Chapter One: Wrong Side Of The Tracks
~BlackRoseRaven

Sally O'Connor groaned loudly as she slowly picked herself up, her head ringing with pain. She looked blearily back and forth as she reached up and rubbed at her forehead... then flinched and hurriedly drew her hand away. Except it didn't feel quite like a hand anymore, it felt...

She tried to flex her fingers: there was some... weird sensation of something shifting, but not a whole lot of actual moving. And it was dark, wherever the hell she'd... “Oh great, I fell into the stupid well again, didn't I? Oh man, Daddy's going to kill me...”

Sally dropped her head forwards with a loud sigh... then scowled as her hair fell in her eyes, reaching up and trying to brush it aside as she dropped back on her rump. Hadn't she just gotten a haircut? How the hell had her hair gotten so long again already, and why hadn't she noticed it before?

She brushed her bangs quickly back, then looked up... and frowned uneasily as she saw only darkness. Thick, all-encompassing darkness: she shivered at the sight of it, biting her lip and feeling a twist of fear run through her gut as she called weakly: “D-Dad? Dad, hey, is... is this some kind of joke? Dad... Dad! Dad!”

She trembled as she stared helplessly up into the solid darkness: the last things he could remember was that it had been the middle of the day, and she had been eating more berries than she'd been harvesting, and... and...

And why wasn't it wet if she was supposed to be in the well? She shifted suddenly, trying to stand up as she realized the floor beneath her was dry as a bone... except when she tried to get to her feet, her legs gave a twinge of pain and she dropped down on all fours again, cursing in pain as she ground her hands against the ground and... why the hell did they feel so weird still?

But before Sally could even try and pick herself up, there was a tremendous bang before a bright light washed over her, blinding her and driving her back a few steps as he cried out and tried to shield her eyes. Stark disbelief washed over her before she looked past her arms as she heard something clomping towards her...

Her eyes widened in horror at the sight of the thing: it looked like some kind of... of pastel-colored horse, except it was wearing some kind of golden armor and was glaring at her with an expression that was all too human and... and was that a horn sticking out of its head?

It stopped in front of her, Sally staring and trembling at his apparition, mouthing wordlessly before the horse suddenly leaned forwards and snapped: “What the hell are you staring at?”

Sally screamed in terror before flinging herself backwards, kicking her legs wildly as she attempted to scramble away... before her eyes widened further as she rose her front... h-h-h-hooves?

She stared for a few moments at the sight of not hands, but hooves at the end of... of front legs, not arms. She whimpered and mouthed wordlessly for a few moments, then curled herself forwards, raising her legs and seeing not her own, but horse's legs, with a horse's tail streaming out past a big horse rump...

And then the talking horse with the horn stepped up in front of her, looking down at her with distaste very visible in his eyes before he said flatly: “Lady, we really don't have time for this.”

Sally looked at him, then she flung herself backwards, gibbering wildly as she hit a smooth stone wall, panicking as she kicked her legs – four legs! Four legs bad! Two legs good, four legs bad! – before trying to spin around and scrabble up the smooth wall for the ceiling, yelling in fear.

The unicorn's jaw dropped as he stared in disbelief at the sight before him: sure, when an Avatar showed up, they weren't always all that calm about it, but usually once they put together what had happened, they all decided this was either some amazing dream or they immediately got all creepy and started celebrating... usually in the most unusual and uncomfortable ways possible.

But this mare was still screaming and gibbering and rolling around, and the unicorn looked at her uncomfortably for a few long moments before he sighed tiredly and turned around: of course this just had to happen on his shift. “Hey uh, guys? Going to need a little bit of help here, she's kind of freaking out.”

Two more armored stallions in the hall beyond looked up, and then one shrugged nervously as the other sighed; unlike the other two, he had a set of large, strong wings that were furled at his sides instead of a horn. “Not our problem. Let her choke, for all I care. It'll be one less freak to worry about.”

“And what about Princess Celestia? If she hears you talking like that, she's sure as Tartarus going to make this our problem.” retorted the first unicorn, and the other two winced a bit. “And... come on. I may hate Avatars, but... while she's here, she's a pony, and a citizen of Equestria. Like it or not, our duty is to protect... all citizens of Equestria. Even them.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then the other guards traded looks before the Pegasus sighed at an extra loud yell that echoed out of the arrival chamber, and then he grumbled: “I still think we should just leave her locked up in there, Splinthoof. For her own good, of course.”

The other guard nodded lamely, and Splinthoof looked at them for a few moments before he dropped a face in a hoof and muttered; “You guys both suck. Fine. I'll go and deal with this myself. But you two are buying at the bar for the rest of the week, got it?”

The unicorn nodded lamely again, and then Pegasus simply groaned before giving his own grudging mumble of agreement. Splinthoof grunted at them, then he turned around and strode back into the cell... before sighing tiredly at the sight of the mare now shivering in the corner, whimpering and clutching herself as she looked wildly back and forth.

Even terrified, with her mane mussed up and tears running down her face and snot falling from her nose, she was still pretty... in a... country-mare kind of way. Her mane and tail were both messy and straw-colored, and her coat was a pretty auburn. Her big amber eyes were staring at him less with fear now, though, and more with simple, utter disbelief at where she was, and Splinthoof sighed a little before he felt himself starting to soften in spite of everything.

