Chapter 5

Pony in Progress

“Alright, Spike. Send the letter.”

With those words from Twilight, the baby dragon breathed out a puff of green fire, incinerating the scroll and sending the response to Princess Luna’s letter. The swirl of smoke and ash hung in the air for a moment, before flying out the window towards Canterlot.

“Letter sent, Twi.” Spike responded with a grin and salute. He still didn’t fully trust Luna. However, if Twilight and the rest of his friends were willing to give her the benefit of the doubt, then he trusted their judgment.

Meanwhile, all through the town, the other Elements of Harmony prepared themselves for an extended visit to the palace. Rainbow Dash called in her favors with a few off her fellow weather pegasi friends. Rarity explained some of the basics of running the shop to Sweetie Belle, specifically cashing out customers and explaining that no custom orders would be taken for at least a week. Fluttershy spent her time trying to convince Angel Bunny to behave while she was away, and not trash her cottage with another wild animal party like last time. Applejack explained the request to her family, who completely understood. Afterwards, Granny Smith, Big McIntosh and Apple Bloom all sent her on her way with a big hug and a saddle bag full of apple treats. Pinkie Pie, as she expected, received no resistance what-so-ever from the Cakes when she requested the time off. They seemed overjoyed at the idea off Pinkie leaving for a while and going as far away as Canterlot. Now, with all the six friends ready, they only had to wait for sunset, and their transportation to arrive.

===

In the empty throne room, Princess Luna paced back and forth, eagerly waiting for a response. She had sent the message to Twilight and the other Elements quite a while ago, and grew increasingly worried over their reaction to her request.

“This may have been a bad idea.” She thought. “They probably didn’t even get it, my luck with these new spells Celestia created while I was away. Why, they- Oh!”

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden puff of green smoke, swirling in place before her. In seconds, the response scroll materialized and unrolled in front of her.

“Dear Princess Luna,

I am pleased to report that all of the Elements of Harmony have received your call, and have answered. Myself, as well as the other five Elements all offer our services in the assistance of your lost guest. However, we will require a short amount of time to prepare ourselves before our pick-up from the palace. We will rendezvous at the Ponyville library at sunset and await your transport.

Sincerely yours,

Twilight Sparkle”

Luna breathed a sigh of relief. They actually answered! She almost couldn’t believe it. Her sister was right. The Elements were able to put aside Luna’s past offenses and respond to her call. Quickly, she levitated another scroll and the inkwell from the desk. Unrolling the scroll, she wrote a quick response, hoping to still catch Twilight before she left the library again.

“Dear Twilight,

That is truly wonderful news! Please notify me with one last letter the very moment you and all your friends are gathered at the library.

Eager to see you all soon,

Princess Luna”

And with a seal, and a quick spell, the final scroll was off.

===

Midnight looked out over the balcony. The pegasi ponies in the sky were still incredible to watch, even after a full hour of just moving clouds around. Down in the yard, the construction on the wall was finished, completed by the earth ponies with some unicorn assistance at an impressive speed. This was all still so amazing to him. Another world that nobody knew existed, populated by pegasi, unicorns, dragons and who knows what else. Have other humans come here before him? Were they out there somewhere, living in their own societies, apart from the rest of the mythical, mystical creatures in this dimension, or planet or whatever it was? Or were they ponies now, like him?  Were they somehow changed into ponies as soon as they set foot in Equestria? Was that the downside of traveling to a new world or dimension or realm; becoming one of the citizenry of the world you visited by default?

“When I get home, I’m totally calling George Noory about this shit, I tell you what.” he said to himself. “Wormhole, government experiment or slip in space/time, this might be a whole new field of the paranormal study, here.”

Coast-to-Coast with George Noory was one of his favorite radio shows. He remembered staying up all night at times to listen to him and Art Bell and Ian Punnett. About half an hour ago, he stopped being surprised by the things he remembered about his home world. Bits and pieces from pop culture, music, movies, religions, politics, science, the occult; all coming back in minor snippets here and there. Just the facts, though. No tangible personal memories or experiences he could recall. No real insight into who he was, and definitely nothing about how he wound up here.

He remembered he liked punk, ska and hip-hop music. Action movies and sci-fi were in regular rotation in his movie library. Books ranged from fantasy and horror novels to history books and occult lore of all kind. He remembered he was more of a blue jeans and t-shirt kind of guy, as opposed to designer fashion. As for family, friends, nationality or religion, he still had no clue. However, he was still confident those would come back to him soon, considering how deeply ingrained in most people’s psyche those subjects are.

Midnight walked away from the window and looked back over the room. There were many large and very old looking books on the floor-to-ceiling shelf built into the wall. He figured he probably shouldn’t bother them. He trotted over to dresser next to the bed.

