Ch.9

[Tirdas, 13th of Sun’s Height, 4E: 221]

“PInkie! Who is this?” Greeted the beautiful F-cup busted unicorn mare who was only slightly shorter than me at the door of her simple two-floor stone home with her boutique’s sign labeling it as the Chique Boutique. It was jarring both to see the beautiful mare wearing a plain light blue nightgown that paired well with her purple coiffed mane/tail and pure white coat, as well as to see her shop wasn’t the Carousel Boutique. Maybe the fact there are domestic feral horses in Tamriel has caused things like that and related gear to be faux-pas?

“Hey Rares. This is Meen-Rei. She’s a poor lost soul who came in on a magic boat with my cousin Mellow and a total hunk of naga tail. She’s got problems Twily might be able to help with and she needs time away from that stud so she isn’t aching for his bologna pony.” Diane answered Rarity-h-hey!

“D-Diane~!” I squeaked in my raspy hiss, feeling so embarrassed to have that aired so casually!

“Oh, you poor dear. Come in, let’s get you out of those dirty, filthy clothes and into something more comfortable.” Rarity opened the door wider and Diane ducked under the doorframe since it wasn’t made for big-and-tall people.

“Don’t be too harsh Rares. She’s been through a lot in just a few days.” Diane said, reminding me she is apparently a master of Mysticism like Neethsi, if even more impressive because most of it is passive.

“She is still a beautiful woman and has every right to look the part. Come now, I’ll launder your clothes in the morning, for the moment I have a black nightgown that would go absolutely splendidly with your blood-red scales and golden highlights. Where did you get your accessories, dear?” Rarity rambled as she guided me into her boutique while Diane went upstairs where giggling was already in progress.

“A friend gave them to me.” While it was true, I don’t think it was wise to tell her who gave them to me. “Do you have anything that could match them?”

“I should. Again, I will fashion some clothes for you in the morning.” Rarity replied before fetching the black nightgown for me. “Ah, perfect! It will fit you.”

“Oh, thank you.” I said, before looking for a place to put it on. “Do you have someplace private I could put this on?”

“Right here.” Rarity pulled out a folded screen for me to get dressed behind.

“Thank you.” I said before I went behind it and undressed, noting how much my clothes actually smell. I sighed, guessing that it was mostly from the swamp, even if most of our journey has been by flying boat. I put on the nightgown and looked myself over. I felt myself smile at how the black nightgown did really fit my color scheme well. I even went out and did a twirl in the mirror to see how well it complimented me. It even had a tail slit so it would comfortably leave my tail open to the air.

“Oh, darling, you look spectacular!” Rarity praised me as she fanned herself.

“Goodness girl, it’s just a nightgown.” I chuckled from feeling rather flattered.

“Sorry, it’s my passion to sew only the best clothes one could buy.” The white unicorn giggled before taking my hand. “Come! We shouldn't keep the others waiting.” Rarity all but dragged me up the stairs.

“Eheheh!” I heard from upstairs when we climbed before we entered a bedroom, Rarity’s I suppose. Everyone was sitting about the room on bedrolls or the bed and I looked everyone over to see what made them physically different from the ponies I once knew. Like Diane, they had clear visible differences from my old friends.

Rainbow Dash was an athletic build like I expected, but not one for just flying and racing. She was shorter than the others, had c-cups and narrow hips, almost looking roguish in appearance. Her gaze on the other hand seemed to bleed order and law, so she was not a thief, sportsmare or other less regimented discipline.

Applejack was huge, about Diane’s height with a similar frame, but built like a bodybuilder. Her nightwear was a thin tunic, unlike the nightgowns of the others. She seemed just as suited to early work as well as sleeping comfortable. She had a D bust, her hips slightly wider and her whole demeanor was juxtaposed to the AJ I knew, seeming easygoing and carefree.

Fluttershy surprised me with how tall she was, towering over everyone, having a lanky build, but I could tell she lifted about as much as Rainbow. Her bust was more a D-cup, hips thin and her overall look was much more of a silent willowy giant. Of course she was not hiding behind her long mane like I expected, she was smiling and waving at me if still quietly.

