In Another World with Equestria Girls

Chapters

Prologue: KIA
Chapter 2: A Place to Lay My Head
Chapter 15: A Day at Crystal Prep – Pt. 1
Chapter 1: Street Tough
Chapter 3: Sunshine, Sunshine, Ladybugs Awake...
Chapter 4: ... Clap Your Hands and Do a Little Shake
Chapter 5: A Voice of My Own
Chapter 6: It's a Cinch
Chapter 7: Welcome to Crystal Prep Academy – Pt. 1
Chapter 8: Friends in High and Low Places
Interlude: Fostering Love
Chapter 9: Welcome to Crystal Prep Academy – Pt. 2
Chapter 10: Reports on Friendship and Magic
Chapter 11: Naked Truth
Chapter 12: What Lies Underneath
Chapter 13: Blood of Steel and Sun
Chapter 14: Kinsman

Prologue: KIA

Sometimes, I regret joining the Royal Equestrian Navy. Don't get me wrong; I love serving my princesses and country, but there are just times where... I dunno... It feels like I got into the wrong line of work. Maybe I was never meant to be a carrier pigeon and part-time mechanic for the REN; maybe I should've gotten a job in artifice.

With a sigh, I finished tightening the bolts securing the replacement wheel to the resupply skiff's landing gear. If there was something I missed, it was having Ordinary Seamare Crescent and Able Seamare Lug Nut around, if for no other reason than they'd be doing this work themselves. Unfortunately, those dumbshits got themselves locked up in the brig for the better part of this deployment... and over what? Drunkenly trying to kill one another over whether or not Lug stole Crescent's Playcolt magazine! So now not only was I working logistics, but I was responsible for maintaining our gear on this under-crewed patrol airship.

After slipping my socket wrench into my jumpsuit pocket, I let out a groan and pushed my lying board out from underneath the skiff. "I swear, when those two get out of the brig, I'll duct-tape them both to the keel myself if they start any more shit," I growled. "I should be doing inventory for when we RTB."

"Be that as it may, Leading Seamare Construct," came the voice of somepony I really didn't want to hear what I just said. "It is not for you to decide punishments for your crew mates, even if they are your subordinates."

Oh shit.

As soon as the lying board cleared the skiff's undercarriage, I hopped to my hooves and stood at attention, holding an amber wing near my head in salute. "C-captain Bombardment, ma'am," I squeaked. Damn it, of all the times for the captain to show up, it's when I've got axle grease on the end of my muzzle. Especially when she's in that immaculate black uniform!

Despite the warning tone in the mare's voice, her grey face was fixed in a beatific smile. "At ease, LS. Construct," the aged unicorn remarked.

Obeying the order, I watched her for any hint of what she wanted of me. I was sure that I hadn't fallen behind, but given that I was doing the job of several ponies, I couldn't be sure that Aerial Bombardment wasn't aware of something I'd missed. "W-what can I do for you, Captain?" was all I could say, keeping my eyes trained on a spot just past her head. "Is there something the matter?"

The mare shook her head, never losing her smile, and for a moment it appeared as though her officer's cap might fall off. "Your service record states that you trained with the LRSLG a few years back," was her inquiry's opener. "Have you been keeping up with your ARC qualifications?" When I gave her a hesitant nod, the mare's smile became a bit more vulpine. "Excellent. Get cleaned up, suit up, and report to my ready room in one hour. You're being deployed on a mission."

My mission, as it turned out, was a relatively simple one, albeit not the sort of action I wanted getting into. I was to resupply a pair of Office of Naval Intelligence spooks from Shadowbolt Squadron operating nearby. That in itself was no problem; everypony in the service met somepony from ONI at least once in their career, and with my Aerial Resupply and Communications qualifications, I'd even done this sort of mission before. When I joined a few years back, I'd been appended to the Long Range Strategic Logistics Group—a joint task force between the Royal Equestrian Guard, the Royal Equestrian Navy, and the Wonderbolts—flying supplies and intel between outposts during a border crisis with the griffons.

This mission, however, was hardly anything approaching normal. Even if civilians were being kept in the dark about it, the fact of the matter was that the dread centaur, Lord Tirek, was on the loose, and what was worse, he was rampaging across Equestria, draining the magic of every single pony he came across. As such, the Shadowbolts were tracking him across the country, with nearby airship patrols keeping them supplied with rations, camera film, and dragonfire candles. As the HRHS Resplendent was the closest ship it fell to me to resupply the ponies.

Despite the heavy saddlebags, the lightly armoured barding, the short-sword across my back, and the foreboding nature of my mission, I gladly accepted the opportunity to fly. Despite being a pegasus in the service, I seldom had any opportunities to fly that didn't involve hauling the resupply skiff up from ground level when docking was infeasible. No wonder Cantata wanted me to try out for the guard instead.

That was why I was soaring north from our patrol route over Rambling Rock Ridge to an area between Canterlot and Baltimare. It was a long flight through a wild weather zone, but luckily the conditions were pretty good. There was just the right amount of cloud-cover to mask my approach to the designated rendezvous point, but not enough to interfere with line-of-sight from a cloud blind.

I should be coming up on them right about now, I realised, as I landed atop a wild cumulus cloud. Where could... Ah! My eyes alit upon a cloud structure that was a tad too orderly for it to be the result of wild weather. For one, the conditions weren't right for a nimbostratus cloud to form. Not only that, but this cloud was clearly being anchored in place by pegasus magic. That must be the observation point.

Rather than take flight, I carefully bounced from cloud to cloud. Even if cloud parkour wasn't a good alternative to gliding when you want to minimise sky exposure, I still would have done so. The problem with long distance flying is that you start losing blood flow in your legs, and bouncing in the clouds is an excellent way to get that flowing without worrying about the sort of damage such frolicking could achieve on the ground if you landed funny.

Plus, if Tirek is in the area, the last thing I wanna do is get caught out in the open.

Eventually, I reached the suspicious cloud and found an opening in the back of it. Upon crawling inside, I found a pair of pegasi in the purple and black flight suits of Shadowbolt Squadron, peering out through a low gap in the cloud structure. One of the stallions was watching something through binoculars, whilst the other had a camera with a telescopic lens pointed out at something. Based on the clicking, I had to guess they had the target in their sights.

Oh, they knew I was there, but they were doing the usual ONI shit. If they weren't acknowledging me, then speaking up before them would just give them justification to be pissy. Even if they're just lieutenants, you don't pisss off the ONI; they have ways of making your career hell.

After standing and holding a wing salute for what felt like half an hour, the stallion with the camera turned around and began disassembling the camera. "No time to stand on ceremony, delivery mare," he remarked in a gruff voice. Even as he transferred the film roll to a canister. "You got our resupply and dragonfire candle, right?"

Without missing a beat, I unclipped my saddlebags and dropped them onto the cloud floor. The moment I passed off the candle, the stallion snatched it up. He then took a cigarette case and some matches from a pouch in his flight suit, and proceeded to light both the candle and his death stick. When he was sure the candle made its connection, he tossed the canister into the flame.

The other stallion suddenly scrambled away from the 'window', dropping his binoculars. "Ah shit, Storm!" the other Shadowbolt exclaimed. "This is bad. We gotta get the fuck out of here before he sees us."

Rolling his eyes, Lt. Storm glared at his compatriot. "Blast, we've been tracking him since Baltimare, and he hasn't seen us once. I don't even think he saw the delivery mare."

It was weird seeing somepony from Naval Intelligence freaking out like that. Ponies like this were supposed to be unflappable, and borderline psychopaths depending on who you asked. This didn't match the description at all, and it worried me. Am I missing something?

"Not him," Lt. Blast hissed, passing the binoculars to his partner, before pointing back out the hole. "Him!"

"Wha-oh shit!" he groaned, dropping his cigarette. "I knew that thing couldn't be trusted."

Out of curiosity, I made my way over to the gap in the clouds, and peered out through the gap. At this range, I could just make out the black, white, and red shape that had to be Tirek. But there was another tall, albeit indistinct figure standing there with him. Much to my surprise, Lt. Storm passed me the binoculars. I almost regretted looking through them the moment I did. There with Lord Tirek was the allegedly reformed draconequus, Discord. It appeared as though the two were talking.

Worse, the creepy serpentine bastard was looking right at me, almost as if he could see me. "That's super creepy," I whispered. "It's like he's looking right at me." Then Tirek turned and looked up in the direction of our cloud. "...and now he's looking at us too."

When I lowered the binoculars, the two Lieutenants were looking at one another in horror. "Welp, it was nice knowing you," Blast remarked, reaching into one of his own pouches and withdrawing a crystal. Even though I'd only ever seen such a thing once, I knew exactly what it was—an emergency teleport crystal. "If you manage to get out of this, we'll make sure you get a commendation for your service." He draped his wing over the other guy's withers, and then crushed the crystal with his hoof. The pair were swallowed up in a bright light, and then just like that, they were gone.

Oh, you have got to be kidding.

Suddenly, a bright flash enveloped the cloud structure, accompanied by the sound of claws snapping. When the dazzle left my eyes, it became quite apparent that I was falling. Worse, I was far closer to the traitorous demigod and the demon centaur than I'd been a moment before—like dangerously close. That bastard is offering me up!

Actually, now that I thought about it, I'm not sure I was actually falling. For one, I couldn't feel the air moving through my fur. For another, I think somepony was holding me by the scruff of my neck. Given that Discord's draconic claw was missing, there was only one viable choice. My eyes shifted from the demon centaur to the chaos entity as I just bobbed there in front of them.

Discord buffed his lion's paw on his chest before examining the nails. "Well, Tirek, I managed to snag one of your pursuers," he remarked in a calm, disinterested voice. "The other two escaped before I could get a fix on them, so you'll have to do with some fast food."

When the centaur crossed his arms in front of his chest and glared at me, I felt a chill go down my spine. He wasn't draining my magic yet, but it didn't stop the pang of fear. I'd be lucky if all he did was drain me. There was nothing official, but the scuttlebutt had it that many of the guardsponies that crossed his path were killed in action.

Swallowing my rising fear, I bared my teeth. "Discord, I hope when the princesses discover your betrayal, they'll put you to the fucking headsmare's axe," I growled, spitting on the ground in front of him. He winced at the vitriol in my voice, but he still met my eyes. "In fact, I hope that the both of you are put to the axe. Tartarus is too good a punishment for you f—"

The draconequus gave another snap of his claws, and suddenly my voice cut out. It wasn't just that he'd cast some sort of silencing charm as a unicorn would; no, that would have been too easy. Whatever he did, I couldn't feel any of the vibrations of sound in my throat; I couldn't even scream if I wanted too.

"Oh no you don't, little miss potty-mouth," he admonished, reaching out to poke me on the snout. It was something he quickly rethought as I clicked my teeth at him in warning. "This show is rated G. If you keep talking like that, the networks will jack up the rating to MA, and then the entire thing will get canned."

Seemingly unimpressed by being ignored, Tirek cleared his throat. "Are you quite finished playing with her, Discord?" he asked in an almost too sweet tone. It felt almost mocking, but more importantly, it was genuinely terrifying. "Let me drain her and then we can get out of here. I want to move on Canterlot before the ponies can mount a response."

To my horror, the disembodied claw holding me in the air threw me over to Tirek. This is it, then, I decided, as I spread my wings to reorient myself in the air. My left forehoof reached for my lower back, where the short sword was strapped, and withdrew it. If this is how it goes, then I'm going to make sure he regrets it.

The moment Tirek's meaty hand reached out to seize me by my torso, I jammed the sword downward into his wrist. He swatted me to the ground, and then immediately reared up and slammed his large forehooves down on me in response. Inside me, I could feel something break—many somethings, really. Suddenly, all sensation left my body, and all I could do was lie there in the bottom of the crater his crushing blow put me into.

I couldn't breathe, and all I could taste was blood. Even now, the edges of my vision were beginning to fill with encroaching darkness. There was nothing I could do when he picked me up and started draining me of my magic. The last I heard with my ears before everything went black was an uncaring statement of, "Ooops. I think you broke her." What I heard in my soul, however, was something different.

"That was a brave thing you did, little pony. Brave, but stupid. Unfortunately, there are rules that even I am bound by. " There was a sigh in the draconequus' voice as I felt my heart slow. "I can't interfere in life and death to save you, but... Sunbutt's other apprentice seems to be doing well in another world... Maybe your next life there will go better than this one did.

Chapter 2: A Place to Lay My Head

Although I'd seen plenty of the self-propelled carriages that humans called cars since coming here, riding in one for the first time was not an altogether pleasant experience. The airships of the Royal Equestrian Navy, much like its watercraft, were subject to the various eddies and currents that surrounded the vessel in the air, and were often a bit turbulent. Even on deck, the feeling of inertia was muted, but still there. It was also nothing like flying, where the wind was enjoyable while in my face, and I could feel my momentum with ease.

In Cadance's car, however, I found that it barely felt like we were moving. The only movement I could feel was during curves on the roads with higher speed limits. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it was disorienting enough that I was starting to feel a little motion sick as I watched the road. It was definitely something I'd have to get used to.

At the very least, the woman seemed conscious of my plight. "Feeling a little car sick?" she asked, glancing at me in her peripheral vision. When I nodded, she smiled, and reached her right hand over to depress a button on the console. Immediately, cool air started blowing from a vent in front of me, washing over my face. I was almost able to shut my eyes and imagine I was once again soaring through the skies on my own power. It brought forth a genuine smile, the likes of which I hadn't felt since before I died.

It took a little bit, but my stomach began to settle. "Better?" she asked? I simply gave her a thumbs up. That got a chuckle from her. "My fiance, Shining Armour, used to be the same way when we were your age."

I kept my eyes shut and tilted my face away from her in order to mask the shock. Although I'd never met Princess Cadance, I'd met the Captain once during a joint Guard/Navy exercise not long before their marriage. To hear that this woman was also engaged to a Shining Armour struck me as more than just a little coincidental. I almost want to ask if his sister's name is Twilight Sparkle, but that's a terrible idea. Even if I could ask, what happens if the answer is 'Yes'? She'd be a lot more suspicious of me.

I quickly got lost in my own thoughts, only loosely aware that she'd begun speaking to somebody on her phone. That actually brings up a very important question. If that really is the case, does that mean I'm in some sort of parallel reality? It honestly sounded like the sort of thing I might've seen in one of Crescent's pulp-fiction stories. Stuff about space, what's out there, and whether there were other universes were some of that lunatic's favourites, but would this make this world a parallel one? It's definitely not a mirror, because I'm pretty sure this woman is no princess, and her Shining probably didn't lead a task force to hunt down the changeling queen that spoiled his wedding.

For that matter, if this world did have counterparts for everypony in Equestria, was I at risk of meeting myself? If so, was she the same age as me, or older? Did she even have the same useless parents? Or was she long dead? There wasn't really any guarantee that things would just line up so that my counterpart would exist at the same time as those of the royal family. The Eventide of this world could very well have died a century ago, or at birth, or any number of other complications.

Ugh, this is making my head hurt.

Opening my eyes, I watched the streetlights as we passed and listened to the staccato of the rain on the hull of the car. Honestly, I still wasn't sure this would be a good idea, but maybe it would be a good first step in the right direction. This kindness she was showing me—trying to set me up with her in-laws so that I'd have a fighting chance in my new life—almost reminded me of the idealised Equestrian goodwill that outsiders believed in. These were people who were willing to take a chance on a complete stranger, a homeless youth who by her own words should have raised red flags, with nothing to really take away from the deal. Where was all that Equestrian goodwill when I was a foal?

The ride took us out of the industrial district, and through the Central Canterlot commercial district before finally into the fancy part of town. I didn't catch the name of the gated community, but I did notice the street name: Golden Oaks drive. These weren't quite up to the level of the Equestrian nobility, with their fancy mansions and estates taking up the entire upper plate of the Equestrian capital, but they were still nonetheless well-kept and large compared to some of the townhouses I've seen in this Canterlot.

The home that she parked in front of had a driveway large enough to fit about four cars parked two by two, by my reckoning, however there was presently only one other besides Cadance's two-door. It was a two-storey home with a detached garage and a sizeable yard surrounded by a privacy fence. Interestingly enough, I could just make out a sign on the garage that proclaimed it to be someone's lab, warning others to keep out.

When Cadance got out of the car, she opened an umbrella and quickly made her way around to my side of the car. Much like I had when getting in, I struggled a bit with the buckle for the crash harness—or the seat belt, as she called it—but if she thought anything of it, she did a really good job hiding it. Then again, maybe it wasn't unusual for street kids being unfamiliar with being in cars. All I know is that she's way too patient with me.

Still, once I freed myself—I was very insistent on doing it myself—she covered me with the umbrella and started leading me up the steps. To my surprise, she didn't even need to unlock the door. Given all the petty crime I'd witnessed since coming here, I was honestly kind of surprised that anyone trusted their neighbours enough to leave their doors unlocked. Then again, this was a gated community, so maybe there was justification for trust.

"Shoes off," she instructed once we were both inside. I watched as she took off her pumps before stepping out of the entry-way in her sock-clad feet. I quickly followed suit, but now I was somewhat embarrassed revealing that I wore nothing inside the sneakers I woke up with. In my defence, though at the time, I was convinced socks were still lingerie to be worn only for a hot date. Instead, it was just a protective covering. "Mom, we're here!"

I thought we were going to your mother-in-law's home.

"I'm in the kitchen, Cadance," came an older woman's voice. Even though I hadn't been paying the least bit attention over the car ride, I still recognised it as the voice that'd been on the other end of the call made during the trip.

It didn't stop me from quietly following the pink-skinned woman through the house. We passed a staircase that led upstairs. Several family photos, many of which included a much younger Cadance and a white-skinned boy who was almost assuredly Shining Armour, dotted the wall. We moved through a dining room with a fancy hardwood table and into a large kitchen, which had its own smaller table.

Seated at that table, with a steaming carafe of coffee and two mugs was a grey-skinned woman in a sweater. She greeted Cadance with a smile, but her expression fell slightly the moment her kind blue eyes locked on me. Immediately, I could tell she was taking in the state of me and my clothes.

The ratty white t-shirt bearing my cutie mark—a half-sun and a cog—clung to my skin, revealing there was nothing beneath. Three weeks of stone-washing my shorts at the lake showed through in the thinness of the fabric across the thighs. Then you had my unbrushed mane pulled up in a high ponytail. On top of that, I had healing scratches all over the place, the result of a fall from a tree the first time I tried sleeping in one. Simply put, I was a mess.

As she took a seat across from the woman, and without prompting, I took a seat beside her. "Mom, this is the girl I spoke to you on the phone about: Eventide Construct," Cadance said before retrieving the notepad and pen from her purse. Turning to me, she presented me with them before continuing, "Eventide, this is Twilight Velvet, the mother of my fiance and the woman that practically raised me."

The name sounded alarmingly familiar, but I quickly put the thought aside. I gently accepted the pen and paper, and then immediately scratched out a greeting while Cadance poured herself a cup of coffee. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am. I apologise for my inability to speak, and I don't want to be a bother. I'll understand if this is too sudden and you cannot provide a berth for the night. If you wish it, I can make myself scarce as soon as this weather lets up.

When I slid the notepad across the table to Mrs. Velvet, the rest of her smile fell. Worry quickly rushed in to replace it, even as she turned it to the other woman so she could read it. "Eventide," she began in a strained tone as the pad was passed back to me. "Cady wouldn't have brought you here had I not agreed to this. I'm not going to change my mind or the conditions after she's already brought you this far." She seemed to consider something for a second before asking, "Have people done that sort of thing to you before?"

Yes, a long time ago as a preface to press-ganging me into working at a factory in Manehattan, I thought drily, but I wasn't about to explain something that happened seventeen years ago. It would be a bad idea to make any sorts of claims that could be easily verified or disproved. Instead, I wrote out a different truth. Nobody here has really given me the time of day outside of a group of homeless veterans who took me in, a lady who rewarded me for getting her purse back from a snatcher, and a few creeps who clearly wanted something else from me.

That seemed to mollify them both, though Cadance did ask, "Is that why Violette told me you went after a gang member?"

Although that immediately brought Velvet's hackles back up, I tilted my head in contemplation. Guy was escalating quickly, and I thought he might hurt her, so... I just reacted. Even if she was a vet, she's not young anymore, and he had her on the ground. At that moment, it felt like it was my duty to help, consequences be damned.

I eyed up the carafe of coffee and debated reaching for a mug myself. It wasn't late, per se, but I knew how late I could get away with drinking caffeine without affecting my sleep in my old body, and it was now well past that time. There was no way to be sure the same would still be true in this body, but given that I'd made my choice—such as it was—it was clear I'd be spending the night at the very least.

"Do you have any questions for us?" Cadance asked, perhaps noticing me stifling a yawn. "I need to get back to the apartment soon, and then swing by work to grab some things for you tomorrow."

Actually, I did have a few questions. I flipped to a new page in the notepad and prepared myself. It took me a few minutes to collect my thoughts and write them out. When I did present it to them, they seemed surprised by the list of questions.

If I am to stay, what expectations do you have of me? E.g. Chores, curfew, education.
Although I eat fish, I don't eat meat. Will that cause issues?
Who else lives here?
Where is my berth located?
Where is the bathroom?
This is a gated community, and I quite clearly don't belong. Until people aren't about to call the police about the vagrant child doing morning runs, is there somewhere I can discretely exercise?
What exactly does getting shot mean, anyway?

As I relaxed in the hot bath, a damp washcloth draped across my forehead, I stared up at the ceiling. How long has it been since I got a chance to actually soak in a hot bath? To be honest, it was hard for me to even judge. It had to have been the last time I was on shore leave before I died. How long ago was that now? I was reborn three weeks ago, and I think the last time I was off the Resplendent for anything other than a supply run was two months before that. Sweet Celestia, has it really been that long?

On a patrol airship like the Resplendent, things like a hot shower were considered a luxury. There were no heating enchantments, and unlike a seabound vessel, water was at a premium. You either learned to appreciate a short, cold shower, or you'd have to find alternatives for maintaining proper hygiene. Those lucky unicorn bastards could at least use a cleaning cantrip on themselves. It was no good for pegasi though. Even if I invested in one of those rechargeable spell crystals, that spell would just end up stripping out all the waterproofing in my feathers and then I'd need to preen.

It was weird how something as simple as hot water could become a novelty. It was almost enough to distract me from everything that Mrs. Velvet told me. After all, the woman had all but confirmed that this was indeed the home of the counterparts of Princess Twilight Sparkle's family. In fact, looking at the family photos as she led me to the upstairs bathroom, I could see the similarity. While none of them had a fur coat like a pony, I could see a parallel in their skin-tones, and the girl in the pictures even had roughly the same ~~mane~~ hairstyle and colours as the princess.

What do I actually know about the princess? I mused as I decided to actually start cleaning myself, rather than just soaking. The most obvious thing was that prior to her ascension, she'd been a personal student to Princess Celestia. She was considered to be the most accomplished mage of our time, having taken that title from the princess's previous (missing) apprentice. Other than that, she had a young dragon as her personal attendant. That was about the extent of what I knew.

This reality didn't seem to have any sort of magic—Why would they need it with the technology they've been able to create?—so it seemed highly unlikely that the Twilight living here would be a mage. Similarly, there was no little dragon. Aside from her father, Night Light, the only other creature that lived here full-time was a small green and purple dog who'd been kennelled for the evening. Her brother and soon-to-be sister lived in their own apartment, although on weekends I would see Cadance and Shining Armour joining us for dinner. Twilight and her father wouldn't be back until later, having gone to see a film called the Martian not long before Cadance brought me here.

Y'know, if I stick around. Still not sure I want to take advantage of their kindness. Fact of the matter was that I was still an adult at heart, and I felt guilty making them think I was just some confused, hurt kid. At the same time, though, three weeks of consistency made things clear that this wasn't just some dream. I really wasn't in Equestria anymore, and I'd seen other youths of this species in the meantime; at a developmental level, I seemed to match them which did make me a kid... and I was certainly confused and hurt, if not physically, then emotionally.

With a tired sigh, I drained the water from the tub and grabbed one of the towels that Velvet provided. I carefully patted my more sensitive skin dry, and then wrapped my hair up in the other. Once my body was dry, I wrapped the towel around myself and meandered over to the sink. On the counter, next to a pair of pyjamas that she also provided, was a brand new toothbrush made with red and white plastic like my red-streaked white locks. Maybe it was the realisation of just how nasty the inside of my mouth actually felt, or I was just emotionally exhausted, but as I brushed my teeth, I could feel tears beginning to spill down my cheeks.

Am I crying because—for the first time in weeks—I'm actually starting to feel like a normal pony person again? I wondered as the toothpaste coated bristles scoured my teeth free of weeks of grime. Or do I weep for this chance at a new life I've been given? This second, albeit limited childhood? Or is it just guilt?

If I was being honest with myself, it didn't seem fair. Cantata and I never got this sort of life-changing opportunity when I was just a filly. Back then, I was just a street-rat whose only purpose in life was to keep her safe. Nopony ever cared about us enough to offer such a chance. Then... she was gone, and I was alone.

I spat out the toothpaste and then gazed at my reflection. Even in this new body, with light amber skin instead of a slightly darker coat, I could still make out familiar traits. Those were definitely the same cyan eyes I used to see in the mirror as a pony, and it was unmistakably me. They were also her eyes and face that I saw. It should be her here... Not me. But she made her choice.

Once I splashed cold water onto my face to get any remaining toothpaste from my lips, I turned to the pyjamas I was provided. It was just a simple long-sleeve grey shirt and green bottoms, both in cotton, but they may as well have been an offering of the finest Neighponese silk when I put them on. The top was a bit large and hung off my shoulders, and I had to cinch the drawstring in the waist of the bottoms a bit, but they felt brand new, with no sort of wear-and-tear from being the only thing I've worn for weeks on end.

Mrs. Velvet suggested I just leave my clothes in the laundry hamper with the towels, so I did just that before making my way to the spare bedroom she set aside for me. It was such a plain room—little more than a bed, a nightstand, and a dresser—but it was pretty amazing all the same. Already sitting on the night stand was the notepad and pen that Cadance had given me. Is it really as simple as just keeping my space clean, helping out where I can, being home by nine, and... going to school?

Without even bothering to get under the blankets, I flopped down upon the bed and rolled onto my side. Burying my face in the pillow, I let out a sigh. Just this morning, I had no idea where I was getting my next meal. There was no guarantee I would wake up safe—or even still in the tree, really—but now, I thought I might just have a chance to get off on the right foot in this world. I'd have to see what would happen next come the morning.

Chapter 15: A Day at Crystal Prep – Pt. 1

The entirety of the weekend was spent in my bed or on a couch. Saturday morning, I woke up feeling dizzy, nauseous, weak, and I even had a fever; I'm not sure if it was a result of getting hit in the head, using magic in a body not used to it, or if I caught something while I was out there. It actually got so bad that I forwent my morning constitutional, and passed out in the middle of breakfast.

When I next awoke, it was noon, and I was on the sofa in the living room. Night Light had been there, quietly typing away on a laptop marked with a sticker that marked it Property of Canterlot University. After helping me work through a minor emotional breakdown—and a flashback to a time when Cantata and I were sick, and Dad watched over us the whole day—he brought me soup. We just sort of talked for a bit, as much as we could with my sluggish body holding me back. I'm pretty sure he was trying to gauge my mental acuity, to see whether getting me to a hospital was on the table.

Mostly, though, I just listened to him talking about the stars, both in terms of physics and in folklore. Humans have learned a lot more about stars than ponies ever did, and it really made me question how much of the night-sky I saw back home was a continent-wide illusion, and how much was real. For most ponies, they were just there, with some of them closer or brighter than others. They couldn't tell you about their composition, their type, or a good approximation of how far they really were or how long it would take to reach them travelling at the speed of light.

Like, take the star Betelgeuse for example. It was the tenth brightest star in the night sky, and next to the sun the largest star visible to the naked eye—at least in the northern hemisphere. It's the second brightest star in the Orion constellation, and it was known for its nature as a red giant. If it suddenly replaced the Earth's sun, the star would consume the three inner planets and the main belt, reaching all the way out to Jupiter's orbit. It's hard to even imagine, but it's crazy.

That evening, Twilight brought her laptop down to the living room to show me a movie. Maybe it was that she felt bad that I was sick, or maybe given my experience yesterday, but she decided to show me the first of three films: Puella Magi Madoka Magica – Beginnings. Admittedly, the magical girls theme made sense given Twi's aspiration to inadvertently prove the existence of magic. With how cutesy it seemed, though, I was not prepared for how dark it got. It was interesting, but also horrifying.

The next day went roughly the same way, though it was spent with Twilight watching over me while Velvet and Night went shopping. We ended up watching the other two movies back-to-back, and I had to admit that I was kind of confused for most of the third. Still, it was kind of nice to get to spend more time with her after she'd cloistered herself away to work on her magic detector for so long.

Maybe watching her 'guilty pleasure' anime was a way of apologising? I didn't exactly know how her mind worked; for all I knew, she might have blamed herself for me going out and getting hurt, simply because she made herself unavailable—that maybe if she'd been with me, I wouldn't have gone seeking trouble. Then again, I think that would have been more a me reaction than a Twilight reaction.

As Sunday passed, though I did eventually start to feel better. The fever broke late in the afternoon, and the nausea and dizziness went away. Although Velvet was planning on keeping me home for Monday, I promised that I would only go if I was certain that I would be fine. Really, though, I was planning on going regardless. It was supposed to be a home game for the CPA soccer team, and I wanted to be there to support Indigo. Plus, I wanted to meet with Jinx in the morning, too.

The next morning, I caught the early bus to Crystal Prep. It was so early that barely anybody was in the halls, though more than a few stared a bit more than usual. Oh, the whole school knew about my walk through the halls in nothing but a towel, but for the most part nothing had really changed. Mostly, it was just guys leering at me. That said, the wound on my forehead really stuck out like a sore thumb as I put most of my stuff away in my locker and headed for the library.

Still, it was so early that I didn't even see Twilight on the bus. In fact, the only other students that seemed to be around were seniors. That was fine by me, though; I posed no threat to them socially or academically, so I was well under their radars. They had more important things to do than pay attention to little old me.

As I stepped into the school library, I was kind of surprised to see Jinx Charm seated at one of the work tables. Rather than any sort of books, however, she just had a mason jar full of a clear, crimson liquid and a deck of familiar cards. Strangely, upon seeing me, she lit up and waved me over.

"Good morning, Eventide," she quietly greeted, a smile clear on her face. "I've been expecting you."

As I took a seat across from her, I couldn't help but feel something was odd about her demeanour. She always seemed friendly whenever we crossed paths, but there was a knowing glint to her eye, as if she knew something I didn't. Rather than whip out the tablet, however, I wrote on my new whiteboard. Morning, Jinx. You were expecting me?

She just nodded once and patted the deck of cards. "I've known of your curiosity regarding my readings and potions for some time now, and that you were planning on taking me up on the offer of teaching you American Sign Language," she admitted. Jinx made a show of shuffling the deck of cards, and then fanned them out in front of me, urging that I take one. Playing along, I grabbed one at random and flipped it over, revealing 0 – The Fool. Upon seeing it, an amused smile spread across her face. "My morning reading told me that I would be visited by the Fool, and lo and behold she has come."

Somehow, I felt like I was being insulted, but I kept my mouth shut—metaphorically speaking. Instead, I let her talk. "I knew there was something special about you from the moment we met," she explained as her smile became a serene one. "You had the scent of magic upon you in the lock-up, faint though it was. Then, when you were forced to go streaking through the school, it was stronger yet." She steepled her hands. "Now, though, I can tell you've actively used it, and recently too."

I stared at her in unease. It was bad enough that Twilight was at risk of finding out, but now there was someone here who had somehow figured me out? How? And what else does she know?

"Relax," she soothed, sliding the mason jar over. "I'm not about to go blabbing to the entire school. Just because I'm a witch doesn't mean I'm a bitch." Jinx swept up the deck of cards and put them aside. "Now, if I had to guess, you've been feeling weak and sluggish since Saturday. This potion should put you right as rain."

There was a heavy silence as I weighed everything she said. Somehow, I didn't think the meaning tied to that Madoka anime was what she meant, and I had very little knowledge regarding the historical term. All I knew was that they were historically burned for using 'witchcraft', although it was heavily implied that witch burning was really a means of enforcing a patriarchy by purging women knowledgeable in the natural sciences.

Then there was the matter of her somehow knowing, and being able to smell it. Assuming that she was being truthful, that meant that she definitely wasn't a normal human being. Agent Shimmer all but confirmed there was magic in this world, and heavily implied a sort of magical underworld with malefic spirits and Fae. Was that really so farfetched?

My eyes flicked down to the jar containing the 'potion'. You swear this is what you say it is? I wrote. When she nodded, I bit my lip. If she was telling the truth, then I might end up feeling less drained. I had a theory that I was so drained because my body wasn't used to channelling magic, in which case the only way I'd even be able to get past that would be to keep doing it and building up stamina.

Before I could come to a decision, I felt someone press their body up against mine from behind. Based on the softness pressed against my shoulders, it was a female student. "Jinxie, darling, you never told me you were friends with the forbidden morsel," came a sophisticated voice somewhere near my ear. Prey instincts finely honed through millennia of pony evolution began to scream at me, and all I could really do was try to keep calm—especially when I felt her breath so close. "Your blood smells divine, Morsel, especially with the still-fresh scent of magic upon you. Why, if I didn't know what would happen to me, I might not be able to stop myself from having a little nibble."

Jinx, to her credit, didn't at all seem surprised by whatever was happening here. If anything, she just seemed annoyed as she removed her glasses and rubbed at the bridge of her nose. "Lady Fleur," the student librarian got out in an annoyed voice that somehow managed to still sound respectful. That caught me off guard, because for all the times I'd seen her, she mostly seemed like a rough-around-the-edges, irreverent sort of girl. "You promised that you would not do this sort of thing in the open at the school. It draws too much attention."

The girl pressing herself against me, eased off, before sashaying over to Jinx's side of the table. Now visible, I realised I'd seen this pale young woman several times since coming to CPA, especially at Sunny Flare's table. She'd been rather sickly looking on the last two archery days. Fleur de Lis, that was her name. She's in Twilight's year, if I'm not mistaken.

Violet eyes watched me from behind a curtain of pink locks, though I could have sworn her irises were blood between blinks. "Oh pish-posh, mon petite familier," Fleur crooned, invading Jinx's personal space and tracing a well-manicured nail up along the girl's carotid. "I only wished to say hello, from one unusual creature to another." She then forced Jinx to look into her eyes, which were definitely red now. "Besides, don't forget your place. I can just as easily take back your gifts, and then you'd just be a mere fortune-teller giving out herbal teas once more, rather than a genuine soothsayer and potioneer."

"Y-yes, Lady Fleur," she croaked. "I apologise."

I wasn't entirely sure what was happening here, but I was pretty sure that—if not for the fact that they apparently both knew of my nature—they would not be showing me this display. Either way, it put me very ill at ease. I'd heard of creatures that could grant lesser beings powers in exchange for servitude once before. Once, there were demons that for some reason favoured having the umbral pegasi as their thralls. Misunderstandings and the birth of the vampony myth led to a near genocide of the umbral pegasi, more commonly known today as the bat ponies, and all they really managed to do was ensure that those thralls would live to pass on their inherited shadow powers to future generations.

Fleur took a seat beside Jinx, and locked her still-red eyes with mine. With the way she was smiling, I could just make out an incisor that looked particularly long and sharp. "Now, Eventide, wasn't it?" Fleur asked, reaching out and tracing her fingertips around the top of the mysterious potion jar. I nodded shakily, suddenly unable to break eye contact. Something wasn't right, and I could feel myself being drawn in by her gaze. "Now, here's what's going to happen..."

When I blinked next, Fleur was gone and my mouth tasted vaguely of cherries and herbs, the now empty jar sitting in front of me. Strangely enough I was feeling leagues better than I had when I got in here. Even the spot I'd been smacked in the head with the gun didn't hurt as much. What the hell just happened?

Jinx just sighed and dragged an empty potion jar back across the table. "Sorry about her," she apologised. "I sometimes question what her queen was thinking, turning her when she's so young; alas, it isn't my place to cast doubts or aspersions upon my mistress." Shaking her head, she gave me a smile. "Now, I think you wanted to start learning sign language, right?"

Despite feeling much more energetic throughout the morning after that strange encounter, I still felt a bit dazed. The gist I got was that Jinx was a potioneer and/or witch of some sort, and that she was the servant of Fleur de Lis, who was some other magical creature native to this world. It might have been some form of hypnosis, because there was this strange compulsion to not mention any of that to anyone but Jinx or, Celestia forbid, Fleur.

As a result, I was a bit spacey in class all morning. The maths teacher seemed to revel in it, because it meant I wasn't on my A game. The geography teacher, on the other hand took one look at the knot on my forehead, and took me aside to ask if I was okay. Given how apathetic they always seemed, it wasn't something I was expecting—especially when they told me that if I needed to, I could go to the nurse's office to lie down.

Come lunch time, however, most of the daze wore off, and I was happy that the day was almost over. After getting myself some fish and chips from the food counter, I made my way over to the usual table. Indigo, Lemon, and Sugarcoat were all already there. Over at Sunny's table, I spotted Fleur giving me this look that inadvertently sent chills down my spine.

The first thing I noticed after taking a seat next to Lemon was her new headphones. Unlike the old ones, these ones had a real sleek look and looked to be of the noise cancelling, wireless variety. Definitely not a cheap purchase. For the moment, she had them down around her neck, though I didn't doubt that she'd start listening to tunes sooner or later.

Sugarcoat didn't seem any different than normal, but I quickly noticed that Indigo Zap was wearing a varsity jacket in the CPA colours, as were a few other students dotted throughout the cafeteria. Evidently, the soccer team was really pumped for the home game today, and they were trying to raise some school spirit. I wasn't sure that it was working for the rest of the school, but she seemed super pumped. Between the rejuvenating potion I'd been made to drink and her energy, I could kinda feel it.

"You look like shit," Sugarcoat oh so tactfully pointed out. "Did you get into some sort of fight?"

Indigo's jaw dropped as she saw the wound on my forehead. "Dude, what the hell happened to you?" she exclaimed, inadvertently drawing attention to our table.

I just rolled my eyes, got out my whiteboard, and scrawled out a quick explanation. I tried playing the good Samaritan on Friday. Ended up getting a gun pulled on me, and then pistol-whipped by this psycho from CHS named Lightning Dust.

Indigo's eyes narrowed, and it looked like she was fighting the desire to slam her palms down on the table and yell. Instead, she took a deep breath, and looked me in the eyes. "She's on the CHS soccer team with Rainbow Dash," she remarked, a somewhat vicious smirk on her face. "Just give the word and I'll fuck her up on the field and make it look like an accident."

Meanwhile, Lemon put her hand on my shoulder and asked, "Dude, are you okay?" It occurred to me that she probably felt a bit bad because she was one of the last people to see me before I went and got myself hurt. I probably would too in her situation.

I just waved it all off as I wiped down my board and wrote out another remark. There's no need for that. Assuming the person that psycho was beating on did what me and my foster brother told her when he came to pick me up, which was go to the police and her principal, that psychopath is probably expelled by now. Once they all saw what I wrote, I wiped down the board and started eating my fried and battered fish one handed. When given an 'Are you sure?' look, I just shrugged and kept eating.

After a few moments of thought, I took my gifted phone out and composed a short message to the contact labelled 'Shimmer'. Why wonder about whether Lightning Dust will show up when I can just straight up get the answer straight from the unicorn's mouth? As much as I liked the wordplay humans used, horse sounded too much like the slur whorse, and there was no way I was gonna disparage my maybe-sister like that.

Eventide: Got a question for you. Did you ever end up reporting Lightning to your school administration?
Shimmer: Oh yeah. My friends were furious when I told them about it on the weekend and made me go straight to Principal Celestia this morning. AJ had to keep Dash from killing her in the hallway. Pretty sure the cops just left with her after the principal expelled her, actually.
Shimmer: Why?
Eventide: My friend Indy was gonna risk getting suspended from the team if Lightning showed up for the soccer game at CPA.
Shimmer: 👍

Good news! You don't have to risk getting suspended. Bitch got expelled. I flashed to Lightning, earning a grin. Then I wiped it down and continued. Maybe don't give your rival too hard of a time about it. The one Lightning assaulted was one of her friends. Probably pissed enough as is. Either way, I'm gonna be in the stands, rooting for you.

