Ponies gathered thick around them. They had started with just two humans, but, somehow, two more had joined them. Twilight and RC had joined Brad and Miguel on two feet. The group drew quite a bit of attention as they walked along the road towards Rarity's house.

Brad smiled down at Twilight and Rainbow Charm. "What do you think?"

Twilight wobbled her arms up and down. "It's weird being bipedal. Again. Just have to get used to it."

RC snorted, wobbling far more dangerously. "You're already looking pretty used to it. I feel like I'm going to fall over every time I take a step!"

Miguel shook his head at the mares. "Feeling unsteady on two legs? We'll help as we can, chica." He gave RC a firm slap across her bottom, making her gasp and jolt. "No more thinking about it. Just move around."

Brad chuckled, nodding at Miguel. "He's right. But no more of that."

RC wrinkled her new human nose. "Yeah. Only Brad gets to do that."

They arrived at Rarity's and dropped the crowd of curious ponies as they pressed into the boutique.

"Yes?" Rarity blinked in surprise as she saw the group before her. "Oh! There you are, Brad. I had wanted to talk to you earlier." She shot him a flirtatious smile. "And, how nice! You brought friends! Which is good, as I wanted to see your Miguel friend too. But who are those other humans?"

"Twilight and Rainbow Charm," Brad introduced them properly. "They wanted to visit and get a look around."

Rarity clapped her hooves. "This is Twilight's doing, isn't it? That dear certainly knows her way around magic." She advanced to circle around each of the new humans. "She even made some basic clothing. Very basic, dear. Still, quite nice for your skill level. I'm genuinely impressed. But now! As you may have heard, I wished to see you, Miguel. And you, Brad."

She reached with her magic, drawing over a clothes rack with several suits. They were instantly recognizable as being made for humans, rather than ponies. "Ta da! Here we are. Fashion for humans!" She waggled a hoof. "What do you think?"

Twilight squealed in delight. "They're beautiful! Just like your clothes." She rubbed along Rarity's neck.

Rarity laughed gently even as she shivered at the contact. "Dear! Watch where your fingers are going. We are friends, without benefits, hm?"

Twilight lifted her hands back quickly. "Sorry, sorry! Forgot. My bad." She colored gently at her mistake.

Brad nodded at Rarity. "But, uh, human clothes?" He reached for one and held it against his chest. They seemed to be the right size. "Huh! You didn't have to."

"I did not. But I did anyway." She rolled a hoof up at Brad. "Go ahead. We have changing rooms over there." She inclined her head at the curtains towards the back. "Both of you, try them on!"

"Both of us?" Brad looked to Miguel. "Uh."

Miguel flashed him a bright smile. "Si, amigo. She said both of us." He pointed at the human women as well. "All four of us."

Rarity nodded eagerly. "Oh, hm, that would be lovely, but I didn't make any with their measurements. I didn't even know they existed, in this form, until just now, darlings. Next time! Now, go change." She made little shooing motions at Brad and Miguel.

Brad moved to do as instructed, having always enjoyed a good suit. He even had a few of his own back home. Without further delay, he vanished into the back with his new suit.

Rarity turned to Twilight. "Now that the humans are busy, why are you in that form? This isn't for my benefit, is it?" She laughed lightly, circling around the woman. "No, this feels more like something Brad would appreciate."

Twilight colored under the attention. "It was for Brad's sake. They don't want people to get freaked out by two talking ponies wandering about helping out at the ranch."

RC fired a thumbs up. "Me too. We're gonna help around their ranch and we won't have to hide this time. It'll be way more fun."

Rarity had a sinking feeling as she considered that. "You both can't just pretend to be human all the time, surely?"

Twilight shook her head. "Not all the time, just long enough to help out a work day, then we can go back to ponies. This form is alright, but I am a pony, not a human."

Rarity arched an eyebrow. "There is a degree of irony in hearing you say that, darling. Not to mention, the fact you're here with two other humans?" She quirked a smile. "You are clearly getting along with them quite well."

