I left Twilight upstairs, practicing to use her maniple fields like fingers. I'd decided to do some more work on the game board, and was still working with the charcoal and sketch pad when there was a knock on the door. I looked around. Spike had disappeared, probably back to his room, and Twilight hadn't come down. I put down my charcoal and pad and headed over to get it.

As I opened the door, I said a quick, "Hello," and then, recognizing the mare on the other side said, "Rarity, must be about time for your get-together, huh?" The white unicorn smiled as she stepped past me and inside. She had on a pair of baby-blue saddlebags that were encrusted with more jewels than I'd ever seen in one place before, jewelry shops included. "Are those real?" I asked, nodding to her saddlebags.

"Are what real?" she asked, looking back.

"All those gems," I said.

"Of course, sapphires, diamonds, a few amethysts. No emeralds or rubies, though, they didn't really go with the color scheme."

"Back on Earth, you could probably buy a small town with the gems on that set of saddlebags," I said.

"Really? I mean this little collection is, of course, lovely, but it's hardly something to write home about."

"On Earth, gems like that are very rare and very hard to mine. The scarcity drives up the price, among other things," I said, not wanting to touch the whole subject of 'blood diamonds'.

"Oh, well here in Equestria, they're not nearly so scarce, and they're not too difficult to find. I do have a special talent in that area, though, which allows me to outfit my creations with perhaps a bit more sparkle than most other designers would be able to," said Rarity, with a flip of her mane at the mention of 'other' designers.

"Huh, maybe I could help you find some sometime. I'd kind of like to see that," I said.

"I'd certainly appreciate the help," she said, "and of course, I'd compensate you for your time."

"No, I don't think that's necessary. I just think it would be wild to see you dig up a gem worth more than I used to make in a year," I said with a grin.

"Well," said Rarity, "we can speak about that later. Now, though, I'd like you to try this on." With that, her horn lit, and a package wrapped in the blue glow of her magic lifted out of her saddlebags. She set it down on the table I'd been using to sketch.

The package was white, just like Rarity's coat, with just the stylized name 'Rarity' written in one corner on the top of the thin box. It was wrapped with a light blue ribbon the same color as the diamonds in her cutie mark. I walked over, sat back on my haunches like I'd been practicing, and reached up with both hooves to untie the package.

"Most ponies just use their mouths," Rarity commented.

I looked over my shoulder at her and shrugged. "I'm just kind of used to doing it this way," I said. I wasn't sure I'd ever get used to how most ponies used their mouths on things. I wasn't some sort of germ-o-phobe, but I was loathe to start picking up everything with my mouth.

The ribbon undone, I lifted the top of the box. Inside was a piece of white cloth. I picked it up and unfolded it. It was the cloak Rarity had said she'd make for me. It was mostly pure white, with a border of bright red, perfectly matched to the color of my mane. extending a couple inches in from the border was an embroidered design of blocky spirals, also in the bright red of my mane. I honestly reminded me a bit of the white mage cloak from the original Final Fantasy. I looked close at the embroidery, the stitching was immaculate. The cloth itself was sturdy, yet very soft and smooth, almost like some sort of super-thick silk. Honestly, it was far better quality than any piece of clothing I'd ever owned.

"Rarity," I said, "this is amazing."

"Thank you, of course, but you haven't even tried it on yet," she said, taking the cloak from my hooves with the blue glow of her magic.

"Oh, right," I said, standing up on all fours again.

Rarity draped the cloak over my back, and I felt the cords slide around my neck and cinch themselves up. She left the hood draped back over my shoulders. "Excellent, now turn around for me, please," she said.

I walked in a small circle so she could see it from every angle. The length was just right so as not to interfere with my back hooves as I walked, and I could feel the cloak hug me all through the back, the cut somehow making it stay in place as opposed to sliding off one to one side and just hanging from my neck.

"Excellent," said Rarity. "No adjustments necessary. Not, of course, that I thought I'd have to make any," she added with a smile. "Do you know if there's a mirror around?"

Now that I thought about it, I didn't remember seeing one "I don't know," I said. "Maybe there's one up in Twilight's room. She's still up there, practicing her hoofwork."

"Hoofwork?" asked Rarity.

"She's trying to replicate the trick I do with holding things in my hooves," I said.

"Ah, of course. You do realize that if we don't go get her, she'd never come down to the party, yes?" said Rarity.