Twilight was sitting in a corner of the room reading a book, as I would expect, though what I didn’t expect was her having a mane and tail longer than Fluttershy’s. She was almost hidden under them. Her robes, which were covered in magical runes, were hiding her figure further, the brown/purple clothes covering head to hoof. The only reason I could even tell she was looking at me was the glint from a pair of eyeglasses and her horn.

Not at all what I expect from what Diane told me. Twilight was the closest to my old friend, her counterpart, but even my Twilight would go insane with all that hair. I simply blinked as I tried getting my brain to stop pointing out the differences.

“Evening girls, I see that Pinkie had told you about our new guest that will be joining us tonight.” Rarity gained the attention of her friends. “Still, introductions are in order.”

“Hi, I’m Meen-Rei.” I told them with a wave, trying not to look or sound uneasy or awkward.

“Don’t crowd her girls. She’s got a lot on her plate.” Diane warned everyone and Dash approached first, looking me up and down with eyes I was used to seeing from Neethsi.

“You’re useless in a melee, but those twitchy fingers and your default stance, an archer?” Dash questioned and I nodded. “Maybe we could have a bit of a shooting challenge to test our skills together. I happen to be the best sniper in the Lilmoth Air Squadron.” Dash boasted proudly, but not as egocentric as the one I used to know. It was refreshing to see her be similar, but distinctly different. I could only handle old Dash so much in one sitting. I miss her though...

“Sure thing. If you have time while I’m in town, I’d love to see how well I do.” I then turned to Fluttershy when she approached me next, continuing to surprise me.

“I’m Fluttershy. You can call me Shy for short if you want. I’m a beast tamer and I tame creatures for use as pets, livestock or for military purposes.” Fluttershy informed me and I shivered. She tames the beasts in Black Marsh? Making friends with manticores and whatnot is one thing, getting the vicious creatures of this deathtrap to do anything must be a miracle.

“I’d like to see you at work sometime if that’s alright.” I really would. Maybe she has something I could have for a pet? I fought and won to ignore the stinging pain in my heart.

“Hey there. I’m Applejack. Just call me AJ. I run several farms and plantations to the south. Nothing big, since I’m stuck working the books while my brother and little sister oversee the farmhands.” AJ casually and almost lazily introduced herself. I guess her environment had her stuck doing all the brain-work, but why is she still so absolutely bricc?

“I’m impressed with your muscle definition if you’re a pencil-pusher.” Seriously, why do Earth Ponies just get all the incredible bodily benefits? Sure, unicorns have built-in magic catalysts and pegasi have wings and innate weather magic, but wasn’t getting innate geokinesis enough?

“Eh, genetics. You ain’t seen nothing until you see my big brother. Eight feet of solid rock that pony. He tore a Land Dreugh apart bare-handed and cracked it’s shell to harvest the meat for supper.”

“Wow, that’s impressive.” I chuckled and noticed everyone looking at me expectantly. I guess Twilight is waiting for me to spill my guts before introducing herself. “Okay. Well, I’m Meen-Rei. It’s not my true name, but it’s all I can give. I physically cannot say my actual name. I’ve been dropped on Mundus as a different species, apparently picked to be the next Hero foretold in the Elder Scrolls. I’m a living magicka bomb just waiting to go off and I have no idea where to begin.” I poured out for them all and Twilight snapped her book shut.

“I felt about as much. When a beacon of raw magicka like you flares up, every mage worth their title must’ve felt it. So you’re the living Sconce of Magnus I’ve read in my reports regarding the Blackrose incident just yesterday.” Twilight stood from the bed, her hair parting and gravity pulling on her robes enough to reveal her shapely body that reminded me of the traditional ‘brick house’ from earth.

“Oh, you felt that?” I asked uneasily before Twilight summoned a bird mask with a flash of purple magic and shoved it onto my face. “Hm?”

“That should help bleed your magic if your stars don’t get corrected fast enough. It’s a relic from our homeland from the Corrupted Blood Plague. The disease made magic slowly boil one's blood away. The disease spread just from breathing, so it filters the air and uses impurities as raw material to keep the mask intact and functioning. It also has night vision and built-in binoculars with a muffle enchantment to silence you.” Twilight said before she handed me a bag of empty potion bottles. “Stick those to the end of it to empty the mask when it starts to glow.”

