't worry guys, i'll figure something out. Just....take care of each other. And keep an eye on Trixie, There's something strange about her..."

And with that, she ran off...

"Twilight?" Spike asked, but she was already gone.

"So, what do we do now?" Fluttershy asked with a sad look in her eye.

"Now, I shall go challenge Trixie," Shiera declared, turning back towards town. However, she then stopped and picked up a rock.

"What?!" exclaimed the group. "Shiera you can't! You saw how powerful she was!" AppleJack said in a concerned voice.

"Indeed, i did. Far more powerful than I, that is for sure. But first, to test something..." Shiera replied before pulling back her arm and throwing the rock as hard as she could. The rock smacked into the glass with enough force that it should have shattered, or at the very least cracked. However, the glass dome remained unfazed.

"Figures it wouldn't be that easy," replied Rainbow Dash.

"But Shiera, if you know that she is more powerful than you, why challenge her?" Fluttershy asked.

Shiera smirked, "I have a feeling i know some things people here don't."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Rarity asked, though Shiera did not give a reply. Instead, she continued on towards town to challenge Trixie.

When Shiera arrived, Trixie was already terrorizing the town and putting herself in charge. "HEY!" Shiera called out, stepping forth with an emotionless expression.

"Who dares call out the Great and Powerful Trixie?!" Trixie demanded.

"I do. I challenge you to a magic duel. Same rules as your last one," Shiera declared in a level tone.

"And what is your name?" Trixie asked, offended that anyone would dare challenge her after her victory over Twilight Sparkle.

"I am Shiera An, and I will not be bested by you," she replied, with a small grin on her face.

Trixie huffed, "Well, fine then, it's your funeral. I accept your measly challenge, and will prove once and for all that Trixie is the Greatest of all Unicorns!"

The crowd made room as the two unicorns stared each other down. The audience watched attentively, wondering what would happen.

"Draw!" Shiera shouted as she leaped into the air towards Trixie. Trixie simply grabbed Shiera midair with her magic, holding her in place.

"Hah! Got--" Trixie did not get to finish that sentence as suddenly a small fiery explosion detonated in her face. Trixie lost concentration, and Shiera landed free of Trixie's grasp.

"Hey! That's dirty!" cried Trixie, but she didn't get say more as Shiera summoned yet another fiery explosion that spontaneously hit Trixie on the side. The explosions weren't all that strong, to be honest. They were strong enough to destroy medium sized stones, but not much else. Still, the smell of burnt fur told Shiera she had hit her mark. She also noted that ponies seemed to be a quite bit more durable than the average human, which was good to know. The best part of the explosions were that they weren't a projectile attack, so they couldn't be blocked, though they did have a limited range of which she could cast them. She could only cast them within a 10 meter radius of herself.

"Ow!! That hurt!" Trixie exclaimed as she fired a blast of magic towards Shiera, but Shiera sidestepped it with ease, noticing the street lamp that it hit behind her disintegrated into ashes.

The crowd gasped in both awe and horror as they watched, shocked by both Shiera's brutal nature, and Trixie's raw power.

Shiera quickly closed the distance between the two, and socked Trixie in face as hard as she could. She watched with satisfaction as a tooth flew out from her bloody mouth. "You may have a lot more magical power than i do, but there is one huge difference between us, Trixie. You have never seen a true battle, but i have."

Trixie glared at Shiera, then suddenly kicked Shiera's hooves out from beneath her and blasted her away with a bolt of magic. "Oh yeah? Well I'm not going to lose to a weakling like you! Especially not one who plays dirty!"

"What? Can't handle a real fight?" Shiera jabbed back with a smirk as she picked herself back up, wiping a trickle of blood from her cheek.

"Fine! If you want to play dirty, then let's play dirty!" Trixie exclaimed as she summoned her magic. Large metal spikes began to shoot out of the ground towards Shiera. Shiera managed to dodge, but she noticed that they weren't fired randomly, nor was there an excessive amount, as most mages of such power would display, instead she noticed Trixie had kept it to a volley of twelve, and each was fired in a tactically sound sequence that would have skewered one who was not trained as Shiera was. Sadly, after dodging the last spike, Shiera tripped, still not accustomed to being in her new unicorn body, and tumbled to the side. Trixie was not like Twilight, Shiera realized, Trixie was a utilizer, a tactician. A Stage Magician.

Shiera narrowly dodged another volley of spikes sent to impale her, and managed to get to her hooves just in time to see a bright flash of red light as Trixie seized her once more. This time she felt a pressure on her horn that prevented her from using her magic. Things were starting to make sense, Trixie must have not always been this powerful. Her mindset and style was not that of a powerful mage, but that of a weaker one, one who had to use what she had to get by. That meant there must be something giving her this increase of power, but what?

Shiera felt herself being squeezed in Trixie's grasp, and she screamed in pain. She could faintly hear the worried cries of Rarity and the others, but she dared not take her eyes of Trixie.

"Now i've got you, you little worm!" Trixie exclaimed as she magically regrew the tooth Shiera had knocked out and restored her singed fur back to its former appearance. That is when Shiera noticed it: The Amulet. It was the only thing that also seemed to glow with Red Magic. It must be what was giving Trixie her power.

Shiera screamed again as she felt Trixie squeeze again, tighter this time. Shiera was pretty sure she could feel some of her bones starting to crack.

"Trixie! Stop this! You'll kill her!" Fluttershy cried.

"Trixie! Please, You've won! Let her go!" cried AppleJack.

"N-No..." Shiera spat defiantly, "If you are going to defeat me, at least look me in the eye..."

Trixie then smirked and pulled Shiera closer so that she was face to face with her, "Gladly."

Shiera knew she only had a few seconds, so mustering all her remaining strength, she kicked the amulet off of Trixie's neck just as she felt Trixie squeeze one last time.

Then for but mere half second, everything in the world was different.

Author's Note

Sorry for the cliffhanger guys, but i think this was the best way to end the chapter. I most likely won't be able to post for another week or two, as i am still readjusting my schedule with work and such, but i hope you enjoy!

Crowborn Out!

Chapter 21: A Talk

Shiera shifted in her seat as she sipped the tea Rarity had made for them. At least something felt familiar here. Rarity had finished escorting a stomach aching Twilight back to her house, and had invited Shiera over for tea at the Carousel Boutique. Rarity had just finished tidying up a bit, and finally took her seat across from Shiera.

"Sorry about that, dear, i don't know how it can get so messy in here sometimes. I always try to keep it as clean and organized as possible, but it seems a mess always finds a way," Rarity began, apologetically. She gave a small chuckle before taking a sip of her tea.
Shiera smiled in kind, "No need to apologize, it looks magnificent as it is. Reminds me of the dressing room back in the royal palace. The one before i came here, that is."

Rarity blushed and waved her hoof, "Oh, such high praise! I'm just a humble fashionista doing what she can.....but do go on!" Rarity blinked a few times, and leaned a little closer, obviously hoping for more praise and flattery.

Shiera chuckled, "I do believe you were going to tell me what happened with Trixie?" Rarity blinked, "Oh, why, yes, of course! How rude of me! That troublesome mare, Trixie, yes...."

She gave a winded sigh as she collected her thoughts, "Well, after the amulet was removed, she had tried to flee, but we stopped her. Twilight came back, and we had Rainbow Dash and Applejack escort you to the hospital, but not before Twilight used a few healing spells on you, but still, you were in terrible condition, if i do say so myself."

"Certainly felt like it," Shiera remarked, still feeling a dull throb of discomfort from her injuries.

