Mad Mad Polterpone

The group finished gathering around me as I considered how to start. Once they settled in, I began.

"So… to start with, I'm from another world. Chances are, there's gonna be lots of terms you're not familiar with. But… let's start with what I am. Basically, I'm a human. Or, was one. Then I received a package that had a costume in it. I was planning on using it at a convention, but then I found out the costume transformed me. So… basically the costume became real. It's what you see before you."

"So if you aren't human anymore, what are you now?" Twilight asked inquisitively.

"In short, a ghost. I didn't realize it until just a little bit ago, but this body is nothing more than a life sized doll that I'm controlling." This revelation was received with gasps of surprise.

"So you're dead?" Pinkie asked upfront.

"Well yes, but actually no. Technically, I was turned into a character who's dead. See, this body, and the essence of the one controlling it came from a story that was shared back home. The story of an entire race imprisoned underground because of Human Fear."

"Oh… that sounds terrible…" Fluttershy muttered. I sighed.

"Yeah. Sadly, I don't know all the details, all I know is there was a war, humans won, and humans decided to offer these people the small mercy of not killing them all off there and then. Unfortunately for them, the humans decided to sacrifice 7 human souls to create a barrier to trap all of them under a mountain. This… did not sit well for a long while. Turns out they needed 7 more souls to break said barrier, and… well. It's tragic. But yeah… my character is from that story. A ghost who embodies rage, just trying to fuse with a permanent body so they can feel whole again."

"...So… if that's your character, who are you?" Rainbow asked.

"I forget. I think something about the transformation erased it. But honestly? I'm kinda glad it did. The old me was a lazy and selfish person. That's not the person I wanna be, anyway." I say with a shrug.

"So… what do we call you then?" Pinkie asked with confusion. I furrow my brows as I think out loud.

"Well… officially, my character is only known as Mad Mew Mew, or Mad Dummy, based on the body they possess. But I'm not entirely my character since I don't entirely have the same personality. How about… Felyne." I suggest. That got smiles from them.

"Fitting. Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Felyne." Twilight says. This sentiment is echoed in the others, giving me warm feelings. Rarity then spoke up.

"So if you can use that mannequin as a spare body, does that mean you can also do that for the other mannequins here at the shop?" She asked. I blink as the thought is brought to my attention.

"You know, I thought of that. But I haven't had a chance yet to try getting out of this one yet. Guess now's as good a time as any." I close my eyes as I focus on that detached feeling I felt earlier. I start to feel even more distant as I focus on it… until I hear the girls gasp.

"Felyne, it's working. You're out." Pinkie alerted me. Opening my eyes, I found myself floating, and a feeling of weightlessness overtook me. Although I felt the potential to push myself in a given direction.

"Whoa. This feels… weird. Nya..." I mutter. Wow, even my ghost self sounds feminine. And feline.

"Hah! Even your spirit looks like a cat. You really hit it on the nose with your new name, man." Rainbow laughed. I decided to laugh with her. She was right after all. I looked down at the doll, frowning as I noticed it looks a hell of a lot less lifelike. Creepy even. But like, the skin actually looked like fabric now.

"Huh. I guess my spirit gives these things life. I uh… don't think it's a good idea to show you guys what happens when I use the Dummy. It's like something out of a horror film… and so are the powers, actually."

"Wait. Different bodies give you different powers?" Rainbow asked, like a superhero nerd. Twilight pays closer attention too, rather interested.

"Yep. In the Dummy, I can summon other dummies that can blast out magic attacks and turn into missiles. In Mew Mew's body, I can split someone into both the dark and light halfs of themself. It also has attacks that affect each half uniquely."

"Idea!" Rarity sang out suddenly. "If you'll give me some time, I can make you some new bodies. It'll just take a few edits to existing mannequins, but I can set you up with new possibilities. They should provide interesting results."

I grin as I float down to give her a hug. "Oh, thanks! Honestly, I wasn't expecting to find anyone so generous here."

"That's Rarity for you. She's generous to a fault. But… I think we're all learning how best to go about it in the future." Twilight responded with a smile. "Although you should… probably jump back into a body. Seeing you all transparent and stuff is a little freaky." I noticed then that her smile was strained. I rolled my eyes and turned to jump back into Mewmew. Once I felt myself settle in, I once more opened my eyes, looking my body over. Yep, back to flesh and bone. It was a familiar and welcome feeling.