"You're too nice for your own good," Sugarcoat quietly said, taking a book out of her backpack to read, now that she was finished eating. "People are going to take advantage of you if you keep being such a doormat."

Before Indigo could say anything, however, Lemon got this look on her face. She seemed really excited all of a sudden, and that was making me uneasy. "Guys, I just had an awesome idea," she exclaimed, looking from me to Sugarcoat with an almost manic look. "We should all cheer for Indy together!"

It seemed that the others knew what she had in mind, because the twin-tailed girl used her book to try and hide the blush spreading across her face. "Oh no," she muttered, shooting a glare at Lemon over the top of her book. "Tell me you're not planning what I think you're planning." Based on the grins that Lemon and Indigo were sharing, this was either going to be really funny, or really embarrassing.

Why do I feel like I'm suddenly in danger?

Author's Note

Sorry about the delay on this. I've been chasing so many plot bunnies lately, and I've settled on another side project, as mentioned in the comments of the previous chapters. In fact, I may have released it here on Fimfiction by the time this chapter goes up. I'd go so far as to say I've been hyperfixating on the other story.

Chapter 1: Street Tough

Three weeks later...

These creatures were strange. That's really the only way I could describe them. It was clear from the first moment I saw them that they were some kind of ape-descended species. Not only do they wear clothes more often than ponies, but the level of technology they wield was leagues above anything I've seen in Equestria... There were technological marvels the likes of which no pony could ever dream of, and if I was being honest with myself, I'd have liked nothing more than to get a crack at disassembling it all just to see how it worked. And to think they do it all without magic.

That wasn't even the strangest part, though. Since waking up in this world, I've been discreetly watching them and observing everything about the environment. While it was interesting watching an entire society just accepting wild weather like they do because of a lack of pegasus weather control, I was more caught off guard by another issue entirely. See, whatever world it was I found myself in, it had a written and spoken language that matched modern Equish to a tee. Admittedly, they don't call it that; they call it English, which in itself is weird because the creatures call themselves humans, rather than engles or anything like that.

Of course, as a pony, I would stand out among these creatures; a tiny equine flying above the roadways. That wasn't exactly a problem, though. Whatever happened to me after my encounter with Tirek and the turncoat Discord, I woke up in this world in the form of one of these creatures. It was certainly disorienting the first time I went to stretch my wings, only to spread my new hands, but I've since gotten used to it. The different centre of balance and the 'always-on' teats might've been the hardest to adapt to. For the first few days, I thought every adult was pregnant at the same time.

Unfortunately, when you just come into existence out of the blue, you don't exactly just get a home, or any sort of documentation. That was apparently very important in this world; without any sort of identification, you can't buy certain things, and without the right documentation, you can't get certain jobs. At least, that's what the lady, Violette, at the homeless encampment I started living in often rants about. Something about being an illegal alien? Sounds familiar, right?

The encampment reminded me a bit of a griffon refugee camp I encountered during that border skirmish back when I first enlisted. In the city I now lived in—called Canterlot, of all things, just like the capital of Equestria—there was a large central park with a river, a lake, and a large wooded area. They were set up in the woods near a public restroom in that park, not far from the river, and it consisted mostly of tents, though one older gentleman had constructed himself a shelter from brush. Most of the residents were apparently military veterans, and they ran off anyone who used drugs. Personally, I felt at home with the lot of them.

It's awful the way they treat those who fought for their country, though, I mused as I dragged some deadwood into the camp. If ponies ever did that to guardsponies back home, the Princess probably would have dropped the sun on them.

My return was met with a cheerful call. "Morning, Quiet!" The apparent 'boss' of the community, a wheelchair-bound man who had lost his legs during something he called Desert Storm, seemed particularly keen on watching out for me. He always seemed to be at the encampment whenever Violette wasn't around to keep an eye on me. Maybe I just reminded him of somepony—no, someone, I had to remind myself—but it was more likely that it was due to the body I now wore. Even though I used to be a mare in my late twenties, by the boss man's reckoning I was barely in my teens. "How's it going this morning, kid?"

I held out my left hand parallel to the ground and rocked it slightly. It was a gesture I noted humans used to express the same meaning that pegasi conveyed doing the same with a wing. So-so. That was probably a more important fact I should have mentioned; for whatever reason, when I woke up here I couldn't speak. If I had to guess, it was tied to what Discord did to me before I died, though why I'd have a scar a cross my neck was beyond me. Regardless, I couldn't talk, and even after writing my name in the dirt, the entire camp started calling me Quiet not long after I started hanging out there.

His green eyes drifted to my damp hair, and then at the way my t-shirt clung to my skin. That gaze lingered close to my chest probably more than it should have. "You get caught skinny-dippin' again?" he asked with a wry smile. When I nodded, he laughed, running a hand through messy brown hair. "Dunno whether you're brave or stupid. Girl your age shouldn't be goin' off and getting naked in the park. I'd hate for some creep to get his mitts on you."

When I withdrew a box cutter and flat head screwdriver—I found both while dumpster diving the other day—from the back pocket of my shorts and grinned, he just shook his head. Even when I pointed to my eyes, and then tapped the screwdriver against the artery in the neck, the one in the thigh, and then the groin, he didn't seem all that impressed. Boss just sighed and turned to wheel his chair around. "Kid like you doesn't belong on the streets," he muttered under his breath. "Y'all should be in a classroom learning, not figuring out the best ways to stab a man with a flat tip. That confidence of yours is just gonna get you hurt."

As he wheeled away, back to his tent, my eyes locked on the wheel I could see. Those bolts are getting loose, I thought to myself as I started down the path worn to the public restrooms. Wonder if anyone in the camp has tools I could borrow. Even if his eyes wander a bit too much to be proper, he's been good to me.

Although I might no longer be in Equestria, nor a member of the Royal Equestrian Navy, I still had a sense of duty. Back home, I fulfilled that calling by enlisting. Plus the healthcare benefits were too good to pass up. Finding a way to apply it in this world, however, was a different matter. It was rather doubtful that, even if my new body were of age, they would let me enlist in the service with this disability. That meant that my duty would need to be redefined. Helping people seems like as good a way as any.

Walking along the well worn path, I considered what to do for today. Obviously dumpster diving for food was hardly the best option, but as the humans say, beggars can't be choosers. Alternatively, I could try to find a way to make myself useful. Yesterday a woman gave me five dollars in this world's paper currency, just for tripping up a purse snatcher and returning her bag. Others might be willing to do the same if I could make it worth their while. It's either that, or find someone who'll employ a teen with no parental permission or questions asked.

Eventually, I drew close enough to the building housing the public toilets to see it through the brush, and my blood went cold. There, pinned against the wall by a well-dressed man was Violette. Although I couldn't see the man's face, I could see hers as clear as day. Her eyes momentarily met mine, and her pupils shrank to pinpricks before she looked back at the man, slowly shaking her head.

She's trying to tell me not to get involved.

Getting a bit closer, I could just hear his voice. "Come now, my dear," he said in an accent that reminded me of the Manehattanite accent. "I'm offering you an excellent opportunity to not only clean up and make some good money, but it'll get you off the streets. All I ask in return is a portion of the take—a return on investment, if you will."

"How dare you," the purple-haired woman snarled, before spitting on his suit-jacket. "I didn't fight for this country just to whore myself out on a street corner. Get out of my face and go do your skeevy business elsewhere."

The man backhanded her, sending her sprawling onto the ground. "No, how dare you!" he screamed. "This suit's worth more than your existence, and you dare sully it!?"

I'd heard enough by this point. This was going to escalate fast; the man was looming over Violette, and since Boss was the only one currently at the camp, he wasn't gonna be any help. Gritting my teeth, I picked up a rusty pipe someone discarded in the brush and quietly made my way over. Compared to walking on hooves and horseshoes, it was surprisingly easy to quietly move through the brush in these 'sneakers'. Is that why they were named such?

Although the man had more than a foot on me in height, his head was still easily within my strike zone. As I readied to strike him, I let out a sharp whistle. The man's hand darted for something inside his jacket as he turned. Whereas I'd been aiming for the side of his skull, his sudden turn brought his nose directly into the pipe's path. There was a sickening crunch as he staggered backwards, bringing his hands to his face to stem the surge of blood from his ruined nose, even as something else fell out of his jacket.

Kicking whatever the object was away, towards the older woman, I slammed the pipe across the back of the man's knees. His legs buckled from the blow, and he went sprawling to the ground. Then, with what could barely be called a kick, I pushed him over so that he was on his back, staring up at me. I moved to loom over him.

With the pipe slung across my shoulder, I pointed my free hand down at him, and then gestured with my thumb back toward the park entrance. Get out of here, I tried to convey. I then pointed at him again, and then down at the ground before slapping the pipe against my palm. If you stay or come back here... well...

"Quiet, that's enough," Violette warned, coming to stand beside me, placing one hand on my shoulder. She looked down at the man—I only now was beginning to realise he might be a pimp or some sort of gangster—and shook her head. "Look," she remarked with a frown as she held up the item he'd dropped. It was a hunk of metal that I recognised as something the city's law enforcement seemed to wear holstered at their hips. "You fuck off out of here, and pretend none of this ever happened. Lest you want your boss to find out you got jumped by a homeless kid in the park he told you all to keep out of and lost your piece. Capisci?"

The man looked a little pale as she pointed the object at his head. After a moment he nodded, which got a smile out of her. She hit a switch at the side of the device, and then slid it into the back of her pants. Violette led me away from the man, and let him get up and scramble away. Her eyes never left him, until he was well out of sight.

Once he was gone, the older woman turned and smacked me in the back of the head with her palm. "The fuck were you thinking, Eventide?" she demanded in a harsh whisper. It didn't escape my notice that she didn't use the nickname everyone seemed to use for me this time. "You could've gotten yourself shot, or worse! If that goon was part of any other gang, you'd have brought down a whole shitstorm down upon us." She let out a sigh. "Lucky for you, me and the boss man have an arrangement with that goon's leader. They leave us alone, we stay out of their way, and they don't find out when they fuck around."

I cocked my head and raised an eyebrow at her. Wait, you're telling me you turn a blind eye to organised crime? That thought left a sour taste in my mouth. How could anyone who fought to serve their country tolerate people who would exploit others for illegal gains?

With a frown, Violette looked away. "Don't gimme that look, kid," she grumbled. "You clearly haven't been on the streets long enough to know, but we do what we gotta do to take care of ourselves and our own. If that means keeping mum on stuff or passing off information to the mob, so be it."

I dropped the pipe and crossed my arms. There was clearly a lot about this world I still didn't get, and this was clearly one of those things. If nothing else, it would have been nice to hear a 'thanks for the assist', but instead I was being lectured on how I had to be careful how I help someone, lest I bring the wrath of a crime boss down on the whole camp.

That evening, I found myself walking down the sidewalk with Violette and Boss. More to the point, I was pushing the older man's wheelchair as the woman led the way. Our objective for the night? A soup kitchen affiliated with a shelter. It was a place that they'd tried to convince me to come to a few times before, but I couldn't figure out whether or not they were trying to pass me off to social services before I could get used to this body.

After the incident this morning with the mobster, though, they weren't taking no for an answer. I apparently made a whole lot of work for Violette, who left not long after the incident. According to Boss, she had to go meet up with the leader of the mob—Sonny Fiammata or something like that—to smooth over what I did, and make sure that 'gun' ended up with someone more responsible. Luckily, she didn't seem to hold it against me when she got back, but with the way Boss had a hushed conversation with her, I thought I might've worn out my welcome.

As we walked through an industrial neighbourhood, one that reminded me a bit of the Manehattan docks I grew up living around—I think it was all the warehouses that really gave me that impression—I began to feel a prickling on the back of my neck. It might've been that there was this young woman with a similar skin-tone to my own staring at me as we passed; the fiery red-head certainly seemed to do a double-take as she passed. Based on the roughness to her own clothes and the somewhat gaunt look to her, I imagined she was probably a squatter.

Boss and Violette seemed to recognise her, too, though the latter seemed more interested in my reaction for some reason. "I see Red's still living out of that warehouse," he commented. "Looks pretty pissed, too." He gave an askance look to the older woman. "I guess Cadance must be volunteering today."

When Violette glanced back at me, I shot her a raised eyebrow. Care to fill me in? It wasn't exactly that I was interested in the other girl's plight, although it was awful for someone her—My?—age was living this sort of lifestyle. Honestly, I was more concerned by the continued feeling of unease washing over me. It almost reminded me of feelings I'd gotten in wild weather zones when the weather conditions seemed to turn.

"Kid's been around a few years," she explained with a sigh. "We've tried to get her help before, but... well, she's very good at avoiding police and social workers. She seems to attend school though, unlike someone we know, so maybe it isn't really our business..." The woman shrugged. "Regardless, she always seems to avoid the soup kitchen whenever one of the volunteers is there. She's absolutely petrified of the woman, and it's a shame, because Cadance is one of the kindest people out there."

That got a nod from the man in the wheelchair. "Ayep."

I redirected my attention up to the sky and noticed a cloud front moving in from the southwest. More than a few were rain clouds, but I was more concerned about the thunderhead smack dab in the middle of it all. Neither of my companions seemed very concerned with the potential storm, although it was possible that they simply didn't know much about weather science. They weren't pegasi, after all.

Still, it felt important to let them know, so I briefly debated how to convey it. Even if I knew Equestrian sign language, it wouldn't have done much good here, since it's not like it worked well with this form. That left me with good old pantomiming. After letting out a sharp whistle, I stopped and then waited for them both to direct their attention toward me. Once I was sure they were paying attention, I pointed up at the weather system with my pointer finger and then traced a path along the sky where it would likely track. My hands spread out, parallel to the ground, I lifted them to head level before thrusting them down, followed by a loud clap. Once I was sure the message was conveyed, I held up one hand, tapped my wrist, and then flashed one and then three fingers.

Boss only chuckled and started wheeling himself along. "Forecast said that system's s'posed ta pass us by," he remarked. "Relax, kid."

I looked at Violette and shook my head. I tapped my temple with my index and middle finger and then rubbed those same fingers on my forearm. I know it's coming this way. I can feel it. Not that they could really understand that I knew my shit. Even without having any feathers to feel the most minute air currents, I still knew and could feel enough to be sure. The air was beginning to cool even now, and I could practically feel the condensation coming.

It was clear that neither really believed me. With nothing else to really say, I shrugged and got back to pushing Boss's wheelchair. They both continued to chat, but I paid them no mind. Absolutely nothing would change the fact that, as far as I could tell, I was stuck in this world, in this form. If I'm just a young teen by their reckoning, it was probably true that I should be in a school, if for no other reason than to learn more about this world and how best to succeed in it. There was only so much I could learn from people watching, after all.

Eventually, they led me into a small building that revealed itself to be a small mess hall of sorts. Boss rolled off to find a place to park his wheelchair, while Violette grabbed trays and cutlery for both of them. I grabbed a tray and some cutlery of my own and followed close behind her. As we waited in the line-up, I looked around at the other patrons. Although there were plenty dressed in the same sort of shabby clothes that my two companions wore, I could also see a small family or two in slightly better condition, although not by much.

What caught me off guard, however, were a few better-dressed individuals interspersed, conversing with patrons. I could even see manilla folders and paperwork. Similarly, those conversing with them seemed to be in better spirits. Some sort of social worker, I imagine.

After some time had passed, Violette walked up to the serving counter, and a pink-skinned woman in a food-service apron smiled at her. "Hey, Vi," she greeted, her violet eyes flicking over to me for a moment. "It's been a while since you and Boss Foxhound brought in anybody new."

Violette took one look at me, grinned, and then rolled her eyes. "This is that stray I was telling you about, Cadance," she glibly responded before jabbing me with an elbow. "Finally pressured her into coming after she got into it with one of Don Fiammata's boys."

The woman turned her attention fully to me, the sudden jerk of her head causing her pink, violet, and yellow locks to sway in front of her eyes for a moment. "Are you alright?" she asked, concern tingeing her voice. "You don't need any medical attention, do you?" Her eyes searched the crowded cafeteria. "We do have a nurse on staff here... somewhere."

I just smiled and shook my head. She looked at me curiously, and seemed ready to wave someone over, until I held up a hand to stop her. I grabbed the flight goggles hanging around my neck—the only one of my belongings that seemed to make the transition between this world and the last—and pulled them down to reveal a faint scar across my neck. I tapped where my vocal folds ought to have been, then covered my mouth. It didn't seem to reassure her, so I jabbed my chest with a thumb and then flexed a bicep. No need to worry about me. I might not be able to speak, but I'm strong enough to take care of myself.

She looked to Violet for some sort of explanation. "Yeah, this one doesn't talk much," she joked. "It's why we all call her Quiet. But she's fine, aside from nearly getting herself shot trying to protect me, and clearly not getting enough to eat."

Ms. Cadance only seemed to only partially calm down. She dished out some food for Violette and Boss. It only took a little help from Violette to let the woman know that I wanted nothing to do with any of the meat. Luckily, they seemed to have a number of vegetarian and pescatarian options, so I was able to get a tuna wrap, some steamed vegetables, and a small bowl of tomato soup. Growing up by the docks meant that fish was relatively cheap compared to produce when I was a foal, and as a pegasus those oils were essential to good wing health, so it helped bring back memories of better times.

As I sat down across from Violette at the table the old man parked his wheelchair at, there was a loud clap of thunder. A moment after that came the heavy patter of rain against one of the windows. With a smirk on my face, I popped a piece of broccoli into my mouth. The other two looked from the window to me with a look of surprise on their faces, so after I chewed and swallowed, I mouthed the words, "I told you so," at them.

During the time we spent quietly eating our meal, I noted some time after the thunderstorm started that the Cadance lady had one of those communication devices against her ear as she stepped into a back room. Come to think of it, the current leader of the Crystal Empire was also named Cadance. I've never seen the alicorn in pony, but I think she was supposed to be pink, too. Weird.

The others also seemed to notice that fact, but if they didn't seem all that concerned. Then again, people talking on those cell phone devices seemed to be a regular occurrence. Some people I'd seen had entire conversations on them while walking around in public, and some seemed to never stop staring at the screen. The world was strange like that.

Still, what they said earlier stuck with me. We tried to get her help before. They wanted to help that other homeless girl, and Violette had all but confirmed that she'd been talking about me to the woman that served us the food. Given my situation, I probably shouldn't complain, but at the same time, there was just something about that idea that bugged me. Is it the loss of personal agency? Is it because I used to be an adult before I ended up here? A shudder passed through me as another thought rose to the surface. Is it because of what happened to Cantata?

By the time I'd finished my food, the rain was still coming down, and there was no sign of it stopping any time soon. Violette and Boss had moved to another table and were drinking coffee with a few others from the encampment. People were still being served, but this time a bald man in a black outfit with some sort of white collar was taking care of it. I'd seen a similar outfit on a man near one of the steeple buildings with a large cross atop, but I didn't really get the significance.

Me, I was just sitting there, nursing a glass of apple juice as I stared out the window, watching the rain. It was almost hypnotic, the staccato beat of the water against the building, but it didn't make me any less homesick. If there was one thing that I missed about Equestria was how reliable the weather was in the settled zones. Being able to know exactly what time a downpour was supposed to start or stop was a blessing. Here, there was no knowing exactly how much rain was intended to fall, nor how long it was supposed to fall for. What it meant was that you had to rely on shaky forecasts by creatures who had no natural inclination towards reading the weather.

I suppose I could always walk out into the rain and bask in it. Then I might get a better feel for this world's weather... It was, of course, a horrible idea. Even though the October cold didn't really bother me, I didn't have pegasus weather magic to insulate me against the rain. Once it truly started sinking into my clothes, that'd be it for me. I'd catch pneumonia or something worse, and then I'd probably die again.

"Do you mind if I sit here?" came the unfamiliar voice of the woman I'd only just met. Turning my attention away from the window, I found her already seated across from me, a paper cup of steaming coffee in one hand. When I simply nodded and gave her a polite smile, she set down a small notepad and a pencil-like object, made from a transparent plastic with what looked to be a tube of ink within. She gently nudged both objects across the table. "I was wondering if we could have a little chat."

I raised an eyebrow, but nonetheless picked up the stylus. It was my first personal experience with this sort of pen, but I'd seen how humans write from people-watching. Mimicking the way I'd seen someone else holding one, adjusting my grip until it felt relatively comfortable, I quickly scratched out an answer in my usual cursive. I then picked up the notepad and passed it back to her.

Sure.

There was a relieved sigh from the woman as she passed it back. "I am Mi Amore Cadenza, or as I prefer to be called, Cadance," she introduced herself. "What's your name?"

Eventide Construct.

"That's a pretty name," was her remark after I showed her what I wrote down beneath the previous answer. Still, it was a very... professional tone she was using with me. Likely, her day job was some sort of position that regularly dealt with young people in such a manner, like a counsellor, or a children's services worker of some sort. "How long have you been alone on the streets?"

That was a hard question to answer. It was clear that I probably wasn't gonna be able to just leave, regardless of whether I consented to further questioning. On the one hand, I could make shit up. The problem with constructing a web of lies is that I'd have to keep track of everything I said for consistency. Rather, it might be a better choice to be relatively honest, but frame it in such a way that she can come to her own decisions about things. Refuge in audacity.

I really can't be sure. I woke up three weeks ago in an alley with no memory of where I was and how I got there. Anything before that... I don't think you'd find it very useful or even believable.

When she read that answer, Cadance furrowed her brow. "In what sense?" she asked, a wariness creeping into her tone. "Are you trying to say that you have no memory until you woke up?"

I shook my head and then scratched out a quick answer. Oh, no. I have memories before, but even I think they sound delusional. After another moment, I continued writing. Up until then, I thought I was a pegasus mare in the magical land of Equestria.

As she stared at the message on the notepad, her expression became extremely hard to read. Honestly, I felt guilty, because even without being able to read her expression, I already knew what was likely going through her head. She probably thinks I've either been completely fucked up on drugs for who knows how long, or worse, I was using delusions to hide from some sort of trauma. When she passed the pad of paper back, it occurred to me that dying was pretty damn traumatic.

As she rubbed the bridge of her nose, she let out a sigh. "Look, in my line of work, I'm what's known as a mandatory reporter," she explained. "What that means is that if I come across any sort of indication or information that a child is being abused or neglected, I have a moral and legal requirement to report it to the proper authorities." She gestured at the notepad. "What you just told me practically screams that you're a youth in crisis, and I would be required to report." It was about what I expected. "Now, that's when I am on the job. Ideally, I'd like to get you help before that becomes an issue."

My eyes narrowed slightly as I considered her words. I was pretty sure that I knew where this was going, but I wasn't sure it was what I wanted. I'd be imposing upon complete strangers, even more so than simply sleeping in the park homeless encampment. When I was there, my comings and goings weren't restricted, and aside from the odd contribution, there wasn't much expected of me.

I quickly wrote down my question, and then turned the pad to her. Just so we're both on the same page, what is it that you're offering?

One of her eyebrows quirked upward, but she fixed me with a smile. "If we went the mandatory reporting route, you would likely be put into the system and given your... inability to speak, you would likely end up in a group home," she began, only pausing to sip her coffee when she considered her phrasing. "Unfortunately, I do not think that setting would be a good place for you."

No kidding, I thought with a bit of a sniff. It didn't work the first time I was a foal either.

"My future mother-in-law always wanted another daughter, and has already registered in the foster care system," Cadance explained. "What I'm suggesting is that you stay with her, and I get a friend to pull some strings for an emergency placement."

Even though I have zero documentation?

She just smiled at me. "A friend of mine in children's services owes me a favour."

Why help me?

Author's Note

Something I noticed about a lot of stories where a creature of one species becomes another species is that the early chapters tend to be bogged down by the "My new body is weird!" internal drama. It was a bit of an overdone trope, so instead we're skipping to three weeks later, when Eventide has already had a little time to adjust to being a person.

Chapter 3: Sunshine, Sunshine, Ladybugs Awake...

I rose from a dreamless sleep slightly before dawn. It was an oddity I'd noticed since I first woke up here, but I never seemed to dream. It was a far cry from what I was capable of back in Equestria, but to be fair, I'd probably just find myself having nightmares about Tirek and dying if I did dream. That's the last thing I ever want to relive.

There was the vaguest recollection of listening to the rain one moment, and then opening my eyes to the morning twilight the next. Slowly, it dawned on me that I had, at some point, rolled over to face the window. More importantly, though, the comforter on the bed, which I'd fallen asleep atop, had been draped over me. My sleep-addled brain struggled to wrap my head around how that could have happened, right up until I sat up. It was only then, when I looked to the nightstand that I understood.

Tucked beneath the notepad were my now laundered clothes and a hairbrush. Those had most certainly not been there when I went to sleep, so I could only guess that my new host had dropped them off while I was sleeping, saw that I was completely uncovered, and wanted me to keep warm. On the one hand, it was a rather sweet gesture, but on the other, I wasn't exactly fond of people messing with me while I slept. It was why I got very good at sleeping in trees.

With a yawn, I got up from the bed and immediately stripped it down. If there was one thing that had been successfully drilled into me, it was how to properly make the bed. With military precision that even a change in species couldn't ruin, I carefully affixed the white bed sheets so that they were smooth with crisp hospital corners. Next went the comforter, the same attention to detail paid that went into the sheets. Finally, I fluffed the pillow before smoothing out the case and centring it at the head of the bed.

Satisfied with my work, I changed into my own clothes, which didn't seem to look nearly as bad as they had last night. I wasn't personally familiar with folding human clothes, but I made an attempt to fold the pyjamas with the least amount of creases before sitting them atop the nightstand. The least I can do is fulfil my end of the bargain, was my first thought as I grabbed the brush provided and got to work on slaying the three weeks worth of tangles in my hair. It was a bit painful, but it was a worthwhile endeavour if for no other reason than it made my bangs look and feel nice and fluffy.

Once I was content that I was in a state somewhat approaching a normal human being, I grabbed my notepad and stylus, and then headed off to take care of the morning ablutions. But for the fact I had no PT gear, I might've slipped out back to do some exercise, but I was more than a little conscious of just how easily the human body could work up a sweat, and I didn't want my freshly laundered clothes to immediately get sweaty and I'd likely need a fresh shower.

From the top of the stairs, I took note that a newspaper had been pressed through the front door's mail slot, and a nearby wall clock proclaimed it to be just before five in the morning. There was one more pair of shoes in the entryway that hadn't been there last night, but there was no indication that anyone else was up yet. Not wanting to be obtrusive, I quietly made my way down the stairs and picked up the newspaper. Paper in hand, I made my way through the dining room and into the kitchen.

Their coffee maker didn't look all that different from anything I operated back in Equestria, but then again, there's not much you can do to change a pretty solid design. Sure, you could probably streamline the design to make a machine designed around single-serving pre-packaged grounds, but... well. Nothing is more entertaining than watching a hyperactive Ordinary Seamare bored out of her horn drink an entire pot of dark roast and then try not to vibrate across the main deck while Captain Aerial Bombardment is watching. That wasn't the sort of fun a mare could get from single-servings.

Once I looked over the machine to be sure I had the right measure of it, I found the bag of grounds, put a fresh filter in the machine, and set the pot brewing. Thinking about it, I had no idea whether or not anyone else would be up this early, but in case there were, I found and set out three mugs in addition to the one I'd use.

Until the coffee was done, I was free to sit down at the table with the newspaper. Some of it wasn't all that impressive. An animal shelter on the east side of Canterlot was running an adopt-a-thon. Typical fluff piece. A missing girl's body was found in the Shasta-Everfree National Forest. Tragic. Mayor Maria Mare was buckling under pressure to disincentivise homelessness. Hopefully that woman grows a spine; the shit they mention in this article was tried and failed when they attempted to gentrify Manehattan when I was a filly.

There was, however, a somewhat interesting opinion article. A school on the east side that suffered a gas line explosion on Thursday night, which left a crater in the front of the school and partially collapsed the front of the building. It was apparently preceded by a junior's prank going awry and igniting a gas leak. Nobody was hurt, despite mass hallucinations caused by the gas, but the school was definitely looking for support from the community in getting it fixed up.

At least, that was the base point of the article. The anonymous author of the article claimed that it wasn't a gas line explosion, but rather the result of what they described as the school bully 'turning into a demon, and fighting magical girls' in front of the school... that the gas line explosion was just a cover story to protect the demon at the behest of the interdimensional sorceress who defeated her. There was even a blurry photo of a humanoid shape in the air in front of a school, with wings and a spade-tipped tail and everything.

Right beside it was the photo of a teenage girl. Although her facial features were completely blurred out, with the leather jacket and the red and gold locks, it was easy to see that it was the same teenage girl I saw just yesterday going into that warehouse. Clearly someone was a bit upset with their bully, but I was kind of surprised that this paper would risk a lawsuit by running the story.

I'd moved on to the weather forecast when I heard the back door, which opened up to the kitchen, open up. In shuffled a rather sleepy young woman with indigo locks streaked with violet and magenta, pausing only long enough to remove her sneakers by the door. She was wearing a lab coat over a grey hoodie and blue track pants. A smudge of black grease marred her cheek, just beneath the thick frames of her glasses.

My eyes darted across her figure, and I quickly came to a conclusion. Those must have been a pair of her pyjamas I was provided with last night. The shirt definitely seems like it wouldn't be as loose on her.

She seemed somewhat disoriented by the fact that the light was on here in the kitchen, and slowly looked around. Her eyes first focused on the newspaper spread open atop the table, before drifting over to me. Sudden fear flashed across her face, and she staggered backwards, away from the table. Her hip bumped the counter furthest from the coffee maker, and her hand came to rest beside a knife block. Seeming to realise this, she quickly grabbed a large kitchen knife and held it up in front of her.

"W-who are you, and how did you get in my house?" she croaked, her voice little more than a whisper. Not exactly the best first interaction, but I supposed these things happened. "G-get out before I call the police."

Inwardly, I sighed. I can't exactly fault her for being scared. There's a stranger in ratty clothing in her home, reading the newspaper. If she did the teenager thing of only half listening when she got home, she might not have even realised her mother told her about me before she went out to that garage lab. At least, I'm assuming she was in there all night.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noted the coffee maker was done. Slowly, taking care to not startle her, I reached over to the note pad and pen I'd set down and scratched out a quick introduction. Hi, you must be Twilight Sparkle. My name is Eventide Construct. For some reason, Ms. Cadance and Mrs. Velvet decided I'd be staying here. I can't exactly speak, but can I interest you in a cup of coffee? Once it was done, I leaned down and slid the pad across the kitchen floor to her. She looked at me with suspicion as she crouched down to pick it up, never quite letting me leave her sight.

As she read the note, I neatly closed and folded the newspaper, and then slowly rose to my feet. I'd seen interactions with the police before, and at the time noted the way people put their hands up, palms toward the officer to show they were not a threat. Mimicking that posture, I slowly sidled over to the coffee maker and began pouring myself a mug of coffee. Once I had a mug of the glorious, bitter life nectar, I glanced at her and she shook her head, so I backed away to take a seat at the table once again.

"What do you mean you can't exactly speak?" she demanded in a slightly more confident voice as she dropped the pad to the floor and slid it back to me with a sock-clad foot. The fear began to leave her face as another emotion began to overtake it: curiosity.

With a smile, l momentarily removed my flight goggles from around my neck, before tilting my chin skyward so that the light would catch the scar across my throat. Repeating the same gesture I used with Cadance the previous evening, I tapped the scar, and then covered my mouth. She seemed to get the picture, but just to be sure, I grabbed the notepad and scratched out another message for her before sending it across. I simply can't make any of the noises that require vocal cords; you could stick me with that knife and I wouldn't even be able to cry out in pain. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that someone removed them.

She slowly set the knife back in the block and then carried the notepad over to the table. She sat down in the same spot her mother took the previous night and then slid the pad over. Twilight still eyed me with suspicion as I slipped my goggles back around my neck, but her body wasn't as tense. Maybe she realised that she had a few inches on me, or decided I wasn't a threat, but she finally decided to relax enough. "Still, I can't understand why Mom and Cady would just bring you here out of the blue." There was a short moment where her attention slipped towards the door to the dining room, but then she remarked, "This hardly seems like proper procedure for foster care, if that's their intent. We don't really even know anything about you."

I shrugged and sipped at my coffee as I thought out a response. Twilight certainly seems the type to be concerned with understanding the why and how of things. Carefully, I scratched out a response. I legitimately don't even know why they were so quick to take me in either. Fact is that given that I was effectively given the choice to either come quietly, or enter the system. Legally, it's questionable. Ethically, it's kinda worrying. Personally, I'm not entirely sold on the idea myself. As an afterthought, I added, I'm nonetheless grateful for the opportunity to have a hot bath and sleep in a proper bed for the first time since I first woke up alone and confused in this city three weeks ago.

There was something satisfying about watching her read over my response. You could practically see the cogs turning in her head as her mind picked apart the individual portions of my statement—my admission that I had no idea why I was here, the implication that I had no history with the city prior to three weeks ago, and my attempts to show that I'm not a threat. "Where were you before that?" she asked, steepling her hands in front of her face. "Surely you must have some idea what happened to you."

She's definitely a detail oriented person, I decided as I contemplated what, if anything, I should tell her. I sat the mug down atop the table and pushed at the handle with my finger, causing it to turn. But based on that motor grease on her face, she can get too into things and potentially miss the sky for the clouds. If she decides to look into things, I don't think she'd let go.

Sighing, I decided to do something I'd likely regret; I'd tell her exactly what I told Cadance. I'm going to be honest. The only reason I have the slightest idea what country or state I'm in is from people-watching and newspapers; and even that has little meaning to me. Up until three weeks ago, it's like I was living in some sort of delusion... Magic and talking ponies don't exist, and I certainly couldn't have been living in a world of them as a pegasus until then. Honestly, the more I thought about it, the more my life in Equestria did seem too unusual to possibly be real compared to this world. Maybe it was just the time spent here made the memories seem less vivid, but I was suddenly less sure of myself. Maybe it would be better for me if I acted like I didn't believe those memories to be real. So that leaves the question of how I really got here, and what's up with my memories.

She blinked as she looked from the note-pad to me. "Magical talking ponies?" Twilight asked, as if seeking clarification? She almost seemed... amused? "What, you mean like that Filly Funtasia show that's popular outside its target demographic on the internet?"

Two hours later, Mrs. Velvet and an excitable dog found us both at the kitchen table conversing animatedly. Well, she spoke; I simply kept writing in the notebook and passing it over. At some point, the exhaustion from whatever all-nighter she pulled out in her garage started to set in, and she reluctantly started helping me finish the carafe of coffee. So we were significantly wired, despite how sleepy she looked.

Honestly, despite discussing what could have happened to me, and how my memories and interests related, the discussion somehow ended up going in the direction of increasingly unlikely scenarios for the cause of my strange memories, and then dissecting those scenarios. It wasn't intended in any serious manner, but rather as a means of just blowing off some steam. One of the more out-there ideas that Twilight suggested was that I maybe I was some vat-grown human-experimentation subject in memory alteration, that I was surgically silenced because I wouldn't shut up, and then had my memories replaced with nonsense from a brony. Honestly, it was no weirder than my suggestion that I was a wash-out for a secret child-soldier program created by a foreign government, and I had a bad reaction to whatever brainwashing or indoctrination technique they used, and the 'Equestria' memories were a coping mechanism.

If I'm being real, the girl was leagues ahead of me in terms of creativity. Maybe it's just that she has a better understanding of technology, biology, and science, but her ideas always seemed to have a bit more weight to them than anything I came up with. Then again, given that I was effectively coming up with ways to dismiss my memories as fake just to have something to talk about, it might've just been the internalised dishonesty at that moment that made the words feel hollow to me.

More interesting to me was how quickly she was willing to calm down and accept that I was here. It was possible that she simply liked it when she was presented with a mystery to be solved, and what was I if not a mystery wrapped up in well-worn clothes? Alternatively, she was merely humouring me and she's actually just trying to gauge whether or not I'm a threat, or 'just crazy'. I don't exactly wanna be paranoid about her, though. Especially if I do end up staying here. Excessive paranoia never helps.

When the dog rushed over and started jumping up to get her attention, the young woman reached down and started stroking his head before turning to regard her mother, who stood in the doorway clad in a terrycloth robe. "Oh! Morning, Mom!" Twilight exclaimed as Spike hopped up onto her lap. I simply waved and gave her a smile before heading over to the coffee maker with the empty coffee pot. "We didn't wake you, did we?"

Mrs. Velvet just shook her head and watched me as I set the pot brewing. "Not at all," she assured us as I wandered back over to the table. "I'm just surprised. You aren't usually an early riser on the weekends, and I wasn't sure when Eventide would wake up."

My cheeks flushed as I wrote down a quick answer. I'm usually an early riser. Normally about this time I'd be swimming in the lake after my morning jog. They both looked shocked at that, possibly because it's kind of implied that I've been swimming naked in a public park, despite that being problematic because of the human nudity taboo. I just shrugged and looked between the two of them. What's on the agenda for today?

A yawn escaped Twilight. "I plan on catching a nap," she admitted, as she wilted under her mother's gaze. "I was up all night going over the latest sensor data regarding strange energy disturbances." Her visage became thoughtful. "Oh! I think I have an old tablet around here somewhere. It'll need to be charged for a few hours, but that should give me time to look into apps, or barring that, call in a favour."

A... tablet? As in a stone tablet? Or is this some kind of medicine?

The older woman's gaze softened as she regarded her daughter, before switching back to me. "You and me," Velvet declared, "will be going clothes-shopping, and then meeting up with Cadance for lunch. Then we're going to have to take care of some tests and paperwork." When I gave her a curious look, she continued to explain. "If we are to treat this as an emergency placement, we're going to have to show a social worker that we are providing you with all the necessities and requirements. Food, shelter, clothes, healthcare are just the basics... But we have to find out what your aptitudes are, and whether it would be better to put you in the public school, or if you would be better served attending Crystal Prep with Twilight."

Author's Note

Have some not-so-subtle references to Shinzakura's Seven Days in Sunny June contributions to the Berylverse.

Now, since the Shadowbolts tag kinda gives it away, we know ahead of time that our girl Eve is going to end up at Crystal Prep, despite her failings in World History and Sociology. Where do you think she's gonna shine most?

Chapter 4: ... Clap Your Hands and Do a Little Shake

Somehow, I expected something to go wrong on the trip to the mall. Either I'd get separated from her and get kicked out by mall security, or get accused of shoplifting or something like that. It was a Saturday morning, so it wasn't like I had to worry about truancy officers, but I was still somewhat cautious of the police and mall security. Doesn't matter what world you live in; people get these misconceptions of people like me in their head, and suddenly I'm being viewed with all the suspicion in the world. Funny, that.

Of course, I did the only thing that made sense; from the moment I got out of her SUV on that gorgeous sunny Saturday morning, I stuck close to Mrs. Velvet. Admittedly, it wasn't just because I didn't wanna get into trouble that I stayed near her. I'm pretty sure it's been years since I've been in any sort of shopping arcade, but I still remember how easy it was to get lost in the tight press of bodies. Being shorter than all the adults and a handful of other teens meant that it was even easier.

Our first stop was a place called Victoria's Secret. It was, somewhat to my surprise, a lingerie shop. It was my first time ever being in one as a human or pony. According to my memories of Equestria, I'd been basically married to my job, but I wasn't ignorant about these sorts of things. Had I still been a pony, I might even have found bringing me here to be questionable. To ponies, lingerie meant socks, lacy saddles, and panties, and the idea of bringing a foal to buy some would be absolutely scandalous.

As a human though, it made sense. Despite being a chiefly pony nation, Equestria did have other races around. There were even a few minotaurs enlisted throughout Her Royal Highness's various service branches. It was only because of the fact that a minotaur cow served on the Resplendent for a time that I understood not only the concept of a bra, but the necessity for them. It was a matter of comfort and support, and there were even different types for different purposes.

