I spotted Alex and Rainbow Dash at the Canterlot train station heading towards me. After greeting them, I headed to the ticket booth. The blue stallion behind the counter gave me a curious look when I explained why I was paying for two tickets and only wanted one. He didn’t seem to believe my story about hanging onto a moving train, so I showed him my tether beam, and he nodded.

He asked, “Not planning to ride like that again, are you?”

I replied, “I can’t promise anything, but I’ll always pay my fare. Hopefully, I won’t have to do that again, though. Riding on the outside is much less cozy than riding on the inside.”

When I returned to Rainbow Dash and Alex, I heard Alex say something about wishing Celestia had let him finish what he was doing.

I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Of all the petty… I'm tempted to Spider-Man my way across Canterlot, but the streets are busier than Ponyville, and I'm too scared of heights to swing above the crowds. I'm sorry she pulled that, and I will bring it up next time I talk to her."

Dash gave me a puzzled look. “You had a flight ring, and you’re scared of heights?”

“Well, yeah, but I didn’t grow up with a flight ring. For most of my life, heights meant falling and falling meant getting hurt. I broke my knee as a kid, trying to face my fear. The ring was mostly useful for protecting me from harsh environments. It can protect against extreme temperatures, unusually high pressure, or even complete vacuum.”

Dash nodded but looked curious. “What about the powers you have now? I heard about you swinging through the streets and hanging off the train,” she asked as we boarded the train.

I gave Dash a pained look. “I was barely off the ground, and I’d considerably reduced the effect of gravity on myself. I mean, I could get flight powers, but there’s a whole other can of worms involved with adding new charms.”

Alex’s expression became one of fascinated curiosity, “What do you mean by that?”

I sat down and sighed. “You know how I got my powers in the world I was in before this one, right? The thing is, that world is based on an RPG system, so my powers grow as I gain enough experience points. Not sure how that works, given I can’t even tell when I ‘earn xp’. But, I can feel my exaltation telling me I can create new charms to enhance myself. And it scares me.”

"These charms aren’t just magic. They’re physical modifications. They replace my muscles, implant devices in my brain, or put new compartments full of mechanical weirdness in my body. It’s one thing to write these things on a character sheet; it’s another to do that to myself in real life. I'm worried about what I'll become and what happens when there's nothing left of the original me. It’s like the Ship of Theseus paradox but with my own body.” I raised my hand, willing it to transform into its more mechanical form to illustrate my point.

Alex whistled. “That sounds like a lot to deal with. But how do you feel about the changes you’ve already gone through?”

I shrugged. “I try to see the bright side of having these powers, like being able to help others and do wild things like swinging through the streets on a magic tether beam. But sometimes, I feel overwhelmed by all of it. I don’t know what the right thing to do is, and I’m afraid of losing myself.”

Alex nodded sympathetically. “I can imagine that. It must be tough to deal with such a big transformation. Have you thought about talking to someone who can help you find ways to cope with the changes?”

I frowned. “You mean like therapy? I’ve thought about it, but how am I gonna afford that?”

Rainbow Dash looked at me like I’d said something ridiculous, "What do you mean?"

I tried to explain, "I mean, how will I pay for my health care, particularly mental health care?"

Dash just looked even more confused. "I don't get it. Alex? Do you know what she’s talking about?"

Alex got it, "Oh, right. You’re from the States, right?” I nodded. “That explains it. Equestria has socialized medicine. Your tax bits pay for it."

I was stunned, "Really?"

Alex chuckled, “We tried telling you when we were going to Ponyville your first day here, but you went off on some tangent about Luna trying to control you.”

I winced. “Oof. Yeah, I was not my best that day. Sorry about that.” I let out a sigh of relief, “Wow, that takes a load off my mind, though. I was worried about the bill for all that time I was spending in the hospital.”

Dash looked at me, shocked. "Wait, you were worrying about that this whole time? That sucks. I wish this fathead,” she tapped Alex’s thigh, “had told you sooner."

I gave her a serious look, "To be fair, he tried. I just wasn’t listening. But, yeah, I was worried. I grew up with a system that would gleefully ruin a person for daring to get sick or hurt. A lot of the worlds I’ve been to were just as bad about it. At least once, I darn near died because I couldn't afford care, and the only thing that saved my life was being tossed to the next world. When I broke my knee, things were pretty lean in our household while we paid off the bill."