"Honestly this feels so much better." I state happily. "There's something about being weightless and needing to concentrate to touch things that's very off-putting."

Rainbow looks into the sky. "Oh, my shift is almost over. I better finish actually clearing the sky. I'll talk to ya later, alright?" Dash dashes off in a rush, leaving a visible chromatic trail behind. That convinced me pegasus use magic to fly, and that Rainbow's Mana pool was absurdly large, and very under control.

Applejack stands up, looking around. "I suppose everypony has something to do now. But it was very nice to meet ya, Felyne. Don't forget to give my family farm a visit. I'm sure you'll like it there." Applejack starts heading out. Fluttershy seems to have already disappeared. Twilight and Pinkie head out next. But I stop Twilight on her way out.

"Hey, Twilight? Could you look into something for me?" I ask tentatively.

"Huh? What is it, Felyne?" She asked, curiously.

"It's the plane that seemed to… act as the gateway between my world and yours. It looked like it was made entirely of liquid shadow. The best name I could think to call it was an Umbral Void." I told her.

"That sounds… scary. But I haven't heard it before. I'll try and look for some information for you, and if all else fails, I can ask the princesses for some help with that." She promised.

"Thanks. This'll give me some peace of mind." I tell her. She smiles comfortingly, before heading off again. With that, I turned back to Rarity. "Is there uh… any chance I could sleep here at the boutique each night? I could pay you back by possessing your mannequins and giving you dynamic modeling."

"Ooh, now that's a wonderful idea. I'd be very happy to accept those terms." She agreed gratefully. I smiled in turn, the deal now formed.

I could feel a bond forming between us, strengthening something in my soul. It was an odd feeling, but one I could shrug off regardless. It reminded me of the Persona series in a way. Maybe that was just my magic reacting in a recognisable way. Or maybe forging bonds like that really did have an impact on my magic. I should keep that in mind.

"Now then, darling. It's still business hours, so I should get back to work on my commissions. Would you mind helping out?" Rarity asked.

"Sure thing, let me just find a spot to park the doll." I replied before looking around.

"The guest bedroom should do just fine. This next project is for a miss Lyra Heartstrings, so look forward to using the Unicorn mannequin." She informed me as she started levitating a number of materials towards the sewing machines. I nodded as I headed into what I assumed was the guest room, and ejected once I sat on the bed. Once back in that weightless mode, I floated through the door; another unusual and thrilling feeling. Then, I finally settled myself into the unicorn mannequin.

Once I had fully possessed it, I stretched out the joints as if limbering up for an early morning jog. I even felt some stiffness that I promptly worked out. Seeing that Rarity was still putting the dress together, I just trotted over to her side and sat down. I could feel my magic getting used to the new form as I focused, and I could feel that the horn was my magic focus for now. It wasn't that good of one though. The material wasn't made for casting. I'd have to ask for one built for that purpose then. Or simply use Mew Mew's focus.

Time passed, and eventually, Rarity turned to me, wrapping the fabric around my barrel, seeming to measure out just how much if it she needed to use. After a good minute of observation and Rarity scratching notes down, she seemed satisfied, and used some scissors to slice the fabric to a more suitable length. Once finished, she grabbed a loose needle and began sewing it closed. I sat perfectly still for this, letting her work her magic as if I wasn't even there. And I was fine with this. Watching her work, while confusing, gave me a look into pony fashion. And how to produce it.

Rarity took a step back to look over her work. I took that as my que to start moving, flaunting what I was wearing to show off every angle. "How is it looking so far?"

"Well, the frame is finished. Now I just need to add the flair. Give it that personal touch that shows it belongs to Lyra, and Lyra alone. Maybe even add on a touch that calls out to her special somepony." Rarity speculated. As she said that, I thought back to the two I'd gotten directions from.

"Oh yeah, I met those two when I got to this world. Do you think golden accents would work?" I proposed. Rarity nods as if it was obvious.

"Well of course. It goes well enough with her Mark. But let's not get too hasty with that. We'll get to it when needed. For now, let's focus on the main idea here. Lyra asked for a dress she could wear to a wedding, but I personally suspect she was hoping to wear it to the Gala."