“They’re hors… um..ponies. What could they possibly need dressers for? They don’t wear clothes!” he thought. A moment passed before a thought struck him like a brick to the head.

“Ponies don’t need clothes. I’m a pony. So…I’m… naked?!” he said to himself, looking down at his legs and body. He didn’t even notice it before.

“I was naked around two women I don’t know…” he thought, feeling himself blushing a bit at the idea, although the thought didn’t strike him as hard as he thought it should. Maybe because he just reminded himself that ponies really didn’t need clothes and that they were both naked as well.

“Which means, I hugged a pretty girl, NAKED. And SHE was NAKED. Hehehe.” he giggled to himself, remembering hugging Luna out of gratitude. Luna. Princess Luna. She’s been so nice to him since he arrived here. Her and Princess Celestia both, but especially Luna. She saved him from the garden last night, bandaged him up, gave him this huge room to recover in, not to mention she said she actually cast spells of healing on him. He remembered those were always the most difficult to cast, at least they were in his fantasy novels. She’s such a nice, kind, sweet girl. And those eyes. He had never seen teal eyes before…

“Wait, what am I DOING?!” he said out loud, catching himself in his own thoughts. “What is wrong with you, boy? You wake up, half dead in a strange land, run by talking ponies who can fly and cast magic spells, you’re turned into a pony yourself, and the thing that occupies your mind the most is a pretty girl? Wait… how am I even considering her ‘pretty?’ Wow… thinking a female pony is cute. Maybe it’s the instincts in this loaner body making me think like this.”

He shook those thoughts from the forefront of his mind, but couldn’t fully get her out of his head. Even now, he wondered when she’d get back. She said she had some official business to take care of. She’d be back soon, he reassured himself.

He forgot about the drawers and snooping for now and sat back down on the bed. He looked at his hooves again. Dark grey, almost black. He looked back at his wings, tucked neatly against his body. His tail swished back and forth once, involuntarily. Looking up, he could just barely see his horn poking from the top of his head.

“A pegacorn, huh? I think it’s time I got to know me better.”

===

Sky Shield stood outside the door, wishing he had just stayed at home today. This was boring, even by royal guard standards; playing errand colt to a guest of the princesses. He could be out in the yard right now, training in aerial maneuvers. Or weight training, wearing weighted armor as he flew laps around the palace grounds. Anything but this, waiting in place for an order from some pampered, snobby, elite…

“Hey, buddy?” a voice from behind him quietly rang as a hoof tapped Sky on the shoulder.

Sky quickly snapped to attention, turning to address the voice. Poking his head out from guest room was a dark grey unicorn, giving him a goofy grin. Sky grinned back, hoping he wasn’t noticed him daydreaming a moment ago.

“Hello, sir. Private Sky Shield, ready for orders, sir. How may I be of service, sir?” the pegasus asked, standing at attention.

“Yeah, I hate to bug you, guy, but I’m in need of something special. So…” he said, feeling nervous after disturbing the large pegasus.

“So… what would you like, sir?” Sky said, a bit confused by the guest’s demeanor. If he was a visiting dignitary or v.i.p., he certainly wasn’t acting like it. “I can have the kitchen bring you any food you want, prepared by the finest chefs in Equestria. We have the best libraries in the world here, containing all the known knowledge ever acquired by our best scholars. Anything you want, I can probably get for you with little trouble.”

“Huh. Anything, eh?”

===

Down the hall, Dusty made her usual rounds. She went from room to room, cleaning the usual dust and dirt that accumulated in the halls and under beds. As she pushed her cart full of supplies down the hall, she considered the room still ahead of her that needed cleaning; the room containing the strange visitor the Princess was so concerned with. She was still somewhat shaken by the strange behavior of her Princess, but shrugged it off as the price a princess had to pay for ruling a nation. Still, she couldn’t get the look Celestia gave her out of her mind.

“Why was she so quick to get rid of me?” she thought. “All she had to do was ask for me to leave, and I would have. And why did she give me that odd order to keep tabs on the new guest?”

As she traveled down the round hallway, the room in question came into view. Outside of the room stood an armor-clad pegasus guard, talking to the guest.

“Oh, no. Oh, no nonononono! This is just what I need!” she said to herself, leaving the cart and quickly trotting down the hall. She ran up beside the guard, almost making him jump out of his fur.

“HELLO! Hehehe. Hi! I don’t think we’ve met yet, sir.” she said, stepping in between Sky Shield and the guest, poking his head out of the door. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Dusty, the head of palace housekeeping staff. If there’s anything you need, anything at all, I can help get it for you. You just let me know. Ok?”