Rarity frowned and gave a small nod, "Indeed. Now, where was I? Oh, Trixie, yes, right." She took another sip of her tea as Shiera did the same, "Well that troublesome mare was about to get the scolding of her life, i tell you! But to our surprise, the mare began to sob and apologize, for everything, and said that this wasn't what she had wanted. Apparently, all she had wanted to do was show up Twilight after she had supposedly humiliated her with that dreadful Ursa Minor. It was nonsense, Twilight would never do such a thing, but Trixie explained that the Alicorn Amulet was corrupting her mind, and Twilight confirmed it. She did truly seem sorry, and even left this note for you, as well as some flowers and bits."

Rarity summoned her magic and lifted a small bouquet of flowers, as well as a small bag of bits, and a note from behind the counter and floated them to Shiera. Shiera couldn't yet safely hold them with her own magic, so she opted to grab them with her hooves instead. It was strange how normal such an action felt her, especially if you had asked her a few days ago. Holding something with hooves had seemed ridiculous back then, but now she did it everyday....

Shiera took a look at the flowers, they were clearly white apology flowers, so at least that seemed sincere. She placed the bag of bits aside for the moment and focused her attention upon the note. Unfortunately, it was gibberish to her, so she had Rarity read it for her.

The Regretful and Apologetic Trixie hereby apologizes for her regretful actions, and is deeply sorry for hurting another pony. Trixie realizes you may never forgive her, and she understands, but please know that Trixie, when in her right mind, would never willing hurt and harm another pony. I feel so awful....so thus forth, Trixie promises never to set hoof in Ponyville or challenge Twilight ever again....

Signed, The Remorseful and Penitent Trixie

"Is that what it really says?" Shiera asked. Rarity nodded, "Of course, and she does have surprisingly lovely hoofwriting and penmanship. I wouldn't have expected it from a mare like her, but i guess formality can be found in any mare." Rarity then frowned, "Can you truly not read it?"

Shiera gave the note another glance, she was about to say no when suddenly a flash of pain flared in her head, and her vision shifted slightly. "Ack!!" She winced, but the pain eventually ebbed away. When she looked down at the note, it was now readable somehow, though nothing on the paper had changed.

"Are you okay, dear?!" Rarity asked in a worried panic, rushing to Shiera's side. "You just....blinked out for a moment there! It was almost like you were a ghost for a few seconds there!"

"W-What?" Shiera asked shaking her head, "I don't......ugh, whatever it is or was....it's gone now, and i'm fine."

Rarity gave a concerned frown, "Are you sure? I can call Twilight and the others if need be...."

Shiera shook her head, "No, I'm fine. That was definitely weird, but i think we can look into that later. It might just be a side affect of my injuries combined with whatever weird magic that brought me here in the first place...Anyways, i'm fine, i swear." Shiera didn't really know for certain, but that was the best excuse her brain could rack up at the moment.

Rarity continued her frown, but nodded, "If you say so darling, but if it happens again, we are taking you straight to Twilight, understand?"

"Deal." Shiera sighed, rubbing her temples. Eager to change the subject, Shiera picked up the bag of bits and counted them out.

Fifty bits.

Well, at least she wasn't completely broke now, though in truth, she had no idea how much fifty bits was worth in this world, but she could always ask later.

"I accept her apology. I can understand that she was under the influence of evil magic. I hope i can meet her again so that i can tell her in person."

Rarity smiled, "I'm sure she would be delighted to here that, though i'm not so sure that I, myself, could have forgiven her so soon after what she did, if i were in your shoes."

Shiera chuckled, "People make mistakes, and one can't fault another if their actions were beyond their control, especially if they were being corrupted and controlled by evil magic."

Rarity took another sip of her tea, "I guess that's true." She peered at Shiera's cup, "More tea, darling?"

Shiera nodded with a smile, "I would love some, please."

As Rarity poured the tea, she sighed, "Now Darling, i think it's high time we talked about your rather unruly behavior."

Shiera gave a confused look, "What do you mean?"

Rarity set the teapot down and took a seat. "Darling, I'm talking about the way you handled that duel with Trixie. Though i am grateful that you managed to end Trixie's little reign of tyranny, i simply cannot condone your barbaric actions! They were not very ladylike."

Shiera raised an eyebrow, "And just how was anything i did Barbaric? A mare under the influence of evil magic was attacking the city, and i stopped her. What is barbaric about that?"

"Yes, but did you really have to be so violent and uncouth? Magic Duels aren't normally so brutal and dangerous! A simple show of skill would suffice!" Rarity harrumphed.

"She nearly killed me," Shiera deadpanned.

"Yes, but only because you pushed her that far! You hadn't needed to attack her, and so brutally at that!"

"And what else was I to do, huh? Simply let her go around, continuing to torment and torture the innocent town folk of this town?!"

"No! But you could have handled that better..."

"Don't deceive yourself, do you really think a mare in that state would listen to words? Especially when she has all that power? No, the only way to solve a problem like that is through action. So i took action, and that action saved you and everyone else in this town!" Shiera replied, now standing in her seat.

"But you didn't even try to talk her down, you didn't even give her a chance..." Rarity replied, keeping her composure.

Shiera sighed, taking a seat once more. "I'm a soldier. Words don't win wars. People do. Words won't save you when arrow is soaring through the air towards your eye or heart. Nor will it stop the blade that is being thrusted towards you. No, it is taking action that saves you, not words."

"Then that's the problem. This isn't a war, Darling. Equestria hasn't known any war in centuries. Ponies solve their problems with words, (and occasional music numbers) but definitely not with blades and arrows as you suggest. Things might be different in whatever world you come from, but that isn't how things work here," Rarity replied.

Shiera.....couldn't think of anything to say in protest, so instead she lowered her head and drooped her ears in submission. "Then....I apologize.....You have given me much to think about."

Rarity smiled and put a hoof on her shoulder, "That's all i ask, Darling. Now, let's get you home, it's getting rather late, and i will be needing to pick up Sweetie Belle from school soon."

Shiera nodded, and thanked her for the tea. She frowned as they left, as she still wasn't completely convinced of Rarity's argument, but it did indeed give her much to think about.

Perhaps things won't be so easy in this world after all....

Author's Note

Sorry for the long wait, a lot things been getting in my way of writing this, but, here you go! All i can say is, don't expect a consistent uploading schedule from this point forward, but know that i will try to keep updating as often as i can.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, see you in the next one!

Chapter 22: What Lies Within

Shiera was doing her final stretches before bed. Her body was still sore from her prior injuries, though she was glad they were healing as well as they were. Equestrian Healing Magic must be legendary stuff, almost makes one wonder why they even have hospitals in the first place...

Rarity's words echoed in her mind, but ultimately she found herself not agreeing with the mare. Whether in peace or war, failure to take action can lead to more risks and danger than not. Sure, it is wise to be diplomatic when the times call for it, but surely it is better to stop a criminal than it is to beg them not do it? True, some are successfully talked down, but to treat every situation like that seemed foolish to her.

Shiera finished stretching, and glanced down at herself, embracing a distant thought, but only briefly. Other things drifted into her mind. It was....disturbing how she was now able to read all of the garbled words in each and every book in the library. And she still wasn't sure how this was possible. Still, it felt odd to be reading anything. The words still looked like gibberish to her, but somehow she could understand their meaning, as if something else in her head was translating it all for her. Yet, that didn't quite explain it right, as that would imply there was another voice there, but there wasn't. It was like the knowledge just came out of nowhere, being fed to her from....somewhere, or something....or, or...ugh, it still didn't feel like an accurate description.

The thought was a bit unsettling, but there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it now. So, with a sigh, she decided she would ask Twilight about it tomorrow. But for now she needed sleep.....if only to clear both the confusion and the sorrowful thoughts still lingering in her mind.

