Her eyes slowly opened as sunlight filtered through the bedroom window.

"I'm back at Michael's house; in my room. Was it all a dream?"

She tried sitting up, but her arms felt-

Twilight screamed as she held the two cream colored limbs in front of her.

Asleep on the floor, Michael bolted up and rushed to her side.

"Take it easy, Twilight, You're okay!" He said, putting his hand on his shoulder.

"Okay?! You call this okay?!" She waved her new extremities around, "Michael, I have arms! Why do I have arms?!" Another look of panic streaked across her face as she desperately felt around her head for her horn. She slumped over and sobbed, "It's gone... it's gone..."

Instinctively, Michael leaned over wrapped her in his arms, gently rocking with her, "Shhh, its okay... It'll be alright..."

Bleary eyed, she looked up at him, "Michael, What happened to me? Everything is so hazy..."

A lump formed in his throat, "Dr. Colwell had come up with a way to change ponies into humans. You're... You're human now."

Twilight's crying intensified. He held her tighter.

"It's okay. Calm down. Everything will okay. We'll get you changed back, I promise." He held her at arm’s length and made eye contact with her, "But Colwell's plan is already in motion, and you've been out for a while so we don't have much time. We have to deal with that first, but before that, we need to get you used to that body of yours. Okay?"

Twilight nodded and wiped away her tears with her forearm.

Michael smiled, "Hey look at that, Less than five minutes with arms and you've already putting them to use!"

She smiled weakly. It was a sad excuse for a joke, but she was grateful in his effort to cheer her up.

"Alright," he said, "Now, try moving your hands and fingers."

She could rotate her wrists easily enough, but the fingers were another matter. Twilight stared at the digits at the end of her arm; they were as foreign to her as knees to a shark.

"How do I even move these?" she thought.

Michael picked up on her frustration and grabbed one of her hands. Pulling a pen out of his pocket, he placed it in her palm and wrapped her fingers around it, "This is what it feels like to grab something. Can you try and open your fingers?"

Her fingers stayed still, "I can't."

Removing the pen from her hand, he sighed. "Even though she's never had fingers before, she should still be able to move them. Maybe it's some kind of mental block..." he thought to himself.

He got up, walked to the end of the bed, reached into his back pocket-

"Catch!"

-and gently lobbed his wallet at Twilight. Instantly, her hands moved to intercept it, her fingers wrapped around its black leather exterior.

Michael smiled as she let go of the wallet and stared at her hands, flexing her fingers.

"Your body knows how to move: don't over-think it." He walked back over to her and extended his hand out to her, "Let's get you on your feet."

After an hour more of training, enough to get Twilight to a state where she could walk around without tripping over herself, Michael left her to practice on her own while he got her some clothes. After another hour, Twilight was beginning to feel comfortable in her own skin.

As she walked around the empty house in a borrowed set of Michael's pajamas, she touched everything. Even though nothing in the house was unfamiliar to her, now that she could grasp them, feel them, it was as if it was a completely different world. The slight bumpiness of the plaster walls, the coolness of the hardwood floors; every new texture like a splash of color on a previously black and white world.

Even though she loved feeling the living room's high pile carpet between her toes, it was her hands that truly fascinated her. Twilight marveled at the dexterousness of her fingers and how sensitive they were. Seeing a model car inside a glass display case, she opened it and picked up the car, opening the tiny doors and using her nail to lift the hood open.

As the front door opened and closed, Twilight called Michael over to her.

Setting down the bags of clothes, Michael watched as she opened and closed the doors on the car repeatedly, then started turning the tiny steering wheel, watching as the front wheels turned accordingly.

"Everything alright?" he asked.

The expression on Twilight's face was that of a child in a room full of toys, "I can't believe how precise human hands are! I mean, we can move things with our magic, but I'm not sure even the Princess could manipulate something so small. This is really something!"

Michael picked up another model car and began fiddling with it too, "I think that's why human technology is so much more advanced than pony tech."

"I don't follow."