Before other questions could come, the men stepped out from their dressing rooms. The suits were a perfect fit for both. Twilight and RC let out complimentary whoops as they applauded the two men.

Rarity looked satisfied with herself. "Magnificent. Why, those colors really do complement you both. Dears, enjoy them. If any part of them doesn't fit quite right, let me know, but they should be good for you."

Brad bowed his head in respect. "Thank you, Rarity. I don't know what we did to deserve this, but we'll take good care of them."

"You better." She flapped a hoof at them.

Miguel folded his arms across his new shirt. "This is great! Chica, you are great at this." He chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. "Now I have something to wear at work, instead of that ratty old T-shirt."

Brad gave Miguel a slap on the shoulder. "Alright, thanks. You're a good friend, Rarity. Now we need to get back to the ranch and help out for a bit."

"It's no problem, darling." Rarity moved back towards one of her sewing machines. "Now, dears, I do have other work to be doing."

The group said their goodbyes to Rarity and headed back outside. They had only made it a few steps when Brad stopped short, making Twilight and RC run into his back. "Wait! Mig." He turned to face Miguel. "Your horse."

"She's safe in Ponyville." Miguel smiled warmly. "Everyone is looking after her, so we can go do what we want."

Brad spread his hands. "Sure, but did she get smart, like Bella?"

Miguel shook his head. "Smart? No. She's the same horse she ever was."

Brad frowned at that. "Alright. Sorry for stopping you."

"Nothing to be sorry for." Miguel pointed the way, "Let's pick them up, get that rainbow, and vamanos back to the ranch."

They headed up the road a bit to a nearby field where Roswell was grazing, well-taken care of by a young earth pony foal with a bushy red mane and tail. On their approach, Roswell trotted over to greet them, Miguel specifically. He pat the snout and neck of his steed with a smile. "Had fun? Come on, girl."

As they all left the field, Brad spoke to the small pony watching them go, "Thank you."

"It's no problem! Roswell is my friend now!" The pony galloped off back to where she had been before.

Twilight slid in next to Brad. "Roswell can speak proto pony, like Bella, but she does it much more simply. Bella, I'd call a full creature. I think Roswell is a critter. You said they're the same thing, so I don't really know why one seems so much different than the other."

Brad frowned down at Twilight. "Roswell can understand us? Why didn't she ever say anything before?"

RC snickered at the confusion. "Roswell can understand us, as in us ponies, when we talk proto pony. But she doesn't seem to care that much. She's a horse, thinking horse things. Bella, she's different, like a pony that looks like a horse."

Brad furrowed his brow, finding himself entirely lost. "And a critter is a talking pony? How did this all work?"

Twilight shook her head at him. "You are focusing on the details. But critter is what we'd call a basic animal. That squirrel." She pointed at one scurrying along. "Critter. Rabbits, critters. Birds, snakes, and bears, also critters." She turned her finger back on herself. "Creature is an animal that can, in theory, be conversed with. That line gets fuzzy when you have ponies like Fluttershy that can talk to critters, but that's the basic line."

Brad waggled his fingers as he rubbed at his temple. "So Bella is a creature? An advanced critter?"

Twilight opened her mouth, hesitated a moment, but nodded in the end. "I think she is. She communicates eagerly. If I pretended she was entirely pony shaped, I'd never know the difference, save for their insistence on using proto pony."

Miguel nudged Brad gently. "That would make Roswell a critter."

"She is." Twilight bobbed her head. "Critters have free will, of course. They just don't usually interact with creatures, that's us. Roswell clearly likes you, Miguel. You two have a lovely bond."

Miguel stroked the mane of his horse fondly. "I've loved her for a long time. But she's not smart like Bella."

Brad shook his head at that as they made their way back towards the barn. "It isn't a contest. Roswell's a good girl."

As if summoned, Bella came trotting from the library. She nickered softly, and those tied to her, Bella, RC, and Twilight, understood clearly she was glad to see them and was wondering what they'd be doing next.