Luna let a small sigh as she finished raising the moon. She hadn't been able to free up her schedule a visit to Ponyville yet, but there was plenty of time to sort that out later. For now, she had her nightly duties to attend to.

Should I visit Shiera's dreams again? she pondered, initially against the idea, but she couldn't deny that with each visit she was making more progress with her, and there was so much mystery there that Luna couldn't help but be curious.

With her mind made up, and her mind bracing itself for what it might see, Luna lit her horn and entered the Dream Realm.

It didn't take long to find Shiera's door and open it. With one last breath to steel herself, she went through it.

Everything was dark at first, but then slowly, light began to trickle around her. In the distance, about thirty hoofsteps away, the familiar light grey coat and almost glowing snow white mane of Shiera could be seen.

She was still, and facing away from Luna. "Shiera? It is I, Luna....do you remember me?"

She could hear faint whispers echo around her, but they were to distant for her to make out, even with her acute sense of hearing. Suddenly, the Shiera before her dissolved into nothingness, and a long, narrow path of mysterious cyan light appeared once more. Up above, many stars suddenly filled the sky. It was almost beautiful, if it weren't for the eerie, unnatural quiet that permeated throughout the place. She walked for what seemed like hours, but she new it hadn't really been that long.

Suddenly, she felt it.

A movement, a shift, it was ever so subtle, but it resounded like a raging monsoon amidst the quiet.

At first, she glanced around, but saw nothing different. Until she looked up.

That is when she saw it....the enormous not-eye opened above her and an endless sea of mountainous teeth began to appear as its maw slowly opened. Then many, many, not-eyes began to open, each dwarfing any concept of size, yet at the same time none were there at all.

Then she felt that Primordial Instinct kick in, pushing away all rational thought as an indescribable terror seized her thoughts. She felt a warm fluid escape her nethers that she only just barely recognized as her own piss. But somehow, this was enough to snap her back to reality, as it was something so out of character for her, that she couldn't help but feel her cheeks flush with embarrassment.

The thing before her still terrified her to her core, but she knew this was just a dream, and no nightmare held power over her in her own realm!

Focusing her magic into her horn, she released a powerful burst that wiped the Nightmare away, leaving only the path of cyan light and the strange starry sky above. The....creature...was gone, for now. She then casted a spell to clean up the little mess she made.

How embarrassing, to think that a silly nightmare had terrified her, The Princess of the Night, so much so that she did something so foalish as wetting herself. She was glad that neither Shiera nor any pony else was around to see that.

Speaking of which, where was Shiera? Perhaps she was further down the path?
Guess there was only one way to find out.
With a breath to steady her nerves, she continued onward.

After about what felt like thirty minutes, Luna watched the world flicker around her, and suddenly the stars and the cyan path vanished, and a familiar grassy hillside unfolded around her.

"Hello?" Luna called, waiting to see if anypony would reply. To her right, a voice answered.

"What are you doing out here?"

Luna quickly turned to see a different creature standing there. He looked vaguely similar to Shiera, except he was male, his hair was dark and much shorter, and he had a bit more muscular bulk than Shiera did, but he wore similar armor.

Luna gave a confused look before remembering that brief image Shiera had turned into the last time Luna was here.

"You're Shiera's husband..." she whispered, "Or rather, her memory of him..."

He smirked, his smile warm, but his eyes carried the burden of a battle worn soldier. "Shiera...." he spoke in a warm but faded voice.

"I'm not Shiera, I am Luna, Princess of the Night. Do you know where Shiera is?"

He flickered out existence only to reappear thirty feet away, down the hill.
"Shiera....come." He called to her, motioning to Luna to follow.

"I told you, I am not Shiera. My name is Luna!"

The Aspect of Shiera's Husband seemed unfazed, so with a sigh she followed after him. He continued to flcker in and out of existence, all the while eerily calling Shiera's name, but continuing to motion for Luna to follow. He seemed to completely ignore her protests, and would only move once she made it to a certain point towards him.

He seemed to be leading her to a large castle-like structure and stopped before the castle gate, calling Shiera's name once more and motioning Luna to follow. The castle was rather large, possibly even bigger than Canterlot Castle. However, the architecture was vastly different. This castle was a fortress, built both to house armies and to keep them out. Yet, at the same time, no expense was spared in the decor of the place. Each wall and pillar was both practical and strategic, yet were also decorated with lion and dragon-esk statues of ornate gold and marble. It was impressive, even if it was just a memory.

With a sigh she followed the Aspect of Shiera's husband inside, only to notice that he had suddenly disappeared. When she turned to look back, she saw only and endless corridor where the entrance should have been. She guessed there was only way to go, forward.

It wasn't long before she came across a large, ornate door that was cracked open slightly. Curious, Luna took a step forward and peaked through the crack.

Nothing.

It was too dark to see. Still curious, Luna opened the door wider to get a better look. As the door opened, Luna was greeted with eight lethal looking spears all pointing straight at her. And holding these spears was Shiera, or rather Shieras.

Eight Shieras with a murderous glare stared back at her. Each wearing the same armor she had seen before, except each of them were also carrying large shields that covered everything except the arms carrying the spears, their heads, and their feet.

They were arranged in a formation in which the closest two were in the center, and the other flanked out behind them, a row four on the left and right.

Perhaps the real Shiera is in the center, an these Aspects are guarding her, Luna pondered, though it was merely a guess. She could not see for certain what it was these Aspects were guarding, but she figured she needed to know.

She noted their fearsome stares, that reminded her of an Ursa Major, or a dragon perhaps. Each seemed ready to kill her on the spot. "Please..." She paused as the spears suddenly lurched closer. Luna kept her composure, "Please, I am a friend. I'm Luna, don't you recognize me?"

The Aspects said nothing and remained unmoving. At least they hadn't killed her yet, not that they actually could in the Dream Realm, but Luna didn't like waking up like that.

Still, this was a good sign, hopefully....

"Please, Shiera, I only want to help you. But I can't do that if you won't let me. Please, Shiera, let me help you!" Luna pleaded.

There was a moment of tense silence.

Then, suddenly, all the Aspects lowered their spears.

Then they dropped their shields and stood aside.

Luna's eyes narrowed to mere pinpricks at what she saw. No, this couldn't be! She'd face a thousand of those horrifying creatures that lurked in Shiera's memories, anything but this.....

"Shiera....I'm so sorry...."

Author's Note

This one is a bit shorter, and I'm sorry for that. I've known how I wanted this chapter to go for over a week bow, but the writing block came when translating those ideas to paper, so to speak.

But thankfully, I made it through, but I again apologize for it being shorter than normal.

Chapter 23: Odd Sparring

Twilight awoke as the morning sun reached her eyes. With a yawn and a brief stretch, she turned to see that Spike was not in his bed. He probably just woke earlier.

Without much further thought on the subject, Twilight moved out of bed and exited the room, making her way downstairs for breakfast.

She noticed a distinct lack of Spike, (or breakfast), but her curiosity was sated when she heard noises coming from outside. Shiera was "training" again.

Twilight let out a sigh and her tummy rumbled in protest, but she made her way outside.

Spike was sitting on a chair, eating some donuts as he watched Shiera go through her daily routine.

"Morning Spike!" Twilight called, putting on a warm smile as she greeted her favorite little dragon.

"Oh. Hey Twilight." He replied casually, "Want a donut?"

Twilight's nodded, lifting a donut from his little pile and happily taking a bite out of it.

"Shiera doing her practicing again?"

"Uh-huh," Spike replied, turning his attention back to Shiera.

It was still strange to see a pony stand, walk, and maneuver around on their hind legs like that. She could only guess that whatever Shiera was before was accustomed to walking on two legs, like the minotaurs do. Still it was an odd sight, and she didn't understand why Shiera didn't try and learn to adapt to her new body, and at least try to do things as ponies do. But Shiera seemed unconvinced.