It didn't change the fact that it was weird having to be fitted for one. I still didn't entirely get how or why bipedal mammalian races like minotaurs, the cat-folk of Abyssinia, or even humans evolved mammaries that grew regardless of whether or not they were pregnant or rearing young; even three weeks after joining that category, I wasn't entirely comfortable with the fact that my ~~teats~~ breasts were larger than that of a mare with foal.

Just as unsettling was the sheer price of bras. Even getting a number of plain ones under a special offer was a lot of money, if my understanding of the American dollar was anywhere close to accurate. Why is she willing to spend money on a total stranger like me? The thought caused my paranoia to prickle, because I still wasn't sure what she was really getting out of this. Nobody in this world can be this generous.

After a quick trip to a public restroom to put on a sports bra—They're comfy, so sue me—we moved on to a place called Walmart. It was there we acquired some more basic clothes and underwear, including a wine-coloured track jacket and matching running shorts, a few plain white tees, and even a couple of pairs of shorts that matched those I was wearing. Other accoutrements included some jeans, a black vest, a pair of boots with neon green laces, a pair of blue-black high-tops with cyan laces, some finger-less gloves, and a black hoodie with green internal lining. Oh, and socks. Can't not have socks.

Then of course, there was this fascinating machine that was able to take a person's emblem and either print it out on clothes, or spit out patches and pins with them on it. Yeah, humans don't have cutie marks, but I've found that most of the people I've met in this city tend to have some sort of personalised mark somewhere on their clothes. For example, Mrs. Velvet was wearing a blouse with a trio of indigo stars over the left side of her chest, while Ms. Cadance was wearing a brooch with a blue heart-shaped gem clasped in gold yesterday. It was something I wanted to look into later on, but until then, it was nice getting a few more shirts with my mark and a few patches for future clothes.

Even now, my mind was composing a few different outfits. In fact, when we went out to put our load in the vehicle, I kept the gloves and the vest to put on, because those felt like what my current ensemble was missing. Plus, having pockets made it easier to carry the notepad and pen. Then, it was back into the mall. This time, however, we were headed to a café somewhere in the mall. Time certainly flies when you're trying on clothes and shoes.

The second trip through the mall, it was more noticeable how many more teenagers were around. Every so often, she led me past small groups of them. Outside a music store, I saw a girl with rainbow-coloured hair and a sporty outfit conversing with a blonde in a flannel jacket and jeans, the latter of which seemed to do a double-take when I passed, going so far as to point me out to her compatriot. That was certainly odd.

Apparently, the café we were visiting was attached to a bookstore. Somehow, without ever being told, I got the impression that the book store was one of Twilight's favourite places in the mall. I wouldn't mind perusing their wares later, but for now, we were supposed to be meeting up with Cadance. Reading could wait until I was granted some free time. Who knows, maybe Twilight might have some recommendations; she certainly seems pretty knowledgeable.

Upon entering the café, I was greeted by the heavenly aroma of coffee. Off to one corner, I could see a familiar pink woman was already set up with a coffee and some stacks of paper. She waved at us both, and I hesitantly waved back.

"You go on ahead and join Cadance at the table," Velvet instructed, giving me a kind smile. "Is there anything you'd like to eat or drink?"

I retrieved my notepad from the pocket of my new vest, and—after glancing at the menu behind the counter—scratched out a quick answer, before tearing the sheet out and passing it to her. Coffee, black + breakfast sandwich (no meat) + salad, please.

Before she could question my coffee infatuation—Celestia knows they're gonna notice sooner or later—I quickly moved over to the corner table where Cadance was sitting, and took a seat in the chair to her right. If I was to be taking some written tests, I imagined she'd likely want to watch over it.

"Hello again, Eventide," she greeted. "You're looking well today. How was your night?"

It was good. You never realise how much you miss having access to a warm bed and a hot shower until you spend time on the streets. I wrote, giving her a bit of a smirk. Mrs. Velvet is very kind and generous. It took a little bit for Twilight to warm up to me after a bit of a misunderstanding this morning, but she seems like a good kid. Bit skittish, but what girl who finds a stranger making coffee in her kitchen at 5 am wouldn't be? Her eyebrow slowly rose to meet her hairline, so I quickly added a clarification. Relax; I slept fine. I'm just an early riser and she was doing an all-nighter in her lab... I think.

Cadance chuckled at the explanation. "That sounds like my little Ladybug, alright." She set a packet of papers in front of me, as well as a rectangular device with buttons decorated with numbers and mathematical symbols. Wait, is this like one of those calculation machines some inventor in Detrot has been trying to popularise? "This test is designed to test your knowledge in order to help determine where you are in your education, and how you should be placed in a school."

I nodded, but before I started filling in the name field of the sheet, I gave her a worried look. Just so we're clear, I'll likely do miserably on the history and sociology portions, but I'm a fast learner. If I need to, I'm willing to do catch-up work

At that, I quickly leafed through the packet to scan the contents before putting a pen to the paper. Not long after I started, Velvet arrived with drinks and food. Rather than continuing to write with my right hand, I switched the pen over to the left and used my right to handle eating. It was an action that didn't go unnoticed by the others, but they refrained from making any commentary on it. Ambidexterity was a skill that any pegasus who used their wings for more than flight picked up quick, but it seemed to be a bit less common among humans. Regardless, it felt rude to put my food and drink between Cadance and the papers I was filling out, so it was easier to switch up.

While I worked through the packet, I found a lot of what was being asked to be pretty familiar. The mathematics and physics portions of the test were a breeze, although I found myself quickly figuring out the calculator when I realised I couldn't clearly remember the logarithmic tables for sine, cosine, or tangent. In my defence, it wasn't needed as much for what I did, so I usually had a copy stashed away in one of the cabinets in the Resplendent's logistics office. Chemistry didn't seem to be all that different, although I'm pretty sure the periodic table I was supposed to fill in the blanks on had several elements that Equestria didn't. I wonder what this uranium is. Most of the sciences except for space were much the same; Equus didn't have any neighbouring planets in its solar system, and I was unfamiliar with Earth's neighbours. At least I remembered humans use the heliocentric model.

My biggest struggles were, as expected, sociology, geography, history, and technology, and while I struggled through those sections, I noted Velvet and Cadance going through some other paper. It was probably something to do with foster care or medical stuff. That's what I assume, because at one point, they had to interrupt me in order to ask my age and birthday. I doubt they were expecting me to tell them I had no idea about the former, although by some miracle, our calendars lined up enough for them to get November thirteenth out of me. I think the second packet they gave me was some kind of psychological assessment, but I was just focused on the work put in front of me.

"So, Eventide," Cadance began as she accepted the finished packets. "Is there anything you want to do when you're an adult? Any professions you have your eye on? It could be helpful in determining where we send you."

I considered that for a moment. I had no idea how long schooling was here, and I still didn't know enough about the world to make an informed decision, and I didn't want to make an uninformed decision. My cutie mark was for working with machines, but I still chose to serve in the Royal Equestrian Navy. That was because I wanted to do my part and help protect ponies in whatever way that I could.

At the same time, though, humans don't have cutie marks to point them towards their destiny. Just because my emblem is the same as my cutie mark, it doesn't mean that I had to become a factory machinery technician or do maintenance on an airship's skiffs. Cantata wanted me to join the Royal Guard because I'd be helping ponies every day, and then fight for Equestria if the need arose.

I like working with machines and learning how they tick, but at the same time, I kind of want to help people. Despite getting lectured about upsetting the mob, protecting Violette felt right. Same with catching that purse snatcher that time.

Both women shared a smile and a knowing look as they read my answer. With a bit of a chuckle, Velvet looked at her future daughter in-law and asked, "Does that remind you of anybody we know, Cady?"

Cadance just grinned before resting her chin on your palm. "So, you're thinking about going into law enforcement?" she probed with a tone of curiosity. When I nodded, she continued, "Is it simply day-to-day patrol work that interests you, or would you like to solve major crimes as a police detective?"

That actually caught me off guard. Equestria's Royal Guard agency didn't rely on the investigative abilities of the rank and file to solve crimes; rather, the crown employed reputable private investigators to solve major crimes. It never crossed my mind that human law enforcement might internalise its investigations with the police. For that matter, I also recall hearing of the 'alphabet agencies' like the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA. Were those investigative branches that were higher up? Something to consider, I suppose.

When I was a filly, there were two book series that held my interest. The first was Daring Do, but I mean, there wasn't a foal alive who hadn't at least heard of A. K. Yearling, and that mare's adventure series was fun for all ages. More importantly, though, was the Adventures of Shadow Spade. Those detective novels were superlative, and they really made a pony think—not just about the whodunit, either. There was always the question of 'What would I do in that situation? How would I go about solving this mystery?'

Then of course you had the rumours floating about the service, ones regarding well-dressed mares and stallions who solved problems involving magical monsters. If there really were mares in black, they were a well-kept secret. Still, the idea of a pony in a black suit and shades fighting crime and monsters was too neat... and how would that look as a human?

Completely unbidden, the mental image of an older me in a dark jacket and pants and aviators surfaced in my mind. At my waist was one of those equipment belts I always saw beat cops wearing. To round off the look, this version of me was aiming down the sights of one of those 'guns' that humans used. After the discussion last night, I now understood just how dangerous a situation I'd been in yesterday, but at the same time, it just made the image of myself wielding a portable hand-held cannon all the more impressive.

Being a detective sounds pretty neat.

Cadance giggled. "Oh, I think Shiny's going to like you."

Once all was said and done, Ms. Cadance had to pack up. We were left with the promise that she'd have an answer for us by Monday. One way or another, I'd be joining a school by the end of the week. Personally, public school would have been fine with me, if for no other reason than I was still having mixed feelings about them spending even more money to send me to a private school with Twilight.

Don't get me wrong; it'd be great to have at least one person there that I knew. It's just that...I still remember how the whole factory thing went. When a street urchin is starving, we don't always think clearly about the consequences of our actions, or the motivations of others. It's why I swore I'd never let myself get suckered in a second time. The last time I got lured in with the promise of food and shelter, I started getting extorted with fees that I could only ever work off in the factory, and even then, those fees only ever grew. Boy, the Royal Guard was pissed to find out about that.

I don't want to believe that's what Velvet and Cadance are trying to do to me, but... You don't survive that sort of thing by being trusting.

As we made our way out of the cafe, and back out through the mall, I noted that same pair from earlier loitering near the exit to the parking lot. The rainbow haired one had her phone held in front of her, but when she noted our approach, she elbowed the girl in flannel. Over the din of the crowd, I could just make out a comment. "You go ask her; you're the one that brought it up in the first place."

The blonde sighed, before locking her emerald orbs on my own. She quickly made her way over to me, and then coughed into her hand. "Ahm mighty sorry ta bother ya," she said, thrusting her hands into the pockets of her jacket. isn't that the Ponyville accent? "Mah friend an Ah saw ya earlier, an' almost mistook ya for someone we know. Kinda an uncanny resemblance. Y'all don't got a sister—" She held up one hand a few inches higher than my head, but I froze up upon hearing the word sister. "—'bout yay high, red an' gold hair, kinda ornery? Heck, ya's even got the same eyes."

I pulled my goggles up from around my neck so they'd rest atop my head, whilst displaying the scar on my neck. In that same movement, I used my thumbs to wipe away some accumulating moisture. I hate being asked that... I shook my head and then took out my notepad. None living, and certainly not matching that description. However, the person she described did match someone I saw just yesterday, and come to think of it, she seemed to do a double-take upon seeing me too.

That said, just because she knows that girl, it doesn't mean her interest in her is friendly. Still, if they were a friend and they didn't know she's squatting, it might be useful to tell them just enough to figure it out. On the same page, I scrawled, I may have seen someone like that hanging around in an industrial neighbourhood near Central Park, not far from a soup kitchen. Might not be the same person, though.

"Ah see." The strange girl's demeanour changed, but I couldn't tell if she was relieved or worried. "Thank ya for yer time, an' Ahm sorry fer botherin' ya."

As the blonde ran back to her friend, my apparent new guardian—I'm pretty sure that one of the papers the two of them were going over was for guardianship—looked at me, although her gaze momentarily drifted toward the notepad before I could change the page. "Well, that was unusual," she commented as we resumed our trip out to the vehicle. "I wonder if you're related to that girl's friend."

I waited until we were in the car before I started writing an answer to her in the notebook. Mostly because I was thinking about how to frame it so as to not make me sound crazy. Once I was strapped in, I tapped her on the wrist before she could reach to put the key in the ignition. Mother ditched us with our Father when we were just foals infants, so I never knew her; she certainly didn't give a damn when he died. It's possible she had other children before or after, but it seems unlikely the person that girl was describing is related to me. It's probably just one of those weird eccentricities in the universe.

Once she read the message, she remained quiet. Based on the sad expression she wore as she started the automotive, I probably revealed more about my childhood than I'd have liked, and it was clear what I let slip worried her. The entire drive back was quiet, save for music on the radio. That was probably for the best. It's not like I could talk back to her if she wanted to have a conversation.

It was nice just listening to the music and feeling the breeze from the cracked window blowing in my face. Admittedly, I might've dozed off at some point. One moment we were on a highway, and I was watching a man on a sleek motorcycle going at excessive speeds as naturally as a pegasus flies, and the next moment, Mrs. Velvet was gently jostling me awake.

Upon our entrance, we were greeted by Spike, as well as Mr. Night Light. Although we briefly met this morning before the mall trip, I didn't really have much to say. Go figure, the involuntary mute had nothing to say. In part, it was because I wasn't really sure where I stood with the man. He didn't say anything about it in front of me, and I had no idea if he was as into the idea of taking me in as his wife was, or if he was just being stoic about a potential nuisance. Still, I returned his greeting with a meek smile and a wave.

At least the dog was easy to please. He got all in my face when I crouched down to remove my shoes, demanding attention even as he licked my face. In fact, if I'd been just a bit more off-balance, he probably knocked me over, which is kind of funny in retrospect, since he's by no means a big dog. Still, the fact that the dog trusts me is a good sign in my book, because people tend to notice things like when animals don't like a person.

I quickly made my way upstairs so that I could start unpacking my new belongings in the room I'd been granted. Across from my room's door, however, there was another room, which had been pointed out as Twilight's. It sounded as though there were two voices present, although there were no extra shoes downstairs. Out of curiosity, I stepped closer to the door.

"... and that should be all the adjustments the app should need, Twi. Just give her a few days and the predictive algorithm should make things a piece of cake for her, even if she's got the tech knowledge of the Amish," came a girl's voice that, even through the door, I could tell was coming through a speaker. "Now that that business is out of the way with... The rentals really just brought in a strange girl out of the blue, huh? Is she hot?"

There was an audible groan from Twilight, followed by the sound of something thumping against wood. "Why are you like this, Starlight?" demanded a somewhat annoyed-sounding Twilight. "Mom and Cady brought home a mute homeless girl with an unknown past that could be rife with trauma, or danger following in her wake, and you're concerned if she's hot?"

Starlight could be heard giggling. "I didn't hear a no~!" she teased. "Have more confidence, girl, and you could have that harem you always wanted!"

The banging sound got louder, and I could swear I heard Twilight chanting, "I hate you," over and over. "Okay, first: I do not want to live in a harem anime. Stop projecting onto me just because you're a pervert," she groused. "Second: I'm not just going to make a pass at her out of the blue. I don't even know her, and she might not even like girls. Third: She looks like she's fourteen. If I so much as catch wind that you're writing weird ship-fics about me and her, I'm going to tell your Mom where you hide your dakimakura."

I slowly, quietly backed away from the door, unsure of what I was even listening to at this point. What in Tartarus is a harem anime, a ship-fic or a dakimakura? I wondered as I noiselessly opened my bedroom door, entered, and closed it behind me. I immediately started putting my clothes away in the dresser provided. For that matter, that Starlight girl was correct in that Twilight didn't deny it; does she find me attractive? Or is her friend just a pervert like she said?

A sigh escaped me as I took my goggles off and set them on the bedside table. At least I think I've got a better measure of my age. The bed springs creaked softly as I sat myself down on the edge. That would probably make Twilight... what, sixteen? Even if we do end up going to the same school, she'll probably be in a separate grade. Finally, I simply let myself fall back, atop the comforter. At least Twilight seems to care. Not just about me, but the absurdity of me being here. I knew from our conversation this morning that she had a sharp mind, but she's cautious, too.

Author's Note

I wanna address something before we get too bogged down in the story. You may have noted that Eventide died during Tirek's rampage at the end of Season 4, while she arrived in the human world shortly before the Fall Formal. To quote a wise man, 'Time isn't made of lines; it's made of circles. That is why clocks are round." I'd like to think that if there's a cycle of life and rebirth, you get no guarantee where or when you're reincarnated.

We also get to see one of our first deviations from canon: Twilight already has a friend, and it's Human Starlight Glimmer? Oh no, she's got terminal anime-fanitis!

Yeah, as someone pointed out, an isekai isn't complete without some sort of anime bullshittery, and Otaku Starlight and Twilight felt like a fun way to do that. I figured that since the Crystal Prep dynamic isn't going to be a 1:1 match anyway, I might as well give something for other students to bully Twilight over than than the usual "Competitive environment, and she's super good at everything so she must clearly look down on us," attitude crystal prep is often depicted with.

So, we get a good idea of what kind of anime fan Starlight is, but what about Twi? Does she like a good mecha or military anime? Or maybe she likes anime that explores technology like full-dive VR. Perhaps she and Starlight secretly cosplay at conventions! Who knows?

A bit more about the world. The date is, as of this chapter, the 10th of October, 2015. Canterlot is, as hinted in the previous chapter, located in California. The world is our earth, but with the colourful humans using the pony naming conventions.

Chapter 5: A Voice of My Own

Twilight, it would seem, loved to share knowledge. Although she professed that she wanted to get into the sciences, she'd make a good teacher. She was most eager to show me how to use the tablet, the functions of it, and how to charge it as we sat together on the sofa in the living room. She even took the time to approach it from the angle that I had an 'Amish' understanding of tech. "... and this is the setting used to adjust the pitch and timbre of the synthetic voice," she concluded. She navigated back into the text-to-speech program's main screen and then passed the device over to me. "I couldn't do anything about the accent myself, but I set one of the United Kingdom English voices as the base since you seem to use the British spellings, rather than the Americanised ones." She gave me an eager expression. "Do you have any questions?"

I tapped the text field, which brought up the ~~typewriter~~ keyboard and quickly typed out the pangram I was taught to use for typing practice when I enlisted and had to learn how to use a typewriter. It would take some time to get used to typing one-handed—instead of using both my wings—but it at least seemed doable. "Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow." She gave me a weird look, but I just smiled and held up one finger. I considered whether or not I had any questions. Plus, I was considering how the voice needed to be adjusted to sound more like me. "You said that I'd have access to the 'internet' on this device. Are there any reputable data sources you would recommend for study? I can tell without having heard back from Ms. Cadance that the history, geography, and sociology sections on my placement tests are abysmal."

If her smile could grow any more, I'd swear that the top of her head would flop backward. "Oh, absolutely. I've already bookmarked several useful study aides in Firefox for you, in anticipation that you might also wish to use the tablet to study," she agreed, reaching over switch to the internet browser app and showing me the list of favourites. "This one's an open-source encyclopedia with strict contribution rules. This one's..." She proceeded to run through a number of items, and even pointed out a general syllabus she used to get ahead in grades, before finally saying. "Just remember that constant use will drain the battery faster. You may wish to save study sessions for when you have it on the charger though."

I nodded and navigated back to the speech app. "Thank you, Twilight," I typed out. This time, my typing speed increased. "It's great just to be able to 'speak' without having to pantomime or write things down." I let out a somewhat equine snort as memories surfaced, especially those of how many people in this world simply assumed that I had some sort of mental defect or couldn't hear them simply because I couldn't speak. "So what do you do for fun?"

For some reason, she seemed surprised that I was showing interest in her—as if it were somehow unusual. "I do a bit of everything, really," she began. "You can't go wrong with reading, fiction or non-fiction, but I also enjoy tinkering, inventing, and trying to unravel the mysteries of the universe. A friend of mine has been tutoring me in computer programming, and she's the one that got me into... anime."

I noted as she spoke about her interests, she started to lose steam. It was as if she expected at any moment that I'd start deriding her interests. "Sounds interesting. I don't know what this 'a knee may' is, but I don't see anything wrong with enjoying scholarly pursuits. I'm something of a prolific reader myself, and I enjoy learning something new as well. It breaks up the minutiae of day-to-day life." With a shrug, I added, "It's as they say, 'knowledge is power;' for someone like me, it's been the key to staying alive."

She immediately perked up. "Oh?" she asked with a look in her eyes that screamed 'tell me more'. "Like what?"

"Physics, maths, and weather science, for one," I remarked, turning to look out the living room window, where the sky was already beginning to darken. This wasn't something I could give an exact truth on, because there's no way she'd actually think I was anything but delusional if I explained its importance from the pegasus perspective."In a world where we just can't control the weather, it's useful to be able to read a weather system at a glance, how fast it's moving, where it's going, and what it'll bring. You start to intuit certain things just by the feel of the air. Then there's the gauging speed of a vehicle when I wanna cross a street, or judging distances."

She didn't need to know, of course, that I had to teach myself most of that. Dad was an earth pony, so he couldn't exactly teach me or Cantata to fly or anything about weather, and we couldn't afford flight school. That meant we had to learn all that stuff from books. If there was one thing about Manehattan that I missed, it was that they didn't care if you were homeless as long as you respected the rules, took care with the books, and were there to read. Here, I couldn't even get past the front desk on account of having no identification or library card and 'looking like a vagrant'. If I'd gotten into the library that day I found it in the first week, I'd have probably memorised most of the history stuff by now.

Twilight, it seemed, was rendered curious by my explanation. "If you are into atmospheric science, does that mean you're considering a career as a meteorologist?" she queried as she followed my gaze out to the sky. "I know there's a meteorology club at Crystal Prep, but just between you and me, they all have their heads in the clouds."

My brain misfired upon hearing that joke. It wasn't the same as that old tribalist joke I was used to hearing, but it basically had the same punchline: 'How many pegasi does it take to change a light bulb? None; no matter how many you ask, they've all got their heads in the clouds.' Neither her bad joke, nor the tribalist variant I'm used to hearing were particularly funny, but it was so absurd and awful that it was hard not to laugh. It started as a simple snort, and then a chuckle. Before too long, I had set the tablet aside and was in complete side clutching hysterics.

Given that I wasn't making a sound beyond the occasional wheeze, the sight was probably a lot more confusing—potentially even terrifying—for Twilight. I was faintly aware of the girl calling out, "Mom! Dad!" and overall sounding like she was starting to panic, so maybe I should have typed out laughter before I got carried away. Oops.

Through tears of laughter, I noticed both adults rushing into the room. They took one look at me, and they kind of froze up too, like they weren't too sure what to do or think either. It wasn't until I started wiping the tears from my eyes and reached for the tablet that anyone finally thought to ask if I was okay. It was Mrs. Velvet that actually did so as she placed a hand on my shoulder. "Eventide, are you alright?"

I just nodded and woke the tablet, tapping out a quick response. "Yeah... I just haven't laughed like that in a long time." This was followed up by giving Twilight a dirty look. "Sun and stars, girl. That joke was so bad that it looped back into hilarity."

A smirk creased Night Light's face as he locked his amber eyes on mine. "Be that as it may, perhaps we should work on making sure everyone knows you're actually laughing," he remarked before gesturing at the tablet. "A quick 'ha ha' on the tablet or an exaggerated gesture might work well."

Rubbing the back of my head sheepishly, I glanced at each of them in turn. "I apologise for scaring you," I said with the aid of the new device. It was a strange thing, seeing how worried it made them. How long has it been since anypony actually cared about my well-being like that? Sure, Violette, Boss, and everyone at the camp seemed to care, but before that everything I knew had been impersonal for years. The idea that I'd inadvertently caused them grief made something deep inside me twinge.

And then, as if to ruin the mood, my stomach chose that time to make itself known. "Oops. So, uh, how long until dinner?"

That evening was... different. Not long after dinner, Twilight invited me into her room. It was decorated with various posters, and several figurines of various types—some looked like giant robots, some were people with exaggerated faces and/or body-shapes—on a shelf by her desktop computer. According to Twilight, they all pertained to various anime, or animated television series from Japan, that she liked.

Curiously, she even had a framed picture of her, her brother, and another girl in costumes that I imagined had to be from anime. Shining and Twilight were both dressed in suits, and had either dyed their hair, or were wearing wigs. The third girl who seemed to be wearing some sort of bikini top, a scarf, short shorts, thigh-highs, and boots, with her purple hair pulled up in a ponytail and some sort of prop weapon slung across her back.

Upon noting where I was looking, she smiled. "That's from a convention last year," she explained, picking up the frame and gazing down at it. "Shiny and I were cosplaying—that's a portmanteau of 'costume play'—as Shinya Kogami and Akane Tsunemori from an anime called Psycho-Pass. That's my only friend at Crystal Prep, Starlight Glimmer, cosplaying as Yoko Littner from Gurren Lagann. She's, uh, very enthusiastic and body positive."

I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at that. The way she sounded, it almost seemed like that was supposed to be a bad thing. Is there such a thing as having too much enthusiasm? Or is she enthusiastic about her hobbies in ways that cause problems for others? "Did you bring me up here to show me some anime?" I asked quickly as she pulled a second chair over to the desk her computer sat upon. The excited grin was all I needed to know for the answer.

For the next hour, we watched a series titled Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex. It was a mixture of what she called cyberpunk, science fiction, and spy thriller. Although I wasn't the least sure where ghosts came into play, it was at the very least a fascinating peek into how people thought the future might look, more than a decade ago. It also introduced me to several concepts I'd have never encountered back in Equestria, such as cybernetics, artificial life forms, and the use of firearms. What's more, there was apparently some sort of overarching conspiracy peppered throughout the series.

Although a lot of it went over my head, I expressed an interest in watching more at a later date. I took some time that night to go through a portion of that syllabus she pointed out. After that, I started reinforcing last pre-rest prep as a routine. It makes me uneasy when I don't have some sort of routine to fall back on. Ever since joining the Royal Equestrian Navy, routines had been a big facet in my life. Even when I was homeless, having just awoken in this world, I had a bit of a routine in my exercise and scavenging habits. So, the first step in making sure I have a stable life is establishing a routine.

After another night of dreamless sleep, I awoke at the same pre-dawn hour as was normal for me. This time however, rather than simply going for coffee, I threw on one of my cutie mark tees, the track jacket and shorts, socks, and put the pen and notepad in the jacket pocket. Just to be sure they knew I was coming back, I left my goggles on the bedside table. Finally, I took my new running shoes down to the back door. Gotta get my morning constitutional in.

Much to my surprise, Night Light was already awake and having a coffee at the table in the kitchen. Dozing on the floor at his feet was Spike, likely already back to dreaming about whatever it was dogs dreamed of. "Going out for a run?" he asked, looking at something on his phone and sipping his coffee. When I nodded, he merely smiled and gestured to a fabric lead—a clip at one end and a small plastic bag dispenser near the hand-loop at the other—hanging from a hook by the back door. "Would you mind taking Spike with you? I don't think anyone in the community will give you any trouble, but if they see you with Spike, they shouldn't call security. Besides, he could use the exercise."

With a grin, I slid my shoes on and then grabbed the lead from the hook. Even though the dog had been dozing, he was beside me in an instant, tail wagging away. Either someone's a smart boy, or they have you really well trained, I thought as I clipped the lead to the eager dog's collar and slipped out the back. Or both.

As I enjoyed the brisk October morning, I casually made my way to the outermost road of the neighbourhood at a sedate pace. The lay of the land was necessary before I could get any real jogging done, so I walked that perimeter road for the first circuit. Spike of course needed to do his business, but he was polite enough to wait for me to clean up after him. Finally, I let him dictate the pace until he was tuckered, and then I picked him up and ran some more.

I'd of course taken note of which house belonged to Velvet and Light. By the time the sun came up, I had no problem finding my way back. Even better, nobody batted an eye at me being there. I think one of the guards at the entrance to the gated community gave me a friendly wave. Like I already belong here.

From there, falling into a pattern was a cinch. Each morning, I awoke and did my run. Every day I would find some way to contribute, either in tidying or whatever I could do while Light and Velvet were home. When they weren't, I'd get to studying. Using what I recalled from the placement test—which was frankly a lot more than you might think—I researched in order to catch up.

When Twilight got back from school, I'd greet her and we'd have a short discussion until dinner time. After dinner, I'd help wash the dishes. One of the big rules from my old life was to keep on the good side of whoever's in charge of the galley; it was something I applied to my new life, and in this case it was Mrs. Velvet. After dinner, assuming Twilight had no homework to finish, she'd show me different anime shows. Cowboy Bebop, Death Note, Mobile Suit Gundam; each night was something different, seemingly with the intent to test my interests.

While Twilight's interests in the animation seemed more broad, I found myself enjoying the ones more grounded—relatively—in reality. Especially after I discovered a little website called the Internet Movie Firearm Database. Dunno. Maybe it was just because I never got to mare the Resplendent's cannons during my service, or the fact that such devices effectively a means to give any creature a means to defend one's self at a distance, but I just think they're neat. Totally not because I remember all the times I'd been simply grabbed by a unicorn in training and unable to free myself.

On Monday afternoon, I was taken by Mrs. Velvet to be examined by the family's physician. Somehow, I imagined based on the striped hair and the manner of speech, Dr. Zecora likely had a zebra as a counterpart in Equestria. The rhyming was... certainly something, but she was nothing if not professional. That was good, because it doesn't matter what species you are; getting a full physical by a stranger is... awkward.

Long and short of it? Aside from not possessing vocal cords—a very thorough fondling of my neck verified it—being pretty underweight, and not being able to determine my age, I was in good health. Or at least as good as health as somepony who died and reincarnated as a homeless child can be. When Dr. Zecora was discussing things with Velvet for some foster-care paperwork, she noted that she couldn't nail down my age without specific kinds of tests, and based on my homelessness and malnutrition, she couldn't deny the possibility that my body could be as old as sixteen, which would place me a year younger than Twilight.

That in turn led to a discussion between the two, and a short call to Cadance, regarding my emotional/mental maturity. In the end, they decided to record my estimated date of birth estimated at 13 November 1999. Another piece of my 'identity' had been written, and I was seemingly another step closer to being able to enter the school system. Now all they had to do was find out if I didn't already exist in any systems.

Oh, believe me, I know that they were trying to find out if I was a missing person or a runaway. I overheard Velvet and Light on Saturday night mentioning Shining Armour looking into me. Apparently they were hoping to get the opportunity to fingerprint me at some point to run me through a database. It sure would be neat to find out there is another me kicking around somewhere in this country. Especially if we found that fact out by them doing all this trying to get into contact with that me's parents, only for them to be like, "What do you mean you found my daughter? I'm looking right at her."

Regardless, my time of sitting in a house simply studying would soon be short-lived. I was expecting that we'd probably hear from Ms. Cadance on how I'd be placed fairly soon. Not long after that, I would probably be attending school. Strange as it sounds, I actually found myself getting excited by the idea of attending. It would be another routine that I could fall back upon and maintain my sanity in this strange new world. That, and I needed to meet more people 'my own age'.

Hmm, maybe before the decision is made, I should do some research into this Crystal Prep, and the next school I'd be likely to end up attending. If nothing else, it'd be good to know what I'm walking into. Especially because it'll be a first for me.

Author's Note

First short time-skip between this chapter and the next to follow.

Chapter 6: It's a Cinch

It was a Thursday afternoon, and I was seated in a chair between Ms. Cadance and Mrs. Velvet. Currently, we were waiting in the administrative offices of Crystal Preparatory Academy for an opportunity to speak with the school's head administrator, Principal Abacus Cinch. She was, as the secretary was so keen to point out upon our arrival, a very busy woman, and thus our unscheduled appearance would have to wait until she was free. As if I wasn't already expecting her to be the type to make us sweat.

When I wasn't playing catch-up in my studies, I did some digging into CPA. It reminded me an awful lot of the Equestrian nobility. A lot of things I read said that it was a school with a history of students vying for social dominance, whilst also building future contacts. It largely catered to the rich, and well-off, although historically has allowed the attendance of disadvantaged youths 'sponsored' by alumni or political backers. I say historically not only because their very public graduation records specifically marked students that'd been sponsored, but also because it hasn't happened in a number of years.

That was the angle we'd be striving for, but I knew that it wouldn't be easy. By all reports, Abacus Cinch was a very shrewd woman, and very politically minded. Her interests first and foremost were furthering her career, and maintaining the good name and legacy of Crystal Prep academy. If something didn't benefit herself or CPA, it would take a lot of work to get her to show the slightest bit of interest in it. Yeah, it was no secret that she was basically a politician in all but name, and had several backers with deep pockets.

Surprisingly, I wasn't all that concerned about the meeting itself. Since the Resplendent was under-crewed, I was used to dealing with the pain-in-the-flank noble we had for an XO when it came to matters of supplies she wanted. If there's something that's annoying, it's an officer who has an overinflated sense of ego because they come from money, especially when they practically buy their rank. Being able to play their games is a big part of making them fuck off and stop wasting your time, especially when they end up with the mistaken belief that you're a member of the peerage. That was actually something Cantata helped me learn.

No, I was more concerned about the way the blouse and skirt, loaned to me by Twilight for my meeting with Cinch, fit. Both were adjusted using safety pins, because I was a size smaller than the girl, and if I shifted just right, I could feel the metal of the back pin against the small of my back. Not only that, but I wasn't exactly used to wearing skirts. The only time I ever wore them was when I had to wear my dress blues in the REN and those were few and far between. Wearing them as a biped was a completely different experience. You didn't have a tail to protect your privacy, and there was this huge taboo of one's undergarments being seen, so you had to watch how you sat—legs together, or crossed. The moment we sat down, Cadance had to remind me, along with a comment of me sitting like a tomboy.

Another point of agitation for me was the fact that I wasn't wearing my goggles around my neck. As much as I'd have liked to keep them on me to hide the scar on my neck, it was agreed that we'd leave them at home in order to project a slightly more professional look. Sure, the school allowed for personalisation of one's uniform, and even accessories so long as they weren't inappropriate, but we wanted most of our cards on the table. At least we found a protective case on a strap for the tablet that granted me my 'voice', so I could carry it like a purse.

The sallow-skinned man at the secretary's desk glanced at something on his computer monitor, and then nodded to the three of us. "Principal Cinch will see you all now," he announced. When he noticed the tablet hanging from my side, however, a frown creased his face and he gave Ms. Cadance—or rather Dean Cadance, as we were at her place of employment—a dark look. In a voice just loud enough to be heard as the door was opened, he quickly added, "Dean Cadance, you know that CPA does not allow for personal electronics on campus outside of lockers or the library. I would have hoped you would have thought to warn this urchin you hope to enrol in this fine institute."

Velvet and Cadance looked particularly outraged, but I just smiled at them, held up one finger and then got to work typing out a response. "I'm terribly sorry, Mister—" I made a show of glancing at the nameplate on his desk before adding his name. "...Willow. I was under the impression that a storied and illustrious institution such as Crystal Preparatory Academy would have special dispensations and allowances for students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act." I gave him a predatory smile as I tapped the scar across my throat for emphasis. "If this is not the case, I would most certainly not be averse to getting confirmation of such in writing on a school letterhead, dated and signed."

Rule #1 of interacting with stuck-up prigs willing to break the rules if they think they can get away with it: get everything in writing, signed and dated on a letterhead if possible. If they know they're in the wrong, they immediately back the fuck off. If they're ignorant on top of being stupid, then you get to teach them the threat of "Could I get that in writing?"

Both Velvet and Cadance seemed rather surprised by my response, pausing in the doorway to Cinch's office as they watched Mr. Willow for a reaction. When the man blanched, their eyebrows rose. "That won't be necessary, I think," he responded in a shaky voice. "I simply did not realise that it was compensating for a disability."

My predatory smile transitioned back to a friendly one and I nodded, following the two women into the office. There were no chairs for us to sit upon. Only a stern-faced woman with dark fuchsia hair done up in a no-nonsense style, and some rather professional pince-nez glasses perched on her nose. Based on how low those glasses were placed, I imagined she spent a lot of time looking down her nose at people.

The room itself was decorated in a very blunt fashion. There was an entire trophy case containing various trophies that were either regarding the school itself, or—more importantly—Abacus Cinch. The walls were lined with various plaques, framed newspaper clippings, and pictures of the woman with various movers and shakers in the city. Immediately, I was reminded exactly what kind of person she was, and how I would have to handle her.

Cinch didn't acknowledge me immediately, mind you. She was regarding Twilight Velvet and Cadance with a curious look. "If I am being honest with you both, I wasn't sure I wanted to even humour the idea of this meeting," the woman commented, steepling her well-manicured hands in front of her. Sitting by one of her elbows, I noted my placement test. "Make no mistake, Ms. Sparkle alone has influenced the school's average GPA, driving it from 3.3 to 3.8, and I am expecting big things from her. Yet, I cannot help but wonder what could have convinced you both to submit some random girl you found at a—" She glanced down at a note on her desk. "—soup kitchen, who has been living on the streets for who knows how long, to join CPA. This school is, after all, the pinnacle of schools, and the first step towards a successful future."

Cadance looked a bit incensed at that comment, and Velvet bristled. Did neither of them infer the coming 'but'? Though I didn't look the least bit upset, Velvet began to speak up in my defence. "Principal Cinch, that's hardly a—"

The principal held up one hand to silence them, and then shut her eyes. "That being said, that little display just now—coupled with the placement marks in the important fields—has convinced me to give this some serious consideration," she said with a bit of a smile. Pushing her glasses up her nose, she opened her eyes before angling her head in such a way that the light reflected off the lenses. "Ms. Construct, could you, in your own words, explain to me why you should admit you to CPA?"

I smiled and immediately began typing out a response. "Of course, Principal Cinch." It was a shame I couldn't do this blindly, because I would love to gauge her reaction to all of this as I typed out my explanation. "In the short time I have had to prepare for this meeting, I have researched the history of this school, as well as looking into you and your interactions with backers and the school board. I've found that the school historically has allowed students from less affluent means to be sponsored by the family of a present student or alumnus as a form of 'enrichment'.

"That being said, the last publicised graduate noted as a sponsored student was from 2005." I looked up at her and caught a wary look. Almost... Cautious. "That being said, you put in a lot of effort maintaining the school's image as the best of the best, going so far as to quash some recent reports of hazing or bullying. It's pretty much a must when most of the budget for clubs, labs, and the like come from wealthy alumni and political allies. A private school is as much a business as it is an educational institute, meaning that some good press is likely to encourage further investment, no?" I tried my best not to smirk as the woman's jaw all but dropped. "What I propose is that you tell any backers who take issue with a 'crippled orphan'—or however they try to spin me—that I am..." I paused, fumbling for the right phrase. "How do you say... The token sponsored child intended to head off any accusations of discriminating against those with disabilities. After all, this building does not appear to be wheelchair accessible, which would tell me there aren't any chair-bound students attending."

Much to my amusement, the aged woman began to smile. Even as the other two women in the room shared a stunned look, Principal Cinch leaned forward in her seat. "Tell me, what is your ambition, Ms. Construct?" she asked with an almost predatory look of her own. "What motivated you to dig so deeply in preparation for this meeting? How high do you have your sights set?"

That was actually a really good question. Why did I do such a deep dive? Well, first and foremost, I wanted to make sure I'm never taken advantage of or left for dead ever again. I wanted to give myself every possible advantage in this new life. If that meant actually playing the game as the nobles did, then so be it.

I don't think that even I have seen this side of myself before, though. The way Velvet and Cadance were looking at me, you'd swear I was a complete stranger, and not the former pony they Shanghaied—I think that's how you use that phrase?—into being a foster kid. I didn't particularly like it, but I understood why; they were probably wondering if I wasn't just some sort of sociopath manipulating them to get what I want.

