There they stood; the cyborg in a naked bow, Lyra and Daring’s brains still in the reboot phase and Dash emitting the small continuous squeal of a short circuited fan girl. The moment lasted a heart beat too long before the figure stood straight again.

“Okay, this is just getting awkward now” the cyborg stated and then started walking back toward the base of the partially destroyed tower. The shift snapped the ponies out of their stupor and they were immediately running to catch up to the mysterious cyborg.

“OhMyGoshOhMyGoshOhMyGosh-OH-MY-GOSH! That was SO AWESOME!” Dash started gushing before the others could get a word in “The way you were knocking the bullets aside like they were nothing! And Jumping on the Missiles?! And-and it was just IN HALF ! And-and-and I mean you just freaking PUNCHED IT! and-and-and-and-“

“I am pretty impressive, huh?” The woman said with not a little ego and stuck her chest out more proudly as she walked.

“More like TOTALLY BITCH’N you mean! And to top it all off you ended up turning into a TOTAL HOTteeee- hehehe, um…” Dash faltered with a large blush beginning to spread across her face “I’m uh… I'm gonna go find the bags to help with the uh, whole… naked thing.”

Dash quickly flew off still stammering as the woman just laughed, warmly amused by the element's awkwardness.

“What are you?” Lyra finally asked as she looked over the strange creature. She was well built and taller than most ponies; with the shapely and well toned body of someone in unnaturally good shape. She also seemed to be lacking any substantial hair other than the brown mane atop her head, leaving her skin free to the elements.

“That’s... kind of hard to explain.” The cyborg replied as she started shoving a large piece of debris away from the chamber’s door “My species is called human, or homo sapien if you wanna get all scientifical. With all my cyborg bits and shiny inside parts though, I’m not sure if that entirely applies anymore. I still like to think I'm human though...”

Her brief rambling petered off as she walked back into her former prison and toward a small pile of things at the back.

“My name though, is Maisie. My friends call me Maze, or at least they would if I had any friends” She said as she grabbed a large, somewhat complicated sheath, a pair strangely shaped metal contraptions and a small, slightly chipped and worn flower clip on a small chain that she hooked on the sheath. She then walked to the exit without a second glance.

“I’ve never heard of a human before, and I’ve encountered a lot of strange things on my adventures but not a whole lot like you. If I had to guess though, I would have said you’re some kind of ape” Daring stated, the last bit causing a disgruntled look to appear on Maze’s face.

“I think I remember something like you in a footnote for some of the old myths. I mean the old, OLD myths. A reference to something I think was called a 'Megan', but that was about it.” Lyra offered “But if anything I’d say you look like a changeling, just a bit more squishy… and a lot more pink.”

“Wait, WHAT?!” Maze asked, taken back.

“Oh yeah! She totally looks like Chrysalis!" Dash exclaimed as she met them at the entrance with not only the group’s bags but their weapons as well "Sure the features are different, but clump up the hair and paint her grey and she could totally pass for a changeling.”

“Yeah, I can see that” Daring agreed as Lyra just nodded "It does fit a bit better than a primate."

“Hey now wait a minute!” Maze interrupted “I know I might not be the hottest piece of plot under the sun, but I’d hardly consider myself a giant bug monster!”

“Oh come on, we don't mean the feeder drones or birthers; that would just be mean” Daring explained “No, from like the infiltrator or royal castes. You’re missing the carapace plates they have here and there, but the flat face with a small nose and the little ears on the side… you’re really not too far off from a changeling. A lot of them even have those floppy things you have instead of hooves.”

“Changelings look like humans?” She asked as she took the handful of clothes Dash was offering her “Since when?”

“Since like, forever I guess” Dash answered simply.

“They didn’t before I was…” She tailed off looking back at the chamber “How long has it been? I know at least a thousand years because of… no wait, with all these other changes that may not even of… but these three are still…” Maze began to start and stop, just holding the clothes with a very worried expression. Her gaze then suddenly shot back up.

“Has the Nightmare Moon event happened?” she asked, earning stunned looks from the three ponies.

“How could you know about-” they began ask before Maze cut them off.

“Has it happened?!”

“Well, do you mean her being banished for a thousand years or us turning her back into Luna about a year ago?” Dash asked.

“Both actually,” Maze said as she began donning the borrowed clothes. They were a little tight but beggars couldn't be choosers “You mentioned Chrysalis, so the Royal wedding between Shining Armor and Princess Cadenza already happened?”

“Well it would have if the changelings hadn’t invaded. That kind of thing has a habit of messing up a pony’s plans doesn’t it?” Lyra answered.

“They didn’t get married after?” Maze asked.

“Well they were going to, but there were…” Dash started “…complications.”

“Scandal more like” Daring corrected.