She had suggest to Shiera the evening before that Shiera, once she fully learned Levitation, could use her magic to maneuver her swords while freeing up her hoofs, but Shiera simply scoffed at the idea. "That is a ridiculous waste of magic on the battlefield."

Twilight had told her that with a little training, such a thing would hardly affect her magic reserves at all, and besides there was no need to worry. It was highly unlikely Ponyville--or Equestria for that matter, would end up as a battlefield. There was no need for her to train like this anyways. But Shiera wouldn't listen. She kept saying things like 'Using a spell like that would be wasting valuable concentration,' and 'Peace is good, and worth protecting, but the best way to protect it is to be ready for war....' Like that made any sense.

Still, Shiera seemed to be a good mare, at least she hoped. Shiera definitely seemed more...rough than others. She heard about Shiera's duel with Trixie, and it sounded pretty bad. And when she saw Shiera's unconscious body, it looked pretty bad. Shiera almost got herself killed. Even with Twilight's magic and the doctor's help, they aren't sure how she survived. Yet, Shiera seems to think nothing of it...

Twilight was jolted from her thoughts when she noticed Shiera approaching her. "Finished already?" Twilight asked.

Shiera frowned, "For now, at least. However, I actually had a few questions that I hope you can help me with."

Twilight blinked in surprise, "Oh, um, sure! Ask away!" She briefly wondered what Shiera seemed so concerned about. As much as she didn't like to admit it, Shiera was still a tough pony to read.

"I was wondering if there is such thing as a spell or magic that allows one to read languages they can't normally read?"

Twilight frowned, "Maaayybe? I don't know, this isn't something I've looked into, since I am fluent in both Ponish and Old Ponish. Why do you ask? Did you find something you can't read?"

Shiera sighed with a frown, "Twilight...I can't read anything you or anyone else writes in this world. At least....I couldn't until yesterday...."

"Wait, you couldn't read? But you speak Ponish so fluidly!" Twilight pointed out.

Shiera frowned again, "No. I don't speak this 'Ponish' you keep talking about. I speak Mandarin. We are speaking in Mandarin. Right now, you and I and everyone else I have met in this world so far speaks and is speaking in Mandarin."

"No I'm pretty sure everypony speaks in Ponish," Spike butted in, "Maybe they are the same thing, and your world just calls it differently?"

"Perhaps...." Shiera said, pondering, "But then why is everything you write gibberish?"

"What? Gibberish? It's not gibberish! My hoof writing is perfectly legible, thank you very much!" Twilight scoffed, offended by such an accusation.

Shiera rolled her eyes, "No, not your hand writing, Everybody's writing in this world is gibberish, except now for some reason, I can understand it, even though it still looks like gibberish to me..."

How strange....
Twilight was about to reply before Spike suddenly tapped her on the shoulder, "Wait, did you see that?"

"See what?" Shiera and Twilight asked in unison.

"Her mouth, something was...nevermind."

Both Shiera and Twilight frowned, though Shiera seemed a bit disturbed, "What? What is it? Is there something wrong with my mouth? What is it? Tell me!"

Spike frowned, "No, no, your mouth is perfectly fine, I just thought I noticed something, but I'm sure it was just my imagination."

Twilight gave him a concerned look, "What was it Spike? What did you see?"

Spike frowned, "For a moment there, I thought I saw her mouth and the words she was saying not syncing up right, but I think it was just my imagination."

Shiera frowned, "Are you sure? How about now, are my words like that now?"

Twilight noticed it too, this time. "He's right! Your words and lips are not in sync! It's like you are saying one thing but we are hearing another! How fascinating!"

Twilight was about to get ready to study this bizarre and fascinating phenomenon, but was stopped when Shiera frowned and replied, "I do not know of what you mean. I feel as if I am speaking normally, and you seem to understand me just fine."

However, before Twilight could interject something, Shiera put a hoof upon her snout, silencing her.

"As strange as this is, we have other things to move along into. Such as our sparring match."

Twilight's eyes widened, she had almost forgotten. "But wait-- You're still injured from that incident with Trixie!" She protested. Also, she had heard from her friends about what had happened. Only Rainbow Dash seemed elated by what had happened, the rest felt she was a bit too brutal...

"I feel fine. Besides, this will only be a sparring match, not a real fight, so I think I'll be okay. Besides, I vowed to teach you as part of our deal, did I not?"

"But...but...." Twilight sighed, she could tell from Shiera's expression that she wasn't going to talk her out of this. "Fine, when do we start?"

Shiera smirked, "In two minutes. We will spar over there as to avoid damaging anything important." She pointed to the center of the makeshift sparring arena they had made.

Twilight chuckled nervously, "Um...Okay...if you insist..."

Shiera gave her a sly grin that did not help ease her worries. After the allotted time had passed, each took their positions at the opposing ends of the sparring area. Shiera was notably carrying two sticks instead of swords, but Twilight really didn't want to get hit by either of them.

"Um, I don't--"

"All you have to do is fend off my attacks. The first of us to yield or be knocked off of our fee--hooves, ehm, loses."

"Um, okay, I guess that's fair...." Twilight swallowed. "Y-You're not actually going to hurt me right?"

Another smile from Shiera.

"Begin!"

Shiera suddenly dashed forward, preparing to strike. While it was still odd seeing a pony run at her one their back legs, Twilight didn't let that distract her.

Twilight sidestepped and fired a concussive beam of magic at Shiera, in an attempt to knock her aside. However, Shiera seemed to expect this, and positioned herself perfectly so that Twilight's attack missed by mere centimeters, and moved so fluidly into her next attack that Twilight was only barely able to throw up a shield in time. Unfortunately, any momentary thought of safety Twilight had felt disappeared when she saw Shiera grin.

Suddenly a small first explosion went off right below Twilight's horn, knocking both her and all concentration she had away. It was small, not enough to actually damage her, but it clearly enough to stun her for a few seconds. And unfortunately, that was all Shiera needed, as she was suddenly standing above Twilight with a stick lightly pressed to Twilight's throat.

"Dead. Let's try again."

"W-Wait! That wasn't fair, you--" Twilight tries to protest.

"Your first evasive move was good, but you went defensive far too quickly and predictably. Choose one or the other and stick with it. Only switch if one or the other isn't working, or if you don't think the one your currently using will work. Evasion should be fluid, and your defense should be solid. Now, again."

Twilight grumbled. Her horn still a little sore, but otherwise she'd be fine. This time, Twilight initiates the attack, summoning a barrage of concussive blasts in an attempt to catch Shiera off guard.

However, instead of moving evasively like before, Shiera instead swatted each of the blasts away, causing the sticks to snap away bit by bit. With Shiera's sticks now at half of their original size, Twilight changed tactics and launched a small fireball before suddenly jumping to the side and firing a bolt of lightning at her, both spells minimized as to not actually cause any real harm to Shiera.

However, Shiera did something unexpected, as she changed Twilight's fireball into water and then proceeded to use it to redirect the lightning current into the ground. Twilight, again, was caught off guard by just how fluidly Shiera maneuvered, both her body and magic moving in tandem. She switches from defensive to offensive so quickly that Twilight barely had time to jump out of the way. Shiera's fluid assault forced Twilight into a position of where she could only dodge, with no time given to cast any magic. Twilight saw Shiera swing in with her sticks, and she instinctively raised a shield, only to instantly be punished by another small, firey explosion that knocked her onto her backside. Once again, Shiera was upon her and declared her dead.

Twilight groaned, the thought of learning this new branch of magic suddenly wasn't so appealing anymore. Shiera's speed reminded her of Rainbow Dash, not quite as fast, but far more fluid and precise.