Letting out a sigh, I typed out my response. "I just want to help people, Principal Cinch," I said, locking my eyes with hers. "In the short time I've been here, I've seen a city rife with crime. Purse snatchers, drug pushers, even the mafia..." There was a slight wince from the woman as I listed that last one, something I don't think anyone without an attention for detail like a pegasus would notice. "Who only knows what else goes unseen. I want to help the CCPD combat all that. To protect the people of this city I've come to call home, and solve whatever mysteries I might need in order to do so."

She seemed to consider this for a moment before nodding. "Very well. Now before I make my decision, I'd like to see if you've got the right sort of work ethic," Cinch said with a more controlled expression as she held up my test. "I'm going to ask you questions from the portions of this test you did poorly in. Let us see whether you have made any efforts to correct the gaps in your knowledge..."

Fifteen minutes later, we were exiting the administrative offices, and I was wiping a bead of sweat from my forehead. It became pretty clear that Cinch had been trying to trip me up or something. She kept going for what had been the hardest or obscure questions in the packet, but when I rattled them off with only the delay that it took to type them, she was growing frustrated. Then the woman started throwing in questions that hadn't been in the packet. I made sure to point those out, even as I answered.

By the end, she had no real excuse to refuse me. It became a discussion between Cinch and Cadance, in her capacity as the school's dean, as to how to place me. Cinch argued that my lack of grade history precluded me from joining Twilight as a junior, whilst in Cadance's opinion freshman year wouldn't be stimulating enough. So it was decided that I would be joining the school as a sophomore.

The irony that I was now a student at a school whose school teams were called the Shadowbolts was not lost on me. Those bastards from Shadowbolt Squadron left me for dead. Now, if I played my cards right, I might end up a Shadowbolt. Ha, take that!

Rather than going out to the parking lot and getting into Velvet's car, however, our next objective was Dean Cadance's office. The plan was to get me a schedule all set up ahead of my first day of class. With that in mind, she was us through the halls. We were just passing the rather spacious lunch-hall when we crossed paths with a young woman that I kinda recognised—although she was far more clothed, wearing a Crystal Prep uniform, this time. She was clad in a short sleeved dress shirt with an indigo tie, wine-coloured sweater vest, and the school's signature plaid skirt, with her hair done up in a bun. Compared to her cosplay outfit, she actually seems a lot less confident.

"Dean Cadance! How's it going?" Starlight greeted with a wave of her hand. Then she noticed Twilight Velvet, and her expression grew worried. She somehow hadn't noticed me, yet. "Mrs. V? Is something up? Should I go find Twi? I mean, she's probably in her lab, but..."

Wait, I thought Twilight's lab was the family garage.

Velvet just shook her head and gave the girl a smile. "Everything's okay, Starlight," she assured the girl. Without prompting, I stepped out from behind the women and gave a polite nod. "Rather, we were just heading to Cadance's office to get Eventide's schedule populated."

Starlight gave me a curious look. "Oh!" she exclaimed, noticing the tablet hanging at my side. A look of recognition crossed her face and she began to grin. "You're the one Twi had me custom build that text to speech app for!"

My head bobbed as I confirmed it. "It's nice to meet you, Starlight Glimmer. I'm Eventide Construct." With a friendly smile, I remarked, "You seem a lot different when you're wearing more clothes." The purple student's cheeks went dark. Both Cadance and Twilight Velvet turned to stare, blinking owlishly at me. It took a full minute of silence for me to realise that probably didn't come across in the way that I meant it. "That is to say, you project a different aura here than what your Yoko cosplay portrayed."

I'm pretty sure I nearly gave my guardian a heart attack. Eventually, there were some silent 'Oh's' from the two women. Once Starlight returned to a shade less closely resembling her uniform vest, she attempted a redirect, "Aaaanyway... How's the app working out for you?"

I cupped my chin and thought about it for a second. Twilight said the application was supposed to be learning from me, but I wasn't exactly sure if it was doing much of that. "Fairly well, I think," spoke the tablet in the 'British' accent that Twilight picked out for me. That got an odd look from her, but I didn't really know why. I'll admit, it's nowhere near the slight Manehattan accent I kept even after joining the service, but I find it nonetheless pleasant. "Although I might need some explanation on how the predictive algorithm she mentioned works. There may be other features I might have missed out on."

Starlight nodded. "My free period lasts the rest of this hour, so I could always check it out when you're done with the Dean," she said, accompanied by a clap of her hands. "I was just gonna go bug Twilight about her mystery energy conspiracy board, but if you'd like, I could give you a tour of the school too."

I kind of wanted to ask about this 'mystery energy conspiracy board' but before I could probe too far, Dean Cadance spoke up. "That's an excellent idea, Starlight," she said with a bright smile. Turning to me, she added, "Starlight's one of our seniors here at Crystal Prep. In fact, I think she's one of the few students at the school I'd trust not to immediately start with the petty social games." With a glance at the watch on her wrist, she nodded to herself. "Come by my office in about ten minutes, Starlight, and you're more than welcome to give her a tour."

With a playful salute, Starlight left us to go do who knows what. Without any further distractions, we made it to a small, cosy office space. It was decorated to create a friendly atmosphere, and idly I wondered if she didn't also double as the school's guidance counsellor. The room looked relatively sound-proofed, and the furniture was all comfortable.

Cadance welcomed us in, and then sat us down. Over the span of the next ten minutes, we worked out a schedule. Physical education was on the schedule daily just before noon, but the other courses were mixed up over the five days of the school week. Some days I'd have just the sciences—both physical and social—whilst others I'd get maths and an information technology course.

For electives, I took an auto-shop and a cooking class. Cooking was something I'd never been particularly good at; when you spend so much time on a ship or an airship, you get too used to having the galley. Plus, I wanted to be able to help contribute if I was staying with Twilight's family. The auto-shop course, on the other hand, was more to stay connected with my cutie mark. Working on the skiffs on the Resplendent was great and relaxing, and the idea of getting my hands into the guts of a car or motorcycle sounded amazing.

Finally, Cadance pointed out that although the school teams had already completed their try-outs and recruiting, she might be able to pull some strings to get me an opportunity to try-out. She would of course wait until I'd had time to settle in at the school. I wasn't expecting to join any teams, although the archery club sounded sort of neat. From what I read, archery was almost as important to the school as football or soccer, and it reminded me of the ice archery event that was part of the Equestria Games.

I'm gonna have my work cut out for me.

Author's Note

Been a bit distracted the last several days. I may or may not have finally gotten into a game that came out in the past year or so, and it's had me hooked. Just a shame that the IP is linked to a TERF.

Chapter 7: Welcome to Crystal Prep Academy – Pt. 1

Once we were all done and I had my schedule in hand, I didn't have to go far to look for Starlight Glimmer. In fact, the young woman was waiting for me outside the dean's office. The moment I stepped out the door, I was greeted by the sight of her leaning up against a locker reading a thin book of some sort. Based on the way that the 'cover' seemed to be on the wrong side, and the way there was an anime girl on it, it was probably what this world called a manga.

To Love-Ru, huh? Wonder what it's about.

Hearing the door open, the purple-haired girl snapped the book shut and slipped it into the bag she had with her. "Oh, hey! Are you ready for the grand tour?" she asked with a charming smile. Without anyone else around, she seemed a little less timid. Honestly, if she had a bit more confidence in herself, she'd probably be quite the charismatic person.

As I tapped out my answer, I wondered what the difference between this Starlight and the one in the photo was. The young woman standing in front of me looks wary, like she's ready to remove herself from any situation if she so much as thinks that something's going to happen. At the same time, I could see her watching me as I typed. "Sure. Here's my schedule." With that said, I held out a sheet of paper printed out. "You don't really need to give me a full debrief on the premises; just showing me my assigned classrooms, the gymnasium, the library, anywhere forbidden to student use, and where to find Twilight should the need arise ought to be fine." I started writing out mention of the exploratory wanderlust of pegasi before I remembered that I'm not a pony and this wasn't Equestria.

Her reaction was not what I expected, seeming to become a bit more downcast with each word. She thinks I don't want to be around her, was the realisation I came to. That was hardly an ideal outcome; not only was she taking time out of her free period to gimme a hand, but she helped give me a voice. I frantically tapped out a response. "Not that I don't appreciate what you're doing for me here, or what you've already done; I just like to explore places at my own pace is all. Call it wanderlust."

A thoughtful look crossed her face as she started to lead me down the hall. "Is that because you used to live on the streets?" she probed, curiosity in her voice as she gauged my reaction. When I simply smiled and then used my free hand to give her the so-so gesture, she continued. "You're probably used to doing things yourself and not relying on others, right?" She paused in front of a display case showing off countless trophies for something called the Friendship Games. "It's not the same, but I can kind of relate. My Dad travels for work a lot and Mom works full-time, so I've pretty much had to take care of myself since middle school."

I shrugged and typed out a response. "Something like that. My memories are a bit of a mess, and before I woke up in Canterlot there was just a lot of... I guess you could call it nonsense. I have no idea how I got this scar, or why I have no larynx. I'm not even sure who my mother was. When you don't know who you can trust and can't speak up for yourself, you get used to being the only person looking out for your best interests." Then again, I also have been used to being an adult for too long.

That line of conversation died out, and we got underway. As we went, she finally explained why she kept watching me as I typed. Apparently, there was an entire function of the app that I wasn't using. Evidently she forgot to put in the documentation she gave Twilight, but there were a pair of what she called radial menus that I could access by tapping and holding either bottom corner of the app. One came with a bunch of pre-programmed phrases, like hello, yes, no, goodbye, and spaces for a few more to be programmed in.

The other had a few phrases I'd used multiple times. "Sun and stars!" was probably gonna see a lot of use. A lot of ponies used phrases like "Sweet Celestia!" as an expression of astonishment, jubilation, or awe and it was a given that I'd get weird looks if I regularly used the name of the rival school's principal in some deific exclamation. Better I use something slightly less blasphemous that I grew up hearing, no? Other than that, the only phrases to populate the wheel were "I'm sorry," and "I apologise."

As she showed me around the building, I silently contemplated what other things to manually prepare for quick access. "My name is Eventide Construct," seemed like an easy choice, as well as an explanation for using a tablet for speaking. "I have no vocal cords, so this was the easiest way for me to communicate." Unfortunately, I felt like I might have to have more conversations like the one I had with Mr. Willow, so it might be worth programming in "Can I get that in writing, preferably signed, dated, and on a letterhead?"

Upon reaching the gymnasium, I saw students in their exercise clothes—Oh yes, my PT attire will fit right in here—being run through several callisthenic exercises, or running laps around the perimeter of the gym. It seemed less like what I'd read about online, and more like boot camp all over again. Where are the kids playing an assigned sport for the period? The dodging of balls?

Upon casting a questioning look in Starlight's direction, she explained. "It's a Friendship Games year, so Coach Rider's giving everyone in the school the military treatment," she said, looking slightly less than enthused. "He does this every Tuesday and Thursday right up until the games so that no matter who is chosen, everyone's in 'peak physical condition'."

Crystal Prep has never lost that competition in the history of the event, I recalled as I began typing. "Piss poor odds for the Wondercolts, from the sound of it." For a while longer I watched the man lead the students with military precision, and a bit of recognition hit me. Rider... has blue skin, golden eyes, and greying green hair, wears a white scarf... Now that's ironic. A retired Wonderbolt's counterpart is training Shadowbolts to destroy the CHS Wondercolts in a competition. "Coach Rider was in the service, wasn't he?" I asked as she led me away from the gym.

She nodded, not really looking at me. "Yeah, he was a member of the US Navy's flight demonstration squadron for years," Starlight explained, pausing by the door to an office near the gym, not far from the locker rooms. In a framed photo by the nameplate stating Wind Rider, there was the picture of a man in a flight suit, holding a helmet under one arm as he stood before an aircraft of some sort. I wasn't quite sure as I hadn't taken any time to research military technology since coming here, and even then, I was more interested in these 'guns' I kept seeing. "Now he gives military-minded students career advice to get into Officer Candidate School when he's not teaching a class."

If I was interested in joining the service again in this life, I might have actually been interested in talking to him. It didn't take her much time to show me the rest of the places I needed to go. She even pointed out an unassuming door that could very well have been a janitor's closet for all I knew. No, that was apparently a lab space that Cinch afforded to Twilight to do a bunch of her independent study work. Evidently, Twilight was in, because when Starlight tapped on the door with a simple one pause four pattern, to which there was a response of two knocks on a surface somewhere inside the room. Shortly after, there was a chime from Starlight's bag, and there was a text notification with the message, "Arm deep in delicate electronics. Come back later," on her phone when she took it out.

Rather than leading me back to Cadance's office, however, she led me to a door that was at the back wall of the building, if I was keeping track of our position right. A plate beside the door stated that it was the archery club. From her bag, she produced a set of keys, and let us in without a word.

My first impression was that it was a small gymnasium, but it was markedly colder in here. It wasn't until I looked up that I realised that this was some sort of open-air space. The area closest to the door was all covered, where there were... lanes for lack of a better term set up at the very edge. At the far edge of the area open to the sky, there were several familiar looking targets laid out with a dirt backstop behind them. The opening over the turfed section between us and the targets was, upon closer inspection, some sort of retractable roof.

"This is where you can usually find me after school most days." She gestured at the large space, as though it was something she was personally proud of. "Not bad, huh?" she asked rhetorically, as she made her way over to a locked cabinet. She opened it and grabbed a fancy bow and a couple of practice arrows. "Only the best for Crystal Prep. Top of the line bows, carbon arrows, even a dedicated shooting range. It's the best!"

I simply watched as she made her way over to one of the lanes, following behind and observing her. "It's just a shame that I can't compete in the Tri-Cross Relay in this year's Friendship games," she said, nocking one of her arrows. I watched as she took aim, slowing her breath and then drawing back the string. Once she stilled herself completely, she let the arrow fly. The arrow soared true, sinking a bullseye in the target 32 yards away.

"Why not?"

Starlight pointed over to a picture, showing her and several other students in strange outfits matching the school colours, holding up a trophy. "The Friendship Games is a 'friendly' competition," she remarked with a laugh. "Sending pros who went to the nationals—and won—last spring isn't 'fair'. Anyone in the club can compete in the Games, but the school team is off limits." Looking back to me, she held out the bow. "You ever shot before?"

I shook my head and tapped out, "No. I've seen it done once or twice but never had the opportunity."

Stepping up to where she stood, I accepted the bow and one of the arrows without another word. Rather than immediately nocking the arrow, I gave it a quick twirl in order to gauge its aerodynamic profile and paid close attention to the sound it made as it cut through the air. At the same time, I felt the way the air flowed in the room. Even without my feathers or my pegasus magic, I was still quite good at reading the air.

Satisfied, I nocked the arrow and drew back. It wasn't nearly as easy as she made it look, either. The bowstring put up a huge amount of resistance. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her watching me with interest, and perhaps a bit of mirth in her eye. My arms trembled as I attempted to steady myself and line up the shot. Just as I observed her doing it, I released the arrow as I exhaled.

Unlike her shot, my arrow grazed the outer-most ring, carving a tiny divot out of the target's edge at the four-thirty position before sinking into the dirt backstop. Starlight let out a whistle as she took the bow back. "Not bad for a first attempt." With a chuckle, she carried the bow back to the cabinet, swapping it out for another, and another arrow. "That strain you probably felt was the draw weight of the bow I gave you. I normally use a fifty pound draw weight because Dad is convinced I've got what it takes to go global, if not to the Olympics."

When she returned to me, she passed both the arrow and bow over. "Try this one," she said with a smile. "This one's a thirty pound draw, so you should have an easier time. If you grazed the target on your first shot, I bet you can at least score a hit with a more appropriate bow."

I accepted her challenge without a word. This time, however, as I took up my position at the firing line, she sidled up behind me and put her hands on me. It took effort to not flinch, because the first thing to cross my mind was that I was about to be molested; Starlight had asked Twilight if I was hot that time, after all. But instead of touching upon my hocks or chest, the taller girl's hands gently forced minor adjustments in my posture as she wordlessly guided me. One of her feet nudged mine, adjusting my stance, and then just like that, she slid out of my personal space.

"Remember to adjust for gravity," she instructed, still pretty close behind me. "Don't worry about trying for a bullseye right now. You get better at compensating for the wind with practice."

I aimed for the exact same position as before. Mentally, I drew an arc through the air to where the first arrow impacted. Using that as a comparison, I raised where I was aiming slightly, and then angled left a bit. I stilled my body, and once more breathed out as I loosed the arrow. This time, instead of grazing the edge, the arrow bit into the second ring from the centre at the six o'clock position. Much more satisfying.

"Nice!" cried out with a gentle applause. After a quick glance at a wall clock, she retrieved the bow from my hands and took off down the range to fetch the three arrows. "I hope you'll join the archery club. You seem like a natural, and even though archery itself is a standard requirement here, very few outside the team show any real talent for it. In fact, the only club member who isn't on the archery team this year is Sour Sweet."

"Does showing me all this and trying to win me over have anything to do with the Friendship Games, perchance?" I asked with a smile as she started locking up the range. It sorta struck me as odd that she'd give me a crash course without even knowing if I was interested, but with the knowledge that it was something I'd have to get used to either way, it made a bit more sense. Still, it felt a bit off.

Much to my surprise, she looked a bit guilty as she locked the door behind us. "Eheh, maybe," she admitted as we started off through the hallway toward Cadance's office. That guilt quickly turned to red-cheeked embarrassment. "The truth is that the way Cinch picks the team for the Friendship Games isn't as random as some might think; skating, motocross, and archery club members got preferential treatment last time, and I figured if you were interested in joining us, Crystal Prep will have the Tri-Cross Relay fully locked down, rather than leaving it to chance." With a bit of a laugh she added, "Twilight would probably panic."

Since I knew that I wouldn't be starting my first day until Monday, I decided I'd use the next three days to relax and prepare myself. That wasn't just about preparing myself for all the time I'd be spending around new people, either. No, I needed to start making plans, both long and short term. With the right work ethic, I'd probably have myself a lot of free time, and I wanted to give some thought as to how I'd apply it.

First and foremost, I needed to give some consideration to volunteer hours. Even if it would be another two school years until I graduated, Crystal Preparatory Academy still had a requirement of volunteer hours from students. It'd be better to get that planned out now, so that I could start sooner rather than later. I wonder if Twilight's got all her hours done already, or if she's just waiting to do it all in her senior year.

Volunteering at the soup kitchen seemed like a pretty good choice. Ms. Cadance could probably get me an in with the ones running it, and I'm pretty sure it's on a bus route. Mrs. Velvet mentioned something about getting me a bus pass as well, so it's not like I wouldn't be able to get out there. Plus, if I got out there enough, I could potentially cross paths with that girl I saw before—the one those girls thought I looked like. Admittedly, I was a bit curious about her.

I was seated on the sofa in the family's living room, just lost in thought. Twilight was still at school—or was in transit—while Mr. Light was still at work at Canterlot University, where he taught astronomy. There was some kind of stew—as well as a meatless portion for me—simmering on the stove, filling the air with the smell of cumin, peppers, garlic, and oregano. All the while, Mrs. Velvet was at work in her office here in the home. Not exactly sure what sort of work she does. Back in Equestria, 'work from home' usually meant the pony was an author, or an editor of some sort.

All the while, Spike was sitting on the floor right in front of me, staring me in the eye. Normally, that sort of thing would have me panicking. Dogs were a predator species, and the pony/prey part of my brain screamed that prolonged eye contact with such a species was a threat or challenge—that he would snap at any moment and try to savage me. Except, I somehow knew on an instinctual level that the little guy didn't mean any sort of harm. If anything, I was almost certain that he wanted something. Maybe it had to do with the unique evolutionary relationship humans and dogs had.

I clicked my tongue at him twice before pointing at the front door, and then raising an eyebrow at him. You wanna go for a walk, Spike? Much to my amusement, he looked at my finger and then in the direction I was pointing, before finally looking back at me. When he spun on the spot once and then barked before darting off into the kitchen, where his leash hung, I felt my face crease with a smile. You're a clever little bugger, aren't you?

Dogs weren't something I had a lot of exposure to when Cantata and I were growing up. She was petrified of the strays in our slum, and I wasn't all that enthused to be around them either. How could anypony want to be around such noisy aggressive animals? As a result, I had no real frame of reference for how smart he was in comparison to others. Judging by the fact that he managed to somehow pull his leash down and carry it over to the front door, he was definitely on the high end of intelligence.

Do you think he actually understands my intent? Or is he projecting his own doggy desires onto my own body-language and inferring what I wanna do?

I got up from my spot on the sofa, and made my way over to the stairs. Spike was sitting by the door, wagging his tail as he stared at me. Gimme a minute to change, I thought at him as I tugged at the collar of the borrowed blouse. Somehow, it almost seemed like he was rolling his eyes at me, so I just smirked. Don't you look at me in that tone of voice.

Darting up the stairs and into my room, I quickly changed into a sports bra and my running clothes. My notepad and pen, which I'd left on the bedside table, quickly went into my track jacket's pocket, alongside my goggles. Before I left my bedside, I removed some of the pages that sounded crazy and slipped them into the drawer. On my way back through the hall, I paused by the door to Velvet's office. I should definitely tell her where I'm going.

I rapped on the door, and waited for an answer. "Come in!" With permission granted, I pushed open the door and watched Mrs. Velvet swivel her office chair around. "What's up, Eventide?"

I'm taking Spike for a walk.

There was a smile on her face as she read my message. "You're going to spoil him," she remarked as she glanced at the clock. "Twilight and Nighty should be home soon, so don't be gone for too long. Dinner will be ready not long after." I nodded and started pulling the door closed. She could barely be heard murmuring, "I wonder if she can get Twilight that active," as the door clicked shut.

I returned to the bottom of the stairs and began pulling on my running shoes. Spike wasted no time at all depositing the leash on the floor in front of me, so I went ahead and clipped it to his collar. Finally, I stood out and led the purple ball of fluff out the door. As he led me down the driveway toward the sidewalk, I felt something within my chest that almost felt unfamiliar to me. It took some time for me to analyse it, but I came to the conclusion for what it was fairly quickly; it was genuine hope for my future.

Author's Note

Evie's making friends, and she's almost ready for her first day of school! We're not moving straight into "Welcome to Crystal Prep Academy – Pt. 2" immediately, mind you. No, Eventide's going on a bit of an unwanted adventure, but at least she finally gets to meet Shining Armour! That's a good thing, right?

Chapter 8: Friends in High and Low Places

If there was something that I enjoyed about this neighbourhood, it was that it was so peaceful and friendly. Much as Night Light had said the first morning I took Spike out on my morning constitutional, nobody really gave me any grief about being in the gated community. In fact, most of them were downright friendly, and several people regularly even waved to me when they saw.

There was the guy who ran the gate checkpoint in the early morning, an older man that looked like he could have been related to Boss Foxhound by a few degrees of separation, who gave a friendly smile every time he saw me. Some mornings, there was this girl with a vibrant green mane that went down to her butt who would also be out running; she was always listening to music on her headphones, but never failed to stop to give me a friendly smile or Spike a pet on the head. He certainly enjoyed the attention, though I couldn't help but wonder if they'd crossed paths before.

In fact, I think the only person in this entire neighbourhood that wasn't friendly was this one suburban housewife. I don't know if she just had what people and ponies both called resting bitch face, or if she had a perpetual stick up her ass, but whenever that nag with the dark magenta hair and her nose in the air saw me, she got this disgusted look on her face. The way she looked at me was the way one would regard something nasty they'd just discovered on the bottom of her shoe. Even now, she was out in her front garden, staring at me as I passed.

I mentioned her once to Mrs. Velvet, and she told me, "Just ignore Spoiled Rich; that busybody's the definition of a Karen."

When Spike and I reached the community gate, we arrived just in time to meet Twilight. She was just being let through the gate when she spotted me and waved. Being the (mostly) friendly person I am, I jogged over and watched with a smile as the small dog showed surprising jumping capability and leapt into Twilight's arms. It wasn't worth hiding the snort of amusement when he immediately started licking her face.

Even though he seemed to love being taken for walks and runs, if there was something I'd noticed about the dog's behaviour, it was how he interacted with Twilight in comparison with everyone else. Although he was affectionate with Light and Velvet, the little fellow seemed to worship the very ground Twilight walked on. Even if me giving him exercise was something he liked, it was clear that Twilight Sparkle was his human.

"Hey Spike!" she said between bouts of her own laughter, even as she tried to keep him away from her glasses' lenses. "Are you taking Eventide for a walk?"

I just smirked and took out my pen and notepad. This little guy is seriously good at telling you what he wants, and interpreting things. She grinned as she saw what I'd written beneath. If he had the right structures, I bet you could teach him to speak English.

As she set him down, she gazed upon him with loving eyes. "Of course he's good at communicating his needs and reading your intentions," she commented. When I just looked at her, she explained. "He's a trained service dog. When I was younger, I used to have really bad anxiety problems, and if I had a panic attack, he was trained to help me out by comforting me, or bringing me things, or seeking help if I couldn't be calmed. They're not as bad these days thankfully."

I didn't really understand what she meant. Although ponies had a similar companionship relationship with dogs as humans, the idea of a 'service dog' was unfamiliar. What really got to me was the idea that someone's anxiety could be so bad that a panic attack could cause them to shut down. At the same time, however, it reminded me of something—of Cantata and why I fought so hard for us. I had to be strong for both of us.

With a shrug, I scratched out my follow-up. Well, dinner should be ready soon. We'll be back as soon as I finish this circuit of the perimeter street. When I returned the pen and pad to my pocket, I retrieved my goggles from the pocket and slipped them around my neck. Then I looked down at Spike and met his eyes before angling my head back toward the road. Without missing a beat, he barked once and readied himself to let me set the pace. I still think that's more than just training.

No matter what my thoughts might have been, Twilight at the least seemed amused by the sight. "I'll see you two later, then," she called after us as I began a light jog. "Don't keep her out too long, Spike." A glance over my shoulder showed an expression on her face that made it seem as though she wanted to say something else. Instead, she simply waved and began towards Golden Oaks drive.

It was a nice afternoon, although the breeze rustling through my hair as I ran was a bit chilly. Then again, the sun was pretty close to the horizon, and the season was changing. That one difference still absolutely fucked with my head. For almost three decades, I got used to Princess Celestia raising and setting the sun at exactly six o'clock. There was no concern about the tilt of the planet or the point in its orbit affecting the time of day at which the sun rose, but here it was a completely wild system. I was starting to get used to it, but it still made judging time by the position of the sun and moon difficult.

Humans don't seem to do pocket watches, though, I thought drily as I neared the house belonging to that nasty Rich woman. Some seem to do wrist watches, but I guess others just use their cellular phones as timepieces now. Maybe I should ask Mrs. Velvet about getting a wrist watch.

Whatever else I might have been thinking quickly got put to the wayside as I heard a car approaching behind me. It wasn't anything unusual, given that this was a residential area, but rather than pass me, it seemed to slow down to match my pace. Had I any hackles, they'd have likely started to rise, but feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up was close enough. Either way, something about this didn't seem right.

Flashing red and blue lights lit up behind me, and I heard a quick yelp of a siren. When I stopped and turned around, I saw a CCPD cruiser pull up to the curb beside me. When it came to a stop, a rather portly man in a police uniform—one with a bad moustache and too little hair on his head—stepped out of the vehicle. He was looking at me with a scowl, as though I were somehow wasting his time.

There was something about the man that made me extremely uneasy. Perhaps picking up on the same thing, or at least my discomfort, Spike put himself between us. Luckily, the police officer stopped just close enough for me to read the name on his uniform. Officer Quota... Hopefully it's a quota of donuts and not beatings or arrests... I've heard some stories back in the encampment.

"Pardon me, but would you mind answering a few questions?" he asked in a voice that I could only describe as pure sleaze. "We've had complaints about someone who doesn't belong in this community—one matching your description—regularly casing houses in the area while pretending to be a dog walker."

My eyes drifted past the police officer to the house on the other side of the road. Standing in the window with a sneer on her face was that Spoiled Rich woman. Oh, I see. She thinks I don't belong, so she called the police claiming I was some would-be burglar. This ought to be fairly easy to clear up. Just gotta explain that I live here now, and that I'm legitimately just getting my cardio in.

As I reached into my jacket pocket to grab the notepad, the man whipped something bright yellow and vaguely gun-shaped from his belt. He pointed it directly at my chest and screamed, "Hands in the air!" The suddenness of the change in mood startled me so badly that I lost grip on the notepad, and dropped it alongside Spike's leash as I put my hands up. "Now, who are you, and what are you doing in this community!?"

'I can't speak,' I mouthed uselessly at the cop. Passively, it became apparent that people in the other houses nearby were also watching from their windows. 'I need that scratch pad to communicate!'

"If you don't say something, I'm gonna have you in cuffs," the cop snarled. "Your refusal to speak is interfering with my investigation!"

Memories of the images I'd stumbled across when reading up on gunshot wounds rushed to the forefront of my mind. When I gained access to the internet, one of the first things I'd been interested in looking into was what a gun did to a person; Cadance and Velvet's explanation of what it meant to be shot had told me a lot, but not enough to truly convey how bad things could get, and morbid curiosity took the reigns. It was one thing to look at pictures with an almost clinical detachment, but it was another entirely to realise I might end up with such an injury because I couldn't fucking answer.

An involuntary tremor wracked my body, and I glanced down at Spike, and then the notepad. Please, get help, Spike, I silently pleaded with the dog, even as the officer screamed some more at me. Maybe he read my mind, or maybe it was my distress, but he grabbed up the notepad in his doggy mouth and then darted off down the street, his lead trailing behind me.

I tried to pantomime to the cop that I couldn't speak, but the moment my hand reached my neck, something shot out of the weapon, and two darts punched through my t-shirt just above my right breast. All at once, my world became one of pain as electricity coursed through me and caused my muscles to lock up at once. Intellectually, I knew what electricity did to creatures without any sort of magical protection, and in basic training we were told to never deploy thunderheads against non-ponies for that reason, but I never imagined that I would ever be on the receiving end of any sort of electric discharge without magical protection.

One moment, I was standing, and then the next I was face-first on the ground. Despite having no larynx, my throat felt raw from the soundless scream that probably ripped itself from me. My entire body was in pain, but I was vaguely conscious of the fact that the police officer was roughly cuffing my hands behind my back, and also that my shorts were now soaked. Fear and shame overtook me as the man roughly picked me up and dragged me to the back seat of his cruiser.

22 Years Earlier

'Once upon a time, in the urbanised city of Manehattan, there were two sisters. The older twin, Cantata, was innocent and wore her heart on her sleeve. The younger twin, Construct, was more guarded and rational, intent on keeping her sister safe and preserving her sister's happy outlook on life. It was something of a losing battle, because for all Construct wished to protect Cantata, the eldest didn't want to be stifled by the youngest.

'Things only got worse when their father, Abstract Tempo, grew ill. Despite the poverty they lived in, he did all he could to provide for his daughters—to ensure the one parent they had was a loving one. As such, Cantata loved her father and would do anything for him, even if she knew it was wrong... Especially if Construct did her best to stop her sister... Cantata wanted to do whatever she could to help him, even if it meant lying, cheating, or stealing.'

I stared out through the bars of the jail cell as a tan earth pony stallion was led into the lock-up by an anonymous member of the Royal Guard agency. Despite his shaggy white mane hanging in front of his face, anypony could see from the bags under his eyes and his gaunt cheekbones that he was ill. When he came to stand on the other side of the bars, he regarded us both with disappointment.

"Cantata," he murmured, his voice heavy with exhaustion. I blinked a few times before he acknowledged me. "Construct... I'm so disappointed in you both. Stealing medicine, girls? Really?"

At the time, I could feel Cantata's guilt roiling off of her, but she didn't back down. "Daddy, you're not getting better!" she pleaded. "We... I don't want to lose you! I had to do something..." She let out a keening sound before she began to sob.

When I put my hoof on her withers, she didn't resist when I took over for her. "I'm sorry, Daddy," I whispered. "I tried to tell her it was a bad idea... that you wouldn't want this... but she got me to see her side and I... couldn't disagree." My ears drooped as I saw the confused look on the guard's face. "She was very per... per... suasive? Yeah. That's the word. She persuaded me to go along with it, 'cause she's right. You're not getting better, and you won't buy medicine for yourself."

I wanted to tell him that he needed to get better, because I wasn't sure I could take care of Cantata all by myself. If I'd known then what I knew now, I would have argued harder, because I was right; I couldn't take care of her all by myself. Maybe buying himself medicine wouldn't have helped him get better, but seeing him at least trying to take care of himself so that he could continue to take care of us would have made all the difference for Cantata. Maybe, looking back now, if he'd made more of an effort, we wouldn't have ended up on the street.

Maybe if he'd made more of an effort, Cantata wouldn't have given up, too.

I was jostled out of my reminiscence by the sound of someone being led into the holding cells. What was it about this place that had to dredge up that memory now of all times? When we stole that medicine for Dad, we'd at least been arrested for a good reason, and even then we were only really held in a small holding cell in a guard station. It was nothing like now, when I'd been hit with some sort of stunning spell and locked up for being a stranger in the neighbourhood and not being able to speak.

My goggles and jacket had been taken from me when I was booked and they took my fingerprints. As a result, I had no means to hide my tears or the shame of having to sit here in soiled clothing. All I could do was contort my body to slip the cuffs in front of me, and then sit huddled on the floor the furthest from the cell door. What fate awaited me, I didn't know.

At least they had the decency to put me in a cell of my own. After all, they didn't seem to give a damn that I pissed myself after being shocked, but someone had the sense to think, 'Maybe we shouldn't put the teenage girl alone in a cell with a drunk man or two hoodlum youths.' As much as I hated to think of myself as helpless, without any sort of tool, there wasn't much I could do to protect myself, especially with the limited range of motion afforded to me by the handcuffs.

Moments after I was jostled out of my memory, I saw the same officer that arrested me hauling a grey-skinned young woman—there was just something about her that felt slightly more adult than Twilight—over to the door of my cell. "Ow!" she cried as she was roughly shoved through the door. She was only wearing a loose tee, some sort of short tights, and running sneakers, so somehow, I could imagine she was also picked up while out jogging. "You're gonna regret this, asshole! You and I both know that my ID was legitimate, and when my parents find out, you're gonna lose your damn job. This is an unlawful and unconstitutional arrest." Based on the luxurious long white hair spilling down her back or the fancy braid going around the back of her head like some sort of crown, I didn't doubt that she might actually come from money. At the very least, he'd had the decency to uncuff her.

The police officer just rolled his eyes as he rolled the cage door shut and locked it back up. "Yeah, yeah, that's what you little whores all say," he spat as he walked back off out of the holding area.

With a huffed "Misogynist prick!" the young woman stomped over and sat herself down on the bench across from the corner I'd huddled up in. She was muttering angrily about lawsuits and Crystal Prep, but I was only half listening. I was trying my best to make myself look as small and nonthreatening as possible; even if the rose eyes behind those elegant glasses held the spark of intellect, she was taller than me and her muscle was more defined, indicating she probably had weight on me.

Trying not to be seen was, of course, a wasted effort. She'd been sitting there maybe a few minutes when she sniffed and then wrinkled up her nose. She looked in my direction and then seemed surprised. It almost seemed like there was even a look of recognition on her face.

"You're that girl that Starlight Glimmer was showing around CPA today," she remarked in a disbelieving tone. "How the hell did you end up here?" I just gave her the world's most obviously fake smile and waved as much as my still cuffed hands would allow it. When I didn't say anything, she put her right index finger on the side of her face near her ear, before moving it to the part of her cheek closest to her mouth and then pointing at me.

Is she trying to ask me if I'm deaf? I just shot an eyebrow up before shaking my head. With that in mind, I lifted my hands and tapped my ear before giving her a thumbs up with the other. Then my hand came down in front of my mouth to clasp it while giving a thumbs down. Finally, I sat up, tilted my chin towards the sky, and pointed at the scar on my neck before making a cutting motion.

Now that I got a better look at her, I thought I recognised her as having been in the CPA library, helping the librarian move books to the stacks. Funny enough, though, I was pretty sure she had been wearing pants and a vest at the time. Does that mean that pants were also an option for girls? Or was that a special allowance because she'd be going up a ladder with books?

The young woman regarded me with a strange look. "So you can't speak, but you don't know ASL?" she asked in an incredulous tone. When I held my palms upward in front of me and did my best to shrug, there was no stopping her own palm from meeting her face. "Notepads and tablets are good right up until you don't have them, huh?"

A glare from me got a chortle from her. "Don't look at me in that tone of voice." She slumped against the wall and stared up at the ceiling. "If you're going to be starting at CPA, I could teach you a bit if you want." I shot her a thumbs up, so she quickly added, "I'm Jinx, by the way. Jinx Charm."

I sorta just blinked at her not entirely sure how he wanted me to answer that. The next thing I knew, she was crouching in front of me with her hand extended palm up. "Duh, I can't exactly expect you to talk if you have nothing to write on, right?" she asked. "Trace out letters on my palm with your fingertips."

With that means of communication provided, I introduced myself to her. We then slipped into a short discussion—as if it could be anything else when I could only get out a few words in a reasonable time—about how we got here. I told her how I'd been homeless and then taken in as a foster, only for that Officer Quota to show up while I was walking the dog. She in turn told me how a convenience store employee refused to sell her cigarettes, despite being above the legal age required, and how that same dickhead cop showed up, decided her ID was fake, and arrested her. When I spelled out, 'Shock you too?' she seemed utterly disgusted, but shook her head.

I'm not sure how long we were there. We eventually ran out of things to talk about, so Jinx eventually returned to her own bench. It had to have been hours since I'd been brought in at this point; all that I could really be sure of was that I was getting hungry enough that I would even have accepted a bit of meat right then and there. It also didn't help that I was really starting to get sleepy, too.

The lock-up's main door opened, and I could hear two men talking, accompanied by footsteps. "Yeah, I reckon there's a girl here what matches that description," one of the men said. "Quota brought her in hours ago, but nobody has any idea who she is, and she wasn't talking."

"Did she happen to have a scar on her throat?" the other asked. He must've gotten some sort of affirmative, because there was an angry grunt. "Unbelievable. Of course she wasn't talking! And I bet none of you even thought to give her a pen and paper and trying to get her to write her name."

Hearing the voices too, Jinx perked up before shooting me a smile. "Sounds like someone's come to spring you, kid," she remarked before standing and walking over to the bars of the cell and sticking a hand out to wave. "Oi! If you're looking for a mute girl named Eventide, she's in here!"

The pace of the approaching footsteps increased, and before too long, an unremarkable police officer and a familiar looking man stepped into view. He was tall, had a leather jacket draped over his arm, and was dressed in khakis and a dress shirt with a tie. What really stood out to me, however, was the two-tone blue hair. This is Shining Armour, Twilight's brother!

I probably wasn't all that visible in my corner, obscured by the bench, but when I stood up, a look of relief crossed his face. "Yeah, this is the girl I was looking for," he told the other officer as I wandered over to the bars. "Go get the keys so we can get her out of here." His eyes probably noticed the damp stain on my running shorts because he quickly amended his statement. "Actually, go find her some clean pants in the lost and found while you're at it."

Turning his attention back to me, he gave me a weak smile. "Didn't expect this'd be how we finally met," he commented before pulling a familiar notepad and pen from his back pocket. "How are you holding up, Eventide?"

When he passed both through, I frantically wrote out an answer, starting to shake by the end. Whatever that officer says I did, I didn't do it. I was just walking Spike when he showed up, claiming I was casing houses or something. Wouldn't even let me get my notepad, and when I tried to pantomime that I couldn't speak, he shot me some kind of electricity gun. That hurt by the way. They wouldn't even let me clean up and made me sit in my own piss-soaked pants for however long I've been here!

Upon being shown my little rant, his expression darkened slightly, but he remained calm. Instead, he reached through the bars and gently patted my hand. "I know," he simply said. "The owner of the house you were arrested in front of was more than willing to show Mom and Dad the events from his security cameras. As soon as Spike showed up at the house with your notepad, they knew something was up, and he led them back there. Dunno how you got him to do that, though."