He noted that she had wings, and she had already messed all her feathers up in her panic. As a matter of fact, he didn't think that she was even aware of the appendages sticking out of the sides of her body, flapping and twitching now and then on instinct. And Splinthoof hesitated only a moment before he carefully and quietly crept forwards, keeping himself slow and gentle, lowering his head to try and show that he wasn't a threat as he said quietly: “Miss, I need you to come with me, okay? You're in Equestria now, and Princess Celestia is waiting for you. Isn't that exciting?”

“Equestria...” The mare looked up at him, and Splinthoof felt a little encouraged by this response... before his jaw dropped as she asked weakly: “What's Equestria? Who... what are you? And... and why...”

She trembled violently, tears beginning to spill down her cheeks again as she rose her hooves in front of her eyes, breathing hard in and out before she whimpered again... then flinched backwards in terror when she realized how close Splinthoof was to her, the mare covering her face and shying backwards from him.

Splinthoof only did his best to smile at her, in spite of how uncomfortable he felt. He studied her silently, then sighed a little before saying softly: “The Princess can do a much better job of explaining things than I can, especially if you don't know what Equestria is. I've never met an Avatar who didn't, though...”

“P-Princess? Why is there a princess? And what's an avatar? And why am I here?” Sally almost shouted the last, but when Splinthoof reared back, that sudden movement alone was enough to make her shriek and throw herself backwards, trembling in terror as she fell heavily onto her side.

Splinthoof only looked at her, wincing and half-raising one hoof as he licked his lips lowly, while Sally shivered violently and did her best to repress a sob. But after a moment, she managed to look up through her raised forelegs at him.

He looked back at her, then hesitantly extended his hoof to her: Sally shivered, but then carefully, slowly reached forwards and settled her own against his. She felt the strangest sensation of grasping into him, like invisible fingers were touching his foreleg, while a feeling of being gripped spread along her limb despite the fact his hoof was really just resting against her.

He gently hauled her up to her hooves, and she stood shakily as the stallion smiled awkwardly, saying carefully: “The... Princess Celestia is the best pony to ask about all that, okay? But uh... hey, a... a whole lot of Avatars don't understand how hoofgrip works right away. That's... that's a good sign.”

The mare looked at him blankly, only trembling and whimpering, and Splinthoof cleared his throat before he reached up and touched his own chest, deciding to try a different tactic: “My name is Splinthoof. I am a sergeant in the Royal Guard of Canterlot, assigned to the welcome committee. What is your name?”

He spoke slowly, carefully, enunciating each word... but unsure of how much actually got through to her as she only stared at him with that same fearful, whimpery expression. But just as he was about to give up and go get his friends to help him carry this mare to the throne room so they could find out what the hell was going on, she whispered: “S-Sally. Sally O'Connor. M-my name is Sally O'Connor. I'm... I'm supposed to be h-h-human, but I'm... I'm a... I'm a horse!”

“You're a Pegasus, actually.” Splinthoof said gently, and the mare looked at him blankly before he carefully leaned forwards and reached up to touch one of her wings.

She flinched and hurriedly snapped the wing away from him... then gaped in shock, staring over her shoulder in amazement. Her body shuddered as she slowly spread her wings back open, looking back and forth in awe before she whispered: “I... I have... wings?”

Splinthoof looked at her with surprise as she easily flapped the appendages, then flexed them and spread them, her fear vanishing rapidly. But it wasn't the fact she had so quickly gone from terrified to looking like a foal who had just been given the run of the candy store that had amazed him: it was the fact that she was so easily manipulating her wings, when usually it took at least a few days for Avatars to get used to moving them.

He hesitated, then smiled a bit after a moment as she flapped them almost wildly and hopped a little, as if she was trying to take off: whether she could move them or not, she clearly had no idea that she had to do a little more than just stick them out of her body. “Here, miss.”

Splinthoof stepped forwards, reaching up and gently straightening out one of her wings, and Sally blinked and winced a bit... then stared in amazement as he first brushed carefully along the edge of one of the appendages before some sort of... of aura washed out over her wing, neatening and straightening the feathers as he said quietly: “You can't just spread your wings and hope to fly away, Sally. They need to be maintained: dirty feathers don't fly is an old pony saying.”

Sally's gaze roved slowly upwards as she realized that the same colored aura was surrounding the stallion's horn... and after a moment she put two and two together, whispering: “Y-You're a unicorn! And that's... magic! You're a magical unicorn!”

“Yes, I am a magical unicorn. Almost every unicorn in Equestria is, though, so there's nothing really special about that.” Splinthoof said dryly as he finished neatening her wing, then he looked at her curiously as he walked around to the other side of her, asking: “How do you know about unicorns when you don't know what Equestria is?”

“Oh, come on, everybody knows what a unicorn is! That... and that's why you can talk, too, right? Because you're magic? Am I in some kind of magic kingdom?” Sally asked, her eyes widening as she looked back and forth. Some of her courage was coming back now as she looked at the stallion, feeling like an idiot for not realizing it before. And all unicorns were supposed to be valorous, good-hearted creatures, right? Right? But then why... “Why am I a horse too, then? Shouldn't I... shouldn't I at least be an elf?”

Splinthoof looked at the mare for a few moments as he carefully tended to her wing, and then he decided that trying to explain any of this was utterly pointless, sighing as he said tiredly: “Come on. Let's just go and see Princess Celestia. She'll explain everything, alright miss?”