As we approached the Ponyville station, I spotted a familiar figure waiting on the platform. Somepony I had been dying to meet since I arrived in Equestria. I’d only seen her in one episode of the show, but she was one of my favorite characters.

I nudged Alex excitedly. “Is that who I think it is? Do you think she’d mind if I asked for her autograph?”

Alex grinned, "Oh, my goodness, no. Bea will be thrilled! She loves that kind of stuff. You want to make her happy? Ask for her script. But make sure to ask for Trixie's autograph. She'll turn Trixie on in full force, especially for someone she likes.”

Alex paused and added, "And don't worry, she's engaged to Big Macintosh."

I smirked "Worry? No, but good to know. So TrixTosh is a thing, huh?"

Alex gave me a serious look. "Yes. But please don't use that term. It's not exactly offensive, but not appreciated. The same goes with AppleDash and so on. Especially AppleDash. Applejack really hates that term.”

Dash shook her head, “Ugh. That stupid creepytown pony show. ‘AppleDash’? That’s so weird, and not in a good way.”

I chuckled, “Don’t worry. I won’t mention any fandom stuff. I can only imagine how annoying or offensive some of it could be to the ponies involved. And so much of that stuff was weird, like the ‘Trixie eating pine cones’ memes.”

Alex laughed, "Okay. Bea might get a chuckle out of that. And for the record, pine cones are a delicacy. They cost an arm and a leg. But yeah. Tread lightly on that stuff. It can be awkward. Imagine someone writing a fanfic about you and getting all the details wrong.”

I shuddered. “The idea of someone writing fanfic about me is disturbing enough all on its own.”

Dash smirked, “I don’t know. Fans writing stories about me could be awesome. But, then again, it’s based on that show, so, yeah. I don’t think it would be that awesome.”

I grinned, “You’ve done awesome things, so you having fans wouldn’t be so disturbing. The things I’ve done aren’t so great. But yeah, the show didn’t get the whole picture.”

The train pulled into the station. Trixie approached us when we stepped off the train.

Alex stepped forward a little faster than us and got to Trixie first. “So, the yak throat singers, how much of a disaster was it?” he asked.

Trixie replied, “They were really insulted you had to leave, even for a Princess."

Alex looked worried, "Did we lose them? Was there much damage?"

Trixie smiled. "Boss. Don't worry your pretty little head. The Great And Powerful Trrrixie saved the day! They were happy once I offered to have a teleport pad permanently installed in their hometown."

A smiling Trixie saw me walking toward her and Alex. "So, you're the new human mare I've been hearing about? Well, I'm glad to finally meet you, Eleanor. And, I must say, the rumors have underplayed your charms.”

I squeed internally. “I’m glad to meet you too! I know the show isn’t reality, but I’ve always been a fan of the Great and Powerful Trixie! Can I get your autograph?”

I franticly searched my pockets for anything to take an autograph with. Finding nothing, I looked at Trixie sheepishly. “Um, raincheck?”

Trixie smiled at me, “The Great and Powerful Trrrixie admits she wasn’t prepared for autographs either.” Her voice turned serious, “I’ve seen the episodes of the show. Trixie isn’t exactly presented in the best light.” She gave me a questioning look.

“I always thought the character wasn’t really given a fair shake. You, I mean she, was just giving the kind of hyperbolic performance I’d expect of a stage magician, and it just seemed like she didn’t do anything really deserving of the dislike she was shown. Kinda resonated a bit. Been on the receiving end of some of that kind of thing,” I explained.

“Then there was a world I was in where the food was all toxic, and I spent six months living off my Pinecone Lockseed. Back on Earth, there was a meme of you eating pine cones. I had a few of the images on my tablet, and they kept my mind off the fact that I wasn’t eating since the Lockseed was sustaining me.” I chuckled a bit.

Trixie’s voice changed to a less bombastic one, and she looked surprised at my mention of the meme. "Oh wow! Really? They had a meme about Trixie? Well, for the record, I love pine cones. Well, pine nuts. The cones are just extra chew. But they're pricey.” The entertainer grew thoughtful. “I may go for a walk with Mac. There's a small grove of pine trees on Sweet Apple Acres land."

“Eleanor!” I heard a familiar voice call from behind me. I turned and saw Roseluck trotting into the station.

“I was hoping you’d be here. Blitzen’s been on a salt bender at the Grain Bucket, and I’m worried she may get herself into trouble,” Roseluck explained.