"You have good instincts, but you fight too much like a mage. Magic alone cannot solve all your problems."

"Aren't you being a bit too harsh on her? Twilight's not a fighter like you are, ya know...." Spike interjected.

Shiera nodded, "Perhaps, but this is how I was taught, and this is how I taught my soldiers. It is true that Twilight is no soldier, but I know not of any other way to teach it. We can stop if--"

"No. No I'm fine." Twilight suddenly interjected, rising to her hooves. "This may be...different...than what I'm used to, but as the Element of Magic, it is my duty to learn all I can about magic." She winced, "Even if it means I get bumps and bruises along the way..."

Spike looked like he wanted to protest, but eventually he caved and went back to eating some donuts. Shiera tossed her current sticks away. "Perhaps there is a different, more effective way for me to teach you..."

"Really?" Twilight asked, her ears perking up.

"Well....yes, but its not ideal for learning actual combat techniques needed to master this type of magic. But considering you are not a soldier, this may be the best for you."

"Well, what is it?" Twilight asked, eager to try a new method that didn't result in small explosions going off in her face.

"We will have a Magic Duel. No weapons but our magic."

Twilight swallowed with a nervous chuckle. Flashes of recounts her friends had told her about what happened in Shiera's last Magic Duel came to mind. Oh Celestia, what did she just get herself into?

Author's Note

Sorry that this came out three days later than planned, but life happens, I guess, lol!

Anyways I hope you enjoy this next chapter! See ya in the next one!

Chapter 24: Magic Hurts

Twilight took a deep breath. Shiera was upon her within a second, not even giving Twilight time to debate the decision. The very earth beneath began to rise up and jut strait into the barrel of her stomach, knocking the wind out of her, but Twilight managed just enough concentration to cast a teleportation spell just in the nick of time, before it could fling her in the air. Still, her footing after reappearing was not as optimal as she could hope.

Shiera continued on, still not allowing Twilight to protest, though this time, she turned the pillars of earth she had made into water and used it to lash out at Twilight. Twilight responded in kind with a rather large fireball, which neutralized the water whip before it could strike her.

Then there was a moment of silence as the two ponies eyed each other. Twilight could only guess what Shiera was thinking, but that didn't matter now, she would not let Shiera catch her off guard like that again.

The silence didn't last as Shiera suddenly lashed out with lightning. Twilight raised a shield once more, but instead of trying to hide behind it, an idea came to her. Channelling a bit more magic into it, she made the shield bubble expand and burst forth, striking Shiera, causing her to be knocked back.

Twilight was elated, she finally got Shiera on the receiving end this time! But it didn't last long, as Shiera recovered far more quickly than Twilight had anticipated. Shiera once more lashed out with lightning, except half way through it seemed to just suddenly vanish, confusing Twilight for a moment until she was hit by a solid wall of air which completely knocked off her hooves.

Twilight, though momentarily stunned, knew she couldn't stay down, lest Shiera would win. She rolled to her hooves, though the world was still spinning. Shakily, she managed to steady herself, and was mildly surprised that Shiera hadn't come to finish her yet. But then she noted the worried look in Shiera's eyes, which meant she must of still have been trying to see if Twilight was okay.

An idea occurred to use this moment to strike, but Twilight hesitated. That didn't seem like a kind or honorable thing to do. Especially since this was just sparring, right?

But then she thought of what Shiera would likely do in her situation, and frowned. With effort, she fired a bolt of magic at Shiera, aimed at her barrel to catch her off guard and hopefully knock her off her hooves. Though Shiera did give a look of surprise, Shiera reacted just in the nick of time and dodged gracefully out of the way.

"Impressive. I was wrong about my initial assumptions about you. It seems you are just as utilitarian as Trixie is, though, perhaps in a different sense." Shiera complimented.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Twilight panted between breaths.

"You both utilize your knowledge and experiences to better utilize your magic. It seems you both have that in common."

Twilight grunted, not sure how to respond to such praise, but she didn't even get the chance to, as Shiera suddenly struck.

A streak of lightning shot out from her horn so fast, that time seemed to slow to Twilight. She watched in awe as the Lightning changed into a fireball just as it was about to hit her. Twilight knew she couldn't throw a shield up fast enough, so without thinking, she tried a different tactic.

Stepping ever so slightly to the side, Twilight felt as the fireball scorched the side of her barrel, but as continued moving forward, she seized it with her magic and redirected it, flinging it back at Shiera.

Shiera's eyes widened in surprise, and it was only in this moment that Twilight realized that she had accidentally strengthened the fireball. But it was too late.

Shiera managed to summon a bit of water from a nearby puddle, and while it helped a little, Shiera still took the brunt of the blast and was thrown back several pony lengths before skidding to a stop.

Shiera remained motionless on the ground.

"Shiera!! Oh my Celestia! Are you okay?! I am sooo sorry, Shiera, I didn't mean--"
Twilight exclaimed in a panic as she rushed to Shiera's side.

"I yield..." Shiera replied with a cough.

Spike ran up to them, "Sweet Celestia! Are you okay, Shiera? Twilight! You're hurt too!" He pointed out, worry and concern enveloping his face. He ran up to and hugged Twilight.

"I'm fine Spike, its just a few scapes and bruises, and a little singed fur, I'll be alright. But Shiera--"

"I'm fine. It'll take more than a bit of fire to put a soldier like me down," Shiera replied, grunting as she pulled herself back onto her hooves.

"Shiera, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to--"

"I said it's fine. I'm okay! You just knocked the wind out of me is all. Plus a scratch and bruise or two, but who's counting?" Shiera gave pained chuckle, which did not ease Twilight nor Spike's worry.

"Shiera, I don't think we should try such things again." Twilight replied with a frown.

"I agree! That's just way too dangerous!" He reaffirmed this statement by crossing his arms, closing his eyes and nodding with a "Mmhmm!".

Shiera frowned, "Why not? You did well! You won our little spar. Your magic is definitely stronger than mine, but you shouldn't be ashamed of that."

"Shiera, that's not the point! You could have gotten hurt or worse!" Twilight protested.

"Don't forget about Twilight, she could have gotten hurt too, and I would never forgive you if that happened," Spike interjected, stepping closer to Twilight.

Shiera shook her head, "Don't be silly, it is a sparring match, a duel. People getting hurt is par for the course. It helps teach one to sharpen their reflexes, besides both of us were holding back. There was no real--"

"No Shiera! We are not having a Magic Duel ever again!" Twilight scolded.

"You also don't play nice, and that's not something a good pony would do."
Spike said, folding up his arms again.

Shiera's eyes narrowed, not at Twilight but at Spike.

"Nice? Are you questioning my honor? Do you think any of her opponents will be 'nice'? Do you think a tyrant, a monster, or even a man fighting for his life is going to be 'nice' to her, to me--or to you!?"

"Well, I-I..."

"They will not! It is a warrior's duty to know, embrace, and ingrain this to memory! A soldier must be prepared! I have honored my word! I am doing exactly as I said I would! I am teaching her how my magic works!"

Twilight stepped forward, "Teaching me? You promised to show me how it works, but all you've been doing is attacking and fighting me, and giving me cryptic advice! How is that supposed to teach me anything? You haven't even taught me a single Spell in this Battle Magic of yours!"

Shiera scoffed, "Were you not paying attention then? Battle Magic has nothing to do with spells! There are no magic words for you to say that magically make things happen, that isn't how it works! I have shown you, through battle, exactly how my magic works, and if you refuse to pay attention to what I show you, then its not my fault! If I was training my soldiers, I--"

"Well I'm not a soldier, now am I?!" Twilight rebuked.