“He didn’t know! He thought it was her!” Dash argued in what Maze could only assume was Shining Armors defense “And they’re still together even if they didn’t get married!”

The adventurer just returned an apologetic shrug as Maze's expression grew more concerned.

‘All these changes... events are still happening but their results aren’t guaranteed. That could complicate things’ Maisie thought as she was adjusting the bands around her ankles and arches; it would be easier with a pair of shoes or boots but it would do for now.

“What are those for?” Daring asked still not having a clue what the metal contraptions did, as they didn’t seem to protect or cushion the human’s… floppy leg things much.

“They’re extendable heels. They let me wield my sword with my feet but still walk and move comfortably when I’m not” The cyborg stated as if wielding a sword with one’s legs was a perfectly normal thing.

“Ok so they’re called feet, I guess that answers why you were pointing out our hooves as a notable variable” Lyra mused more to herself than the human.

“Pointed out what now?” Maze stood up a bit confused. She didn’t remember mentioning their hooves, but then she wasn’t too sure of anything anymore.

“Oh! Sorry, I was talking about your logs” Lyra told her trying to suppress a smile at the ‘hyumins’ look of befuddlement as she began digging through the bags “I found a number of old recordings that you made about your travels here, most were corrupted beyond repair but I recovered enough to lead us here and solve most of the temple's seals. We learned lot but there were only so many answers to be found on this little fello-”

“GI GI!” Maze practically screamed as she snatched the ancient IG from the mare and gave it a big hug “Oh, I never thought I’d see him again! I sent him away just before the final seal was placed and the doors finally shut for good…”

She looked down at the IG in her arms with a genuine, if sad smile that looked to hold a good bit of regret.

“Well, I’m sure you girls have a lot more questions, and I’ll be happy to answer what I can, but there are three things you should know first,” She told the ponies and handed Gigi back to Lyra “One: We need to get moving right away. Two: I may not be able to answer all your questions, and not all for the same reasons; so please don’t push too hard. And finally, Three: I really hope you lot are in good enough condition for a little physical labor.”

“Why?” They unintentionally asked in unison only to a jump back from a sudden sparking pop that washed over Maze, followed by her collapsing to the ground.

“Because someone is gonna have’ta carry me.”

“Oh my god! Your fur is sssoooo SOFT!” Maze cooed loudly as she cuddled closer into Lyra’s back.

They had discovered that, while capable of the extraordinary feats they had witnessed, Maze could easily overexert herself if she wasn’t careful. Added to the fact she had only just been released after what they deduced had been about twelve hundred years of her just sitting there without food or activity, she didn’t really have much in the ways of reserves.

“MMMM- I forgot how cuddly you ponies are! You’re like puppies wrapped in velvet!” She cooed again as she nuzzled against Lyra’s cheek.

They had also quickly discovered that she reverted to a more childish personality in this state… at least they hoped that was cause of it.

“Will you stop that? I already have a marefriend” Lyra requested trying to move her head away as Maze gave her a lecherous grin.

“Oh yeah? Is she soft too-AH!” the cyborg yelped as Lyra dropped her.

"I think it's somepony else's turn now" the unicorn announced.

“Maisie fall down” she whined sadly as Dash sighed and lifted her by her belt and kept flying along as Maze gave a rather weak “wheee…”

“So how did you cut a RAY in half with a sword like that? It’s like a needle compared to it!” Dash asked her new passenger.

“I used the pointy end.”

“I’m being serious!” Dash stated and gave a grunt of annoyance .They had already received a number of such unhelpful answers already. It’s not that she was being particularly secretive about everything, it's just a lot of her answers just didn't seem... complete.

“It’s an HF blade” Maze relented “With enough power and force they can cut through pretty much anything, especially how the ones here have the magicz.”

“Yeah, I know that! I mean how did you cut it all the way through something so BIG?” Dash reiterated "I've never seen the cutting field stretch That much before!"

“That’s just practice. With the right technique and again enough energy you can ‘extend and manipulate the cutting field potential’ pretty much as far as you'll ever need. Either that or the rule of cool is a literal thing here.”

“Well yeah, I’m all the proof anypony needs that it is!” Dash exclaimed, her ego showing reemerging since the setback from RAY “I mean, I would have still taken that RAY down it you hadn’t shown up… y’know… eventually…” she admitted.

“I’m sure” Maze replied with a small laugh that caused Dash to drop her thinking she was being sarcastic again. Daring rolled her eyes and picked up the cyborg; preferring the over the back method Lyra used, only a bit more careful as to not crush her wings.

“I’ll have you know I’m still adjusting to my cybernetics! It takes time to relearn awesome, even if it’s just from ninety percent back to a hundred!” She spouted trying to sound nonchalant but failing to hide the slight blush that crept up.