Not too long after, the other police officer that showed up with Shining returned with a bag with my belongings, pair of black track pants, and the keys to the cell. I wrote out a quick thank-you to Jinx for keeping me company when she could have easily just ignored me, and then tore it from the notepad and passed it to her before they finally let me free. I stepped out, accepted the pants and then took my bag of belongings, and then quickly followed him as he started leading me out of the holding area.

He pointed me toward a handicap bathroom and told me to get changed. Once I was in and locked the door, I set my things down and considered what to do as I stripped off my bottoms. It wasn't like I was carrying any spare underwear, but I didn't really wanna put the soiled pair back on, either. That's just too gross.

Frowning, I threw both the shorts and panties into the sink and started running the warm water. If nothing else, I need to clean myself up before I end up with some sort of UTI, I thought as I ran some paper towels under the water, soaped them, and began wiping myself down. It wasn't a proper shower, but a whore's bath would have to do.

As I cleaned myself, I heard the voice of the man who arrested me. "Hey, Detective Prettyboy, what's this I hear about you springing one of my collars?" came the man's smarmy question. "I thought you'd be happy I was keeping your folks' neighbourhood safe by keeping the scum off the street."

I could hear Shining Armour growl as I saw the shadows of his feet place themselves directly in front of the door. "That 'scum' was the girl my parents were fostering, moron," he spat, rage tinting his voice. "You effectively assaulted and kidnapped a teenage girl off the street in a part of the city you weren't assigned to, and took her to an entirely different precinct."

"Hey, she was refusing a lawful order, made threats, and then reached for her something in her jacket," Officer quota responded while I was wiping off any soapy residue with a freshly rinsed paper towel. "What was I supposed to do?"

"She's five foot three and like ninety pounds, Doughnut Quota, and I highly doubt she made any sort of threats to you," I heard Shining bellow just outside the bathroom door. "If you felt at all threatened enough to tase that little girl, you need to find a new career. God knows, Internal Affairs is gonna have a field day with you. Why don't you go call your union rep and get your story straight now, before you embarrass yourself any further." There was the sound of someone stomping away, and then I heard him quietly mutter, "Christ, we'll be lucky if she still has any interest in getting into law enforcement after this."

I took a bit longer to dry myself off, and then I put on the provided pants as they were and cinched the inside drawstring as best as I could. After that, I took my goggles and track jacket out of the evidence bag and put them both on. Because I was rather cold, I zipped the jacket up all the way. Finally, I wrung all the water out of the soiled clothing and tossed them into the bag.

I quietly wrote out something on the notepad, and then quietly opened the door. Shining evidently didn't hear, because he seemed surprised when I gently tugged on his shirt sleeve and showed him the notepad. It'll take more than a dirty beat-cop to scare me off. He's just another facet of the things I want to protect people from.

Shining Armour just smiled, ruffled my hair, and led me out of the police station. Out in the parking lot, he took me over to where a motorcycle was parked. Once he threw on his leather coat—what I suspect was supposed to be a sort of riding jacket—he walked around to the storage bin affixed to the back and produced two helmets. The one he put on his head fully enclosed his head, while the one he passed to me was slightly smaller, and open-faced.

"Here, put this on while I put your stuff in the bin," he said, popping the visor on his helmet open. I had to let down my hair so that it fit comfortably, but I did as instructed. I even took the time to fiddle with the strap so that it was snug. He climbed onto the bike, and then patted the space behind him. "Hop on, put your arms around my waist, and hold on tight, okay? It's a bit of a ride back to the Ponyville Plaza gated community."

Without further ado, he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot. Despite how loud it all was, I found leaning against his back to be rather comforting. I wouldn't go as far as to say I could feel his heartbeat with the side of my face and helmet pressed against his back, but strangely, I felt like I could put all the trust in the world in him... and the only other pony I'd ever felt like that had been my Dad.

Maybe it was because the memory had recently been dragged to the surface, but as I began to doze against his back, I started to slip back into the memory. Before too long, I wasn't hugging my caretaker's son—Foster brother?—on the back of a motorcycle and hanging on for dear life. No, after my eyes had closed, it was me and Cantata draped across Dad's back as he carried us both back to our hovel. I could once more, as clear as day, hear my sister crying and pleading with our father.

'I'm sorry, Daddy! I didn't mean to get in trouble! I just don't want you to die!'

Interlude: Fostering Love

Twilight Velvet wasn't sure what to think when her future daughter-in-law called her up out of the blue. Sure, she and Night Light had agreed to register as a potential foster family in the system, but she hadn't expected such an unconventional addition to their household. If anything, she believed that a social worker would have contacted her or her husband and set up a meeting first. She never could have expected this.

Ever since Twilight Sparkle entered middle school, and Shining Armour moved into an apartment with Cadance, Velvet and Nighty felt the nest was a little empty. Yet they were getting up to that age where fertility rates were lower. Instead of bringing new life into the world, they decided they'd find a life in the world in need of love; why not when you have a surplus? This was definitely a kid who needed a lot of tender, loving care.

The first thing Velvet thought upon seeing the girl named Eventide Construct was confusion. On the very surface, this was a girl who looked no older than fourteen or fifteen, and although her clothes were in a state of disrepair that came from constant use, she didn't look like she'd expect a homeless youth to look. While her hair was a mess, her skin was clean, her clothes weren't completely filthy, and it was clear she was doing her best to take care of herself.

Looking a bit deeper, though, and she could make out plenty of things about Eventide that were worrying. She was covered in healed scratches, and there were bags under her eyes. Then there was the way she seemed to be taking in every bit of her environment—chiefly the exits—even as she just was sitting down. It almost seemed like something she might not even have been aware she was doing... and then she noticed the scar.

Who could have done such a thing?

Then came the moment when the girl 'spoke' with her for the first time. Many things stuck out to Velvet. First and foremost, she was excessively polite and formal, with an undertone of low self-worth, as though she thought herself a burden. The second thing to stand out was her penmanship; how many youths these days actually used cursive by choice? Finally, a word choice stuck out to her: berth. Did she spend time on a boat?

The conversations to follow still didn't help her get a good picture of what she was dealing with. There were things that worried her, such as the implication that men had been making passes at her, but also several things that impressed her. It was clear that she had a decently defined sense of justice, despite everything she'd been through. Despite the inferred self-esteem issues, she was still confident enough to step up and put herself in danger for others.

Probably the most perplexing thing was, after receiving several insightful questions, having to explain the concept of a firearm and getting shot to her. There were times where Eventide seemed far older than she looked, but this was one of the first hints at the fact that she was incredibly naive. Unless she were living with some uncontacted aboriginal tribe for most of her life, it wouldn't make sense for her to have no prior exposure to guns. It definitely led credence to the Cadance's assertion that there might be a degree of amnesia or repressed memory.

Then, when she heard the door to the spare bedroom close, she intended to check in with the girl. Yet, the moment she opened the door she was surprised to find the young girl fast asleep in the fetal position, having never turned off the lights. The poor thing hadn't even gotten under the covers, and had instead climbed atop the covers and hugged the pillow like her life depended on it. Pulling the comforter over her was the least Velvet felt like she could do.

Like this, she hardly looks like the sort of person who could get into a fight with a mobster.

The coming morning was full of surprises for Velvet. First and foremost, she'd been concerned about making sure Twilight and Eventide's first meeting was smooth. Even if she was doing better lately, Twilight's anxiety, especially around new people, could make things difficult. She unfortunately hadn't accounted for her biological daughter's sleep schedule—or lack thereof—nor the unknown that was her potential foster daughter's own somnial habits.

Luckily, the unscheduled introduction seemed to go well enough. It was worth noting, however that Spike completely ignored Eventide, instead rushing to her daughter. If he was in work mode and trying to comfort her, it likely meant that the initial meeting had been stressful and that some anxiety resided; otherwise, he would likely have been all over Eventide.

Still, it was good to see the girls getting along. Given Twilight's past issues and limited pool of friends, Velvet expected to see her being rather standoffish with Eventide. Instead, they seemed to be in as animated a discussion as could be had when one party was mute. Even more surprising was the offer to try and set up an alternative communication method with a tablet. I wonder what she did to catch Twilight's interest?

The trip to the mall was honestly closer to what she expected. In a crowded shopping centre and all of the shops, the poor girl was sticking to her like glue. It was as though she was uncomfortable surrounded by all those other people, and worried someone would say or do something. She was pretty certain that if she'd asked Eventide if she wanted to hold her hand so they wouldn't get separated, she'd done so without pause.

It broke her heart seeing the guilt on the kid's face every time she bought anything for her, as well. It's as if she's not used to anyone taking care of her, which... probably isn't all that far from the case now that I think about it. Then again, the discussion last night lingered in her mind. Eventide never did answer the question about conditions being changed on her, so was it possible that she was still looking for the angle?

She seemed fascinated by the iconography machine, though.

When they met Cadance at the Book Star Café, she got to see another side of Eventide. Despite her personal style, when she got to work on all of the tests, she attacked with the air of an office-worker used to filling out stacks of paperwork... and working through their lunch break. I—she's ambidextrous? And look at the way she set aside her food! There's no way she hasn't done this sort of thing before.

By the end of the day, she found herself lingering on one question. What sort of life have you lived, Eventide Construct?

For Twilight Velvet, the next several days felt like they were going by way too quickly. Despite working from home as an editor for several famous authors—A. K. Yearling included—she regularly checked in on Eventide throughout the day. It was quickly apparent that the girl was studious like Twilight, but at the same time, there was a clear restlessness to her. More than once, she'd gone to check in on her charge only to find her in the back yard, reading something on the tablet as she did some form of exercise.

Each evening since the two met, her daughter and Eventide would end up watching those Japanese cartoons Twilight liked. Velvet was glad the two had something they could bond over, although she found the girl's newfound fascination with guns to be... unusual. Sure, if she went into law enforcement, she'd probably have a lot of exposure to firearms, but that was a long ways off. Is it a healthy interest, is probably a more important concern.

Getting Eventide to put on weight, on the other hand, was going to be more of a challenge than she expected. Much as she'd suspected, Dr. Zecora confirmed that her soon-to-be foster daughter was underweight and may have had her growth stunted. Normally, she wouldn't expect getting a teenager to put on weight to be a problem, but the girl's dietary choices and activity level were likely going to cause issues... Especially since she only drank coffee in the morning, and was inconsistent with eating lunch.

That wasn't even getting into the fact that Eventide couldn't answer when Zecora asked when she last had her period. It seemed to be more from a lack of understanding of the term, but even when the doctor clarified that she was talking about her menstrual cycle, the girl only shrugged. Although she expected Eventide's inquisitive side would probably make her look it up when they got home, she was already preparing to deal with 'the scare' all over again.

Unfortunately, they couldn't get everything they wanted done in that one visit. The mandatory vaccinations were taken care of, but her blood allergy and blood typing tests wouldn't come back for a few days. She trusted Zecora would contact her as soon as possible if there were any problems, but until then, she'd just have to play it safe with cooking.

The biggest surprise was during Eventide's sit-down with Principal Cinch today. The reaction she had to Cinch's secretary was nowhere near what she'd been expecting. So far, in public settings the girl had been withdrawn, choosing to stick close to Velvet and not really advocating for herself. This was the first time she'd actually seen the fire in the girl that led her to beating a gang member, but this was more than just that. Like a switch had been flipped, Eventide showed a cold demeanour, and it was akin to watching a cat play with a mouse. While it might have won over Cinch, it only made her all the more worried, because it went as quick as it came, returning to her more friendly persona upon meeting Twilight's friend, Starlight.

It was the topic of discussion with Cadance the moment Eventide went on her tour with Starlight. "The interaction with Abacus and Willow certainly wasn't what I was expecting," Cadance quietly admitted as the door shut behind Eventide.She folded her hands on the desk in front of her and then leaned forward. "Has she at all behaved like that since she's been with you?"

Velvet shook her head, glancing over her shoulder at the door. "No, that was the first time I've seen anything like that from her," she responded. "She was like a completely different person back there. The lack of tone with that computer voice didn't help either." Running a hand through her hair, the woman let out a sigh. "It was like she was used to playing those exact same mind games, and she was taking pleasure in putting them off their game. I didn't even know that she'd been looking into the Americans with Disabilities Act. It reminded me of a sociopath I went to college with."

The school's dean just propped her head up on one hand. "I don't think she's a sociopath, Mom," she murmured, tracing out her emblem's shape on the table with a fingertip. "Everything she's said about wanting to help others and protect others, was genuine, and those emotions were real." Ticking filled the silence, ever spurred on by the wall clock and the passage of time. "No, I'm more concerned she might have dissociated."

A pit formed in her stomach; it was one thing dealing with amnesia, but if the girl was beyond that, it might be more than Velvet and Nighty could handle. "You think there might be more to what you mentioned on the phone the night you brought her to me?" Velvet asked. "That her mention of memories that couldn't be possibly real might be a result of dissociating in response to some sort of trauma?"

"It's possible," Cady answered with a sigh. "At this point, I think the best thing we can do is be there for her. We can watch her behaviour, define what's normal for her, and watch out for the warning signs of dissociation. Once she feels she can trust us and open up, we can look into possibly getting her therapy."

When Shining Armour pulled into the driveway of his childhood home, he was unsurprised to find his mother already waiting for him on the porch. Not three hours ago, he'd gotten a frantic phone call from her saying that the stray she'd taken in at Cady's behest had been tased and arrested for no reason while out walking Spike. She even had security footage with audio showing the entire event. She also forwarded him a copy she'd gotten from the homeowner whose house Eventide had been arrested in front of.

Since then, he'd been hitting every station house in the city in search of her. To say he was pissed about the whole thing was an understatement. Everyone else in his family seemed to like the girl, and he regretted that work kept him from meeting her sooner; this was hardly how he wanted to meet her, and he imagined that she probably felt the same.

Then of course there were the countless procedural and civil rights violations that Doughnut Quota had inflicted upon the girl. Mom had likely already gotten in touch with the family lawyer, and since this was such an open and shut case, the department was likely gonna have to settle. He was probably even gonna see some blowback because of this, but he put that more on the moron who was far from his patrol route and tased a girl who wouldn't be sixteen for another month.

As he put down the motorbike's kickstand, his mother rushed over. "Thank god you found her," Mom exclaimed, her anxiety clear as day. As she looked over the girl behind him, her arms still wrapped around his front, the woman's expression softened. Hell, she even giggled. "Looks like the sandman found her, too." Her eyes returned to meet his. "How did she seem when you found her?"

He turned his head to try and peer over his shoulder at the girl using his back as a bed. The memory of the girl huddled in the corner of the cell, and her tear-streaked face, rushed to the forefront of his mind. Then he remembered the shy way she got his attention after changing. "She looked scared and embarrassed, but that's to be expected," he remarked. It was a far cry from the girl now nestled against his back. He couldn't see her face, but based on the soft expression on his mother's face, he imagined she looked quite peaceful. "Not that I imagine that she's gonna let this get to her. She said she wasn't gonna let this scare her off, and that it would take 'more than a dirty beat-cop'."

He tried to get off his motorcycle, but upon trying to move, Eventide's hands tightly clutched at the leather of his jacket. "Now, how are we gonna get you inside?" he quietly asked his sleeping hanger-on. Looking at his mother, he grinned sheepishly. "A little help here? Even if it's just getting her arms around my neck, it'll be easier to carry her in."

Twilight Velvet did so without a word, quietly removing the helmet and lowering the goggles from the girl's face before managing to get her to move her arms. When she opened the door and led him up the stairs, he saw his little sister standing in her bedroom door, tiredly rubbing at her eyes. He smiled and held one finger up to his lips to shush her. Even Twily looked relieved upon seeing the sleeping form of Eventide.

"Wow," he whispered upon being let into Eventide's room. His eyes took in every surface, noting just how clean everything was. It was completely undecorated, although that was expected given that she'd only been there for under a week. How the bed was made reminded him of a hospital, and only the presence of the tablet charging quietly on the bedside table indicated that he was even in a room that someone lived in. "I don't think even Twily keeps her room this clean."

Once she helped him get Eventide into bed and under the covers, his mother gave him an apologetic look. "By the way, I had to cancel tomorrow night's Pad Thai plan," she explained, shutting off the lights as she led him back into the hall. "While we were waiting for news, Dr. Zecora called and informed me that Eventide tested positive for a peanut allergy..."

In a small apartment in Detroit, a woman was awoken by a loud notification on her phone. She groaned as she reached out from beneath her covers and grabbed for her glasses and the device whilst its display still lit the room. Upon donning her glasses and seeing the time—2:15 in the morning—she growled. On the screen, her custom email app's push notification proudly announced a priority email.

Who could possibly send an urgent email so late?

She quickly entered her pin and opened the app.

Subject: [Priority] Your Cold Case
From: Null
Hey, Agent S. Sorry for the rude wake-up, but you made it quite clear that you didn't care what time of day it was when it came to this sort of information. One of my crawlers picked up some new data on a living Jane Doe in police systems in Canterlot, California. I dunno if their systems malfunctioned when scanning her prints, or if there's some sort of anomaly, but aside from a strange mirroring, there's a 98.6% certainty that these prints match the one from the missing person's file you gave me, but I figured you'd definitely be interested in this. I know how much you've been obsessing over this case.

I took the initiative and pulled the file and attached it for you, as well as a fingerprint comparison my system threw together. I dunno if this is actually the person you've been looking for, but it's worth pointing out that she was released into the custody of a CCPD detective a few hours after intake. I attached his file too, just to be safe.

Your digital detective,
Null

Hope blossomed in her chest as she opened the first file attached to the email. She'd been looking for any sort of closure in this case for almost a decade now, and if she was really alive... That hope quickly fell into confusion as she looked at the file. None of this makes sense... She was nearly twenty-eight when she went missing, and this is just a kid. At the same time, though, she couldn't deny the resemblance.

It was almost uncanny how much this girl resembled her, especially when she was a teenager. The eyes and hair were the same , and she was wearing a shirt with part of an emblem shown. There's no doubt. That's definitely her emblem... But is that a scar on her neck? Even without the graphic comparison Null attached, highlighting the print matches, her sharp eyes could easily pick out that it was a nearly perfect match from memory.

Internally, she sighed. She'd attempt to bring it up with her bosses in the agency, but if it came down to it, she was ready to take some time off to visit Canterlot. Her department didn't usually investigate missing persons cases like this, but given that this person had been missing for almost a decade, only for a younger body-double to suddenly show up, she was sure it wouldn't take much to convince the Paranormal Observation, Neutralisation and Investigation agency heads to let her loose on that city. It was already on their radar after two anomalous energy spikes within a month of one another.

After composing a message of thanks to the agency's IT bloodhound, she immediately began thinking of how she was gonna convince her bosses to send her and not someone like Agent T. T didn't do well with kids, and the only other agents not currently out on assignment were more geared towards neutralisation rather than investigating or observing. You don't send the kill team for a little girl without investigating and observing, first.

Just before she drifted off to sleep, she found herself asking the real question. Is that really you... Cantata?

Author's Note

The end of Arc 1.
Next chapter, will be Chapter 9: Welcome to Crystal Prep Academy – Pt. 2

Chapter 9: Welcome to Crystal Prep Academy – Pt. 2

For my first day at Crystal Prep, it was decided that Velvet would drive me to the school in the family SUV. Depending on how my day went, I could either get a ride with Cadance, or Twilight could show me how to get home from CPA on the public transit. Although I had not received a bus pass as of yet, they'd given me some pocket change to handle the fare if needed. Since we were going that way already, Twilight was riding along, rather than catching her usual city bus.

So it was that I was seated in one of the rear passenger seats of the vehicle, alongside my new foster-sibling. That in itself was an odd thought, I'd decided as I eyed up the apple I'd pilfered from the fridge on our way out. I'd spent so much time without Cantata now that the thought of being someone's sibling, if only temporarily and on paper, was foreign. The final paperwork had been taken care of, though, and I was legally Twilight Velvet and Night Light's foster daughter.

With one hand, I opened my tablet's protective case and powered on the screen. "Did you know that it is deceptively simple to split an apple in half?" I asked Twilight, dragging her attention away from a little black book she seemed to have been writing notes in. "I remember learning this trick when I was younger, after my father moved on to the Elysian Plains."

Carefully, I drew a line across the top of the Honeycrisp apple from either side of the stem using my thumbnail, making sure to show her the line. Once that was complete, I set it against my knee and used the meaty part of both thumbs to exert force toward my knee and away from the cut. It wasn't something I was used to doing with hands, but the principle didn't really change all that much between hands and hooves. The apple made a satisfying ripping sound as the fruit tore in two, and Twilight had a look of fascination on her face as I passed her one of the halves.

"I see," she commented as she examined the half of the apple I'd given her. "You create a structural vulnerability perpendicular to the already structurally weak axis of the fruit with the cut. Then you use leverage to create a stress that causes the skin and flesh to further split, which in turn weakens the structure and allows for a seemingly effortless split."

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Mrs. Velvet watching us through the rear view mirror. I couldn't be sure, but I thought there might have been a bit of concern present on her face. Oddly, it seemed more like she was watching Twilight than me. Wonder what that's about?

I just shrugged and immediately began eating my apple half with gusto. All I had really been able to bring myself to eat this morning was a piece of toast and a grapefruit, alongside a cup of black coffee. As it stood, that was slightly more than I usually ate, but I was likely going to need the energy, if not to remain functional, then at least to deal with potential featherbrained behaviour about my disability or status.

Twilight, however, seemed to be puzzling over something as she looked from the apple to me. What'cha thinking about? Whatever it was quickly sidelined as she saw me eat the core and calyx like they were just another part of the apple—which they were, but I mean, I get it; some ponies don't like eating cores either. Still, it was funny seeing her cringe momentarily.

"I know that the core of the apple is supposed to be nutrient rich and good for your gut bacteria," she said slowly as I finished devouring the apple before picking my teeth with the half of the stem that remained on my half. She offered the other half back, which I gladly accepted. "However, I still don't know how you can just eat the core like that."

I shrugged and bit into the apple half to hold it and began typing out an answer. Again out of the peripheral of my vision, I noted Velvet's reaction. Disappointed? "I thought we established that I was clearly part pony?" declared the tablet as I took the apple back out of my mouth to fix her with a grin.

Twilight just giggled before diverting into a conversation about the logistics of reincarnating in another world—not that she believed in that sort of thing. After all, not only would it be statistically impossible for me to wind up in a world where I spoke the same written and spoken language, but the amount of energy it would take to propel a consciousness between two realities and construct a body for it would be monumental. That would be insane levels of power beyond the scale of anything we could imagine.

Of course, using magic as an argument got nowhere with her. However, something I said did happen to catch her off guard. As far as this world is concerned, magic is just the catch-all for things not scientifically explainable at present. There could quite easily be a form of energy out there in the universe just waiting to be discovered, one whose applications border on the magical, if only someone, somewhere were to find it and study it.

I may not have been a unicorn, but since coming here, I still sort of missed being able to fly and walk on clouds. If rediscovering magic could grant me that, it would probably be the greatest thing that could happen to me in this world. Magic turning out to be real, and me being able to fly, especially if I wasn't the only one, would be amazing, because then I could show people here even just a fragment of Equestria's beauty.

Imagine what humanity could do if it could control the weather. Droughts would be a thing of the past.

Eventually, we pulled up in front of the school, but rather than unlocking the doors to allow us out, Velvet pulled the vehicle over and turned around to face us. Her expression was deadly serious, so I was immediately wary. "Eventide, before you go in there, I need to give you something," she explained. Reaching into her purse, she produced a bracelet that consisted of a black silicone band connected to either side of a metal plate. On the plate there was a red six pointed star with a rod and snake within to one side, and several things etched into the metal.

Eventide Construct
Peanut Allergy
O Negative Blood

"I need you to wear this at all times," she continued, pressing it into my hand. "Dr. Zecora called on Thursday to let me know that your blood allergen test came back positive for a peanut allergy. If you get anything to eat in the cafeteria for lunch, you need to make sure to ask that there's no peanuts in it."

I looked from the band to her in confusion, but nodded and stretched the band out to slide it around my wrist. She then adjusted it so that the metal plate was on the back of my wrist. This felt important, but at the same time, I got the impression that asking what an allergy was would eat up too much time. That was something I quickly made a habit of once I was introduced to the internet and the open source encyclopedia: noting things that I didn't understand about this world and looking it up when I had a free moment. If I still didn't get it, I could ask questions later.

Still, she didn't exactly have to warn me away from peanuts all that much. When I was on the streets with Cantata, we appropriated a bag of peanuts from a travelling circus and had a really bad experience. We got really sick, and Cantata fell out of the cloud we hid in. Sure, I kept her from hurting herself, but we instinctively avoided peanuts like the plague ever since.

"Wait, is that why we didn't have Pad Thai on Friday night?" Twilight asked as Velvet released the locks on the rear doors. She picked up her backpack from the space at her feet and opened her door. "That's probably for the best. We don't have any epinephrine at home, and according to statistics, Friday nights are typically busier for EMTs. Potential response time for an allergic reaction is not ideal."

Velvet nodded as I unbuckled myself and picked up my schoolbag: a black canvas bag with a shoulder strap and two pouches on the one side. I climbed out, noting on the SUV's console that I had half an hour until the start of class. Immediately, I noticed several eyes on me, many of which darted over to Twilight, who was quickly rushing into the school. Many began to whisper to their neighbours in a way that I really didn't like.

Twilight told me it might be like that, but wow I was not prepared to see it in action. She really is an outsider, isn't she?

Nobody approached me as I entered the school. I passed one or two teachers, but if any had complaints about my personalised uniform, none were made. Really, it wasn't all that different from anyone else's. I had the wine-coloured, white-trimmed blazer with my personal emblem, the long-sleeved eggshell blue blouse, the indigo ribbon threaded through the collar, and the uniform skirt, but I was also using a pair of leggings that matched the ribbon in order to provide extra warmth and modesty. Of course, my goggles hung around my neck to round out my appearance.

After stopping by the office to get a locker assignment and stopping to slap a lock on my locker, I made it all the way to the library without much fuss. Although there was a librarian at the check-out desk, the place was pretty much deserted and I couldn't see any other students. It was, after all, a huge space, and I found myself wondering how it compared to the royal archives back in Equestria. Just look at how many texts there are here.

Luckily, I already had an idea of what I wanted to do, so I made my way over to a section dedicated to encyclopedias. Browsing the spines, I slipped out the first volume and flipped to its index. Took a moment to find entries for allergy and allergic reaction, but by the time I'd wandered over to a table and taken a seat, I'd found the pages I was looking for.

As I read over the articles, I felt a cold chill. The phenomena described in this book as a Type-I allergic reaction matched to a T what I experienced with Cantata. The itching, swelling, breathing difficulties, and symptoms of shock that led to her falling out of the cloud indicated a rather severe reaction. But how did we survive, then? I kept on reading, but its treatment required something called epinephrine, or adrenal—

Oh. The scare from the fall must have caused our adrenal glands to secrete enough to stave off the reaction after we vomited it all up.

The pony understanding of biology was still in its infancy, and germ theory was an innovation of the last hundred years. It was really no surprise that there were certain foods that were labelled as 'potentially poisonous' on an individual basis and effectively treated as an 'eat at your own risk' sort of thing, or the result of curses. How many deaths have resulted from allergic reactions in Equestria? How many would have been preventable?

Resting my chin on one hand and staring down at the article, I barely noticed when someone walked up to the table. "Hey again, kid," came a familiar voice. It was a lot more mellow than the last time I'd heard it. When I looked up, I saw the girl I'd met in that jail cell—Jinx Charm—regarding me with a friendly smile. She was wearing a similar blouse and ribbon as my own, but she wore a knitted vest in the school's colours and indigo trousers rather than the typical girls' uniform. "Doing a little light reading before your first day of school?"

I quickly pulled my tablet case onto the table from where it hung at my side and turned the volume down to an appropriate level before typing out an answer. "Just found out today I was allergic to peanuts, but I didn't remember encountering the term before," I explained, holding up my right arm to show off the bracelet before glancing around. I wasn't sure why, but I felt like I could trust her not to make a stink over me having been homeless before. "My father died when I was young, and without my mother in my life, I ended up slipping through the cracks and living on the street. Kinda had to direct my own education, but when you're just a little kid, you don't exactly know to look up those sorts of things. Apparently, I'm lucky to even be alive right now."

She looked at me in surprise before taking off her glasses and producing a small cloth from a pocket in her pants. As she cleaned the lenses, she shook her head. "Damn, I'm sorry to hear that," Jinx remarked before putting her glasses back on. "That you're coming to this school at all is really impressive, and I don't mean that in a classist sort of way. Cinch doesn't just let anyone get into CPA, and since you came in with Sparkle, I imagine her family's the one that sponsored you."

Her expression fell as she glanced over to the doors. "She might not be good with people, but you'd do well to stick by her and Glimmer," she added with a sigh. I followed her gaze toward a pair of girls chatting in the hallway. One had a greyish turquoise skin tone, short cut mulberry hair, and what looked like perpetual resting bitch face. The other was a girl with golden complexion, a freckled face, and rose hair up in a high ponytail. Based on the way Jinx is looking at them, I'm going to guess those two are high up on the social ladder. "Regardless of the petty social games you're going to run into here, those two are going places. The same can't be said for some students."

My first class was about what I expected. The maths professor immediately tried to start something when I answered attendance using my tablet. I immediately shut that down by repeating what I'd said to Mr. Willow on Thursday about the Americans with Disabilities act and requesting his issue with the tablet in signed and in writing on a school letterhead. That got a lot of surprised gasps and a few drawn out oohs from the other students in the room.

I think he took that personally, because for the rest of the period, he called me up to answer trigonometry questions on the board in front of the class more than once. I didn't put up a fuss, even when he tried to make me do them without a calculator. My request for access to trigonometric tables didn't make him any happier, especially when I pointed out the ridiculousness of memorising about five hundred forty-two individual values to any substantial degree, and that any navigator worth her salt would keep a trig table handy.

The only reason he didn't just throw me out was because he was well aware of the camera in the classroom. Oh yes, the school seemed to boast a state of the art camera system to ensure no academic dishonesty, and to deter any blatant violence. Starlight pointed it out on the tour, as well as noting that the only blind spots were the insides of bathrooms and changing rooms for obvious reasons.

Well, he also couldn't throw me out because I kept my demeanour calm and rational, and made sure never to come off as openly insubordinate. That was one of the social games I had to learn when dealing with nobility in the REN. The first one to lose their cool lost face. If you looked like you were retaliating, you would lose face. If you made things personal, you would lose face. Appearances were everything in controlling the narrative and therefore the situation. If he threw me out for doing as he told me, or not submitting to unreasonable requests, he would all but be admitting that he was retaliating for embarrassing him over the ADA thing.

At least, I'm pretty sure that's why he was doing it. It wasn't impossible that he was simply testing me to see how I would react to the pressure. It was either that, or I'd missed some facet of the social game, because despite everything, he almost looked pleased by the end. Given how strict this place is supposed to be, I shouldn't rule out either possibility.

The second period geography class was a lot more tame. It consisted of little more than note-taking on a lecture and students taking turns reading aloud from their textbooks. Nobody really cared that there was a new student, and the professor didn't really bother with making me read. Just take a book and sit down.

Before long, lunch time arrived, and I found myself walking through the hall, wondering what to do. Twilight was going to be taking her lunch in her lab, and I had no clue if either Starlight or Jinx would even be interested in having a sophomore joining them at lunchtime. Then again, I could always do some networking. You can never have too many friends when you're getting on your feet.

Luckily, I didn't really have to worry about handling any cash for meals. With all the money Mrs. Velvet was ~~wasting~~ investing in me, it would have been complete bullshit if meals at CPA weren't covered. All I had to do was go in, grab a tray, walk up to the service counter, and pick a meal option. Admittedly, it was a bit hard to convey that I had a peanut allergy over the din of the cafeteria, but I made do.

Eventually, though, I was walking through the cafeteria with a tray with my veggie wrap and a carton of chocolate milk. Starlight was seated at a crowded table, surrounded by a bunch of students I recognised from the team picture I saw in the archery club room, but noticed me and gave me a friendly wave. At another table, nearby was Jinx and another girl opposite of her. It was a lot less populated there, but the bespectacled girl was doing something with some strange cards laid out in an array between them. The girl across from her, a pale, cyan-haired freshman, was paying rapt attention as she spoke.

I didn't really know anybody yet, so I found one of the empty tables, sat my tray down, and then set my bag at my feet. The noise in the room died down as I quietly began to eat my meal. People around me began to whisper, but although it put me ill at ease, I remained stoic. Idly, I slid a straw into my carton of milk and began looking around the cafeteria for its camera locations, just in case. Two of them were in my field of vision, but based on their positions, I imagined I had a good idea where the other two were.

It didn't take very long for the horseshoe to drop. A pair of girls—the very ones that Jinx Charm had inadvertently pointed out this morning while speaking of petty social games—approached the table with their trays of food. The girl with the mulberry bob-cut looked down at me with barely contained disdain, while the other had a way-too-happy to be genuine look on her face. Neither exactly filled me with the warm fuzzies.

"Aww, look, Sunny!" the rosy-haired girl trilled with faux cheer. "The new girl thinks she can just sit at our table and get away with it."

Setting down my milk, I rested my chin on one palm while I brought my tablet up onto the table and opened it to the text to speech app. The fact that I seemed to be completely unaffected didn't seem to please 'Sunny', because she roughly set her tray down on the table and scowled at me. "Are you seriously ignoring us right now?" she spat before trying to calm herself down. "You're being incredibly rude by sitting at our table and ignoring us, but I could be convinced to forgive you if you leave now and remember your place in the future."

I considered her words for a moment before typing out a response. The cafeteria immediately went so quiet that a pin could drop, so I made sure to crank the volume of the tablet. "It is rather rude to presume that you can claim any sort of ownership over school property," I said through my tablet as I fixed her with a disinterested look. "There was nobody present here when I arrived, nor was there any sort of indicator of reservation. You can hardly fault me for not recognising any right of possession over an object indistinguishable from any other of its like in this mess hall."

To be honest, I half expected either of them to comment on the tablet, and how I shouldn't have it, or the fact that I was using it to speak. Instead, she simply narrowed her eyes at me. "You have no idea who you're dealing with, do you?"

I merely shrugged at her and tapped out a response. "You are correct; I do not know who you are." A nasty smile creased my face. "You act all-important, so perhaps you should enlighten me to your identity and how it relates to ownership over one of this institute's mess tables."

It was pretty damn clear that she was someone that was going to make my life difficult if I crossed her, if she fancied herself important enough to start trouble over the ownership of a table. I was probably bringing down all sorts of hell on my head, but there was just something about this girl that royally pissed me off. Maybe it was her self-aggrandisement, or the fact that she reminded me very much of a street-thug colt who made life hell for Cantata after Dad died, but I just did not like her.

It was the other girl who spoke up on Sunny's behalf. "Her father, Sonny Fiammata, is a very influential businessman here in Canterlot. You'd do well to remember that."

The name immediately rang a bell in my head, and not just because it was something I'd literally been slapped in the back of the head over. I looked from Ms. Cheerful Demeanour to Sunny before beginning to laugh. Oh sweet Celestia, her dad's a mobster? And she's seriously pulling this holier than thou shit? That's hilarious. The pair of them looked creeped out by the silent laughter, so after a moment, I calmed myself and threw on a dark smile.

After turning the volume down on the tablet I prepared a response. "Ah yes, I'm familiar with some of Mr. Fiammata's work," I said, clapping quietly. "It don's on me that I encountered one of his employees on the ninth, when he was causing a bit of trouble in Central Park. Skeevy guy, fancy suit... was harassing a homeless woman if I'm not mistaken." I threw on a thoughtful expression and then added on, "He had quite the fall, so I can't help but wonder how his nose is doing."

Ms. Rosy Ponytail looked a bit confused, more than anything else. Sunny, however, paled slightly, as her mask momentarily slipped to reveal worry... or maybe fear. She quickly schooled her expression and fixed me with a glare. "Fine, you may have this table for today," she announced, drawing a startled gasp not only from her companion, but the entire watching audience. She picked up her tray and turned her back on me. "In the future, however, I do hope you'll choose to sit elsewhere. Come on, Sour Sweet."

"Sunny Flare, what the hell?" the now-named Sour Sweet squawked. "This is our table. You're not seriously going to let her get away with this, are you?"

Interesting. So Sour doesn't seem to get the implication of what I said, but Sunny did. That means she's well aware of what her father does, and that he may even have said something about his goon in her presence; that Sour missed it means that she probably doesn't want anyone else to know anything other than that he's an 'entrepreneur'. That could be useful.

I gave them both a more friendly smile as I turned the volume back up. "Thank you, Ms. Flare. That is indeed a generous compromise," I said, gesturing at the spot across from me, where her tray had just been. "But please, you needn't leave on my account. By all means, stay."

She peered over her shoulder at me with barely contained hate in her eyes. "That's quite alright," she said in a flat tone. "I've just remembered a call I need to make."

Everyone in the cafeteria watched in shock as Sunny and Sour all but stormed out of the cafeteria. A low din erupted in the cafeteria, and over at Starlight's table, I could see the girl covering her face with a palm. At the table right next to the one I was sitting at, there were three girls looking at me with mixed expressions. One of them, another white-haired girl with glasses and her hair done up in twin ponytails, was shaking her head with a rather unimpressed look. The blue-haired girl next to her—a fellow goggles enthusiast—looked like she was trying to keep herself from cracking up. Then there was the pretty green-haired girl I'd seen in the Ponyville Plaza neighbourhood, looking at me in surprise. When she saw I was looking at her, she gave a sheepish wave.

The twin-tailed girl looked at me, and in a flat voice said, "You really shouldn't have done that. Sunny's never going to let this go." I just shrugged and returned to my meal. The other three did as well, but I considered asking if I could join them tomorrow. They seemed unbothered that I may have just stirred up the hornet's nest, and if I joined them at their table, it'd probably tweak Sunny's nose.

As I finished my meal, however, it occurred to me that it happened again. Just like with Cinch on Thursday, I'd practically become a different person. What was worse was that it was almost like I was starting to take pleasure in playing with Sunny. To be honest, it was starting to make my gorge rise. I wonder if this is what it felt like for...

As I climbed into the passenger seat of Cadance's car, the woman fixed me with a questioning gaze. "So how was your first day of school?" she asked, watching as I set my bag in the foot well and slowly pulled the seat belt across my front. As soon as I was buckled in, she turned her attention forward and pulled out of the parking lot. "Did you make any new friends?"

I just shrugged as I thought about the rest of my day. The cooking course and PE weren't classes I could use my tablet to speak in, so I was sorta just there. I probably could have pushed to use it in cooking, but the teacher was right in that hygiene was something to be considered when handling food. A result of that, however, was that I couldn't really converse with any of my peers in either class. Similarly, nobody in my morning classes had shown any interest in me, either.

The time between showering after PE and Cadance getting off work, I just sorta spent in the library, where I encountered Jinx again. She had to do some work for the librarian, but she still took the time to tell me I was insane for talking back to Sunny Flare. That left me free to do my homework until it was time to go. I figure, why not do it now so I'm free to do whatever later?

"My day was alright, I suppose. I only had to mention the Americans with Disabilities Act to my maths professor, and had a run-in the apparent queen bee of the school." I remarked, using the control on my door to crack the window open. "I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get any opportunities to interact with Twilight or Starlight during the school day, but I did get to see Jinx Charm again in the library this morning and this afternoon. She's pretty nice."

Cadance glanced at me out of the corner of her eye, smiling a bit as she drove. "Jinx? She's usually a pretty good student, as long as she remembers there's no smoking on school property," she commented with an appreciative hum. "Have you met her before?"

I nodded, but wasn't sure if she saw, so I quickly tapped out a, "Yeah." After a few moments, I decided to explain. "She was arrested over her ID by the same bad cop that attacked me on Thursday. She kept me company until Shining arrived, and even offered to teach me sign language."

Seemingly pleased with the fact that I was in good spirits, the school's dean was content to let the conversation end there. The remainder of the ride was fairly quiet, although my mind was still firing. Mentioning the interaction with Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet had dredged up the feelings that lingered after the interaction had ended. Again, I felt my stomach churn slightly, and I adjusted the window's openness to allow more of the air to blow against my face.