There was a long silence between them.

Eventually, Shiera sighed, though obviously still angry. "No, you are right. You are no Soldier. And I apologize for that error in thinking. But I will not have you questioning my honor. I always keep my word. I will not be insulted just because you are too blind to see that."

And with that, Shiera stormed off, heading towards town.

Twilight was still angry, but she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt as she noticed a small limp in Shiera's walk. Still, she was too angry to care. Shiera or even herself could have been hurt, why couldn't Shiera just see that?

Twilight huffed as she marched back into the library, reading a book or two might do her some good at the moment.

Spike frowned, while he did agree with Twilight, he didn't like this. He didn't like seeing friends fight like this. While he was angry at Shiera too, he knew in his heart that she was a good pony deep down. And he felt a little guilty for insinuating other wise. He knew that Shiera was only trying to help, and while he didn't agree on her methods, he knew that she wasn't the kind of pony that meant Twilight or any pony else any harm.

Spike sighed, he wanted to go back inside with Twilight to comfort her. He was her number one assistant, after all. But his mind was made up.

He needed to talk with Shiera. It was the right thing to do.

Author's Note

So here is the next chapter! Sorry it took so long! Had a few things come up, and then I forgot for a few days! I know my publishing schedule isn't consistent, but rest assured, I will continue this story until the end. ^^

Chapter 25: Sweets to heal the not so sweet.

Pinkie had just finished up her chores for the day and was bouncing out of Sugarcube Corner when she noticed Shiera just across the road, walking with a small limp and a grim look upon her face.

Pinkie Pie, whom did not like seeing any of her friends upset or in a bad mood, decided to see what was wrong.

"Sooo, whatcha doin'?" Pinkie asked, bouncing into step right next to her.

Shiera flicked her ears in annoyance, "Not now, Pink One. Leave me be..."

"It's Pinkie, silly! Also, are you hurt? You're limping! You should talk to Twilight about that, I'm pretty sure--"

"Not now, Pink One!" Shiera snapped, before storming off with a limp.
Pinkie recoiled in confusion, but before she could chase after her, Pinkie saw Spike running towards her.

"Hi Spike, whatcha doing?" She asked as she pounced in front of him with a smile.

Spike pauses for a moment, "Oh hey, Pinkie, have you seen Shiera anywhere? I wanted to talk to her..."

"Oh? What for?" Pinkie asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.

Spike frowned, "Twilight and Shiera had a fight, and they each said some things I know they didn't mean..."

"Oh no! So that was why she was in a bad mood! Quick! She went this way!" Pinkie then snatched Spike by the claw and whisked him away as she dashes towards where Shiera had stormed off to.

It didn't take them long to catch up. "Shiera! Wait!" Pinkie Pie shouted as they caught up. Shiera twitched her ears in annoyance. "I thought I told you to leave me alone, Pink One." Shiera scowled as she continued walking.

"No, you only said not now, and then kept saying my name wrong and--" But as Pinky rambled on Spike noticed Shiera began picking up speed to put distance between them. "Shiera! Wait! We only want to talk!"

Shiera then pauses and stopped, turning to face him. She stared for a moment, looking between him and Pinkie Pie. She then sighed, "Fine, I suppose..."

"What's wrong? What happened?" Pinky asked.

Shiera rolled her eyes, "I was helping her to learn Battle Magic, and it was going well until she questioned my honor! Acting like I haven't been helping or honoring my part of the deal, who does she think she is?!" Shiera turned away in a huff, taking few steps before she stopped and collected herself.

"Well I'm sure Twilight didn't mean anything by it. I'm sure if you just talk to her you two can work things out..." Pinkie said, trying to comfort her friend.

Shiera rolled her eyes, still too angry to agree to such a thing.

Spike stepped forward, "Well, to be fair, you were a bit rough, especially in that Magic Duel you had...not everything has to be solved with violence, you know..."

"Wait, Shiera and Twilight had a Magic Duel?!" Pinkie gasped in surprise.

Shiera growled, "While that may be true, it is also foolish not to be prepared for it! Do you think everybody you meet is just going to be reasonable or even willing to talk? Don't you realize that once an enemy sees a weakness that they won't hesitate to exploit it?!"

"Hey, we've defeated many bad guys before, like Nightmare Moon, Discord, the Changelings, and King Sombra! And we did that with just power of friendship, and my cool moves of course..." Spike said with a smirk. "And we did that without being as rough as you tend to be...."

Shiera glared daggers at him, making him gulp and take a few steps back. But before Pinkie could intervened, Shiera sighed, "Rough? You think I'm being rough? It's obvious you've never had to fight for your life before. To have to fight to make sure you and your friends get to live another day. The skills I have and teach are purely to help further that goal. Twilight has a gift, and she could be so much more if she just followed my training. My soldiers had faith in me. And I did my best for them, and I do the same for her, and she dares question my honor?! And acts as if I am wrong for honoring our deal just because my method it isn't what she's used to?!"

"Well, Twilight's not a soldier, you can't expect her to act like--" Pinkie Pie interjected.

"WELL, I AM, OKAY?!!" Shiera snapped, her hoof stomping and her tone harsher than she intended.

She saw the frightened look upon both of them and relented, tears swelling in her eyes.

"...I am...okay? I'm a soldier, that is my life. I have seen wars and pain, dying and suffering! And I have seen many of my comrades and friends die and be slaughtered as we fought for freedom and against tyrants! So many that I can't even count anymore..."

Tears dripped from her face as her mask finally slips, revealing the broken mare underneath.

"And then I arrive here and you want to tell me that everything I am and have sacrificed is a joke and that you can just magically friendship your way out of your problems? Well, Fuck that! That is the most delusional, naive bullshit I have ever heard!"

"S-Shiera..." Pinkie Pie said, trying to comfort her, but Shiera wasn't finished.

"I have seen how evil and cruel the world can be! I have seen honorless soldiers and scumbags murder innocent civilians for sport! And I avenged each and everyone of them with my magic and blades! And if you or Twilight even think that you can compare me t-to s-such--"

She was openly sobbing now, and only stopped her rant when she suddenly felt Spike hug her, followed by Pinkie Pie.

"It's okay Shiera....no pony thinks that you're a bad pony..." Spike said, tears in his eyes.

"Yeah, we didn't know that you'd been through all that...and we are sorry for not understanding things from your perspective...I'm sure Twilight didn't mean to question you or your honor. You are the most honorable pony I know, and that's a Pinkie Promise." Pinkie Pie put a hoof on her shoulder for comfort. Shiera did not deny it.

"You're our friend, Shiera, and Twilight is too! We care about you, and I'm sure Twilight didn't mean to hurt you. She's a good pony too. I should know, she raised me ever since I was little," Spike said with a smile.

Shiera sniffed and tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, though to no avail. "I'm not mad that she hurt me....in fact, I was proud. She's really gifted in magic and a fast learner, and clever too! One always gets a few scrapes and bruises while training, so that didn't matter to me. I just wanted her to learn to defend herself better, so that she could protect those around her, and especially you, Spike..."

"Hey, I can protect myself!" Spike protested with a blush.

Shiera chuckled, "I'm sure you can, but you clearly mean the world to Twilight, and I'm sure she would want to protect you with all her heart..."

"She's right, you know" spoke a voice from behind them.

Pinkie Pie was the first to speak, "Twilight? How long have you been there?"

Twilight flattened her ears and bowed her head, "Long enough...I had came to apologize to Shiera after I had noticed Spike had run off. And then I overheard your conversation..."

She pauses and looked up at Shiera, meeting her eyes, "I didn't realize you'd been through so much, and I realize now you were only trying to help...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to offend you like that..."