Midnight reared his head back in surprise at the sudden energetic introduction of the young mare. He seen the guard jump, and that alone almost made him retreat back into the room. But at the arrival of another unknown pony, he figured this was a good opportunity to introduce himself. Deciding that diplomacy was probably the best way to go, he pulled the door open the rest of the way with his hoof and stepped through, revealing himself as he stepped out into the hall.

“Well, it’s nice to see I have two knowledgeable and eager members of the palace staff here to help me. Nice to meet you both. My name is Midnight Blaze.” He offered his hoof to Sky, who hesitantly presented his own, giving Midnight’s a firm shake. Midnight then held out his hoof to Dusty, who promptly followed suit herself. Leaning down, he planted a gentle kiss on her hoof, taking her by surprise and causing her to lightly blush. Together, the two looked their visitor up and down, silently trying to take in the presence of both wings AND A horn on their guest, but the stunning lack of a cutie mark.

“Listen, I know you two must have a ton of stuff to do around here, so I’ll try not to bother either of you too much.” Midnight said.

“Oh, no, Mr. Midnight! It’s quite alright. We are here to assist you however you may need. You just name it.” beamed Dusty. Midnight paused for a moment and thought it through. He raised his hoof to scratch his head, only to give himself a knock to the temple, forgetting he now had no fingers. He looked at his hoof, feeling frustrated. Quickly, he realized what he now needed.

“You know what? Could one of you bring me a mirror? Something I can see my whole self in, like a large floor mirror?” he asked them both.

“Sir, yes, sir! I know where there is such a mirror down the hall. I will retrieve it for you now.” Sky said, saluting. “Will that be all for now, sir?”

“Well, that’s it for now, yes. If I think of anything else…” Midnight was suddenly interrupted by a deep growl coming from his stomach. He felt himself blush from noise, being so close to a girl as it happened. Dusty only looked at him and grinned.

“Sir, I could bring you some food, if you want. We do have the finest chefs in the country here.” Dusty said, with a slight giggle.

“Yeah, that too. But nothing too fancy. Keep it basic, please. I don’t want to put anybody- I mean, anyPONY out, just to please me.” he said, smiling as he turned back to the room. “I’ll let you know if I need anything else later, OK?”

Midnight walked back into the guest room to the bed and sat, waiting for his mirror and food to arrive. He once again looked down at his hooves, his tail, his wings. The mirror was a wise choice, he thought. At least this way, he could get a better look at himself. The food actually wasn’t on his mind at all, until his stomach growled, but at least this could give him a good idea on how to care for this new body he inhabited during his stay in Equestria.

===

“When did you get here? I thought it was MY job to watch him?” Dusty asked, annoyed.

“I was assigned to his command by Princess Luna herself, so back off, maid. And by the way, are you trying to get me fired?” he shot back, answering the snippy cleaning mare. As soon as they were away from earshot, they began to questions the others presence and both felt that the other was there to keep an eye on each other, as well as the new guest.

“Well, I was assigned by PRINCESS CELESTIA, and what do you mean, ‘get you fired?’”

“I received an order to report anything he wanted to Celestia, then I get an order to keep everything he asks for a secret from her; an order, once again, from Luna.”

They stopped together near the room where Sky Shield knew there was a large mirror, the kind Midnight wanted. He sat down for a moment, rubbing his head with a hoof, feeling overwhelmed.

“Alright, so, who’s orders do we follow? I never received contradictory orders before.” Sky asked, noticing Dusty looking just as worried as he was.

“I don’t know. Who do you think would punish us more for disobeying her orders; the princess who ruled a prosperous, war-free country for a thousand years, or a princess who just came back from being imprisoned on the moon for a thousand years because she tried to take over the world?”

The looked at each other and both came to the same conclusion.

“Luna.” they said in unison.

“I hope this doesn’t blow up in our faces, Dusty,” Sky said, entering the doorway to retrieve the mirror. “I just got into the royal guards a few weeks ago. I don’t need to be dishonorably discharged now.”

“Well, I’ve been here for two years already. And I don’t wanna lose my job, either. And I certainly don’t wanna make either Princess unhappy or cross with either of us.” Dusty added, her ears drooping at the thought of two all-powerful alicorns angry at her at the same time.

===

It didn’t take long for Midnight’s requests to arrive. In a matter of minutes, Sky Shield returned to the room, pushing in a tall, wide mirror with his forelegs, walking on his hind legs. The mirror itself was larger than Midnight expected; At least the length of a pony from end to end and probably at least eight feet high.

“Here’s your mirror, sir. I borrowed it from a room down the hall.” Sky said, rolling it to a stop next to the dresser. It wasn’t only the size that was impressive, but the detail of the craftsmanship as well. The woodworking around the mirror was decorated with carved images of dragons, griffons, pegasi, unicorns and a dozen other creatures that he didn’t even recognize. The wood itself was varnished in a deep amber tone and glossed until it shined in the retreating sun of the early afternoon. And in the middle, in the polished glass surface provided the greatest surprise of all.

