There was a furious rustling outside the doors. Awoken suddenly, Cynthia looked to the still-locked portal, and called out, "Yes?" One side of the entrance flew open; "Finally!" It was Shining Armor, obviously out of breath.

As the Cynthia looked at her morning visitor, a guardspony looked in. Seeing Shining Armor hyperventilating, he stammered, "Are- Are you alright, sir? You look out of sorts?" "I'll be fine, thanks for asking" Shining Armor turned in towards the rudely-awoken Cynthia, closing the door behind him. "Shining Armor, what's going on?" Cynthia asked, still trying to properly twist herself onto the floor. Curse these confounded bodies... Why doesn't it work like my real one?

"The King wants to see you immediately," Shining Armor finally gasped. He had obviously been running. "What's so unnerving? You didn't seem like this last night." Cynthia asked. Now that I'm finally settling into this... what now? "Well, you see," Shining Armor began, "as soon as the King heard about your arrival, he wanted to see you immediately. He woke me up in a great fuss, I'm afraid. Uh, do you need some time to get ready or something? I realize you just got out of bed..." No shit, Sherlock... Ducking into the bathroom, Cynthia looked at her... mane.

Pushing and preening everything visible from the front into place, Cynthia realized she barely knew how to turn around. "Oof!" She collapsed all over. Uggghhhhhhhh. "Are you okay?" Shining Armor called from the other room. "Just a sec! I just fell over... give me a moment!" Seconds later, she was following Shining Armor down the hall again, taking care to remember each set of motions to step forward.

At last, they came to a sunnier hallway, with clear glass panes on one side giving illumination to the row of doors on the other side. Suddenly, he turned the corner, into the hall. Waiting at a door halfway down the hall, with a guardspony behind him, stood King Midnight Flame. Taller than Princess Celestia had stood, with burning flames for a mane and tail, and a carbon-black coat down to fetlocks the same colour.

Cynthia came to him, and attempted a slight bow, collapsing in the process. "King Midnight, I presume?" The tall Alicorn cocked his head, looked to Shining Armour, who merely looked on with an expression that plainly said, "She's crazy. Just roll with it." The guardspony opened the door, and the King strode in, pondering this Cynthia's reaction(or lack thereof) to him.

Seating himself on a pile of velvet pillows on the opposite side of the room, he motioned to the Captain of the Guard to leave them, then gazed on Cynthia, who was feeling increasingly untrusted.

"How do you know me, and whom do you serve?" He started. "Well, it's like this-" "I'll have you know that I've heard your claims and see them as preposterous! How could you know of this place, on Earth? And to know of me and my doings here, on top of that? What year do you come from?" he cut in. Cynthia pondered his reaction, fearing his mistrust. And I thought he trusted people/ponies... Then again, he did just get done fighting off a bunch of rogue Elemental ponies. Maybe he thinks I know something about that. "I come from the year 2012, and I know about this land as the fictional work of a toy company," she started. "Furthermore, I know of your exploits here through a fan-written story, based on this line of toys." He better like this, because it's the only truth I know... Midnight hesitated, then spoke again softly, "What year, did you say? I only remember the year as being in the 1980s sometime..." "I come from the year 2012, and know a lot about the world you left behind. It didn't get any better; the disappearances that started with you have apparently been going on for quite a long time. Centuries, maybe." "Mm, I see. And what do you know of how you got here?" he probed. "As far as I remember, I went to sleep after reading a story about you on my computer-" "Wait," he broke in, "exactly who were you, to afford one?" "Well, they've gotten a lot cheaper in the decades that you've been gone. Now it's common for a home in the West to have two, maybe three at once." "Alright, we'll leave that alone. Tell me more about how you got here. "That's just it," Cynthia replied, "I don't know." Perplexity crept into her voice.

I wonder if he's figured out any of this at all. He straightened from his musings. "There was a disturbance in the Everfree Forest, do you know where that is? It's where we found you." "Yes, I know a good bit about Equestria," she said, "it's one of my few hobbies, in fact."

"Well, imagine that. Who's to say what's real anymore? So, tell me about yourself. Why do you look like... a stallion-sized mare?" He was sniffing the air now, eyeing her for seemingly the first time, from horn to hoof. "It's not that simple, but I'll give you the soundbyte version, mkay?" "The what now?" Oh, great. Just wonderful. I have to learn new idioms too. Returning her gaze to the King, she started again, "I'll give it to you in a nutshell." "Oh! Why didn't you just say so?" he chortled. Seems he knew what I was saying anyways... "Well, I was born male, and my teenage years were spent as a male... but I never felt comfortable with it, so I'm letting myself be the girl... er, mare I feel I should have always been." she explained.

After a slow, awkward look, accompanied by silence, he started forming words again. "So... you still have a cock?" ugh!!! Every. Single. Guy. !!!! "Look, for what it's worth, I know what happened to you in Appeloosa, and... I'm not like that. I don't let guys just think I'm a natural mare, if I get in that situation." "This is over. How one of you freaks managed to find me here, of all places, I'll never know." he was already getting to his hooves, headed for the door.

"Hey, wait! I'm a unicorn, but I don't know how to use magic!" She yelled. Great fucking start to a new life. The one being I thought I could trust with my secrets in this world is a hater. Swell. He slowly turned around at the door. "I will teach you," he said levelly, "and then you will go... somewhere else. Not Ponyville." "Great. Just one request, on top of helping me with magic. Turn me back human, please." He looked at her strangely. "Why would you want that? So you can hog attention, like you did on Earth? So you can bemoan even MORE 'special' status?" Deadpanning, his mane started to flicker a little more.

"Fine, I'll turn you back. But you won't fit into this world very well, you know." "I know, just do me this favour. Please?" She was now bowing her head(already shorter than he) towards the ground, in a show of humility. He snorted, there was a prolonged flash, and suddenly, she fell down slightly. Ooohhh. Isn't one transformation enough for one day, for me? Bending his horned head down further, he touched it to her forehead, making her blood run cold. Screaming, she passed out.

King Midnight Flame left the door open, and instructed the Captain of the Guard to take wilted form back to the prepared accommodations, and defer her business to another functionary.

Author's Note

I realize I went light on the spatial descriptions here, and too heavy on the dialogue. I'll try to correct that next chapter.