Shiera sighed, finally wiping away the last of her tears. "I accept your apology, and I also apologize as well. I know you aren't used to the way I teach, and that my way is....rougher than what you are used to...and I'm sorry...I'm doing my best to honor our agreement, and I'm still not used to...all of this..." She says as she gestures to the world around them.

Twilight smiled, holding out a hoof, "It's okay, I understand. I'm sure I would have a hard time adjusting too, if I found myself in a strange new world as well....Friends?"

Shiera shook her hoof with her own and smiled, "Friends."

Pinkie Pie then bounced in between them and wrapped and arm around each of them have them both a smothering hug, "Hooray!! We are all friends again! You know this calls for? Friendship Cupcakes!!"

Both Twilight and Shiera chuckled in agreement. A cupcake definitely sounded good right now, and Shiera had a newfound respect for Pinkie Pie, and Spike too. It was nice to see that they cared, it was a feeling she hadn't felt in what felt like a long time....

_______________

Meanwhile, in a small alleyway several yards away, a pair of eyes watched the group as they interacted. The blue pony was too far away to hear the whole conversation, but that didn't matter. He had found what he was looking for...

A mare with a flank as blank as his own......

Author's Note

Yay! I'm not dead! Sorry for taking so long, but here it is! It will be a bit before the next chapter as I have other stories I need to work on, and o e in particular that I'm having writer's block on, but worry not, for I will continue!

Crowborn out!

Chapter 4: Uncertainty

The one called Twilight took a breath before starting off with her first question. She seemed flushed with a mixture of emotions, excitement, curiosity, fear, and something between giddy and anguished. Shiera couldn't tell which.

"So.....Where are you from?" Twilight asked, making board with paper float next to her using magic from her horn. A Writing quill also appeared, but she didn't see her summon any ink. But that didn't seem to matter. Strange.

Shiera steadied herself for a moment, "I hail from the former Shu Empire, now called the An Empire, since my...." Shiera winced a bit, Many painful memories resurfaced themselves for a bit before she pushed the back.

"Since your what?" She asked, but Shiera didn't bother answering, not wanting to revisit those memories at the moment.
"Now, Where is this 'An Empire', and how come i have never heard of it before?"

Shiera paused, "How could you not have heard of the An Empire, it's the second largest Kingdom in all the land!"

Twilight frowned, "I've seen the Crystal Empire, but never this 'An Empire' you speak of..."

"Crystal what? Never heard of it." Shiera replied.

She watched as Twilight scribbled something down on her notes, and then turned as the pink one....Pinkie Pie, was it? Yeah, she began to speak. "You've never been to the Crystal Empire? It's simply amaaazing! There's lots of crystals, and a giant floating heart, and this reaaaally evil unicorn that tried to take over and---"

"Pinkie, i think that's enough for now, i still have more questions i want ask her..." interrupted Twilight.

"Aww, and i was just getting to the good part....okay...." Pinkie Pie replied, drooping her ears for a moment in sadness before spontaneously perking up again.

"Now for my next--" Twilight began

"No!" Shiera interjected.

"Wait, what? But i haven't--"

"I have my own questions to ask, And i want answers just as much as you do. We will take turns, is this not a fair solution?"

Twilight seemed taken aback by that for a moment, before giving a nervous laugh and finally a smile. "You're right, You must be just as confused as any of us....go ahead, ask away!"

Shiera took a deep breath, this was a question she'd been needing to get off of her chest for while now....."What weird hellspawn afterlife is this? What kind of afterlife needs a hospital? And why is everything a talking horse-er, pony thing?"

Nothing in any religious book she read ever mentioned a realm of talking, rainbow colored pony hellspawn. She was pretty sure she'd remember reading something as ridiculous as that....

All of the ponies seemed taken aback by Shiera's question, "Hellspawn? What is that? Afterlife? Wait, you think this is the afterlife? Don't be silly, you are alive and well in Equestria," replied Nurse RedHeart. Shiera frowned. "No this most assuredly must be the afterlife," she protested, "Even if it's nothing like the books say..."

Twilight gave a confused look before shaking her head, "No, i assure you, everypony here is alive and well, we saved you from the Everfree Forest...You were injured from your fall, but you are very much---"

"No." It was a simple word, but she spoke it with such conviction that there was a momentary pause in the conversation. Shiera's face was that of dead seriousness. If she still had fists, she would have clenched them.

"I am dead. I died."

"Why aren't you listening to me, you aren't dead! We saved you in the Everfree--" Twilight tried to explain, but Shiera cut her off.

"No. I remember it clearly. I fought in the battle Leng Wu, and i died. I died, bleeding in my crying husband's...." Shiera began to shake, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I died, and now i am here, so there is no way that this isn't the afterlife!" A sudden sharp pain flared in her head and she cried out. It felt like she was forgetting something....falling....but...but....whatever it was, it just wasn't there.

The whole room was silent for a long moment as Shiera cried, the memories of her husband and friends, and the betrayal, and finally, her death flooding through her mind once more.

Fluttershy was the first to recover, and she calmly walked over to Shiera and gave her a hug. Shiera stiffened a bit, but didn't stop her.

"I-It's okay....Everything's going to be okay...I don't know what happened, but i can assure you, you are alive and well, we all are." She grabbed Shiera's hoof and pressed it against her chest. "See?"

Shiera was confused for a moment until she felt it. A beat. A pulse. Then another. And another. Shiera then put a hoof on her own chest, and sure enough, she could feel it beat.

"I-I-I don't understand! I...W-What?" Instead of relieve, panic began to swell within Shiera, "What is going on? I'm alive again? How? Where is this?! What is this?! Why am i like this?! Why am i here?!" At that moment, her calm soldier mask failed her. She began to freak out, almost knocking the bed over again, scooting away from the other ponies in the room, not hearing their words even as they tried to calm her. It wasn't until there was another prick of a needle did she finally slow down and collapsed into an empty sleep.

Fluttershy began to cry, "I-I'm so sorry! I was only trying to help...." Nurse RedHeart gave Fluttershy a comforting pat on the back. "It's okay, you didn't do anything wrong. Things are just...." She paused for a moment, trying to find the right word, "....complicated....at the moment."

"Complicated? Don't you mean crazy?! She was bonkers! Spouting out nonsense about something called an 'An Empire' and saying crazy things like she died---"

"I don't know, Pinkie, i think she was telling the truth," interrupted Twilight.

"Huh?! You really believe all that crazy stuff, Twilight?"

Twilight frowned, "I don't understand it myself, but....she was crying Pinkie....and it's clear she didn't know anything about our world either...She is probably just afraid and in a new place that she doesn't understand. I would be traumatize too if i woke up in a world i hadn't seen before..."

"Wait, you believe her to be from another world?" this time it was Doctor Horse who had chimed in. Twilight frowned, then nodded. "I don't know for sure, but i think so. It's the only thing that makes sense so far, at least from what we've learned from her so far...." she bit her lip. "The question still remains of how she got here, and what happened to her....and there are still so many questions i have for her."

"I don't think she's currently in any state to be answering questions, especially since it will take a while before the sedative wears off again..." replied Doctor Horse.

Twilight nodded, thoughts still lingering on her tongue. "I....I need to talk to Princess Celestia about this....she needs to know, and maybe she'll know how to help her!"

And without another word, Twilight dashed off to go find Spike. She would need to write a letter, and quickly...

Author's Note

Sorry that you guys had to wait so long. like i said before, i have a wacky schedule. I will post when i can and won't when i can't....