There he was, reflected in the perfect glass; Midnight Blaze. He paused at the sight of himself for the first time. Slowly, he approached the image, watching as it moved as he did, responding to his will. He reached out a hoof and touched it to the hoof of the creature before him. “Oh, my God… this is really me.” he said out loud, causing Sky to give him a confused stare. The very idea that this new and strange creature in the mirror was him was somehow frightening and amazing at the same time.

His color, the main color of his short, equine fur, was a deep charcoal grey. It almost seemed to shine as the sun hit it through the open window of the balcony. He noticed his horn, as well, matched his coat, and spiraled to a point about ten or twelve inches out from his head. His mane was deep crimson in color, with a streak of darker red running through it. It hung down slightly over the left side of his face, sticking up in places at the top and running down the back of his neck, almost to his shoulders. His tail matched the same crimson red and dark streak, hanging down off his backside and curled at the end, just before it hit the floor. His hooves were the same dark charcoal as his fur, tough and hard, as they should be on a pony. However, they had a certain amount of give to them, almost like pushing on a car tire. The only part of his new body he didn’t really get a good look at was his wings. They stayed tucked at his side all day and refused to budge, despite his few half-hearted attempts to move them. He took a closer look at his face. It was more chiseled, more squared off and ridged that Luna’s or Celestia’s, or even Dusty’s. He glanced at Sky Shield, and noticed the same distinctive features that defined the look of a proper Equestrian stallion, recognizing them in himself. He found he could control his ears, now, consciously making stand up or lay back at will. But what he found to be the most striking feature of his new body, were his eyes. He stared deep into them, studying them with an almost child-like curiosity. Amber. A deep, shining yellow gold of amber, staring back at him with pools of black in the center.

“This might not be my real body…” he thought to himself. “…but I can definitely get used to this.”

Sky looked on as Midnight stood, fascinated with himself in the mirror, feeling a bit uncomfortable. He looked at himself like a painting or a work of art, studying every aspect, only looking up for a moment to notice Sky was still in the room.

“Ahem… Sir, is there anything else I could help you with at the moment? If no, I’ll return to my post.” Sky asked as Midnight looked longingly into his eyes in the mirror.

“Well, something comes to mind, but I don’t want you to take it the wrong way.” He said, turning away from the mirror towards Sky. “Sky, would you consider me… handsome?”

“Hu..Hu.. WHAT! HANDSOME?!” Sky Shield’s eyes shot open and he stuttered on his words. “Sir, meaning no disrespect for your own personal preferences, but just for future reference, I’m not a colt-cuddler. I really can’t help you in that manner, sir.”

“What? What’s a colt-cuddler?” Midnight asked, confused.

“You don’t know? You’re kidding, right? A colt-cuddler; a stallion who likes… other stallions… in THAT way…” Sky explained, giving Midnight a sideways glance.

“Oh. Oh, OH!!! WOW, you got THOSE HERE, TOO?” He sat back on his haunches and waved his hooves at Sky. “I didn’t mean it like THAT, guy! I don’t dig dudes! Oh, God, no! I just mean, ya know…” He trailed off, looking back to the mirror. “I just mean, to girl-um… females. MARES, I mean. Ya know? I really can’t tell. Sorry if I put it the wrong way.”

Sky walked over, feeling a bit reassured, and joined him next to the mirror. He straightened his off-center helmet and armor as Midnight continued to look at his profile. Sky took a step back away from Midnight and unfurled his wings, stretching them out and bringing them back in one fluid motion. Midnight turned to his side and flexed the muscled in his forelegs and arched his neck, shaking his mane down his back and over his eyes. Try as he might, he simply could not yet consciously control his wings.

“Well, I for one think you are both handsome, young stallions.”

The two turned in shock to find Dusty standing there with a small pushcart with a covered bowl, fruit basket and several mugs on it. They quickly turned and straightened themselves as she pushed the cart next to the bed.

“I didn’t quite know what to get you, so I just got some local fresh fruits, some tea and juice, a few assorted flowers and for desert, a few various pastries.”

As Dusty pushed the cart past him, Midnight caught the smell of the food and was instinctively drawn towards it. He couldn’t remember the last time he ate, literally! Dusty turned to leave the room as she dropped the cart off, Sky Shield following close behind her.

“If there’s anything else you may need, sir, don’t hesitate to ask, alright?” she said with a smile, closing the door behind her as she and Sky walked out, leaving Midnight alone with his meal.

He sat down on the bed and inhaled the scent once more, his stomach growling in anticipation. He reached over and grabbed the lid of the serving tray and… nothing happened.