"Really? She seemed like she was looking forward to it."

"And she is, I'm sure, but Twilight can get a bit... wrapped up in her studies."

With that, Rarity turned and trotted up the stairs. I waited, not wanting to go up again. She quickly emerged with Twilight in tow, apologizing for having lost track of the time. "It's perfectly fine, dear, but it is about time for the girls to start showing up. Also, I brought the cloak I made for Peter, and he needs a mirror to see how it looks."

"Oh, of course!" said Twilight as she trotted down the stairs. As she caught sight of me, she said, "Oh Peter! That looks wonderful! Thanks so much, Rarity." She stepped off the stairs and slowly circled me, looking at the cloak.

"Twilight," interrupted Rarity. "The mirror?"

"Oh, right," said Twilight. She stopped and her horn glowed briefly. A full-length mirror suddenly appeared in the library with us.

I stepped in front of the mirror, and the first thing that caught my attention was my eyes. Well, the color of my eyes, to be specific. They were red, as bright a red as my mane. This wasn't the pink of an albino eye, but bright cherry red. I'd never seen anything like it. I leaned in, getting a closer look. It was kind of sinister, really. I mean, did you ever see a movie where the good guy had red eyes? Zombies, villains, evil sorcerers, sure, but this look was pretty much reserved for that end of the good-bad spectrum on Earth.

"What do you think?" asked Rarity.

"Weird," I replied without thinking.

"What?" Rarity asked. "If something's wrong with the design, I can change it."

The cloak, right. I looked over to Rarity and immediately caught the disappointment in her eyes. "Um, sorry, I hadn't actually seen the color of my eyes before. On Earth, this would be pretty freaky." I quickly looked back at the mirror. The cloak did look amazing. Now that I was actually wearing it, I noticed the way the fabric caught the light. It didn't shimmer or sparkle or anything, but it was like it emphasized the small shadows caused by the folds as it hung. Just holding it in my hooves and looking at it hadn't done it justice at all. "The cloak is really amazing, Rarity."

"Thanks," Rarity said, all smiles again. "I knew it would be. But how could you not have seen your eyes? Don't you have a mirror in here, Twilight?"

The purple alicorn blushed. "There was an... incident a few weeks ago," she said. "It involved Spike, a tin of mints, and... well, there aren't any more mirrors in here. And there won't be any again for a while."

I looked over at Rarity, the white unicorn had one eyebrow raised. I was about to ask for some more details when she caught my eye and shook her head slightly. I decided not to ask.

"They don't have that eye color in your world, Peter?" Rarity asked, breaking the silence.

"No, some people and animals are albino and have pink eyes, but I don't know of anything outside of a movie that has eyes like these."

"A movie?" asked Rarity.

"Think a bigger, fancier version of a film," said Twilight.

"You guys have films?" I asked.

"Yes, although they're nothing compared to what I saw in your world. Those were just amazing."

"Huh," I said. How long had Twilight been peeking at Earth before she found me, anyway? "You all haven't freaked out, so I assume red eyes aren't that unusual here?"

"Well," said Rarity, "red eyes aren't exactly a common color, but they're certainly not unheard of, either."

"Strange," was all I could say.

"Anyway," said Twilight, changing the topic, "I should have started setting up for the girls. Could you give me a hoof, Rarity?"

"Of course, dear," she said.

"Can I help?" I asked.

"No, we've got this," said Twilight with a grin.

Twilight walked into the kitchen, and brought back a large tablecloth, floating behind her in her magic. Rarity grabbed it while Twilight concentrated again, and the bust on the central table in the library disappeared, reappearing on the top of one of the shelves off to the side. Under the direction of Rarity's magic, the red and while checkered tablecloth spread itself over the table without so much as a wrinkle.

They both headed for the kitche, and I heard the a few clinks, like plates or glassware. When they came back out, Twilight had seven glasses following in her wake, while Rarity was followed by some small plates. The plates and glasses then whisked themselves into positions around the big table.

"Last thing," said Twilight, and closed her eyes to concentrate. I heard the door to her room open, and seven cushions floated down the stairs and arranged themselves around the table.

"My, someone's been practicing," said Rarity, with a smile.

Twilight smiled back. I looked at both in confusion. The whole affair had looked like something out of The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

Rarity saw my look and explained. "It's very hard to use your magic like that on objects you can't see. Twilight was always very good, but it's still impressive."