RC sighed softly. "Well, we're going back to Brad's world for a bit. But it shouldn't take too long."

Twilight pressed up against Brad's side. "This should be exciting!"

Brad hugged Twilight with one arm. "Bella, this is Twilight and RC, human version. Don't be upset about it."

Bella shook her head with a snort. Why would she be upset? They still smelled right, and she could feel who they were.

She turned in place and looked back at Brad, asking silently if he wanted to hop on and summon the rainbow. He gave her a soft pat on the neck before sliding up into the saddle. She followed that pat with an enthusiastic nod.

With him mounted, she started down the road, knowing where she was going. They picked up speed rapidly before taking the leap that summoned the rainbow road beneath them. She slowed and turned, waiting patiently for the others to join her on the bridge.

Miguel clicked his tongue in wonder. "That is something else." He swung up onto Roswell, now far more confident that his horse would handle such an experience well enough. He knew how brave and reliable Roswell could be. "Let's go, girl."

Roswell advanced on the rainbow. Her second time, she proved less hesitant than the first time. She slowly ascended to just behind Bella. The girls followed behind the horses, creating a caravan to cross the rainbow. It was one of their slower traversals, but nobody got hurt, and they arrived on the ground back on Earth without incident.

Miguel shook himself loose from the ride, giving Roswell a little pat as he walked around her, stretching his legs. "Vaya! I have to say, that is fun." He stopped in front of his horse and scratched under her chin. "And who's the best little horse around, hm?"

Brad stayed atop Bella. "Let's head to the ranch and introduce our new part-timers." He waved to Twilight and RC. "Hopefully this goes without issues. Our ranch has taken in humans that are in a tough spot before, so you won't be the first."

Twilight waved her arms with a giggle. "It will be our first time being humans in your world, so it'll be a fun learning experience for us!"

RC flashed a huge smile. "Now you're talking. Let's go amaze those humans with how 100% human we are. I bet they'll be shocked!"

Brad shook his head. "Don't bring up how human you are, or aren't. That should just be assumed." He nudged Bella ahead at a gentle walk towards the ranch. Miguel fell in beside him on Roswell. Twilight and RC paced on the other side of Bella, enjoying the walk.

As they came into sight of the ranch, a familiar voice rang out from atop a large roan stallion. Sarah waved at them with a suspicious look. "Who are your new friends?"

Brad dipped his hat. "These two lovely ladies are Twilight and Rainbow Charm. They're guests I invited over."

Sarah looked confused as she nodded at the introduction. "They here to learn how to ride horses, or what?"

Miguel waved a hand at that. "No. They are coming in the back door, si? They'll be helping out."

She seemed to grasp that. "Oh! You'll want to head to the office then." She pointed the way. "Good luck. See you out on the fields."

Brad nodded, gave a tug to Bella's reins, and they turned for the main building. "So far, so good." He was glad the introduction went smoothly. As they walked, Brad did notice Twilight and RC looking all around, fascinated by everything they saw. The equipment, the buildings, even the people were all novel and exciting things.

A woman opened the door as they approached, emerging from the cool shade within. "Brad, good to see you. They need you over at the second pasture." She hiked a thumb. "And who are these new people? Customers?"

"Maybe. These two will be helping out. They want to get to know the ranch better. Not quite customers yet." He pulled Bella up short and gestured down at Twilight and RC. "This is Twilight and Rainbow Charm."

Either of them waved as their name was called. RC hopped forward. "Hey, call me RC. I'd like to work here, help out?"

Twilight laughed tensely. "We don't have documents."

The lady's cheer faded. "Oh. That changes things. Come inside. Brad, get to work." She made a shooing motion at Brad, then Miguel. "Both of you."

Brad shot the two mares an apologetic smile. "Sorry. We'll talk later. You know where I'll be." He nodded at the woman. "Later, Nora." He turned Bella and headed off for the second pasture with Miguel at his side.

Author's Note

Twilight and RC will surely get along just fine!

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