And if you are wondering, yes, Shiera's memories of what happened in the Void, or even going to the Void in the first place have faded away. What is causing this and why will be revealed sometime in the future! You'll have to keep reading to find out! XP

Chapter 20: What Friends are For

For a brief moment, the crushing pain she felt flickered away, and everything around her was suddenly different. No longer were things of colors, shapes, and sounds. Instead, there were strings, plucked, pulled, tugged, tied, tethered Strings. And Words, making, breaking, shaping, forming, dissolving, twisting. Living. Everything was Words and Strings and Numbers and Things...
Everything had changed--No, nothing had. Everything the same but different.

It was more as if she was seeing everything in a different light or way. A hidden layer not seen by mortal eyes. The Unseen Seen but should not be... In the distance, she saw a skeletal Alicorn watching her closely and then....

And then....

Everything was normal again. Her eyes caught sight of the fleeing form of Trixie as pain once more washed over her body. As the pain began to overtake her consciousness, she felt herself readily accepting the sleep to come.

Shiera awoke with a groan. Her body still felt sore, but not as sore as she remembered. As she stretched, she took a quick glance at her surroundings. She was at the Ponyville Hospital again. She pondered how she got here for a brief moment before the memories of what had occurred flooded back into her mind. Her battle with Trixie, the crushing pain, the....strange....What was it that she had seen? And why did her head hurt just trying to think about it?

Shiera shook her head, dismissing it for now. She mentally put it on her list of "Weird Pony World Things", and decided she'd have time to worry about that later. Instead, she decided to focus more inward on herself, analyzing her injuries, and seeing if she could judge how much time had passed. She remembered feeling her ribs snap and her lower hip cracking in half, as well as her innards very much threatening to become her outtards.

Shit, i was injured pretty bad... She thought to herself as she continued to analyze herself. However, although she was sore, she noticed her ribs seemed to be back in place, and her hip, while it still ached like hell, seemed sturdy enough to still support her weight. To test this, she slowly, with the utmost caution, slipped out of bed and stood on her hooves. Despite an initial tinge of pain and discomfort, she could indeed stand.

I must have been out for several weeks, at least, or hell, even several months... she thought. Shiera, as a soldier, had experienced her fair share of injuries and had developed a good sense of telling how much time had passed by noting how much her body had recovered from her last injury. She had once broken her arm during battle, and that took about a month before she could use it again, surely these ones would at the very least take about the same amount of time. And considering she wasn't wearing any casts, she surely must have been unconscious for several months at least.

Shiera groaned, "Maybe i shouldn't have challenged that Trixie after all..." It was not worth losing what was surely months of her life inside a hospital.

Just then, the door to the room opened, and Shiera turned to see six familiar mares and a small purple dragon looking at her with an expression of utter shock on their faces.

"You're awake!" Twilight exclaimed in disbelief.

"Why, Darling, you sure are resilient!" exclaimed Rarity.

"See? I told you she would be fine!" The Pink One exclaimed with a bounce.

"That fight with Trixie was Awesome! and Scary! But totally awesome!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed, grinning with a nod of approval.

"I-It was scary, really scary....i-I hope nothing like that ever happens again..." Fluttershy managed to say with a concerned look on her face.

Before Shiera could react, she was suddenly crushed by a spontaneous group hug. "Gack!! Girls....need...air....it....hurts...."
Finally, they let go and gave her sheepish apologetic smiles as she gasped the air back into her lungs.

"I know i've been out for a month or so, but i'm still sore..." she informed them as she rubbed her stomach and chest to ease the pain.

"A month? You've only been out for two days, Shiera!" Twilight replied with friendly smile.

Shiera froze. "No, that can't be right...I know i broke a few ribs, and i felt my hip crack in two. It's impossible to heal from such wounds in only two days," Shiera gave a confused and dismissive frown, "No it had to have been at least a few months or so..."

"I'm sorry, Shiera, but she's tellin' tha truth..." AppleJack reaffirmed, "And with me being the Element of Honesty and all, ya know it's true."

Shiera still wasn't quite on board with this whole "Elements" thing, but AppleJack did indeed, seem to be sincere. "But...how?" Shiera asked, confused.

"Well, you were in pretty bad shape, but luckily I memorized a few healing spells, and we managed to repair most of your broken bones, but it's still surprising you've recovered this quickly..." Twilight explained.

"Magic? I guess that explains it..." Shiera relented with a sigh, "Thanks. I don't know how to repay you...."

The Pink One then threw a hoof around her shoulder, "Well that's what friends are for, right? Besides, you don't need to repay us, i'm sure you'd do the same thing for any of us, right?"

"I guess...."

"Great! And now that you are awake, we can Paarrtaay!!" Pinkie exclaimed, bouncing into the air with a burst of confetti.

"Well, as long as it's nothing too wild, i'm still sore, after all," Shiera winced, though admittably in a much better mood.

"Don't worry! If there's anypony that knows how to throw a party, it's me!" Pinky exclaimed cheerfully.

Shiera had to admit, the Pink One knew how to make her sweets. These "cupcakes" were certainly gratifying in flavor, especially the strawberry ones. (Though they still were not as grand as the "donuts" in her opinion). It was surprisingly faster getting her out of the hospital this time. The doctor had protested, but after a quick medical check up, they said she was good to go. Though she should stray from any strenuous activities for the next week or two.

Currently, Shiera watched as Rainbow Dash challenged both AppleJack and Twilight to a pie eating contest. Pinkie Pie quickly offered to be the 'referee', whatever that was. Shiera thought about joining, but considering how sore she still felt, she decided against it. Spike was eating a gem encrusted cake, and seemed lost in the flavor. As she watched the adorable sight, she couldn't help but let a sad smile touch her lips.

She was only shaken from her thoughts when she felt a hoof touch her shoulder. She turned to see Rarity taking a seat next to her. "Are you okay dear? Do you have a stomach ache? You've been holding your stomach for a while now...I am sure Fluttershy has some medicine for--" Rarity inquired.

"Huh? Oh, no, no....i was....just lost in thought is all..." Shiera replied with a smile, "But I'm fine....still quite a bit sore...but fine."

Rarity gave her an inquisitive look over, but relented, "Well, as long as you are sure. But that was quite the....barbaric...battle you had there, if you need anything, whether it be for the pain or otherwise, you only need ask."

"Thanks."

"Oh, no need to feel so drab, my dear! Here, i even have a little gift for you..." Rarity said with a smile, reaching out behind her with her magic and floating two ornately made objects to show to Shiera.

"My Swords! You've made sheaths for them!" Shiera exclaimed, an expression of awe and wonder appearing on her face. The sheathes were ornately designed in regal blue and gold patterns, resembling butterflies that were landing on silvery, gem encrusted flowers. Each sheath fit the blades perfectly, and complemented the golden hilt designs of her swords perfectly. Shiera's eyes lit up in gratitude, "T-Thank you! But...but how can i repay--I-I don't have any money! I-I..."

"Oh don't worry about such nonsense! It's a gift! After all, isn't that what friends are for, Darling?" Rarity replied, with a dismissive wave of her hoof, "After all, it's the least i could do to repay you for helping solve that Trixie problem. Besides, that look in your eyes is all the payment i need. Nothing beats seeing the happiness of a friend when you give them a gift!"

Shiera had no words, and though a part of her was sure she looked childish, she hugged her newly sheathed swords with delight. Finally, something that reminded her of home. Something familiar.

A question suddenly came to her mind, and Shiera felt compelled to ask. "Um, by the way, whatever did happen to Trixie? I remember kicking the amulet off, but not much else after..."

Rarity smiled, "Well dear, that's a story i'll tell in just a moment, I think Fluttershy needs help carrying Twilight back to the Library, poor thing must of eaten more than she could chew...."

Author's Note

Well, things are starting to get interesting, A lot of questions brought up in this chapter, but answers will come in due time. ^^

Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and i'll see you in the next one!