Sally looked uncertainly at the stallion for a few moments, and then she finally gave a hesitant nod, deciding that... well, if he was a unicorn, she could hopefully trust him. Maybe it was stupid to believe so much in old stories and legends, but well... she was a talking horse, talking to another talking horse who had just nicely fixed her wings for her. What the hell else could she do? “I... okay. Is... is she a nice princess?”

“Too nice.” Splinthoof said quietly, lowering his head for a moment, and Sally looked at him curiously before the stallion shook his head, saying finally: “Come on. My friends are waiting for us outside. Please don't scream when you see them.”

“I'm... I'm not going to scream or panic. I'm... I was just startled. That's all.” Sally mumbled, reaching up and rubbing hurriedly at her face. But now that she was settling down... “I... how would you react if you woke up somewhere else? I mean, even unicorns must get scared sometimes.”

“Yeah. Even we amazing unicorns do.” Splinthoof said tiredly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes as he led the mare out of the enclosed room and into the plain stone hall. “Alright, get off your flanks, you two. Rune, fall in on her other side. Pigeonface, you take the lead.”

“My name is Hawkhead. Ignore Splinty. He's a dick.” Pigeonface said mildly, and then he shrugged before turning around and reciting carelessly: “Welcome to Equestria, we're all good friends here, we're excited to have you join us and Princess Celestia will explain everything you need to know please come right this way.”

Sally couldn't help but stare in amazement at the other armored horses, barely able to believe the sight of them: one unicorn was incredible enough, but here was another horse with wings, and there was another unicorn, who smiled at her lamely and shifted shyly away, giving her plenty of space. On her other side, Splinthoof walked much closer to her, gently herding her forwards as the stallion he had called Pigeonface led the way down what looked like a long, smooth stone hall... “Are... where are we? It looks like... does the princess have a castle? Who are the king and queen? Are they elves?”

Splinthoof only looked at her mildly as Pigeonface rolled his eyes in amusement, then said wryly: “Well, I guess she's feeling better, huh? Great work, Splinty. She's gone from the screamingest mare I ever met to the most annoying in one amazing leap for ponykind.”

“Yeah, well, she's probably the only screaming mare you'll ever meet. Unless they're running away from you, that is.” Splinthoof replied dryly before he could stop himself, and then he looked awkwardly over at Sally as he rose her head in surprise, clearing his throat as he added lamely: “Uh. Sorry, ma'am. Excuse us stallions.”

The mare looked over at him for a moment, and then Pigeonface said dryly: “Do you always have to be such a wet blanket, Splinty? Lady, I apologize for my friend here, and how boring he is. I don't want you think that all of us stallions are. Right, Rune?”

Rune nodded wildly in agreement even as he blushed deeply, and Splinthoof sighed before staring in horror as Pigeonface added: “And I wouldn't have left you alone and terrified in there with him if I'd known you were hot, by the way. I would have swept you off your hooves. In fact, I'm tempted to sweep you off your hooves right now.”

Splinthoof twitched, opening his mouth... and then he gaped when Sally replied with ease, in spite of the fact that literally minutes ago she had been panicking and crying: “Sounds like you do a lot of sweeping, but I think my feet are fine. If you want to go brush someone's feet, looks like you got four of your own to play with, and one tiny little extra toe between your legs.”

Pigeonface and Splinthoof both stumbled to a halt, the winged stallion almost falling on his face as the unicorn gaped in shock, while Rune simply giggled giddily and hopped excitedly at the mare's side, clearly approving of her as she strode past Pigeonface without so much as a glance in his direction, an odd smile of relief on her face.

When the sense finally returned to him, Splinthoof ran forwards and skidded to a stop in front of Sally near the end of the hall, the mare stumbling to a halt and blinking in surprise before the unicorn asked disbelievingly: “What the Tartarus was that? Where did that come from?”

Sally only blushed a little, shifting a little before she smiled a bit as she looked over her shoulder at Pigeonface, who was still staring at her blankly. “Oh, well, you know... I have seven brothers. Two of them are in service, like you, sort of... soldiers, I mean. We all grew up in close quarters on the farm, wrassling and cussing each other out and... hearing a little talk like that is...”

She looked down, blushing a bit. It had just brought on a sudden feeling of familiarity, and made her look at these magical horses not just as well... magical horses, but instead...

She studied Splinthoof for a moment, then looked down at herself as she rose a hoof, gazing at it silently for the longest time before she hesitantly looked up and asked: “I... this isn't permanent, right? This is... is this like a dream?”

Splinthoof shifted a little... but when Rune nodded encouragingly behind the mare, he finally gave a small smile and said quietly: “Kind of, I guess. Look, for the hundredth time, the princess can tell you more, okay? But if it'll get you to her... yeah. Think of this like a dream. You can go home any time you want, I promise. Does that help?”

Sally bit her lip, then smiled back after a moment as she nodded, feeling a surge of relief run through her. These guys weren't so bad, right? And they sounded just like the people she knew back home, and if this was just some... crazy Narnia or Oz she could leave any time she wanted, or maybe some psychedelic dream... “Yeah... yeah, it really does. I... let's go meet your princess. Cequestria, right?”

Splinthoof sighed at this as Rune slapped a hoof against his forehead, but Splinty admittedly had to work hard to repress a smile as he reminded her dryly: “Princess Celestia, of Equestria. She's just a short walk ahead, in the greeting room. We do our best to try and make sure that everypony who arrives here gets to meet her right away: saves a lot of... trouble.”