"Oh," I said, "Congrats?"

Twilight smiled at me, "Everybody needs a hobby."

It wasn't long before the rest started to show up. First was Applejack, always punctual, according to Rarity. This was the first time I'd met Applejack. She was an earth pony, like me. She was wearing what, for all intents and purposes, looked like a Stetson hat, and her mane and tail were closer to what I'd call blonde than any of the wilder colors I'd seen in my short visits outside. They were also tied with a bit of ribbon at the end. She also had on a fairly full set of saddlebags.

"Applejack," said Twilight, "this is Peter. H... she's not from around here. I'll tell the whole story after everyone's here."

"Hi," I said with a weak smile.

"Hey there, Peter. Nice to meetcha," said Applejack. Her voice held a very pronounced Southern accent. Something you might hear in the rural South of America.

"You sound like you're not from around here, either," I said.

"Nope, Ponyville born and bred. Well, a little outside of Ponyville, if you want to be specific. What'd make ya think I'm not from around these parts?" Applejack asked.

"Well," I stammered, a little embarrassed. "Your accent sounds a little... exotic."

"Hah!" she guffawed. "Hear that Rarity? She thinks mah accent makes me sound all exotic-like. Y'all better be careful or you'll make Rarity here all jealous. She likes tah think of herself as the exotic pony 'round here."

"Applejack's family shares her speech patterns, Peter," said Rarity, from behind us. "It is odd that just one family here in Ponyville would hold on to such a... unique mode of speech, but I've never found any explanation for it."

"'Taint no explanation needed. It's just how we talk, is all," said Applejack, now trotting past me and into the library.

Twilight closed the door and followed after Applejack. Who'd stopped next to the table and had her neck craned back around to rustle through her saddlebags. She quickly produced a couple of large bottles, tied with a string around the necks. She set these on the table. "Ah brought over a little cider. Thought we might do with some refreshments for our little meetin' here. There's two more bottles in the other bag."

"Thanks, Applejack, I'll put the other two in the kitchen," said Twilight, opening the other saddlebag with her magic and trotting off with the other two bottles in tow.

"Aren't you going to pour us a drink, Applejack?" asked Rarity.

"I better wait for Rainbow Dash," said Applejack. "She still gets awful testy when she misses out on cider."

"Fair enough," said Rarity.

Just then there was a knock on the door. "Speak of the devil," said Applejack, and went to get the door.

As she opened it, I saw a pale blue pegasus with a rainbow-colored mane and tail standing there. "Heya, Rainbow. We were just talkin' about ya," said Applejack.

"Letting the new girl know how awesome I am, right?" said Rainbow, catching sight of me and grinning.

"Something to that effect, dear," said Rarity, as Rainbow walked in.

"Oh yeah," said Rainbow, "Pinkie's here, too. I saw her coming as I flew in."

"She didn't have that party cannon of hers with her did, she?" asked Twilight, trotting back in from the kitchen. "I swear I'm not letting her in here with that thing again."

"Well," said Rainbow, eyes suddenly on the ground. "She may have been pushing the party cannon, but come on, Twi. That thing's pretty awesome, right? I mean, can you decorate an entire room for a party in half a second with your magic?"

"No," Twilight conceded, "but I'm still not letting it in here. It's been months since the last time she set that thing off in here, and patrons are still finding pieces of sparkle and confetti in the books!"

"What was that about confetti?" I heard Pinkie's voice call from outside the door.

Suddenly a violet glow snapped into place over the open door. Just in time, as the nose of a brightly painted cannon with an absurdly oversized bore suddenly bumped against it. "Hey Twilight? Can't I come in?" asked Pinkie from behind the monstrosity.

"You can come in, Pinkie," said Twilight. "But the cannon stays outside. I told you after the last time you weren't allowed to use it in the library."

"Aww, I said I was sorry," said Pinkie, with a pout.

"No party cannons in the library. Besides, didn't you promise Peter that you wouldn't have a party until she was ready for it?" said Twilight.

"Oh," said Pinkie. "I did, didn't I? Well, no party cannon, but for the record, none of you are allowed to call this a party. This is officially a meeting, maybe a gathering of friends, but not a party." She shoved the oversized cannon off to the side, and stepped in as Twilight dropped her force field.

"Okay, Pinkie, it's not a party. What's the big deal?" said Rainbow.