“Damnit, I keep forgetting. No fingers.” He looked at the cart, puzzled. “Then how did they get this set-up on the cart? This is too fancy NOT to be done with hands. How did they pull it off with hooves?” he thought. The tray held a large bouquet of flowers off every shape and size placed sticking out of a large, short vase. Three mugs; one of tea, one of what appeared to be juice and one of a bitter smelling dark drink were placed next to the flowers. The serving tray apparently held the fruit and various vegies she had mentioned, while a basket covered with a cloth napkin held the pastries, by the smell of it.

He tried to lift up the lid of the tray with both hooves, but it just slipped out of his grasp, annoying him further. These hooves were clumsy, at best. How did they arrange this? WHY would they arrange this like so if a normal pony couldn’t get to it?

“Sir, may I enter for a moment?” Dusty said from outside the door.

“Yes, come in.” Midnight said, still trying to remove the lid from the tray. “What is it?”

Dusty entered and stared at him, confused. Midnight only grunted back at her as he stood up and placed his front hooves on the cart and lifted the lid from the tray with his teeth, only to have it slip out of his grip and cover the tray again.

“I… just wanted to tell you that the kitchen will be preparing dinner soon, so if you wanted more food, just ask in the next hour or so.”

“More?!” Midnight groaned. “I can’t get to what I have NOW! Why would you hide the main course under this lid, anyway?” he whined, sitting back on the bed.

Dusty walked over to the cart, placed her hoof on top of the handle of the lid and lifted it up. “Sir, this lid isn’t latched on or anything. Just lift it straight up.”

“How… how in the hell are you DOING that?!”Midnight sat right up in amazement. Dusty had touched the handle with her hoof, and lifted it up from the tray, with absolutely no grip on the handle! She stood there, dumbfounded by his reaction as he stared at the lid, connected to her hoof by seemingly nothing.

“Are you serious, sir? How did I pick up the lid? I just… you know, used my hoof. Are you telling me you can’t, sir?”

“NO, I can’t DO THAT! How are you…” he paused and thought a moment. They shouldn’t be able to do that! How can they hold things in their hooves with no fingers? He had to find out more, but didn’t want to seem like an idiot to his two new assistants.

“Um… yeah. Don’t worry about it, Dusty. But, there’s something I think you can help me get now. If you don’t mind.” He said as he sat back on the bed, still starting at the tray’s lid, floating against her hoof. “I’m gonna need every book on the anatomy of a pony you can get your han…, I mean, ‘hooves’ on. Can you do that?”

“Yes, right away sir. I’ll be back in a short while.” She said, placing the lid on the stand next to the bed and quickly leaving the room. As the door closed behind her, Midnight once again approached the cart. He paused for a moment, then reluctantly leaned in and removed the cloth napkin covering the pastries with his teeth. Moving in he caught a blueberry muffin in his teeth and leaned his head back, letting it fall back into his mouth. As he savored the sweet, moist flavor on his tongue, he silently hoped this wasn’t going to be the only way he could enjoy food while he was stuck in this strange new land.

===

Dusty and the rest of the maids traveled from room to room, inspecting bookshelves and encyclopedias for anything that could pass as an accurate description of Equestrian anatomy. Floor by floor, they had collected many books, all touching on the subject of anatomy, but Dusty knew for sure where to find the most comprehensive books; The Palace Library. Unfortunately, it was the same library that Princess Celestia had secluded herself and wished not to be disturbed. Dusty reluctantly approached the door, taking a deep breath before she raised a hoof and knocked. She waited for a response, only to be met with silence from within.

“Pr-Princess Celestia? I-It’s me, Dusty? May-may I come in?” she asked, quietly, fearful of a reprimanding. She recalled the mood of the princess earlier; urgent, barely able to hold on the façade of nobility and patience. Would she still be in the same mood if disturbed, after giving specific orders not to be? Seeing as how this fell into her order to know everything the new guest knew, Dusty was willing to bet the Princess would forgive her this transgression. She pushed the door slightly, and to her surprise, it opened.

Nopony there. The library was empty, the few rays of the early afternoon sun illuminating the empty depository. Dusty looked to the left, then the right. Whatever the princess was looking for, she had hoped she found it, and that it put her in a somewhat better mood that she was in. Moving quickly to the reference section, she found several detailed volumes of anatomy books and tossed them on the cart outside, trotting away from the library as the large ornate wooden door slammed shut on its own.