“Everypony.” Sally said musingly, smiling a little in spite of herself. “Now that's cute.”

Splinty smiled wryly back with a shrug, and then he winced when Pigeonface suddenly ran up and shouldered him roughly to the side, the stallion glaring at the mare and snapping: “Hey, it's a hell of a lot bigger than that!”

“I guess at least it must be a lot bigger than your brain, considering how long it took you to figure out what I was talking about.” Sally retorted smartly, and Pigeonface's jaw dropped again. He spluttered for a response, but then Sally smiled sweetly at him before she reached up and gently pushed him aside by the face with one hoof, asking Splinthoof: “Are we going?”

“Yeah. Yeah, we're going.” the unicorn replied with a wide grin, looking at the mare with entertainment before he turned and flicked his horn, opening the large, plain double doors with telekinesis to reveal another wider passage, and the mare's eyes widened: thankfully not with fear now, but with amazement as they strode out of a bottleneck and into a gorgeous lobby of sorts.

Magical horses – and a few other mythical creatures, to her further awe – were walking back and forth between what looked almost like... offices. Others were waiting patiently in large chairs that were arranged in paired rows to one side of the room, although most of these looked empty...

“What is this place?” Sally couldn't help but ask, gazing around as they walked slowly across the tiled lobby, before her eyes widened in amazement as she saw... “T-That's a dragon! Oh, wow! He's huge!”

Splinthoof followed her gaze, then he smiled despite himself as he saw she was pointing out a juvenile red dragon who had only recently been transferred here. “No, that's just a kid. He might be about three times as big as Pigeonface, but you haven't seen big until you've seen Ol' Volcano. Now that's a big dragon.”

Pigeonface only grumbled from where he was now hurrying to bring up the rear, scowling at the mare as he complained: “Why am I the butt of every joke? And speaking of butts, I... I think hers is too big. Avatars always have big butts, even the stallions. They make us all look like sex objects.”

“Well, if no one had told me you were a horse, I would have mistaken you for a jackass who drank too many Red Bulls.” Sally replied without looking around, and Pigeonface looked completely stumped as Rune chortled. “And I was going to tell you to keep your eyes away from my butt, but if all you've got on the mind is boy butts, then I guess it doesn't matter how much you look at me.”

Pigeonface opened his mouth... then simply closed it, scowling horrendously at the mare before he looked over at Splinthoof and snapped: “I thought you hated all Avatars. Let me guess, it's all because she's hot, right?”

“I do not. Anyway, how can I hate a mare who puts you in your place so well?” Splinthoof replied with a wry smile, and Pigeonface huffed loudly. “Anyway, if more Avatars were like her, we probably wouldn't have half the problems we do now.”

“Wait, more? There are more like...” Sally broke off as she looked back and forth around the reception area, her eyes widening as she wondered how many of these magical horses must actually be humans... humans, just like her!

She began to step away, then winced when Splinthoof grasped her shoulder, the stallion saying gently: “Hey, don't go wandering off yet, okay? You still have to see Princess Celestia first. And like I keep telling you, she'll be able to answer all your questions for you. Okay?”

Sally bit her lip, then she gave a hesitant look over her shoulder through the crowd before she sighed a little, reaching up and silently touching Splinthoof's hoof for a moment. She felt that strange feeling again, like grasping fingers instead of just solid nail or bone or whatever the heck hooves were made of, and she studied their hooves quietly before she murmured: “Okay.”

She gently brushed his hoof back, but nodded and smiled to him, ready to follow and feeling... a lot more confident now. Okay, so her entrance here hadn't been spectacular. She had a full on fit of hysterics that would have made her father ashamed of her. But she was... she could do this. Nothing here was going to hurt her and whether this was a dream or some weird fantasy world, it seemed like these weird magical horses at least had a lot of experience dealing with... well... this. Whatever this really was.

God, it was reassuring to know that she wasn't the only person to have shown up out of the blue like this, and she wasn't apparently some... prophesied hero or something. It made this whole surreal experience feel that much more bearable, connected her that much more to reality, to something she could... could stand to interact with, actually have some control over.

Of course, part of her was slowly but surely starting to believe that she had likely fallen down, whacked her head off something, and now she was just having the strangest dream... but hey, things could be worse, right? She figured that if she really could leave any time she wanted, then that would be the equivalent of waking up... or at least, that was what she hoped.

For now, she was just trying to... to roll with the punches and deal with things. She had learned from an early age that you couldn't just sit back and cry and let life push you around. You had to stand up for yourself, and you had to do whatever it took to get yourself through the day.

And at least... she wasn't alone here. It honestly wasn't just the fact that there were apparently other people like her – Avatars, she kept hearing them called, she thought – but it was because these ponies she had met so far were so much like the people back home. Pigeonface was just like that mouthy, rude, and somehow lovable ass Spencer, who ran the bar most of her brothers liked, and Rune was silent and shy, just like Brook, the farmhand... and Splinthoof, well. Splinthoof reminded her of her big brother, Jericho. The brother who had always taken care of her...

They reached the doors, and Splinthoof shoved through one before holding it for her as Pigeonface said wryly: “Oh, Splinty. You never hold the door for me.”