“Let’s go find her then, Roseluck,” I said, turning to Beatrix. “Sorry, I have to go, but I’ll have pen and paper with me next time. You’re awesome, by the way!.”

“No problem, Eleanor. Your friend needs you more than I do. And don’t worry, I’ll bring you an autograph the next time I see you. Ponyville’s not that big. We’ll bump into each other again soon.” Beatrix smiled.

I followed Roseluck through the streets of Ponyville. As we walked, I saw two young unicorns pass by. The shorter, chubbier one had a pair of scissors on his flank, and the taller, ganglier one had a snail. I felt a strange tingling in the back of my head, which intensified when I looked at the one with the snail mark. I wondered what it meant, but I had to focus on finding Blitzen.

Just as we turned the corner, we saw Blitzen being dragged out of what I assumed was the Grain Bucket place that Rose had mentioned.

The mare dragging Blitzen’s unconscious form looked at us and asked if we were her friends. We nodded, and she said, “Huh, I can see why she would be upset. Did you really propose to the Princess?”

I replied, “Yeah, I needed to get her attention somehow.”

The mare laughed, “And that was the best you could come up with? I don’t know if you're crazy or brilliant. Tell you what: you come back here without her, and you can have a drink on the house for sheer audacity.”

The mare glanced at Blitzen and said, "Let her know she's banned when she wakes up. I understand she was jealous, but that doesn't give her the right to speak ill of Princess Celestia in my establishment."

---

I parted ways with Roseluck and carried Blitzen over my shoulder as we made our way back to the cottage. I was able to travel faster than usual since I didn’t have to keep pace with anyone else. We arrived at the cottage in half the usual time, or so I thought. Upon arrival, I found that the cottage was no longer there. Only the animal shelter Fluttershy had helped me build remained.

As I was standing there in confusion, a squirrel appeared and ran towards the spot where the cottage had been. It started jumping up and down while pointing at the ground. I walked over and saw what looked like the footprint of a giant bird.

The squirrel pointed in the direction of the forest towards the Everfree, indicating that whatever had taken the cottage had gone that way.

I set Blitzen down by the shelter and asked the squirrel to keep an eye on her. It felt a bit silly talking to be a squirrel, but they seemed to understand and nodded their fuzzy little head in agreement before going over to where Blitzen was lying.

I ran towards the forest, following the trail left by the giant bird. Fortunately for me, the trail was fairly easy to follow. Whatever kind of bird it was, it couldn’t fly, or at least, it couldn’t fly while burdened with a house. Part of me couldn’t help but wonder why and how some bird had come along and just picked up the cottage.

I'm running through a monster-infested forest, chasing after a giant bird that stole my home. What the hell? Is this my life now?

I went around a rock outcropping and saw it. Straight out of the folktales and nightmares, I saw a hut walking through the woods on two huge chicken legs.

My house was taken by Baba fricken’ Yaga? Are you kidding me?

The house spotted me. At least it acted like it did because it turned, and I saw a glimmer in the window as it turned away and ran. I charged after it, coming out of the forest near a large barn. The house had to turn at the barn, giving me the chance to get close enough for my tether.

I tried planting my feet to stop the runaway house, but it pulled me off my feet and dragged me along behind it as it ran toward the town. With Plan A having gone as expected, I moved to Plan B: try to get inside the house. I started retracting my tether, pulling myself toward the back of the hut.

Now, the hut was trying to shake me off. I hit a wall hard as we entered Ponyville but kept pulling my way up the tether. I grabbed onto the back of the house and held on tight to the corner molding. The hut kicked over a stall, and I heard an old stallion wailing about his cabbages.

Eleanor tethered to hut

---

Flower Sisters flower stall - a few minutes earlier.

Roseluck snorted, “I can't believe someone like Eleanor is dating that nag. Blitzen's just going to break that poor human's heart, I just know it. I have to try to get Eleanor to see she'd be better off with somepony else."

"Like you, Rose?" Daisy asked, smiling knowingly.

Roseluck felt a surge of embarrassment that her motives had been so easily deduced. She glared at Daisy and said firmly, "I… Yes, like me. I'd be a hundred times better for Eleanor than that nag."

Lily furrowed her brow and bit her lip. She was worried about her sister’s obsession with the human girl. She had been talking about her non-stop. "Sis, are you really sure you want to try dating a human?” she asked cautiously, “I hear they get really violent sometimes." She tilted her head and looked at Roseluck with concern.