"Because I'm going to throw Peter his first party, so this can't be a party." said Pinkie.

"His?" asked Rainbow, and I could tell from Applejack's expression that she'd caught that, as well.

"Oops," said Pinkie. "You didn't tell them yet?"

"Umm," said a quiet voice from the doorway. I could recognize it as Fluttershy. "Did you know you left your door open?"

"Hi, Fluttershy," said Twilight. "Come on in. I was just about to bring everypony up to speed on Peter's... well just Peter, I guess."

The butter-yellow pegasus stepped into the library and shut the door behind her. "Hello again, Peter," she said.

"Hi," I replied, surprised she'd noticed me where I'd slid off to the side, away from the main group.

"Hey, how'd you get over there?" asked Rainbow, noticing me off to the side of the room. "Aren't you supposed to be the reason we're all here tonight?"

I swallowed. "Um, yeah," I said, stepping back towards the table. Twilight was really nice, and so was Rarity. Pinkie was strange, but still nice. Fluttershy I'd only seen once, so I didn't have much of a feel for her yet. It seemed like each of these ponies had a personality that was like a physical force. All of them together was seriously intimidating.

"Well," said Applejack, "Everypony's here now, so how 'bout that cider?"

"Great idea!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash, grabbing a cup off the table and holding it up.

Twilight's magic untied the string around the necks of the two bottles on the table and lifted one up after popping the cork. She poured some cider for all of us, and we sat down on the cushions around the table. I sat by Twilight and Pinkie Pie grabbed the cushion on my other side. The rest of 'the girls' ranged around the table.

"Is this stuff alcoholic?" I asked, looking at the glass of cider in front of me.

"Nah, this is jus' cider. If you want the harder stuff, we have a little stash back home."

"Ah, okay then," I said, and grabbed the glass. The cider was good. Way better than anything I'd had from a store on Earth. "This is great!" I said, looking appreciatively at Applejack.

"'Course it is. It's from the Apple family," she replied with a smile.

"Okay, then," Twilight said, drawing everyone's attention. "Let me tell you about our guest, Peter." Twilight then launched into a recounting of how she'd been looking into different dimensions, leading to my arrival here in Equestria, as well as why I was a pony now, and how I couldn't go back again, or even be changed back to a human here in Equestria. I was surprised to learn that she'd actually been observing Earth for weeks, before finally picking me seemingly at random, and following me for a few days. She guessed that something had gone wrong with the spell casting on the last day, allowing me to be aware of her presence, and finally hear her and Pinkie. All the mares seemed a bit stunned to hear the story. All except for Pinkie, who'd been there at the time. I got looks of surprise and sympathy as the story went on.

After Twilight concluded, Applejack was the first to break the silence. "So Twi, you can make yourself heard over on Earth with this spell. Could Peter get in touch with his family, tell them he's okay, even if he can't be there no more?"

"Omigosh!" exclaimed Twilight, "I didn't even think of your family, Peter. I... I can do that, I think. Do you want to tell them you're okay?"

"I don't really have any family," I replied. "If I did, I probably would've asked."

"Sorry to hear that, Peter," said Applejack.

"It's okay, Applejack," I said. "My parents waited until pretty late in life to have me. Dad was in his mid fifties when I was born, and mom was closing on fifty herself. I'm almost thirty, or I was, I guess. I don't know how old this new me is supposed to be. But my parents had good lives, they just got old." I didn't really want to delve into the specifics, but it was true, my parents had had good long lives, they just waited so long to have me that I wasn't around for most of them.

"Old?" said Applejack, "Eighty's still in the prime of life."

"Maybe here, but on Earth, most people die before they make eighty. There are a few that hit a hundred, but not many. That's just how it is." That silenced the group for a bit.

Finally Rarity spoke up, "Now girls, we were here tonight to think of some ways to help Peter out now that she's in Equestria. I think Peter could use a name that's a bit more Equestrian. I don't mean, of course, that you really have to change your name, but something a bit more familiar to introduce you as would help you to fit in here in Ponyville."

"Well," said Rainbow Dash, "the name might help, but how do you explain the full-grown mare with no cutie mark?"

"We were going to say that Peter grew up outside of Equestria and that's why she doesn't have a cutie mark," said Twilight.

"Not living in Equestria means you don't get a cutie mark? I didn't know that," said Rainbow.