"It was our hands that let us make and use more and more precise instruments. You need thumbs to really use a screwdriver, or a soldering iron, or most tools." He set the model car back in its place and picked up the bags, "Anyway, since neither of us knows your size, I kinda had to guesstimate."

Twilight grabbed the bags and bounded up the stairs to her room. Smiling and somewhat chuckling to himself, Michael shook his head and casually climbed up after her, sitting against the wall in the hallway outside her door.

After nearly ten minutes, he called out to her, "Are you done yet?"

"Almost!" she answered through the closed door. Soon after, the it opened and Twilight stood in the door-frame. Wearing a long dark purple skirt, dark purple sleeveless sweater, and a light purple buttoned up shirt untucked underneath, she looked herself over.

"I like it," she said, smiling.

"Did you notice the colors?" he asked, standing.

Twilight smiled even more emphatically, "I did. Thank you." She looked down at her feet, "But I thought women typically wore heels; what are these?"

Michael laughed, "Those are called flats. I don't think you're quite ready for heels just yet."

Shooting him a look of indignance, she went back into the room and began migrating the contents of her saddlebag into a purple messenger bag.

"By the way," she started, "These are a surprisingly good fit; How did you guess my sizes so well?"

Michael shrugged, "Luck, mostly, but you're about the same size as my sister, so I had at least that much to work with."

Twilight turned to him, surprised, "You have a sister?"

"Yeah, actually, we're meeting with her today," he looked at his watch, "Whoa, look at how late it is. We need to get moving. You finish getting your stuff together; I'm going to get a few things from my lab and I'll meet you at the front door."

As the two of them walked down the dark alleyway, Twilight reached for Michael's free hand. Without her magic, she felt completely defenseless and vulnerable. As she looked up at him, he turned his head toward and smiled, tilting it slightly so. It was as if he was saying, "Don't worry, everything is going to be alright. I'm here; Just-"

"-stay with me."

Twilight snapped out of it, "W-What?"

Michael pointed at the large wooden door, "I said, 'just stay with me'."

She hadn't noticed it, but they had arrived at their destination.

Michael temporarily set down his black briefcase, pulled open the door, and led her inside.

The interior was almost all dark wood. The only non-wood was the aged cream walls and the gold rail that went around the bar. A young Japanese man, wearing a black vest and tie, stood between the bar and the wall of liquor behind it, "Welcome to Eden Hall, What can I-" He interrupted himself, "Michael? It's been a while. Can I get you a drink? Vermouth or maybe a port?"

Michael sat down at the bar and motioned for Twilight to sit next to him, "Honestly, Ryu, I haven't been here for nearly a year and you still know what I like." Michael turned slightly on his stood towards Twilight, "Ryu, this is Twilight. Twilight, this is Ryu Sasahara. He is, without a doubt, one of the best bartenders in the world."

Ryu bowed slightly, "A pleasure to meet you."

Twilight dipped her head, "The pleasure is mine."

Ryu turned to Michael, "So what can I get you?"

He thought for a moment, but shook his head, "I'm not sure right now. Why don't you decide for me?"

"As you wish," the bartender turned to Twilight, "And you?"

Twilight quickly looked around for a menu, but couldn't find one, "I don't know. I've never been to a bar before."

Ryu smiled, "That's perfectly fine. What is your favorite food?"

Twilight thought, then replied, "Apples."

He considered her reply for a moment, then smiled, turned around and reached for a bottle. Turning back around, he produced three brandy snifters and filled them with an amber liquid.

Michael smiled, "Calvados. Perfect. But why three glasses?"

"Because Alexis just walked in and is trying to sneak up behind you."

Michael spun around in his seat to see his sister, dressed in a black leather catsuit and five inch heels, her brown hair hanging past her shoulders.

He grimaced, "You didn't just get off a job, did you?"

She laughed, "And lead the cops straight to one of my favorite bars? I wouldn't dream of doing that to poor Ryu!"

Ryu casually looked up from the glass he was cleaning, "Thank you."

Alexis spotted Twilight and immediately walked up to her, draping herself over her shoulders, and giving her a squeeze, "And who are you? Don't tell me you're here with him?" She thumbed towards Michael, "Why don't you come play with me instead?" she purred in Twilight's ear.