Roseluck rolled her eyes and huffed. She didn’t care what Lily said. She was determined to win Eleanor’s heart, no matter what.

Rose heard someone shouting about his cabbages and felt a large thud shake the ground. Around the corner came the weirdest monster to ever rampage through Ponyville. It looked like a small house standing on giant chicken legs. Roseluck saw Eleanor hanging from the back corner, struggling to pull herself up as the house tried to shake her off.

Roseluck felt her heart pound as she saw Eleanor get slammed into a wall. She felt a surge of adrenaline and ran towards the house, dodging flying cabbages and the claws of the house’s legs. She hoped Eleanor was alright.

Roseluck reached Applejack’s apple cart and saw the orange pony watching the chaos with a frown. She quickly grabbed AJ’s attention and asked for help.

“Applejack, do you have your lasso? Maybe you can lasso the house, and we can try to hold it still so Eleanor can stop it!” Roseluck shouted.

“Sure thing, sugarcube. I’m always glad to lend a hoof to a friend in need.” Applejack said, grabbing her lasso from the cart. “But I’ll need you and your sisters’ help to hold it down. That house looks mighty strong and fast.”

“Of course, I’ll do anything for Eleanor,” Roseluck said, nodding. She followed Applejack as AJ ran towards the house, lasso in her teeth. Rose jerked her head to get Daisy and Lily to join them.

“Alright, y’all, here’s what we’re gonna do. I’m gonna lasso the house, and y’all are gonna pull on the rope with me. We gotta be quick and careful. Don’t wanna get squashed by them chicken legs. Ready?” Applejack said, twirling her lasso.

“Ready!” Roseluck and her sisters said, holding onto the rope.

Applejack threw her lasso and caught the house around its roof. She pulled on the rope and shouted, “Now!”

Roseluck and the others pulled on the rope with all their strength, trying to stop the house from moving. The house tried to shake off the lasso, kicking and stomping, but the four ponies held firm as the ground shook.

Roseluck looked up and saw Eleanor still hanging from the back corner. She saw the human’s eyes widen as she saw Roseluck and the others trying to help her. She smiled and waved at Roseluck, and Roseluck felt a warm feeling in her chest.

Eleanor pulled her legs up to the house as blue light flowed from her feet. With a quick movement, she was standing on the wall of the house like it was the ground. Even her hair seemed to defy conventional gravity, falling toward the house. She ran along the walls, opened the front door, and climbed inside the house. A few moments later, the house stopped struggling.

Eleanor stuck her head out of the door. “Anyone know where I can park this? Preferably long-term? ‘Spect somehow turned the cottage I was living in into this thing.”

Applejack looked up from retrieving her lasso. “There’s some vacant land near Sweet Apple Acres. It ain’t any good for growin’ apples, but it’ll make a fine place to put your house.”

---

Once I made it into the house, I discovered new weirdness waiting. The interior was that of the cottage, cozy and familiar. Despite opening a normal rectangular door to enter the house, from inside it was the round door I’d spent an hour polishing. Somehow my home had been transformed into a walking hut.

“‘Spect!” I yelled, knowing she was behind the change to the house.

“Eleanor, you made it! I wanted to be Baba Yaga for Nightmare Night, so I used my divine essence to alter the cottage, but I can’t attune to the hearthstone, and now it’s out of control.” ‘Spect said as she brought an egg-shaped milky-white stone to me.

I held the stone and felt the energy inside it. It was warm and pulsing like a living heart. I extended a bit of my own will and grasped the stone in a mental grip. I focused on calm and felt the house stop fighting the ponies outside. Where it had been wild, now it was tame and ready for my command.

“Ok, we’re gonna talk about this later, but first, I need to park the house somewhere.” I told ‘Spect calmly.

I poked my head out and got a suggestion from Applejack where I could put the house. I let her guide us to the spot, a nice little area but apparently unsuitable for growing apples. The house settled down on my command, folding its legs underneath itself. A fence of bones sprouted out of the ground around the house, and I made a mental note to ask ‘Spect where those had come from.

Once the house was fully settled down, I felt exhaustion wash over me, along with a sense of relief. I pocketed the stone and stepped out of the door to see Applejack waiting with Roseluck. They both looked amazed and curious about the strange house.

“Thanks for the help. I tried using my tether, but I don’t have super strength despite what rumors say,” I said gratefully.