"Well, I don't think it should matter," said Twilight, "but I think most ponies will take it at face value. Besides, it's literally the truth. Peter didn't grow up in Equestria, because of that she doesn't have a cutie mark. There's no need to mention that she wasn't a pony when she grew up outside Equestria."

"You know, it's kind of funny," said Applejack. "The name thing is kind 'o like a red herring. The thing that really should tip ponies off that something's not normal about Peter here is not havin' a cutie mark, and you're fixin' to pass that off all easy-like. Why can't that same explanation do fer the name?"

"I can answer that," I said. "I'd like to take a different name because I'm not Peter anymore. Peter was a human, from Earth, and now I'm here. A pony, a mare, even, in Equestria. I'm starting over, so I'd like a new name."

"That sort of makes sense," said Rainbow. "Honestly, I have no idea what I'd do in your hooves. But if you want a new name, we'll make sure you pick an awesome one."

"We'll make sure you pick an appropriate one," corrected Rarity. "Not all of us are as concerned with the concept of cool as Rainbow Dash."

"Hey!" said Rainbow.

"Ahh, no offense intended, Rainbow," said Applejack, "but if it were up to you, with Peter's colors, you'd call her Flame Fury or something, right? How's about something a little less... over the top."

"Was gonna be Fire Fury," I heard Rainbow mumble under her breath. The others heard it as well, and I could see Applejack and Rarity holding in laughs.

"I think something with fire would be appropriate, considering Peter's colors," said Twilight.

"I dunno," I said. "I'm okay with not being Peter, but I don't feel like a Flame Fury."

"Well, like Rarity said, maybe something a little less... well, just a little less, but maybe Flame Dancer or Candle Spark?"

"Well," I said, "what are some common names? I mean, I've only really met all of you, and I can't really tell a pattern to names here."

"Well," said Pinkie, "I know Ribbon Wishes, Aloe, Lotus, Royal Riff, Cheerilee, Berry Punch, Snips, Snails, Peachy Sweet, Mosely Orange, Sapphire Shores, Fancy Pants, Minuette, Roseluck, Amethyst Star, Lyra Heartstrings, Magnet Bolt, Bon-Bon, Forsythia, Filthy Rich..."

Pinkie paused to take a breath and was interrupted by Rarity. "I think that's enough, dear. Let's throw out a few names and let Peter decide, hmm? I'll go first, how about Sunrise Topaz?"

Before I could respond, Applejack said, "Or Candle Coat?"

Then it was on. The next hour was name after name. Rainbow's suggestions tended to sound like an action figure. Rarity's tended to involve a jewel or gem of some sort. Pinkie's were just... odd. And Twilight and Applejack seemed to be suggesting things much closer to what I'd guess the normal was. Finally, though, one of Rainbow's suggestions gave me an idea.

"Wait a second. I just thought of something. My mother's family were the McLeods. Would something like that work?" I asked.

"Mac Cloud?" said Applejack. "Cloud works alright, but the only Mac I know is Big Mac, and that's just short for Macintosh."

"Oooh!" said Pinkie, "Rain! Rain Cloud!"

"That doesn't make sense," said Rarity. "Usually only pegasi have names like Rain Cloud."

"Yer colorin' don't really match up to Rain Cloud, either," said Applejack.

"I kinda like it," I said, "but it should to be Rain McCloud, not just Rain Cloud." As much as I felt like I needed a new name, I suddenly really liked the idea of a reminder of who I used to be.

"Hmm," said Rainbow, "Rain McCloud. That's kind of cool, actually."

"But it doesn't go with your coloring at all," complained Rarity.

"It doesn't have to," said Fluttershy. "I mean, we know lots of ponies whose names don't match their coloring."

"Well, yes," said Rarity. "But it seems like someone named Rain McCloud shouldn't be so... vividly colored."

"It is a little unusual," said Twilight. "Ponies' names do tend to match up to their looks, but Rain definitely works, and McCloud is close enough to a regular pony name."

"All right, then," said Rarity. "I suppose the most important thing is that you like it, Peter. Or should I say Rain, now?"

I grinned, "Yeah, I do like it. I think Rain will work alright." What can I say? For some reason that one just appealed to me.

"Alright, then," said Twilight. "Rain McCloud it is."

Author's Notes:

Fun fact: sapphires and rubies are actually the same type of crystal, just with different impurities that determine the color.