“Well, you've never been much of a lady.” the stallion replied dryly, and Sally couldn't help but giggle a little, Splinty looking at her with a small smile and a little bit of continuing surprise at how... reversed her mood had become. Maybe it really had just been the initial shock, but... still...

He realized he was staring as they walked down a carpeted hallway, and then he cleared his throat when Sally looked at him curiously before the stallion gestured calmly towards a set of double doors just past a four-way intersection ahead, saying in a brisker voice: “Through there is the receiving room. That's where you're going to meet Princess Celestia. Please don't be alarmed, but there are very specific protocols in place, because...”

Sally cocked her head curiously, and Pigeonface grimaced as Rune bit his lip... but when Splinthoof came to a halt in front of the doors and looked over at his friends, the Pegasus grumbled and dropped his head, and Rune nodded hesitantly.

Splinthoof looked at the Avatar with a small smile, considering what to tell her... weighing the difference between what she had to know, and what she should know. After all, he didn't want her freaking out again on him: she seemed happy enough right now, sure, but he got the sense that was because she had convinced herself this was some kind of dream or fantasy, as much as anything else. More than a few Avatars had done that, and he had seen all too many times what happened when their pleasant little bubble of belief was rudely popped...

“Look uh... you're the first Avatar to show up here in a long time, okay? Almost six months, I think, and uh... lately... we've been having a lot of problems with... Avatars, and Figments, and... other things I think it's much better that the Princess explains.” Splinthoof said finally, gesturing towards the doors as he gave a small smile. “Just don't freak out, okay?”

“I won't, I promise.” Sally said after a moment, frowning a little, and Splinthoof nodded before the mare looked uneasily up as the stallion pushed open the door... and then she stared a little, her eyes widening as she looked into a wide, open hall beyond that had perhaps once been gorgeous... but now, it looked careworn, and almost... sterile.

More than that, there were two rows of soldiers in heavy steel armor, forming a corridor straight towards what looked like some kind of... glass half-dome. She bit her lip nervously as Splinthoof gave her a gentle push, and then she strode forwards and slowly down the corridor between the armored, expressionless soldiers, as the three Royal Guard at her back escorted her calmly down the line.

She shivered a little as she stepped nervously onto a raised dais, inside the glass half-dome, looking through the smudged, blurry surface of the window towards what looked almost like a stage, heavy mesh curtains draped across it. There was something about it that... didn't mesh very well with the scenery around her, like it had been added long after this hall had been built. Likewise, looking around, she also couldn't help but notice that there were large, discolored spaces here and there on the wall: from the shapes, she guessed that there had once been furniture, or perhaps some other kinds of decorations attached here and there over the walls.

Then her attention was drawn to the stage as the curtains slowly drew back, revealing... it was hard to see: the domed window-wall she was trapped behind was blurry enough as it was, but there was another protective barrier on the stage, too, that... well, she supposed this was the princess who was standing behind it.

She looked like an enormous horse, but something was different about her. Sally shifted uneasily, not knowing if she should bow or greet her or... what the hell was the proper protocol in this situation, as she only looked up with confusion through the blurred glass... and then the princess gave a soft sigh before she recited in a voice that was... that was so sad, under the cordiality that was being audibly forced into it: “Welcome to Equestria... traveler. I know that.. you may be confused right now, but you are in no danger. Many others like you have arrived since almost a century ago now, but... we are still happy to welcome new... friends. My name is Princess Celestia, and it is my... honor... to be able to greet you.”

Sally looked uncomfortably up at the princess, licking her lips slowly before she attempted to bow low: while walking came pretty naturally to her – probably from all her time crawling around in the garden picking weeds – bowing was a little more difficult to figure out with her weird legs and weird back. “Uh... I... thank you, Princess Celestia, ma'am. My name is Sally O'Connor, and... and I don't... precisely know how I got here or what's going on, ma'am. But Mister Splinthoof said you could... that I should ask you what Avatars are and... what Equestria is and... who all you magical horses are.”

There seemed to be a sudden change in the air, the shape behind the glass looking more attentive before the Princess asked in a surprised voice: “What do you mean? You don't know about Equestria, or about ponykind?”

“You're ponies? But you're all so big, and...” Sally stopped, then looked over her shoulder in surprise before she blushed a bit. “Wait... I'm the same size as you, because I'm this... winged horse, and... but unicorns are horses, right? I... I mean, I apologize, your highness, I um... I don't know... am I allowed to ask you questions?”

Sally blushed deeper as she realized that in and of itself was a question... and then she blinked in surprise when there was a loud clicking sound before the blurry half-dome suddenly slid into the ground on a hidden track as the barrier wall descended into the stage with a whir of machinery.

The Avatar was left looking up in amazement: the Princess was gorgeous, a pure-white mare who had a unicorn's horn but also a set of wings... and a beautiful, flowing mane that shone with a multitude of colors, like it was made of rainbows. She had a little tiara on her head and a matching peytral around her neck, both inset with amethysts the same color as her gorgeous eyes...

Sally thought that if she had been even a year younger, she would have erupted into a squealing fit at the sight of this beautiful mare. But she was able to maintain some vestige of control over herself... even though she realized after a second she was opening gaping at the... the princess-horse. “You're so beautiful!”

The comment just leapt out of her mouth, and Celestia's muzzle wrinkled up a little, making Sally mentally hit herself: okay, so that had maybe been a little creepy. The Avatar hurriedly dropped her head forwards, blushing deeply and mumbling: “I... I apologize, Princess Celestia, I didn't mean to be rude. I just... I've never seen a unicorn like you before. I mean, a unicorn princess like you.”