Ms. Cadance is supposedly a counsellor in addition to being the dean of the school, so maybe I could confide in her about this? It was probably the right thing to do, all things told. If there was something wrong with me, it'd be better to find out now, right? That was probably the case.

So why couldn't I bring myself to say anything? It was probably the fact that I couldn't be sure what would happen if I did tell her. Even if there was a bond of confidentiality, I got the feeling that if she felt there was something seriously wrong with me, or she got the wrong impression, she'd be obligated to speak to Velvet and Light about it. Even if I never dismissed the concern that this might not work out and might end up back on the street, the idea that they might throw me out seeped into my thoughts like a cancer.

It honestly scares me. Even if they've invested so much into me, I can't let myself get complacent... This won't be the factory all over again...

The ringing of Cadance's phone interrupted my mental spiral. Before I could put much thought into what was happening, she reached over to a button on the console and pressed it. "Hey, Shiny," she said aloud as we pulled up to a stop light. Turning to me, she motioned toward the window and then made a spinning motion with her index finger. I got the picture and rolled the window back up. "How's work?"

"It is what it is, although I'm going to be running a bit late tonight," came the voice of Shining Armour through the car's speakers. "Want me to pick up Chinese on the way home, Cady?"

A smile spread across her face as the light turned green. "Sure thing, hon; I'm just giving Eventide a ride home right now," she replied as she drummed her fingers along the top of the steering wheel. "Apparently her first day was relatively uneventful."

I heard Shining chuckle as we pulled onto the highway. "Hey Eventide," he greeted in a tone that seemed to indicate he was grinning. "You'll be happy to know that IA came to the decision to terminate Doughnut Quota with cause, something the union didn't even fight for once. From what I've heard, the district attorney might even be getting involved, so you'll probably never have to worry about him again."

Author's Note

Sorry for the short hiatus. I am now working on two stories in two separate fandoms, although the other story hasn't gotten much commentary yet on AO3.

Chapter 10: Reports on Friendship and Magic

Twilight's garage lab was a cosy little place. Even though she had several computer workstations and various pieces of equipment that I couldn't really identify, there were also a few comfy chairs, as well as an old sofa. Plus, there were these weird foam panels with a repeating pyramidal pattern that absolutely coated all the walls. If I had to guess, it was some sort of sound insulator.

The three of us—Twilight, Starlight, and myself—were gathered in the lab, just sorta hanging around. Twilight was at one of her computer workstations, showing Starlight some computer code for some sort of scanner device she was working on. Meanwhile, I was just lying on the lab sofa, trying to ignore the abdominal pain and nausea that'd been tormenting me all day, and pretending I didn't have something awkward going downstairs to prevent a mess. Human reproductive cycles are disgusting.

As I sat and half-listened to them talk about sensors, data arrays, functions and loops, I was looking over at the big 'mystery energy conspiracy' board that Twilight had tucked in one corner of the garage. There was a map of Canterlot with four circles drawn around different parts of the city. Three of them all centred around the same point, and the largest circle had three pins with string connecting them to papers pinned to free space on the board. The other had only one pin and connected data set. I don't know anything about that area with more data, but that other one's near the industrial district, I think.

With my superb eyesight, thankfully inherited from my life as a pegasus, I was able to make out a lot of the dates on the papers, as well as specific waveforms and what looked like some sort of chart denoting strength over time. The unknown zone had three distinct energy signatures that matched a specific pattern. The first started approximately around the twenty-eighth of September, growing in strength until it plateaued just before midnight on the fifth of October. It held fast until the night of the eighth, when it dipped below whatever device's detection threshold was.

The other two in that area both spiked into existence on the eighth. Both of them seemed to be towards the top of what the chart was able to display, with variances in power spikes. That being said, one signature was clearly stronger, as it spiked past the bounds of the chart. There was even a sticky note from Twilight on the page questioning whether the sensor malfunctioned.

What really caught my attention, however, was the one around the industrial district. Its data set stated that it consisted of a single massive spike on the eighteenth of September. For anyone else, it would have just seemed like a random number that just so happened to predate the other data by about a week. That day, however, was an important day for me; it was the day that I died in Equestria and woke up in an alley here in Canterlot.

As I looked at those energy waveforms she'd detected, especially that last one, I began to get a feeling of deja vu. Now that I was looking at closely, it reminded me a lot of a part of my Royal Equestrian Navy medical file. Specifically a section pertaining to my magical health. Sure, it wasn't something you typically thought of for pegasi—and to most, the only number that mattered was their wing power—but regular magical resonance readings were supposed to be important for detecting potential magical ailments before they manifested deleterious symptoms. It actually made me a bit uncomfortable because I was pretty damn sure that the industrial district waveform was the same one that was in my record. She was detecting magic; I was sure of it.

Why would my magical signature spike like that, though? And since that turncoat was the one that likely did this to me, wouldn't it be the magic of Discord that it would have detected?

With a wince of pain, I stood up from the couch and hobbled over to the map and began looking for the place I first woke up. As I did, I tapped out a question on my tablet. "So what do you think this energy you've been tracking is?" I asked, looking at an area of the industrial district circle that overlapped a commercial area. Sure enough, I was able to find the street I woke up on, and the map even included rough building shapes. "I'm seeing you've got at least four distinct signatures, all of the same type."

Twilight and Starlight both turned to look at me as I idly picked up what looked to be a sewing pin with a little red flag from a tray at the bottom of the board. "That's the million dollar question, Eventide," she remarked, hopping off her swivel chair to walk over and join me. "It's like nothing anyone's ever seen before, and the potential energy is astronomical. If I've been interpreting the readings correctly, it could potentially revolutionise power, and eliminate fossil fuels. I need to pin down where these events occurred and get more readings. Surely energy spikes this massive had to have left lingering traces at the point of origin."

I nodded, looking at the repeating mention of the eighth. Wasn't the eighth the night that alleged battle between a demon and an interdimensional sorceress occurred at a high school? I bit the tip of my thumb as I looked at the circle on the east side of town, and then opened the browser on the tablet, searching schools on the east side of Canterlot. The red-head I'd encountered on the ninth had definitely been the one that article blamed for everything, and she had to be a high school student. After narrowing my results, I found one result: Canterlot High, which was dead centre of the east-side circle.

Would it be a good idea to mention magic to Twilight? She seemed mostly dismissive of it every time I brought it up, but the way she reacted yesterday...

"This is probably sheer coincidence, but this data-set from the eighteenth? It just so happens to coincide with the day I first woke up here in Canterlot." I remarked, pushing the pin into the map where the alley I woke up in ought to be. "Even stranger, though, is the fact that the place I came to was right here in this zone you've marked off."

I picked up another of the little flags, and pushed it in at the location of CHS on the map. "I also recall reading an opinion article stating that a 'gas line explosion' at this location on the night of the eighth was a mere cover-up for shenanigans involving a school bully turning into a demon, an interdimensional sorceress, and the magical girls that fought the demon with her." When I turned away from the map, Twilight was looking kind of irritated that I was 'messing' with her conspiracy board, complete with her cheeks puffed out like a school-filly being frustrated by her crush. Meanwhile Starlight looked like she was on the verge of laughing. "Sure, it's all insane and magic is a bit of a stretch, but don't you find it odd that two separate inexplicable events happen to coincide with the occurrences of this energy? Who knows, maybe when you finish your handheld scanner, you might even find readings there."

That turned out to be too much for Starlight. She fell out of her chair, laughing so hard that she was in tears. Whatever irritation Twilight held towards me shifted toward Starlight as we both watched the girl roll around on the lab floor. When the laughter finally abated, she was wiping tears from her eyes as she looked up at us both. "Y-you sounded so serious about all that, Evie," she remarked with a grin. "Has Twilight been showing you her guilty pleasure anime, Madoka Magica?"

I looked at her in confusion, even as Twilight stormed over. "Don't you dare!" she snarled, although it sounded like she was on the verge of laughing now, too. "She talks about magic enough without you bringing up magical girls! We don't need her getting ideas!" After helping her friend back up, she crossed her arms and wandered over to the couch. "So, I heard you took Eventide over to the archery club this afternoon. How did that go?"

It took Starlight a minute to get her amusement under control to actively tell the story. Personally, I didn't really think it was all that interesting of a story. All I did was show up, meet the archery team, and shoot a few arrows at a target. Oh, and pretend that Sour Sweet—the sole club member not on the school team—wasn't giving me the stink eye over being there. Then it was kinda up to Starlight to explain why Sour wasn't being all that sweet, and how I'd pretty much painted a target on my back.

All I could do was shrug when Twilight glared at me, but apparently it's not like she had grounds to complain. From what I heard and saw at lunch, she had a target on her own back simply over being the academic apex and people thinking that she was full of herself. Social status was an important facet of this school, but if there was something that Twilight was, it was socially awkward with people she wasn't comfortable with. It was something I'd gotten to witness when she crossed paths with someone while ordering lunch.

Earlier

As I made my way through the chow hall with a bowl of shrimp fried rice and a couple of veggie egg rolls, I couldn't help but notice a number of eyes on me. It was a recurring trend, I found. During both my chem and bio classes, there was a lot of staring, but thankfully no exclusion; I don't think many sophomores had a lot of interaction with Sour Sweet or Sunny Flare, so it wasn't like they had much social incentive to do that.

Regardless, all the eyes on me did nothing to stave off the burgeoning sense of paranoia, nor the irritation that I was pretty sure was resultant of my fluctuating hormones. I'd foolishly made the opening shots in what was surely going to devolve in the war, and all I could do now was bide my time and wait for the riposte. It was the anticipation that bothered me most, like the time in basic when I was brought before the commandant for hospitalising a drunk stallion after he tried mounting me in a bar while I was out on liberty. The commandant made me sweat in twenty minutes of silence before making me clean the statue of the Princess with a toothbrush.

Starlight was still with the archery team this time around, while Jinx was doing something with those cards with another girl. At her side was a mason jar that contained a mysterious liquid. It could've been tea or moonshine for all I knew. Well, maybe not the second one. Maybe I should ask about the card thing when I ask her about teaching me sign language.

There, at the table I'd sat only a day before, sat Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet, as well as several other people in their apparent clique. Sunny scowled at me the moment she realised I was looking at her, and I had to fight the impulse to smirk or find some other means to passively antagonise her. Instead, I just nodded at her. Don't worry; I got the message yesterday.

Instead, I carefully shifted my tray so I could also balance my tablet on my arm and began typing out a message. As soon as I reached the table occupied by the girl with the twin-tails, goggles girl to her right, and the green-haired music aficionado across from them, I hit the play button. Curiously, I noted the music lover even uncovered one of her ears as I approached. "Sorry if this is a bit presumptuous, but I was wondering if you three would mind if I joined you."

Ms. Twin-tails just fixed me with a flat expression, while Ms. Goggles looked mildly interested. Ms. Headphones, on the other hand was smiling—something that caught me off guard for some reason. At the next table over, however, Sour Sweet looked like she was going to have an aneurysm, and Sunny's glare intensified.

"If you keep poking Sunny Flare like this, you're going to become persona non grata like Sparkle is," the bespectacled girl stated in as annoyed a tone as possible. "I'd rather not get involved in that if at all possible."

"Don't be like that, Sugarcoat," the blue-haired girl complained. "Sure, one of the tenth graders on the soccer team said she was a bit of a know-it-all in math class yesterday, but he also admitted that the teacher started it. It's not like she lorded it over anybody." Looking over to me, she added, "Don't mind her. She doesn't have a filter, and that gets in the way of tact."

"Dude, just let her sit," the last added, agreeing with Indigo. "Plus, you might have more in common with her than you think, Indigo. I see her out jogging every day without fail, often with Twilight's dog, Spike, and I'm talking about entire circuits of Ponyville Plaza. She's not just a nerd!"

Once again, I was thrown for a loop by her glowing review. Admittedly, I kinda wanted to get to know her, since she seemed friendly enough, and liked Spike. Eventually, the two just looked pleadingly at Sugarcoat. "Fine, she can stay."

"Awesome!" cried the green-haired girl as I took the empty seat beside her. "I'm Lemon Zest! What kind of music do you like?"

As I started typing out an answer, Indigo introduced herself as Indigo Zap, and the other girl was simply known as Sugarcoat, which she and Lemon both pointed out was ironic because she was one of the bluntest people they knew. "I'm Eventide Construct. As far as music goes, I rather enjoy classical and jazz, although I've recently started listening to the house and vaporwave genres on the radio. It's like nothing I've ever heard before."

"Rock on!"

It was kinda nice sitting down and eating with these three. Even as I mentally adjusted my chopstick technique—something I learned to do with my wings that time the Resplendent was in Xiao Ma—I listened to the group talk. It took a moment for me to figure out the proper grip, but in no time, I was eating rice left-handed, ready to 'talk' if engaged. It kind of reminded me of eating on the airship with Lug Nut and Crescent, pretending the two weren't on the verge of a hate-fuck half the time.

For example, Indigo was excited about getting to face off against her soccer rival at Canterlot High School, a girl named Rainbow Dash. The name sounded kinda familiar. Wasn't that one of the ponies in the Princess of Friendship's cadre? If that was the name I was thinking of, it was kind of curious that she and the princess' counterpart weren't attending the same school. With how this world seemed to keep two princesses close, I'd have thought it might extend to their social circles as well.

Meanwhile Lemon kept excitedly pulling up songs on her phone, slapping her headphones on my head, and asking what I thought. Some of it was too high-energy for me, but a lot of it was pretty cool. As we ate and talked, Sugarcoat seemed to warm up to my presence. It was pretty nice, right up until there was a bit of a ruckus.

At some point while I finished off the fried rice, one of the girls from Sunny's table got up as Twilight was walking away from the food service counter and toward the cafeteria exit. It was clear that the girl, saw Twilight coming and purposely bumped into her. When Twilight's tray went tumbling to the ground, spilling food, she even had the gall to yell at Twilight and tell her to watch where she was going.

"This is why you don't upset the status-quo here," Sugarcoat commented as she watched me start to get up, only for Lemon to put a hand on my shoulder and shake her head. "Jet Set and Upper Crust are convinced she looks down on them because she cloisters herself away in that lab most of the day, doing independent studies in lieu of coursework. Sunny encourages it because it strengthens her place in the social hierarchy."

I let out a little huff and eyed the two egg rolls that I had yet to eat. "She isn't like that though," I responded, scowling at the pale olive-skinned girl who was still berating my foster sister. "She's never come off as seeing herself as superior in the entire week I've been living with her family. Twilight just... doesn't get people as well as she does science."

Watching the girl, who I presumed to be Upper Crust, put the contents of her own tray in the garbage and then take a seat back at Sunny's table, I had to tamp down on the urge to hurl my egg rolls at her. It became especially hard when Twilight just sorta got up and looked at her spilled meal before just sighing and walking out of the cafeteria empty-handed. What was even the point of that?

"I gotta go. It was nice to meet you all," I said, grabbing the plate with my egg rolls and getting back up. Looking at the others, I smiled."I'll see you all around. Don't be a stranger the next time you see me jogging, okay, Lemon?" At that, I started walking out of the cafeteria, pausing by Twilight's fallen tray. There, on the floor, was an apple. I barely even put any thought into kicking the apple up and grabbing it out of the air. I just shook my head, polished it on the sleeve of my blazer before setting it on the plate.

As I made my way to the exit, I paused and looked over my shoulder. Sunny Flare met my gaze, and I sneered at her, baring my teeth slightly. The protective instinct was flaring up again, and this bitch's lackeys were really starting to look like enemy combatants. I won't let you just take what's mine, whispered something hateful from the darkest recesses of my mind. I don't care who your dad is; you hurt those I care about, even by proxy, and I will bring the moon-damned thunder down on you.

PONI agents may have had a fairly generous income, but the clandestine nature of their jobs required them to keep a low profile. As such, agents often frequented cheap roadside motels who didn't really give a damn about their clientele as long as they got paid. It drew less attention to them when they needed to investigate or observe a subject. More importantly, though, it led to less questions asked when agents weren't visiting for benign reasons. It was for that reason that Agent S and Agent T had checked into a room in the Everfree Pines Hotel just outside the Shasta-Everfree National Forest.

After unloading their luggage and having a pizza delivered, the two women were relaxing at a table in their shared room. Well, S was relaxing, whilst T decided to strip down her M1911A2 mid-meal and was cleaning its individual components. It annoyed her to no end having the former soldier with her, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it.

When she'd taken the report from Null to the higher-ups, she'd been cleared to come to Canterlot to investigate the girl bearing Cantata's face and fingerprints. Due to the increased amount of magical activity in the area, however, she was not being allowed to go alone, nor was she just investigating the girl. This was made doubly apparent when she'd been handed a report just before leaving indicating that an entity of discord—one that had been flying under the radar for decades—may have been on the move and headed towards the city, based on an unusual number of violent disturbances in public places with no clear source, moving north from Los Angeles.

"So," Agent T began as she started the careful process of reassembling her weapon. The ex-soldier fixed S with a curious look that seemed almost menacing due to her facial scarring. "You seem to know a lot more about this particular case than me. Why don't you catch me up to speed?"

S only glared at her companion. They'd pretty much been driving in shifts the entire way since they left Detroit, but there'd been plenty of time for her to look at the files while they were on the road; instead she'd slept in her off time. With a sigh, S set aside her slice of pizza and wiped the grease from her fingers with a napkin. Finally, she retrieved a pair of folders from an attaché case beside her and flipped the first open and set it on the table. "This is the subject of our investigation, Eventide Construct," S explained with a sigh. "Initially logged as a Jane Doe by the CCPD when brought in on false charges from a dirty cop. She's a mute with no apparent history who has ended up in the care of the family of a detective. We might not ever have taken an interest in her except for one little problem. Her finger prints."

She didn't miss the way T seemed to be looking at the scar on the girl's neck. "I don't get it," the woman admitted after a minute. "If she doesn't have any history, how could her prints have set off any alarms?"

S opened the second folder and laid it out beside the first one. "They're a mirrored match to the prints of this missing person," she declared. T's shocked expression when she saw the two pictures side-by-side was almost enough to bring a smile to her face. "This is Eventide Cantata, aged twenty-five at the time of her disappearance in 2006."

"Holy shit, that's uncanny." S couldn't disagree; she recognised the person in the photo immediately the first time she saw it, and seeing them side-by-side only hammered in that this was highly unusual. But for the differing hairstyles and the younger face, you'd hardly be able to tell the difference between the two. In fact, the scar and the prints were the only reliable way to be sure that it was actually two different people and not just two pictures from different points in the same person's life.

Then, after completely reading over the profile for the missing person, T narrowed her opal eyes at S. "Hold up, this document says that you're the one who first reported her missing, and that you're her half sister," she said in a flat voice as one dark orchid hand slid a full magazine into the handgun's mag well and holstered it. "How in the hell are the bosses okay with you heading this case? Conflict of interest much."

S just fixed her own cyan eyes on T's opal ones. "Because I know this isn't my sister," she remarked, her voice rich with condescension. "That being said, depending on what exactly we're dealing with, my knowledge of Cantata could be invaluable in determining whether this is a changeling and the Fae Courts are in violation of the accords, a clone, or something else entirely."

After a minute of silence, T relaxed, giving the amber-skinned woman a kind look. "Still, it must be hard for you," she observed, packing away her weapon maintenance kit and finishing off a slice of pizza she set aside. "Do you really think it's the Fae though? I don't like those creeps any more than anyone else in the agency does, but they're usually really anal about agreements and contracts."

It was a good point. Back when PONI first brought her on, she'd read about the tenuous accord the government made with the Seelie and Unseelie Courts at the end of the Great Depression—one that involved such trickery that it impressed the Fae. The Fae operating in the United States would refrain from meddling in mortal affairs, and in turn the government wouldn't drive them back into the Fae Realm by violent force. Since then, there hadn't been a single disappearance that could definitively be attributed to the faeries. Any miscreants found in violation of the sacred accord, the Fae Courts had been more than willing to throw down at their feet, including more than a few changelings. There were always outliers, though.

"It's hard to say," she admitted, looking away from her partner with a frown. There was, of course, another possibility that she didn't want to consider. "Regardless, tomorrow I'm going to be stopping by the school they're sending the kid to and see if I can't interview her. In the meantime, I want you to go to the Undercity nightclub and talk to a woman by the name of Chrysalis about the magical goings-on. If there's anything weird going on in the city, that bloodsucker will know about it."

Officially, PONI had a very negative stance towards vampires, lycanthropes, and the likes. Officially, if they were involved in violent crimes, such creatures were to be killed on sight and covered up. Unofficially, so long as they didn't violate the law, they were tolerated, and even worked with PONI at times to keep the veil of secrecy intact, so to speak. Often times, in places with an increased magical presence, such as this city, you could even count on nightwalkers to be the metaphorical finger on the supernatural pulse of the city.

T nodded, removing her gun belt as she got up. After hanging it on her bed post, she started rooting through her bag. "What happens if the brat won't give up any information?" she asked as she stopped in front of the bathroom door with her pyjamas. "You said she's a mute, and I doubt her guardians are gonna make it easy to get a proper interrogation."

S sighed and forced her gaze up to the ceiling. "This isn't my first time in Canterlot, so there's one more person I can think of interviewing. I just hope it doesn't come to it, because I promised I'd have to shoot them if they ever did anything to put themselves on PONI's radar again."

Author's Note

Dun dun dun! Whole lot to unpack here. You're almost at the truth regarding Construct and Cantata, and you got a glimpse at the wider paranormal world. Next time, we get down to the truth in Chapter 11: Naked Truth.

Chapter 11: Naked Truth

Today's gym class wasn't like the previous two days, namely because it was just before lunch, rather than during last period of the day, but also for another key reason. As I entered the women's locker room, I saw that there was another group of students already undressing in the room. Curiously, I noted that Twilight was among the number already there, although she was off in an isolated part of the locker room away from her peers. I also saw plenty of other familiar faces in here. Over there was Sugarcoat, then there was Lemon Zest over by yonder, and finally Indigo was with a bunch of sporty looking students. Then there was Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare, both looking rather unimpressed upon noticing me. Wonder what's going on?

With a shrug, I made my way over to where Twilight was in the process of getting changed, and opened a locker a few doors down from hers. After fetching my PT clothes, the pen and notepad, and my other lock from my bag, I set my stuff inside the locker and began stripping down. If she at all noticed my presence, she made no indication.

I was proven correct when she turned away from her locker after putting her uniform away, and startled upon noticing me. I just shrugged and kept putting on my own gear. Once I was fully dressed, I put my uniform into the locker and then locked it away, clipping the key ring to my medic alert bracelet. Writing out a quick question to her, I tugged on her sleeve to get her attention. This isn't like the other two gym classes. What's going on?

She seemed confused for a moment before seeming to realise that I probably didn't have a clue what was going on because it was still my first week. "It's an archery day," she explained as she led me out into the gymnasium and out through the doors leading onto the school's soccer pitch . "Since it's a sport that requires focus, discipline, and strength, one day each week has the classes mixing and practising together. The coach sets up archery targets on the field and brings us all out. Since it's a Friendship Games year, and archery is likely to be included in the Tri-Cross Relay event, Coach Wind Rider and the staff set up an obstacle course and is using archery day to scout out the best choices for the team."

Sure enough, out on the pitch, there was a series of obstacles laid out in five rows, culminating in a trio of archery targets at the end of each lane. There was a climbing wall, a couple of hurdles, tires, a rope swing, and even a wall with a gap at the bottom immediately following one of the hurdles. It reminded me vaguely of the sort of thing the drill sergeant made the unicorns and earth ponies would run in basic training. Given that Starlight said that Coach Rider was a military man, it made sense that he'd probably work the friendship games prep like military training.

When all the students were arranged in two groups of twenty-five in front of the phys-ed teacher, he grinned. "Good morning boys and girls; I hope you're ready to give it your all again today!" he bellowed in a parade ground voice, looking out at the crowd. "You should know the drill by now. Break off into pairs, and then make five lines at the starting line of the course. You and your partner will then work your way through the course as fast as you're capable. Once both of you are on the shooting platform, score a hit on each of the three targets, and then run back through the obstacle course so the next pair can begin."

Before I could even contemplate looking for a partner, everyone had already started to pair off and get in line. In the end, I ended up with Twilight by my side in the second-to-last slot of the final column of students. I watched very intently as the first five pairs took off down the obstacle course. Even though everybody was in pairs, they were all treating it as if they were competing against their partners. Coach Rider also seemed to be watching them all, looking for something—something he wasn't seeing.

When he still seemed to be looking for something when the next couple of groups went through, I considered something. The school wants to put together a killer team that will decimate the other school in competitions. Team was likely the operative word in this, so why were there no pairs working together? That made no sense, because I could see a lot of them individually struggling with the wall.

When I was sure nobody else was looking, I took my notepad and pen out of the pocket of my track jacket and scribbled out a message. Co-op at wall. Boost me. I tapped her elbow with my own, and then held the notepad in such a way that only she could see it. Her eyes widened in recognition, and as soon as I was sure she understood my meaning, I shoved the pad and stylus back into the pocket and zipped it up.

It was a while later that the pair in front of us finally crossed the line on their return trip, I let Twilight go on ahead, taking off at a sprint shortly before she reached the wall. She had just enough time to turn and cup her hands before I was on her. With my momentum and the sudden upward boost, I reached the top of the wall with ease. It even elicited the familiar feeling of pulling up out of a dive while flying, which was something that I'd dearly missed since coming here.

Rather than leave my foster-sister floundering, however, I straddled the top of the wall and reached my hand down. Twilight clasped it, and with a little help, she was able to haul herself up and over. Before I hopped down, I looked over to where the coach stood. There was the tiniest bit of a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth when our eyes locked.

Hopping down from the wall, I quickly caught up to Twilight. Neither of us seemed particularly good at the tires, but we got through without tripping up. It quickly became apparent that I was more agile on my feet despite only having been a human for about a month, and I was in better shape. She was already a bit winded when I passed her and reached the rope swing leading to the archery stage.

Again, however, I waited for Twilight to catch up. Once she was on the platform, I swung across, and then sent the rope back. She was a bit hesitant to make the swing, but when I stayed at the edge with a hand outstretched to catch her, she made it across without a problem, since I was right there to haul her onto the platform.

There were a few different bows at the station, and as I grabbed two thirty pound draws, I wondered if these were from the archery club. I threw one over to Twilight and made my way over to the shooting position, where there was a bucket with a bunch of arrows. Remembering what Starlight taught me on Thursday, and then again at my practice yesterday at the archery club, I quickly grabbed an arrow and lined up my shot.

The arrow flew true, and embedded itself just inside the edge of the bullseye. Again, I lined up my shot on the next target, and to my surprise, the second bullseye proved the first wasn't a fluke. Nor was the third. Maybe Starlight wasn't lying about me being a natural to encourage me.

Twilight, on the other hand was too tense, and her stance was all wrong. Unlike Glimmer, who seemed way too keen on getting up in my personal bubble to adjust my posture, I respected her personal space a bit more. With a practice arrow that I was going to pass her when she fired her next shot, I tapped different parts of her body to make her adjust her posture. Then I noticed the way she was holding the bow, and grabbed her attention and showed her how I held the bow, putting emphasis on the breathing as I dry-fired.

Eventually, she made her shot, and hit the second ring on the first target. The second and third were closer to the bullseye, but she would still need a lot of work. I just urged her to head on back as I took the bows and went to retrieve the arrows from the targets. It wasn't specified that we had to, but I figured since our lane was clear, I may as well.

There was a lot of whispering as I helped her back over the wall and we made it to the finish line. I was rather pleased with how quickly we got through, given Twilight's more scholarly constitution. The moment she caught her breath, I patted her on the shoulder, grinned, and then held up a fist for her to bump. She sorta just looked at it, so with an amused snort, I grabbed her hand and bumped it into my own.

When the last of the groups were done, the coach marched out in front of the mixed students with a smirk. "Excellent hustle out there, all of you," he said, again easily falling into that parade-ground voice. "But for all the good effort you put into it, there was only one pair among you that really impressed me." The man pointed directly at Twilight and myself, which caused the crowd of students to part and begin muttering. "Sparkle and Construct worked as a team, rather than against one another. They worked as a unit to achieve their objective, and have been the first to really get this exercise."

A lot of students, especially Sunny Flare and Sour Sweet, started muttering angrily, but I saw Indigo looking at me with something I couldn't place. Was she impressed, or is that respect?

Coach Rider began pacing in front of the crowd of students. "Out in the real world, you will not always have the benefit of choosing who you work with, and working together with a singular purpose is often necessary, contrary to what the competitive scholastic environs of CPA encourages. Teamwork is the real key to beating Canterlot High in the Friendship Games." He clapped his hands once, and then pointed back to the school building. "Everyone, hit the showers. Next week, we'll be repeating the exercise, but with a twist. You'll be drawing lots to find your partner, and you will be tethered to one another."

As we walked back to the school building, Twilight couldn't help but ask, "How did you know he wanted to encourage teamwork?"

Since we were walking, I couldn't write out a whole explanation. Instead, I kept it brief. Happy accident. I watched his reactions when people did the wall. Then I guessed. He's ex-military, don't forget. It seemed to satisfy her curiosity, and she remained quiet the rest of the journey back in. Next week, I'd have to work with a stranger on this, and that wasn't something I was looking forward to.

Letting the silence extend was definitely on my agenda, mostly because I wanted to take a shower and wash the sweat off. Maybe my senses are just sharper because I was a pony, but I really can't stand human body odour. Something that certainly didn't help things was that I could even catch the slightest whiff of blood on me. I was used to the smell, but the concept of bleeding and being unable to treat the injury was foreign, and yet that was part of being human. Probably gonna have to change out soon, too. Why are humans so—

My thoughts were interrupted shortly after entering the locker room, as I soon found myself being slammed up against one of the banks of lockers. Stunned by the sudden attack, I could do nothing but stand there as I was hoisted off my feet by Sour Sweet. She was glaring at me, and her teeth were bared. Not only that, but a semicircle of students formed around us, preventing anyone from coming to my aide.

"You think you're so cute showing us all up like that, don't you, freak?" she snarled in that way too sweet tone. "Well, I've got news for you; nobody here is impressed by you sucking up to Coach Rider." I reached into my pocket and grabbed my pen and notepad, but before I could write anything, she slapped them both out of my hand. "Just talk like a normal person! Nobody seriously believes that the whole mute act is real."

I glanced over at Sunny Flare, who stood impassively just inside the goon barrier. She didn't seem to have orchestrated it, but she wasn't exactly trying to stop it either. If anything, Sunny just seemed like she was just watching to see what happened. That was fine by me.

A puff of air through my nostrils blew some of Sour's bangs out of her freckled face, and I leaned in close. "I literally do not have a larynx, you fucking reprobate," I hissed in her face, producing hissing, popping, and clicking sounds with my mouth that were barely intelligible as words. The sound seemed to elicit a slight shiver from her, but she did not back down. "I'm going to give you until the count of five to release me."

There was a particular reason why I never tried to talk with anyone like this. It sounded like some kind of monster trying to imitate speech. The only time I tried it at the homeless encampment, I was told in no uncertain terms by Violette that it was absolutely horrifying and to please never do that again. I think she described it as something out of a horror movie.

I held up my left hand and slowly started raising my fingers. A low murmur erupted as the crowd separated from me by Sunny's lackey line, and I could see Twilight and the crew from the lunch table looking on in horror. When I raised the last finger on my hand and still my feet weren't touching the ground, I grinned. Just remember, I gave you the chance to walk away.

Without warning, my hand went around the back of her head and gripped it, as I thrust my forehead forward. She was caught completely off guard when my forehead slammed into hers. My feet touched the ground as she brought her hands up to clutch her head, which was probably swimming with pain just as much as mine was. I wasn't content to leave it at that, though. I seized her by the front of her own shirt and then swept her feet out from under her.

Sour fell, but not nearly as hard as she would have if I had just done so without bracing her. I then lowered her to the floor the rest of the way and picked up my pen and notepad. As I stepped over the stunned girl, I wrote out a message and tore the page off, thrusting it into Sunny Flare's hands as I pushed through the enclosing ring. A glance over my shoulder showed she got the message. Control your lackey. A loose cannon can easily misfire and sink your ship.

When I got to my locker, I wasted no time doffing my clothes into the locker. The moment I was wrapped in my towel and had my hygiene kit tucked under my arm, I slapped the lock back on and made my way into the showers. Tucked away in the farthest corner, I kept my back to the water. After getting ambushed as soon as I entered, I wasn't about to present my back to potential enemies.

As I did my post work-out ablutions, Indigo took up the stall next to mine. Mostly, she wanted to see if I was doing alright, and asked me the usual concussion check-up questions. Honestly until I remembered that she was an athlete and would likely care about things like first-aid, I was kinda surprised. That being said, I couldn't exactly handle a conversation. Speaking the way I did to Sour was way too quiet to be heard over all the running water.

All dried and wrapped back in my towel, I walked back to the secluded part of the locker room where all my stuff was—or at least, where it was supposed to be. The moment I unlocked it and opened the door, I was horrified to find it empty. My clothes, goggles, notebook, bag, and most importantly my tablet were all gone. There was the faintest bit of laughter filling the locker room as I dropped my hygiene bag. Twilight returned just as I was surveying the crowd with a blank expression. Her eyes went from me to the still open, empty locker.

"Eventide what—" My gaze snapped back to her, and before she could continue, I began to pantomime. First, I pointed at myself with a thumb, and then to the door with my index finger. Then, with both hands, I made a heart shape, and then tapped on my exposed skin roughly where Cadance wore her brooch. It took her a minute, but finally she seemed to understand, "You're... going to Cadance. Like that?"

Nodding, I snatched up my hygiene bag, and then put my lock inside it. A lot of girls began to laugh when I strode over to the locker room door, probably thinking that this was somehow embarrassing to me. I wasn't embarrassed, however; if anything, I was pissed. This wasn't just some harmless prank; this was a literal attack on my personal agency. Without my tablet or notepad, I couldn't advocate for myself, and I hated feeling helpless. My anger was threatening to bubble over, and I needed to get out of there before I did something stupid.

As I made it to the door, the hairs on my body stood on end for a moment. It even felt like my still damp hair began to dry out and rise, but as soon as my hand pulled the door open, it felt like a static discharge surged out of my arm. Behind me, the fluorescent lights flashed bright and then went dark, accompanied by several pops and the panicked cries of every girl in the room.

People stared as I stormed through the school in my bare feet, wearing nothing but a towel. A headache and the feeling of exhaustion were beginning to creep in, and I just wanted to get to Cadance's office, get some help, and find somewhere safe to take a quick nap. I'm pretty sure there was even a teacher or two who happened to see me pass their classrooms, and stepped into the hall to admonish my 'disgraceful behaviour', but I paid them no mind.

Upon reaching Cadance's office door, I knocked with the hand holding my toiletries. There was a moment before the dean called out a friendly "Come in!" I wasted no time opening the door to the windowless office, and slipping inside. She appeared to be on the phone, but the moment she noticed the state of me, her eyes widened. "I'm going to have to call you back."

She hung up the desk phone, and got up. Ushering me over to the guest spot at her desk, Cadance pushed a pen and a piece of paper in front of me. "Eventide, what happened to you!?" demanded Cadance as she took her seat. "Where are your clothes?"

Putting my hygiene bag on the table, I began writing out my explanation. It took me a while to get everything down, because my hands were beginning to tremble in anger. When I did, though, I immediately slid it across the desk to her. Apparently, people took issue with me figuring out that Coach Rider was testing for teamwork, and felt that Twilight and I showed them up. After a short confrontation with Sour Sweet in the locker room, I took my shower. During that time, someone bypassed my lock and removed all of my belongings from the locker. I don't know where they are.

It took maybe half an hour before Dean Cadance returned with my belongings in her possession. We had no definitive answer as to who actually got into the locker and removed my stuff. People were more concerned about the surge that caused the fluorescent lighting in the room to explode than giving answers, and it was only upon someone opening the drop ceiling that they even discovered my bag of stuff.

I'd apparently fallen asleep in the time that she was gone, since I found her shaking me awake when she showed back up. Evidently, she'd gotten a better description of the confrontation from Twilight, because even though I was feeling fine in the showers, the sudden onset of exhaustion had her worried that I had a concussion from the headbutt. As soon I went and got changed into my uniform, she was trying to convince me to go to the hospital. It probably didn't help that I looked a bit pale.

Eventually, I managed to talk her down, but she still wanted to keep an eye on me, and pulled me out of my afternoon classes. It was probably just mental exhaustion from having all my stuff taken, coupled with other stresses my body was currently undergoing. To be fair, everything that I've read the first time is the worst, and Dr. Zecora warned me it'd likely start as my lifestyle stabilised, and she wasn't wrong. She was probably just overreacting.

Another problem came up while I was working on my morning class's homework on the floor in the corner. This problem came up in the form of a phone call. Over my time here, I've learned not to underestimate the gravity of such a simple thing, and as such, I was passively eavesdropping... until my name came up.

"Hello? What can I do for you Mr. Willow?" she asked in her cheerful, professional voice. Her expression fell as she listened to the other person on the line. "Eventide? Yes, she's here with me right now." She paused to listen to what the principal's secretary had to say. "What? What do you mean the FBI is here to speak with her?" That sent a chill down my spine. Looking over at me, she pulled the handset away from her ear and covered the mouthpiece. "Evie, there's an FBI agent here that wishes to speak to you. Legally, you can refuse to speak to them if you're uncomfortable without Velvet or Light present, but it sounds pretty important if they just showed up without warning."

I looked over to her as I reached for my tablet, and considered my answer. The smartest answer was probably to say no and wait for a guardian, given my inexperience with the legal system in this world, but a federal level law-enforcement agency likely does not just show up looking for random orphans out of the blue. It could be useful to talk to them, if for no other reason to find out what they want or know, and then make a more informed choice later. "I would be amenable to speaking to law enforcement, assuming that I am free to leave and then request a guardian or lawyer present if I feel they are trying to implicate me in anything."

If Cadance objected at all, she didn't say anything. Instead, she ran her hand through her multicoloured locks and took several deep breaths. "Do you want me to come with you?" she probed, making her discomfort clear. I just shook my head and packed my things up into my bag. "Alright. The agent is waiting for you in one of the library meeting rooms. In the meantime, I'm going to finish this call and contact Velvet." As soon as she finished speaking, I was out the door.

It was slightly after lunch as I made my way through the halls. There weren't many other students out and about, but those that did were smirking at me. Honestly, if I had grown up with the same nudity taboo that humans normally did, I might even have been bothered by having had to march through the school in naught but a towel. It's just too bad they didn't know they were dealing with the girl who used Central Park's lake as her bathtub; more than that is required to embarrass me.

The meeting rooms were in the very back of the library so I just walked right past the front desk and through the stacks. Even though there were three meeting rooms, only one of them had any lights on or any occupants. That made it pretty clear which one I was supposed to go to. With a steadying breath, I stepped into the room and shut the door behind me.

Seated at the table was a woman in a black jacket with white lapels and cuffs worn over a blue casual shirt, and black suit-pants. I actually really like her outfit, and could definitely see myself wearing something like that. I couldn't see them behind the aviator glasses, but somehow, I just knew that, like how the skin tone matched, the eyes behind those glasses were cyan just like mine. The only difference between the two of us was her long, curly red and gold locks, and the fact that she was easily six feet tall.

How can I be so sure about the eyes, you might ask? That's easy! This woman had the exact same facial structure as the redhead from the industrial district. Why would a federal agent just let her daughter run away and squat in a factory, though? Unless... that's what she's here about?

I set my bag beside a rolling chair directly across from the woman, and took a seat. The woman immediately leaned forward and extended a hand—one silver and one dark metal ring on what people call the 'ring finger'—in greeting. I clasped it with my own as she introduced herself, noting the slight upward twitch of an eyebrow. "Eventide Construct, right?" she asked, as if she weren't already sure. When she returned to a more comfortable position, she retrieved a badge and accompanying ID from inside her jacket and showed it to me. "I'm Agent Sunset Shimmer with the FBI. More specifically, I'm with a clandestine branch called PONI—Paranormal Observation, Neutralisation, and Investigation." Agent Shimmer leaned back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other. "Care to take a guess as to why I came to talk to you?"