Sure enough, now that Maze was behind Rainbow she could see some slight cybernetics spread though her wings. She activated her AR vision and saw they were even more extensive internally.

“I wasn’t being sarcastic Dash; you come off more than competent, if still a little cocky” Maze said sincerely “Though I’m surprised someone like you would let someone even touch your wings, let alone operate on them.”

“There was an… accident. I don’t really wanna talk about it...” Dash said, looking away with a somber face and a little anger hidden in her voice. The group just kind of went quiet for a while after that.

‘Oh well done Maze! Keep that kind of stuff up and you’re bound to make loads of friends!’ she thought bitterly to herself.

“Well I have a question,” Daring spoke up to finally break the tension “What was with the music?”

“Music? Oh, that just happens sometimes. I don’t even really notice it half the time anymore” The cyborg answered plainly.

“It just happens? You mean you don’t control it?” Lyra asked to clarify.

“Nope, or not much at least. I can suppress it sometimes, and occasionally even choose what song; but usually it’s just out of my hands. Doesn’t happen too often though, usually only when something big happens to me or when it would be really appropriate for a situation.”

“So you have involuntary theme music?” Daring looked back with an incredulous smile.

“Pretty much.”

“That’s… actually kind of cool!” Dash commented, her mood slowly improving. Her face suddenly blanched however at the sight behind them, causing the others to turn around too.

What was left of the temple's main tower was pulsing erratically and throwing off arcs of unstable magic, trembling in place until it started floating slowly upward. It didn’t get too far before it erupted in a massive explosion; an expanding ball of magical destruction that erased all that was left of the temple from the world. The wave thankfully stopped just beyond the temple's boundaries, well away from where the group was now.

“And that’s why us needing to get moving was my first condition” Maze said very matter-of-factly, quite satisfied at seeing her former prison obliterated in such a fashion.

The ponies were about to argue but after noticing the look on Maze’s face, they figured there wouldn’t be much point. The group continued on for a bit, asking and answering questions from all parties until they reached the ‘village’. It was really more of a transportation hub than a village but it had what they needed; an airship.

They decided that disguising Maze would be for the best; even in the modern, cyberneticly influenced Equestria, ponies could still be a bit xenophobic. Not to mention that with the ruckus caused in the jungle and the legends of the ancient evil sealed in the temple, they didn’t want anypony putting two and two together and causing a panic.

They hoped to leave before there were too many questions about the explosions and why the temple was now no more than a giant crater so they boarded the first airship that passed near Ponyville and were on their way.

“HOLY TARTARUS, I FORGOT!” Dash suddenly shouted as they loaded their gear into their cabin. Startled, everyone looked to Dash to see what was wrong.

“YOU’RE TOTALY DARING DO!” she scream-squeed at the adventuring author as Daring’s face sunk with the sudden dread of just how long this trip was now going to be.

“It really took you that long to remember that?” Lyra asked but was completely ignored as Dash began gushing and battering the mare with questions.

"Well good Luck! I'm off to finally get something to eat after a millennia!" Maze laughed and flashed Miss Do a sympathetic smile before stepping out of the cabin. Her smile however was almost immediately lost to a somber worry now that she was finally alone.

'Twelve hundred years...' she thought, a tired regret clear on her face 'You think it's been long enough? Have I paid my debt? Will they forgive me? ...Can what I did even be forgiven?'

A heavy sigh escaped her before she shook the thought away and resumed her path to dinning cabin. She would just have to deal with whatever came when it came.

“So you’re really not going to tell me?” Daring asked the cyborg as the two leaned against the ship rail, trying one last time for answers before they parted company.

“I did tell you; Magic” Maze answered simply.

“There are all kinds of magic in this world Maze, and I’ve never encountered one even close to giving somepony the almost precognitive knowledge of this world's events you have.”

“NINJA Magic” Maze added with a slight flourish of the hands and wiggling of the fingers.

“Right” Daring replied dully.

“Honestly Daring, if I told you the truth you wouldn’t believe me. Very few have and those that did ended up having major existential crises. It’s for the best you don’t know, really.” Maze explained just before she stood on the railing and looked down over the fields. She had learned pretty quickly it was best to not reveal the existence of the show to anyone.

“You really are insane aren’t you?” Daring asked amused.

“Oh, almost certainly!” Maze confirmed with her own wide eyed smile before leaping off the side. Daring’s gaze just followed the cyborgs path as she grew smaller the closer she approached the ground.

‘Sweet Celestia what have we unleashed upon the world?’ she thought with a grin before Lyra and Dash approached with packed bags.

“Where’s Maze?” Lyra asked to which Daring just flicked her chin at the railing. Lyra stared for a couple of moments before putting it together “You’re kidding! Is she insane?!”