Celestia studied Sally intently, stepping slowly to the edge of the stage: how was this possible? She had thought at first that this Avatar was just playing another stupid game with her, that this Avatar had been pretending she didn't know anything about this world so she could follow some... make-believe storyline where she was either a heroine or some kind of chosen one.

But no. She had given her human name, she didn't know anything about Equestria... she hadn't even realized they were ponies. And now she was shifting back and forth, humble and nervous, a stranger in a strange world who had no idea why she was here...

Everything happened for a reason, though: Celestia believed firmly in that. She studied this Avatar intently for a few more moments before her eyes flicked towards Splinthoof, gesturing at the soldier to step forwards.

He saluted her, then hurried up to the edge of the stage, leaning up as the princess leaned down and asked in a whisper: “What do you know about this Avatar?”

“Not much, apart from the fact that... she seems to be telling the truth.” Splinthoof replied quietly, looking up respectfully at the princess. “She had a fit of hysterics when she first arrived, but she had no idea who or what any of us are. She calmed right down when she realized we didn't mean to hurt her, though, and she's...”

Splinthoof shifted for a moment, struggling to find a way to say what he thought, but then Celestia reached down and gently touched his shoulder, murmuring: “Speak freely, Splinthoof. Don't censor yourself.”

Splinthoof nodded and blushed a bit, looking up at the Princess of the Sun with an awkward smile before he said finally: “She wasn't afraid of shooting down Pige... uh, Corporal Hawkhead. Stood up for herself, and she just struck me as... different from a lot of Avatars. She has no idea where she is or what's happened to her, and the only thing special about her so far is that she managed to flap her wings a few times, but she still... had confidence.”

“Confidence...” Celestia murmured, looking down and nodding slowly: yes. True confidence, that was something rare. Many Avatars, especially in recent years, depended on ego to get by... “Does she have a cutie mark yet?”

The stallion shook his head quickly, replying quietly: “Not that I noticed. I know sometimes it takes a little while before it sort of... merges in and all, but...”

“Unlike the other Avatars, she doesn't know anything about our world. We've already seen Avatars without cutie marks, for any number of reasons...” Celestia murmured meditatively, studying the mare intently before another thought entered her mind. “Sergeant Splinthoof, I would like for you to go and ask the Worldcrafters to send someone here with one of their Figments. I have a strange feeling about this mare.”

Splinthoof saluted sharply, replying crisply: “Yes ma'am! I'll have somepony here within ten.”

Celestia smiled as Splinthoof turned and hurried off on his duties, and then she rose her head, studying Sally for a few moments. The Avatar was looking up at her uneasily, and the princess softened after a moment before she spread her wings and calmly stepped off the stage, letting herself almost float to the ground to land soundlessly in front of the Pegasus.

Sally looked up at the enormous horse before her with awe... and a little bit of trepidation. As soft and gentle as she seemed, there was also a lingering sadness about her, and a strength and nobility that emanated from her like warmth... but she was also a princess, and apparently highly respected in this country or kingdom or whatever it was. She couldn't help but wonder, though... where were the king and queen if this was the princess? What must they be like?

Then she blushed when Celestia touched her shoulder gently, the ivory mare saying softly: “If you would like, I am happy to explain to you not only the things I tell all Avatars... but precisely where you are, and who we are. Maybe it will help you get a better sense of your surroundings. But there's no need to be afraid: you're safe here.”

Sally smiled hesitantly, lowering her head and mumbling: “It's... it's not that. I just... I mean, this is all a dream, really, isn't it? A fantasy, I mean and...”

Celestia smiled a little, studying the Avatar for a few moments: that would explain some of her confidence. It often happened to the Avatars: first was the surge of amazement or hysteria, even anger, when they woke up in a world that wasn't their own... and then next, they were suddenly placid, telling themselves it was all just fantasy, or a dream they could control. Purposefully misinterpreting anything they were told to better twist it to their own version of reality, a reality that still made sense because it was just supposed to be some kind of dreamscape...

But there was an easy solution to that, and Celestia simply rose a hoof before she gently bopped Sally on the head with it, the Avatar yelping in shock and grabbing her skull. “Hey!”

“Does that feel like a dream?” Celestia asked gently, and Sally bit her lip, looking uncomfortable before Celestia softened and leaned down, saying quietly: “I need to impress something upon you, Sally O'Connor. You are safe here, in Canterlot... but that doesn't mean you are safe everywhere. You can still feel pain, and your body is only as strong as any other pony's. You can still die... and if you die in this world, it will have... very unpleasant effects in your own.”

There was silence for a few moments, before Sally looked up, swallowing a little before she asked in a weaker voice: “B-But... I can go home any time I want, right?”

“Yes, you can.” Celestia said gently, except Sally understood just from her tone alone that it was going to be a little more complicated than just making a wish. “But when you choose to leave, we don't think that you can come back. Your spirit abandons your physical body, which dissolves.”

Sally nodded, but then looked up and almost blurted: “But I don't even know where I am, and I don't want to be here, anyway! I want to go home and... and Daddy's gonna be so mad at me...”

That wasn't true at all, of course: her father was the most understanding man in the whole wide world, and as the only daughter in a litter of boys, even though she was twenty years old he still spoiled her like she was five. What she was much more worried about now was... “I can't stay here, I... I have to go home. I don't want my dad worrying about me.”