===

A short while later, Midnight had stumbled and bumped his way through most of the serving cart. He had finished the small basket of pastries, leaving only crumbs and a dirty napkin behind. The fruit from the serving tray was almost gone as well, with only the pears remaining. Something had told him deep down that he hated pears. The different beverages were a trial all unto themselves, in mugs with handles obviously created for a creature with fingers to hold, but served by ponies, for ponies. He managed to slowly and delicately balance one mug between his two hooves and take a sip, the drink being a variant of coffee. It was sweet and bitter all at once, kind of like dark chocolate. The other looked and smelled like apple juice, and provided another challenge. He imagined the ponies would not always hold cups with their hooves, and tried to balance the cup another way to drink. He held the rim of the mug in his teeth, coming at it from above and lifting it up, then tilting his head back slowly to try to spill some of the juice down his throat. It was a disaster. The juice spilled all over his face and neck, causing him to drop the mug and send a crack down its side. He would not be doing that again, he thought. The only positive outcome of that disaster was the flowers; he accidently caught the petals of one flower from the bouquet on the tray and, after finishing the fruit and not yet feeling satisfied, dared to try another. They were surprisingly delicious. After a few guarded nibbles at some of the other types in the arrangement, he dove in and munched greedily at the beautiful petals, leaving only torn stems behind.

“Knock, knock, sir. I have those books you wanted.” Dusty announced, poking her head in through the doorway. In she walked, pushing a small cart full of books of all shapes in sizes. Midnight watched from the bed, his belly full as he roll off and greeted her half way in.

“Thank you, Dusty. That was faster than I thought.”

“Oh, thank you, sir. It was no trouble. Is there anything else you need now?”

“Oh, no, Dusty. That’s all I need right now. Thank you.” He said, waving a hoof. She turned with a smile and trotted out of the room, reaching to the handle to close the door as she went.

“Very well. Call on us again if you have need.”

The moment she left, Midnight charged the cart of books. He got behind it and pushed it into the bed hard enough to have several large books fall off onto the bed from the impact. He then jumped up on the bed and drew the closest book in front of himself, flicking it open to no particular page, hoping to find something about this strange phenomenon that Dusty had showed him. It only occurred to him after he began reading that the book was written in perfect English, but he was long past the point of being surprised by this coincidence, considering how many similarities he had found already in this world with his own.

“Alright, now; hooves, hooves, hooves… what do you got to say about hooves…” he said to himself as he flicked through the pages with his own hooves. Despite the proper, innocent and unspoiled nature of the natives he had met so far, it seemed the scientific mind was alive and well on Equestria. The first book he had grabbed was chock-full of detailed illustrations and comprehensive studies of many of the inner workings of the Equine anatomy, but nothing about the hooves other than a cross-section or two about bone development and structure. He tossed that book aside and grabbed the next. His human curiosity had been sparked, and he would not rest until it was satisfied.

===

Midnight had flipped through at least two dozen books so far, and still had not found what he was looking for. He found that he had to stop and read the occasional chapter on the structure of pegasus wings, the height, length and density of unicorn horns at various stages of development and came to fully understand the mechanics of all four legs and why they had seemed to move so very differently than the legs of horses he had seen on Earth. However, he still couldn’t find anything more about hooves other than bone structure or proper care. He was getting tired of having to lick the tip of his one hoof just to turn the pages, considering he had been walking on them all day and having to do that was just not sanitary. He was just about to give up, gripping the newest looking book in his teeth from the cart (the taste of old books and bindings heavy on his tongue by now) and opened it up to the same results. No real study of how a flat, tough hoof with no digits to speak of was able to hold a handle or other solid object. The last chapter of the book was like many others he had read so far; a detailed map of the nervous system throughout the equine body. This time, illustrated with color cross-sections of nerves and receptors throughout the limbs. Nothing new here, really. He was about to toss the book to the side when he noticed something. A certain nerve line leading from the brain to the hooves, branching out like tree roots at the end of both forelegs. He turned to the beginning of the chapter and began to read aloud, paraphrasing as he went.

“The cluster of nerves branching out from the blah blahblah… connected to conscious and unconscious sections of the brain yaddayadda… AHA! Respond on a sub-conscious level to produce a heavier, focused gravitational field at the end of each hoof to allow the moving of and gripping of objects! I KNEW IT!”

The information Midnight had been looking for was right here! The way Dusty had lifted up the tray! She probably didn’t even know HOW she did it. The unique set of nerves that lead from all four hooves to the brain generated a gravitational field, wrapping around and gripping objects in the field, allowing these ponies to manipulate objects as easily as he would have with his hands. However, they could not walk on walls or ceilings. The field wasn’t THAT strong. They also had to sometimes fully envelop the object in the field to hold it, like wrapping invisible fingers around it to have full control over it. The strength was limited, however, as it tied into the strength of each limb to determine how powerful the grip would be. However, the hoof would have to be physically touching the object for the field to fully take effect. He also found that Earth ponies had the strongest grip of all three pony types, usually at least three times stronger. Pegasi, however, had a unique field all their own, allowing them to push and pull clouds and other forms of vapor, thus allowing them control of the weather patterns. Unicorns had the weakest grip, according to the book, relying mostly on their use of levitation through magic to manipulate objects, rather than their hooves.