Oh... Shit. This is basically this country's version of SMILE. If she's here, she already knows that my existence is not normal. Lying was probably not going to earn me any favours, I concluded rather quickly. It'd be better to take my chances seeing where the truth takes me. As I placed my tablet in front of me on the table, I glanced at the pads of my fingers, and recalled how they scanned those with a machine when I was booked by the CCPD. "I'm going to assume it has to do with the pattern on my finger pads matching those of somebody else," I tapped out.

Agent Shimmer smiled as she drummed her fingers along the edge of the table. "Yeah, you're definitely a Construct," she remarked, more to herself than anyone else, taking her aviators off and clipping them to her top and then pulling a glasses case out of her jacket pocket and donning the glasses therein. I could make out the teeniest bit of mirth in her cyan eyes. "Eventide Cantata would have tried to lie and pretend she didn't know what was happening, but Construct was always the rational one, willing to cut the shit when she knew it wouldn't get her anywhere."

I froze upon hearing my sister's name. She knows. She has to know this world's Cantata and Construct personally to say that. That's why she's here. "You... know what I am?"

"That you're the teenage doppelganger of a woman who's been missing for almost ten years? Yeah, that part was pretty obvious," she snarked. "I also know you're not just some Fae pact-breaker or malefic spirit, given you had no reaction to my iron and silver rings. Beyond that, however, no, I have no idea what you are."

Shaking my head, I hastily typed out a response. "No, I mean you know what me and Cantata were to one another. It's pretty clear to me that you knew this world's Eventide Cantata and Construct... but you know what I am and you're not trying to exorcise me or anything like that."

Maybe it was the fact that I'd begun to shake, but Shimmer fixed me with a pitying look. "You're definitely going to explain 'this world' to me, but yes, I know that Eventide Cantata had Dissociative Identity Disorder," she remarked, her voice growing somewhat dark as she went, "and that Construct was the alter that emerged in response to a friend of her father forcing himself upon her when she was only four. Connie was her protector, yet Cantata loved and treated her like a little sister."

I... How... These are two different worlds. How could two different iterations of the same person have the exact same traumatic event occur in two separate realities. The only reason I even knew about DID was because it became recognised after Cantata was already gone... When I'd already joined the navy. So many emotions that I'd ended up burying when Cantata gave up and just disappeared began floating to the surface. It was threatening to sweep me away in a panic attack.

With an ache in my chest, I typed out a response. "Did Uncle Wheel end up floating face-down in Manehattan Harbour when Dad found out here, too?" I asked, grasping for something I could take satisfaction in and ground myself. I hadn't thought about any of that stuff in years, and I only understood what Dad really did for us much later in life. She looked confused for a moment before a look of recognition crossed her face and she ended up nodding. "Good."

Agent Shimmer gave me a moment to centre myself before continuing. "Manehattan, huh?" she queried. "Does that make you another Equestrian expat, then?" At my shocked expression, she grinned. "Don't look so surprised. You're not the first of your kind to end up living in this very city. Somehow, I don't think you got here the same way as her, though. You're too well adjusted to have just come through when that portal, which she thinks we don't know about, would have been open last."

A part of my heart leapt at the mention of a portal, but 'when it was open last' implied that it was not currently opened and wouldn't be for quite a while. Besides, I'm pretty sure I've already been declared killed in action."I don't think going back is even an option for me. I died in combat. The only reason I think I'm even here instead of on the Elysian Fields with Dad is because that traitorous spirit of chaos took pity on me." I paused to tap the scar on my throat for emphasis. "Not that it stopped the bastard from making me reincarnate without the parts needed to speak."

I could see a number of different thoughts going through her head as her expression subtly changed. "So, Abstract died in that world," she said in a soft voice. It took me a minute to recognise that she actually sounded sad about it. "How bad did Mom's counterpart take it there?"

I stared at her in confusion. Mom? Who the hell even is that? And why the fuck is she talking like she knew my Dad. "Our dam abandoned Cantata with Dad as soon as she could wean her onto a bottle. We never knew the mare... and when Dad died before we even turned eight, we had nobody." Wait... Mom... She knows Dad... "Are you the half-sister of the Eventide Cantata of this world?"

"I... yes," she sounded almost sad. I could only imagine what was going through her head. If she was telling the truth, I might have a half sister kicking around somewhere in Equestria, one I never knew because our dam abandoned Cantata with our father... One I'd never get to meet. "Do you think... Could I speak to Cantata for a bit? Not that I don't like talking to you, but... it's sort of weird speaking to the alter that integrated after she started getting therapy in her teens. Even if she's not the same one, I still miss my little sister."

Again, I felt an ache deep in my chest. She could have asked me to do any number of things, and I'd have felt obligated just because she knew about Equestria, and could probably dictate my fate. Yet of all the things she asked me to do, she asked for the one thing I couldn't give her. Tears began to rim my eyes as I shakily typed out a response. "Sun and stars, I wish I could, Ms. Shimmer. I wish I could. Every day, I wish she was still here..."

Something inside me broke, and all of those emotions became too much for me to handle. I buried my face in my arms and began to sob into the table. My sister abandoned me fifteen years ago, and... and I was the only pony who even really cared that she was gone, and now... Now there was someone who actually cared that she existed, and I'm just sitting here as a reminder of something she cannot reach, and I can't even grant her the peace of letting her talk to her sister's counterpart. It was just too fucked up and sad.

I don't know how long I just sat there sobbing, but eventually, I felt a pair of arms around me. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Agent Shimmer asked when I picked my head up off the table. There she was in the chair next to my own, leaning uncomfortably into the arm of the swivel chair, hugging me. "It won't fix anything, but my sister always found that talking about things helped."

Grabbing the tablet, I began frantically typing out an answer. "What's there to say? We got into a fight over a colt because I was being 'too cautious'. She was the gatekeeper, and pushed me down so deep and ignored me so that I could do little more than watch and listen as she started dating the abusive prick. He used her, threw her away, and I couldn't lift a hoof to help her. She didn't even say goodbye; she thrust me back into control one day and vanished, leaving me to pick up the pieces of our life. I tried everything I could short of breaking my own psyche to bring my sister back."

"Shit, kid," was all the agent could say as she patted me on the back and passed me a pack of tissues. For a while, there was nothing either of us could really talk about. I was busy cleaning myself up and trying to calm down, and I could only guess that she was imagining what kind of life we must've lived. The agent seemed like a really smart lady, so she'd probably already picked up on the fact that I was older than my body let on, and that probably made it harder for her to decide what to do with me.

After a while, she finally explained that the government was aware of magic and things relegated to the realm of mythology, and actively suppressed the knowledge whenever possible. PONI had a major hand in keeping the lid on magic, ghosts, faeries, and the like, and the agency was well aware of increased magical activity in the area of Canterlot. That I appeared during that time just got me the benefit of a visit from a 'friendly' face.

In turn, I explained what I knew. She now knew that I only came into this world on the eighteenth of September after being slain by a magic-eating centaur and betrayed by a chaos spirit. I explained how I didn't want to cause any trouble for PONI, and just wanted to live this new life I'd been given. What little of it was left, I just wanted to live a 'normal' human childhood.

Admittedly, she seemed surprised when I pointed out that I planned on going into law enforcement. Apparently, that was the career this world's Eventide went into as well—and that investigating organised crime was likely to blame for her disappearance. Then again, was it really so weird that a protector would want to protect people?

In the end, she stood up and held out a card, upon which there seemed to be a phone number and an email address. "Listen, I can't officially do anything for you, but I'll let my bosses know you're not a threat; if you run into trouble of the magical variety, gimme a call," she offered with a weak smile. "God knows it seems like this city's headed for an upward trend of magical activity. If asked, give your foster Mom my number if she gets curious as to why I needed to interview you. I'm better at using the truth to tell a lie."

I nodded, accepting the card and slipping it into a slot on my tablet case. She turned to go, even as a thought churned in my mind. Before she could leave, however, I grabbed her sleeve and started typing. "My foster sister, Twilight, may have found a way to detect magic," I said, giving her a look of anxiety. "If PONI is keeping magic quiet, are you guys going to end up coming after her? Am I going to have to do something I'll regret like sabotaging her work to keep her safe?"

Agent Shimmer seemed to consider this for a moment before shaking her head. "If she's already capable of building something that can detect magic, then the tech division is probably going to try to recruit her once she knows what she's dealing with, so it's probably best to leave her be," she replied. "I'll have to have Null keep an eye on her in case she puts anything out there, but keep me appraised if she starts to get close to the truth. Maybe avoid helping her if you can, but I get the feeling that, based on a reading I got this morning, it might be hard for you to hide your nature from her. Otherwise, just keep her safe."

She made her way over to the door, but paused with her hand on the knob. "Oh, and Connie?" Shimmer gave me a sad look over her shoulder. "I know you can't tell your foster family everything, but be honest with them about the DID. Now, more than ever, you're going to need support and therapy. Believe it or not, but I know firsthand how much dying can screw you up, and given your history and all the stress you're probably under, you might end up with an unwanted roommate, if you catch my meaning. I hear they're not all as nice as you."

At that, she left me sitting there, alone in the meeting room. My head was spinning, and I was unsure what to focus on. The government knew that magic was real, and worse, it knew about me. Even if she said she'd tell them I'm harmless, they'd probably have their eyes on me. Tartarus, if I'm reading between the lines, they might even recruit me somewhere down the line just because I'm already in the know.

I'm not the only Equestrian in this city, either. Agent Shimmer said she met an Equestrian before, and although she never named them, I was pretty sure I had a good idea of who it was. Sunset Shimmer... That was the name of Princess Celestia's previous apprentice—the one who up and vanished—and if I'm right, I walked right past her nearly two weeks ago... and if the same holds true... I quickly stowed that last thought away and focused on what I knew. That girl living in the factory district was likely the Sunset Shimmer that disappeared from Equestria, and was almost certainly involved in whatever magical mishap caught the Feds' interests.

As I got up, grabbed my stuff, and walked out of the meeting room, I debated whether I should go meet the girl. It'd be kinda nice to get to know a fellow Equestrian who's been living in this world longer than me. ... and who might—no, don't think about it right now. Then again, according to the rumours, even though Celestia's previous student was a prodigy who could have revolutionised several magical fields, she was also an egotistical bitch on wheels. Did I really want to get to know that kind of person? Then again, people change, right? Eh, add it to the list.

I made my way back to Cadance's office, too numb to even notice the other students around me. The agent was right in that I should be honest with my new family, especially if I wanted to make this new life work. At the same time, though, admitting to them that I have mental health issues was a terrifying thought. What if they decide that's a line too far, that it's too weird for them to cope with?

Pausing outside the door, I used the screen of my tablet as a mirror and tidied myself up before knocking. While I waited for her to call out and grant entrance, I began typing up what I wanted to say. Upon entering and shutting the door behind me, I sighed and hit play. "Ms. Cadance, can we talk?" I asked as I took the seat across from her. "Talking with that FBI agent brought up some things I didn't really want to talk or think about, and she suggested that I should talk to somebody about it... You're a counsellor, so I wanted to get your opinion on how to handle it. What do you know about Dissociative Identity Disorder and alters?"

Author's Note

Merry Christmas, everybody. Here's a festive Connie for yas.

Yeah, trying to vocalise without using your vocal cords sounds really fucking creepy. I've attempted it myself, and it is barely recognisable.

I don't think anyone was really surprised about the identity of Agent S, but how many of you were surprised to find out Construct and Cantata were just to parts of a single person? For that matter, do you think our friendly neighbourhood federal agent making a mistake by cluing Evie in on the existence of magic in this world and the fact that she's not the only Equestrian in Canterlot?

For that matter, how do you think Evie will handle the knowledge that she has a half-sister who may live just miles away?

Chapter 12: What Lies Underneath

Most people had never heard of the Undercity nightclub. It wasn't in the usual places you'd find a nightclub, like a converted warehouse or in the city's commercial district, but rather, it was quite literally right under your nose. No, the Undercity was a decommissioned metro station accessible only by walking along the tracks eastbound from the Palace Boulevard station in the downtown area and detouring down a maintenance corridor. Given that the nightclub served as a meeting place for the things that go bump in the night, as well as a den for Chrysalis' little coterie, an underground location like this was a must.

As Agent Shimmer walked down the maintenance corridor, she noted that some hoodlum had apparently started tagging over the path marker leading to the nightclub, only for the mark of the Undercity to be painted right back over it. Idly, she wondered if she was going to find out one of Chrysalis' children of the night made the tagger disappear, or just put the fear of god into them. The bloodsucker was usually good about policing her kids, but the agent of PONI was under no illusions that vampires weren't territorial little shits.

As had been the case the last time she was in town to check in on a problem child, there was a dark-skinned man with blood-red hair standing guard at the large metal door leading into the nightclub. His violet eyes, which Shimmer was almost certain he had his suit tailored to match, narrowed upon seeing her, and his lips curled just enough to bare his fangs. "You have a lot of nerve showing up here, day walker," he remarked, not at all moving to let her in. "That old Everfree crone is still singing your curses over threatening her great granddaughter, and she's in here every night. The least you could do was show a little gratefulness that she bothered binding your soul back into your body."

Shimmer just set her hands on her hips, one hand moving dangerously close to the revolver resting comfortably at her side. "Pharynx, that Vitamin D deficiency must really be impeding your cognitive functions," she spat, meeting the young vampire's glare. Much to her amusement, he broke eye contact. "Let me refresh your memory: Elder Gaia wouldn't have had to put my soul back if Gloriosa Daisy and her 'Everfree Witches' hadn't been toying around with conjuration in the first place. Honestly, the hag is lucky her great grandbrat didn't end up like the rest of her coven when they botched the summoning."

Knowing that Elder Gaia was a regular face here, and might even be close enough for her supernatural hearing to pick up, she refrained from pointing out that it was the hag's own fault for putting the idea in their heads in the first place. She still had nightmares about the ritual gone wrong that left her soul separated from her body, and didn't need a vengeful two-century old spell-caster adding to it. Instead she just sighed and looked at the door. "My associate's already in there, and your queen should be expecting me. Don't make this hard on yourself."

He must have decided she wasn't worth the trouble, because he reached over and pulled the door open to usher her inside. There were all sorts of unusual creatures you didn't typically see in day to day life. A goblin, a Fae of the Winter Court, and what Shimmer was almost certain was a werebear were playing cards off in one corner, while in a private booth, she could see a well-to-do young man getting fawned over by one of Chryssi's vampires. The girl, slender and pale youth with long pink hair, was dressed up in a Crystal Prep uniform. If she's a student at CPA, her blood must be pure enough that daylight is more of a hindrance than a weakness. Finally, seated at the bar, nursing a beer and conversing with the tall, dark woman tending the bar, was her partner, Agent Tempest Shadow.

The bartender smiled upon seeing Shimmer, and immediately fetched a bottle of grenadine from the shelf behind her, a bottle of sparkling water, and a carton of orange juice from beneath the counter. Before she'd even taken her seat, there was already a virgin sunrise waiting for her. "Agent Shimmer," she greeted with a smile. Even Tempest turned to regard her with curiosity. "How goes your investigation? Find the source of your anomalies yet?"

She waggled her left hand as she sipped the mocktail offered. "One of them, at least," she said with a sigh. Shimmer took out her phone and showed Chrysalis a picture she'd taken of Construct when she was coming in. "I spoke to the girl at Crystal Prep today, and she's from the same place as the Mini-Me residing here in Canterlot. Didn't come the same way as her, but I have no doubt she still has the same kind of magic lingering inside her."

That got a laugh out of the vampire matron as she put away the items used to make Shimmer's drink. When she turned around, she was staring across the nightclub to where the young vampiress was fawning over that guy. "Poor Fleur is going to be heartbroken to find out that she can't sample the 'silent new prey' she was obsessing over." At the confused look of Agent Shadow, Chrysalis explained. "Two years ago, I had some of my thralls run a blood drive at Canterlot High School. Most went to the hospital, while a quarter of all of the takings had been distributed to my coterie. Poor Apocrita got the blood from Shimmer's mysterious counterpart, and fell to pieces... Literally."

Sunset chuckled, as she sipped her drink. "Chryssi here was so up in a tizzy thinking that someone invented a poison targeting vampires, so I was sent in to investigate before she ended up reigniting the cold war between her vampires and the therianthropes." She changed the picture on her phone to one that showed her sitting beside what looked to be a much younger version of herself—maybe thirteen years old—who was looking very grumpy at the 'Interdimensional Runaway' t-shirt she'd been forced to wear. Content it was the best picture, she showed it to Agent Shadow, who baulked at the sight of it. "Colour me surprised when I came across this brat. Ran away through a magic mirror from a place rich in magic. Couldn't get much out of her beyond a promise to stay on the right side of the law, and to keep her head down. Chryssi's kids have been keeping an eye out for her ever since."

Chrysalis began shaking her head and looked up at the ceiling. "Now that I think of it, I might know where your other anomalies came from, and Little Red is smack dab in the middle of it," she remarked as she turned to Shimmer with a thoughtful expression. "Did you hear about the incident at Canterlot High on the eighth?"

Sunset looked down at her mocktail and sighed. Fishing out her ten years sober chip from her jacket pocket, she stared at it and asked, "Is this going to end up challenging my sobriety, Chrysalis?" The laughter from the vampire matron did nothing to make her feel better. "Goddamn it, kid."

The car ride back to the Sparkle household felt awkward. Not only would Cadance have to bring up the unfortunate bullying incident and my weak constitution this afternoon, we would be having a discussion about something I realise I probably should have been more open about. I still wasn't feeling amazing, and crying it out in front of Agent Shimmer hadn't really done anything to help. The emotional numbness from the trip back to Cadance's office was replaced by a sluggishness in my body and a return of the exhaustion from earlier.

At least the discussion with Cadance had revealed something after I brought up DID. Apparently, when they first brought me to meet Principal Cinch, they noticed how I seemed to become a different person dealing with Cinch and her secretary, and how I seemed to be dissociating. On top of that, she seemed to catch on to my surprise at my own behaviour. The woman definitely paid a lot more attention to the people around her than most. It made sense though; she was a counsellor on top of being the dean of the school, and she'd be trained to notice that kind of thing.

That was when she told me what I looked like from the outside. It wasn't just my behaviour that was different, apparently. To her, my gaze appeared unfocused, and my demeanour became cold. More than that, though, it looked to her like I was taking sadistic glee in putting Mr. Willow and Mrs. Cinch off their game, and that I seemed used to playing those exact same mind games.

I mean, she wasn't wrong, but... Did I really take pleasure in it? It genuinely wasn't something I was sure about. Back in Equestria, dealing with the Resplendent's XO, it was just part of the job... One that annoyed me, but something I just dealt with. Was I inadvertently taking out years of frustration on them?

That Cadance had noticed at all worried me but it also made me rethink my actions over the last few weeks. Some distant part of me enjoyed putting that little bitch, Sour, in her place this morning. It resonated with my memories of my interaction with Cinch and screwing with Sour and Sunny at lunch on my first day. Hell, it kind of reminded me of the time I beat up that gangster. It was nothing like all the times I defended myself or Cantata when we were growing up. More than anything, it felt exactly like that rage I'd felt at Tirek and Discord before I died—like something that wanted to claw its way out and make others hurt for trying to hurt me or those I care about.

This wasn't the drive to protect I was used to. If I looked at how I defended Cantata, I only used enough force as was necessary, and I didn't enjoy it; it was just what I was supposed to do as the rational protector. Nor was it the emotional parts that used to belong to Cantata that showed through in recent times of helplessness. It honestly put a bit of a terrifying thought inside my head. What if this was what it was like for her before I became self-aware? What if Sunset was right, and I had a ticking time-bomb inside my head because I was becoming more like Cantata used to be?

It was for that reason that I'd remained silent for almost the entirety of the trip home. I didn't want to think about it any more before I had to discuss it with Velvet and Night. I probably wouldn't see Shining until the weekend dinners, but I knew Cadance would be talking to him. Shit. What if this precludes me from getting into law enforcement?

Quietly, I shook my head and tried to focus on the music Cadance had playing. Don't need to work myself up or stress out more than I already am. Otherwise Ms. Shimmer is right. Luckily for me, the car radio was tuned into a station that focused on jazz music. It was something that was easy to lose myself in, and it was relaxing.

As we drove, however, I noticed something that I initially put aside as a part of the music. There was a slight ticking noise. At first, I thought it might've been a metronome in either song, or maybe the turn signal indicator, but as I paid more attention to it, I became a lot more certain it wasn't either—it wasn't a consistent sound, but there was a bit of a pattern to it. If I was right, then it was something I should bring up now.

When we stopped at a red light at an intersection, I tapped Cadance's elbow, hit the mute button for the radio, and then typed up a question. "Cadance, do you hear an irregular ticking sound?"

She stopped and listened for a few seconds, and I was passively waving my pointer finger in time with the noise. After a few moments, she shook her head. "No, I can't say I hear it," she admitted as the light changed and the car in front of us began to move. She seemed a bit wary before asking, "Are you sure it's not just debris kicked up by the tires hitting the undercarriage?"

I shook my head as she started moving forward. It became more frequent as the engine picked up in RPM. Definitely something off with the timing. Combustion engines were relatively new in Equestria, and the Royal Equestrian Navy was one of the first to adopt such engines for smaller craft. Although they were still unfeasible for larger naval vessels and airships, they proved to be rather effective on things like the resupply skiff that I'd been working on back home. Ugly monstrosity, but that little barge was practically my baby. Hope that they didn't put her under Lug Nut's care.

"It sounds like there's something off with the timing in your engine," I explained after a moment of reminiscence. "Or the oil pressure is low. Either way, you might wanna get it looked at before you blow a head gasket or worse."

She gave me a sidelong glance as we pulled up to the gates of the Ponyville Plaza gated community. "You had to miss out on your first auto-shop class today, so I'm somewhat surprised that you seem so sure," she said in a careful tone. "How can you be so sure?"

I just folded my arms in front of me and gave her a bratty look before finally typing out an answer. "You probably won't believe me, but I've had to strip down and rebuild one or two rudimentary internal combustion engines before." Still, she didn't really look like she bought it, so I tapped out one last message before putting the tablet away. "Just remember what I said when you start hearing the ticking or it starts sputtering."

The hours leading up to dinner were tense. Rather than talking to Velvet and Night Light with me, she chose to speak to them in the kitchen alone first. Although Velvet seemed to wish to discuss things with me, she seemed to be waiting until after dinner, likely knowing that stressing about this beforehand would likely kill my appetite. She was probably right.

At some point, while Cadance was briefing the foster parents, Twilight got in. Although she gave me a worried look as she passed the living room, she seemed to be in a hurry. I barely even saw their face before she was up the stairs and into her room. Shortly after, she ran back down the stairs dressed in a hoodie and track pants, darting through the kitchen and out to the lab. I could just make out her telling her folks that she'd be eating in the garage.

I guess Agent Shimmer wasn't the only one who picked up whatever that was this morning... If that really was me she detected, then she was probably right in that hiding it from Twilight wouldn't be easy. That probably meant that I would have to find out if I still had some semblance of magic still inside me, but without wings, it wasn't like I'd be able to try flying or jumping on a cloud. Not that it would be feasible either way; clouds are way higher up in this world.

The easiest way to test would probably be those spell circles I took the time to learn back in LRSLG training. They were something almost nopony tried to learn because they were time-consuming to draw out, not as efficient as unicorn casting, and you had to have your lines near perfect or the whole array would just waste most of the energy put into it. You either had to etch it into something, or draw it on a surface with chalk, which would burn away upon casting.

Take the repair cantrip for example; that array had to be drawn large enough to fit the object you wanted to fix up, and you couldn't use it on complex parts—only components. If I needed to fix a cracked camshaft or bent head gasket and we didn't have spares in storage, I still had to strip down the engine to get the part. Plus, even if I did have it etched in my workbench back on the Resplendent, I couldn't use it to quickly fix multiple parts, lest the metal heat and warp, distorting the lines.

If I was going to test magic, I'd have to do it away from the house and the school, and that meant waiting until I had my bus pass. Ideally, I'd take that pocket money that they gave me, find somewhere to get some chalk, and find an out of the way place to test out the light cantrip. Or could it work with pen ink and a scrap of paper?

Dinner was a quiet affair. It was a dish of rice served alongside carrots and potatoes—and meat for them—in some kind of spicy, savoury sauce. Something I quickly noticed while living with this family was that they tended to eat a lot of international foods. It was good for me, because there tended to be a larger variety of vegetarian or fish options for me. American cuisine seemed to be focused more around meats like beef, pork, and chicken than anything else.

Regardless, the meal was very good, if a bit spicy for my tastes. Like I said, though, it was quiet. With Twilight off in her lab, presumably poring over readings from whatever equipment she detected magic with, and Spike presumably gone with her, that just left me to sit in silence while the others finished. I had my tablet in reach, but I never used it at the table during mealtime because it somehow felt disrespectful.

Instead, I busied myself with washing my dish and cleaning up everything that Mrs. Velvet used while she was cooking. It was fairly simple to entertain myself with the idea that they wouldn't want to get rid of me, because it meant having a teenager around that wouldn't give them any lip about doing chores, and it turned out to be a good way to make most of it fly by—especially when I considered that they'd already invested a lot in me. Inevitably, though, my mind did wander back to my fear as to how they'd react. Sure, Night Light and Twilight Velvet were undeniably good people, but even good people have limits, and not disclosing mental health issues out of fear and paranoia might be a step too far for them.

For that reason, I began contemplating exactly what I would tell them. My emotions were still burned out after today, so I probably wouldn't have another breakdown like I did with Agent Shimmer. Obviously, I couldn't tell them everything, because they would absolutely think I was crazy if I brought up being a pegasus mare from Equestria. Even when I discussed it with Sparkle, it was with an air of 'I don't believe it's real either'. Still, I needed to disclose enough of the truth to make it believable.

If Twilight discovers magic and rats me out, it'll be easier to open up with them and tell the complete truth if they already know most of it.

By the time I was finished doing the dishes and had dried my hands off, the pair polished off their own meals and put their dishes aside. They watched me expectantly as I walked back over to the table and took my usual seat, sitting my tablet in front of me. "Eventide, dear, I wish you could have been a bit more open with us," Velvet began in a soft voice that was clearly intended to show no aggression. "This is the sort of thing we need to know about as your guardians—something you should have disclosed when we took you in."

If I still had my pony ears, they'd have reflexively folded back in a display of guilt or shame. Enough of it apparently showed on my face that Night Light reached across the narrow table and patted my nearest hand. "Just so we're clear, neither of us are angry with you," he explained, retracting his hand. He still looked rather disappointed. "Still, I wish you would have told us sooner. CPA is not a gentle school, and from what Cadance told us, you have a condition that really does not play well with extremely stressful situations. We wouldn't have even considered sending you there if we'd known."

I shook my head and began typing out a response. "I'm sure CPA will be stressful, but it's nowhere near as bad as some of the things I know for certain about my past. I'm honestly glad to have Twilight, Starlight, and the friends I've been making. It'd be harder to start if I didn't know anybody there." The pair looked even more worried when I mentioned my past, but I ignored the expressions on their face. "I... We... were originally born Eventide Cantata. For the first four years of our life, we were just an ordinary girl. Then it happened."

It was hard to tell if they both got the implication, but to be on the safe side, Night spoke up in search of clarification. "It?"

With a tired nod, I began typing. "A friend of our father forced himself upon Cantata." Velvet gasped, and Night looked aghast. It probably didn't help that I just looked tired, rather than with any degree of emotion. Admittedly, that's because I'd already had it drug up by the PONI agent and discussed it with Cadance beforehand, so there wasn't really any more emotion to spend. "While Dad made sure he could never hurt anyone ever again, the damage was still done. Cantata was scared by the event, and couldn't cope. Thus, I was born—someone rational, confident, and willing to stand up for her.

"We lived in harmony and held a healthy partnership for several years, even after the sickness claimed Dad. Even when she ignored my warning and got taken in by someone who only wanted free labour, we stuck it out and managed not to end up with any other roommates," I explained, feeling my eyes grow wet in spite of how emotionally dead I felt at that exact moment. "After we ended up back on the streets, she fell head over heels in love with this boy. I tried to warn her exactly what sort of person he was, which led to a huge argument and me getting pushed down and ignored. He used and abused her, threw her away, and broke her heart and I was helpless to protect her. Only then did she let me back out.

"I've been alone, and never heard a peep from her, ever since." I took a shaky breath and looked from one to the other. Clutching one hand against my chest, I returned my gaze to the table. "The last thing Cantata ever said to me was during the initial fight. 'I hate you, Construct, and I never wanna talk to you again.' Heh. I guess she got her wish. I'm sure she's still in here somewhere, but..."

"Ah jeeze," Night remarked, looking from me to Velvet. "That's awful. I still wish you could have told us sooner."

Velvet gave him this look that could probably kill. "Nighty, that's hardly something she could just drop on someone she'd just met," she argued. "What's important is that now that we know, we can work with her to make sure she stays safe and gets help."

Night light didn't look entirely convinced. If anything, he seemed wary, casting furtive glances to the back door. "You're right of course, Vel," he admitted with a drawn-out exhalation. "Still, you need to tell us if there's anyone new up there. Especially if they're aggressive." The unspoken message was pretty clear. I don't want you or whoever else is in there to hurt my daughter.

From there, we began talking about methods to keep myself grounded, so that if I ever did get stressed out, I could bring myself down from a panic attack. Admittedly, I needed a new calming method since I couldn't simply focus on the air flow through specific flight feathers as a human. There was the five-four-three-two-one method, listing five things I saw, four I could touch, three I could hear, two I could smell, and one I could taste. Then there was stuff like counting backwards from one hundred in sevens, reciting something from memory, and various visualisation techniques. Getting up and moving was another option I had.

There was no doubt in my mind that they would probably talk to Twilight about this themselves, but by the end of the conversation, I was mentally run-down and ready to just crash. After taking care of their dishes as well, I returned upstairs and changed into my pyjamas. My last thought before falling asleep was that—for good or for bad—I felt I'd made the right choice.

Author's Note

Time skip, and then be prepared for solo shopping, magic, and meeting our favourite redemption heroine! How have things been going for our other Equestrian girl, and how will she react to meeting Eventide? Only time will tell!

While we're building up towards the climax of Arc 2, I'd like to ask you, the audience, what sort of interactions you'd like to see in the meantime. You want to see more of Connie enjoying some sweet tunes with Lemon? How about archery club rivalries? Maybe you want to find out what in the heck Jinx Charm's deal is. Did Shiny ever take Connie to the range to teach her about gun safety? Lemme know if there are any specific scenarios you guys really want me to have a go at, and if it doesn't throw a major wrench into the Arc 2 climax, you might just see it worked in. If an idea directly contributes toward that climax, yeah, you're probably more likely to see it. Not telling what that is, however. :pinkiecrazy:

Arc 3 is definitely gonna be a fun, 'cause we're gonna see music, magic, and mask-off.

Chapter 13: Blood of Steel and Sun

The next Friday...

As I stepped in the front door behind Twilight, I let out a quiet yawn. Today wasn't exactly what I would call productive—especially in comparison to the last several school days. See, the rest of the students started the school year at the end of August, and the week before I began attending Crystal Prep, the students had their midterm exams in applicable courses. For me, they'd given me a week to settle in, and then I'd had a number of catch-up exams all this week. Twilight was kind enough to give me some of her study notes from last year, but it was still exhausting.

Today, it was basically, come in, do one last exam, go to phys-ed, and then go home because the afternoon was dedicated to parent-teacher meetings. I spent the class period swimming in the school pool with the rest of the students. Although I'd spent plenty of times swimming in the lake at Central Park, I'd done so naked; even though it was my second time in the school pool, I was still unused to the school-issued swimsuit that I was required to wear.

On the bright side, it was an excellent opportunity for me to take advantage of my new bus pass. When I found out about the half-day in the middle of the week, I'd spent a portion of that evening making my plans. The bus routes were memorised, and I knew my way to the craft store nearest Central Park. On top of it all, I was even being given some spending money because I did chores at home without complaint.

Unsurprisingly, Twilight rushed upstairs to change. That was something I'd noticed her doing a lot lately. Ever since last Wednesday, she's spent an ungodly amount of time working in her lab with the door locked. Something lit a fire under her plot, and she'd even stopped doing the anime showings that she got me used to. Even a visit from Starlight wasn't able to get her to come out. The only time she ever came out was to get food, get parts, use the bathroom, or go to school.

Today was no different. After taking my shoes off and going up to my room to change, I heard her thundering back down the stairs and out the back. Given the number of times over the week she'd come back in to fetch parts from the supply closet—making her store her electronic parts inside the house was apparently the only way they could make her come back inside from time to time—I could only imagine that her portable energy scanner prototype was going through revisions and rebuilds.

As I threw on my jeans, my cutie-mark t-shirt, and the black and green hoodie, I mentally ran through a checklist of everything I wished to purchase today. One of those small whiteboards and dry erase markers wouldn't go amiss; it'll save on pen ink and paper from the notepad. Then there's the chalk I need for my magic experiments. I could get some plain white chalk, but then again, if I make a habit of practicing it might be good to mark the different components I remember down in different coloured chalk and see if I can't derive something. I paused for a moment as I considered that, and then shook my head. Slipping the strap of my goggles around my neck, I started placing my uniform into the laundry basket I'd been provided. I'm getting ahead of myself. A small box of white chalk to start out with. Maybe some post-its and pencils, just in case.

Once I'd put both my uniform, swimsuit, and PT clothes into the laundry basket, I took my tablet out of its case and plugged it into the charger. Content that I'd left my personal belongings in a tidy manner, I grabbed my notepad, pen, and my wallet—they insisted I have something to keep my bus pass and currency in—and stuffed them both into the front pocket of my hooded sweatshirt. Rather than use the shoes I had for school, however, I grabbed the boots we grabbed while at Walmart that first day—the black ones with the green laces.

Exiting my room, I made my way downstairs and set my boots down in front of the door. Before putting my boots on, however, I went to Velvet's office door and knocked. While waiting to be invited in, I wrote out a quick message on the notepad. "Come in!"

I walked in and held up the notepad. When she didn't turn away from the work on her computer monitor, possibly expecting me to have the tablet with me, I clicked my tongue. Sure enough, she seemed surprised to see me holding up the notepad. I'm going out for a bit. I plan on catching the bus down to the Central Park area, and visiting a craft store. Since I will be by myself, I won't have the tablet on me. I wasn't stupid; someone would absolutely try and nab it, regardless of my disability.

Velvet brushed some purple and grey locks out of her face as she read the note. "As long as you're back before dark, that's fine," she said in a motherly tone. "Just to be safe however, I want you to keep this in your wallet." She held out a square of paper. "If something happens to you, I want people to know to contact us."

Accepting the paper, I gave it a quick read. 'My name is Eventide Construct. I am mute, and if I am injured, unable to write or otherwise communicate, please call this number.' It definitely was a phone number that looked like Velvet's. 'If I seem lost, please bring me to 6 Golden Oaks Dr. in the Ponyville Plaza gated community.' Without any further thought, I took out my wallet and slid the paper into one of those card-shaped slots.

"Other than that, make sure to have fun," she added as she watched me put the wallet back in the front pocket of the hooded sweatshirt. There was a bit of a playful smile on her face. "After what happened the other week, I was starting to get a bit concerned that you were going to end up only ever going out when necessary, like Twily."

Okay, that's a bit of a fair assessment, I guess. After all, aside from my getting arrested, going to school, and the odd time we've been out to the shops, I haven't really left Golden Oaks. I could see why she might be a bit concerned that I might become a bit of a shut-in, afraid to go out. Still, I began writing another message. If you're going to parent teacher meetings and the maths teacher says I'm a bit of a know-it-all, I just want it known that he started it and I'm pretty sure it's in retaliation for warning him about the ADA. I flashed her the page, and then exited her office.

I quickly put my boots on, grabbed a reusable black shopping bag, and was then out the door. It was cool outside, but I could tell by the barometric pressure and the cloud cover that I should be fine. It might start raining around sundown if a low pressure front moved in, but I fully intended to be back home before then. Sun and stars, though, I miss being able to fly under my own power, I mused, walking towards the community gate with my eyes more on the sky than what was in front of me. I miss gliding and cloud parkour... If only I'd reincarnated somewhere where I could keep my wings...

The security guard at the gate gave me a friendly wave as I passed his station, and then I was walking down the sidewalk towards the bus stop. I was fully used to this route, as I'd been walking it the last several mornings and afternoons when going to and from the school. Still, it felt strange being out here for a reason other than school. As a car drove past me, and I was buffeted by the wind kicked up in its wake, a chill ran through me.

Not that I'm scared. It's not like there was a former cop who might have it out for me. Oh yes, I'd been updated on the whole situation with that Doughnut Quota scumbag, and I honestly didn't know how to feel about it. Sure, he'd lost his job and had been blacklisted, but the guy would never see the inside of a jail for what he did. Part of the settlement Night Light's lawyers got us—complete with a fair bit of money going into a custodial account—came with the stipulation that we wouldn't press criminal charges. Celestia only knows why they'd ask such a thing; was there some sort of information that'd become utterly useless if he was in jail?

I wasn't so daring as to jinx myself by saying he wouldn't possibly be dumb enough to come after me, because he most assuredly was that stupid. He risked his job to do what, you might ask? Oh he was apparently for sale to whoever was willing to bribe him. It just so happened that a suburban trophy wife Karen was one of his leash-holders.

"Yo, Connie!" a familiar voice shouted as I approached the bus stop. I tore my eyes away from the sky and felt a smile crease my face. Reclining against the bus shelter in some black skinny jeans and a white long-sleeve shirt, both with what looked to be intentional tears in the fabrics, was Lemon Zest. Much to the consternation of one of the other people at the stop, she was waving excitedly at me. "You taking advantage of the half day and going shopping too?"

I shrugged and gave a waggle of my hand as I approached, before retrieving the notepad. Eh, there was a craft store I wanted to check out near Central Park, and then I was planning on spending some time in the park. HBU? Even though it seemed absolutely obtuse, I rather enjoyed learning some of the ways humans abbreviated text in order to meet seemingly arbitrary character limits. Even if I didn't use a lot of them, I appreciated the brevity when writing.

She beamed at me as I took a place next to her, also relaxing against the shelter. "I'm going to the music store at the mall," she remarked, and for the first time, I realised that my pink-skinned friend didn't have her signature headphones on—not even just hanging around her neck. "Snagged my headphone cable in a door and the cable snapped, so I'm going to see if I can't get new ones."

That sucks. How you handling not having any jams?

Her smile became a smirk, and she reached into her bag to fish out a white cable that ended in what looked like two tiny speakers. She popped one of the speakers into her right ear, and it sat just perfectly. "Who says I don't have my jams?" she ribbed, quite literally elbowing me in the ribs. She retrieved her phone from her bag, plugged the cable in, and then offered me the other ear speaker. "Besides, dude, you didn't get your lunchtime music exposure! You're so sheltered music-wise that it's driving me crazy!"

Every day. Every single day at lunch, without fail, she's made me check out a variety of different songs and music genres. Monday, it was rap, Tuesday was ska, Wednesday was electro-swing, and yesterday was dubstep. I genuinely wasn't sure if she was just sharing her passion in music, or if she was trying to help me broaden my horizons. Either way, I knew that I was in for a fun time. With a smile I took the other earphone and popped it into my left ear.

"Rock on!" she cheered, navigating to her media player app and queuing up a playlist for us to listen to. "I've been easing you into the good stuff, but today is the real deal. Even if you're only with me 'til I gotta transfer to a different bus, I swear I'm gonna make a proper metal-head outta ya."

Suddenly that song, 'All My Best Friends are Metalheads', on Tueday makes so much more sense.