Celestia only smiled reassuringly, however, leaning down and saying quietly: “One of the few things we do know about the differences between our worlds is that time runs very differently between them. Time moves much faster here, almost like a dream: some of our oldest Avatars have lived here for almost a century, but it's only been an hour in their world... your world, I should say.”

Sally bit her lip, frowning a little and not feeling exactly reassured by this before she asked nervously: “But how do you know that if you... if no one of these... Avatar people ever come back? Unless... can uh, 'horsepeople' go to the other side, too?”

“Ponies. You can just say ponies. In fact, most of our citizens prefer to be called that over 'horses.'” Celestia said softly, and then she smiled again. “Call it a... cultural preference.

“But that's very observant of you: no, no ponies have ever been to your world. I don't think it's possible for our ponies to, as a matter of fact...” She paused, then said softly: “But we have both ponies and Avatars who have dedicated themselves to researching the way our worlds interact, and through the use of magic and technology, they have made some... interesting discoveries.

“That isn't something you should worry about right now, though, Sally: there are other things that you should know first.” Celestia continued quietly, gently trying to guide the conversation towards things that would probably be easier for the Avatar to process right now. Things that were closer to her immediate concerns. “I know that you want to go home. And it is well within your right to, if you truly want to. But if you leave so soon after just arriving, I can't guarantee your safety. Right now, I imagine you must be very confused, and your mind must be in a jumble, trying to process everything. Trying to just believe that all of this is real. Trying to make the jump now will leave you with regrets.”

Sally only shook her head hurriedly, then she replied uneasily: “But... I... I don't want to be here at all! I just want to go home, and... no offense to you or... or anyone else, I'm just...”

The Avatar looked back and forth, stomping her hooves a little in a fearful gesture. Celestia couldn't help but frown a bit at this in surprise, studying Sally intently: she certainly didn't seem happy to be here, but her body was translating her movements and nervous gestures very smoothly... if she didn't know better, she wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between this Avatar and one of her own subjects.

Most Avatars – even the ones who had spent decades in Equestria – never completely mastered their new bodies. A quadrupedal equine form was simply too different from a bipedal body for them to entirely get used to, while it seemed like habits from their human life remained as ingrained in them as from the day they had formed.

But this Avatar strode around with ease, moved and fluttered her wings, and somehow, it looked like even her nervous gestures had translated into her new body: most Avatars stumbled around as if they were drunk for the first few weeks, or continually tried to stand up on their hind hooves and toddle around like that. A few had actually managed to teach themselves to walk on their rear legs, ridiculously enough...

Sally was acting as naturally as a pony, though: Celestia saw it not just in the way that Sally moved consciously, but how she didn't seem aware of the fact she was now stepping back and forth as if she was doing her best not to pace, the ivory mare unable to repress a small smile even as the Avatar continued worriedly: “I... I don't want to offend you or anything, but I don't belong here, and... please, I would... please just like to go home.”

She was scared. She was afraid now, but Celestia only continued to study her silently for a few moments before she leaned down and said quietly: “In time, you will. I will teach you myself how to go home, with as little pain as possible, but for the moment I would like you to just... try and calm down. You're not in danger.”

Sally shifted nervously, but it wasn't that she was afraid of them hurting her now: it was thinking about home, about her father, about... being away from her family, in a world of strangers. And worse was the thought that if she tried to get home, she might hurt herself: how long did she have to wait before it would be 'safe?' And were they completely sure that time wasn't still moving in her world?

The Avatar bit her lip, looking up pleadingly at the princess... but this majestic unicorn was implacable, looking back down at her with a gaze that was somehow both kind and unrelenting all at once. She already knew that any begging or wheedling wouldn't get her anywhere, no matter how badly she wanted to get home, no matter what reasons she gave...

And yet all the same, she couldn't help but lean forwards, blurting: “I need to go home! You don't understand, I need... I have responsibilities!”

“We all have responsibilities, Sally O'Connor.” Celestia reached up and gently stroked a hoof across the Avatar's face, and Sally blushed a bit as she felt a sensation like fingers brushing across her cheek before Celestia said softly: “One of my responsibilities is to keep all Avatars as safe as possible, and I can't let you leave if there's a chance you... might not return to your world intact. I'm only asking a few days, days that I know will pass very fast for you...”

Celestia stopped, then looked past Sally with a smile as the doors at the end of the hall opened, Splinthoof walking in with a youthful, serious-looking unicorn in robes beside him who had a large, blue bird perched on one shoulder. She recognized the newcomer and his pet immediately, nodding to him and greeting: “Archibald and Persephone. Welcome, and thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“Anything to help, Princess Celestia.” Worldcrafter Archibald said politely, nodding calmly to the princess before he frowned a little as he turned curious eyes towards Sally, who looked over her shoulder at the stallion... and somehow, just by looking at him, she knew that he was an Avatar, like her.

No, more than that: she looked at him, and she saw... an older man, surprisingly. Someone wise, but who had a shining inner child: someone who liked to teach, but who also liked having an excuse to have milk and cookies, who could be serious, but who loved to laugh, and to see others smile...

Sally stared at him, and Archibald looked uncomfortably back at the mare for a moment before he cleared his throat and asked gently: “Miss? What's your name?”