“This is amazing! They evolved an entirely new way to use tools without the use of hands!” he thought. Looking at his hoof, he extended it over a book lying flat on the bed and pressed it down. “Alright, let’s see if this works.” He lifted his hoof and… nothing happened. He tried again, and still nothing. He tried several times more, getting more and more aggravated with each attempt.

“Shazam! Abracadabra! Go Go Gadget, Hoof! Hoof on! Oh, come on! I can’t even do that?! Just pick up a stupid book?! I’ll NEVER get the hang of this body!” Midnight hit his hoof on the night stand in frustration. He got up and kicked the book cart against the bed, knocking several books off onto the floor and creating a loud BANG from the impact off his hoof. At the sound of the crash, the door to the guestroom opened and Sky poked his head.

“Sir, is everything alright?”

“Oh, yeah, Sky. Just… having one of those days, is all.” Midnight grumbled as he leaned down, annoyed further at the fact he would have to pick up all these books from the floor with his mouth. Sky Shield entered the room and sat down next to the cart, leaning down to help Midnight as he cursed under he cursed under his breath at his lack of understanding on how to properly use this new body.

“I got this, Sky. No need to bother yourself.” he said as he picked up a book in his teeth and placed it on the cart in an awkward manner. Sky just kept picking them up, two or three at a time, and placing them on the cart.

“Seriously, Sky, don’t put yourself out for me.”

“Oh, no, Sir. It’s no trouble at all.” he said, scooping up two more books with one fluid motion. Midnight felt himself growing more angry by the moment. He reached out with his hooves and pulled the books from Sky’s grip, holding them to his chest.

“I said, I GOT…” Midnight paused, looking down at his hoof. He was holding the book. Not only that, he could FEEL the book. He could feel the texture of the cover, the weight of it in his hoof. He grinned and laughed the book, stuck to the underside of his hoof, moving his foreleg around as the book stayed in place. Sky Shield just sat there, looking at his strange reaction.

“Sir, are you alright?” he asked, a bewildered look on his face. Midnight quickly turned back to him with the same wild grin.

“Sky, LOOK! I picked up a BOOK! With my HOOF! HA! In your FACE, EVOLUTION, PHYSICS and LOGIC!” he said, turning to the ceiling and pointing with his other hoof. Sky placed the final book he held on the cart and slowly stood up, backing towards the door as Midnight placed the book on the bed and picked it up again and again.

“I lift things up and I put them down. I lift things up and I put them down. AHA!”

“That’… that’s great, sir. I’ll just, um… be out here if you need me.” Sky said, as he left the room, somewhat disturbed by the joy his charge had been getting out of the simplest of tasks.

“I get it now.” Midnight thought. “I have to WANT to grab an item for it to stick to my hoof. It has to be fluid and deliberate and as natural as breathing or blinking to work. Well… that kinda makes sense. Otherwise, I’d probably be picking up clods of dirt as I walked around outside.” He tossed the book up in the air and caught it, passing it from one hoof to the next. He felt a great sense of pride, figuring it out by himself.

“This world is getting better and better. I can’t wait till those teachers arrive.” he thought, pushing the cart to side of the room by the door. He trotted over to the bed and plopped down again, looking out the balcony towards the horizon. The sun was starting to go down already. He had passed all his time looking through those anatomy books, waiting for Luna and her trusted teachers to return and begin his lessons on magic and flying. “I hope Luna comes back soon. I need to know what I’m doing for the night.” He sat up, propping himself up as a familiar feeling crept into his lower abdomen, immediately making him regret having drank all that coffee and juice earlier.

“Oh, great.” he thought. “Maybe I should check those anatomy books on the proper way an equestrian goes for a piss…”

===

In the Ponyville Library, Twilight and her friends gathered together for their trip. Twilight went over a list of chores with Spike as the other five friends walked and hovered around the library, waiting for their ride to arrive. They had not needed to pack much, considering the Palace would have the best of anything in the land already at its disposal. Applejack, however, did take a small saddle bag of some of the choicest apples from her farm and Pinkie Pie decided to take a bag of freshly baked cupcakes for a snack if they got hungry during their trip to the palace.

“I swear, girls. I don’t see the difference between Applejack and Pinkie Pie taking what they want, verses me taking my things.” Rarity said with a huff. She pushed the large stack of suitcases off into a corner off the library and returned to the center of the room with the group.

“Yea, I suppose you wouldn’t, Lil’ Miss Frou-Frou. My one saddle bag, against your 6 pieces of luggage.” Applejack said, grinning at Rarity’s annoyance. It had taken her, Twilight and Fluttershy to convince Rarity to leave all her bags behind. Otherwise, they would have nowhere to sit in the chariot when it arrived.