Maybe it was her enthusiasm, or the eerie church bell the song opened with, I felt my heart flutter. Then the lead guitar began, soon followed by drums and the subtle strumming of a bass line. "I'm rollin' thunder, pourin' rain... I'm comin' on like a hurricane," a high pitched, but clearly masculine voice sang. "White lightning's flashin' across the sky... You're only young but you're gonna die..."

Oooh, lyrics about weather? You know just how to appeal to my pegasus nature, Lemon.

When I exited the craft store, it was with a mostly empty wallet. I'd gotten the things I went in for—sticky notes, mechanical pencils, a small box of blackboard chalk, and the whiteboard with dry erase marker—but I also came out with a fountain pen and a small locking diary with key. It was something of a spur of the moment purchase; after all, it was notebooks I'd been looking for at the time. My reasoning for the purchase was that, assuming that I really could pull off some magic, any notes I kept on it would be something I'd want to keep locked away, lest anyone in the house get into them.

That said, I found myself missing Lemon's company. Listening to the music and the light conversation about the songs she was playing for me on the bus had made things feel a whole lot less lonely. It was probably for that reason that I found myself whistling one of the songs she played as I walked. There was just something aesthetically pleasing about the melody of that Guns and Roses song, Sweet Child o' Mine.

Of course, I was drawing more than a few weird looks as I went. See, the mini white-board I grabbed was slightly too big for my hoodie's pocket, but it happened to have this sort of clip on the back of it. Thus, I wisely clipped it to one of my pants pockets. That said, the message I'd left on the board did a lot to keep people from staring. I have no larynx. Stop staring. Some people would read it and turn away, looking ashamed. Good.

By the time I reached the park, I realised that I probably should've taken some time to break in these boots before doing a lot of walking in them. My feet were a bit sore, and I decided that I'd probably wanna find somewhere to sit down for a bit. Just kick my feet up, y'know? I wonder how everyone at the encampment is doing.

That single thought immediately set my path for me, and before too long, I found myself walking down the path to the public restrooms. It was a familiar route, and even if I'd not walked it in over two weeks, it was still fresh in my memory. Even as I started picking my way through the underbrush behind the toilets, I started picking out various things I remembered about the place. There's the pipe I beat that gangster with, and there's the tree I used to sleep in, just outside the encampment proper but...

As I reached the clearing that once housed the encampment, I realised how quiet it was. Oh there was the sound of birdsong and the wind in the trees, but there was no sign of human life. One of the fire barrels is still there, but all of the tents were gone, and it seemed like nobody was around. Even the brush shelter that one man built looked to be torn down.

My first assumption was that someone had come in and run the homeless off—that they faced retaliation for roughing up that creep. Maybe someone did run them off, but there wasn't any indicator of violence. Was it possible that the mob really was pissed about the guy I beat? I certainly hoped not; I'd feel guilty if Boss or Violette were hurt because of me.

It was far more likely that they simply packed up and moved on. Because Canterlot was so close to Mt. Shasta, the city apparently tended to get a lot more snow compared to the rest of California. If I had to guess, they likely moved somewhere a bit more sheltered, with easier access to the city itself, like underneath one of the overpasses over in the industrial area. It'd definitely bring them closer to the soup kitchen they took me to that time.

With a shrug, I took a seat on a log near the burn barrel and took out my new diary and fountain pen. Before I started testing anything, I wanted to get everything down that I remembered. Light, Produce Flame, Repair, Mould Earth, Shape Water, Purify Food and Water, and even Detect Magic... I jotted down the relevant spell circles perfectly from memory, and then recreated them with commentary describing what I remembered of how the spell worked. Every channel and circuit, every glyph, and every circle layer had its purpose explained exactly as I remembered it. Assuming that this does work, it might be neat to try creating spells of my own.

I let out a drawn-out yawn as I grabbed a flat piece of rock the guys usually used as a cooktop over proper campfires. It took a lot of careful work with the chalk—I didn't want to get the lines too thick, after all—but eventually I had a reproduction of the basic light spell on the rock. It was times like this that I was glad that I'd taken the time to properly learn how to control this body; it made learning to write again easy, and it definitely helped in drawing.

What was it the instructor said about activating spell circles when you don't have a horn? I pondered as I stared down at my work. Oh, right. 'For you pegasi, remember how it feels to stand on a cloud, and try to impose that memory over the hoof you touch to the spell circle.' It was a pretty rudimentary instruction, but I understood the idea; it was about guiding your magic into one hoof so that you could trigger the spell.

Focusing on recreating that feeling, and putting it all on my left hand, I was shocked to feel the air around me begin to stir. This wasn't just wind; it was centred around me like a small whirlpool of air. There was a prickling sensation in my ears and on my back, and I got the vaguest sense that there was something dancing just outside my perception. I didn't feel it was important right at that moment, so instead I reached my left hand down to touch the circle, while holding my right in front of me, palm up.

At first, nothing happened, but then the chalk on the stone began to glow white and I began to feel a pulling sensation. Then, with a pop, the chalk burned away, leaving a large blackened mark on the stone. I barely paid it any sort of mind, however. I was more interested in the small silvery orb that'd begun floating above my hand. At its centre, it was a mote of white light, but the further out you got, the more grey it looked. Tiny flickering motes of magic came off of it like flecks of steel, giving the light an almost metallic look.

It never got old seeing the way my magic expressed itself in comparison to other ponies. Most ponies just produced certain colours in their spells or auras, while some had more... elemental expressions. One mare who took the course had an electric blue aura that crackled like lightning, and I'd heard of ponies whose magic was like a living flame. For a mare who spent a good portion of her pre-military life—and much of her career—cannon deep in machinery, it was a damned appropriate expression of my magic.

With a bit of a smirk, I clenched my fist shut and snuffed out the spell. So calcium-based chalks are still a good conduit for the magic, but what about others? My eyes drifted from the chalk to the stack of sticky notes poking out of my bag. I picked up what was effectively my spellbook and turned to a different page before freeing one of the mechanical pencils from its wrapping and grabbing the note stack.

I took a few moments to sketch out the spell, and then peeled it off the stack of sticky notes. Sitting it in my palm, I attempted to recreate what I did with the chalk spell circle. The little paper square went up in a little silver flame, before forming a small construct of silvery energy above my hand. It looked vaguely like one of the arrows I'd gotten used to firing at the archery club, and it seemed to mostly point in the direction of the industrial district, occasionally turning towards the east side, the Everfree-Shasta National Park, and then flicking five separate ways.

That was definitely Detect Magic, but either I'm absolutely surrounded by magic users, or the range on this is way beyond what it should be. I mused, turning on the spot and noting the way it largely remained centred on the nearest point. It was supposed to focus on the nearest non-ambient source of magic outside a certain radius, and then the strongest readings in range, and then hint at other readings the way those five flicks kept going off, and was designed for search and rescue. Back in Equestria, I'd been taught it had an effective range of two kilometres. Is it because there's so little ambient magic getting in the way that the range is so much higher?

Closing my hand, and dismissing the spell, I began sketching copies of the different spells, and then sticking them to the pages relevant to the spells. I kept a copy of one outside the diary as I locked it up, sticking it in the back of my note book just in case. Call be paranoid or call me dumb, but I'd rather reveal magic and deal with the consequences from Agent Shimmer and PONI than just let someone hurt me.

Putting my stuff away and slinging my shopping bag over my shoulder like a purse, I got up and stretched. Well, since I'm in the area, and that spell indicated that the PONI Agent's Equestrian doppelganger is near, I might as well go say 'Hi,' right? What's the worst she could say? 'Go pound clouds?'

As I made my way out of the woods and onto the park trail, there was a change in the wind. The temperature was getting bitter, and it was blowing straight into my face. My eyes were beginning to dry right out; I was somewhat thankful, as my goggles were the same military-issued all-weather flight goggles I'd died wearing. I never even questioned why I kept those when I reincarnated, but not my flight suit, the armoured barding, or the short sword; I was just grateful to have them. They provided enough coverage to keep the wind out of my eyes, but not enough that they'd steam up from the body heat. It's just a shame that putting the goggles on and pulling my hood up made people stare at me even more as I exited the park.

They just can't handle my Equestrian military chic.

As I strolled into the industrial district, I spotted a familiar sight exiting a bodega. A redheaded young woman in a black leather jacket that'd seen better days stepped out of the store front with a few shopping bags hanging from her hands. I wasn't close enough to tell if she was still as gaunt-looking, but I hoped she was doing better than the last time I'd seen her. Even at this distance, however, I could tell that she was the spitting image of Agent Shimmer, if only a few inches taller than me.

I was half tempted to let out a piercing whistle to catch her attention and simply run to catch up to her. If 'Red' really was squatting in that warehouse like Violette and Boss suggested that time, she might not be appreciative of being followed home. By approaching her in a public place, she'd probably feel safer in being able to leave any time she wanted.

Before I could come to a decision though, a group of rough-and-tumble looking youths stepped out of an alley as my target passed. One was a tall girl in a bomber jacket, with dark skin and short white hair, while the other girl in the group was teal with blonde hair, dressed in sporty clothes and a varsity jacket. The other three were dim-looking jock types, also wearing Canterlot High School varsity jackets. They started following her, matching her pace for a moment before one of them called out, "Oi, demon bitch! You ain't gotten the message that nobody wants you around anymore." It wasn't the tall tawny girl leading the pack that made the call, but the blonde. Either way, Sunset took only one look over her shoulder before taking off in a sprint. "Get back here!"

There was a ringing in my ears, like the tinnitus I'd get after being caught too close to a misfiring engine. I wanted more than anything else to go and help her, but that group was mostly comprised of people that were larger than me. Only Blondie is my size. It became harder to think as I wrestled with my common sense and the desire to protect someone who may very well have been family. Something in the back of my mind was screaming, and my last clear thought was that regardless of what happened to me, I couldn't simply stand by and do nothing.

Sunset Shimmer crouched behind an abandoned stack of shipping crates in the dim light of the warehouse. The moment Gilda, Lightning Dust, Hoops, Score, and Dumbbell began chasing her, she ended up panicking and running. She thought she'd managed to give them the slip after cutting through an abandoned factory. After making a break for the warehouse she owned and lived out of, however, she heard them follow her into the building through the only unlocked entrance to the entire warehouse. Now she was trapped here, unwilling to make a break for the living quarters that served as her apartment. If they found out where she lived, she'd never be safe again.

For years, she had been the top of Canterlot High's social ladder—the one that everyone feared—and rather than a member of a prey species, she'd surpassed her instincts and became the most cunning in a school of apex predators. Ever since the Fall Formal, where the Equestrian princess blasted her with the Rainbow of Light, however, it was different. She was more vulnerable than ever, and her pony instincts were coming back with a vengeance. On top of being socially declawed and effectively exiled to this side of the portal, the Rainbow of Light had forced her to experience and feel everything she'd ever put anyone or anypony through from the perspective of her victims. It left her with an intense degree of guilt, and painfully aware how much her mind games and manipulation now put a target on her back.

"Come on out, Shimmer, and make it easy on yourself," she heard Lightning Dust, one of the CHS soccer players, call out. "We all got places to be, and we just wanna rough you up a little."

There was a dark laugh that sounded like Gilda's. "Yeah, we won't let the boys have their way with you after we're done, if you just come out."

This was followed by three disgruntled cries from the three boys with them. "What? But you promised we could have some fun with her if we helped you run Sunbitch Shivers out of Canterlot," the trio's leader, Score, growled. "Maybe we ought to just forget her and have some fun with you bitches instead." There was a fleshy impact, followed by a cry of pain from the boy. "Ow! Okay! I was just joking!"

Fear coursed through her veins. What they threatened was something relatively unheard of in Equestria; it was one of the most heinous things you could do to another sapient. Celestia wouldn't abide by such a thing, and it had one of the harshest punishments imaginable—assuming vigilante justice didn't get them first. Here, though, she'd discovered early on that it was not only relatively commonplace, but something a lot of people in her position had to take extra care to avoid.

So, I can either come out and let them beat me, and probably leave me for dead, or I can hide and hope they don't catch me, in which case I'll be beaten and then violated... Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes, and her fingernails bit into her palms. She didn't fancy her chances of hiding, but she also didn't trust they'd keep their word. The only one remotely honourable among them is Gilda. Throwing her voice, she called out, "You promise?"

There came a snort of laughter, followed by Lightning Dust's response, "Yeah, sure, Shimmer."

"No, not you; I wanna hear it from Gilda!" Sunset demanded.

She was sure she heard a sound of annoyance from the athlete, but she wasn't disappointed. "You got my word, Shimmer," Gilda called out. "We'll only give you a beatdown, and if any of them tries anything funny, I'll put'em six feet under myself."

Sucking in a deep breath, Sunset put down her shopping bags and rose from behind her cover. She slowly stepped out into the one spot illuminated by the warehouse's skylight, her hands raised. The five of them quickly surrounded her, and she was hauled off her feet when Gilda slipped behind her and hooked her arms underneath Sunset's to hoist her off of the ground.

For several minutes, the group took turns taking out their frustration on the former unicorn. None of them ever went for her face, not wanting to leave any clearly visible proof of their actions, instead choosing to hammer away at her abdomen. Well, most of them. Whether it be out of size envy, or just plain spite, Lightning was a lot less controlled about where she punched, and she knew that wearing a bra was probably going to be a real pain for a while.

As they continued their torment, however,she began to hear the sound of steel dragging on concrete. The others paused momentarily to listen, but the dragging sound stopped shortly after they all turned to look. It picked up again the moment their backs were turned, and this time it was accompanied by the sound of someone whistling. Strangely enough, Sunset thought she could recognise the melody. Hadn't it been something a bunch of the Royal Equestrian Naval service mares started chanting after getting drunk at one of the military balls she'd attended with the princess?

What do we do with a drunken seamare,
What do we do with a drunken seamare,
What do we do with a drunken seamare,
Earl-aye in the mor-ning.

No way, she thought. Is there really somepony else from Equestria living here too? It seemed impossible. The portal had only opened once between the time she fled through the mirror and the Fall Formal, and she knew that up until recently, Princess Celestia had kept the mirror locked up in the vaults with several other dangerous artefacts. Even with the most recent opening, it had been in a secure storage room somewhere in an unfamiliar crystal castle. There was no way that a pony had just randomly come through. Maybe SMILE? No, they wouldn't have had time to brief somepony and send them through before the portal closed...

"I don't know who the hell you are, but quit fuckin' around with us!" Lightning Dust called out. "Just get the hell out of here and we won't give you the same treatment as we're givin' this demon bitch."

The sound of steel dragging on concrete stopped, but the whistling remained. In the gloom of the warehouse, Sunset thought she could just make out a figure not much taller than the short blonde girl in front of her. A few moments later, the person threw something across the warehouse like a discus. It turned out to be a small whiteboard with but a single word scrawled on it and underlined twice. RUN.

Hoops, the tall tan boy with brown hair, stepped forward, kicking the whiteboard aside with a laugh. "Oooh, so scary," he said to the figure in the darkness. "What'cha gonna do to make us, ya little creeper?"

As if in answer, a silvery flame burst to life atop the figure's outstretched hand, and a slight breeze kicked up inside the warehouse. In the newfound illumination, Sunset could see that it was a girl who couldn't have looked older than fourteen, although with her hood up and what appeared to be flight goggles over her eyes, Sunset couldn't make out much more about her appearance, beyond the fact that her free hand had hoisted a long piece of steel pipe onto her shoulder. What really stood out, however, was the feeling of magic radiating off of her; it was nowhere as powerful as the magic that Twilight Sparkle or her crown had radiated—in fact, it didn't even feel like unicorn magic—but it was definitely Equestrian in origin. The occasional silver mote of magic seemed to flicker above her head or behind her back, too, like something was trying to happen.

"H-how..." she quietly whispered. She'd tried for years to use her magic in this world, but had never had any luck achieving more than a headache. Although she could feel her wellspring inside of her, it had been her conclusion that without some sort of catalysing force—like the Element of Magic or the transformation she underwent, or those of the Princess and those five humans—human bodies simply couldn't use Equestrian magic. And I didn't dare look into this world's magic while PONI had me in my sight.

Evidently, the others were just as surprised by this turn of events. "Holy shit," came Gilda's astonished murmur behind her as the mysterious mage stepped forward with a predatory sneer on her face. "I thought that pony princess said there was no more of that magic in this world."

"Who gives a shit? We can still kick her ass!" Lightning shot back, although she didn't sound all that confident herself. "Go on, you three; get her!"

The boys didn't move. Instead, they just stood stock still, watching the slowly approaching girl as she stopped a fair bit away from the group and pointed her length of pipe at each of them in turn—Hoops, Dumbbell, Score, Lightning, and finally Gilda. She then stood aside and pointed towards the warehouse's door. She's giving them the opportunity to leave, Sunset mused, feeling Gilda's grip slacken a bit. That's the standard Equestrian military doctrine alright: make a threat display and then give the enemy the opportunity to back off. But what's a member of the REN doing here, and if she didn't come through the portal, why does she look so young?

After a few moments of silent consideration—almost as if they were collectively using the group's single brain cell to perform telepathy—the three boys reached a consensus. Without looking back, the three boys ran past the pipe-wielding girl, and burst out through the exit door like a demon was on their heels, which Sunset supposed they probably genuinely believed to be the case..

With a disgruntled scream, Lightning Dust rushed towards the strange girl. "I have to do everything myself, don't I?" This proved to be a mistake, as the stranger hurled the shimmering silvery flame directly at Lightning. She brought up her arms to protect her face, only for the flames to disperse harmlessly after singing her varsity jacket's sleeves.

"Lightning, look out!" Gilda cried out as the strange girl swung the pipe horizontally, catching the blonde in the side. Strangely enough, the tall girl made no move to help her comrade. If anything she seemed to be trying to keep Sunset between her and the girl.

Lightning Dust fell to her knees, clutching her side. "That was a cheap shot," she grunted out. The girl intended to take advantage of her downed opponent's vulnerability by bringing the pipe down in a vertical blow. It was clearly expected, because she brought one of her hands up to catch the pipe on her palm and gripped it tightly. Despite her apparent discomfort, she hauled herself to her feet and gave a yank on the length of metal.

Seemingly not having expected the action, the mysterious girl stumbled forward as Lightning thrust out a foot. As the girl tripped, Lightning slammed a fist into the girl's gut. It sent her sprawling to the floor between the athlete and Sunset, the pipe quickly tumbling away. She quickly scrambled onto all fours and was in the process of standing back up when Lightning Dust pulled something out of her jacket and pressed it against the girl's forehead. The sight of a tube of burnished metal sent a chill down Sunset's spine, especially when you considered the absolutely insane look that was etched across Lightning's face as she stared down the girl.

"Lightning, what the fuck!" Gilda shrieked, letting Sunset's feet finally touch the ground for the first time in several minutes. She released the redhead and stormed over toward her friend, ignoring as Sunset fell to the ground, clutching her own abdomen in pain. "We agreed we were just here to beat the shit out of Shimmer, and you promised you wouldn't bring your Dad's piece!" It was almost touching. Gilda only wanted to make her suffer; she didn't want Sunset dead. "Put that thing away!"

The deranged athlete looked over to her compatriot with a manic look. "Nah, Gil. Don't you see?" she asked, seemingly not noticing the equally manic grin overtaking the kneeling girl's grimace even as she cocked the .44 revolver. "We can't let this one near Shimmer, or else she'll just bring the demon back! Better we put'er down now before that can happen."

Gilda looked from her friend to the girl caught half in the process of standing. Slowly, she stood up, intentionally pressing her forehead against the muzzle of the gun. She kept her arms at her side, but they were slightly spread, as though she were daring Lightning Dust to paint the warehouse floor with her brains. "Lightning, this ain't worth going to jail over, and I think this chick might be as crazy as you are."

Sunset kept her mouth shut, unwilling to provoke her unhinged schoolmate's wrath, and instead held her breath as she watched from where Gilda dropped her. After a few silent moments, Lightning let out an annoyed "Tch," and slowly eased the hammer back into position with her thumb, uncocking it. Both Gilda and Sunset let out a shaky breath, thinking the worst was over, before she thrust her hand forward and smashed the butt of the revolver into the girl's forehead, dropping her like a sack of hammers. "If you know what's good for you, the both of you will stay away from Canterlot High."

With that, Lightning turned away from Sunset and the fallen girl, who throughout everything never uttered a peep. Gilda hesitated, looking from her friend to the other two in horror. She quietly mouthed a quick "Sorry!" and followed after the athlete. The door to the warehouse slammed shut behind the pair, leaving Sunset and her mysterious Equestrian alone in the dim warehouse.

The girl let out a hiss as she tugged her goggles down around her neck and then brought her hand up to where she'd been struck. It seemed to confuse her when her hand came away bloody. Cyan eyes simply shimmered with confusion as she returned her bloodied hand to her forehead and sat up. Her hood fell away revealing white locks of hair streaked with red, although she imagined only some of that was blood.

"Are you okay?" Sunset hesitantly asked, watching worriedly as the girl looked around; she seemed almost disoriented. Does she not know where she is, or how she got here? For the shortest of moments, Sunset was sure there was a flash of panic in her eyes. Her would-be saviour returned her gaze to Sunset and raised an eyebrow before gesturing toward the whiteboard. She tilted her head back just enough to reveal the scar across her throat. "You... can't talk?" When she nodded—Was that yes, she can talk, or yes, you are correct?—Sunset got up and fetched the whiteboard.

The girl took it and set it in her lap. She popped the top off the attached marker one handed, and then started writing on the board. After a moment You must be Sunset Shimmer. I'm Eventide Construct. That PONI agent never mentioned you by name, but she did say there was another Equestrian living here, and since you're the spitting image of her, it wasn't hard to come to the conclusion as to who you were.

Sunset gave a snort of amusement as she read the message. "I'd say it's nice to meet you, Eventide, but if I'm being honest, I'm more confused about why or how you're here," she remarked, getting up and moving over to the boxes she'd left her shopping. "Not that I don't appreciate the 'save'. It's just..."

Eventide let out a shrill whistle, holding up her sign. I didn't come through the portal you think PONI doesn't know about. When she saw Sunset read what she wrote, she wiped it and scrawled something else. No simple answer to me being in this world, and as for why I wanted to come meet you... Long story. Partially just wanted to be a good neighbour. She looked over to a spot in the darkness near the door, and got up, clipping the whiteboard to one of her pants pockets.

Eventide then ran back over to the patch of illumination with a black reusable shopping bag hanging from one arm. With a questioning look to Sunset, she inclined her head toward the door to Sunset's apartment, before grabbing her whiteboard again. Do you happen to have a first-aid kit in there? Sun and stars, my foster mother's going to flip if I come home with a bleeding head wound. Besides, I'm sure you have some questions of your own.

Author's Note

Next time: Girl talk.

Chapter 14: Kinsman

I was doing everything in my control not to break down in front of Sunset. She was already giving me this weird look as she led me into her apartment—flicking the lights on as she went—and I wasn't entirely sure what happened. I vaguely remembered seeing the five of them chasing after the former unicorn and following in their wake. Hell, I even recalled slipping in and ditching my bag by the door. Then it was just a haze that ended with me on the floor and the partial recollection of cold steel pressed against my forehead.

Internally, I was freaking out, because I was almost certain that I had lost time. Even just for a few minutes was too much. What was worse was that there was a part of me that almost felt smug about something. What that something could have been, I had no idea, and it seemed like asking Sunset would be a bad idea. No need to share with her the fact that I was concerned that someone else woke up and wrested control from me.

It was surprising just how large a space she had hidden away in this warehouse. The room was large, with a high ceiling and even a second floor above a quarter of the room. There was a living space with a sofa and television, a nook with a computer under the raised section, and a kitchenette. Off to one side, I could see a door that, funny enough, had one of those weird bathroom signs humans had everywhere.

She led me over to a stool at the counter in the kitchenette and sat me down before quickly ducking into the bathroom. When she returned, it was with a first aid kit clutched in her hands. "So, if you don't mind me asking," Sunset started as she opened the kit, "how long have you been in this world?"

I shrugged, put the whiteboard atop the counter, and began writing with my left hand. A little under a month and a half.

There was a sound of disbelief from my fellow former equine. "You're joking," Sunset said, peeling my hand away to peek at the wound. Very soon after, some tissues were against the wound. When I didn't start writing anything, she looked in my eyes and then groaned. "Oh Celestia, you're not joking." She held the tissues firmly against the gash, while with one hand she took something out of the kit. "Can you hold this tight for a few seconds?" Without complaint, I put pressure on it with the same hand as before. "Thanks."

She started peeling some adhesive off of something that looked like a really narrow adhesive bandage and then opened an alcohol swab. "You'd never know that just by looking at you," she commented. She tapped my hand away, and then wiped the area down, eliciting a wince from me. Sunset ignored it and then pinched the wound before applying the strip and then a second. "So how's a navy pony like you end up on Earth, and how did you adapt so quickly?"

I raised an eyebrow at her and wrote my opinion on that assertion. I was a pegasus. We're adaptable by nature. Pausing to let her read it, I collected my thoughts. As for how I died... I was the logistics pony on the airship I was serving aboard, and the only one with Aerial Resupply and Communication certs. Cap'n sent me out to resupply some Office of Naval Intelligence ponies that had been tracking a Tartarus escapee. Does Lord Tirek ring a bell?

Sunset let out a very pony sound of alarm and accidentally knocked something off of the counter as she took an instinctive step back. Her reaction and the wide-eyed terror was about what I expected. The dread centaur was a literal boogeyman for ponies of all stripe, but nopony was more disturbed by the legend than a unicorn; for them, their magic was practically a part of everything they did. Many pegasi could get by without flying, but if you took away a unicorn's magic, most of them wouldn't know how to adapt.

Wiping the board clean, I continued writing while she tried to hide her alarm. Yeah, that was about my reaction when I learned he was loose. I got up and walked over to the sink and began to rinse my hand. It took a moment for me to realise she had no ~~hoof~~ hand towels, at which point I just shook my hands free of water over the sink and then wiped them dry on the back of my shirt. When I returned, I quickly changed the topic. How about you? How'd you end up in this world? From my perspective, you just up and disappeared one day 'bout twelve years ago. It was all over the gossip rags when I was in basic.

A look of shame crossed her face—shame and guilt. Heaving a sigh, Sunset broke eye contact. "It's a long story," she murmured. "One that only highlights the fact that I'm a bad pony."

I glanced at the clock and shrugged. It'd still be a while before I had to get moving. I've got time.

"It's hardly an excuse for anything, but looking back, I kinda understand how I got the way I was," she commented. I didn't even need her to explain 'the way she was'. Although the gossip rags were all about the scandal of the princess' prized pupil simply disappearing—rumour had it there'd even been a break-in at the most restricted part of the castle reliquary—most of the nobility owned newspapers favoured this outcome. "I was abandoned on the doorstep of the royal orphanage when I was an infant. When my first magical surge set fire to the room, and they didn't have anypony powerful enough to suppress my magic with the usual forbearance spell, Princess Celestia came and quite literally took me under her wing."

So she never knew her dam either. She's an orphan like me.

There were tears in her eyes as she got up and retrieved a bottle of water from her fridge. "She became my Mom in every way except the one that mattered the most." Her voice took on a bitter tone as she sat back down and cracked open the bottle. "I became a spoiled brat desperate for the one thing I could never have: a mother's love. Then, when she went and adopted that no-account Cadenza as her niece, something inside me broke.

"'What did she have that I didn't?' and 'If she could do it and become an alicorn, why not me?' were just some of the questions I asked myself." She'd built up a decent fervour, and now it seemed like she was starting to ramble. "I didn't know that she was grooming me to face the return of Nightmare Moon, or that Princess Twilight's destiny could have been my own, so when she showed me Starswirl's Magic Mirror, and it gave me a vision of myself with wings, I became obsessed with becoming an alicorn."

So that's when you broke into the reliquary? I asked.

Sunset nodded and took in a shaky breath. "That night, I'd been caught in the library's restricted section, and while I'd found nothing to help me achieve my goal, I did find documentation on the mirror." Turning on her stool and reclining against the counter, she stared up at the ceiling. "It turned out that showing a pony's potential destiny was only a secondary function, and that it was a portal to another world—this world—and that it would be open that very night. The princess caught me, and we had an argument. I said things I immediately regretted, and threw a book at her. She ended my pupillage on the spot and basically told me to pack my shit and get out in the morning. I deluded myself into believing that if my destiny didn't lie in Equestria, it might lie here."

I nodded and then tapped the table to get her attention. And that's when you grabbed everything you could and ran through the portal, right? When she quietly confirmed it, I quickly wrote out my next thoughts. I'm going to hazard a guess that you spent the last few years just trying to survive whilst trying to create a base of power—such as it was—at your school, leading you to become the bully bitch queen of CHS?

With a sigh, she muttered, "Well, at least you didn't call me a demon." Crossing her arms, she regarded me with an even look. "After coming out through the portal in front of CHS, my first years in this world weren't easy. Creating fake documentation, converting bits to cash, buying out this warehouse, and just learning how to be human was a challenge. Being a homeless kid with no ID, I pretty much decided that I could only rely on myself. I wish I'd been shown another way sooner. It took me turning into a demon, and Princess Twilight Sparkle using the Element of Magic—which I stole and brought here—to smack me down with the Rainbow of Light, to show me how awful I'd been."

So... that opinion article was telling the truth. That would explain the October eighth magic event in the area of CHS that Twilight detected... Especially if her pony counterpart was involved. I'd guess by the way that Agent Shimmer never mentioned my foster sister that she has no idea there was a third Equestrian in the area. What would she even think if she found out that Sunset here stole a magical super weapon, luring a royal from a foreign world to American soil and presumably tried to kill said royal.

The bigger takeaway was that not only was Twilight investigating magic—not that she believed in it—but I had pointed her right to where the portal to Equestria was. Well, I suppose it's worth telling you that my foster sister, this world's Twilight Sparkle, detected both my first appearance in this world, as well as all the chaos at your school. If there's any other magical shenanigans going on there, try to keep a lid on it. I have no idea how sensitive her equipment is right now, but I know she's building something portable to start investigating. At this rate, your counterpart's agency is probably going to scout her.

Sunset stared at me in exasperation as she read my remark. "Lovely," she muttered. "It's bad enough the girls are exhibiting signs of lingering magic, but now you're telling me that I have to watch out for the princess's counterpart coming snooping?" I was somewhat curious what she meant by the girls and exhibiting signs of lingering magic, but I refrained from interrupting her. Placing her elbows upon the counter-top, she let her face fall into her palms. "At least now that I know that someone other than PONI is capable of detecting magic, I can make some preparations to limit further exposure. Sweet sunfire, am I glad that I chose a place with aluminium siding and roofing."

Hold on a minute, you weren't even sure whether you'd ever be able to use magic in this world, but you still chose to buy a place lined with the best magic insulator? The worst part of it was that from an Equestrian standpoint, she was effectively living inside the world's most expensive magical Faraday cage. Aluminium was so rare back home that I personally only knew of one scrying-proofed room in all of Equestria, and it was inside Canterlot Castle; meanwhile, humans developed a means to mass produce it.

"Is there anything else you want to drop on me while you're here?" she asked, seemingly dreading the answer.

I just smiled and began writing. According to Agent Shimmer, who only even came to personally check in on the magical goings-on in the city because my finger prints were flagged in the system, you and I may very well be half-sisters. Apparently, this world's Eventide went missing a decade ago, so of course she was interested in me.

It's just too bad that she wasn't drinking from her water right then. Right about now, the idea of her doing a spit-take was kinda funny. Regardless, the look on her face was really funny. Even as her jaw dropped, I found myself falling into a silent giggle-fit. At least I remembered to make it clear I was laughing.

"Well, I suppose I kinda see the resem—" All of a sudden, a look of realisation crossed Sunset's face, and she stopped speaking. Giving me a grumpy look, she slammed her palms onto the counter top and stood to loom over me. "Wait a minute! You're the one that made AJ and Rainbow think I was homeless!" She brought a hand up to her forehead and groaned. "I suppose since we only saw each other the one time before, and you were hanging out with Boss and Violette, I can't exactly blame you."

Given that the two she mentioned seemed to know Sunset and implied she was a common face at the soup kitchen, I was actually sorta surprised that she wasn't homeless. This place has water, electricity, and presumably heating, I thought as I looked around the apartment, so why's she using the soup kitchen if she can afford to buy out a factory and occasionally shop at a bodega?

The answer, at that moment, was that it wasn't any of my business. Even if it turned out to be true that we were sisters, for the time being we were little more than countrymen considering a mutually beneficial arrangement. It wasn't my place to ask her about her financial situation, especially when I basically stumbled into such a good situation whilst she had to make her own home here.

Instead, I needed to say something. Sorry. They asked me if I had a sister matching your description. They didn't seem hostile, so I took a gamble given the way they were asking, and told them I saw you hanging around the industrial neighbourhood near Central Park. Didn't tell them any more than that. I figured if they at all cared about you, then they might want to help. Okay, that wasn't entirely true; I did mention it was near a soup kitchen but... it's not like I told them she was using it.

I half expected that reasoning to make her angry, but to my surprise, she got up off her stool and came around the counter. Instead of accosting me, however, she hugged me. "Thank you," she whispered. "Most of my nest egg is tied up in this place, my part-time job can only go so far with groceries, and sometimes it's the choice between being able to buy lunch at school, or having dinner. Since they figured my situation out, Applejack and the others have been more empathetic, and have been helping ease the burden with baked goods and other kinds of help."

I blinked at the mention of buying lunch at the school. At CPA we don't have to pay anything at the food counter, so why... Oh. A public school probably has to charge. That thought drove my attention back to the event that led me here, as she let me go and stepped away. About those five that stalked you here... They were students at your school, right? What are you going to do about them? Unconsciously, I brought my hand up to rub at my head wound. What happened back there is kind of hazy, but when I get home, my foster Mom's probably going to get my foster Brother involved, since he's a detective with the CCPD. If there really was a gun, I don't think you should stay silent, either.

Since Sunset didn't want to just send me out on my own with a potential concussion, we ended up having to have an awkward phone conversation with Mrs. Velvet. Well, I say awkward, but most of it was just because it was done entirely on speakerphone, with Sunset relaying what I wrote. The general gist of the conversation was sunset telling her how I played the good Samaritan—whatever that means—and got hurt doing so, followed by Velvet saying how she couldn't come get me right away, since she was currently at CPA. We never directly mentioned the gun, I did recall that much now, although I decided I would probably need to bring it up to Shining Armour later. This resulted in Velvet saying she'd have Shining come get me.

When Shining showed up, and Sunset explained to him what happened, he made her promise to file a police report about the incident, and suggested she speak to her principal, since it was clear that the involved parties after her were her peers. While Shining put my bag and the whiteboard in the storage of his motorcycle, the former unicorn popped back into her home and came out holding what looked to be a small flip phone and charging cable. As she put it, it was an old pay-as-you-go phone she had, and wanted me to take it, so that we could keep in contact in case anything else magical happened. I was a bit disbelieving that she'd give the mute girl a phone, right up until she showed me how to send a text message, which she sent to her own phone.

He of course noticed the exchange, and Sunset passed it off as simply giving her thanks for coming to her aid, and wanting to keep in touch. I didn't doubt that Shining saw the resemblance between the two of us, but he made no comment in relation to it. Neither of us knew for sure it was even the case; just because Agent Shimmer and the Eventide Cantata of this world were related, it didn't mean we were guaranteed to have the same parents. He just helped me onto the bike after I put the helmet on, and then took off down the road.

Unlike the last time I rode on Shining's bike, I didn't fall asleep. Probably a good thing if I had a concussion, but that's beside the point. It was a good opportunity for me to enjoy the speed that I normally associated with flying by my own power, as well as consider what I was going to tell Shining. Even if he hadn't said anything, I knew that Shining Armour was planning on grilling me when we got back, and unlike Velvet, he probably wasn't about to leave it without getting more details. Knowing him, he'd probably recognise the sort of wound being struck with the butt of a firearm would leave.

There was also the matter of my little black-out. Bits and pieces were coming back to me, like the fact that I'd had a gun pressed against my head. At the same time, though, I don't recall any fear; there was the lingering sense of amusement and challenge, but no fear whatsoever. Unlike those times where I wasn't feeling like myself, there wasn't any sort of sense of sadistic glee. Did that mean I had two possible alters manifesting? Or was this one simply aggression personified?

It was too early to tell. Although I could feel someone beginning to take form in the darkness beyond my consciousness, they weren't realised enough to open internal dialogue with. I think that the only reason I lost control was because I knew it was a bad idea, but wanting to protect Sunset and the related aggression won out. I just hoped that whoever they ended up being, they wouldn't cause problems for our foster family.

When we finally pulled into the driveway, he held onto most of my stuff, save for the whiteboard. Instead, he led me into the house, and then the living room before sitting me down. He had out a little scratch pad that I imagined he used while at work as he asked, "So, Mom was kind of sparse on the details, and I've been in this business to know that Sunset girl was leaving something very important out when she recounted what happened. Can you tell me more about how you got that?" He tapped the spot on his forehead roughly where my own wound was located.

Popping the cap off the marker, I got to work writing. Firstly, I wanna preface by saying I kinda blacked out before whatever fight occurred, so I'm not entirely certain what all happened, but the cut on my head is from being smacked with the butt of a revolver. Couldn't tell you the calibre or model, but that it apparently belonged to that Lightning girl's father.

Shining sighed and shook his head. "I was afraid that's what you were going to say," he muttered, scratching his temple with his pen. When he found out about the DID, he was particularly cautious, but didn't immediately become hostile. If anything it only seemed to encourage him to watch out for me more. "Kid, I'm not saying this to be mean, but you really shouldn't have been there. This wasn't like going to the shops in a heavily travelled area; if you had gotten seriously hurt, nobody would have known where you were. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad you were there for your new friend, but it could just as easily have resulted in the two of you getting killed."

I nodded solemnly and wiped the board down before writing out my response. On principle, I agree. It was four on one—five on two if you wanna get technical—and I'm not entirely sure what whoever was in the driver's seat did to scare off the three boys. I considered not mentioning it for a moment, but decided it'd be better to be fully honest. Apparently, they were crazy enough to intimidate the more rational of the two into talking down the one with the gun, though. Sunset said that I practically pressed my forehead against the gun and was daring her to shoot me. Still dunno what to think about that.

He frowned for a moment. "I heard about the gun-toting gang-banger you beat up the day you met Cady," he remarked. "It's twice in only the span of a month that you've had encounters with firearms, and from what I've heard from Twily before she started... whatever this whole thing in the garage is, you've taken an interest in them. I have half a mind to take you down to the range some time to teach you about firearm safety and give you some advice in the event you encounter another out in the wild."

When I perked up at the offer, he laughed. That sounds like fun. I started writing out something else, but had to whistle to catch his attention, since he was about to get up. Thanks for not freaking out about this whole thing. Mrs. Velvet would probably have taken me straight to the hospital, and that's... kind of intimidating to be honest. I've never had a big brother before, but... I'm glad you're here.

Shining smirked, walking over and ruffling my hair. He looked like he was about to say something, but then Twilight strode into the living room with a can of soda. She once again had a smudge of some sort of grease on her face, in addition to some soot, and some of her hair looked frazzled. Her lab coat had a scorch mark, but what really stood out was the device hanging around her neck. It almost looked like some sort of oversized locket.

Taking the seat Shining just vacated, she held the unopened can to her temple and groaned. It took her a moment to even realise the two of us were there. "Oh hey, guys," she murmured, looking from Shining, to me, the whiteboard, and then the wound on my forehead. "What happened to you?"

I just smirked and started writing a new message. Nearly got shot, smacked with a gun instead. HBU? Bomb go off in your workshop?

Author's Note

After this chapter, there'll be a bit of a hiatus; I've gotten one of those runaway plot bunnies I've just gotta chase, and have ended up starting a non-pony fanfic. If you like Kamen Rider stuff, keep an eye out for Kamen Rider Uniba (derived from Universe / Unibāsu / ユニバース) on AO3. Edit: Goddamn it, never mind; a completely different plotbunny stole my attention from that.

This chapter kind of lost steam shortly before the chapter break. Sorry if the quality isn't up to the level of previous chapters.

Will Evie's new head-friend end up female-presenting like she is, or is she gonna end up with a little brother?