Twilight visibly shuddered and Alexis broke away, laughing, and sat down on the other side of her brother, "You know, you two are so much alike, I can already tell you're made for each other. C'mon, let’s drink."

Michael rolled his eyes at his sister as Twilight blushed slightly behind him.

As they each took a drink, Michael watched as Twilight set down her glass. He stared at her in anticipation, "Well?"

"I like it. It tastes like apples and pears."

Michael smiled, "Ryu, you've done it again."

Another smile crept across the bartender's face.

Alexis set down her glass and took out a photograph of herself, another woman, and a young teenage boy, "Here, Sammy had a piano recital, otherwise he would have come too, but he sends a big hug."

"Where's the recital this time?" Michael asked.

"Some Swedish city I can't pronounce."

"Sweden? Paige must loving every minute of it," he remarked sarcastically.

She continued with the sarcasm, "Oh, absolutely looooving it." She took another drink, "She made Sam promise to book Rio next."

They both laughed.

Michael stared at the picture, "You're doing a great job with him, you know that right? Mom and dad would have been proud."

Alexis sighed, "Yeah, I know, but he misses his uncle.  As much as he loves music, he really connects to technology like you do."

"I know, I know. After this, I'll come and spend a month with you guys, I promise."

Alexis punched him in the shoulder, "You better."

Michael laughed, "So were you able to get the helicopter I asked for?"

Alexis smile smugly and unzipped the top of her catsuit, revealing her cleavage, and reached in, pulling a set of keys from between her breasts. She handed them to Michael, who held them with pinched fingers.

He grimaced once more, "Honestly, I wish you wouldn't do that."

"Yeah, but I wanted to try and get a rise out of Ryu; he's so calm."

Ryu calmly continued cleaning a glass, "I'm immune to your feminine ways, you know that. And I don't think your wife would appreciate you doing that, either."

She put her hands up, "Yeah yeah... honestly, you're worse than Interpol." she turned to Michael, "So what have you got for me this time?"

Michael lifted the briefcase and put it on the bar, opening it, "High speed wrist mounted grappling gun, Omnivision goggles, and a two packs of low-noise impact explosives."

Alexis squealed, "New toys! Oh! And I know just how to use them, I-"

Michael covered her mouth, "Plausible deniability, I don't want to know what you're next thieving escapade will be."

Alexis took another drink, "Speaking of escapades, you know I'll steal anything for you, but a stealth helicopter? Aren't you usually a driving kind of guy?"

"There aren't any roads to where we're going."

"No roads? Michael, what’s going on?"

He looked around and after explaining to Ryu that nothing said could leave the four of them, he explained the situation.

Alexis stared at the two of them, then focused on Twilight, "You mean she's a-"

"Yes. Well, was. And all of Equestria is going to be in a lot of trouble if we don't get moving. So, I'm sorry, but we'll have to make this short and sweet."

Alexis got up, "Alright, well, the chopper is right outside."

"Outside?! I thought you said you weren't at a job?!"

"I wasn't, I parked on top of the old hospital for a few hours before I brought it here."

Michael sighed, "Alright, well, let's see it."

As they exited the bar, he saw it. It was black, angular, and small, just big enough for two people sitting in line with the tail rotor behind them.

"Its perfect." he fished the keys to the Evo out of his pocket and handed it to his sister, "Can you take my car home?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Thanks."

As Michael got into the helicopter and prepped it for takeoff, Alexis called Twilight over to her next to the car, "Twilight?"

"Yes?"

Alexis gave Twilight a gentle squeeze of a hug and let go almost as quickly as she had started it, "My brother is smart, but sometimes he does dumb stuff. I want you to take care of him. I saw you blushing earlier, so I know how you feel. Don't worry about it. He'll realize soon enough."

Michael called from inside the helicopter, "Twilight, you ready?"

Twilight nodded and climbed on board.

As they took off, Alexis called from the ground, "Good luck!"

Michael though she was looking at the two of them, but Twilight knew who she was looking at. Next Chapter: Chapter 16 Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 2 Minutes