“So, umm, Twilight? When exactly do the princesses chariots arrive for us? I-if you don’t mind me asking.” Fluttershy asked, meekly.

“They should arrive- O-M-G, I forgot! Princess Luna asked for me to send her a letter when we all arrived here at sundown.”

“Well, that’s weird. She’s not gonna make us wait here till the chariots arrive, is she? Cause, I’ll just leave now and meet you girls up there later.” Rainbow Dash asked, hovering above them both.

“Well, I don’t think she would do that. Just let me write the letter to her and we’ll see what come of it.” Twilight levitated a blank scroll before and drew a quill from an ink well on the desk. She quickly jotted something down on the scroll and rolled it up, hovering it over to Spike. “Send it out, No. 1 Assistant.”

“Sure thing, Miss Sparkle. Scroll, away.” And with a quick puff off fire, the scroll was off.

===

Back at the palace, Luna had just heard the last report of the guards on the events of the day from the guard captains. Celestia had been busy in the various studies and libraries all day, so Luna took it upon herself to maintain some minor affairs of state today, waiting for the Elements to get ready for their trip. She was just about ready to return to check up on Midnight Blaze when a whirl of green smoke and ask appeared before her. A scroll quickly materialized before her and floated close.

“Oh! This must be the response from Twilight Sparkle I asked for! Is it sunset already?” She turned to the large decorated windows at the side of the throne room. Indeed, the sun was low in the sky, almost touching the horizon, Celestia’s beautiful bright sphere sending its last rays of light across the land. She unrolled the scroll and read:

“Dear Princess Luna,

As per your request, I am notifying you that we are all gathered at the Ponyville Library, ready for our transportation.

Sincerely,

Twilight Sparkle”

Luna chuckled at the punctuality of the lavender unicorn, remembering previously reading reports addressed to Celestia from her young student. Luna placed the scroll on the side of the throne and closed her eyes, focusing on Twilight back at the library.

===

A voice quietly brought itself to the forefront of Twilight’s mind. As soft as a whisper at first, the mares voice resonated from deep within her mind, different than the voices of any of her friends. She remembered it from quite a while ago. Though vague and timid in her memory, this voice spoke loud and true.

“… Twilight Sparkle… gather your friends around you… now…”

Twilight visibly jumped at the sudden urgency of the words, drawing the attention of her friends.

“Um, Twilight? Are you feeling icky-sicky all the sudden or something?” Pinkie inquired. The only response she received was a tight hug around the neck from Twilight.

“No, but I need you girls to come to me now, RIGHT NOW!” she shouted, startling them all. One by one, the friends gathered around Twilight, reaching out and wrapping their forelegs around her as tight as they could. Then, they waited.

“Twilight, dear? I’m all for groups hug every now and again, but what calls for this sudden show of affection?” Rarity asked.

“I don’t know. I just know you all need to be as close to me as possible right now. I ju- Huh?” Twilight stopped mid-sentence as her horn began to glow. Dim at first, then brighter, until the light filled the library, accompanied by a hum that grew from an insect-like buzz to a vibration that shook the floor.

“Twilight, wh-what are you d-d-doing?” Fluttershy asked from behind her bangs, eyes shut tight.

“I’m not doing anything! I don’t know what’s going on, but don’t let go of me!” Twilight no sooner got the words out than the entire group began to rise off the floor, causing gasps and shrieks from them all. Spike watched from corner of the room as one by one, his six friends began to glow and pulse, and then slowly fade away.

===

The throne room pulsed with magical power, swirling and bubbling and crackling as Luna cast her spell. The curtains against the walls flapped in the wild winds and chandeliers swayed back and forth as something slowly started to materialize in the center of the tempest. The moon princess’ eyes glowed with a brilliant white light, filling the throne room as Twilight Sparkle and her friends appeared at the center of the room, collapsing in a heap on the floor. Quickly, the princesses’ eyes returned to normal as the six disorientated friends shook the dizziness from their heads and turned their attention to Luna.

“Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash; your Princess welcomes you back to Canterlot.”

*************

Alright. I know how much a kick it is for some ja-bronys to have the first comment, so I'll be making my end notes here instead from now on. So...

Well, that's one explanation for how ponies can hold stuff in their hooves. Granted, I'm sure there's like 900 other fics that touch on it, I just haven't read them, yet. Anyway, I'll be bringing in more characters and O.C. villains in the coming chapters. not to mention more from Princess Bitch-lestia in the future. as usual, any questions or comments, throw em' up, I'll see if I can help you out without giving away too much future plot. well.... that's it for now. don't forget to track and like! Next Chapter: Mystery Mare Estimated time remaining: 15 Hours, 11 Minutes