Applejack laughed. “Shucks, weren’t nothing. It’s hard to move an Earth Pony that don’t want to be moved. Four of us and your house had no chance. Just glad you were able to get it to settle down,” she said with a friendly smile.

“So am I. Now, I gotta go get Blitzen from where I left her.” Was it my imagination, or did Roseluck look upset? Was it because I’d left Blitzen somewhere or because I was going to retrieve her? I wanted to stick around and figure it out, but I couldn’t just leave Blitzen out in the woods.

---

The house had drawn a crowd while I was retrieving Blitzen. It wasn’t every day a house ran through the town after all. I tried to act casual as I carried Blitzen to the front door. But of course, in another fine example of my luck, this is when Blitzen woke up and squirmed out of my grip. She staggered to her hooves and glared at me.

"You! You stupid, shaved diamond dog, monkey! Small-nosed, skinny-flanked weirdo! I should have known you would leave me! And for a princess? What am I supposed to do with that? I don't know why I fell for an emotional wreck like you!” Blitzen shouted, oblivious to the crowd around us.

She lowered her voice to a murmur, but I could still hear the bitterness in her words. “Why do you have to be so damn gorgeous?” Her voice came back as strong as before, “You wouldn’t know a good thing when it lands in your, your, whatever the top of your legs are called,”

I tried to defend myself. “Blitzen, how can you say that? Why would I leave you? I just had to go back to deal with what she’d done to Alex. I was coming right back.”

Blitzen ignored me and continued, her voice rising with each word, "And your teats! They're huge! How in Luna’s name can you even walk? And two legs? Why aren't you face down in the mud all the time? Ha! That would be an improvement! You top-heavy nag!”

The venom in her voice was too much for me. The shocked stares from everypony there made it all hurt even worse. That she would say things like that in public, I couldn’t bear it. I knew there would be ponies that thought I was some kind of freak, but I never thought Blitzen would feel that way too. Feeling like my heart was breaking, I ran into the house and found a small, dark closet to hide in. I barely closed the door before I broke down.

---

Blitzen was about to follow El into the house when she found herself lifted off her hooves in a magic field. ‘Spect stepped out of the house, eyes blazing with cold fury.

“Intoxication revocation!” ‘Spect shouted as the blue glow of her horn flared.

Blitzen felt a wave of nausea followed by a pounding headache as the salt haze was flushed from her system. Even worse than the headache was the sickening realization of what she had just said to Eleanor. She didn’t have time to think about it before ‘Spect dragged her into the house and dropped her roughly to the floor in front of a closet door.

“Listen. Do you hear that? She's sitting in the closet crying. Do you have any idea what she's been through? I know you two have this weird 'love at first sight' thing going on, but you should be careful. She can shut off her emotions if you push her too far,” ‘Spect hissed.

Blitzen looked at the floor. "Maybe she should."

'Spect growled, "How many times do you think that'll work before she can't turn them back on? She's hurting because she wants to feel. She wants to care about you, Blitzen. Maybe consider that before accusing her of wanting to leave you for a princess. And maybe get a grip on your salt issue. You two are not providing a good example for an impressionable filly."

---

After a while, I was able to stop crying. I felt the thing I’d used to wipe my tears. It was some kind of animal skin. I used a mote of essence to light up my anima banner and see what it was. I was holding what looked like the pelt of a lion. I felt a strange urge to make something out of it. I used my omnitool to remove the fur, cut shapes from the leather, and dye it a deep blue. I also turned some metal fittings in the closet into grommets, rivets, and studs. I realized I was remaking an outfit I’d seen a few worlds back and thought was too bold for me.

The outfit suited my mood now. It wouldn’t shock the ponies, but it would show them I was trouble, or looking for trouble. I wasn’t sure which–blue leather leotard with a studded vest, laced-up gloves, and thigh-high stiletto-heel boots. I wasn’t sure I could pull it off, but I was damn sure gonna try.

Blitzen was waiting outside the closet. She took a step back when she saw me. “Eleanor… I’m so sorry. I was salted, but that’s no excuse. I never should have said those things.”

“But you did say them, Blitzen. There’s a saying from Earth. In Vino Veritas. It means In Wine Truth. People often reveal truths they wouldn’t say otherwise when they’re drunk. I don’t know how much of that was what you really think of me, but right now, I’m not in the mood to talk about it. I’m going out. Alone. I need to think about things,” I said as I walked out the door, leaving her behind.

Next Chapter: Chapter 14: Looking for Trouble Estimated time remaining: 20 Minutes