She ran to look over the railing just in time to see a small puff of dirt fly up and a small crater form.

“See you around kids, I’ve got a book to start working on” Daring chuckled as she patted a dumbfounded Dash on the shoulder on her way back to the cabin, not able to help smiling all the while.

Maze dusted herself off as she stepped out of the new dent in the landscape and took in the scenery. She landed a little ways away from the outer boarders of the Everfree south of Ponyville. It was actually not as dark and twisted as the show made it out to be, from here it just looked like a dense, pretty forest. She knew it was a horrible death trap of crazy happenings, but still nice to look at for the moment.

Alas, her revere was soon cut short as Dash glided down holding Lyra by the arms. She dropped Lyra once she was a safe distance from the ground, which Maze noticed was quite a bit higher than she would expected.

‘Maybe the cyber bits I saw in Lyra were more capable than I thought’ she mused before Dash flew up to yell at her.

“ARE YOU INSANE?!”

“I just answered that!” She shouted back playfully “You don’t really think someone can spend twelve hundred years in an empty room by themselves without going at least a little bat-shit do ya?”

Dash hadn’t thought that, the slowing of her wings and worried expression gave away that maybe bringing her to Ponyville wasn’t the best idea.

“Relax Dash, I was well aware I could survive that. And I even if I am a bit crazy that doesn’t mean I’m some violent, dysfunctional villain; just look at Luna” She consoled the pegasus as she strolled toward the town, re-donning the hooded scarf Daring had given her as a disguise.

As they neared the towns borders Maze noticed that it was quite a lot bigger than she’d been expecting, and that it was a good deal more ‘fortified’ as well. There were a few guard towers here and there and a small, roughly chest high wall that circled the city. It wasn’t a major obstacle but enough to slow any land based enemy a step or two, which is often all one really needed.

The sudden sound of automatic fire and explosions quickly drew the trio's attention.

“Oh boy, seems like the guards’ve run into a bit of trouble” Dash said before flying ahead toward the commotion.

‘Ponies with guns, that just doesn’t sound right’ Maze thought once again as Lyra and her ran to catch up, finding Dash directing the efforts of what looked more like a town militia than the royal guard. They seemed to be fighting a motley assortment of broken down and oddly configured Independent Gears.

“Parasprites, lovely” Lyra muttered more annoyed than worried as she slowed her pace to hang back from the fight “They've got this.”

“Those are Parasprites?” Maze exclaimed as a purple tinted, armless dwarf gekko with tiny wings tried to lazily ram into Dash to just get cut in half and explode. Rainbow then went to assist a guard that had a green tinted one wrapped around his face, it wasn’t really hurting him but he couldn’t help if he couldn’t see.

“Yeah, little bastards like to burrow into old IGs and cause mischief. I have no idea where they always seem to find so many or how they reconfigure them like that, I just know they’re a pain to keep out of my workshop most of the time.” Lyra explained and continued to watch the very one sided skirmish.

The militia finally managed to herd the remaining IGs into a small group when what looked like a glittery cannon ball blasted into the center of them, blowing the remaining IG-Sprites into scrap in a large and very colorful explosion that caused confetti to rain down upon everypony. It didn’t take a genius to guess the source.

“DASHIE!” everyone heard the joyous scream as a bright pink pony with an as equally pink bazooka strapped to her back tackle-glomped her friend.

“Imissedyousomuch!IwishIknewyouweregettingbacktoday!Iwouldhavethrownasuperduperultramegaawesome–”

Pinkie suddenly stopped dead as she caught sight of the approaching Maze, her eyes wide and expression blank. The rest of the ponies started to look worried on as Pinkie stayed like that for a few moments too long.

“Um… Pinkie?” Dash started before Pinkie suddenly beamed with an over-exaggerated and very happy gasp; disappearing with a speed that made even the pegasus a bit envious.

“Well it looks like somepony is getting a party tonight” Lyra said, flashing Maze a knowing glance.

“So much for keeping a low profile…” Maze returned.

‘Still,’ she thought contently as Lyra lead her into town ‘it’s nice to know some things haven’t changed.’

Author's Notes:

And that’s Chapter 2! One day after the story was published and I already have 14 favorites and 14 likes! Even with a couple dislikes, that is still a lot better than I was expecting! So Thanks Everyone!

Sorry if you found this chapter a bit light on the action and bit heavy one the exposition, but with how different I went and made this Equestria, I’m afraid some things are going to take a bit of explaining.

Thank you to the people that have given me a bit of input since I posted the first chapter, some of it may be conflicting, but I’ll still try to take it to heart and see what I can do to improve.
Chapter 3 may take a little longer than 2 did; starting to get to the sort of 'winging it' point but it hopefully won’t be too long. Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2 and I look forward to seeing you for Chapter 3! Have a good one!