“Empty it of what?” I asked before my vision tinted blue. “Uh, is that it?”

“That is...both impressive and not good. It’s draining your magicka, it’s basically a micro brewery leeching your magicka and distilling it into liquid form. The result is a raw restore magicka potion that needs refining to be safe for consumption.”

“Didn’t you just say it was a relic? I thought making potions was a lot harder than wearing some spooky mask.” Rainbow asked Twilight skeptically.

“It is, but I’m trying to improve them for modern day use. The distilled liquid magicka was a byproduct of the mask, I’m hoping to refine it so magicka potions are cheap, easy and efficient.” Twilight countered her question while I plugged a potion bottle into the ‘beak’ and it poured glowing blue liquid magicka into the bottle. Pretty...I make this? Yeesh, first glowing gold sap with hallucinogenic properties, to glowing blue fluid that’s literally raw magicka. My bodily fluids are ridiculously valuable...

“Are you wearing one right now?” Rainbow asked Twilight, who nodded and with a flash of light, revealed she’d been using an illusion to hide a similar mask on her face. “Why?!”

“Because science Rainbow. I can do both science and enjoy our time together.” Twilight countered before taking off her mask and sending it away in another flash. “That said, it only seems to leech ‘excess’ magicka. I’m subconsciously returning unused magicka back into my environment, so I can’t use myself as a test subject. Meen-Rei though is the perfect candidate.”

“Swell, here I was hoping we’d be talking about boys.” I huffed and AJ perked up enough for her ears to make her tousled blond mane flip.

“Oh, right. Girls, we’ve gotta talk more about that hunk Pinkie said Rei here floated in with. That said, Rei, you know him. Have you seen him naked?” AJ asked eagerly, her laid-back persona taking a back-seat for something that clearly interested her. So this AJ is a bit of a perv, okay then.

📜

[Middas, 14th of Sun’s Height, 4E: 221]

I whined when I was jostled awake at the shoulder and blinked my eyes up at Rarity, who was wearing a much more well-to-do red and gold dress robe that seemed like something a politician would be wearing in this world’s courts. I also noted that the outfit had my scale and intimate part colors as it’s pallet. “Good morning. Sorry to wake you darling, but I need to open shop and I can’t just leave you sleeping up here while I’m busy downstairs. I’m sure you understand.”

“Nyeh, yea, I do.” I sat up and shook myself awake to see that I was the only straggler left from last night. The others all went to sleep here too, but I guess Twilight teleports them home or something and she seems to still be an early riser here too. “Sorry for imposing.”

“Oh, it’s no trouble. I’m just glad you got to enjoy yourself. I do hope that your adventures go well and if you should need help, if it’s within my power then I will lend it if asked.” Rarity offered and I felt my face shift in that hard-to-tell expression I just knew was argonian for smiling.

“Thank you Rarity. I’ll try not to be a stranger.” I followed her downstairs into the boutique, where she gave me new clothes. “Uh, Rarity, I thought…” Wow, these are soft…

“No friend of mine is going to slum it in rags darling. I’ve tossed those roughspun swamp sponges in my refuse bin. It’s no big issue, just some cotton harvested from the plantations woven into a comfortable and breathable pattern, then dyed. I picked black and white to accent your natural scale colors and accessories too.” Rarity ushered me behind her changing screen and I swapped the nightgown for the new tunic and trousers.

“These are so lovely. Thank you Rarity.” I praised her when I left the screen and looked at myself in the mirror, only for her to produce black leather boots.

“Now slip these on dear. Thick scales or no, it’s hot out there and the stone walkways will cook your feet.” Rarity warned me and I gulped in displeasure of the idea, accepting the nice black boots and lacing them up. I looked up in the mirror and felt a bit of shock at seeing Rarity eyeing my ass with a faint blush and a devious smirk. Well then.

I took my time lacing the boots, shaking my tail back and forth, shifting my butt and enjoyed how much she was enjoying the view. I couldn’t pretend to lace my boots forever though, so I straightened up and gave my new boots a click. “I’ll repay you for this, don’t even try and say otherwise, I’ll overpay if you do.”