"The Gala? There's a celebration coming up?" I asked, knowing how ignorant I sounded. Rarity, ever the patient soul as she grabbed out decorative materials, explained.

"Once a year, the princesses at canterlot castle host a Grand Galloping Gala within their palace. It's said to be the most extravagant of parties. There isn't a pony in Equestria who doesn't want to attend."

"Oh, well good thing I'm not a pony. I don't see what's so grand about a party where businessmen and nobles go to flaunt their money." I respond as Rarity snips a decent strip of material. She seemed a bit miffed.

"Well when you put it that way, it does sound less exciting. But Princess Celestia specifically invited us because Twilight is her pupil. It'd be rude to turn it down because the party is boring. Besides, I'm still hoping to meet Prince Blueblood there. I've seen him in photos before, and I've never seen a stallion looking so dashing~" Rarity somehow produced a tiger growl to accentuate her attraction. I wasn't impressed.

"Well, just be careful, alright? I've seen plenty of guys in my world who look hot as fuck, but truly believe women don't deserve rights. If he starts treating you like a meat shield, ditch him." I advised. Rarity looked horrified at the idea, but I seemed to have slapped her out of her fantasies, so to speak.

"And what kind of prince would do that?!" She squeaked.

"The kind that doesn't deserve to have a bloodline." I answered. "Or the kind that acts that way to chase off idiots who only want him for his looks. Either way, meeting him at a party where loads of girls are vying for his attention is probably not the best move. It'd be better to schedule something at a later time to truly get a feel for his real personality." I continue. She frowns thoughtfully.

"I see. I suppose I was foolish to think it would play out like my romance novels." She said with a sigh.

"On further thought, I suppose you could also ask Celestia about him. Point is, you should never put full faith in someone's personality. Cuz you don't know it till you hear them open their mouth."

"That's good advice. I'll try to be careful when I go next week." She promised. And with that, she applied the finishing touches to the dress. "Now, show me my work. I need to see if it's come out well."

I nod, and start to trot back and forth before her, letting her get a good look at what she's made. She smiles, nodding in satisfaction. "That should do it. Please go pose the mannequin on stage. I'm going to wrap up the shop for tonight."

I'd hardly noticed, but it was getting dark out. So much for exploring town today. I shrug and climb up on stage. Then, once I had the pose just right, I ejected. Once more floaty, I go to hover by Rarity as she puts away her materials. As she does, I notice the organized chaos. She has all the materials she planned to use out on the floor, and load out by order of importance. It'd be a shame if someone put all of it up mid-project.

Once we finish putting up the project materials, Rarity speaks up. "Leave everything else as is. I have a project to get to tomorrow." She said with a yawn. I nod in acceptance.

"Alright. Good night, Rarity. Nyaaa~" My own yawn comes out cat-like. That put an amused smile on my face as I phased through the guest room door, letting Rarity wrap things up herself now. As the moon rose outside my window, I paused to appreciate it. I did always appreciate the night. It was the one time when the world slept, and I no longer had to deal with anyone's shit. Sure there were occasionally late night parties, but I never once had to deal with those. I never lived in a particularly festive neighborhood. I suppose I was lucky in that regard.

I noticed the moon in this world seemed closer to the world than back home. At least it was pretty. Whatever god designed the night sky in this world, they did a good job of it. And the ponies? Well, this town didn't have enough Light Pollution to blot out the stars. So I'm almost proud of them for having the sense to appreciate the sky. Still, tomorrow I'd likely have a lot to learn.

Deciding it was high time I got to sleep, I dived back into Mew Mew's body, and covered myself up in bed. It was a relatively small bed. And now that I wasn't in a hurry, I noticed the room was decorated with little kid's toys. Some of it even looked like fitness stuff, but for a caster. Frowning, I looked at the bedside table, noticing a picture frame. In it, Rarity was hugging a smaller unicorn. One with a pink and violet mane. They looked like they could be family, based on the white coat. I'll have to ask Rarity about that tomorrow. For now, it was time to sleep. I turn to the pillow, and close my eyes one last time for the night…

God damnit, apparently I can't sleep.