“Oh! Uh, hi, sorry.” Sally blushed deeply, shaking her head before she replied quickly: “I'm... my name is Sally, Mister Archibald, and uh... it's nice to meet you, sir. You... how did your end up here, if I can ask, sir?”

Archibald frowned slightly at this, reaching up and absently rubbing at his face as Splinthoof seemed confused: sure, the unicorn was a Worldcrafter, but unless Celestia had managed to fit an entire day's worth of lecturing into ten minutes...

Sally shifted nervously, wings fluttering a little, tossing her mane absently, rolling her weight on her hooves as she made her muscles jump, fidgeting on the spot. All tiny little things that normally wouldn't go noticed... but Archibald immediately caught on to these signs, studying her intently before he looked up at Celestia, asking quickly: “With no disrespect... are you sure she isn't a Figment, or perhaps a pony who... well... hit her head?”

“What? Hey, what's that supposed to mean?” Sally blurted, and then she blushed a bit even as she shook her head vehemently. “I'm... I'm from Arizona! We grow lots of lettuce and we have cows and the O'Connor farm is the only place for miles around where you can pick fresh raspberries!”

Sally stopped, then blushed even deeper and hurriedly dropped her head, mumbling: “Sorry. But I'm not... I just want to go home.”

She stopped, then looked awkwardly up at the blue bird, frowning uncertainly at it as something about the animal caught her eye, made her feel... a sizzle. It peered back at her, very much alive, intelligent... and yet at the same time, it seemed like it was... connected to the stallion. “Your uh... your pet, he seems... this is going to sound weird, but... is he real?”

It was such a dumb question that Sally couldn't even explain why she'd felt so compelled to ask it... but Archibald looked strangely pleased by it, the stallion smiling slightly before he turned his eyes towards Celestia. “I think I see why she interests you so much, princess.”

Sally only looked confused at this, giving an awkward laugh as she nervously looked back and forth before Celestia smiled a little, saying quietly: “I apologize, Sally. But you seem very perceptive, especially for an Avatar who's just arrived here.”

Archibald nodded thoughtfully, studying her intently before he turned his eyes to Celestia, bowing her head politely. “With your permission, Princess Celestia, I'd like to take young Sally to the Observatory. Don't worry, young miss. We'll make you very comfortable and you won't have to put up with more than a minimum of poking and prodding. Mostly just questions, nothing complicated or painful, and I'll be more than happy to explain everything you need to know about Equestria while you're there.”

“I... I just want to go home. You all seem really nice but... I want to go home.” Sally said weakly, trembling a bit and biting her lip as she looked back and forth between the ponies almost as if she was afraid.

Archibald smiled reassuringly, and then he said gently: “And we'll get you there, Sally, I promise. It's very easy to go home, once you know how, but it requires... some patience to learn the right way, to prepare yourself mentally for the journey. I like to think we all end up here for a reason.”

Sally didn't feel precisely reassured by this, lowering her head a little as she looked uncomfortably at the stallion, before Splinthoof said quietly: “Uh, miss, not to step on any hooves or anything, but... I'd listen to them if I were you. I've seen some Avatars rush going home, and... it's never very pretty. And you... you don't strike me as the cowardly type. Even if you do keep... panicking a little.”

“I'm... I'm not panicking.” Sally argued, blushing a bit before she shifted lamely, and her eyes automatically roved past Splinthoof to look at Pigeonface and Rune, who traded looks before Rune smiled lamely and Pigeonface nodded firmly a few times.

Sally blushed a bit at his, lowering her head a little before she sighed quietly as she glanced away: okay, maybe... maybe she was panicking just a little. Letting herself get hysterical again, when she'd already promised herself she wouldn't... what was she doing? Why was she being so... so...

The mare bit her lip, then she took a slow breath before hesitantly turning towards Celestia, looking up at the princess and reminding herself... this magical horse was royalty. More than that, this big unicorn with wings seemed to pride herself as someone who took care of others, and she radiated not just strength, but warmth, and honesty...

“I...” Sally gathered herself, steadying her mind as she fidgeted on the spot before she took a slow breath and said finally: “I... I would like to at least... hear what you have to teach me, I guess. I'll... try and wait.”

“Thank you, Sally. I have... a good feeling about you.” Celestia smiled a little, and then she instructed gently: “Archibald. Please take her and make her comfortable for the rest of the day and tonight. Answer any question she might have.”

Archibald nodded and bowed, and Celestia turned her gentle expression to Sally, the Pegasus looking up at her nervously before Celestia said softly: “I promise to get you home as soon as possible. You have my word that I will do absolutely everything in my power for you, Sally.”

Sally nodded uneasily, and then she turned when Archibald gestured to her politely. She hesitated, looking at this strange man for a moment – because that was what he was, really, whether he was in the shape of a pony or not – but then felt a funny relief when Splinthoof volunteered: “I'll go with you two. I mean, if that's alright, Princess Celestia.”

“I think it's a good idea.” Celestia said softly, studying the way Sally immediately nodded, how relieved she seemed. Her gaze remained measuring even as Sally turned, letting herself be guided away... but the princess did her best to smile reassuringly when the Avatar looked back at her uneasily before the three vanished through the doors.

The moment Sally was gone, the princess bit her lip and lowered her head a little, closing her eyes and wondering silently how she was going to convince Sally to stay... because that nondescript but natural mare might be her only chance to understand how the rift between the worlds truly worked... and how it could finally be closed.