“Oh no, darling. You’ve paid me enough with your friendship.” Rarity replied, hiding her flush surprisingly well and I leaned closer to her, enjoying how she leaned away and her flush deepened.

“Please. I insist.” I tried to flutter my eyes, but I don’t know how well that would work for a reptile without eyelashes. Still, she seemed suitably flustered by my turnabout.

“Very well. I’ll produce a bill, to be filled at your leisure.” Rarity hurried to the front of her shop and I snickered to myself for being so terrible for manipulating her into letting me pay her back. Wait, does that make me terrible or good then? “Here you are, cruel woman. Burden me with your coin whenever you wish.” Rarity joked and gave me the bill, which wasn’t too bad considering the quality of the clothes and the prices I saw on Merchant’s Festival if doubled back to normal.

“I’ll do that.” I winked at her and hugged her before she could react, then left her store while she was recovering from the platonic if potent display of affection. “Now then, I need to find Mellow first since Neethsi is likely going to be busy dealing with Twilight today.”

“Talking to yourself huh?” I jolted and pouted up at Rainbow where she was flying overhead and wore a full suit of leather and scale-hide enhanced armor. She had a steel crossbow hanging a bit from a leather strap on her torso with a hand on the stock to keep it steady. “You’d be surprised how many bandits or other scum do that.”

“Well, I’m neither, I just do that occasionally.” I playfully snarked back at her. “So you’re on patrol?” I wonder how their flying patrols can see through the illusion. Maybe an enchantment on their helmets keyed specifically to the illusion array so they can ignore it.

“Yeah. I’m just passing through on my sweep to make sure no thieves or other scum step out of line. You have a good day alright?” Dash waved and began flying along the street again.

“Okay, see you!” I called out to her before continuing my route to Sugarcube Corner to hopefully find Mellow at home. Said route went uneventfully and I entered the store to see a tall light gray mare with a dark-gray/light-gray mane who shared Pinkie’s body frame but was smaller in the bust than the bricc and busty baker.

“Welcome to Sugarcube Corner. We just got our first batches of fresh goods out of the oven.” The mare quietly informed me as I approached and took a deep whiff of the pastry heaven scent wafting into the main shop from the doorway behind the mare in the jelly-stained smock.

“That’s nice, but I’m here to find Mellow Mender.” I informed who could only be Marble Pie. What she’s doing here and not with the rest of her family I could only imagine with a bitter and mean eldest sister to deal with.

“You mean Mellow Cake? My cousin?” Marble questioned in bemusement and I shrugged. “Oh, right. Aunt Cuppy did say something about him unofficially changing part of his name so people would take his choice in occupation seriously. He should be upstairs, but I can’t leave the counter unattended, but I can’t let you just go upstairs…” Marble’s ears wilted as she looked broken by indecision.

“It’s okay, I can wait down here for someone else to help me find him. Who knows, maybe he’ll come down on his own.” I offered as an out to the timid and nervous mare, who was visibly relieved not to have to make a weighty decision.

“Thank you. Feel free to find a seat.” Marble gestured to one of the several tables in the main room and I took the one closest to the stairs. While I waited, I occasionally asked Marble some questions about herself and her family, which she answered as meekly as I expected. I even ordered a breakfast muffin since it was fresh from the oven and I was wondering something I only just realized.

I haven’t been hungry once since I was re-Displaced as an argonian. Sure, I ate, but I never felt hunger. Is it a side effect of my body being absolutely drowned in magicka or do I have to worry about not knowing when I need to eat outside of social norms? “Oh, good morning Rei.” I looked up from my half-eaten muffin to see Mellow Cake in a much more casual linen shirt and pants instead of his preferred robes. “What are we up to today?”

“I don’t know. I was sort of hoping you’d know since you’re a local.” I responded before looking at my muffin and then looked back at him. “I don’t feel hunger.” He’s my doctor, I might as well bring it up.

“Well, cousin Pinkie’s muffins will do that.” Mellow joked, but his smile faltered at my unchanged gaze.

“I don’t feel hunger, Mellow. I haven’t since I woke up in that Hist Tree.” This admission suddenly filled me with melancholy. How much more about me has changed without my notice?

Next Chapter: Ch.10 Estimated time remaining: 18 Hours, 18 Minutes